At midnight, amidst the chime of the living room clock, a horse carriage discreetly pulled up in front of the apartment.
Su Lu, draped in a black robe and wearing a mask that covered the upper half of his face, got straight into the carriage.
The carriage set off immediately and stopped at a certain location on the docks.
Su Lu then switched to a small boat, watching as it turned towards the bottom of a cliffs, and entered the cityâs drainage system through a drainage outlet.
âLore City is close to the ocean. Could this be its drain to the sea?â
Su Lu felt his guess could very well be true.
He admired the cityâs designers, underneath it, there seems to be a whole town.
âWeâre here!â
The boatman stopped at a fork in the road and handed Su Lu a lantern: âGo straight down this path to the very end!â
âIt feelsâŠlike some evil groupâs meeting, though the situation is more or less the sameâŠâ
Grumbling inwardly, Su Lu, aided by the lantern, started his journey through the filth, eventually reaching the end.
There lay a thick, black wall engraved with several mysterious symbols composed of half-arc lines and triangles, similar to a childâs scribble.
However, Su Lu, with his ample grasp of Mysterious Knowledge, could immediately notice the difference.
âThis is Hovrin code⊠the Hovrins are a race from a legend who love pranks and puzzle games⊠It has become legendary for them to steal precious treasures or even somebody, and invite warriors to pass trials⊠and this symbol represents a puzzle game.â
Su Lu studied it, traced an arc with his finger on the wall connecting several symbols that represented âpassageâ, and lightly tapped each in succession.
Bang bang bang!
As he completed the last stroke, the sound of gears turning came from within the wall, a part of which slowly drew back, revealing a new path.
âThe power of the Extraordinary People of Lore city is beyond my expectationsâŠâ
Su Lu releases his inspiration to probe his surroundings, only then does he proceed, lantern in hand.
After traversing the corridor, he arrived in a huge underground fallout shelter.
About tens of meters high, it resembled the banquet hall of a castle with stones emitting faint light embedded in all directions.
In the center of the âhallâ was a long table surrounded by numerous chairs.
There were about thirty or so chairs, at which time half were already occupied. Quite a few scrutinizing gazes came his way.
âWelcome, newcomer!â
An elderly voice from the seat of honor spoke: âBeing able to pass through the puzzle wall in such a short time, your attainment in Mysterious Knowledge is indeed astounding.â
As he spoke, Su Lu felt even more focused gazes on him.
Even a few faint probes came his way.
âHmph!â
He snorted coldly, solidifying his spirit oppression around him, emanating a Dragon Might-like aura.
Many lurking forces in the void were frightened back, and several people in black robes trembled, whispering, âAn Elite? Or even better?â
Even in such gatherings, the law of survival of the fittest prevailed.
Su Lu felt many gazes suddenly softened, filled with a touch of fear instead.
âPlease donât misunderstand, only newcomers come through that door⊠We have other passageways, of course⊠youâve passed the âtestâ. After this gathering, I will tell you another way, a more convenient path.â
The elderly man at the head of the table continued: âYou can pick a codename for yourself.â
âCall me⊠Scholar!â
Su Luâs voice was slightly hoarse as he found an empty seat to sit and started comparing this gathering with the several gatherings of Extraordinary People he had encountered before.
Although Charles Cityâs black market was bigger and freer, it seemed to lack a sense of concealment and the involvement of official powers. Whereas the one led by Fatima in Nia City was sufficiently flippant, even though it was indiscreet.
The gathering here gave him a sense of âdepthâ and âhistoryâ.
After some thought, he said, âI always thought⊠this was just a gathering for Extraordinary People?â
âHeheâŠâ
The black-robed men in attendance let out low laughs: âIndeed, it is a gathering for Extraordinary People, unofficially!â
âItâs just⊠our history is long-standing and since the recent advent of the Dawn of the Gods, there has been an increase in the number of ânew bloodââŠâ
The elderly man at the head of the table said: âWe⊠are the rulers of the dark side of this city! In some circles in Lore City, we are known as the âShadow Councilâ! You can call me⊠Chairman! Of course, the main reason we gather here is for trade, to exchange marvelous items, and information or mediate objections.â
With a calm voice, the Chairman continued: âFor instance, the big reshuffle of the gangsters in Lore City this time⊠The original Shark Meeting was on the hit list, but due to your intervention, it can be retained⊠temporarily.â
âCould it be⊠here is the gathering of Lore Cityâs underground forces? Can they control night-time Lore City, or even influence the city hall through various connections?â
Su Lu roughly understood.
The gathering he attended had a semi-fixed nature and was of quite high standard.
It seemed⊠he was used by Michael from the Shark Meeting.
âThere are two types of members in our council. One is a formal member and the other is newcomers like you⊠Hehe⊠Of course, if you work hard, you should soon become our formal member. By then, we would assist you to fully root in this city and to let your family inherit your gloryâŠâ>
A seductive woman on Su Luâs left continued with her enticing voice.
âSo, how does one become a formal member? Complete council âmissionsâ, or submit âcontributionsâ?â
Su Lu, lounging back in his chair, asked with a relaxed smile.
Any organizational form shares this commonality.
âWhat a smart little brother, I like youâŠâ, The seductive womanâs voice was exciting: âMy codename is âSaintessâ, I believe⊠there are possibilities of us working together in the future.â
During their conversation, more individuals in black robes arrived from the darkness, taking their seats.
âAlright!â
The elder âChairmanâ spoke: âEveryone has arrived, letâs welcome our newcomer â Scholar!â
He led the applause while sporadic clapping echoed in the hall before quickly dying down.
âNow⊠letâs get to the point!â
The Chairman coughed then said: âI have received word that, after the Nia City Sinkhole incident, the Federation has made up its mind, the Congress will pass the âDuke Actâ!â
The ambiance instantly fell solemn.
Su Lu was very clear that the so-called âDuke Actâ was actually the Professional Registration Bill, aimed at making the existence of the Extraordinary public and imposing restrictions on them, named after the nominating Congressman, Duke, hence the alias â the âDuke Actâ.