r18novel Chapter 3 Witch
Chapter 3 Witch
Backland, Joewood area.
After changing into a black trench coat and putting on a baseball cap to disguise himself, Lorne arrived in front of a bar called Grizzly Bear.
This is where the original owner bought potion ingredients. Today, he also planned to try his luck and see if he could find any clues about the 'Assassin' potion.
Looking at the heavy-looking door in front of him and the burly man with a fierce expression standing in front of it, Lorne didn't hesitate for long before pushing the door open and walking in.
The burly man in front of the door glanced at Lorne a few times but did not stop him.
As he pushed open the door, a strong smell of tobacco mixed with alcohol hit him, causing Lorne to frown slightly. He looked up at the center of the bar, the noisiest place in the entire place. There was a boxing ring there, where two boxers were engaged in a fierce battle, surrounded by a group of people screaming and shouting.
Lorne had no intention of watching the fight. He straightened his hat, clenched his fists, and carefully examined everyone around him, fearing that some pickpocket might steal his meager savings.
Following the flow of people, Lorne squeezed his way to the bar. He glanced at the menu in front of the bar and said to the bartender:
"A South Wales beer, please."
"Seven pence," the bartender said familiarly, glancing at him.
Lorne looked down, counted a few coins, and handed them to the other person.
The bartender turned around and handed him a glass filled with a golden liquid.
"Food prices are high lately, so beer is naturally a bit more expensive too," the bartender suddenly said.
You don't need to remind me of this.
Lorne felt a pang of heartache when he thought about the grain his father had taken from him by the bank.
Lorne picked up the glass and took a sip. The taste was initially bitter, then sweet, with an exceptionally refreshing flavor. It was completely different from the green glass-bottled beer he had drunk before he transmigrated.
"Is 'Bottle' there? I need to talk to him."
Upon hearing this, the bartender looked up and sized him up before saying, "He's in the innermost room on the second floor."
"Thank you." Lorne intended to leave immediately, but as soon as he stood up, he suddenly remembered something, picked up his wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp. After all, the price of that glass of wine was equivalent to two days' worth of his breakfast money.
Lorne arrived at the door of the room on the second floor, and with a gentle push, the door opened slightly.
A burly man holding a wine glass looked at him with hostility.
"I'm looking for 'the bottle'," Lorne added.
"I was here just a few days ago."
……
"Come in." An old man with white hair and a face full of scars walked out of the shadows of the room.
He wore a burgundy plaid turtleneck cotton vest on top and dark gray wool twill pants on the bottom.
He was at least 1.75 meters tall, which was quite tall for that era. His sharp eyes gave him a commanding presence.
As for his appearance, look at his fleshy face and tall stature.
Lorne thought of a word—Fussack.
By world standards, he has the typical appearance of a Fusak.
The man holding the wine glass said nothing, turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"The Bottle" sized up Lorne and recognized him, then asked, "So it's you, kid. What do you want this time?"
"I'm here to gather information. I'd like to ask if you know anything about 'assassins'?" Lorne asked.
"An assassin? Who are you going to assassinate?" 'Bottle' was startled.
"Not an assassin, but... like the formula I bought before."
"The Bottle" pondered for a moment and replied, "No, I don't have that information. However, I can try to find out for you."
"Alright then." Lorne was a little disappointed. Since there was no news, he didn't plan to stay any longer and turned to leave.
However, the "bottle" stopped him, saying, "Since you paid so readily before, I can take you somewhere where you might find what you're looking for."
Can you find a potion recipe?
Is this an extraordinary gathering?
Lorne became interested and nodded in agreement, saying, "Okay, thank you."
The bottle nodded slightly and made a gesture to Lorne.
"Cough—ho—cough cough cough!"
Lorne didn't understand and didn't do anything.
Two pounds!
Seeing that Lorne had stopped moving, "The Bottle" said, "I want a two-pound referral fee."
Lorne realized what was happening and handed the "bottle" two one-pound notes.
He felt a pang of regret; two pounds was nearly two thousand dollars in purchasing power.
"You're acting a bit strange, kid."
The man in the wine bottle took the money and said something.
"Are you free in three days?" Seeing Lorne nod, 'Bottle' glanced at the clock on the wall and continued, "Okay, come find me at this time in three days, and I'll take you there."
"I'll also try to find out some information for you in other circles over the next couple of days, and I'll let you know in three days."
Lorne thanked "Bottle" and left Grizzly Bar quickly without lingering.
Lorne didn't return to 69 Rose Street until nearly midnight. He was too late and missed the last public carriage. And carriages running at this hour were usually very expensive.
To save money, Lorne had no choice but to walk back. Of course, Lorne wasn't used to the bumpy carriage rides of this era anyway.
He tiptoed back to his room, quickly washed up, took off his coat, and went straight to bed. He was exhausted after a long day.
…………
a few days later.
In a small alley near Lorne's house, Lorne was carrying a large pile of things and hurrying home.
He switched the canvas bag to his left hand, and in his right hand he held two small fresh fish, swaying them back and forth with his steps.
The bag contained bread, vegetables, and half a ham.
He currently has no income, and eating out every day is a luxury, so he bought some ingredients to solve his own food problem.
The original owner was a pampered young master who had rarely even been to the kitchen, but as a single college student, he could still cook some basic dishes.
"Two fish for eight pence, vegetables for four pence, bread..." Lorne looked down and calculated the bill; these ingredients were enough for him to eat for several days.
The only regret was that he couldn't find rice at the market and had to eat bread with vegetables, which made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Maybe I could try making some steamed buns or something."
"Eh?"
Lorne noticed an orange figure following him.
猫？
Lorne turned around and saw an orange cat staring intently at the fish in his hand.
"You're hungry too." Lorne slowed his pace. The cat immediately took two steps back, its tail tip thrashing nervously against the ground, but its meows grew longer and longer.
"A stray cat? Never mind, here's one for you." Lorne tossed a fish to it.
The orange cat took a half step back, its nose trembling above the fish. Suddenly, it pressed its front paws down on the fish's tail, making a gurgling sound in its throat, not even bothering to shake off the bone fragments stuck to its whiskers.
Lorne seemed touched by this scene. He bent down and reached out to gently stroke the orange cat's back.
He felt the cat tremble slightly, but it didn't react violently and just let him stroke it gently.
Lorne had the idea of adopting it, since he was all alone now and it would be nice to have a companion.
I just don't know if Mrs. Griffin will allow me to keep pets.
Perhaps we could move to a bigger house.
"Sigh, I have no money." Lorne sighed softly.
Over the past two days, he had considered using his advantages as a transmigrator to find ways to make money, but...
Lorne cursed that Emperor Roselle in his mind.
That guy is definitely a time traveler, but whether he's like Lorne who transmigrated into a book is hard to say.
But that guy was definitely not a good person; he blocked the path for all the time travelers.
He was a politician, a scientist, an inventor, and even an emperor.
They even became plagiarists.
They take various famous works, anime, and celebrity quotes, give them a different world's veneer, and publish them as their own.
He also copied steam engines for boiling water, firearms, various machines, clothing designs, and even underwear.
He doesn't act like a transmigrator predecessor at all. If he's going to eat the meat, at least let the younger generation have some soup. And he calls himself Caesar the Great, even copying that title. Why doesn't he just call himself the Heavenly Khan?
It was precisely because of this that many of Lorne's original plans could no longer be implemented. Some of the plagiarism, cough cough... borrowing that transmigrators often do when starting out was completely impossible.
Before his transmigration, Lorne was a college student majoring in mechanical and electrical engineering. But this world didn't have computers, or even electric lights. He used to do 3D modeling on computers all his time in college. He had almost forgotten how to draw purely handmade mechanical drawings. In his original era, purely mechanical designs had long since lost their market value; only those with some electrical components had any market demand.
But this era only has machines, not electromechanical systems! Purely mechanical systems are better than those with electrical components.
"Perhaps I could write a book too." Lorne began to consider becoming a plagiarist. Although Roselle had already copied quite a few books, there were always some he had missed.
I remember that the original owner of this body had a pen pal relationship with a novelist. Lorne lowered his head and began to recall some details.
She seems to be a female writer; she had written to her before she became famous. The original owner of this body always liked to use her books to flaunt her unique taste.
Although he didn't particularly like the author, he was just using it as a social gimmick. The two had exchanged many letters, and at least their relationship seemed good in their correspondence.
The novel she wrote, I think it's called *Stormy Mountain Villa*, and it's quite a bestseller. Perhaps I could write to her and ask if she could offer any suggestions.
"Whoa—!"
"What?"
The orange cat, who was munching on fish, suddenly bristled and let out a low growl. For some reason, Lorne, who was deep in thought, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"I heard you want to become an assassin."
A melodious yet alluring female voice drifted over.