Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 607 - 605: The Nobility
So, should I investigate the mule or not...
「In Great Britain, a southern city, a suburb, Gloomy Castle.」
A petite witch, donned in a black cloak and pointy hat, was sitting cross-legged on a woolen carpet, feeling quite conflicted and hesitant.
In the Game of Murder, many players, in order to hide their real-world identities and to protect those close to them, choose to alter their appearances through cosmetic procedures. The desire for beauty is universal. Regardless of gender, many embrace the mindset, "Since I'm getting plastic surgery, might as well make myself more handsome, beautiful, and younger." Very few people want to turn themselves into a grotesque figure—though of course, some might think a lizard or crocodile head is pretty cool and domineering. With the establishment of black markets by players everywhere, cosmetic services have become even more convenient, resulting in an oddly high occurrence of handsome men and beautiful women in the Game of Murder.
Given the extreme survival pressure of the game, most players have no idea if they'll live to see tomorrow. Some can't withstand the immense stress and choose to indulge themselves, living days of luxury and dissipation, their private lives in complete disarray. Especially in the black markets of Southeast Asia and South America, male and female players who have carried out missions together, finding each other agreeable, might share life experiences with each other that very night. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Taking into consideration the high rate of cosmetic procedures among players in chaotic areas, someone who looks like a pretty woman might once have been a bearded, burly man, and someone who looks like a muscular hunk might once have been a short, fat otaku... Not knowing the past appearance, or even the original gender of the person lying next to you, can be regarded as the unique "gambling charm" of the chaotic regions.
However, the Witch from the southern parts of Great Britain actually matched her appearance in age; she was a 14-year-old girl. She was born into a long-standing Mage family—the Sterling Family—whose ancestors were said to be court Mages to a King, leaving behind a vast trove of Mysterious Studies Texts and a considerable fortune.
Just like the Heterodox Academy in the East, Great Britain, once the world's hegemon, also has its own transcendent power legacies. Beyond the Royal National Knight Order loyal to the English king, Great Britain also boasts the "Clock Tower" Mage Association and various Mysterious Studies inheritances scattered across the land.
The Witch's ancestors were also members of the Clock Tower Mage Association, even serving as the president of the association during a certain term of the Wars of the Roses. Unfortunately, as time passed and the Game of Murder was shut down, the mystical powers in their family bloodline gradually waned until they completely lost their transcendent abilities, becoming mere commoners during the English-French War period.
Although the Clock Tower Mage Association also had a difficult time during the period when the Game of Murder was closed, as all families' powers were in decline, the council of old scholars in charge stubbornly adhered to the rules, insisting on expelling families that had completely lost their powers. So the Witch's family, the Sterling Family, was kicked out and had to live like ordinary nobility, doing business and managing estates.
The Witch's ancestors had always harbored a grudge about this affair. They persistently studied the texts left by their forebears, determined to regain their family's supernatural abilities in an environment without the Game of Murder. This endeavor resulted in squandering the energy of several generations of the Sterling Family, yet they were still unable to possess the necessary qualifications.
Things took a turn during the generation of the Witch's great-great-grandfather. At that time, the Game of Murder briefly opened on a small scale. This reawakened the long-declining Mage Association and also revitalized the Sterling Family—they triumphantly rejoined the Mage Association and, leveraging their own abilities, won the presidency for several consecutive terms.
However, by the time of the Witch's grandfather, the extraordinary abilities in the family bloodline had once again diminished, leading to another decline. This forced them to rely on their past glory and shamelessly cling to their place in the Clock Tower Mage Association, unwilling to leave. In desperation, the Witch's grandfather invested everywhere, hoping to use economic advantages to maintain the family's status. As it turned out, financial management carries risks and investment requires caution. The wealth the family had painstakingly accumulated quickly vanished. By the time of the Witch's father, they could not even afford the maintenance costs for the castle and had to resort to selling antiques from the castle to barely get by.
(The ancient castles of European countries are considered historical buildings, and owners are officially required to bear the high maintenance costs. They cannot demolish or sell them at will. Coupled with high property taxes, castle owners must spend tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands or millions, of funds each year for these practically useless historical buildings—a veritable hot potato smeared with excrement.)
The Witch's parents passed away when she was young. As the last member of the Sterling Family, she grew up imbued with the spirit of aristocratic honor, her greatest ambition being to revitalize her family. Fortunately, the Game of Murder gave her that opportunity.
As soon as she became a player, she encountered a mysterious and enigmatic figure known as "the Professor," fond of taking apprentices on journeys around the world. She became one of the Professor's apprentices and joined the Syndicate Organization. With the Mysterious Studies Texts passed down through her family for generations, her advancement was faster than that of ordinary players and even other apprentices. She soon possessed considerable supernatural abilities, once again proving herself in the Clock Tower Mage Association.
It's just that the occupation of Witch has a truly terrifying consumption of resources. Crafting Magic Potions, making Casting Tools, and conducting magic experiments—each requires vast amounts of supernatural materials. Even more critically, as a young lady with an aristocratic spirit, the Witch placed great emphasis on maintaining her family's honor. Even if her home was so poor it rattled with emptiness and the grand castle was but an empty shell with all its valuable contents sold off, she would grit her teeth and persevere. She would purchase cheap modern replicas from the market to hang on the stone walls. When reporting to the Mage Association, she also had to wear the most lavish and expensive dress from her empty wardrobe.
The proud, avaricious noble young lady was indeed in a pitiable state.
Looking at it this way, the reason the Witch had so many Vests while running her shop was also to prevent her identity from being revealed and bringing shame upon her family.
It's not really proper to dig into the employer's personal information right after completing the transaction, is it...
The Witch murmured to herself while twirling a golden lock of her bangs with slender fingers, "But the mule should be quite wealthy, right? After all, he is an Information Broker... AHEM, my digging into his personal identity is for his own good. After all, if I can find his personal information, I can remind him to erase his traces; I'd be helping him reduce trouble. As for the reward, well, let's just have him give me seven or eight thousand. Yes, that's right. As a descendant of the Sterling Family, this is how I embody the spirit of nobility. This is the Golden Spirit."
The Witch, as if having convinced herself, showed a radiant smile on her face. With a bounce, she rose from the ground, opened her friend panel, and contacted her partner—a 'tool person'—who was managing the shop in the black market of Southeast Asia on her behalf.
"'Hey? Are you there?'"
