The Red Eye
One of the most mysterious characters in the game, and one of the most efficient.
He possesses an enormous number of talents and can do—or provide—anything you ask for...as long as you pay the right price.
At a later stage of the game, specifically three years from now, the main character will come to this place searching for certain information about the Void System.
And guess which madman will provide him with that information?...Of course, the mysterious character sitting in front of me.
The Red Eye raised his large mug of beer toward me and said,"Should I order you one, my friend?"
I shook my head in refusal."No need."
He shrugged."As you wish. Your loss."Then he took a large gulp from the mug, placed it back on the table, and spoke:
"Since you’re looking for me, I assume you need my fine services. But as you know—or perhaps don’t know—there aren’t many people who know of my existence.So, do you mind if I ask... how did you find out I was here?"
"A friend told me."I gave him a vague answer.
He smiled and took another sip of beer."You have an interesting friend."
He didn’t ask further.
"So then, what service do you want, my friend?Private information? Rare items? Or a one-of-a-kind service?I can provide anything... as long as you set the right price."
If I hadn’t known his true capabilities, I would have thought he was merely bragging.
I thought for a moment before replying."I want you to investigate a certain name—it seems to be the name of a noble family—and tell me about everyone who carries it. Not just in this empire, but in all four empires."
"Oh... an interesting request."He spoke with a tone full of amusement."Don’t tell me you plan to kill everyone who carries that name."
I decided to play along."Don’t worry. I have no such plans..."
"That makes it less interesting."With another sip of his drink, he asked,"So, what’s the name?"
I answered,"Astroweild."
And waited for any reaction.
But there was none.
"Well, I’ve never heard of it before... though it does sound nice."
Now it was time for the painful part... payment.
"So, how much?" I asked.
He seemed to think for a bit before answering."Let’s put it this way...Forty thousand to find out how many people carry the name Astroweild,and twenty-five thousand for each person you want information on."
Then he added,"Oh, and I don’t accept negotiation. You can either accept or refuse."
Damn it... he wanted to devour my money.
"Fine. How long will it take?" I asked.
"To find out the number... two days. As for the rest of the information, that will depend on the individuals themselves."
Two days... far less than I had expected. It seemed the price was worth it.
"Good. Let’s start with just finding out how many people have the name."
"As you wish, my dear client."He smiled."I’ll take twenty thousand upfront, along with a way to contact you."
I knew he would ask for that, so I didn’t object.
I pulled the black card from my pocket and handed it to him.He took out a small device, scanned the card, then returned it to me.
"Excellent. Now I’ll need your contact information."
I pulled out the phone I had purchased earlier and gave him the details on it.
He clapped his hands together and said cheerfully,"Great! What a smooth transaction.Why don’t we celebrate with a drink? It’ll be on me."
I pushed my chair back and stood up."No thanks. I have some business to attend to."
In truth... I didn’t. I was lying.
I wasn’t crazy enough to drink with this man.
He sighed and said,"Unfortunately... perhaps next time we meet."
I don’t know if he was acting, but he looked a little sad.
I ignored him and made my way out.
Staying underground made me feel suffocated...just like the days in the laboratory.
I looked up and muttered,"It’s time to fulfill some old dreams."
I walked through the streets of Castelta, enjoying the warm sunlight.
After taking a shower and changing my clothes, I attracted many gazes, especially from girls and women.
Honestly... I was very handsome in this life. That didn’t mean I was ugly in my previous one.
Perhaps it could be said that I leaned more toward handsome than ugly.
I truly wonder... who my parents are in this life.
Strange, isn’t it?
Living your first life as a miserable poor man, only to gain another life after death...even though this life was worse.
While I was lost in these philosophical thoughts, I reached my destination.
I pushed the door open and entered.
A host wearing a waiter’s uniform greeted me."Welcome, sir, to our humble restaurant."
Yes, my destination was a restaurant—specifically, the best one in this city.
The waiter led me to an empty table with a view of the street.After I sat down, he handed me the menu and asked,"Would you like to order now, or shall I give you some time?"
I opened the menu and replied,"No need. I’ll order now."
The moment I saw the pictures of the dishes, my stomach reacted instinctively.
I pointed with my finger."I’ll have a grilled beef steak, cheese pasta, and this fish..."
I continued listing the dishes one after another."And finally, I want this for dessert."
When I finished, silence followed.
After a few moments, the waiter coughed lightly and said,"Sir... are you sure? I don’t doubt your choices, but... isn’t this too much for one person?"
"Don’t worry. Just bring them... and be quick about it."
After I confirmed, he had no choice but to comply.
The waiter left, and I remained seated, staring through the window, trying to restrain my drooling, along with the sound of my stomach imagining those wonderful dishes.
Yes...this was one of my simple dreams.
Do you know how long it had been since I last ate something delicious? Twenty-three full years.
In the laboratory, they served us meals without any flavor—nothing but nutritional value.
And in my previous life, I spent my final years surviving on instant noodles and cheap pastries.
I sighed."Where is that waiter?"
Only a minute had passed, yet my excitement was already spiraling out of control.
To pass the time, I opened the system screen.
Name: Caius Astroweild
Age: 17
Rank:
Sub-rank: Intermediate
Abilities:
[Soul Eyes]: When activated, you can see and sense the essence and souls of living beings.
[Sea of Soul]
I didn’t really understand the latter.
In this world, there is no fixed method to awaken an ability. Some awaken theirs while sleeping, others at the boundary between life and death.
And when a new ability awakens, you feel the change, and its name and description appear in your system.
But [Sea of Soul] had appeared in my system a full year ago, without me feeling any change, and without any description.
Even as a player, I had never seen anything like this before.
Maybe it’s related to the recovery of my memories? I don’t know.
Perhaps we’ll get an answer in the future.
But now...
My food had arrived.
The waiter carried a large tray, placing the dishes on the table one by one.
I didn’t wait any longer.
A happy smile appeared on my face as I cut a large piece of meat and stuffed it into my mouth.
"Delicious... so delicious."
The words slipped out unconsciously.
I even felt tears of happiness gathering in my eyes.
As soon as I swallowed the meat, I stuffed my mouth with pasta.
I closed my eyes, drowning in happiness, savoring the wonderful flavors.
I felt the waiter’s gaze on me, but he chose not to interrupt my happy moment, turning around and leaving silently.
As for me, I ate from every disband enjoyed the desserts I had ordered.
In the end, I felt my stomach was about to explode.
I let out a sigh as I leaned back in my chair."Truly... that was bliss."
.....
After paying the bill, I found a hotel to stay in.
I spent the next two days wandering around and trying different restaurants.
Until a message arrived on my phone:
[Let’s meet at the same place as last time.]