The people in Daniel's line of sight all had animal-like features that he had seen before, such as horns on their heads, long ears, or tails of varying shapes and sizes.
When Daniel walked out of the alley and onto the street, the people around him couldn't help but glance at him, but they quickly averted their eyes. However, Daniel could sense that many of those gazes were filled with greed.
Daniel didn't pay much attention to those greedy looks. His attire clearly stood out in what appeared to be a slum area, making him look out of place.
"Sorry!"
Just as Daniel was about to head toward the clean and orderly building he had seen earlier, a figure suddenly rushed out from the side and bumped into him. The person seemed to be in a hurry, as if someone was chasing her. After quickly apologizing, she immediately ran off. It was a girl with short purple hair and a pair of long purple ears on her head.
"Didn't expect that, huh? I never carry money on me."
Watching the purple-eared girl rush off, Daniel couldn't help but smile. Although her technique was quite skillful, Daniel had noticed the look of surprise on her face when her hand reached into his pocket and found nothing. She probably hadn't expected someone dressed as well as Daniel to not carry a wallet or any items on him.
Since he started carrying a spatial ring, Daniel had stopped putting anything in his pockets.
"What bad luck. I thought today would be my lucky day, but it turns out he's just a show-off." After turning a couple of corners, the purple-eared girl finally stopped her light footsteps and leaned against a mottled wall, looking frustrated.
"Today might actually be your lucky day." As Daniel spoke, he stepped out from the side. From the girl's technique, it was clear she was a seasoned pickpocket. People like her were often well-informed, which was exactly what Daniel needed since he didn't know much about this world. This saved him the trouble of having to find someone to ask.
"Just my luck."
Seeing Daniel appear, the purple-eared girl looked quite surprised. But in the next moment, her right hand moved, pulling out a grappling hook from a pouch she carried on her waist. With a flick of her wrist, the hook shot toward a third-floor window above her. Using the grappling hook, she agilely climbed up to the third floor.
"She's like a rabbit. Those ears really do look like rabbit ears." With that thought, Daniel's figure instantly vanished from where he stood.
"You think you can catch me? Not that easy." After running through three buildings, circling five alleys, and entering an abandoned building on the first floor, the purple-eared girl finally stopped to catch her breath.
"Oh, so confident?" The familiar voice rang out again.
"Fine, I'm unlucky. Take me to the Nearl Guard Bureau." Seeing Daniel appear again, the girl muttered something under her breath and then seemed to resign herself to her fate, no longer trying to escape.
"I don't intend to arrest you." Daniel felt a bit speechless. He had chased her mainly to get some information, not to arrest her. If possible, he might even give her some benefits.
"What do you want? I'm telling you, I'm an Infected." Daniel's words seemed to startle her, and she quickly pulled up her shirt slightly, revealing some strange black crystalline growths on her waist.
"Infected?"
"Ah!"
Just as Daniel was puzzled by the black crystals, the girl suddenly groaned, her body beginning to tremble violently.
"This is..."
Seeing the girl collapse to the ground, her body curled up and shaking uncontrollably, with traces of blood at the corners of her mouth, Daniel hesitated for a moment before quickly moving to her side and placing his right hand on her wrist.
"Don't come near me." The trembling girl spoke in a shaky voice, her left hand reaching into her shirt pocket as if trying to grab something.
"Sorry." Understanding her intention, Daniel immediately took out a small bottle from her pocket, which contained a white pill.
"Is this medicine?" After getting a nod from the girl, Daniel quickly placed the pill in her mouth.
"This is a rock? How?"
After taking the medicine, the girl's trembling gradually subsided. Daniel also realized what the black crystals on her body were—they were rocks, rocks with strange energy inside.
"Yan, Lungmen, Ansel... So this is that world."
After the girl recovered, Daniel learned from her where they were. This was the world of *Arknights*, a world filled with all kinds of tragedies.
The world of Honkai was already filled with tragedies, with Honkai sickness causing countless casualties. But compared to the Oripathy in this world, it was nothing.
"Ansel, so she hasn't joined Rhodes Island yet."
Daniel naturally knew about Ansel. In the game, she was a Specialist operator, specializing in hooking enemies, and one of the members who bullied Mephisto. The reason he hadn't recognized her earlier was probably because her real-life appearance was quite different from her in-game design.
Or rather, her in-game design was her outfit at Rhodes Island, not what she was wearing now. As an Infected, she was heavily discriminated against in this world, so naturally, she wouldn't want to reveal her status as an Infected.
Plus, since Ansel was currently a thief in Lungmen, she wouldn't be wearing skirts or stockings. Such clothing would make it hard to run away.
"Rhodes Island, Reunion Movement... I wonder what the current situation is." Although Daniel had learned from Ansel what world this was, she didn't know much more. After all, she spent most of her time trying to fill her stomach. She didn't even know much about what was happening outside Lungmen, let alone within the city itself.
"Ansel, let's make a deal. I just arrived in Lungmen and need an ID. Also, how do I exchange for Lungmen Dollars? If you can help me with that, I won't treat you badly." After a moment of silence, Daniel decided to settle down in Lungmen first before worrying about anything else.
"You're a stowaway?" Ansel looked at Daniel in surprise. There were countless stowaways in Lungmen, so this wasn't unusual for her. She herself had stowed away to Lungmen after contracting Oripathy and being forced to leave her hometown. Although Lungmen wasn't exactly friendly to the Infected, it was still much better than other places, which was why she had stayed.
However, most stowaways were poor people. Someone like Daniel stowing away was extremely rare.
"You could say that. So, can you do it? Also, can this be exchanged for Lungmen Dollars?" As he spoke, Daniel took out a gold bar.
"Originium ingot? Are you here seeking refuge in Lungmen?" Seeing the Originium ingot in Daniel's hand, Ansel seemed to understand something, her face lighting up with realization. Someone with so much money but stowing away could only be seeking refuge.
"So this is an Originium ingot. From Ansel's reaction, it's clearly valuable. Good thing it's not like the game, where Originium ingots are worthless and Lungmen Dollars are always in short supply. But I wonder if Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical Company in real life can synthesize Originium ingots."
"You could say that." Daniel didn't bother correcting Ansel's misunderstanding.
"No problem. Getting a Lungmen ID is actually quite simple." Ansel then explained some of Lungmen's policies.
Lungmen was an open city, welcoming all kinds of people. Stowing away wasn't a big deal here. As long as you were willing to abide by Lungmen's laws, you could get an ID, even if you were from the Siracusan mafia.
Of course, this applied to normal people. If you were an Infected, that was a different story.
Ansel led Daniel directly to a tall building dozens of stories high. This was the Nearl Guard Bureau of Lungmen. Normally, getting an ID didn't require coming here. You could just go through an intermediary and pay a fee.
This fee was much lower than paying the fine directly at the Nearl Guard Bureau, as the bureau charged stowaways a penalty. But for Daniel, a fine was nothing. He came to the Nearl Guard Bureau mainly to meet the famous trio of Lungmen's finest: Hoshiguma, Ch'en, and Swire.
As the two of them approached the entrance of the Nearl Guard Bureau, they unexpectedly ran into two people coming out. One of them was a woman, but her stature was taller than most men. With a horn on her head, long green hair, and a massive triangular shield by her side, she was none other than Hoshiguma, the first 6-star operator Daniel had pulled in the game.
Standing next to her was a woman with long, curly golden hair—none other than the famous Swire, the mascot of the trio. Among the three, she was the only 5-star operator.
"Ansel, what are you doing here?"
Although Hoshiguma was speaking to Ansel, her gaze was fixed on Daniel. In a world where everyone had unique animal features, Daniel's human appearance stood out. Fortunately, there were others like him in this world, so he didn't attract too much attention.
"Getting an ID." Ansel waved at Hoshiguma and Swire with a smile. Due to her line of work, Ansel was a regular at the Nearl Guard Bureau. Sometimes she even went in on purpose, as the food there was much better than what she could get outside.
"Is it for him?"
"Yeah."
"By the way, stay away from the slums for now. Something's going on there." After glancing at Daniel, Hoshiguma pulled Ansel aside and whispered to her.
In a way, Ansel was also an informant for Hoshiguma and Ch'en.
"Miss Swire, I have some Originium ingots I'd like to exchange for Lungmen Dollars. Are you interested?" While Ansel was talking to Hoshiguma, Daniel walked up to Swire and stated his purpose directly.
Swire was famously wealthy, even more so than the cat-eared girl at Rhodes Island who bought Originium bullets with snack money. Since Daniel needed a sum of Lungmen Dollars as capital, it was better to deal with Swire than with anyone else.
"You're in luck. I just got off work. How much do you have?" After sizing up Daniel, Swire spoke. Swire was a very principled person and had never used her position at the Nearl Guard Bureau for personal gain.
"Don't worry, you'll be satisfied." What Daniel didn't say was that even Swire, with all her wealth, couldn't possibly buy all the Originium ingots he had. Before coming, he had already asked Ansel about the price of Originium ingots.
With Ansel's familiarity and Swire's connections, Daniel's ID was quickly processed. As for the fine for stowing away, Swire paid it temporarily, as Daniel didn't have any Lungmen Dollars on him.
The four of them then went to a quiet and elegant restaurant near the Nearl Guard Bureau.
"One week since the fall of Chernobog, the Reunion Movement..."
"It seems I missed the time when Rhodes Island rescued the Doctor."
In the restaurant, watching the news on the TV, Daniel couldn't help but sigh softly. He had originally thought that if time allowed, he might have been able to go to Chernobog and prevent some tragedies.
During the Chernobog incident, although Rhodes Island had managed to rescue the Doctor, their losses were devastating. And this was with W deliberately holding back. Otherwise, Rhodes Island's losses would have been even worse.
"Here's the Originium ingot. Name your price." After watching the news about the Reunion Movement, Daniel took out a box of gold bars and placed it in front of Swire.
The sight of the gleaming box of Originium ingots made both Hoshiguma and Ansel's eyes light up. They had never seen such a scene before. But for Swire, this was nothing. Her family's piano alone was worth 1.8 million.
"Your Originium Arts are quite unique."
Swire wasn't interested in the box of Originium ingots. What caught her attention was how Daniel had produced them. This kind of Originium Art that allowed for item storage was something she had never seen before.
Originium Arts referred to spells. Many people in this world had the talent for casting spells, and one thing they had in common with wizards from *Harry Potter* was that they needed a wand to cast spells.
However, if you were an Infected, you could cast spells without a wand, but the cost was accelerating the progression of your Oripathy.
The transaction between the two went smoothly. Swire didn't try to take advantage of Daniel in the deal, showing that she was quite fair.
"Here's your share. By the way, do you have any news about Rhodes Island?" After getting the Lungmen Dollars from Swire, Daniel immediately gave Ansel her share. Of course, he didn't give her too much. Although he wouldn't mind giving her everything, Ansel clearly wasn't the type to rely on handouts.
"Rhodes Island is currently in Lungmen, working with the Nearl Guard Bureau to search for some Infected. Why are you looking for Rhodes Island?" Ansel then gave a rough explanation of what she knew.
"Searching for Infected in the slums... Are they looking for Misha?"
"Rhodes Island is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to saving the Infected. Your Oripathy is already quite severe. I think it's best if you go to them for treatment."
From his earlier examination, Daniel knew exactly how serious Ansel's Oripathy was. On the surface, her Oripathy didn't seem too bad, with only a few black Originium crystals on her thigh and abdomen. But in reality, her internal organs were already severely eroded by Oripathy.
The severity of Oripathy wasn't just determined by the number of black Originium crystals on the surface of the body. Normally, more crystals on the surface did indicate more severe Oripathy, but it was important to remember that Oripathy also grew inside the body.
In this regard, Oripathy was truly disgusting. If the crystals grew in less critical areas, it was manageable. But if they grew in places like the brain or vital organs, even a slight shift could be fatal.
Eyjafjalla's poor hearing was due to Oripathy. Fortunately, she went to Rhodes Island for treatment, or else Oripathy would have taken her life soon.
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