A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 304 Dark Clouds Loom Over the City (Part 2)

In the deep underground workshop, the hooded man reached the darkest part, stretched out his hand, and softly called out:
"Doctor Doctor~ Grab my hand, wake up!"

The sound of rushing air filled the air. As the valve was opened, a dark blue fluorescent liquid was pumped in through the pipes overhead, and the culture tank in front of us lit up with a light as bright as the starry sky. A piece of human brain tissue was immersed in the culture medium, and an umbilical cord connected the brain tissue to the arcane matrix at the bottom of the culture tank. Bubbles were rising and falling.

Ants crawled out of the darkness and gathered into words at Mr. Q's feet.

What does 'Doctor' symbolize in the language of the Abyss?

“How would I know? Maybe it’s something like ‘Master,’ ‘Wanderer,’ ‘Traveler,’ or ‘Admiral’,” Mr. Q replied with a smile.

Ants formed a new script.

Their changes happened almost instantly; the ants moved faster than they had three months ago, like a dense black tide surging and breathing.

How did the meeting with His Highness go?

"In all these years of knowing each other, when have I ever failed in a negotiation?"

No one can refuse your conditions, so you never fail.

“Never fail. Well.” Mr. Q tilted his head back, a mask covering his face and hair, obscuring his skin. His eerie, gender-ambiguous voice was tinged with melancholy: “I failed just two days ago. Sigh.”

Ants swarmed.

[Is Jack dead?]

"It was really unlucky to be killed by that annoying guy Grindelwald."

【Hermes?】

"It's not that old man. Why do you address the vice dean like that? He's your teacher."

This appearance is all thanks to him.

"Thanks to him?"

Mr. Q looked up at the starlight liquid being continuously poured into the culture tank and sneered, "Is it thanks to 'He'?"

Ant colonies no longer form words.

They seemed to be caught in chaos, twisting into swirling eddies on the ground, as if something cold and sticky was wriggling inside the ant colony, growing faster and faster. The ants spun wildly, as if they might dissolve into a pile of flesh and blood at any moment.

"Stop." Mr. Q looked away and said coldly, "You can't corrupt me."

Mr. Q did not look at the brain in the culture tank when he said this.

Instead, they look up, their gaze seemingly trying to pierce through the heavy mountains, through the layers of cities, through the clouds and sunlight, defiantly looking at the even more delirious heights behind the veil called "sky".

The vortex stopped, and the chaos from the universe formed words in that instant.

Mr. Q stared at the ground, where there were only two words.

【Devil】

After a long pause, Mr. Q said with a cold laugh, "Do I need your reminder?"

Without any mercy, Mr. Q stepped on the ants.

The ant colony collapsed, their life force abruptly cut off. They rolled over, their bellies facing upwards, their corpses forming an obscure pattern on the ground, resembling stars or the moon.

New ants crawled out, conveying the professor's words.

That's the magnificent starry sky giving you inspiration.

"That's enough. How much humanity do you have left in your brain?" Mr. Q's voice turned cold: "In a relationship of mutual exploitation, you should speed things up instead of wasting time preaching. I'm rebuilding your workshop so you can set up an altar."

Then, behind Mr. Q, a huge culture tank lit up—

A hazy, azure light flowed through the thick, almost solidified liquid, and tiny, star-like luminous points seeped into the culture tank, linking together like a vast nebula, with countless stars twinkling within.

That wasn't a star.

Instead, it is the stable and incredibly pure concentrated manna that shines within the gemstone.

From a distance, these points of light can be seen connecting to form lines, outlining a complex network of interconnected pipes. If Megan or another arcane mage specializing in tuning were here, they would likely recognize it at a glance—

This is a humanoid, neurotic, intricate, and perfectly executed arcane circuit!

The ants scurried about, demonstrating their progress to Mr. Q:

[Your design for 'Mark85' will be complete before you even draw the sword.]

[It will be the perfect weapon you envision, combining arcane circuits and arrogant creations, possessing firepower unimaginable to humankind. It can sweep across the battlefield; even that king and that cult will be no match for you.]

Please keep your promise and help me destroy Grindelwald.

Torrential rain.

Even the vast Mirror Lake outside the floor-to-ceiling windows appeared gray and hazy, and the air inside the private room was as oppressive as the sky over the mountain city.

"That's all. We won't be selling them anymore."

After Quinn finished speaking, Ike remained silent.

He smoked his cigar, his expression unchanged, calmly watching the rain.

Quinn crossed his legs, holding a teacup in one hand and letting the other hang down at his side.

He wore a ring on his index finger. At first glance, it was just an ordinary silver ring, but the inside was engraved with tens of thousands of runes and hundreds of thousands of arcane channels in mithril. As long as mental power was injected to activate the arcane matrix inside the ring, a folded space would open.

This ring was a reward from Grindelwald's research department. His psychological treatise, which used Amamiya Nene as an example, seemed to be very useful for the research on the "Wall of the Heart." Although Quinn didn't know how useful it was, when the doctor in charge of the research department asked him when he wanted it, he still asked for a portable spatial arcane device.

It can't hold much. The kind of treasures in online novels where a single ring can be used as a hidden universe would be worth almost a city in Temurian. The size of an arcane artifact is directly proportional to the amount of arcane circuit information it can carry. This ring has very little space, barely enough to hold three or four arcane scrolls.

Or a short katana.

Quinn could instantly conjure the katana forged from Imperial siege hammer and black blade fragments whenever he wished.

Hidden in an easily accessible pocket is an old but incredibly sharp switchblade.

Mista is no longer of much use to Quinn. The revolver he carries is large enough to fit an offensive arcane scroll. With more powerful scrolls making up for the lack of ranged attacks, Quinn chooses to carry this more concealed spring knife instead.

He was no longer the pathetic Sequence 8 he had been during the Arcane Festival. Now that he had advanced to dual Sequence 7, he believed he could put up a fight against Ike if they faced each other again.

However, Ike seemed oblivious to Ike's drooping right hand, silently finishing his cigar, then reaching up to pull at his collar, unbuttoning a button to reveal his blood-red, festering skin, as if giving himself some fresh air.

"Why?" Ike asked. "Give me a reason."

After being asked this question, Quinn lowered his eyes and thought for a long time.

He wasn't pondering why he couldn't sell Starlight, because it was similar to drugs? Or because what he was doing was like his father helping Mi Beilin back then? Or because Starlight would attract something extremely terrifying, and selling it carried too much risk?

neither.

Perhaps because the system had taken away his morality, he felt no guilt about what he had done.

After seeing his father in the abyss, he completely let go of the past his parents left him with. The hatred was over, and his life no longer needed to bear the burden of the deceased. As for risks, Quinn was fearless of risks; every day he spent in the human world of Temuran was fraught with great danger for him.

His reason for not selling is simple—

"Boss, do you like lolis?" Quinn suddenly asked.

Ike never expected him to ask that.

But she still replied, "I like women who are a bit fuller-figured."

“I used to dislike it and thought all lolicon should go to hell,” Quinn said to himself. “But after feeding a little loli for a few months, and especially after doing something awful, I’ve learned two things.”

"Firstly, being a lolicon isn't so bad."

"Secondly, one should choose a life that one will not regret. In short, I don't want to sell, so I won't sell, there's no other reason."

Quinn smiled. "You could have just not told me. But now that I know, our collaboration is off."

Ike was stunned for a long time, then shook his head and said, "I thought you were going to say something. At least come up with a reason, like the academy is strict or something."

“If I told you the academy was suddenly cracking down on Starflower, you might have run away tonight,” Quinn replied with a laugh.

"..." Ike sighed. "Do you know why the Golden Wind doesn't sell hallucinogens?"

"why?"

“Some people object, including Starlight. Even if those who take Starlight are corrupt officials or capitalists who deserve to die, I can refuse to sell hallucinogenic drugs. After all, those things are expensive and the profit margin is not high, but Starlight is different.”

"Yes, maintaining a network of relationships is part of the reason. But there's an even more important point—"

"The professor said that this medication cannot be stopped. If they stop for too long, they will have problems. I now suspect they will become like Reeve."

Ike said with a serious look in his eyes, "Reeve isn't on the list the professor gave me, otherwise I wouldn't be so eager to curry favor with Elon. I'll find an opportunity to ask him, but he probably won't admit it. You don't need to blame me for your father-in-law's problem."

"Blame him?" Quinn shook his head and said, "You're overthinking it. He just won't sell. I'll find out who caused him to become like this myself."

"Really not selling anymore?"

"I'm not that short of money now."

Ike thought to himself, "Great! The gold pound is blown in by the wind, but who is the wind? It's really hard to guess."

"Okay, I respect your opinion."

Ike looked somewhat worried, but his tone was nonchalant: "If you don't want to sell, then don't sell. Our inventory should be enough to last until the experiment is completed. As for those customers, let the professor figure out a solution."

Quinn looked at him with interest: "So, am I expelled from the gang now?"

"Don't say things like 'disband'!"

Ike stood up, smiling broadly, and walked around behind Quinn, placing his hands on Quinn's shoulders.

Quinn moved his right hand, which was hanging by his side, but only adjusted his posture; he did not draw his katana.

“We’re going to be a gangster for life,” Ike said seriously.

"For life?" Quinn asked with a chuckle. "Grindelwald employees are hard to find, aren't they?"

"Am I the kind of boss who treats subordinates differently based on their status?" Ike patted him on the shoulder. "My dearest family and friends, my brothers and sisters!"

So Quinn repeated, "My dearest family and friends, my brothers and sisters!"

Once again, joyful laughter filled the private room.

"That's right, boss."

"Ok?"

"These two cups of black tea cost three gold pounds. Good heavens, did they melt gold and then dilute it with water?"

"What do you want to say?"

I meant to say that I didn't bring any money.

"."

So, the generous gang leader led his henchmen out of the private room and downstairs to pay the bill.

On the first floor of the Mirror Lake Restaurant, Quinn unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance.

Amamiya Nene.

The little witch's outfit today was very appropriate: an elegant double-breasted short-sleeved coat, black stockings that outlined her slender legs, a leather watch on her fair arms, and even a different makeup look than usual. In the academy, Amamiya Nene's makeup tended to be a pure and innocent style, but today, in Earth's terms, it was a Korean-style makeup look, which was more formal.

Beside her were one, or rather several, men.

Ike's cheerful and carefree demeanor vanished the moment he came downstairs and saw the group of people. He subconsciously switched to the elegant and gentlemanly appearance he often used to disguise himself in social situations. The group of people turned around at the same time and focused their attention on Ike.

A chilling murderous aura rushed towards us almost head-on.

Their backs were ramrod straight, they were tall, and their aura was surprisingly consistent. They exuded a noble air, as if they were sitting on tall horses looking down on the common people. Their brows were filled with an imposing presence. In just one glance, they shifted their positions slightly, like a shield protecting Amamiya Nene behind them.

Quinn pretended to be stupid, shaking his head left and right.

He keenly noticed that the hairs on the back of Ike's neck stood on end.

These people were all carrying swords, and although they were dressed in well-tailored suits, their identities were self-evident.

Amamiya Nene said that after writing to the Duke about the burglary in her house, she somehow managed to get King Ron to send a team of knights.

At that time, Amamiya Nene warned him never to sneak into her house again.

Quinn finally understood why.

These seven people are all extraordinary individuals.

Moreover, these weren't the kind of rich people like Graham who could hire with money; they were Sequence 8 Quinn who had activated the Demon King's Eye. The arcane equipment on these people emitted a superb light, making them practically armed from head to toe.

"Back off," one of them coldly commanded.

He said that to Ike.

Ike raised an eyebrow and took a step back as if he had no anger at all.

He held up his wallet and bills. "Don't worry, I won't cut in line. You guys go first."

Amamiya Nene was chatting and laughing with the man beside her when she glanced back slightly before continuing, "I'll buy it. There's no reason for a bodyguard to treat me."

After saying that, he reached for his wallet.

However, the man beside her was faster, already handing over the gold pound: "There's no reason for a lady to treat you."

After saying that, he smiled apologetically at the two people behind him and said, "Sorry, my subordinate has a bad temper. I'll pay your bill."

(End of this chapter)