Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Central District

A place where people pursued strength endlessly. Where realms existed beyond Body Tempering. Where legends spoke of experts who could split rivers with a single strike, or carve valleys with their swords.

Some stories even claimed that peak cultivators could slice mountains in half.

Of course, in this region, such things were treated as myths, tales told by wandering storytellers to wide-eyed children. No one here had ever seen that level of power.

But Aiden knew better.

If such stories existed, then somewhere in this world, those monsters were real.

He slowly clenched his fist.

“So this is the kind of world I’ve fallen into.”

A quiet smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Dangerous. Ruthless. Ruled by strength.

And he was standing at the very bottom.

Aiden lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

“Looks like I’ll need to grow much faster,” he murmured to himself.

Inside the dark room, a necromancer closed his eyes, already planning how to climb a world where mountains could be cut apart by swords.

—–

The next morning, the smell of food drifted through the house before Aiden even stepped out of his room.

Harlan was already in the kitchen, moving with practiced ease. A simple breakfast had been laid out on the table, steaming rice, fried meat, and a pot of vegetable soup. It wasn’t luxurious, but it felt surprisingly comforting.

Aiden took his seat, and the three brothers joined him.

They ate for a moment in silence.

Then Reth spoke up, swallowing a mouthful before grinning. “Boss, we found a perfect place for our second base. It’s in the central district.”

Aiden raised an eyebrow. “Already?”

Reth nodded eagerly. “Yeah. It’s hidden in an abandoned alley. Quiet, discreet, and close to everything important.”

Aiden nodded slowly. “Sounds good. How much do we need to pay for it?”

Kain hesitated for a second, then said, “Boss… the seller asking for one hundred gold coins.”

Aiden paused mid-bite.

“One hundred?”

He let out a small breath and leaned back in his chair. “That’s quite a lot for a hidden place.”

Harlan frowned. “Exactly, Boss. That guy is clearly trying to extort us. The place isn’t worth that much.”

Reth clicked his tongue. “He probably thinks we’re desperate.”

Aiden considered it for a moment, then waved his hand. “Alright. Let’s finish eating first. We’ll go take a look afterward.”

The tension at the table eased a little.

Kain glanced toward the hallway, then asked, “Boss… is Sir Bone Fist coming with us?”

Aiden didn’t even blink.

“Yes,” he replied calmly. “He’ll come.”

The three brothers visibly relaxed at that. Reth even chuckled.

“With Sir Bone Fist around, that seller won’t dare play tricks.”

Aiden quietly continued eating, his expression unchanged.

Of course, Bone Fist was currently unsummoned.

For now, letting them believe in their silent, masked protector made things simpler.

As Harlan refilled Aiden’s bowl, Aiden glanced around the table at the three brothers.

A second base in the central district.

A hundred gold coins.

And another step forward for Bone Contract Hall.

He swallowed his food and set his chopsticks down.

“Finish up,” Aiden said. “After this, we move.”

The central district was nothing like the quieter corners of the city.

The moment Aiden and the three brothers stepped onto the wide stone streets, the atmosphere shifted. The air itself felt busier, filled with shouting vendors, clattering carts, and the constant murmur of crowds moving in every direction.

This was where everything happened.

Stalls lined both sides of the road, stretching as far as the eye could see. Weapons were displayed openly. Swords with polished blades, spears standing upright in wooden racks, and heavy axes laid across cloth-covered tables. Some merchants even had full sets of armor propped up on mannequins, leather, iron, and a few pieces that looked far too expensive for ordinary people.

Reth slowed his pace, eyes shining as he stared at a rack of sabers.

“Boss, look at those,” he said quietly. “High quality saber.”

Aiden followed his gaze. The weapons were well-made, their edges catching the sunlight. He could tell even without touching them, this wasn’t decorative junk.

Farther down the street, a group of men surrounded a stall where small glass bottles were neatly arranged in rows. Inside each bottle was a cloudy liquid that glowed faintly under the light.

A loud voice rose above the crowd.

“Miracle recovery pills! Heal wounds in minutes! Broken bones, internal injuries, one pill is enough!”

Several passersby stopped to listen. A few leaned closer, curious.

But most only scoffed.

“Tch, another scam.”

“Yeah, right. If pills like that really existed, why would he be selling them on the street?”

“Save your money. These fake alchemists pop up every week.”

Even Kain shook his head. “Boss, that’s definitely fake. If healing pills were real, they’d be monopolized by big sects.”

Aiden watched the stall for a moment, arms crossed beneath his cloak.

He agreed.

In a place like this, real treasures didn’t sit on open tables with shouted advertisements. Anything truly valuable would already be locked behind guarded doors or controlled by powerful groups.

He turned away and continued walking.

The deeper they went, the denser the crowd became. Martial artists in sect uniforms passed by in small groups, their robes marked with different symbols. Some walked proudly, others looked cautious, hands never far from their weapons.

Merchants argued over prices. Porters hauled crates through narrow gaps in the crowd. Somewhere nearby, metal rang against metal as two blacksmiths tested blades.

This district pulsed with life, money, and danger.

Aiden took it all in silently.

The three brothers led the way through the crowded streets, weaving naturally between carts and pedestrians as if they had walked these paths a thousand times before.

Aiden followed a few steps behind, his hood pulled low, hands tucked inside his sleeves. The noise of the central district slowly faded as they turned off the main road and slipped into narrower streets. The wide avenues gave way to cramped passages, where sunlight barely reached the ground and the smell of damp stone lingered in the air.

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