Chapter 37: The Conclusion

Wilder spoke while glancing toward the other side.

Ryuji turned his head and noticed several Bone Guards approaching. Judging by the thickness of their bone armor, it was clear that each of them possessed strength at Level 3 or higher.

The leader walked up to Wilder. "Leave this matter to me."

Wilder nodded, stepping aside to make room, and introduced him to Ryuji: "He is the captain of our district's Bone Guards, Victor Adolf. You can just call him Captain Victor."

While Wilder was making the introductions, Victor began directing his subordinates to clear the bodies of the porters and gang members. It was evident they had a specific procedure for handling such remains. Once the bodies were piled together, they proceeded to shatter them completely before loading the fragments onto the small carts they had brought.

Watching this, Wilder couldn't help but sigh. "It’s a bit of a waste, but there’s no helping it. That’s their policy. In their eyes, everything related to a Blood Servant Master must be pulverized to ensure it cannot be exploited by anyone else."

Ryuji couldn't help but ask, "Aren't they supposed to catch the Blood Servant Masters and hang them up to bleed out?"

Hearing this, Wilder burst into laughter. "You, don't you get it? That’s just a facade. You wouldn't really let someone be hung up to bleed out, would you? They have a technique for it; it looks dangerous, but in reality, the blood stops flowing quite quickly. As long as the person can endure it, their chances of survival are actually quite high."

"I didn't. After the Bone Guards left, I cut that guy's head off."

Wilder looked even more satisfied upon hearing this. "Come on, tell me how the conflict started."

Ryuji spoke casually. "I had just returned from completing my profession quest. That fellow insisted I was a Blood Servant Master and even called the Bone Guards. I pointed at his nose and told him that if he could produce evidence, fine, but if he couldn't, I would have them deal with him exactly as they deal with Blood Servant Masters. He then claimed that my profession quest had been influenced by him and that there was an eighty percent chance I was a Blood Servant Master.

"That was his undoing. I didn't hold back. After he was strung up, I just cut his head off. Looking back, should I have taken his head or something back to my Underworld Palace?"

"Not necessarily the head, but certainly their core remains. You’re thinking in the right direction; as a Mortician, that is exactly the mindset you should have. That is the essence of being a Mortician. Anyway, I’m heading back now. Don't worry about the rest of this."

Wilder withdrew his troops and prepared to leave. Just then, Ryuji remembered something and blocked his path, mentioning the worker he had seen in the Underworld who was on the verge of breaking through the spatial barrier.

Wilder thought for a moment, then patted Ryuji on the shoulder. "Lure him down and finish him off. You need to think like a Mortician. Don't look at everything from the perspective of the real world. Our true combat power lies in the Underworld; the ghost cities there are our foundation. Think carefully about the battle I fought earlier, and you will understand the attitude you should take toward everything."

Having heard this, Ryuji began to grasp the meaning and nodded in understanding. Wilder turned and walked away with his hands behind his back.

After Wilder left, Ryuji also prepared to depart, but the Bone Guard named Victor stepped in his way.

"There are a few things I’d like to confirm with you." Victor’s voice was chilling, sounding like that of a water ghoul submerged in a river. "How did you discover this Blood Servant Master? We checked earlier; he used special methods to hide his identity. If you hadn't arrived with a large force, our routine inspections would never have uncovered his activities."

"It was actually just a bit of bragging I overheard from one of his lackeys, who mentioned dragging me off to fill a sludge pit. You know, I’m a Mortician; we’re never notified to handle bodies in sludge pits. Since the local police previously said that until a body is found, it’s just a missing person case, I asked a few more questions. After that, I sensed something was wrong, so I mobilized my troops."

Listening to Ryuji’s explanation, Victor felt a mix of amusement and disbelief. It was obvious to him that Ryuji had simply been looking for someone to make an example of and had hit the jackpot.

However, Victor couldn't say that Ryuji's choice was wrong. He nodded and said, "Here is my contact information. If you have any problems in the future, contact me directly. Don't go causing chaos here; you don't realize it, but several units have already gathered in the vicinity. If something were to actually happen, the Burney District would be destroyed."

With that, Victor prepared to leave, but then paused as if remembering something. "By the way, you did a good job today. Is there anything you need? You can ask me now while I'm still here."

"Well, I noticed that the Blood Servant Master used some hunting dogs. I’d like to know where I can buy some puppies or wolf cubs."

"What? You intend to use canines as your thralls?" Victor saw through Ryuji’s intent immediately.

"Not exactly. I acquired a method for creating Rotten-Skinned Man-Eating Wolves, which requires canines or wolves, but I haven't been able to find suitable materials."

"I understand, no need to explain. Having a few thralls is no big deal, especially given the heavy burden of your missions. Facing the dangerous Underworld, I understand the need for hunting dogs. I’ll give you an address; you can go take a look."

As he spoke, Ryuji felt his badge grow warm, and an address was sent to him via Victor’s private message. Ryuji glanced at the address, nodded, and stepped aside.

He noticed Ralph standing not far away, looking rather helpless. When he saw Ryuji emerge, he waved him over. Ryuji hesitated for a moment before walking over to Ralph, who immediately pulled him into a corner.

"Mr. Sandro, incidents like today’s won't happen again, will they?"

Ryuji paused, finally understanding Ralph's concern. He had only just arrived today and had already wiped out one of the district's 'pillar' industries; the others were bound to have their own thoughts on the matter.

Ryuji could only reply, "Rest assured, I won't do anything reckless. Today was just an accident."