I've Become the King of Villains in the Game

Several months later.

The date had reached the end of the Solar Calendar 4418, and the accurate time for the public beta test was 8:00 AM on June 1 next year.

There were still six months until the public beta test.

The weather in Amber City had gradually become cold.

Snow even began to fall from the sky, blown by the wind. Snowflakes landed on the hats, scarves, and shoulders of pedestrians. Body heat melted the snowflakes into ice water, which seeped into the fabric, making people shiver involuntarily.

The residents of the Inner City District were well-prepared with wool coats, thickened windbreakers, various fashionable leather gloves and hats, and even hot water bottles encrusted with jewels and diamonds.

"The winters these years are getting colder and colder..."

At a table ahead of Chen Lun, two old men wrapped in coats were sipping drinks and chatting.

"I heard that the crops outside the city are underproducing, and the agricultural products next spring will also be affected, now that food prices are generally rising, the crime rate in the Outer City District is rising faster than food prices, sigh."

"Heh, last week my son had dinner with Mr. Hardy of Moses Far Voyage and talked business, just mentioning these issues..."

One of the old men picked up his delicate glass, took a sip, and shook his head in lament.

"Now, the salt transported from salt-producing cities like Amethyst City, Lime Ash City, and No Water Mang City has basically doubled in price... If there's not enough salt in the preserved fish and meat, they're prone to spoilage. Plus, with food being so expensive now, the refugees outside the city have already started dying in droves."

Three gentlemen at another table heard the conversation and joined in with great interest.

"There's going to be a lot to do then, if the corpses aren't handled in time, it can lead to epidemics!"

A chubby man with glasses spoke while drinking.

His companion, lighting a cigarette, added:

"Epidemics have already begun to spread. Towns like Emerald Town, Ice Glutinous Town, and Soybean Town around the city have seen plague outbreaks, and those scattered small villages have become hotbeds of the damned plague...!

The Security Office in the Inner City District must guard Amber Bridge well, we can't easily allow people from the Outer City District to come in! Otherwise, it's unimaginable..."

Another, more refine-looking companion frowned tightly, his face showing disgust:

"Actually, Amber River has already been polluted by those disgusting mixed breeds. Maybe our daily drinking water contains the epidemic transmitted by them!

The people of the Outer City District all deserve to die, they should all be driven away!"

His two companions appeared a bit nervous after hearing this but still tried to reassure him:

"It probably isn't that serious... Dumi, you're overreacting."

The man named Dumi didn't let up; after drinking two sips of strong liquor, the disgust on his face intensified, and he began to flush red and curse loudly. He even openly said if he were to join the military, he would definitely kill all those lower beings.

The two old men shook their heads at this.

One of the old men called the waiter again, ordered several expensive shots of strong liquor, and then pulled out a small packet of some unidentified strange substance from his pocket.

"Don't worry, young men... I happen to have a bit of antiepidemic medicine here, I'll share some with you."

The old man opened the small packet, revealing two broken pieces of black solid that looked sticky, not very clean or sanitary.

The three gentlemen looked at each other, then shook their heads one after another, none daring to accept the strange "medicine."

"Relax, this is antiepidemic medicine developed by followers of the Black Messenger. You can try some... These days, even the Red Apple Church can't be relied on, so who should we believe in to be redeemed?"

As he spoke, the old man had already picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, slowly chewing.

His facial expression showed nothing unusual, rather, he even smacked his lips as if he wanted more.

Seeing this, the three gentlemen, both worried about the epidemic and reminded of the newly built Black Messenger Square, hesitantly took some of the black paste-like substance into their mouths.

After all, the "Black Messenger" that had arisen in recent times was quite convincing, especially since too many people had witnessed that incident six months ago.

"Hmm... it's very sweet, is this black sugar?"

The chubby man with glasses chewed a few times, puzzled.

The old man nodded and asked cheerily:

"Do you feel your body heating up?"

The three gentlemen suddenly felt tightness in their chest and some sweating on their foreheads, beginning to worry that they might have eaten poison.

"Oh, don't be nervous, this is the antiepidemic medicine taking effect, plus the drinks you just had... Feeling heat is right; you will only feel your body warming and getting stronger, it won't be something bad."

The old man then looked at the other tables around, simply started enthusiastically distributing the "antiepidemic medicine" in his hands.

The other guests, having somewhat heard the earlier conversation, and as this was a famous bar in the Inner City District, mostly frequented by familiar faces, were not too cautious or defensive.

Soon, several middle-aged patrons took some "antiepidemic medicine" from the old man and took it on the spot.

They all reported feeling really warm and good.

"Young man, would you like some?"

The old man looked at Chen Lun, offering the small paper packet.

"Very thankful..."

Chen Lun responded with a polite smile.

He casually picked up a small piece, yet did not put it in his mouth.

He had just divined about this item, and consuming it wouldn't cause any issues.

Now holding it in his hand, after basic identification by the panel, it was confirmed to be a standard sugar cube, although it seemed to have some herbal plants added inside.

"Sir, may I ask where the 'Black Messenger's' followers are located? I would also like to purchase some of this antiepidemic medicine..."

Chen Lun scrutinized the sugar cube in his hand and asked with a light smile.

He was curious about who was using his name to traffic "medicine" for profit.

The old man didn't think too much and directly gave the address of a more secluded neighborhood in the Inner City District, explaining that it was an older clinic.

The demand for antiepidemic medicine had gradually been rising in the community, not only because of the severe plague situation but also partly because the completion of Black Messenger Square reinforced many residents' devotion to this Faith.

People often went to Black Messenger Square to worship near the fountain's black-winged bronze statue.

Chen Lun had never openly acknowledged this matter and did not want to draw the attention of the Sun Church and the Shelter. After all, having just "whitewashed" himself, it would be better not to stir up trouble and quietly develop for a while.

Moreover, even if he wanted to embody the believers' faith, he probably lacked the strength to do so.

Being merely a low Sequence Transcendent, he could easily give himself away, and the consequences could be even more severe.

It might be better to let this misunderstanding continue beautifully. As long as he didn't admit it, the Sun Church and the Shelter would turn a blind eye, and not pay much attention to a faith figure with no practical significance.

Ding-dong…!

Just then, the bar's door was pushed open, and a gust of cold air rushed in from outside.

Everyone turned to look as a tall, bulky man with his head down came in, giving them an embarrassed smile.

The chubby man was holding a black square tool bag, from which several sticks protruded, which appeared to be parts of an easel.

"Noah, over here."

Chen Lun waved to him and then bid farewell to the two old men.

When Noah approached, Chen Lun and he exchanged brief greetings before sitting down.

Chen Lun had been waiting for him here, so he had asked the waiter to prepare a more robust and larger chair in advance; but even so, when Noah sat down, he still felt somewhat cramped and uncomfortable.

"We'll just sit for a while, then head out."

Chen Lun said with a reassuring smile as he poured a glass of wine for Noah.

"Hmm, Mr. Jack."

Noah scratched his head and drank the wine in one gulp.

Starting a few months ago, the Circus's working capital had run dry.

The goods produced and sold turned into funds invested back, and now the Circus's scale was getting bigger, but its liquid resources were dwindling.

To sustain the huge expenses, Chen Lun finally decided to start accepting commissions, transferring some from the Silver Dragon Trade Association.

This could somewhat alleviate the economic pressure and also provide the members with opportunities to accumulate mystical experiences.

Today, Noah's commission was in the same place as his own, so they agreed to go together.

Just before coming here, Noah had also completed a commission on the way, painting a portrait for a rich merchant's deceased mother… He heard that after deducting the fees, he ended up with twenty Gold Pounds in hand.

'Painting is quite a lucrative business…'

Chen Lun mused.

What he didn't quite understand was why Noah, a minor lord of the Silver Dragon Trade Association, was so excited to work for him.

"Noah, actually, you could also take those deducted fees… after all, we're all family here, so there's no need to be so formal."

Chen Lun said earnestly as he drank some hot milk.

Noah chuckled twice, knowing that Mr. Jack was joking, and shook his head:

"I just have a role there and get a dividends income periodically, but I actually don't involve myself in any of the family business…

I didn't realize before, but personally completing customers' commissions and earning the commission gold is such a pleasurable experience."

Chen Lun smiled wryly, maybe this was the "rich kid part-time job quote?"

After sitting for a while, Chen Lun suddenly spoke up:

"Noah, it's time for us to go… there will be a disturbance here soon."

Noah looked slightly startled and nodded at him without asking why, seemingly very trusting.

The two got up and walked straight out of the bar door.

A cool breeze hit them as the bar door was still open, and they heard the noise of chairs colliding and exclamations from behind.

"Oh my Sun! Dumi! What happened to you?!"

"Hey friend! Wake up!!"

"Poor fellow, is this an acute disease attack?!"

Bang!

The bar door closed.

Everything that happened was no longer Chen Lun's concern.

He stepped forward, and Noah followed closely behind, carrying his tool bag.

"This is just his destiny now."

Chen Lun shook his head slightly and calmly spoke about the matter.

"A sudden onset of disease took his life… nobody knows if they can survive till tomorrow."

Ironically, through the Peeping Eye of Fate, Chen Lun had observed that this guy named Dumi, who suddenly fell ill, was actually not a native of the Eastern Continent… this meant that his family, starting from his ancestors, were immigrants from abroad, perhaps even more destitute than the so-called lower classes he mentioned.

"Let's go to Third Street."

Chen Lun laughed.

"You go paint portraits for people, I go divine their fortunes, or maybe even train dogs… our Circus business is getting more and more high-end."