I've Become the King of Villains in the Game

Knock, knock...

The sound of knocking echoed.

"Mr. Jack."

Chen Lun opened the great gate, and Connie stood outside, her face full of excitement, holding a mechanical glove and a blunderbuss in her hands.

"Mr. Jack, I think I have some ideas, but I'm not sure if they're feasible..."

"Come in and talk."

Chen Lun invited Connie into the house.

The two sat down in the living room, where Chen Lun made her a cup of tea, which made Connie somewhat embarrassed.

"Thank you, Mr. Jack."

"You're welcome."

Chen Lun glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 8:30 in the morning.

It seemed that Connie was very interested in Mad Hand and Raging Fire, full of enthusiasm, coming over early to share her accomplishments.

Fortunately, it was the weekend, so Connie didn't have to go to school; otherwise, she probably would have been preoccupied with this matter even there.

"...If we modify the internal structure as I envision, and reinforce the barrel, the firearm could likely have its stability significantly increased, reducing the chances of a burst barrel..."

Connie pulled out a piece of paper filled with structural drawings and annotations.

Chen Lun glanced at it briefly, not fully comprehending but simply appreciating the neat handwriting of Connie.

"...Moreover, this weapon seems not to be too demanding on the ammunition, but I still think steel balls would be most suitable to decrease wear and increase its lifespan..."

"As for this mechanical glove, I always feel like it's missing something, leading to some structurally redundant and ineffective designs..."

Connie spoke continuously for over ten minutes, still appearing somewhat unfulfilled at the end.

During this process, she talked about "the effect of the ratchet pawl," "the basic law of gear meshing," as well as "the number of instantaneous centers of mechanisms" and "the three-centers theorem," to all of which Chen Lun simply nodded.

He maintained an expression that said "continue, I understand you."

She took a sip of tea and glanced at Chen Lun with a slight embarrassment.

"Connie, it seems you indeed have a gift in this area. If you believe this approach is correct, then go ahead and try it."

Chen Lun complimented her, sipping tea to conceal his own ignorance of the subject.

In fact, he had allowed her to study Mad Hand and Raging Fire not truly to make improvements, but purely to see how talented she was in this field.

It turned out, the girl was mostly a genius.

"Ah, thank you..."

Being recognized was very fulfilling, and Connie felt very happy.

She suddenly remembered something, her expression turning troubled.

"It's just, Mr. Jack, if I am to modify the firearm, I need some tools and materials.

I don't have them at home, I need to borrow them from a nearby workshop..."

Connie spoke very tactfully, but Chen Lun knew she was short of money, so he generously gave her ten gold pounds.

"Mr. Jack, that's too much; I just need to buy some materials, and pay some usage fees.

Plus, I know the people at the workshop, hehe..."

However, Connie only took one gold coin and pushed the rest back.

Chen Lun smiled, taking out another and placing it in Connie's hand.

"The extra is your reward."

"Thank you... Mr. Jack, you truly are a generous gentleman, I, I must have misunderstood you before..."

Connie blushed, visibly embarrassed.

"It's all right."

Chen Lun shook his head unconcernedly.

"Well then, Mr. Jack, I should get going now."

Connie bowed slightly, took her things, and left.

After she was gone, Floey appeared behind Chen Lun.

"You seem to admire her a lot?"

"Yes, she is very talented in mechanics. I was only trying her out, but it turns out I really found a gem."

Floey nodded, not continuing the topic about Connie, but instead asked,

"Are you going to Mrs. Caroline's for dinner?"

"Uh, no need, you go today."

Chen Lun waved his hands awkwardly.

He couldn't help but recall last night's dinner at Mrs. Caroline's.

Mrs. Caroline first felt regret over Kent's sudden departure; she seemed to know something too. She lambasted those gang members from the Outer City District at the dinner table, suggesting that Kent was likely driven away by them.

Chen Lun just kept his head down and ate.

Kent had been killed by him, and he didn't feel it was appropriate to say much. Wearing the Surging Badge, he had a big appetite and just focused on his meal.

Besides, Mrs. Caroline continually inquired whether he had found work yet, discussing how tough life in the Outer City District was and asking about matters concerning moving in with relatives.

Chen Lun couldn't possibly tell the truth, so he glossed over it with a few words.

At that time, Floey was quietly observing on the sidelines.

Fortunately, she eventually spoke up to ask Mrs. Caroline about cooking, which shifted her attention away.

Chen Lun couldn't help but feel appreciative.

She truly was an understanding and considerate girl.

...

Chen Lun had settled for breakfast with two bread rolls and a cup of coffee from a café downstairs.

After crumpling the paper wrapper of the finished rolls, he threw it into a trash bin and walked straight into the bookstore he had visited yesterday.

The old man, hearing the sound of the door, was a bit stunned.

He probably didn't expect Chen Lun to come over to read books so early in the morning.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Good morning, Tao... Mr. Tao Te?"

Chen Lun remembered that Mrs. Caroline had called him that yesterday.

"Yes, Tao Te."

The old man pursed his lips and adjusted his glasses.

"Good morning, you lad."

After greeting him, the old man pulled out the thick tome he had been reading yesterday from the drawer behind the counter.

Chen Lun couldn't be bothered with the impolite old fellow.

Everyone else calls me mister.

He walked to the very back, planning to start reading from there. He had covered the upstairs entirely yesterday and hoped to find something today.

Time passed.

The sun rose to its zenith and then set into the evening.

"Sigh..."

Chen Lun put down the biography he was holding and sighed in resignation.

He had flipped through all the books on the first floor, yet he had found nothing. Fortunately, he didn't have to read them thoroughly; just skimming a few pages was enough to know.

If no notification box popped up, then it was certainly just an ordinary book.

The old man cast a glance at Chen Lun.

"Are you looking for a book?"

Chen Lun nodded in admission.

"Yes."

He replied offhandedly, getting ready to leave.

Searching for books containing supernatural knowledge was a tricky matter to explain to this old man. However, as he was about to leave, he suddenly shifted his attention to the thick tome in the old man's hand.

Surely it couldn't be this one?

"Tell me what book you're looking for; I know every single one here like the back of my hand," Tao Te said, with a hint of pride on his face.

Seeing his confidence, Chen Lun said:

"Do you have any old books that look like they've seen years, or some strange books with mysterious content...?"

Chen Lun knew well that regular bookstores generally didn't house supernatural knowledge.

Even if they did, it was only the very low-tier kind.

High-tier supernatural knowledge, if accidentally seen by ordinary people, could lead to the reader's Sanity Value resetting to zero, causing death or the loss of control that ultimately provoked terrible chaos.

Thus, if there really were any high-end supernatural knowledge, it would have been confiscated by the Shelter long ago.

The bits of supernatural knowledge that lingered among the public were mostly "the ones that got away," but these too were limited to Low Sequence knowledge.

If seen by ordinary people, they wouldn't trigger major incidents of mystical contamination. At most, they would find the books strange and the contents mysteriously unclear.

Only those who really understood could extract the mystical supernatural knowledge from them and thus step through the great gate of the Transcendent's world.

"No!"

The old man shook his head decisively.

Chen Lun was speechless; was this old guy messing with me?

"Mr. Tao Te, may I take a look at the book you're holding?"

"No."

The old man refused.

"..."

"Mr. Tao Te, if I find the book is good, I will pay money for it."

Chen Lun looked earnest.

Tao Te looked up at him, removing his glasses.

"I got this book a few years ago, but the content is all about tomb and mausoleum knowledge. I'm planning to carefully choose and design my future tomb..."

"Just let me have a look."

"10 Silver Ducats."

Slap!

Chen Lun slapped a Gold Pound onto the table.

"Hey, you really are rich, kid!"

Tao Te grinned, handing over the thick tome.

[You have discovered a Mystic Book of the Earth Faction!]

[Tomb Art Appreciation Collection (Progress 4%)]

[By rigorously reading, you have gained 20 Experience Points]

[You have discovered complete knowledge of a pathway to becoming Transcendent!]

[Earth Faction Sequence Nine: Tomb Robber]