In the early morning, Emily carried a basket of fresh fish through the streets of the East Borough.
The heavy basket and the muddy, filthy roads made walking difficult.
Still, she worked hard to keep her back straight, because only this way could she distribute the weight evenly across her body and prevent injury.
This was something her mother had taught her back when she used to run errands for her.
At the same time, she stayed alert, watching those hungry faces, using what she thought was a fierce expression to intimidate them while showing the knife in her basket.
Here, you couldn't show the slightest weakness, or they'd swarm you and pick you clean.
This was what her father had taught her when he was still alive.
After driving away those stares, Emily continued forward.
Gray fog filled her vision.
On both sides of the road, buildings loomed faintly, their outlines becoming clearer as she approached, then disappearing again into the mist as she passed.
Late October had arrived, and Backlund's temperature was dropping.
The city's coal consumption was rapidly increasing, and the air quality was getting worse by the day.
From morning to night, the air was thick with a choking, acrid smell.
A two-story building slowly emerged from the dense fog. Emily stopped in her tracks.
This house was the only inheritance her parents had left her.
After her father's failed investment left him bankrupt, her family's assets were forced into liquidation.
All that remained was this two-story building in the East Borough. The whole family had no choice but to move here, and they'd been living here for years now.
Life in the East Borough wasn't easy, especially after her parents gradually fell ill from exhaustion. After that, things only got harder.
Emily reached for the door.
The metal handle was ice-cold, like the temperature of her father's hand before he died.
In his final moments, he still couldn't stop worrying about his daughter.
Gripping her hand, he'd used his weak voice to make her promise that she would leave this place that devoured people.
That's why she worked so hard at her studies. She wanted to leave here as soon as possible.
With the rent from her tenants, she could barely manage to cover food and tuition.
"Cecilia, I've bought what you asked for."
As soon as she entered, she called out to her tenant.
"Thank you, Miss Emily."
A black-haired young woman emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands and smiling gently in gratitude.
She was extremely beautiful, the most beautiful woman Emily had ever seen. Even now, dressed in a plain skirt, she couldn't hide that stunning charm.
"Don't mention it."
Emily lowered her eyes and set the fresh fish on the kitchen floor.
For some reason, Emily was actually a little afraid of this girl who was two years older than her.
Her words and actions always gave off an unsettling feeling, like a knife wrapped in honey.
Even though she was unreasonably beautiful, even though her attitude was gentle and kind, Emily always felt that one day she might suddenly pull out a dagger and stab her through the heart.
In comparison, her mentally ill brother wasn't nearly as frightening.
Emily's gaze shifted to the living room sofa, where a handsome, black-haired young man sat.
He wore a straitjacket, and his eyes were unfocused. His mouth was moving, as if trying to say something, but it was tightly covered by a mask and leather straps.
He looked pitiful, but apparently if they didn't restrain him like this, something terrible would happen.
After living with them for so long, she'd come to realize that these tenants of hers weren't ordinary people.
For example, he could easily heal serious injuries. Many dying patients would recover immediately after he treated them.
And he could use all sorts of strange abilities. Even gang members treated him with respect.
The black-haired young woman moved the fresh fish in front of Silas and reached out to undo the restraints on his mouth.
"I'll go to my room now."
Emily tactfully excused herself and returned to her bedroom.
Even after closing her bedroom door, she could still faintly hear bone-chilling sounds coming from the living room.
The sounds were terrifying, like the descriptions of hell in the Goddess's scriptures.
Don't listen!
Fear flashed in Emily's eyes.
She quickly covered her ears and ran with her head down to her desk.
She was terrified of that sound, because she'd once heard it clearly and had fallen into a daze, suffering nightmares for several days afterward.
Gaining power clearly came with a price.
Emily was grateful for the help these two tenants provided, but she didn't want to become like that.
Sitting back at her desk with her textbooks, she gradually calmed down.
For her, the only way out was through studying.
She still remembered how happy her parents had been when she was selected by the Steam Technology Institute in Jorwood District because of her excellent grades.
That school guaranteed that if you graduated successfully, you could enter the affiliated university, and after that you could find a well-paying job.
If that happened, she could leave the East Borough and live a decent life.
Unfortunately, her parents hadn't lived to see that day. They'd died from illness.
Mom, Dad, I'll keep working hard.
She said this silently in her heart.
"Cecilia, do you want to go to the Beyonders gathering tonight?"
After replenishing his flesh and blood and regaining consciousness, Silas flipped through the Backlund Morning Post.
He finally found the notice about Ernst Trading Company purchasing goods on the fifth page, which meant another gathering was about to begin.
"Sure, if you're going."
"Then it's settled. I'll try to help you find ingredients for the 'Instigator' potion."
Silas continued flipping through the newspaper.
Backlund was a big city with all kinds of news every day.
After turning a few more pages, he saw a notice saying that a memorial exhibition for Emperor Roselle would be held at the Kingdom Museum in two weeks, hosted by the Church of Steam and Machinery.
Apparently, the exhibition would display Roselle's various inventions and manuscripts.
Roselle's manuscripts... those secret diaries written in Japanese?
Silas recalled reading some of those manuscripts at the Blackthorn Security Company and Port Enmat.
Oh right, that guy Klein must have learned about the acting method from reading Roselle's diary!
He should go check out that exhibition.
It would be great if he could discover something from the manuscripts Roselle left behind.
He thoughtfully folded up the newspaper, then said to his sister, "All right, let's go."
The Queen's commission still wasn't complete. Silas wanted to search for clues. The two put on their coats, said goodbye to Emily, and left.
After riding in a carriage for a while, they got off in front of a folk herbal medicine shop on a famous entertainment street in the East Borough.
Herbs in the shop were stacked from floor to ceiling, messy containers covered the tables, and the whole place reeked of the peculiar smell of medicinal herbs.
"Darkwill, is what I ordered ready?"
After entering, Silas called out.
"It's ready, geez, so impatient, Miss Cecilia!"
The fat pharmacist came out from the back, grumbling. But when he saw clearly who had come with Silas, he immediately straightened up, his face lighting up with delight.