In the outermost part of the central residential district, there stood a two-courtyard estate.
The house, a blend of Byzantine and subtle European architectural styles, was modest in size but boasted a spacious courtyard.
Every detail exuded refinement.
However, the overgrown weeds in the courtyard and the moss creeping along the base of the surrounding walls indicated that the estate had been abandoned for some time.
In the Imperial Capital, such a residence would have been far beyond the reach of ordinary people in the past, as it was reserved for nobles.
Even the lowliest of nobles, of course, that is, before the Bloody Emperor rose to power.
In the expansive courtyard.
"ARRHHHH!" A shrill cry suddenly echoed, though the sound was noticeably weak.
It was an ogre.
Standing about two and a half meters tall, it was relatively short for an adult ogre.
At the moment, it was bound to a sturdy stone chair, its head thrashing about, but its massive body remained completely still, save for occasional reflexive twitches.
This peculiar state suggested that the ogre had suffered some severe injury, leaving only its head capable of movement.
"It fell out again. Roaring like that, it's bound to be heard by someone nearby, which isn't good."
Adam let out a soft sigh, stepping out from behind the ogre. In his hands, he held two fist-sized, blood-soaked bones.
Judging by their shape, they were clearly cervical vertebrae, freshly extracted from the back of the ogre's neck.
With its cervical spine severely damaged, the ogre's innate regenerative abilities wouldn't lead to death but would cause paralysis, rendering its body immobile except for its head.
Snap!
Adam casually tossed the two vertebrae to the side, where the little Invisible Hound was eagerly waiting.
"Awoo!"
The Invisible Hound excitedly raised its head, catching both bones in its mouth.
"Take it slow. It'll be five days before the next one."
Adam casually reminded the Invisible Hound, stepping forward to pick up a tattered rag from the ground and stuffing it back into the ogre's mouth.
The roaring stopped abruptly.
The ogre's regenerative abilities meant Adam had to extract its vertebrae roughly every five days to prevent it from breaking free of its restraints.
He glanced at the Invisible Hound, happily grinding the ogre's vertebrae with its teeth. Its size had noticeably increased.
Under conditions of abundant food, magical beasts grew much faster than Adam had expected.
When he left E-Rantel a month ago, the Invisible Hound's head only reached his calf when raised. Now, it stood past his knee.
Its body length had surpassed eighty centimeters, exuding the dangerous aura typical of a magical beast!
That's right!
Adam had left E-Rantel on July 18. Now, having entered the Baharuth Empire, over a month had passed.
It was now, Middle Fire Month, August 20.
His operation had not gone smoothly!
The "Rockbruise" family, to which Leinas belonged, had long since cast out the cursed and disfigured Leinas.
This incident had caused some stir in the Empire. Adam had initially planned to use the Adventurers' Guild's intelligence network to track down Leinas's whereabouts.
But!
Even the Adventurers' Guild had no knowledge of Leinas's location. After being expelled from her family, she seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Adam could only follow the few clues available, but his search yielded no results. He hadn't even caught a glimpse of her shadow, wasting half a month in the process.
His reasons for coming to the Baharuth Empire were twofold: first, to pursue the "Cursed Knight" profession, and second, the "Sage" profession.
With Leinas's whereabouts unknown, Fluder was his next target. But there was a problem, Fluder's status.
And what was Adam's status?
The gap in their positions made it impossible not only to acquire Fluder's profession but even to meet him face-to-face.
The only person in the entire Empire who could easily meet Fluder was the Bloody Emperor Jircniv. Even then, it wasn't guaranteed.
Faced with this situation, Adam realized he needed to change his approach.
Thus, in the latter half of the month, Adam began producing low-cost alchemical potions and selling them, quickly building his reputation.
He deliberately spread rumors that he could create alchemical potions capable of healing any injury!
However, so far, his "fishing plan" Had yet to hook any real fish.
Adam left the struggling ogre and sat down at a stone table nearby, a troubled expression on his face. "A month has already been wasted. I wonder if this plan will even work?"
If no fish took the bait, Adam couldn't afford to stay here waiting indefinitely.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a figure cloaked in a black robe vaulted over the wall and landed in the courtyard.
After confirming Adam's position, the figure strode toward him.
As they walked, the black robe parted slightly, revealing brown long boots and the lithe figure of a skirmisher clad in light leather armor.
Their head was concealed beneath a black hood, obscuring their face.
"Quite the luxury, living alone in such a grand estate." A cold, clear voice came from the slender figure.
"Grr!"
The Invisible Hound, lounging at Adam's feet, released the bone in its mouth, immediately standing and glaring fiercely at the approaching figure.
"This place cost me 50 gold coins a month to rent."
"A quiet location, perfect for nobles, with patrolling soldiers to boot."
Adam glanced at the figure, smiling calmly. "By the way, could you use the front gate next time?"
Ever since the Bloody Emperor Jircniv ascended the throne and began purging "useless" nobles en masse, not only minor nobles but even some prominent ones had been eliminated, leaving many residences abandoned.
Due to severe financial losses, some minor nobles could no longer afford basic expenses. Yet, to maintain appearances, they accrued debts.
As a result, while some noble estates remained under their names on paper, they had actually fallen into the hands of merchants.
"Don't you know a lot of people are watching you right now?"
The slender figure retorted unceremoniously. A pair of eyes, soft yet sharp due to their narrow sockets, peeked out from under the hood, glaring at the Invisible Hound.
"What's with your Blackie? This isn't my first time here."
Adam shrugged, smiling. "Maybe it doesn't like others calling its name. Or maybe it just doesn't like you."
"Hmph."
The slender figure let out a soft scoff, retorting without hesitation. "Well, I don't like it either."
They shot another glare at the Invisible Hound, prompting a snarl in return.
Hearing this, the corner of Adam's mouth twitched. This personality, always ready to argue even with an Invisible Hound, would definitely have been labeled "contrarian" in his previous world.
As the slender figure approached, they pulled off the black robe.
A woman with purple hair tied into twin tails and a cold expression appeared before Adam. Most striking were her pointed ears, revealing that she wasn't human but a half-elf!
Imina.
***
Every 5 reviews and 200 power stones, a bonus chapter will be dropped.
(5,10,15, 200, 400, 600, and so on then two bonus chapters will be dropped, 1 for 5 reviews and 1 for 200 power stones, so that's 2 bonus chapters!)
And if you want to read more than 50 chapters early, feel free to visit pat re on. com / Xelenea (remove space).