Rider
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Town Lord
🕑 Added 2022-08-29 14:40:59 +0000 UTC‘System, search the records for events where I can gain some positive perception energy.’
A list appeared in his vision, sorted by the estimated amount of good perception energy they would grant him. At the top of the list was quite an interesting case. It came from his historical records.
<A tumor on the brain would take the town lord’s wife’s life in 25 days. Well-liked by the people, estimated substantial perception energy gain from the entire town. >
‘System, how would I go about removing a tumor on the brain?’
<There are multiple ways. The easiest one would be to use destruction energy to obliterate the tumor. >
‘Even if I can control destruction energy enough without a source to pull it off, there’s no way I can locate it. Not to mention, one wrong move, and I’ll kill the poor woman.’
<I can use the records to show you a perfect representation of the insides of her body. I can also superimpose it on your vision, allowing you to perform the surgery with relative ease. >
‘Hmm, you said there were multiple ways?’
<You can turn into a parasitic organism and enter her body before devouring the tumor. >
‘Let’s not do that… show me the tumor’s location.’
The image of a woman in her late twenties appeared in his sight. After zooming on her head, he could see a bright red tissue marked on her brain.
‘It’s quite risky to perform with destruction energy from the atmosphere… if I had a source, it would indeed be easy, but now…’
<I calculated a chance of 78% of successful operation. 9% chance you will destroy a part of her brain, killing her, 13% other random failures, most of them leading to death as well. >
‘Those odds are not bad. Will she die for sure if I don’t do it?’
<Yes. With the technology of this age, saving her is impossible. >
‘I guess we could try it…’ Seth closed his eyes and went to sleep. He wanted to rest for the rest of the day since he was quite busy at night.
In the evening, a small knocking sound on the door woke Seth up. Opening the door, he found a crate containing a small notebook and two vials containing some gray water-like substance.
Taking the crate into his room, he brought one vial to eye level and looked at it in the candle’s light. He could see quite a lot of small particles floating gently inside.
‘It’s so impure…’
<Energy concentration 15%>
Sighing, Seth opened the cap and drank the two vials one after another. He then lay down on the bed and started working on organizing the energy. As impure as it was, it was still faster than taking it from the atmosphere.
Around midnight, he finished absorbing the useful energy and opened his eyes. Putting the crate with the notebook and the empty vials under the bed, he started undressing.
<Host, why did you buy that information when you could have easily found it in the historical records? >
‘I want the underground guilds to take note of me robbing all those people. This way, I will be able to easily get a solid link on the inside. Also, your information would start getting outdated as I change the future with my actions. I bet the merchant I robbed it’s still on your list, and he’s now as poor as a bimbo.’
<In the historical records, yes, but you can take information from the actual ones.>
‘I mostly did it so I can get noticed by the thieves’ guild, but I also don’t want to rely on the records all the time.’
<Understood.>
‘Quite chatty tonight, are you? Change my body into that of a fly.’
Changing between different body types, Seth emptied the pockets of the two richest merchants staying in the Calibrum Inn with ease. The same inn that had rejected him.
Inside his room, Seth counted the coins that were scattered on the bed.
‘13 gold and 10 silver. Not bad, but still less than I expected.’
Closing his eyes, he worked on his sources some more before falling asleep.
Early morning of the next day, he dressed himself using the clothes Molly has bought for him, placed a coin pouch in his pocket, and walked out of his room.
Seeing the innkeeper cleaning some glasses behind the counter, Seth placed eight gold coins on the counter and said: “I want eight more vials. Also, make sure your people lie low for a while.”
The innkeeper nodded with an amazed expression and pocketed the coins. “I’ll have them delivered to your room this evening. I need to take care of some business.”
Seth nodded and stepped out of the inn, walking in the marketplace’s direction. Now that he looked a bit more decent, he wanted to buy some clothes for himself.
After changing his features and hair color, he browsed the stalls and bought some high-quality clothes, spending four more gold coins. He also bought them sized for an adult man since he could easily change his body.
As he was returning to the inn, he entered a dark alley again and a wave of bad perception energy hit him all at once. Ignoring the sniffling feeling, he change his appearance to his normal one and entered the inn. After getting inside his room, he spent one hour absorbing all that perception energy inside his body.
Being done with that, he changed into an expensive suit he just bought and changed his body to fit inside. He also made his face extremely good-looking, on the idea that people would have an easier time trusting good-looking people. It was time to scam some people out of some positive perception energy.
Walking out of the inn under Molly’s curious gaze, since she didn’t remember ever seeing this customer before, he made his way toward the town lord’s mansion.
It was the largest mansion in the entire town and it was about twice the size of the next one. The two guards in front immediately stopped Seth but didn’t dare to act too disrespectful.
“Sir, may I know what business you have with the town lord?”
Seth nodded and said: “I’ve heard the lord’s wife was unfortunate enough to be bedridden with an unknown illness. I’m a healer from the capital, passing by this small town, and decided to offer my opinion as well. As a healer, I can’t turn my back on people’s suffering.”
The guards nodded and bowed respectfully before one of them went to inform the town lord. A chubby man in his early forties appeared at the gate not long after and started rubbing his hands together while smiling at Seth.
“Senior, how should I address you?”
“Names don’t matter. You can just call me doctor.” Replied Seth with his head raised high. Healers were quite rare, and they were all respected wherever they went, even tho over 90% of them were just scammers. Because of this, most of them had an air of arrogance and superiority so he had to play the part.
“Yes, yes. Sir Doctor, is it true that you want to take a look at my wife’s illness?”
“Of course. How could I call myself a healer if I turn my back on other people’s suffering?” Replied Seth while rubbing the pocked of his suit with his hand.
The Lord noticed this and nodded back. “Thank you, sir doctor. Please follow me. If you can help heal my wife, I will not be stingy either.”
The two kept talking until the lord led him inside a large room with a sleeping woman placed on the bed. There were two maids next to her, constantly checking her condition.
Seth turned toward the fat lord and said: “I need to perform my arts in privacy. Can you take everyone out of this room and make sure no one bothers me?”
“Yes, yes.” Nodded the lord and turned toward the maids. “What are you doing? Haven’t you heard sir doctor’s words? Out.”
The maids quickly rushed out, and the lord said: “When sir doctor is done, no matter the result, ask the guard to lead you to my office. I will reward you handsomely.”
Seth nodded and made his way toward the bed. Looking at the pale face of the woman laying on the bed, he heaved a sigh and placed his hand on her temples.
‘System, please.’
Brad’s vision changed after his words and he started seeing through the woman’s skin and bones, all the way to the tumor inside her skull.
‘Well, here goes nothing.’ Said Brad as he started to slowly direct the destruction energy in the atmosphere toward the tumor. The energy was harmless while inactive, but once activated, it will eliminate anything it comes into contact with.
It took him half an hour to gather enough energy to cover the entire five inches tumor, but the hardest part was just beginning. He had to make sure the energy would not move at all after activating it.
Taking a deep breath, he increased his focus and activated it. He dissipated the energy right after and asked: ‘how is it?’
<There is no trace of tumor or any brain damage in the records. The operation was successful. >
Seth heaved a sigh of relief and was about to stand up when the woman slowly moved. Turning around, he saw her thin eyebrows gently tremble before she opened her eyes.
Looking around the room briefly, she next fixed her eyes on Seth and asked: “Who are you?”
Seth sighed and said: “I’m a healer hired by your husband. How are you feeling?”
The woman lifted one hand to touch her head and frowned. “My head hurts. What happened to me?’
‘Are you sure nothing is wrong with her?’
<I just pulled her information from the records. The area where the tumor was located is inflamed slightly, but she’s otherwise healthy. The pain will subside in a few hours. >
“You were sick, and I just treated you. You’ve also been unconscious for… two months. The pain you’re feeling now is just a remnant of the treatment and will go away in a few hours. Please rest.” Said Seth indifferently as he stood up and started walking toward the door.
The woman looked at his back, confusion obvious in her eyes, before she closed them and went back to sleep.
“Sir?” asked the guard, a hopeful expression on his face as he saw Seth walk out.
“She’s alright, but still needs to rest for a few hours.”
“Thank you, sir doctor. Let me lead you to the town lord.” The guard seemed quite excited as he ordered a maid to enter and take care of the woman and led Seth through a long hallway.
“Sir doctor, how is it?” asked the town lord as he sat up from his office the moment Seth walked in.
“She’ll be fine after some rest. Her illness was removed.” Said Seth indifferently, like it was not a big deal to him.
“Ah, thank you, thank you, sir doctor. You don’t know how many healers have looked at her and couldn’t even figure out why she was sick. Sir doctor’s skills are without equal in this world.” Said the town lord, while grabbing one of Seth’s hands.
‘System, show me what you have on this guy. His enthusiasm is so fake I want to puke.’
A huge amount of text appeared in his vision, and Seth told the system to only give him the important bits.
<Gareth Pennoyer>
<Symbiotic ties to underground guilds>
<Slaves:27>
<Beats his wife constantly>
<Owned coins: 24 gold 13 silver 6 copper>
‘24 gold coins, a wife beater, and slave owner? Well, I guess I’ll kill him later. No reason for him to exit in my world.’
“No need for thanks. I am quite tired and will take my leave.”
“No can do, sir doctor. At least promise me you’ll join us for dinner this evening. I want to reward you properly.”
After a bit of back and forth, Seth agreed to his invitation and was led by the lord to the gate. Walking further away, he entered an alley, quickly changed his body into that of a bird, and perched himself on the roof above.
A few seconds later, two people dressed all in black grabbed his clothes from the ground and made their way back toward the lord’s mansion.
‘That bastard must think I was born yesterday.’ Scoffed Seth and followed the two men from up above.
