Mechanical Alchemist

Chapter 190: Exchange

Listening to Su'en's self-introduction, the women all swept their appraising gazes over him in unison.

In fact, they had already noticed the man of extraordinary temperament by Qianjiao's side.

But because he seemed young, they hadn't given it much thought.

Now, hearing Qianjiao's special introduction as "my friend," they all switched to the kind of look an elder would give to a prospective son-in-law.

One of the women asked, "The Serna family? Oh, the Serna Biological Company in District One?"

Su'en naturally had to play his role as a tool, shaking his head: "No, not that one."

Serna wasn't a big name in the inner city, at least not among the commonly known major families, and despite racking their brains, the women couldn't figure out Su'en's origins.

Qianjiao's aunt then tentatively asked, "What profession does Mr. Zolo engage in?"

Su'en replied, "I'm a bounty hunter."

Another woman, still not giving up, asked, "The inner city's Order of Bounty Knights?"

Su'en had heard of it; it was an organization the inner city nobles played with. He corrected, "No, a bounty hunter from the outer city."

With that statement, the atmosphere immediately cooled.

The ladies' gazes on their faces instantly became odd, although their cultivation prevented them from showing any strangeness.

But the children beside them couldn't help it; hearing Su'en's profession, several of the youngsters cast looks of disgust and disdain.

Outer city bounty hunters were seen as even more lowly than bodyguards in the eyes of the inner city's high society, those who licked blood from the knife's edge, who normally wouldn't appear in their field of vision.

It wasn't out of malice, but rather the deep-rooted perception of outer city people in their upbringing made them think Qianjiao had found a little ruffian.

Mrs. Camilla turned to Qianjiao and asked, "By the way, Otilia, have you known Mr. Zolo for a long time?"

"Yes. We're living together now."

Qianjiao seemed to want just this effect, intimately linking arms with Su'en, her smile brimming.

Hearing they were "living together," the expressions of the noblewomen grew even uglier.

They didn't make a scene on the spot, and Mrs. Camilla could only pull Qianjiao aside: "Oh, Otilia, come here for a moment, I have something to tell you."

...

Qianjiao probably didn't want to go.

But she was still sternly pulled away by the ladies for a talking-to.

With the people gone, Su'en was happy to have some peace.

His keen hearing picked up everything clearly.

The noblewomen didn't seem to want to hide it, perhaps intentionally wanting him to hear, talking as they walked.

"Oh, Otilia, you actually found an outer city bounty hunter? My goodness, I can assure you, the family will never allow you to be with such a person."

"You're being too reckless! If this gets out now, our Evelyn family will definitely become the laughingstock of the upper circles..."

"Also, don't get involved in the Reiss family's affairs this time. Although I know that's your sister's bloodline. But I was warned before I came this time... Besides, it's the Reiss family's internal matter, it's not good for us outsiders to interfere... Even if our Evelyn family loses everything, we can't change the situation..."

"..."

Su'en listened and felt a headache coming on.

Every other sentence was about "family honor" and "family interests"...

No wonder Qianjiao didn't want to go back.

With her temperament, if it weren't for relatives, anyone else nagging like this would probably have already drawn a blade.

One slash to silence a busybody, two to silence a pair.

And the world would be at peace.

...

Qianjiao was probably going to be tied up for a while, leaving Su'en and another person behind.

After all, "Zolo" and Rena weren't familiar, and they didn't have much to say.

The atmosphere was slightly awkward.

And both were the kind of people not very welcome at the party, with nowhere else to go.

Rena thought she should find a topic and asked, "Mr. Zolo is a bounty hunter?"

Su'en nodded: "Yes."

Rena asked again, "Have you heard of Mr. Su'en?"

Su'en didn't know why she suddenly brought up himself and said, "SS-class wanted criminal Su'en?"

Rena nodded, "Yes."

Then, the two fell silent again.

Su'en curiously asked, "Miss Rena, why do you ask this?"

Rena thought for a moment, her tone hesitant: "Well... although Mr. Su'en has committed crimes, he's not a vicious person. He saved me before... My aunt has high standards, she says you're a very capable bounty hunter, so you must be very good... If Mr. Zolo encounters that Su'en, could you please show mercy... What I mean is, can you not harm him, maybe there's some misunderstanding, he deserves a fair trial..."

Her tone was contradictory.

Even somewhat incoherent.

Clearly, in her mind, "all wanted criminals are criminals," but this clashed with her own perception.

She thought Su'en was a good person, but she didn't deny the fact that he had committed crimes.

"..."

Su'en listened and couldn't help but smile wryly.

Was she actually pleading for him?

The information Rena had was probably all from the wanted posters.

The official wanted posters described him with words like "vicious" and "irredeemable."

And she was actually speaking up for him?

Although... her heart was in the right place.

The current "SS-class wanted Su'en" was an existence that most bounty hunters would avoid.

Let him off the hook?

If it were another bounty hunter, it's not clear who would be letting whom off.

He agreed anyway: "Okay."

Rena, hearing this, politely smiled: "Thank you."

...

Two people who weren't very familiar didn't have much to talk about.

The topic was over.

But it wasn't long before a beautiful blonde girl quietly approached.

Su'en had seen this blonde girl before.

At the Moon Inn in front of the inner city during that commotion, she seemed to be called Yulia, Rena's best friend.

As Yulia passed by, she didn't even glance at Rena, and said urgently, "Rena, I've heard about your situation, sorry I can't help you, my father sent someone to warn me, the family won't let me get involved in your Seventh House affairs. I wanted to find you some help, but those mercenaries and wild hunt groups, as soon as they hear it's you, no matter how much they're offered, they refuse to cooperate. I only have a few personal guards who follow my orders, tomorrow I'll have them come to you, you can command them..."

She said, looking at Rena with an apologetic face, "Sorry, I can't talk to you more. Otherwise, it will be very troublesome."

Rena watched her best friend hurry away, a trace of desolation crossing her face: "Thank you."

Su'en listened from the side.

Being able to lend a hand at this point really counted as having loyalty.

...

Su'en was attending this kind of high society party for the first time, probably to witness the warmth and coldness of high society tonight.

It wasn't long after Yulia left that a handsome brown-haired young man came over.

Su'en remembered him; this guy was one of the five major families of the camp, the Clark family's young master, Eli Clark.

A friend of Danze Junior from the Oliver family.

One of the masterminds behind the Reiss family's current predicament.

Eli, the young master, came over with a wine glass in hand, a light smile on his face, and greeted Rena, "Miss Rena, long time no see."

Rena didn't seem to want to deal with this ill-intentioned guy, but out of etiquette, she nodded.

Eli, the young master: "Miss Rena, oh... I'm sorry to hear you've recently encountered some trouble. If you think we're friends, you can tell me..."

Rena had no intention of wasting words with someone with ill intentions and interrupted him, "Sorry, not necessary."

"It seems you're not in a good mood..."

Eli, hearing this, flashed a look of expected amusement, but then said, "Now that Princess Theresa has arrived, I've got word that in three days at the latest, you, me... everyone will have to go into the ruins for a wild hunt. I hear Miss Rena hasn't recruited a hunting team yet?"

He paused, his eyes mocking as he looked over Rena's delicate doll-like face, "Actually, we could exchange some ideas, maybe come up with a solution. If you don't mind, after the party, I'd like to invite Miss Rena for a drink, I wonder..."

His tone sounded like a question, but it was actually very aggressive.

Rena's face already showed anger, and she didn't give this hypocritical young master any face, saying coldly, "Sorry, I don't have time."

Su'en, standing by, also raised an eyebrow.

That's the trouble with so-called high society.

You know it's you who did it, you can't tear your face off, you have no evidence, you can't fight, there's too much to consider.

Unlike in the gang, where everyone is barefoot, I don't bother with you, you dare to provoke, I dare to kill.

Eli shrugged, the gloom in his eyes flashing away, suddenly no longer hiding it, and sneered, "Heh, I gave you a chance, you don't want it, I won't force it. I just hope Miss Rena you don't come to me on your knees begging..."

If he could get the daughter of the Reiss family's main house, he could gain more than by destroying it.

Too bad... this woman doesn't know what's good for her!

And not far away, Danze Junior and the other young masters and misses were pointing and laughing.

Seemingly making bets.

Eli, the young master, lost and was humiliated.

...

Rena, hearing that, blushed with anger.

Her upbringing in manners and cultivation prevented her from returning the venomous words, so she just turned her head away, no longer paying attention.

It was a negotiation that was going to end in failure, and it looked like it was going to end badly.

But Su'en didn't expect that as a bystander eating melons, he would also be affected.

Perhaps because he was rebuffed by Rena, Eli also had some anger.

He looked at Su'en and asked coldly, "This friend looks unfamiliar, eh? Which family's young master are you?"

The threatening tone was unmistakable.

I don't allow anyone to help the Reiss main house, and you dare to go against the wind?

"..."

Hearing this, Su'en didn't even look up, completely ignoring him.

You high society people have to consider social etiquette, I'm just a gangster.

Being ignored by Rena was one thing, after all, they were on the same level. Now being ignored by Su'en, Eli, the young master, felt a great insult.

He looked at the two people who were alone, made up his mind about something, and said sarcastically, "Yo... Miss Rena, is this the help you found?"

Rena seemed not to want to involve Su'en and quickly turned back to say something, "It has nothing to do with Mr. Zolo, he is..."

But at that moment, Su'en directly interrupted her, bursting out his name: "I'm Zolo."

Might as well be enemies if we're going to be enemies.

Let the hatred max out.

Eli, hearing this, thought for a moment, not recalling anyone with that name: "Yo, it seems you don't know me?"

He figured if he didn't recognize him, then he definitely wasn't from the inner city's top families, so there was nothing to worry about.

Even if he was wrong, he had to lie down now!

He didn't know that he had provoked someone more ferocious than the top financial magnates.

"I don't know you."

Su'en glanced at him with contempt and added, "So, you have something to say?"

That effectively killed the conversation.

If they don't know you, there's no point in showing off.

Eli, the young master, had a face like he had swallowed a dead rat, his face twitching, and he didn't know how to respond.

After a long struggle, he finally squeezed out a few words with a fierce look, "Zolo, is it? Heh, you're something. Just don't fall into my hands..."

Su'en felt the tangible murderous intent and glanced at him.

But he didn't care.

No one dared to make a move at this party.

...

Eli, the young master, left in a huff, and Rena turned back to Su'en, full of apologies, "Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Enzo."

Su'en shook his head and smiled, "It's nothing."

Rena thought Su'en really didn't know that Eli, the young master, and explained anxiously, "No, that was the young master of the Clark family... it's troublesome to provoke him..."

Su'en shook his head indifferently, "I know."

"Ah?"

Rena was a bit puzzled, knowing and still... offending?Not even the bounty hunters from the outer city dare to provoke him, let alone those from the inner city.

She wanted to say more, but just then, the entire banquet hall fell silent.

Everyone looked up to see a young girl in a lavish princess gown, surrounded by a group of guards, making her entrance into the banquet.

Naturally, she was the protagonist of the evening, Princess Theresa of the Duke's estate.

They had met briefly in the afternoon when Princess Theresa was wearing a full-face veil.

Now, although still veiled, the sheer fabric only covered half of her face, allowing a glimpse of her exquisitely beautiful features.

In an instant, the gazes of the inner city's young masters and ladies were captivated by her.

Su'en, however, was not overly astonished. He had already peeled away the memory fragment of Princess Theresa's appearance from a previous fifth-order memory.

But seeing the memory and the person herself were two different things.

"This one's charm is quite high..."

For some reason, Su'en always felt that there was something eerily familiar about Theresa.

It wasn't just her face, but a certain sense of familiarity, as if... he recognized a unique aura about her, or something of the sort...

And when he saw the butterfly brooch pinned to the chest of the girl in the princess gown, his pupils suddenly constricted.

It was identical to a brooch he had once buried in a certain cavern!