For the next few days, Shavier was still somewhat dazed and bewildered.
The secret technique of the Snake Fang Fist — the very one his ancestor Shannar had described as extraordinarily difficult to cultivate — had he truly mastered it right in his own hands???
This kind of windfall falling straight from the heavens left Shavier's head spinning, to the point where he didn't even notice the changes that had occurred in the ancient tome.
Afterwards, he could only attribute it to the benefits brought on by the peculiar state he'd entered while practicing his fists previously.
And after smashing seven or eight pieces of furniture in a row — earning his sister Jia's complaints for quite some time — Shavier finally managed to barely control his strength, no longer casually destroying everything around him.
However, Shavier soon pushed the matter to the back of his mind, because something far more important had come up.
"The Advanced Technician Examination!"
Shavier stared at the red circle on the calendar and secretly clenched his fist: "Only by passing this exam can I gain access to the intermediate Mana Web, download more powerful spells, land a good job, and fulfill my duty of supporting the family..."
"At best, strong martial arts can only land you work as a bodyguard or hired muscle — it's those who've mastered advanced magical techniques that every corporation dreams of recruiting..."
And so, during this period, Shavier didn't even have time to investigate the strange phenomena occurring in his own body. He dove straight into an ocean of practice problems and reference materials.
Raylin, meanwhile, wasn't idle either.
He casually browsed through the massive amount of materials Shavier had purchased and selected a small advertisement from among them.
"'Pre-sold answers, guaranteed pass?'"
Raylin chuckled, then committed the number to memory. He contacted the other party directly and obtained an address.
"So you're the one buying answers for the Advanced Technician Exam? Kid?"
In a corner of Wanxiong City, Raylin met face-to-face with two muscular thugs, their bodies covered in tattoos and ink — the kind of people who'd make everyone clear a wide berth on the street and attract plenty of police attention.
"That's right! A hundred percent pass rate — is that for real?"
By now, Raylin had dropped his invisibility, transforming into an ordinary young man in a jacket and jeans, the advertisement material still in hand.
"Heh heh... of course it's real!"
A thug exchanged glances with his companion: "We can get anything here. Ever heard of the Swift Shadow Type 5? We can even get our hands on that kind of new merchandise — a single set of answers is nothing."
The obvious look of a fat sheep walking into a trap made Raylin sigh inwardly, though on the surface he put on a nervous expression: "Fine! But I need to see the materials before we make the deal! Money and goods change hands at the same time..."
"Of course, who do you think I am — Azure Dragon?"
The thug grinned. He turned around: "Follow me..."
Bang! Crack! The sounds of numerous objects colliding rang out, interspersed with screams of pain.
In a certain basement, inside the small organization's hideout, the place was already a complete mess.
The two thugs who had brought Raylin earlier were already lying on the ground. Amid the spray of blood foam, a boss with a black rose tattoo on his face was pinned to the floor under Raylin's foot.
"You've got some nerve, haven't you? Not only did you try to pass off fake answers on me, you even wanted to rob me? Hm?"
Raylin slapped a crumpled sheet of paper directly onto the man's face: "Tell me, how many fingers should I chop off?"
In this moment, Raylin was uncharacteristically brazen, and he wasn't the least bit worried about being caught on city surveillance cameras. After all, this kind of "socially active" organization certainly had even less desire to attract the attention of government authorities. Their hideout not only avoided every surveillance camera, but even their monthly accounts were still kept by hand on paper.
As for higher-level collusion between officials and criminals? Raylin looked down with contempt at the boss still writhing on the ground, and kicked him in the stomach, folding the man up like a shrimp.
It wasn't that Raylin looked down on him — it was simply that if anyone was going to have connections like that, it certainly wouldn't be a small-time operation like this.
"Do you want to die, or do you want to live?" Raylin asked with leisurely composure, and immediately received the expected answer.
"Good. Hand over all the money you have on you! Cash only! And... tell me which organization is the biggest in the underground world around here. Who's the boss?"
Even in the brightest of places, darkness always exists.
After several rounds of questioning, Raylin had obtained everything he wanted. As for whether these small organizations would scour the world looking for revenge?
They would first need to find someone who looked exactly like the random face Raylin had worn earlier, and if that ever happened, Raylin could only say they were unlucky.
Through these thugs, Raylin learned that forged documents had already developed into a full-fledged industry, complete with specialized supply channels and a well-known reputation for reliability — because what they provided wasn't fake at all, but the real thing, documents that could withstand investigation!
As for where they came from? Supposedly, it was extra income from certain members of the National Security Bureau.
"Agents selling documents for profit? Why does this give me such a strong sense of déjà vu?"
Even though Raylin was grumbling inwardly, he still paid without hesitation and went through a round of gene verification, binding an identity card to himself.
From today onward, he was a third-tier citizen of the Imperial Honor, and had nothing to fear from any investigation.
With the identity card in hand, renting an apartment, purchasing a low-level Swift Shadow series device, and accessing the network all posed no problems whatsoever.
The reason he'd gone through all this trouble instead of simply seizing some passerby's identity and transforming into their appearance was that Raylin had a certain curiosity about how this verification system worked.
"As expected… the so-called gene verification is nothing but a sham, a smokescreen. The real core is the soul-signature detection of the Shadow
Recalling the nerve-wracking moment just moments ago, Raylin's eyes grew deep and unfathomable.
If not for his experience conquering the Weave in the
However, thanks to the Empire's wretched bureaucrats, he had now successfully blended himself into the Empire's billions-strong citizenry. Even if
"Welcome, Mr. Ray! Here is your communicator and a first-generation Swift Shadow! Since you don't hold a bachelor's degree or an advanced technician's certificate, the Swift Shadow Type Three and above are restricted for you…"
The saleswoman smiled apologetically and accepted the bills Raylin handed over.
As for the source of these funds, and the cost of the identity card purchased earlier? Naturally, those unfortunate underground organizations had footed the bill.
"Hmm! They're all portable retinal screens — not much different from what I had in my previous life…"
Raylin gazed at the familiar-looking network, the various applications and modules, and a flicker of nostalgia crossed his face before he quickly suppressed it.
"I still need to find a rental right now… Do you know of any suitable places? I need something near the outer-ring villa district…"
Raylin named the neighborhood where the Sewell siblings had been staying.
"That area?"
The saleswoman was a professional woman in her twenties with light makeup on her face. Hearing a question that was clearly beyond the scope of her duties, she looked up in surprise.
"I'll pay a suitable fee for the trouble…"
Raylin promptly added when he saw her hesitation.
"No problem!" Whether it was the promise of payment or Raylin's reasonably handsome appearance that won her over, the saleswoman quickly replied. "I live right around there, so it's very convenient — but you'll have to wait until I get off work…"
......
After a flurry of activity, Raylin moved directly into a rented villa near the old Saville mansion.
At that moment, the Saville siblings had no idea they had gained a new neighbor — they were still absorbed in their own affairs.
"The basic edition of Swift Shadow — almost every resident in the Empire has one now..."
Raylin glanced at the wristwatch bearing the black crown emblem on his wrist and pressed the activation button.
*Ding!* Serial number zeskng988273221 activated! Auto-scanning ID card... Binding in progress! Binding complete! Swift Shadow at your service. For any damage, please contact the after-sales hotline...
After cycling through a series of startup screens, Raylin navigated directly to the most important functional module.
*Ding!* ID card bound, account confirmed! Current account balance: 3,000 shellers!
Swift Shadow flashed a notification, followed by a dense list of spell names and prices.
Tier-0 Spell — Light! Price: 200 shellers per use!
Tier-0 Spell — Resistance! Price: 300 shellers per use!
......
Tier-1 Spell — Shield! Price: 1,000 shellers per use!
Tier-2 Spell — Shadow Orb! Price: 3,000 shellers per use!
*Ding!* This device has limited permissions. Currently only Tier-0 to Tier-2 shadow spells are available. If you require higher-tier spells, please upgrade your permissions and purchase the next generation of Swift Shadow...
"If mages from the World of the
Raylin shook his head. He had spent most of his money purchasing his identity and paying rent, so not much remained — but it was still enough to buy a few Tier-0 spells and even a Tier-1 spell to mess around with. Besides, 3,000 shellers wasn't even a single month's wages for a salaried worker. If mages came here, they would all probably weep uncontrollably...
"Could it really be this easy? Would the Lady of the Night really be so generous?"
Raylin rubbed his chin. "Purchase Light!"
*Ding!* 200 shellers deducted. Current balance: 2,800!" Swift Shadow prompted rapidly. Then Raylin felt the device establish a connection with the Shadow Weave, and a ball of bright radiance bloomed in his hand.
"Similar to spell slots, but they can't be stored, and those without sufficient control can easily run into trouble..."
Raylin quickly recognized both the advantages and drawbacks: "And... although the amounts are small, the Weave is still siphoning the soul energy of every payer..."