Chapter 38: Fighting Dogs

"You said the Black Armor Shawn incident was an accident, fine, I believed you. You said that newcomer wouldn't cause trouble, fine, I believed that too. But what about now? You were just here saying we were safe and that the Blood Servant incident was an anomaly, and the moment you leave, the newcomer shows up at my doorstep. How do you expect me to trust you?"

Inside an underground gambling den, the man with metal gauntlets who had previously confronted Ryuji stood before a portly boss. He had been sent under Ralph’s orders to reassure the underground kingpin of the Burney District that the recent events were merely an accident and that Ryuji was not the type of reckless mortician to stir up trouble.

However, no sooner had he arrived and finished explaining the situation than the chubby casino owner received word from his underlings: Ryuji had arrived alone outside the gambling den and seemed to be looking for something.

This caused the boss to bristle. They were involved in the underworld, and while they maintained a decent relationship with the police on the surface and avoided overt chaos, no one knew what his underlings were doing behind the scenes.

If that newcomer decided to act recklessly, just as he had with Black Armor Shawn, and uprooted him entirely, what then? The fat boss turned directly to the man with the gauntlets and said, "Go, go explain things clearly to that man. I have nothing here; there are no Blood Servants."

At this moment, Ryuji had no idea he had frightened anyone. He had followed the address provided by Victor, which claimed there were ten to fifteen dogfights held here daily. Most of the dogs that died in combat were sold for meat; if Ryuji wanted carcasses of fierce dogs, this was the best place to find them.

If Ryuji didn't want dead dogs but live puppies instead, the boss here also had the appropriate channels.

But upon arriving, he noticed the staff’s hostility toward him. No matter what he asked, they would always claim they didn't know.

Glancing around, Ryuji sensed a faint aura of death. It was the kind of lingering residue found where people frequently died. Although morticians were supposedly called to handle human remains—unlike the scenario with Black Armor Shawn where bodies were simply dumped into the mud pits—the faint death energy here proved that many more people had perished in this place.

As for the dogs that weren't human, no one bothered with them at all. The thick aura of slaughter and death had become unnaturally heavy.

Just as Ryuji was wandering around, the man with the gauntlets finally rushed out. He ran up to Ryuji and asked quite politely, "Mr. Sandru, what are you doing here? Is there anything I can help you with?"

Ryuji took a look at the man with the gauntlets and recalled who he was. He must have been from Bureau 11, likely a professional. He probably held himself in high regard and didn't have the best relationship with Ralph; in fact, he had wanted to be an enemy of Ryuji’s earlier. But why would he appear here now?

Before Ryuji could speak, the man added, "Mr. Sandru, I am here to pass a message to the boss. Director Ralph said you guaranteed you wouldn't cause any more trouble."

Hearing this, Ryuji finally understood. He gave a sound of acknowledgment and then said with a shrug, "Tell the boss here that I want the carcasses of the dogs that die in the fights every day."

"This..."

"What, is that a problem?" Ryuji asked, confused.

"These carcasses have other uses. Some are fed to the newborn dogs, and others are processed into food for the patrons. Because these dogs are raised on special drugs, they provide certain enhancements to those who consume them. If it were just one or two, they might sell them, but wanting to buy all of them is quite difficult."

Hearing this, Ryuji understood. "What about the puppies, then?"

"That is also difficult. They are famous for their fighting dogs. To prevent others from stealing their stock, they do not sell their live fighting dogs to outsiders."

"What about non-fighting dogs?" Having been denied twice, Ryuji was beginning to grow annoyed.

"Non-fighting dogs are available. They do sell those. Most are hunting dogs, and there are also some large breeds. Those large dogs can pull carts through the swamps; they are excellent labor animals." Noticing Ryuji’s darkening expression, the man with the gauntlets quickly explained.

Thinking of his training manual for the Rot-Skin Man-Eater Wolves, Ryuji suppressed his dissatisfaction. "Among the dogs that can be sold, are there any of higher quality?"

"I can't really say. How about this: I’ll take you to see the boss and see if he has anything to say."

At this point, the man hesitated before adding, "But if you see anything out of the ordinary later, please, do not act recklessly. The Burney District cannot afford more chaos."

Ryuji rolled his eyes at the man; he felt like he was being treated as a saboteur. But upon reflection, he realized it made sense. He had caused such a massive scene on his very first day that anyone, no matter how thick-skinned, would be wary of him.

Realizing this, Ryuji felt somewhat speechless. He hadn't expected to be guarded against to such an extent.

Fortunately, the man with the gauntlets had some influence here, and soon Ryuji was introduced to the portly boss.

The boss called himself Yozef. It was clear that his strength was hovering at the threshold of a transcendent professional; in other words, he was just a step away from becoming one. However, that step had likely been blocking him for many years, a hurdle he had never managed to cross.

Upon meeting Ryuji, Yozef was surprised by his youth, and then he inquired about Ryuji’s purpose.

When he heard that Ryuji wanted fighting dogs or their carcasses, his reaction mirrored the man with the gauntlets: he stated it was impossible to sell those to him, though he was willing to sell ordinary non-fighting dogs.

He produced a list of puppies, complete with breeds and prices.

Ryuji looked at it carefully and noticed that some important breeds seemed to be missing. He raised this question.

Yozef hesitated, then sighed. "This is actually the goal of my career. I was originally a dog-trainer. My standard for advancement was to train a transcendent fighting dog. I accidentally came across a book that detailed how to crossbreed various fighting dogs and, through constant combat, cultivate new, powerful breeds—some even potentially transcendent from birth. For this, I have spent nearly forty years."

As he spoke, Yozef pressed his hand onto the list and stared into Ryuji’s eyes. "What is on this list are the leftovers from my current breeding program. Those that have the potential to combine successfully... I’m sorry, but I will not sell them to you."