Steam Age: I Fight Against Divine Authority with Otherworldly Tales

Chapter 109 Crimson Fury

"Actually, I think you guys should get to know each other, especially Herbert's sister, she's a famous 'Twilight Remover'."

Hearing Charles's words, Suren became interested: "Famous? Is she very strong?"

"I'm not very clear about her strength. I only know that she became a Twilight Smudge Remover two years ago and made a name for herself in less than two months." Charles's words were full of undisguised admiration. "In the two years that followed, she resolved countless requests and even earned the nickname 'Red-haired Claire'."

Upon hearing this, Suren's expression remained unchanged, but she found it somewhat amusing: 'Red-haired Claire? How incredibly childish.'

He then thought back to the day he met Herbert, when the latter was being chased by two homeless men, and a sense of doubt crept into his mind:

"Since Herbert was able to gather such comprehensive information and escape unscathed, it means he's no novice. But why did he enter Clay Alley so unprepared that day?"

But Suren couldn't directly ask Charles, since he had initially met him as "Detective Brian."

As Suren was pondering this, she noticed that Charles in front of her seemed to have no intention of leaving, and he even looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Suren then chuckled and said, "Mr. Charles, it seems there's something else you need my help with?"

"Haha, it's nothing serious."

Seeing that Suren had spoken, Charles no longer hesitated and asked directly, "You must have heard of Archbishop Anthony of the Libra Church, right?"

"Of course I've heard of him; after all, he's a genius in the church."

Suren had already guessed what Charles wanted to say, and he smoothly said, "I heard that his wife's birthday is in a few days, and there will be a celebration in Libraton. Mr. Charles, are you interested in the celebration?"

Charles shook his head:

"The so-called celebration is nothing more than a bunch of ordinary people gathering in the streets for fun; it's not very meaningful."

The real highlight is in the church district, where Archbishop Anthony will hold a grand banquet inside the Libra Church's chapel. Invitations will be given to nobles and priests or higher-ranking church members.

"So, given your status, you must have received an invitation, right?" Suren asked knowingly.

Charles nodded confidently, then smiled at Suren: "Mr. Dantes, I would also like to invite you to join this banquet. You don't need to worry about security; the Church tacitly approves of the 'Twilight Removers.'"

There will be many nobles at the banquet; this is a great opportunity for you to expand your network.

Suren stroked his chin and shook his head. He said apologetically, "I'm really sorry, I don't really like the way the church operates, and I don't like crowded places either. I appreciate your kindness."

Seeing this, Charles stopped insisting. He stood up, bid farewell to Suren with some regret, and then left with Loft.

A glint flashed in Suren's eyes as she watched Charles and Loft's retreating figures.

"Charles isn't telling the truth. We're just ordinary employees; he has no reason to go to such lengths to expand my network. He must have some other motive for inviting me to the party."

Suren couldn't help but wonder if the other party had seen through her true colors, but then she dismissed the possibility in her mind.

The reason is simple: if he knew that Karen Dentis was Suren Chern, he could have just contacted the church directly; there was no need to make things so complicated.

"Perhaps there's some hidden danger at that banquet, and he dragged me there to get me involved, just to be on the safe side?" Suren had a vague guess in her mind.

However, since Suren had no evidence and Charles maintained a friendly relationship with him on the surface, Suren didn't bother to think about it.

He definitely won't attend the banquet; he'd have to be crazy to walk right into the Libra Church's trap.

Compared to Charles, Suren was more interested in Herbert, who seemed to be hiding many secrets.

In particular, the matter of Herbert's father selling his memories is full of suspicious points.

Suren only learned about the existence of the "Memory Exchange" department after arriving in Libraton.

It will only be opened in large cities like Librardton; small towns like Loren Town generally don't have it.

The "Memory Exchange" is a special department under the Libra Church, which mainly operates using the special abilities of the Libra Church's extraordinary individuals.

They can formulate a specific contract that allows signatories to exchange a memory or an emotion as a commodity, while still adhering to the requirement of equivalence.

However, according to Suren's understanding, the memories of ordinary people are very worthless.

For example, a blacksmith who needed money urgently traded his forging memories and only got about 100 pounds.

Therefore, it seems unreasonable to Suren that Herbert's father could change social class by exchanging memories.

"Perhaps it's good to have more contact with Herbert, but be careful of his sister..."

Having made up his mind, Suren went out to find some workers to repair the door of his shop.

……

That evening, Suren hid in the shadows of the city not far from Joseph's house.

Through the little mouse's perspective, Suren resurrected the area and discovered that Joseph had actually strengthened the defenses of the residence.

He not only employed five superhumans, but even needed someone to accompany him to the toilet, which left Suren speechless.

"This guy's such a coward! The assassination attempt he sent out failed, and he's this cautious?"

Faced with an enemy who was determined to stay put, Suren really didn't know what to do with him.

However, this also means that the other party will not make any further moves in the short term, so Suren can only keep this grudge in his heart for now.

……

The next morning, at the Silent Chords Secondhand Shop.

Suren sat at a table on the first floor, with a notebook in front of him containing the address and time of the latest exchange meeting of the "Merchant Alliance," information he had just learned through a pen.

Perhaps because the first exchange meeting was so successful, the second exchange meeting came a little earlier than Suren had expected.

Suren couldn't help but start thinking about her current needs: "The materials for promotion certainly need to be prepared in advance, and in addition, the materials for the resonance ritual also need to be prepared..."

Previously, Suren was busy with his escape and investigation. Now that he has some free time, he naturally wants to do some research on the resonance ritual.

After all, a powerful resonance ritual is no less effective than a powerful blasphemous creation.

Thinking about last night's attack, Suren couldn't help but start to consider a question: the strength of her own body.

While Suren's attack power is currently extremely strong, his physical body is that of an ordinary person.

"Some minor injuries can be treated, but if it's a limb amputation like Charlie's, I'm basically just waiting to die."

After much deliberation, Suren decided to buy some items that could strengthen his body, or at the very least, prepare some potions.

……

Night fell quickly.

The location for this merchant alliance transaction was chosen in the St. Wood district where Suren lived, in the basement of an old house.

The process was similar to the last time, except that the person in charge of the transaction was a slightly charming blonde woman who also referred to herself by the code name "Red Mist".

Based on the other party's code name, Suren guessed that she belonged to the "Mist Exchange".

Compared to the last exchange, this time there were quite a few valuable items.

Suren also purchased some materials for the resonance ritual. These materials were relatively inexpensive, costing Suren only about 200 pounds, which was enough for him to use for a while.

When it was Suren's turn to make his purchase, he said in a low, husky voice, "I'm looking to buy 'Dreamweaver Grass' and 'Time Amber,' as well as items to strengthen the body, and potions are also acceptable."

After he finished speaking, a thin man wearing a hood scoffed, "Physical enhancement items? Do you know how expensive those things are?"

Suren ignored him; he had over ten thousand pounds in hand, more than enough to buy a second-tier blasphemous creation.

After the thin man finished speaking, there was a moment of silence. Just when Su Lun thought he was going to leave empty-handed, a silvery voice rang out:

"I do have items that enhance the physical body, but the side effects are quite severe."

Suren looked in the direction of the voice and was taken aback, because the person made no attempt to disguise themselves.

The speaker was a short, red-haired girl. Seeing Suren's gaze, she chuckled softly:

"This item of mine can instantly triple the body's functions, but it has two side effects."

First, your physical body will be continuously damaged while the ability is active, and this damage will persist even if you cancel the ability.

Secondly, it will occasionally trigger your emotions, making you angry. Of course, if your willpower is strong enough, you won't be affected by it.

"That sounds acceptable. I have Ellie's Tears, so the first side effect is practically nonexistent. As for the second, with my current willpower, it shouldn't be a problem."

Suren was intrigued and asked, "Is there a time limit?"

"No, but you can only use it for a maximum of half an hour each day, otherwise it will cause irreversible damage to your body." She smiled slyly as she said this, "However, its design is a bit strange, I suggest you think about it again."

Suren was somewhat confused, then he saw the girl opposite him pull out a leather whip.

Its design is not that of an ordinary horsewhip or animal whip. The whip body is bright red, and the handle is decorated with flamboyant flowers, making it look more like... some kind of sex toy.

Suren's eye twitched. He coughed and replied in a muffled voice, "Uh, I'll think about it some more."

Suren then sat back down, comforting himself: "Let's wait a little longer; maybe there are other items."

To Suren's disappointment, he did not receive a second item to enhance his physical body even as the exchange event drew to a close.

In the end, Suren had no choice but to reluctantly spend £2800 to buy the whip.

Before making the purchase, Suren made sure the host examined the whip to confirm its authenticity before proceeding with the transaction.

Under the strange looks of the crowd, Suren could only console herself: "A whip isn't so bad after all..."

……

Back at the Silent Chords secondhand shop, Suren endured his discomfort and began testing the whip's abilities.

Suren gripped the whip tightly in his hand. As he injected "Source Knowledge," he immediately felt his body relax and his five senses become more acute.

His physique also changed; his muscles began to appear, and he suddenly became much larger.

He tentatively clenched his left fist, then suddenly threw a punch, creating a gust of wind.

"This exhilarating sense of power has definitely tripled my physical capabilities!"

Suren could feel that his resilience had also improved; he estimated that ordinary melee weapons could no longer harm him.

However, the side effects are indeed quite obvious.

In just a short while, Suren felt a tearing sensation all over his body, as if his muscles were being ripped apart.

In addition, Suren even felt an inexplicable anger rising in her heart, and she always wanted to vent it.

Fortunately, after being tempered by numerous illusions, and with the added protection of his own [Secret Awareness], Suren quickly suppressed his agitated emotions.

After testing for a period of time, Suren found that the maximum time he could activate this state was about 15 minutes.

If it goes on any longer, I'll easily get affected by my emotions, and the physical damage won't be able to be relieved by Ellie's Tears.

Nevertheless, Suren was quite satisfied.

With this whip, Suren's weakness in close combat has been compensated. Combined with Suren's strange abilities, no one below the Awakened should be Suren's match.

Unfortunately, the whip's power can only be activated when it is held in the hand, and it cannot be hung on the waist as Suren had envisioned.

The thought of fighting with this whip in one hand and a revolver in the other gave Suren a headache.

"Let's call you Crimson Wrath!" Giving this whip a more masculine name was Suren's last act of defiance.

Just then, the door of the secondhand shop was suddenly pushed open, and the person who entered was wearing black leather armor and had long white hair tied back. It was Etherine.

Upon entering, Etherine frowned as she looked at Suren, who was holding a red leather whip.

"Uh, let me explain..."

……

Ten minutes later, the two, having cleared up the misunderstanding, were sitting in the living room on the second floor.

Suren asked with some curiosity, "What brings you here today?"

"Do you remember what I promised you last time?" Etherine didn't answer, but asked in return.

Suren thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "You mean the Aksha artifacts?"

Etherine nodded: "We have an operation that requires your help. If things go smoothly, you can read the fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls."

Suren wasn't particularly excited when he heard the news, because he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Sure enough, Etherine continued, "Three days later is Anthony's wife's birthday. Most of the church members will be attending a banquet at the church then. This is a perfect opportunity!"

Suren asked instinctively, "So what are you planning to do?"

"Destroy the Memory Exchange!" Etherine stared intently at Suren, her gaze even somewhat fiery.