But in the end, the Gold Coins weren’t found, and the gang leader’s son, Savi, was dead.

The direct consequence of this incident was that Faraday lost Ferdinand’s trust. He also lost the promised position of Vice Gang Leader, which was instead given to his sworn enemy, Tate Rodney.

"So you plan to kill Ferdinand?"

Baron was a little surprised. ’Do underlings have such a murderous streak these days?’

Faraday shook his head. "Of course, there’s more to it than that. But in short, only by killing Ferdinand will I have any hope of reaching Silver!"

’Killing Ferdinand gives him a chance to reach Silver?’

Baron was about to ask why, but Faraday continued, "The assassination will take place on the Foggy Day. At that time, Fude City will be crawling with Beasts. We can make it look like Ferdinand was killed by one of them."

"Its execution will require your cooperation... Ferdinand makes a habit of patrolling the streets on every Foggy Day. When the time comes, I’ll lead a group of his men away, while you show up and lure him to a warehouse where I’ll have already set up an Alchemy Array..."

"Wait, wait. I’m the one luring him?"

Something didn’t sound right to Baron. "You’ve already had a falling out with him. Why aren’t you the one luring him? Just make up some excuse—say you’re getting married and want a gift, or your kid’s going to college—and invite him out for a meal. Problem solved."

Faraday blinked. He didn’t understand Baron’s bizarre suggestion, but he said anyway:

"Ferdinand is naturally cautious and has always been suspicious of me. Part of the reason for this whole situation is that he suspects I pocketed the Gold Coins instead of handing them over."

"Tate is always by his side, so I can’t get a clean shot. Besides, that bastard is constantly in Ferdinand’s ear, turning him against me. Ferdinand and I are only allies on the surface now."

"You, on the other hand... you’re suspected of killing his son, Savi. You also made him lose face in front of several important people.

Plus, with Tate’s dereliction of duty today, a large shipment of supplies and fine steeds was lost. On top of that, while Gold Coins have surfaced in the city, the thief using them remains at large. With his vengeful nature, he’s bound to take it all out on you."

’The Gold Coins you lost are with me.’ 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

’Judging by the way he died, Savi probably ran into Teresa after she turned into a Blood Demon instead of dying properly.’

’The plan to make him lose face was Yalilan’s idea.’

’I’m also the one who set loose Vice Gang Leader Tate’s "Shining, Graceful Fillies."’

’Today’s thief was me too.’

As Baron mulled it over, he figured that if Fude City had ranked lists like the restaurant guides in Chengdu, then once his deeds were exposed, he would surely be number one on Ferdinand’s Most Wanted list.

Unaware of Baron’s thoughts, Faraday looked past the muzzle of the gun and stared into Baron’s dark eyes. "It was his idea for us to lie in ambush here. I imagine he wants to use this opportunity to get rid of both of us at once."

’I can understand him wanting to get rid of me, but why you?’

Baron, the true instigator of all this, feigned confusion. "Just because he suspects you’re hiding Gold Coins?"

’Twenty-odd Gold Coins might be worth a year’s income for nearly a hundred farmers, but a major outfit like the Iron Thorn Gang couldn’t be that desperate for cash, could they?’

’Could it be that the gang leader, Ferdinand, also took a course in thriftiness at Westminster Cathedral?’

Seeing that Faraday remained silent, Baron said, "Forget about all this useless talk of whether I live or die. Show me some real sincerity. Why does he want to get rid of you?"

He was curious.

As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat. Fortunately, ever since he’d transmigrated here, Baron had always considered himself more of a rat.

Therefore, he was untargetable.

Silence. Faraday was quiet for a moment. He saw the Bounty Hunter’s expression growing impatient, saw the man’s finger trembling as it tightened on the trigger.

Finally, he sighed and said, "I’ve been sleeping with his wife."

Baron: "..."

He cleared his throat, gesturing for Faraday to continue.

Faraday: "I’ve been sleeping with his wife for a long time. He found out recently..."

He paused. "Well, not ’found out,’ exactly. He just became vaguely aware of it."

"How did he become aware?"

Baron felt just like one of those gossiping old women from the village entrance in his past life, the kind who would trade rumors while cracking melon seeds.

But Faraday just gave a cold laugh. "How can a vast, open field tolerate a tiny presence?"

’...So that’s what he meant.’

Baron got it now. ’So he took some measurements and noticed a discrepancy, huh?’

After he finished, Faraday asked Baron again, "Is that enough sincerity for you?"

Baron nodded.

’It was definitely enough. In fact, you could say things were getting explosive.’

A smile finally broke across Faraday’s face. "In that case, L, are you finally willing to work with me?"

His smile froze. The Bounty Hunter still hadn’t lowered his gun. Instead, he enunciated each word, "Your idea isn’t bad. However..."

Baron said with a cold laugh, "I refuse."

Faraday’s expression darkened.

He said in a low voice, "Mr. L, I’ve given you the sincerity you asked for. We have no quarrel. If I wanted to harm you, I would have brought that Giant Axe down on you back then."

"I came in good faith. Is all of this still not enough?"

He raised his shackled hands, making his question all the more pointed.

But Baron simply wagged a finger. "It’s not that it’s not enough. It’s just that while sincerity is a nice start, it alone isn’t enough to make me take such a huge risk for this partnership of yours."

"What more do you need me to do to earn your trust?"

Faraday understood the implication in Baron’s words. But the Bounty Hunter just chuckled. "It’s not about what you’ll *do*. It’s about a pledge of loyalty."

"A pledge of loyalty? Who do you want me to kill?"

"No one." Baron shook his head and held up two fingers. "Two conditions."

"What conditions?"

Seeing Faraday ask instead of refusing, Baron spoke. "Since you want to move against the Iron Thorn Gang, you’ll need to prove your commitment. Before the next Foggy Day, I want you to deliver one ton of Snow Pattern Steel to me."

"Absolutely impossible."

Baron hadn’t even stated his second condition before Faraday shook his head in refusal.

"Snow Pattern Steel is an extremely rare and precious Alchemy Material. You probably couldn’t find even a hundred pounds of it in all of Fude City right now. Not to mention, the key to the warehouse where it’s stored is in the gang leader’s hands. I have no way of getting close to it."

"Then you can go die." Baron let out a breath, all interest in negotiating gone. He pulled the trigger without hesitation.

A muzzle flashed. Relying on instincts honed over many years of living on the edge, Faraday reacted instantly, twisting his head aside. The bullet practically grazed his eye before embedding itself in the ground.

Faraday stared blankly at the small crater the bullet had made in the ground, his mind clearly still reeling from its narrow brush with death.

Baron let out a surprised "Huh?" and, without hesitation, began to raise his gun again. Faraday nodded frantically. "I can’t get a ton, but ten pounds is possible!"

"Twenty pounds," Baron said.

Faraday froze. He saw the Bounty Hunter about to pull the trigger again, and the indifferent look on his face was clearly not an act.

He gritted his teeth. "Twenty it is!"

’I should’ve asked for more.’

Baron nodded but still didn’t lower his gun. "Second condition. I need you to find some information for me."

"What information?"

"News about anyone in or around Fude City who has strange internal organs or human limbs."

"Organs? Limbs?" Faraday frowned. "Can you be more specific?"

"No."

Baron himself had no idea what the Dream Master’s remains actually consisted of.

He then glanced at the sky, realizing it was getting late, and asked, "Since you’ve already decided on the plan, how will we contact each other?"

Faraday replied instantly, "I have a small Copper Bell on my belt. It’s an Alchemical creation from Fude City’s Mechanical School. When one bell is rung, it alerts the person holding the other one to the user’s location."

"We’ll use these bells to communicate."

Faraday added, seeing Baron’s eyes land on the bell.

"Well then, I’ll be waiting for your good news. A pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Faraday."

Baron gave a faint smile, then dragged Faraday deep into an alley. After firing two shots into the air, he made sure to take Faraday’s axe before departing.