A Trip to the Lower District

After leaving Reyn’s study, Ark had already formulated a complete plan in his mind.

The Public Security Bureau was nothing to fear; the enforcers were merely lambs waiting for slaughter.

Reyn Rheinhebo had already laid the groundwork for everything, and Ark’s task was simply to be a compliant pawn.

He departed in haste, only to encounter the purple-haired, purple-eyed maiden in the garden.

Ark looked at her with considerable surprise.

“Miss Vivian? Oh, you shouldn’t be here.”

Vivian’s expression was somewhat constrained as she asked, her voice filled with apprehension, “Does Young Master not welcome me?”

Ark shook his head.

“Things haven’t been peaceful around the manor lately. The Young Master is troubled by the matter of the Gluttony Witch—”

His voice abruptly cut off, for Leila’s figure had appeared in his line of sight.

Her lustrous black hair shone conspicuously in the sunlight.

Ark suddenly realized a problem he had overlooked: if Leila was one of the seven maidens the Young Master sponsored, what about Vivian, who was also a recipient of his patronage?

Vivian’s mood instantly plummeted. Had she caused the Young Master trouble again?

“I, I won’t disturb him today!”

She ran off timidly. Anna, who was waiting by the gate, saw Vivian run out shortly after entering and immediately grabbed her hand.

“Vivian, didn’t you see the Young Master?”

Vivian quietly sobbed, “Anna, I think I’ve made the Young Master angry again.”

Anna’s eyes widened instantly, then her brows furrowed.

“Did the Young Master scold you?”

Vivian quickly shook her head.

“I didn’t see the Young Master. It was his steward who said it. He said I shouldn’t come, and that the Young Master was troubled because of me.”

Anna’s face darkened.

“That’s definitely a lie!”

Vivian wiped away a small tear from her eye, looking up with a confused gaze.

“A lie?”

“Exactly! That fellow must have been bought off by Renata! That’s why he’s stopping you from getting close to the Young Master!”

“But what if it’s true? I, I’ll come back to see the Young Master in a few days.”

Ignoring Anna’s repeated pleas, she forcefully broke free, her figure disappearing wretchedly into the distance.

Anna pursed her lips, then stepped into the manor with a resolute gaze.

She arrived outside the study and knocked on the door.

“Young Master, it’s me, Anna.”

Reyn’s surprised voice came from the other side of the door.

“Anna? Why are you here too? Ah, come in first.”

Anna pushed the door open and entered the study. Reyn had just risen from his chair.

He watched Anna standing at the doorway for a moment, then said in a deep voice, “Don’t you know what kind of time this is? Why did you come?”

Anna looked at Reyn earnestly.

“Young Master, from the moment we accepted your sponsorship, we became bound to you.”

Reyn’s expression froze, then he showed a deeply remorseful look.

“I apologize, I’ve dragged you all down.”

Anna shook her head vigorously, saying softly, “If we hadn’t met the Young Master, we wouldn’t be alive today.”

Reyn sat back down, his intertwined fingers resting on the table.

After a brief silence, he slowly began, “Anna, accompany me on a trip to the Lower District. This is my personal request, and you are free to refuse.”

Anna was instantly flustered.

“Me? Why not Vivian?”

“I need someone to help me understand the situation in the Lower District in depth. Vivian isn’t a local.”

Anna was speechless. She had come today for Vivian, yet in the end, it would be her accompanying the Young Master. How could this be right?

She pursed her lips, staring at Reyn with a hint of resentment.

“The Young Master is quite cunning, knowing full well I can’t refuse you, isn’t he?”

Reyn’s expression faltered, then he rubbed his throbbing temples, sighing, “Anna, that’s not a business transaction. As I said at the beginning, you are free. In this world, no one will ever control your will again.”

Anna gazed at Reyn with extraordinary tenderness, saying softly, “But this is a decision I’ve made of my own will. This body shall burn for the Young Master, until only embers remain.”

Reyn fell silent, sighing after a long while.

“I’ll change my clothes before we depart.”

****

The Rheinhebo family carriage traveled all the way to a stone bridge built over a waterway, marking the boundary between the Upper and Lower Districts.

Crossing this stone bridge led into the Lower District.

There, it was as if another world existed.

To the people of the Lower District, even the air in the Upper District was sweet.

This was no mere metaphor.

Upon entering the Lower District, the long-neglected dirt roads were rife with foul-smelling waste. Simply walking here required immense courage, yet for the residents of the Lower District, it was merely a part of their daily lives.

Reyn had now changed out of his luxurious attire, but even the simplest clothes prepared by the maid seemed quite expensive to the people of the Lower District.

Reyn clearly sensed external gazes scrutinizing him, and from more than one place.

Everything was just as it had been eight years ago; the people here were wary of any unfamiliar faces.

Anna quietly followed beside Reyn. Everything she saw remained unchanged; eight years had brought no alterations to this place.

Perhaps due to Reyn’s attire being so out of place, although many people watched him, no one dared to approach and cause trouble.

Even the most notorious street gangs knew whom to provoke and whom to avoid.

“Ah, is that Young Master Reyn?”

Amidst the eerie silence, a scrawny old man with greasy hair and a dirty face suddenly emerged from a corner, taking cautious steps to enter Reyn’s line of sight.

Reyn gazed at the unfamiliar face before him, a frown creasing his brow. He couldn’t recall ever meeting this person.

He scrutinized the old man, speaking with a steady demeanor, “Do you know me?”

The old man nervously rubbed his hands, his voice trembling.

“Young Master Reyn, I’m Jack, who guided you eight years ago. Anna? You’re Mark’s Anna, aren’t you?”

Reyn’s pupils dilated. He certainly remembered what happened eight years ago; accompanied by Ark, he had indeed hired someone to lead the way.

He looked at Jack with a hint of disbelief, his eyes becoming complex.

“I apologize, you’ve changed too much. I didn’t recognize you at first.”

Jack quickly shook his head, a practiced ingratiating smile spreading across his face.

“Oh, Young Master Reyn, please don’t say that, you’re too kind to a humble man like me! Eight years ago, I was just a young man in my early twenties, but now I’ve changed so much. Are you here with Anna today to find Mark’s family?”

Reyn’s gaze subtly shifted. He detected the change in Jack’s tone and said calmly, “Would there be a problem?”

Jack was silent for a brief moment, then once again displayed his ingratiating smile.

“No, no problem at all. They’re all still alive, but they might pester you, Young Master, and cause some unnecessary trouble.”

Reyn quietly watched Jack, then suddenly asked, “Are they still living in the old place?”

“Of course, they’re still in the old house.”

Reyn took a hundred-value Imperial banknote from his wallet and held it out to Jack.

“Same old price?”

Jack’s eyes instantly lit up. He eagerly snatched the banknote from Reyn’s hand, bowing repeatedly.

“Yes, yes, I’ll take the Young Master there right away.”