Capítulo 23: Chapter 23. Intelligence
-Second stratum of Floating City Magnel.
The dimly lit environment of a dirty metropolis that gives a steam-engine era vibe is available for the inhabitants of this dark place to enjoy.
The second stratum of Floating City Magnel was originally not built as a residence.
This stratum is built as a storage for the waste of magic tools and various resources' residue that will later be managed to receive some recycling procedures.
The second stratum is known as Downsteam. It is a settlement that was naturally built by people who were slightly less able to survive in the higher stratum. Either because of economy problem, or something else matter.
The environment here is quite bad.
All buildings and population systems are built independently of the Floating City Magnel population system.
Therefore, they could only rely on the security guards they had appointed among themselves.
Originally is a settlement for poorer residents, who survived by repairing and collecting magic tool components, Downstream is now become the 'underworld' of the Floating City Magnel.
Red light districts, gambling, gangsters, and even illegal trade often occur here.
Despite being known as the most run-down place in the entire Floating City Magnel, no one intended to destroy Downsteam.
Even Sage Zion himself was forced to agree to the existence of Downsteam. Because without a place to go, the wild desires of Humans could be dangerous.
Although it was not equipped with a beautiful blue sky hologram, with only a metal ceiling full of pipes and wires, the residents of Downsteam lived quite contentedly. Because, on the other hand, they are able to live with less rule, and can do more what they desire.
For Pirates like Red Trickerss, Downsteam is the place they visit the most.
Higher layers like Ordinary would only be visited a few times each time they came to the Floating City Magnel.
Rina, Ben, Rictner, and some of the crew of the Red Trickerss ship, who are not very good at fighting, are currently relaxing in the fast food booth.
They sat on a table made using an iron board and several bent pipes held together using nuts and bolts.
Rina took a bite of Lobin's intestine stuffed bread.
"Boss... I hope she's okay."
Martha, Migell, Clark, and the rest of the crew, besides them, are all capable of fighting. Led by Martha, they come to the third stratum, Ordinary, to meet B, and retrieve Tiony.
Rina was very worried about them.
By the time of Giyan, a member of their group, who was beheaded by B, starts looking for trouble and is killed, Rina is there. She saw firsthand how B's quick slash killed Giyan.
She knows very well how strong B-guy is.
Rina is afraid that B will deceive them and only wants extra money from them. If the worst happens, Tiony is no longer with B.
Tiony may currently have been sold to a brothel somewhere in Downsteam, while Martha and the others will be killed at B's hands later.
Rina felt that her mood was getting worse the more she thought about this.
Scratching her scalp roughly, Rina swallowed the rest of Lobin's intestine stuffed bread in one gulp, drank the water, and then leaned weakly on the shoulder of Rictner, who was sitting beside her, without permission.
Rictner almost choked up because of Rina.
"What... What are you-"
"SHUT, UP."
Rina had no energy to speak left right now. She only brought the back of her neck to Rictner's shoulder to get a backrest, that's all.
'I really can't calm down...'
Rina glanced at the pedestrian current. She daydreamed about what she would do if B turned out to be as evil and cruel as she thought.
At that moment, Rina's eyes opened wide when she saw a familiar figure walking among the crowd.
It was Zen. He was walking leisurely, while following a little girl in shabby clothes, who was running, and hugging something in her chest.
"Zen? What is he doing here?"
Rina quickly returned to sitting upright.
Rictner heard what Rina said, so he looked back.
"That's really him! He... What is he planning by following that girl?"
Rina and Rictner looked at each other.
"Maybe he likes little girls?" Rictner asked.
"You..." Rina gave a strange look at Rictner in response.
Rina sighed.
"I guess that little girl stole Zen's money or wallet. On Downsteam, kids often do it for life."
Feeling embarrassed, Rictner nodded while looking away.
Rina squeezed her chin.
"But why didn't Zen just catch that little girl quickly and take back his wallet and money?"
***
Rina's guess is very true.
Zen's wallet, or his money bag, was stolen by the little girl.
However, it was not due to a lack of vigilance on the part of Zen. Zen did it on purpose.
Downsteam has quite a bit of poor lighting. In a place that has a lot of dark places like this, Zen is like a fish in water.
He can freely diminish his existence or even make himself invisible here.
After Zen let the little girl take his money bag, he made himself invisible, but just for the little girl, and then followed the girl from behind, casually.
Zen does this for the sake of seeking information.
He didn't know anything about the Floating City Magnel or Downsteam, so he had to find a place that could give him information, from the public level, to the slightly more secret level of information.
However, in a place with a low level of security like Downsteam, Zen couldn't just wander around without knowing anything like when he was wandering around in Limittia.
The best way to get information about a place is to get it from someone who knows the worst part of the place. So Zen randomly chooses among the little children who seem to be looking for a target to steal, and ends up choosing this little girl as the one who will be his 'pickpocket'.
Zen smiled sly as he saw the little girl turn and go to the alley between the buildings.
"Lucky~..."
The alley, as it looks, is very dark on Downsteam.
The alley here is a pile of garbage, dirt, and various things that are even dirtier and disgusting.
When Zen and the little girl had already gone far enough into the alley and had turned a few times, Zen decided to reveal himself now.
"Wait, little missy."
The little girl shivered when she heard a voice from behind her.
When she turned her head, he found Zen, the man whose she had stolen just now, standing there, with a smiling face!
No one would know how creepy the smile looked other than the little girl herself.
She was like a young man, who was forced to do a test of guts in an abandoned building that was said to be haunted, and actually encountered the ghost. She was so frightened!
The girl immediately sped up her run.
However, how could Zen, a Martial Realm Cultivator and a Zombie who had evolved, be outpaced by an ordinary homeless little girl?
Zen grabbed the little girl's hand before she could even leave.
The girl looked very shocked and disincredulous.
Right after Zen grabbed her arm, the little girl immediately abandoned her intention to escape, and instead prostrated herself on the ground. She began to cry pleading.
"Please! My life, at least forgive my life! I... I did this because I had to! I have younger siblings who are still very young, so... Please!"
Zen smiled stiffly hearing the little girl's desperate plea.
"Errr..."
The hat on the girl's head even fell off and showed the girl's dirty long black hair.
Zen saw how the girl's body trembled with fear. This girl's cry was not a lie.
Zen also saw some scars and bruises on the girl's arms, neck, and legs.
She probably had done this repeatedly. Everytime she failed, even though she wasn't killed, she was still beaten by people who were upset with her.
Zen subconsciously smiled softly. He remembered himself when he saw this little girl.
Crouching down, Zen made the girl stop prostrating and sit her down.
The girl looked at Zen fearfully.
Zen smiled and patted the girl's head.
"Calm down, I won't kill you."
The girl may only be 12 years old or even less. She grew up in a bad environment, so she looked thinner and shorter than most girls her age.
Zen took back his money bag. The little girl looked very reluctant, but she didn't think she could fight Zen, so she could only resign it back to Zen.
When Zen could almost see the girl was about to start crying once more, Zen said, smiling slyly: "I can give you some coins, if you want."
"Huh?"
The girl really didn't expect that Zen would happily to give his money to her.
Zen raised one of his fingers.
"But, there are condition."
***
The 'condition' that Zen meant was that this little girl, from now on, would work for Zen as his 'eye'.
Whatever happened, whether it was something big or small, as long as it looked important or suspicious, the little girl had to report it to Zen.
The girl happily nodded her head at the condition that Zen said. She didn't even mind doing harder work.
Unfortunately, she was still too young and didn't have a guardian who was able to be her guarantor and person in charge, so the girl couldn't afford any job even if she wanted to.
In fact, it is the main reason why many children without parents choose to become thieves. Only a few choose to become thieves because they love it.
As a first task, Zen tells the girl to tell him everything about Downsteam and Magnel.
The girl didn't know much about the Floating City Magnel because she had only spent time here, but if it was about Downstream, the girl could give Zen everything he wanted to know.
"By the way, what's your name?" Zen asked as he reached for 3 coins from his money bag.
The little girl's pair of big eyes paid special attention to Zen's hand reaching into the money bag as she replied with a smile.
"M-My name is Mia!"
Zen smiled and nodded as he gave Mia 3 gold coins.
"Mia... That's a beautiful name!"
Mia widened as her trembling hands received the three gold coins.
"G-Gold coins... I got it... This easy..."
Mia hugged the three gold coins near her small chest. Her eyes closed when she started sobbing.
Zen looked at her affectionately as he patted Mia's head.
Zen took Mia's hat that had fallen, then put it back on top of Mia's head.
"From now on, I'll come every week. Stop stealing from now on. 3 gold coins should be enough for 7 days, right?"
Mia nodded her head, still sobbing.
"Also, when you're wandering around Downstream and trying to find any information that might be useful, try to do it carefully. Do not approach places or peoples that look very dangerous. Just watch from a distance, then report it to me."
Mia nodded.
"Okay!"
Zen raised one more finger with smile.
"Ah, I forgot. There are additional condition."
"Huh?"
"From now on, Mia is obliged to call me Big Bro!"
_______________________
-Lobin.
An animal resembling a fat green pig, is 3 meters tall, and has fur that grows into two horn-form as camouflage to scare away predators in the wild.
Lobin is a popular food source for Humans in this world now, especially among the lower-class people, and is the main source of meat for them. Some even built their own Lobin farms.
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
ViciousThing
ViciousThing Hello All my readers.
I think I'll denied my plan to keep publishing 2 chaps a day.
I have more important plan, which is to edit my this story of mine, especially the first chap. Just wait what I could make after. Maybe it could be something amazing!
So, uh, I'll up just 1 chap a day now
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