Chapter 62: Nakiaken

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The next day.
7:45 AM.
The Capital’s No. 4 Light Rail Line serves as a major urban artery leading to the 10th District. Right now, the passengers seated on the train are mostly white-collar workers heading to their jobs. Many of them harbor a deep-seated aversion to the daily grind, and as is typical during weekday commutes, the expressions worn by these weary laborers are utterly devoid of life.

Amidst all these glum-faced corporate cogs, a blond-haired youth sits leisurely in his seat, a black fedora resting on his knees and a dark trench coat draped over his shoulders as he attentively pores over a newspaper. The relaxed, indolent air about him forms a stark contrast with the lifeless commuters filling the carriage.

Xiuxiu is reading *The Capital Times* with considerable interest.

[Recently, the Capital Police Headquarters has decided to launch a comprehensive search operation at the end of this month. The headquarters stated: "We are determined to completely eradicate the [Beast of Gevaudan] lurking within the Capital by early April!"]

[The Parliament has dispatched a specialized handling agency to purge the Beast of Gevaudan!]

[In recent days, the number of missing persons during the night in the Capital has been steadily increasing...]

[Ding—]

[The next station is the Tenth District!]

[Passengers needing to disembark, please prepare to alight promptly!]

Xiuxiu has reached his destination. He folds his newspaper, sets the fedora upon his head, and strides out of the carriage.

The Capital's 10th District: This area is predominantly residential, housing two major railway stations—the North Station and the East Station. Public security here is relatively poor, and tourists frequently fall victim to pickpockets. There are numerous small and medium-sized hotels, making it a well-known red-light district. It also features theaters, churches, and hospitals.

The sole purpose of Xiuxiu's trip here is to seek out his flesh-crafting brethren in the Capital. Rest assured, he is certainly not here to betray his brothers this time; he has genuinely come to ask for assistance.

Following the memories stored in his mind, Xiuxiu quickly locates his destination.

[Prague Doll Shop]

Jingle—
Xiuxiu pushes open the door of the artisan shop and glances around at the interior decor. The Prague artisan shop displays numerous artistic statues, the vast majority being stone carvings with only a small portion made of ceramics.

"Hello, are you looking to buy something?" a bearded middle-aged man asks Xiuxiu with a friendly expression.

Upon seeing him, Xiuxiu removes his fedora, presses it against his chest, bows slightly at the waist, and addresses the bearded man with the utmost reverence:

"Desire is the measure of all things. Let us not be bound by the reins of morality. Do what thou wilt, to whomsoever thou desirest—Orestes greets you here, my dear Karcist." (Karcist: The Third Class of Nälkha, the highest rank subordinate only to Arch-Prelates and High Prelates.)

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The bearded man's previously amiable expression vanishes entirely. A flash of icy brilliance crosses his eyes as he silently glares at the blond youth before him.

Thump, thump, thump—
Xiuxiu feels his heart beating at an accelerated pace.

This is not due to nervousness, but rather because an external force is manipulating his heart. He knows that if the bearded man before him becomes displeased, his heart could burst at any second.

The person before him is named Nakiyaken, formerly one of the important leaders of the [White Worm Secret Cult]—one of the eight major Nälkhian cults—a Third-Stage [Dominator] who has participated in military campaigns against Daevite and Heaven multiple times.

Later, for reasons unknown, Nakiyaken withdrew from the [White Worm Secret Cult] and came to the Capital to open an artisan shop. For over thirty years, he has genuinely lived a quiet, honest life in the Capital.

In the Terra calendar year 1592, he was arrested by Heaven and subsequently contained within Frank’s [Central Containment Chamber]. After that, news of him ceased to reach Xiuxiu.

"You know me," Nakiyaken says in a deep voice, staring at Xiuxiu.

"I do..." Xiuxiu replies, suppressing the discomfort caused by his racing heart.

"New school or old school?"

"I can be either new school or old school."

"Understood, a fence-sitter."

"What are you here to see me for?"

Xiuxiu pulls a red central microchip from his pocket, hands it to Nakiyaken, and says:

"I need your help to decrypt this [Central Microchip]. I need to use it as an authentication card, and I hope its active signal can be sustained for a longer period."

Nakiyaken takes the chip from Xiuxiu's hand, turning it over and playing with it:

"A red chip. Judging by the luster of the circuitry, it was harvested from one of Mekhane's Black Knights within the past week."

[Church of the Broken God (Gear Orthodoxy)]: The deity they worship is the [Great Maker], and their lineage's intellectual repository bears one of the names of the [Great Maker]—[Mekhane].

Although they, like the Nälkhian cults, are anomalous lineages, their deity is a truly benevolent god who cherishes his followers.

Mekhane possesses an official organization and so-called personal insurance system akin to Heaven: the name of every lineage holder in Heaven is registered in the application known as the *Book of Life*. Should anyone slay a member of Heaven’s lineage, they will be marked by Eden, and the Heresy Tribunal will then be tasked with hunting down these slaughterers.

Of course, this mark can be shielded and erased, though the higher the rank, the more difficult the removal.

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Mekhane also has corresponding insurance measures, though their provisions pale significantly in comparison to Heaven's extravagant wealth. Every member of the [Church of the Broken God] carries a [Central Microchip] containing their personal identification code and a partial backup of their memories.

When a member of the [Church of the Broken God] dies, if the [Central Microchip] is not promptly extracted, the chip will take control of the member's physical body and detonate it, uploading the final memory backup to the repository during the explosion.

Afterward, the repository will issue a bounty for the killer based on the memories recorded at the moment of death.

The aforementioned procedure sounds quite sound, but unfortunately, to the madmen of Heaven and the Nälkhian cults, this strategy merely increases the probability that members of the [Church of the Broken God] will be dismembered post-mortem, rather than decreasing their likelihood of dying.

Moreover, to madmen like those of Nälkha and Heaven, would they ever fear you remembering their faces to exact revenge?

No, it would only make them even more excited.

"I can turn this into a special authentication card and ensure its signal frequency remains active for an extended period, but..."

Nakiyaken gazes at the blond youth with playful eyes.

"Why should I help you?!"

Faced with Nakiyaken's interrogation, Xiuxiu nods nonchalantly and replies:

"Equivalent exchange is not only the truth of alchemy, but the fundamental truth among the transcendent. As a condition of exchange, I can share a piece of intelligence that will definitely interest you."

"Oh?" Nakiyaken looks at Xiuxiu with an amused expression.

"I wonder if you have ever heard of: [The Six-Circle Massacre Ritual]." Xiuxiu flashes a fox-like smile at Nakiyaken.

"Kid, just what do you know?!" Nakiyaken asks with a solemn expression.

"I will tell you everything I know; in exchange, I need you to help me forge the authentication card," Xiuxiu replies.

"What an interesting little brat you are."
...
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