Chapter 39: Earth's underworld

*Small time skip for those potentially confused*

Back before the apocalypse, there would be absolutely no way for me to roam the streets freely. It would only take a short moment before someone would recognise me… Assuming that I would be able to leave the area of my devastated home without someone stopping me in the first place.

But that was all in the past. Right now, dressed in the fancy suit unburied from the depths of my drawer, I was lazily walking down the streets, aiming to enter one of the areas that the parents would warn the kids to never wander anywhere close to.

As surprising as it might be with nearly the total collapse of the social order and insane power wielded by the new governments, the crime thrived in this new world. Even though the usual robberies and other common crimes were by a huge margin, no longer a problem with how one was nearly unable to assess the power of a potential mugging target, surprisingly enough, this worked pretty well in favour of the underground world.

The underground world that I was aiming to enter right now.

The area that I moved into used to be one of the richer developments in the entire city. With fancy buildings made of pretty resistant materials still standing, the former elite that had this status just because they were born in the right families no longer could keep those houses for themselves.

Replaced by those who could make use of the new reality to grow, what used to be an elite area for the nobles of the former communist regime that was gone only on the surface, was now the headquarters of all the organisation that didn't bother to obtain the legalisation act from the government.

"Stay where you are!"

It didn't take long before someone noticed me, instantly jumping forward. Stopping his approach just a few meters away from me, the man that bothered with me placed his hand on the handle of his sword.

Just this act alone was enough to show how greatly the world has changed. Right now, guns were mostly useless. If my memory about the cultivation ranks practised on earth was correct, as long as one reached the middle stages of the bodily reinforcement level - something that one could do with just a little bit of talent and enough time to practice - the bullets would no longer be capable of harming him.

And obviously, the same couldn't be said about sword attack executed of someone of the same rank!

"Who are you?!"

The first reaction of any sane person would be to covertly take a few steps back before apologising for infringing on the safety of the local organisation with one's sheer presence in the place. But with everything that happened to me, I could no longer be called a sane man. Right now, if I dared to take a single step back, the entire rouse with the high-priest identity that I wanted to create would fall apart before it would even properly start.

"Which party is in charge of the fourth district?"

Instead of allowing the bodyguard that saw me first to force the flow of the conversation that he was used to on me, I ignored his questions and asked one myself.

"Didn't you hear me? Who the heck are you and what do you think you are doing here? This is a restricted area."

While the tone of the bodyguard didn't soften at all, his facial features did. While a normal person could only guess what that meant, with how I was easily capable of reading the mans' emotion from the flow of energy through his soul, I could tell that his attitude towards me changed already.

It seems that not backing off against his aggression was the right call to make.

"I will take off and open my bag right now."

Once again, instead of answering the question properly, I only informed the man what I was about to do before proceeding with those simple actions. Allowing my backpack - a piece of my outfit that didn't fit my suited appearance at all - to slide down my arm, I heavily placed it directly on the ground. Unzipping the lock on it, I made sure that the content inside was easily noticeable… Before straightening myself up once again and gently kicking it forward.

"Wha… What the heck is this?"

With countless treasures that I found in the other words falling out of the backpack directly on the road, the bodyguard in front of me shook in surprise. Taking a quick glance at the flow of his magic, I attempted to read his emotions…

But I failed at it miserably. While I could see every detail of his cultivation, his soul and the entirety of his magic, it didn't mean that I knew the meaning of it all. Outside of the simple emotions that I noticed back in the Ayda's world when fucking and cuddling with her, I was pretty much oblivious to what different states of energy meant.

"This? Those items are just a token of sincerity that I want to offer to whoever is in charge of the fourth district. My sect intends to buy off the land that was torn by a recent disaster there, so I think it would be better if you stop stalling…"

Before I could finish my words, a small commotion exploded in a nearby mansion before a perfectly groomed and dressed man came out of its front doors.

Without even saying anything, this strange person simply moved his head to the side. As if he was pulled by an invisible leash, the bodyguard that stalled my steps instantly jumped away.

"It seems that I found someone I can finally have a serious talk with. Now then, dear sir, would you be as kind as to invite me inside, or are we going to conduct serious business right on the streets?"