Chapter 39: Fantasy Time

"So, why did you come to me?" Leon ignored the darkening expression on Razor's face and voiced the question on his mind. "If you truly wanted to surrender, wouldn't it be more appropriate to go to Director Marcus?"

Hearing his inquiry, Razor retorted irritably, "I have no desire to spend the rest of my days on a prison planet. I came to you specifically because I was confident I could escape from you."

"I had originally intended to just leave a note and go. I didn't expect a kid like you to be so vigilant."

At this, the short man couldn't help but roll his eyes. He had been careless; he never imagined that he, an "Assassin," would be tripped up by someone like Leon.

Without waiting for Leon to press further, Razor continued on his own, "I know you all are dying to know who is backing us, but unfortunately, I don't know either. That person is extremely cautious; they only ever allowed Higgins to contact us."

Leon’s face darkened at the mention of the name. Higgins was already dead; he didn't see the point of the smuggling ring leader bringing him up now.

Seeming to read Leon’s thoughts, Razor offered a sheepish smile. "However, I can provide you with another suspect: Cade, the captain of the City Guard. Whenever we entered the city, he was the one who let us through."

"Evidence?" Leon began walking toward the table, speaking as he moved. "You know as well as I do that the Security Bureau cannot arrest a City Guard captain without proof."

Razor watched Leon approach the table and shrugged. "There is no proof. Whether you believe it or not is up to you..."

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Before he could finish his sentence, the room was filled with a flurry of gunfire. Leon grabbed the firearm from the table and emptied the magazine in an instant. With the help of [Basic Firearm Mastery], while he might not have been a sharpshooter, at such close range, it was impossible for him to miss as he had before.

Two shots to the body, one to the head—even the Grim Reaper would shake his head at that.

Unfortunately...

The moment he saw Leon lift what looked like a weapon, Razor let out a strange cry and exclaimed in frustration, "You brat, you play dirty!"

As he spoke, he melded into the shadows at his feet, dodging the incoming bullets, and instantly reappeared from the shadows on the balcony. Razor was drenched in a cold sweat; had his reflexes not been so sharp, he would surely have been wounded by now. Furthermore, he couldn't tell if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but the bullets fired by that kid seemed strangely blurred.

On the other side, seeing this scene unfold, a thought flashed through Leon’s mind: *‘A talent? Or a professional ability?’*

***

Just then, accompanied by a loud crash, a tall figure burst through the wall and into Leon’s room. It was Danika; she had realized something was wrong the moment she heard the gunfire. Or rather, Leon had fired to alert her.

Upon seeing the short silhouette on the balcony, she and Leon lunged toward him in unison. But it was too late; after dropping that final remark, Razor had vanished into the shadows.

"Anyway, I’ve said what I needed to say. Whether you believe it is your business. Hmph!"

Seeing the short man suddenly vanish without a trace, Danika frowned and turned to Leon. "Who was that?"

"The leader of that smuggling ring. He claimed that Cade, the captain of the City Guard, is involved."

At the mention of the "City Guard," Danika fell silent. A storm of thoughts raced through her mind—could the commander of the City Guard himself be the mastermind? She quickly dismissed the notion; if it were her, she certainly wouldn't choose someone with such a clear link to her own identity to do her dirty work. Of course, the possibility of hiding in plain sight could not be ruled out. The truth would depend on the subsequent investigation.

With a long sigh, the tall woman said, "I will report this to the Director."

This was clearly not a matter they could handle on their own. It was then that Danika noticed the firearm in Leon’s hand, which had stopped drawing energy. Seeing the crude magic array on the frame, she remarked with a strange look, "You really are practicing alchemy?"

Danika didn't know that Leon had already succeeded, so she added casually, "Once you learn alchemy, you can go to the Federal Artisan Association to take the exam for a First-Class Artisan certificate. The Bureau provides subsidies for that."

"The Federal Artisan Association?" Leon had a vague sense he had seen that name somewhere before.

Seeing his confusion, Danika explained, "The Federal Artisan Association was originally founded by Lord Steel of the [Star-Forged] to provide a platform for artisans within the Federation to exchange ideas. However, you can only access that platform once you become a recognized artisan. Furthermore, beyond the Federation, the Universal Enterprise Union also recognizes the Association’s artisan certificates... As for the Dawn Empire, they have their own Royal Artisan Association."

Leon silently committed the information to memory, deciding to see what the situation was at the Federal Artisan Association when he had the time.

***

As for whether he should reveal that he had already mastered alchemy, he would wait until he became a First-Class Artisan before considering it.

Danika sighed, "This room is uninhabitable for now. What are your plans? Though, I only paid one month’s rent for you anyway; even without today’s incident, you would have needed to find a new place."

Leon was surprised. He had assumed the housing was provided by the Security Bureau, not rented by Danika.

*‘Fine, a change of scenery is for the best.’*

For Leon, a house with no neighbors was ideal, given his many secrets. If he learned powerful alchemical arrays in the future, he could transform his residence into a private alchemical workshop, much like the mage workshops in the Type-Moon universe. If someone like Razor dared to break in again...

The fantasy was beautiful, but the reality was harsh. Leon only possessed the alchemy provided in the *Detailed Introduction to Alchemy*. However, based on his previous experience transmigrating to the *Under One Person* world, Leon suspected that the worlds he traveled to in the future might also be other fantasy realms. If that were the case, he might eventually have the chance to witness alchemy from worlds like *Dragon Raja* or *Fullmetal Alchemist*.

"Alright, that’s enough for tonight. I’ll go tell the Director and see what he plans to do."

Danika’s voice pulled Leon back to reality. Watching the tall woman walk back through the hole in the wall into her own darkened room, Leon looked down at the "Emperor's New Gun" in his hand. Through his encounter with Razor, he realized this device wasn't as useless as he had thought.

*‘It seems I really do have to visit that Federal Artisan Association.’*