Tivian, on the east coast of Prit Main Island.
At night, at the junction of Tivian's South District and East District, within a small alley off the main road, it was currently brightly lit and bustling with people.
This was an alley with less than ideal sanitary conditions. The ground was full of potholes, and countless pedestrians in various clothes stepped on it, rubbing shoulders as they came and went. Various temporary gas lamps were hung on both sides of the road, flickering with different brightness. In the inconspicuous corners along the edge of the alley, there were many raggedly dressed vagrants huddled there. Some of them looked indifferently at the crowd before them, while others placed their hats upside down on the ground, their faces full of pleading.
On both sides of the alley, stood many heavily made-up, gaudily dressed women. They varied in size and age, but most were young. Almost every one of them held a flower in their hand, facing the crowd, winking and displaying their charm. If any passing pedestrian made eye contact with these women, they would go up to her to ask about the price of the flower. If the two agreed, they would open the door and enter the building behind her.
In the buildings on both sides of this alley, most were lodging hotels, with occasional bars and restaurants. In a slightly more luxurious bar, a man was sitting by the window, drinking and reading the newspaper in his hand.
The man was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, wearing a standard suit, a dark red tie, and a top hat placed on the table beside him. He had short brown hair, and on his distinct face, there was an air of gentleness and elegance. Combined with his attire, he was instantly perceived as a gentleman of status. His overall style seemed slightly out of place in this chaotic alley, as if he shouldn't be here.
While scanning the text of the newspaper on the table, the man leisurely savored the red wine in the cup in his hand, his entire expression one of complete contentment. At this moment, standing in the aisle beside the man, was another person, who was a somewhat aged old woman.
"Mr. Vaughn... listen to me, that girl Fiya is also a pitiful child. Her father was caught in a machine at the factory and died, and her mother went to ask for compensation but had her leg crippled. At such a young age, she had to take care of an adult and two younger brothers. There was truly no other way, so she could only enter this line of work, relying on her meager looks to make a living, barely supporting her family. Among all the girls we have, she is one of the most unfortunate..."
Standing beside the man, the old woman bent slightly, speaking slowly in a pleading tone. However, the man called Vaughn did not look at the old woman. He just drank his red wine and spoke.
"Ah... Fiya... she's a good girl, nice face and good waist. I didn't expect her to have such a pitiful experience. Life is truly unpredictable..." Mr. Vaughn said indifferently, without any fluctuation in his expression. Seeing Mr. Vaughn's response, the old woman was slightly stunned, then continued.
"Mr. Vaughn... since you know Fiya has it hard, shouldn't you..."
"Should I do what? Grandma Mei'er." Mr. Vaughn said, then coldly glanced sideways at the old woman. The old woman seemed to feel a trace of fear from this gaze and couldn't help but take a step back, startled. After stabilizing herself slightly, she continued.
"Should... should you give a little medical expense... After you spent the night with her last time and left, Fiya almost died directly. That child's blood was all over the bed, and she was completely on the verge of death. We spent a lot of effort to barely rescue her. Now that child is still lying in the hospital, not only unable to get out of bed, but the daily treatment costs are also a large sum...
"Her family's own money was already spent long ago. Now we are covering it, but we are also doing business, it's impossible to continue like this. Mr. Vaughn, you are also a wealthy person... see if you can... give her a little help?"
The old woman said pleadingly to Mr. Vaughn. Listening to her words, Mr. Vaughn replied softly without changing his expression.
"What does Fiya's matter have to do with me? I already paid her the agreed-upon money before. I have nothing to do with her anymore. What does it matter to me that she's lying in the hospital?"
"But, but Fiya is because of you..."
"Because of me? Those in your line of work should know the risks they face. If you can't even withstand a little rough handling, then it's better not to live in this world. Living with such a weak body is itself a kind of pain, the sooner it ends, the better..." Mr. Vaughn said, while also giving the old woman a dangerous look. The old woman, who was originally angered by his words and prepared to say more, couldn't help but fall silent again after being glared at by his dangerous gaze.
"This... Mr. Vaughn... sigh..."
Just as the old woman felt disappointed and sighed, preparing to leave, Mr. Vaughn's originally dangerous eyes suddenly changed, becoming seemingly softer and more relaxed. After taking a sip of red wine, he spoke again.
"Although Fiya couldn't even withstand that little bit of rough handling and her death is not regrettable. But I thought about it, when I played with her back then, it was quite good, and she did please me.
"I generally don't help others casually, but today I'm in a good mood, so I'll be merciful and give you a little." Saying that, Mr. Vaughn took out a wallet from his clothes, opened it, and directly took out two pound notes, handing them to the old woman. Upon seeing the money, the old woman couldn't help but be startled, standing frozen for a moment before saying in disbelief.
"Ah... this... there's actually so much! Mr. Vaughn! Thank you for your great mercy! Thank you! Thank you..." Looking at the banknotes in Mr. Vaughn's hand, the old woman quickly spoke after a moment of shock. It was clear that she herself hadn't expected Mr. Vaughn's attitude to change so quickly.
"While I'm still in a good mood, quickly put the things away... Oh, take this too. Take it back for that girl to eat, it can help her recover a little better."
As the old woman took Mr. Vaughn's banknotes with trembling hands, Mr. Vaughn took another item from his body. If one looked closely, it was a small piece of dried meat. Although the old woman looked confused upon seeing the dried meat, she still took it.
"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Vaughn. May the Holy Mother be above, Fiya will definitely get better soon. May the Holy Mother protect you..." Saying that, she took Mr. Vaughn's dried meat, praised him a couple more times, and then bid farewell and left. For a moment, only Mr. Vaughn remained sitting at the table, continuing to savor his red wine.
After giving a tip to someone else, Mr. Vaughn, in good spirits, continued drinking at his seat, occasionally scanning the bar with his eyes, watching the lively scene before him. When his gaze lingered on a few hostesses who seemed to be pointing at him from afar, they all fearfully avoided Mr. Vaughn's gaze and quietly fled to other places.
Facing such a scene, Mr. Vaughn was not angry. He was in a good mood today and did not bother with these hostesses, but continued to slowly savor his red wine until, a while later, a figure quickly approached him along the aisle, reaching his table.
"Excuse me, sir, may I share your table for a moment?"
A voice came from beside Mr. Vaughn. Mr. Vaughn turned his head upon hearing it and saw a man wearing a trench coat, with a thin face, deep-set eyes, a hooked nose, and a short top hat. He was standing there looking at him, waiting for an answer.
Listening to the man's words, Mr. Vaughn glanced around again and found that the crowded bar indeed had no other seats.
Under normal circumstances, if Mr. Vaughn encountered such a request, he would definitely refuse without hesitation. He had no reason to be in close contact with someone he didn't know. However, Mr. Vaughn was in a good mood today and didn't mind.
"Okay, yes, you can sit."
"Thank you, sir. May the Holy Mother bless you."
Hearing Vaughn's response, the man sat directly in the seat opposite Vaughn. After ordering a cup of wine, he began to wait silently. During this process, he occasionally looked at Vaughn, who was sipping wine and reading the newspaper, and then, as if having nothing else to do, he asked.
"Mr., our meeting here could be considered fate. May I ask your name?"
"Vaughn Hunt." Vaughn simply answered with his name and continued reading the newspaper. The man opposite him pondered for a moment after hearing the name, then spoke again.
"Vaughn Hunt... I always feel like that's not your real name."
"Yes, of course, it's not my real name. My real name is Bill Mike. Usually, this name can't be mentioned casually. Don't tell anyone after I've told you." Vaughn said this, and the man, upon hearing it, also introduced himself.
"Oh, so it's Mr. Mike... But generally speaking, a hidden real name shouldn't be easily revealed to others. Is it really okay for you to just tell me like this?"
"What's wrong with it? I'm in a good mood today. I'll say whatever I want. Who can control me..."
Vaughn continued speaking like this. After hearing his words, Ed nodded slightly, then proceeded to introduce himself.
"My name is Ed. Nice to meet you for the first time." Ed said this, extending his hand forward. Vaughn paused slightly upon seeing this, then also extended his hand to shake Ed's.
"You can just know my real name, but don't call it casually in public. Just call me Vaughn." After withdrawing his hand, Vaughn said to Ed in a slightly serious tone. Ed immediately responded after hearing this.
"Alright, alright, Mr. Vaughn, then I'd like to ask Captain, what is the reason for using a pseudonym? Are you perhaps hiding from some enemies?"
"Of course not. If I had enemies, they would have been in my belly long ago. The reason I use a pseudonym is to hide better in Tivian. I was sent here by my organization to lie low, so naturally, I need to use some means to disguise myself." Vaughn said leisurely while drinking red wine. Ed also asked curiously after hearing his words.
"Mr. Vaughn's organization, is it the company you work for?"
"How could it be something mundane like a company? My organization is a society, the famous great society of the secret transmission world, Wolf Blood Society! Don't casually compare it with other things." Vaughn then spoke solemnly. Ed couldn't help but praise slightly as he listened to his words.
"Wolf Blood Society... I've heard of it before. It's one of the great societies of the Taiyi Three Teachings, worshipping the Gluttonous Wolf. I never expected Mr. Vaughn to be a member. It's truly unexpected... By the way, you're not directly an Extraordinary of the Wolf Blood Society, are you?"
"Of course, I am an Extraordinary of the Wolf Blood Society, and also a Chalk Werewolf." Vaughn said with some pride. Listening to his words, Ed spoke with even more admiration.
"Chalk Tier... That's truly remarkable. People at this tier are generally mid-to-high-level executives in a society. Is Mr. Vaughn also like that?"
"Of course. I originally had many people under me, but for this infiltration mission, to avoid the organization's scale being too large and being detected by the Church or the An Yin Bureau, I came here without bringing anyone. This means I have to do many small things myself now, which is troublesome..." Vaughn said, complaining slightly while rubbing his wrist. Ed then asked.
"The Wolf Blood Society sent a Chalk like you here to lie low. The target must be someone of higher status, right?"
"That's right. The one who sent me is Elder Duval, one of the seven great elders of our Wolf Blood Society, a Crimson Tier 'Fearful Demonic Wolf'. All our activities in Tivian are under his command. I am his trusted subordinate, which is why I was sent here to carry out the mission." Vaughn continued to say calmly. Ed nodded slightly after hearing these words, then continued to ask.
"To be able to send important talent like Mr. Vaughn on a solo infiltration mission, Elder Duval's plan must be very important, right? Do you know what his specific plan is? Or where his current location is?"
"Elder Duval is currently in the distant suburbs outside Tivian city, but I don't know his exact location; it changes frequently. As for what plan he is plotting... I only know now that he wants to seize a secret transmission from the Church in Tivian. Why he wants to seize that secret transmission... and what method he plans to use, I don't know. He arranged for me to be inside Tivian just to connect with an informant we have within the Church. The specifics of the plan are likely only known to Elder Duval himself. He generally doesn't explain too much when giving us missions."
While drinking red wine, Vaughn continued to respond. Listening to his words, Ed's brows furrowed slightly, then he continued to ask.
"So... you are completely unaware of that Elder's plan?"
"It's not entirely accurate to say I'm completely unaware. Based on some orders Elder Duval gave me before, I can still roughly guess some of his general intentions. For example, concerning that secret transmission, he definitely plans to seize it openly rather than steal it, but as for how he will seize it, only he knows. Also, Elder Duval's time of action will be within the next few days. Once the specific time is confirmed, I will be notified because I also need to participate in the action."
"I guess Elder Duval is currently waiting for more intelligence about Saint Chant Church. My informant inside Saint Chant Church will send similar intelligence next. I will then forward this intelligence to Elder Duval. After he synthesizes the Saint Chant Church intelligence he obtained from other channels, he will likely make a judgment and take immediate action. At that point, I estimate I will learn more detailed information..."
Leaning back against the chair behind him, Vaughn said leisurely. Listening to his words, Ed couldn't help but ponder for a moment, then said with a hint of a smile.
"So that's how it is... Then I really thank you for telling me this valuable intelligence. But speaking of which, is it really okay for you to casually reveal such crucial secrets to a stranger you've never met before?"
"Secrets? Can these things even be called secrets? Aren't they things that can be said casually? What's the big deal? I'm in a good mood today, and since you look agreeable, I'll just say it. There's nothing after I've said it." Shrugging his hands, Vaughn said casually, with a look of indifference. Seeing this scene, Ed then smiled and asked him again.
"If that's the case, then I still want to ask Mr. Vaughn a question: What did you eat for dinner tonight?"
After Ed finished speaking like this, Vaughn's eyebrows twitched, and his entire expression instantly became solemn. He immediately became wary of Ed in front of him and spoke cautiously in an extremely serious tone.
"Mr. Ed, aren't you going a bit too far? To directly ask me such a question... Isn't this a bit too impolite? As expected, all those irrelevant questions before were just your probing, weren't they? What I ate for dinner... This is what you truly care about... As expected, you are not simple either..."
"I'm sorry, but for such a crucial question... I will not answer you even a single bit, no matter what. This is my bottom line."
Facing Ed in front of him, Vaughn said with utmost seriousness, completely in a posture of strictly guarding the secret no matter what. Meanwhile, somewhere far away, Dorothy, who was experimenting with her new ability, suddenly felt somewhat exasperated.