I adjusted the strap of my purse, calculating the strict geography of my exit strategy. The primary outer gates leading entirely out of Caria City were located down in the 4th District, which meant my tactical route required me to backtrack through the capital's sectors, bypassing the 7th, 6th, and 5th districts entirely. Each crossing would demand a toll. With exactly 40 silver pieces remaining in my funds, I had more than enough to cover the standard three-coin drainage.
I arrived at the heavily guarded 7th District exit barrier and locked my single jade-green eye onto the gatekeeper stationed there. His name was Paper, and for reasons known only to the eccentric culture of the high-tier sectors, he was dressed head-to-toe in a elaborate, black-and-white mime outfit.
I didn't have a single millisecond to waste on theatrical games. Moving with cold, S-rank efficiency, I reached into my fire-resistant crimson trench coat, pulled out my silver 7th-Rank Luminous Knight status card, and dropped a single silver coin into his tray. My funds ticked down to 39 silver pieces.
Instead of just swiping the card, Paper dramatically gasped in silence, waved his hands in a complex geometric pattern, and performed a sudden, seamless sleight-of-hand magic trick… making my silver card completely vanish into thin air before pulling it out from behind the collar of my deep canvas hood. Despite myself, the sheer absurdity of the performance caught me off guard. A tiny, rare spark of amusement hit my chest, and I let out a small, quiet, guttural chuckle beneath my mask before snatched my card back and marching past him into the busy thoroughfares of the 6th District.
I maintained a rapid, uninterrupted pace through the artisan sector, my boots clicking firmly against the stone until I reached the secondary checkpoint leading straight into the 5th District tenements.
Standing at the iron barrier was Betch. He looked up as my crimson silhouette approached, his eyes immediately landing on the gleaming, newly forged Level 8, 6, and 5 elemental rings tightly hugging the fingers of my single right hand. There were absolutely no rude comments or extortion attempts today. He completely recognized me as the elite, high-tier bounty hunter who had just taken custody of the reincarnated boy earlier. Betch stood completely upright, giving me a deeply respectful, professional nod as he quickly swiped my card and accepted my second silver coin. My wallet officially hit 38 silver pieces.
I passed through the gloomy, damp labyrinth of the 5th District tenements without looking back, the dark shadows of the decaying buildings bleeding away as I crossed the threshold into the lower commercial zone of the 4th District.
I walked straight up to the massive, towering outer city gates… the final barrier separating the structural civilization of Caria from the wild, dangerous expanses of Andromeda. Standing near the iron gate mechanism was the veteran gatekeeper, Luscious. He took my silver status card, evaluated the 7th-Rank Luminous Knight engravings, and accepted my final entry coin, dropping my operational funds to exactly 37 silver pieces.
Luscious looked out toward the distant, jagged horizon where the dark peaks of the Lulu Mountains cut into the fading sky, then looked back at my deeply hooded form.
"Another head trying to flee the capital under martial law, or another monster hunt? Either way, hunting out there right now is no joke, even for a high-rank bounty hunter like you. Watch your back, Lady Eirene." Luscious muttered, a grim, knowing smirk crossing his weathered face.
I didn't offer a single nod or a notepad sheet in reply. I smoothly slid my status card back into the folds of my trench coat, ensuring the ten flasks of weaponized alchemical tear gas and my Death Chant firearms were perfectly balanced inside my ring finger's spatial void.
I stepped past the threshold of the massive iron gates, leaving the stone walls of Caria City completely behind me. The cool, open wind of the outer wilds hit my face, rustling the fabric of my crimson coat as my hidden blood wings tensed with anticipation. The setup was complete, the gamer boy was safely embedded with the Church, and my stats were fully optimized.
The heavy dirt road leading away from the massive walls of Caria was choked with a dense traffic of wooden transport wagons, heavily laden merchant carriages, and structural supply caravans all attempting to navigate the high-security perimeters of the capital. As I marched along the dusty shoulder of the thoroughfare, keeping the deep canvas hood of my crimson trench coat pulled low, a cold, calculating thought slipped into my mind.
I couldn't fly yet.
There were two absolute, logical reasons holding me back from unleashing my translucent blood wings. First, the afternoon sun was still burning brightly in the sky; as a sixth-evolution entity with a predatory demonic biology, exposing my wings to direct sunlight would cause severe, agonizing flesh burns. Second, and more critically, the moment my wings expanded in the open air, every scout, knight vanguard, and mercenary along the trade routes would instantly recognize me as the "blood-sucking winged demon" the Bureau was actively hunting with a massive, high-priority bounty of 16 royal gold coins. I had no intention of turning myself into a walking target for every opportunistic hunter in the sector.
Foot travel all the way to the Lulu Mountains was the only viable alternative, but walking would severely drain my stamina before the midnight strike.
Fortunately, the universe provided a solution. Rolling slowly through the traffic was a massive, heavy-duty transport carriage overflowing with weary migrants and low-tier laborers heading directly toward the mining sectors of Lulu City. I picked up my pace, approached the side of the moving carriage, and caught the eye of the rugged merchant driver holding the reins.
Without breaking my perfect, mute composure, I reached into my trench coat pocket and held up a pre-written notepad sheet directly in front of his line of sight:
"Lulu City."
The merchant pulled back slightly on the reins, slowing the carriage to a steady crawl as his eyes scanned my pristine, high-level crimson gear and the glinting rings on my right hand. He chewed on a piece of dried tobacco, offering a sharp nod.
"Well, you're looking at the right carriage, stranger. This line is a straight shot down the valley. It'll charge you a flat fee of 30 silver pieces for the transit security. Fair warning, though… with the road conditions and the security checkpoints, we won't arrive at the Lulu City outer boundary until exactly midnight." the merchant grunted, gesturing with his whip toward the covered wooden bench seats in the back.
A cold, dark smile spread across my face beneath my mask. Midnight. The timing was absolutely flawless. Midnight was the precise, optimal chronological window I had calculated to infiltrate Vanessa Katt's hidden encampment and unleash the full, destructive output of my newly merged level 6 magic enhancement ring.
I reached into my leather purse, counted out exactly 30 silver coins, and dropped them into the merchant's calloused palm. My operational funds officially ticked down to a meager 7 silver pieces.
The merchant pocketed the silver with a satisfied grunt and waved me aboard. I climbed up the wooden steps into the crowded, dimly lit interior of the carriage, taking a silent seat in the furthest corner away from the whispering migrants. I leaned my head back into the shadows of the wooden frame, letting the rhythmic, swaying motion of the carriage settle my focus.
My inventory ring was completely loaded with weightless alchemical weaponry, my mana pool was expanded eightfold, and my ride was secured. As the carriage rolled steadily into the deepening twilight, the final countdown to midnight had officially begun. Vanessa Katt, Cameron Gal, and the Immoral Knights had no idea the Crimson Phantom was riding the evening lines straight toward their throats.