The Last Gentleman

He drew the curtains, turned up the kerosene lamp, and set it on the bedside,

Yi Chen pretended to read a book as he began to communicate consciously with his clothes.

“How should I address you?”

“I have no name, nor do I have a title. To distinguish myself from those inferior skins, I dyed myself yellow; you can call me ‘Yellow Skin’.”

“Yellow Skin, what exactly are you? Why can you easily merge into gentleman’s clothes and perfectly evade Zion’s detection?”

Hearing Yi Chen’s question, the clothes twitched slightly, as if Yellow Skin was laughing.

“Like the ‘Gentleman’s Skin’ you use to make clothes, I am just a piece of skin produced daily at the Skin Market, only I changed due to some reason, different from the other low-grade skins.

I am superior to them and can naturally control and assimilate them.

Forget about the checks in your small city, even the quality control at the Skin Market can’t detect my presence among normal skins.”

“Why did you come here, since the Skin Market couldn’t detect you either; you should be able to absorb more nutrients there and grow faster, right?

When I previously visited the Old World, I incidentally heard Duke Galerison mention that there seemed to be a sizeable disturbance at the Skin Market, and that it was related to the Yellow Skin. Did you do that?”

“I’m surprised you managed to establish contact with Duke Galerison on your first visit to the Old World. I indeed didn’t choose the wrong person.

You’re right, the Skin Market is like a huge tank of super nutrients for me, and my departure was reluctant.

I was likely born about five hundred years ago, and over the years, I’ve disguised myself as inferior skin, hiding among the markets, growing by absorbing and assimilating, trying to control the entire factory.

But I still underestimated the power of the Origin Disease. I nearly got utterly annihilated; thankfully, I had separated a small piece from the Skin Market in advance and came over here through the ‘Channel’.”

Luckily, right after I came down from the mountains, I encountered a bunch of eye carriers, and through their vision, I spied on you and your teammates.

At first, I just planned to occupy your body, but I didn’t expect you, a mere human, to escape the trap I had set.

Later on, I realized that a skin like me, no matter how much it grows, always remains an ‘Attached Object’. Without attaching to an individual, it can never combat the Origin Disease of the Skin Market.

Unexpectedly, the first person I encountered was the optimal choice.”

These words from Yellow Skin slightly stunned Yi Chen; he hadn’t expected that an important area of the Old World like the Skin Market was truly disrupted by this creature.

“If I agree to cooperate with you, what would be the specific duration? What kind of assistance can you provide me?”

“The same length of time since I was born—five hundred years. As long as you can complete the control over the Skin Market within this period.

As an ‘Attached Object’ during this time, I will provide you assistance surpassing that of inferior skins.

Apart from the previous body suturing,

If your Skin Content can increase further, I can enhance your combat capabilities and even skin modification, letting you experience the real power of the Skin Market.

The ‘Mysterious Skin Market’ as a source of epidemic in the Old World is one of the leading ones.”

Yellow Skin offered a surprisingly lengthy term, far beyond Yi Chen’s expectations. Additionally, Yellow Skin, being superior to ordinary skin, wouldn’t get detected and could offer more support.

Yi Chen naturally wouldn’t refuse such an opportunity, but some things still needed to be clarified beforehand.

“If I meet the First Gentleman and accept his skin, there shouldn’t be any issues with detection, right?”

“Just a ‘Transmitter’, how could it possibly detect my presence? Just live peacefully in this city. As long as you don’t expose yourself, my existence can’t be traced.”

“Okay, then.”

As Yi Chen nodded excessively,

hiss~ from the sleeve of his clothes, strands of yellow thread split and rapidly weaved into a piece of Yellow Paper.

From the other sleeve, a single darker yellow line grew out and wrote out a full page of Old World living text.

In this way, a Yellow Skin Contract fell into Yi Chen’s hands, the content written on it completely consistent with the previous discussion.

“This contract requires you to smear blood over every character on the surface under your voluntary agreement. Once effective, this skin contract will be branded between your souls.

Neither you nor I, should any act of betrayal towards each other occur during the cooperation period, even mere thoughts will be captured, and once confirmed, will be forcibly erased at the soul level.”

It was the first time Yi Chen had seen such an ancient contract, and he gently patted his shoulder.

A black furball quickly emerged, gave the Yellow Paper a careful observation, and then replied:

“No problem, in my vague memories, these ‘Contracts’ written with Old World living text seemed very common in the Old World. Many relationships needed to be maintained through such contracting methods.”

“Hmm,”

Yi Chen promptly cut his wrist to bleed, and as the blood spread over every character on the Yellow Paper, buzz! The surface of the paper trembled.

The Yellow Paper deconstructed back into line structures and became both ethereal and real, untouchable.

In the blink of an eye,

all the lines burrowed into Yi Chen’s navel and disappeared.

Yi Chen could faintly feel a sensation of the lines sliding from deep within his body, seemingly originating from his soul.

“The contract is signed, I won’t disturb your daily life~ I won’t come out unless absolutely necessary, keep it up, young human.”

The Yellow Skin sank deep, like diving underwater, Yi Chen even completely lost perception of it, relying on the contract to feel its presence.

Only a day had passed.

The reward for the Levinhome death incident was approved,

Professor Qian Bosen, as the First Tutor, was responsible for the delivery. The reason was simple: Yi Chen was again permitted to receive Skin from the First Gentleman, and Qian Bosen would guide as usual.

Along the way, Qian Bosen also inquired about Yi Chen’s experiences and immediately understood why Yi Chen was being called again to the Divine Skin Mansion, even harboring slight concerns.

When the two crossed the long bridge and reached the Divine Skin Mansion again,

several clergy clad in stitched Gentleman’s Clothes suddenly blocked their path.

With their lips sewn shut, moving with equal amplitude and frequency, they chorused, “The First Gentleman wants to meet William Behrens alone, companions please wait outside the Mansion.”

This situation made Qian Bosen frown, but he could not defy the First Gentleman’s command and quietly slipped a feather into Yi Chen’s collar via a shoulder pat.

The slight breeze created by turning around carried a message to Yi Chen’s ears:

“If you encounter a situation threatening your life, immediately crush the feather.”

Yi Chen nodded silently, following the clergy to the deep parts of the Divine Skin Mansion with an honest look.

Qian Bosen didn’t wait in place but returned to the academy at the fastest Speed, preparing to meet with Hogni Zed… should something truly happen to Yi Chen, only Zed would be willing and able to help.

“Yi Chen has not yet broken through his Limit, and his Skin Content is only 20%. To be summoned for a private meeting so soon. Is the situation with the First Gentleman truly so dire, or is there some other intention?

In that case, the worst must be prepared for. Let’s hope it’s not needed.”