Meanwhile, after running away from Lucian, Cifera immediately slipped into the sewers and hid herself deep within the maze-like tunnels.
Only here could she find a trace of safety.
Even though the air was damp and foul, carrying the stench of stagnant water and waste, compared to the people hunting her down, this place felt far more welcoming.
After all, those nobles, missionaries, and soldiers would never willingly step into the filthy, foul-smelling sewers just to catch a single girl.
'Who was that guy just now?'
Leaning against the cold stone wall, Cifera finally managed to calm herself and gather her thoughts, carefully recalling everything that had happened.
From what she understood, it seemed that man had grabbed her at the very moment she was about to jump off the city wall. At the same time, those pursuers who had been closing in on her had probably been dealt with by him as well.
'Had that guy saved me?'
Just as that thought emerged in her mind, she immediately shook her head.
'No, no, no, this has gotta be a setup, tryna win my trust—I won't fall for that again!'
Cifera, having learned long ago that trusting people too easily only led to disappointment, had her gaze hardened by vigilance.
Suppressing those thoughts, she reached into her worn bag and took out a small, hard piece of bread before stuffing it into her mouth. It was dry enough to scratch her throat, but she chewed and swallowed it anyway.
Because she had lost the bread she had stolen earlier during the pursuit, the tiny piece of bread, a leftover from yesterday, was her entire meal for the day. Tomorrow, she would have to find something else to eat, or her stomach would never stop growling.
As she slowly finished the last few bites, the cramped sewer tunnel once again fell silent, leaving only the distant sound of dripping water echoing through the darkness.
===
Meanwhile, not long after Cifera ran away and disappeared, Lucian returned to the vicinity of that pot-bellied priest, looking at him from afar—bloated with fat, dripping with wealth, and still standing there deceiving commoners out of their hard-earned money.
Just like before, the priest's face was still filled with false compassion as he preached from the platform, while the crowd below listened attentively and continued offering up their valuables without the slightest suspicion.
Curious about his new conceptual ability, Lucian stood about twenty meters away and pondered for a moment before ultimately using Omnisteal on the priest. As the ability's description had indicated, a visible empty space resembling the opening of a pocket immediately appeared before him.
Needless to say, this was the so-called pocket dimension that allowed him to randomly steal a target's possessions.
Lucian observed the pocket dimension for a moment, studying its appearance, before finally reaching into it and grabbing something at random.
In the next moment, he actually pulled something out—it was a phantom-like orb labeled 'Ten Years of Lifespan.'
'Ten years of lifespan? Useless.'
If given to others, ten years of lifespan would likely spark fierce competition and even bloodshed, but Lucian was an Emanator of Abundance, so lifespan was largely meaningless to him.
Ten seconds later, the phantom-like orb in his hand finally solidified.
'Oh, so that's what 'determined after ten seconds' means? Before it's determined, the stolen item can still be returned, and I can't use it yet...'
Omnisteal was unexpectedly a conceptual ability governed by underlying principles rather than a simple theft skill.
Feeling nothing unusual from the orb, Lucian absorbed it, increasing his lifespan by a full ten years before reaching out once again and continuing to use Omnisteal on the priest.
Jewelry, coins, gemstones—in just a short while, Lucian amassed a considerable haul. One item after another appeared in his hands before being conveniently transferred into the System's storage space.
Meanwhile, on the high platform, as the priest continued speaking endlessly, a guard standing beside him gradually frowned and leaned closer to whisper in his ear.
"Priest, the jewelry and money seem to be decreasing..."
Upon hearing that, the pot-bellied priest immediately glared at him.
"Nonsense! I've been watching the whole time! Who could possibly steal right under my nose—"
While scolding the guard, the priest looked more closely and soon paused as he realized that the pile of treasure had indeed decreased.
For a moment, the priest blinked and rubbed his eyes repeatedly, making sure he wasn't seeing things. However, after noticing that the pile of treasure had decreased again right before his eyes, his expression instantly changed.
"Who's stealing them?! Seal off the area!"
Just like that, the priest's furious roar echoed throughout the square.
At once, the entire square descended into chaos.
Guards rushed in all directions, while many commoners looked around in confusion, trying to figure out what was happening.
Seeing the scene unfold, Lucian merely smiled, completely unmoved as he continued using Omnisteal on the priest.
However, the next item he stole was somewhat unexpected.
'What the hell? Is this his damn brain...?'
Yes.
In Lucian's hand, a phantom-like brain appeared. It was reddish in color and covered in a layer of slimy liquid, making for such an unpleasant sight that even his expression became slightly strange.
'Is this what 'body parts' means?'
Lucian thought in surprise, not quite expecting that stealing body parts was meant literally.
Did that mean he could also steal leg hair, blood vessels, a heart, a liver, a spleen, lungs, or kidneys?
In that case, he should probably wear gloves next time.
Ten seconds later, the priest's phantom-like brain finally solidified, and at that same moment, the fat priest who had been speaking endlessly on the platform suddenly froze.
At first, his eyes rolled upward, and then his enormous body collapsed heavily onto the platform with a loud thud, sending all the guards into panic and chaos.
"Priest!"
"What happened?!"
"Call a healer!"
Shouts immediately erupted from every direction.
Lucian glanced at the chaos unfolding on the platform, then casually threw the brain away, causing it to hit the ground and break apart with a wet splat, much like a block of soft tofu hitting the floor.
Still not satisfied, he used Omnisteal on the priest's corpse once again, but this time there was no reaction—the conceptual ability failed to activate altogether.
'Looks like once the target dies, nothing can be stolen...'
Done with the test, Lucian had roughly understood how Omnisteal worked.
It was essentially stealing without being detected, practically making it a god-tier thieving skill. More importantly, it completely ignored distance, physical contact, and defense.
Satisfied, Lucian turned and calmly left the square, intending to buy a house in Dolos first and gain Cipher's trust later.
While wandering around and searching for a house for sale, he used Omnisteal repeatedly, stealing money and jewelry from a few nobles he happened to pass by. Every time something valuable appeared in his hand, it disappeared into storage a moment later.
'Honestly, stealing does have a certain thrill to it—it's a bit addictive.'
Only after he stopped obtaining anything useful did Lucian finally lose interest and stop using Omnisteal.
During his stealing spree, he unfortunately hadn't managed to steal anything abstract, such as intelligence or something similar, even once, which indicated that the drop rate for such things was probably quite low.
Nonetheless, the amount of wealth he had accumulated in just a few hours was already enough to make most thieves weep with envy.
Before nightfall, Lucian ultimately used the stolen money to purchase a large single-story house by the street, complete with a beautiful front yard surrounded by decorative fencing, and moved in with great satisfaction.
After taking a brief tour of the property and confirming that everything was in acceptable condition, he finally settled down for the night, feeling fairly satisfied with the results of the day.
===
Early the next morning, the streets of Dolos had only just begun to awaken as the first rays of sunlight spilled across the city, dispelling some of the lingering gloom left behind by the night.
Yet the air still carried a complex scent—a mixture of damp stone, dust, refuse, and the faint aroma of freshly baked bread drifting from nearby shops.
With his hands tucked into his pockets, Lucian strolled leisurely along a relatively quiet street, looking every bit like a carefree idler as he glanced left and right, taking in his surroundings.
Since he was already in Cipher's hometown, it wasn't a bad idea to learn more about the place. He could treat it as a casual sightseeing trip while broadening his understanding of the world.
As time passed, the streets gradually grew livelier.
Shopkeepers opened their storefronts, workers prepared for the day's labor, and pedestrians moved about in small groups.
A few moments later, when he turned a corner, Lucian suddenly stopped.
At this moment, his gaze fell on the entrance of an alley ahead—or more precisely, on a large trash bin beside the entrance, one that emitted a sour, rotten stench capable of making most people instinctively avoid it.
In front of the large trash bin, a small, gray, dust-covered girl stood on tiptoe, with nearly half of her body disappearing into the enormous container.
Her thin arms struggled as she dug through piles of discarded waste, and after considerable effort, with something unknown clinging to her messy gray hair, she finally pulled out a rotten fruit and immediately took a large bite without the slightest hesitation.
Her cat ears trembled slightly from the exertion, while her tail hung stiffly behind her.
Needless to say, the girl was none other than Cipher, who now appeared to be only about eight years old and was still known as Cifera.
From her practiced yet urgent movements, it was obvious that this wasn't the first time she had done something like that.
Lucian understood that she was searching for anything that could fill her stomach, anything that could be sold for a few coins, or anything else that might help her survive another day. Alert and disheveled, yet stubbornly resilient, she closely resembled the stray cats lurking in the corners of the city, rummaging through garbage just to stay alive.
He silently watched her for a moment, his expression remaining unchanged, before he suddenly turned around and walked into a nearby bakery that had only recently opened.
A few minutes later, he emerged holding a large loaf of bread that was still steaming, releasing an enticing wheat aroma into the air. Its golden-brown surface had been baked to crisp perfection, with sesame seeds sprinkled across the top, making it look warm, fresh, and delicious.
Placed beside the foul-smelling trash bin and the half-rotten fruit in Cifera's hand, the contrast was almost ironic.
Holding the bread, Lucian walked toward the entrance of the alley and stopped a few steps away from her.
Hearing approaching footsteps, Cifera abruptly pulled her head out of the trash bin and spun around, her eyes filled with vigilance.
As soon as she recognized the mysterious and powerful man from yesterday, her blue pupils shrank sharply, and her entire body instantly tensed.
Almost instinctively, she stepped backward until her back pressed against the cold wall behind her. At the same time, she raised her arms into a defensive posture, while the fur on her tail visibly puffed up, making her look like a frightened stray cat that had suddenly encountered a dangerous predator.
"Hey, hey—no, wait—meow, meow. Stop digging through the trash and just eat this."
Lucian extended the bread toward Cifera as he spoke in a teasing tone, a gentle smile resting on his face.
Unfortunately, not only did Cifera refuse to take it, but she even took several more steps back.
He could clearly see that the vigilance in her eyes had not diminished in the slightest.
If anything, it had become even stronger.
It couldn't really be blamed on her.
In the past, someone had once used food to lure her closer, only to try to capture her afterward.
Fortunately, she had been quick enough to escape.
Now that someone was using the same method again, there was no way she would fall for it a second time.
"Tryna trick me? Not a chance!"
Cifera shouted angrily in her childish voice before suddenly turning around and bolting away.
Seeing that, Lucian couldn't help but feel somewhat helpless.
It was clear that trying to reason with her wasn't going to accomplish anything. However, if he allowed her to run away again, there was no telling when he would encounter her next.
As such, he decided to act decisively this time.
*Whoosh!*
In the blink of an eye, Lucian's figure disappeared from where he stood, and an instant later, he was already standing directly behind Cifera, his hand shooting forward to grab the back of her collar.
Cifera, who had always been proud of her speed and agility, couldn't react at all before she felt the back of her collar being grabbed.
"L-LET GO! OR I'LL BITE YOU!"
As if Lucian were some terrifying villain about to drag her away and slaughter her, Cifera immediately began struggling with all her strength.
Her small hands flailed wildly as she attempted to scratch him.
Her tail stood completely on end.
Her cat ears flattened against her head.
Even her entire body trembled slightly from fear and panic.
"Quiet down, kitty."
*Pa!*
Lucian flicked Cifera's forehead with a finger, and in the next second, her body instantly went limp, and her eyes rolled back, clearly indicating that she had lost consciousness.
Of course, the force behind the flick had been controlled with extreme precision—just enough to knock her out temporarily without causing the slightest injury.
"Dirty, stinky kitty. You're pretty lucky to get a chance like this, having me wash you myself."
As he made that casual remark, Lucian adjusted his grip and lifted Cifera into a princess carry.
In the next moment, without attracting anyone's attention, his figure vanished from the alley as though he had never been there at all, leaving behind nothing but the foul-smelling trash bin and the half-eaten, rotten fruit on the ground.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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