Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After wandering around the small town for a day, Lin Suo bought numerous local miscellaneous books and devoured several in one go.
Gradually, Lin Suo became well-acquainted with the local customs of Dandong.
Considering everything, aside from the capital, which was an expensive place to live, the place with the most concentrated Magi atmosphere was a coastal city called Koster.
According to rumors and travel notes, this Marina City was jointly ruled by three Magus forces, who often collaborated to exploit the nearby marine resources.
Occasionally, they would also set out on long voyages.
Koster boasted a considerable harbor and numerous shipping companies, which made it an ideal place for development with its advanced transportation and abundant resources.
In this era, due to the existence of the Magi, who did not hide from ordinary people, technological advancements were slow, with almost no room for survival.
However, many bizarre industries blossomed instead, which greatly enhanced Lin Suo’s imagination, such as growing pure natural clothing from plants, a tree with sausages tied to it, tree people cleaning the city, and the colossal beings who were construction experts, among others.
Magi revered truth and pursued it. They were like scientists in a fantasy world who studied any extraordinary power and liked to trace it to its origins.
For Magi, knowledge equaled strength. Powerful Magi must possess vast reserves of knowledge, and every official Magi was a learned scholar.
As Lin Suo learned more about Magi, his desire to become one grew stronger.
By boarding a ship, modified to travel on the sea from some kind of life form, Lin Suo arrived in the coastal city of Koster after seven days of travel.
Wearing an oval-brimmed hat, carrying a handbag, and wearing a clean black waistcoat, Lin Suo disembarked from the octopus-like submersible bio-ship.
Compared to the octopus ship behind him, the two-horse carriage that initially seemed novel was nothing.
After all his travels, Lin Suo felt that he had broadened his horizons by coming somewhere where Magi were prevalent.
Pitch-black fishbones shaped like the number seven stood by the roadside, each adorned with a quartz crystal capable of absorbing sunlight. They stored energy during the day and provided illumination at night.
The city’s main streets were wide enough for five carriages to travel side by side, and the ground was paved with seamless blue stone slabs that were also adorned with bright and colorful fish scales.
The city was vibrant and colorful, dazzling to the extreme. The buildings and shops on both sides of the road each had their unique style.
There were fruit shops run by Elves, made entirely of wood and entwined with numerous vines. Daffodil-like white flowers bloomed on the vines, exuding a fragrant scent.
There were also Goblin-styled houses selling products resembling technology. Still, they were alchemy technology, entirely different from modern technology. The shops were decorated with many gears, and two colossal beings stood at the entrance to attract customers.
Shops run by Half-beasts were mostly restaurants, supplemented by butcher shops and seafood stores, decorated with a wild and unconventional style.
Along with the exquisite human-style architecture, the entire Marina City of Koster was a sight to behold at every step. Lin Suo was both surprised and excited.
He immediately found a guide and listened to the other party’s introduction while heading toward the official department. His identification was still the one from Karl. It needed to be modified if he wanted to reside in Koster for an extended period.
Fortunately, he appeared like a Dandong local and faced no difficulties. He had been worried for quite a while when he first arrived, seeing the corpses of Westerners everywhere. But now, he felt relieved.
After some time of completing the registration procedures and paying additional money, he received a local ID card immediately.
The name “Rhein Lin” was engraved on it, along with the address of his “hometown”, a small fishing village.
Lin Suo paid the guide five copper coins and was led to an all-inclusive inn that cost one silver coin daily. It was expensive but not as pricey as he had imagined.
It was probably because Koster had many sea merchants coming and going, so the inns took on a high-volume, low-margin strategy. Like a transit station in a commercial center, the inn always had full occupancy.
Lin Suo booked a room for three days. After putting away his luggage, he went out. There was no better way to learn than through personal experience.
After conducting a field investigation, Lin Suo gained a basic understanding of the city. First of all, the three major Magus forces and the Empire’s official department were the whole ruling class. Rather, due to the three Magus forces being concentrated here, the Empire’s officials were disadvantaged.
The city was divided into six areas: The upper city district which was inhabited by nobles and wealthy people (Dandong merchants all had noble titles), the administrative district which was occupied by officials, the Meike district which was inhabited by a mix of foreign races and humans (mix-blood area), the Phil Administrative area as occupied by the social elites and commoners, the coastal area occupied by the poor and fishermen, and finally, the wharf area.
Ranked by land area, from largest to smallest: The upper city district, Meike district (mixed-blood area), Phil Administrative area, wharf area, coastal area (slum), and administrative district.
The area size didn’t necessarily indicate quality. In the coastal area, gangs were rampant, and self-taught wizards who captured the helpless poor for spell modification experiments were many.
The mix-blood area had numerous racial organizations, and due to the innate talents of the various races, it was also considered a significant force in Koster, wielding transcendent power.
With its various trade unions and shipping associations, the wharf area had connections to the commoners and elites of the Phil Administrative area, usually backed by influential people and not to be trifled with.
As for the upper city and administrative districts, hardly anyone would dare to cause trouble there.
Overall, the Phil Administrative area and the mix-blood area were the most suitable for Lin Suo to reside in. The former was safe. With Superior Knight-level strength, it would be enough for self-protection.
In the meantime, the latter was convenient for him to get in touch with the culture and specialties of various races. It was the most suitable place for practical learning or exchanging information.
However, his assets were still 99% short of affording a house, so accumulating wealth was his top priority.
As for the three major Magus forces, apart from their names, Lin Suo had yet to find any secrets, not even the location of their headquarters. All he knew was that they were respectively the Evening Bell Church, White Tower, and Marine College.
On the other hand, he had heard about the relatively well-known self-taught wizards in the city, but it was just a small harvest.
Initially, Lin Suo planned to conquer these otherworldly people with traditional crafts. Unfortunately, the restaurant business was monopolized by the Half-beasts.
They were unlike the brutal Beastmen but still inherited incredible physiques. Coupled with some magical enhancements, they were pretty powerful. There was also the presence of Magus forces behind them, making it difficult to get into the business.
Selling medicine was his secondary option, but a specific power also monopolized the industry. Selling small quantities of potent aphrodisiacs, nutritional supplements, or trauma medicines wouldn’t bring any trouble, but if he tried to accumulate wealth on a large scale, he would undoubtedly be dealt with.
Lin Suo thought it through and realized that almost all profitable businesses in the city were monopolized by various local forces.
If he were to seek cooperation proactively, he feared that the inequality between the two parties would lead to forced sales and purchases.
Moreover, he couldn’t even provide the necessary formula, which would put him in a difficult position.
Sitting on the edge of the bed in the inn, Lin Suo sighed. With no connections or power, it was challenging to establish himself in this stable area. He had no choice but to resort to relying on his cheat.
He was forced to do so. He had no other option but to toughen up and be black-hearted for once.
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