Chapter 93: A Tome?

A Madman’s Guide to Traveling the World

Suddenly, the street, lit only by two desk lamps, became noticeably brighter.

Celt's entire body seemed to ignite, bursting into a plume of white flames.

It was as if an intangible "aura" that existed only conceptually had been materialized into fire visible to the naked eye. It was difficult to describe what it was—a mixture of light, flame, and aura.

The two sheriffs tensed up even more, their hands gripping their pistols tightly.

This wasn't an extraordinary ability; it probably couldn't even be considered a basic attack.

It was simply releasing the spirituality within his body outward.

They could do something similar too, but their spiritual flames could barely ignite their own hands at most.

Being able to ignite one's entire body with spiritual flames meant he was at least a four-mark Law Seeker.

A person's standing is not easily discernible at a glance. Therefore, spiritual flames are one of the most intuitive ways to judge a person's strength.

In other words, even just based on what was currently displayed, the man before them could serve as the Chief of a Public Security Bureau branch even in Reins, the capital of Liastan.

Considering the Nether-Floating Jellyfish in his arms, it wasn't impossible for him to single-handedly massacre the entire Public Security Bureau.

Although it was already late at night, this place wasn't entirely devoid of people.

During his earlier stroll, Celt had noticed several passersby on the roadside—people with worn-out, ragged clothes and numb expressions. They were homeless individuals being driven along by the police.

Many of them had smoked marijuana and were wandering the streets of the East District in a daze.

Filthy, crowded, and stinking—that was the most direct impression of this place.

They had no place to sleep, so they could only wander aimlessly through the streets, occasionally seizing a chance to rest in an inconspicuous corner or on a park bench, only to be chased away again shortly after.

Celt had even considered having Sereia simply devour their souls, letting them die peacefully in a pleasant dream.

But before he could act, he ran into the two sheriffs.

Many of the homeless people noticed the two sheriffs drawing their pistols and immediately fled into the distance, leaving only a few who were too disoriented to keep wandering in a daze.

But precisely because of this, the two sheriffs didn't dare act rashly. They were worried about provoking the wild Law Seeker before them, afraid he might suddenly attack and harm someone.

After all, they suspected Celt was a Law Seeker of 【Absurdity】.

And those of 【Absurdity】 were always unpredictable.

At that moment, Celt quickly distinguished the two sheriffs before him.

One was slightly taller, the other a bit shorter. Their gear and uniforms were identical: a handheld lantern, a pistol, and a baton at the waist.

The one who had been speaking earlier was the shorter one. The taller one had remained silent the entire time, only keeping his gun aimed at Celt and the jellyfish in his arms, who were not far around the corner.

Ordinary people couldn't see the Nether-Floating Jellyfish, but it was strikingly obvious from the perspective of a Law Seeker who had activated their spiritual vision.

It looked like a glowing, bouncy atmosphere lamp.

Their equipment was somewhat special. Both the lanterns and the pistols were adorned with strange markings. It seemed they were prepared for extraordinary incidents in advance.

The two sheriffs' fingers were already on the triggers of their pistols. The slightest movement from Celt or Sereia would prompt them to fire immediately.

Their muzzles were faintly glowing as well; they had attached their spirituality to the tips of their guns.

Facing an unregistered criminal wandering the streets late at night, they had the authority to use force.

Of course, as members of Branch Two of the Public Security Bureau, which specialized in managing extraordinary incidents, they didn't need to fully comply with the law to fire.

However, under the premise of "complying with the law," their actions would be enhanced. When confronting criminals, they could exert power a full tier higher.

The earlier conversation had made the situation a bit tense.

After a brief silence, it was the tall sheriff, who had been quiet all along, who broke the deadlock first.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a special sense of authority, as if each syllable had been chiseled straight from a codex, striking the ground with weight.

"Mr. 'Chord,' unregistered wild Law Seekers are illegal. Raising extraordinary creatures without a permit is also illegal. Raising an extraordinary creature classified as danger level two is equally illegal."

"So, please come with us and complete the registration."

"Rest assured, we will not harm a lawful citizen."

Lawful citizen? But I'm not lawful.

I don't even have identification.

Celt looked at the sheriffs before him and sensed the change in the surrounding environment.

With each law the sheriff cited, Celt felt the air around him grow heavier.

It was like being pressed onto a judgment stand.

"Ah, a Judge," Celt sighed softly.

He recognized that Law Mark immediately—he had one too.

He flicked his finger forward lightly, and the spiritual flames covering his entire body swayed gently. The oppressive feeling immediately popped like a bubble.

He didn't know if there was some kind of suppression of the lower by the higher in this world, but at least he had four Law Marks himself.

He might not be able to deliver a dimension-reducing strike, but he could at least manage a simple comparison of power.

But this action made the Judge before him let out a muffled grunt. Even from a distance, Celt could clearly see red veins appearing in the man's eyes. His upper and lower rows of teeth were clenched tightly together, and his body was trembling slightly.

It seemed breaking through his ability had caused him considerable backlash.

Had he established a Law Contract along the lines of "strengthening the effect but also increasing the cost"?

Celt pondered aimlessly, combining this with the new knowledge he had learned today.

It was learning by analogy.

He was such a diligent student.

"Alright, relax a bit," his voice softened slightly. "I haven't really done anything wrong, have I? There's no need to be so tense."

He released one hand from where it was crossed over his chest, spread his five fingers, and extended it forward, shaking it slightly to show he meant no harm.

But perhaps his gesture looked too much like the start-up animation for a skill, because the two sheriffs before him visibly tensed up even more.

Was this a greeting? Yeah, right. It looked exactly like a hand gesture for a certain godly technique.

Sereia had also felt the brief, invisible pressure in the air from before.

But she didn't react excessively. Being wrapped in Celt's spiritual flames made her feel very safe.

She didn't have eyes, but Celt could sense her watching him.

Celt casually moved the hand he had just extended to the umbrella cap of Sereia, gently stroking it.

"Sigh..." Celt let out a meaningless sigh, tinged with helplessness.

"You two, a little more trust between people wouldn't hurt."

The sheriff who had just been listing Celt's crimes was at least a Judge. The other, Celt sensed, probably had a similar Law Mark related to 【Restraint】.

It seemed most sheriffs were Law Seekers whose Law tendency was mainly 【Restraint】.

Thinking of this, Celt smiled.

He was amused by his own stupid thought.

Wasn't that obvious? If the mainstream Law of a law enforcement agency wasn't 【Restraint】, then what? Could it be 【Corruption】?

There's no way a sheriff would be walking around with a full set of 【Corruption】 Law Marks, right?

Seeing Celt suddenly break into a smile, the two sheriffs in the distance also began assessing the situation.

To be able to effortlessly control a Nether-Floating Jellyfish without being a tamer meant his strength was likely above four marks.

The two of them were one-mark and two-mark respectively. Logically, a four-mark Law Seeker could kill them without much difficulty.

But what they didn't know was that the difficult part was that Celt had only just accommodated these Law Marks less than three days ago, and he had forcibly accommodated them without any regard for reason.

Plus, most of his mana pool was consumed by running the two Law Rhymes inside his body. Under the premise of holding back and not intending to kill the two people before him, it was hard to say whether his actual combat strength even reached three marks.

In other words, it was like a particularly old computer temporarily swapping in a bunch of incompatible parts to run, and then having to run two ultra-high-memory games at max graphics in the background.

It was already a miracle that this computer could even run. You couldn't be too demanding.

But then again, while such a computer would struggle to compete with others in terms of performance, it might not be a bad idea to use it as a bomb.

"Do we really have to fight here?" Celt asked softly, his tone gentle and his posture elegant.

The two sheriffs didn't answer, but their unmoving gun barrels made their "extreme alertness" clear.

The two sheriffs weren't very keen on starting a fight here either, because the population density in this area was far too high.

In the poorest parts of the East District, houses were crammed tightly together, and sometimes an ordinary bedroom could even sleep ten people.

As long as an explosion of moderate size erupted, it could mean the deaths of dozens or even hundreds of people.

They weren't sure if the other party was skilled in large-scale lethal attacks. If a fight broke out here and caused major destruction, many people could die.

Even if no one died, causing massive property damage would be devastating.

The residents here worked hard every day until they were exhausted, yet could barely fill their stomachs. They had no savings. If they were unemployed for just a few days, they would plummet into an abyss from which they couldn't easily escape.

Celt's arm, which was holding Sereia, slowly relaxed.

Sereia floated up lightly, level with his chest, and drifted forward a short distance.

Her ethereal blue phosphorescence rippled through the dark alley like water waves, reflecting the two sheriffs' extremely tense faces and the huge, distorted shadows writhing on the walls.

Defense descending.

It was the Jellyfish Shield.

Celt felt he had instantly gained a 12.5% damage increase.

It could last for 30 seconds.

Celt's voice became gentle, infused with a bit of spirituality so Sereia could also understand.

He looked at Sereia, who was floating not far in front of him and slightly to the side, and said:

"Honey, how about we let you handle them?"

Celt said to Sereia with a smile.

The next instant, Celt saw the two sheriffs immediately shift their gun muzzles towards Sereia.

That was understandable, but Celt suddenly showed an expression of "extreme shock."

"What! You don't have a 'Minor Extraordinary Creature Protection Act' or an 'Endangered Species Protection Act' here?"

That was exactly why he had sent Sereia out.

"There's no such thing," said the shorter sheriff.

"Then your judiciary system is quite incomplete," Celt remarked critically.

"Those kinds of things were never necessary," the sheriff immediately retorted.

The sheriff with the "Judge" Law Mark was clearly more knowledgeable about the law. He didn't lower his gun muzzle but spoke in a deep voice:

"Even if such a law did exist, your current situation, you and this 'Musical Instrument' miss, would not be covered under its protection."

"When a citizen's life is under imminent threat, the law establishes the principle that 'the right to life outweighs wildlife protection.'"

"Adhering to the principle of 'citizens' right to life first,' it is lawful and necessary for the police to shoot and kill a rampaging beast to protect the safety of the public."

Seeing Celt hiding behind the jellyfish, the sheriff paused before continuing.

"Furthermore, given your current behavior, I could also charge you with animal abuse."

This added another crime to the list.

An endless list of crimes.

"I see," Celt nodded.

He was kind of a legal illiterate. He really didn't know that.

"Alright, let me handle it," he said softly to Sereia, gently pushing her aside.

Sereia was very obedient. She floated gracefully and quietly behind Celt.

Celt took a few steps forward, walking one step at a time towards the two sheriffs.

With each step forward, his spiritual flames grew stronger.

The aura from "Royal Blood" pressed down on the two men, making it hard for them to breathe.

Although he couldn't exert its full effect, it was still a Law Rhyme from a Law Contemplator, and it received a boost within the borders of Liastan.

Every step Celt took forward increased his momentum.

Soon, he stopped less than two meters in front of them. Even though he was looking at them at eye level, it felt as if he was looking down on them from a great height, creating a suffocating sensation.

Celt's golden, vertical pupils stared at the two before him. He lightly raised his left hand, and "The Lunatic's World Travel Guide" appeared in his grasp.

The Travel Guide rustled open on its own, stopping at a specific page.

Celt was just about to retrieve a few small trinkets made by Samuel from the Travel Guide's storage section to use as weapons when he noticed the two sheriffs suddenly stiffen, their expressions filled with terror.

Huh?

Just a moment ago, when he was applying mental pressure, the two weren't that terrified. Why were they suddenly chickening out now?

Celt nonchalantly glanced at the book in his hand, then chuckled softly: "Are you afraid of me?"

"Sir, you jest," the sheriff who had spoken before said, his tone suddenly much drier and his posture considerably lower.

They didn't know Celt's exact strength.

But every sheriff had taken the same class during their induction training.

He remembered the teacher's instruction clearly:

"When facing a wild Law Seeker, you must act within your limits. You are the vital forces of the Public Security Bureau. When confronting a powerful Law Seeker you cannot defeat, your primary task is to protect yourselves, because you need to relay the enemy's information."

"And you must remember the following situations."

"If the other party suddenly pulls out a gem, a book, or a scepter from thin air before the fight, and they haven't committed a major crime, and you're not sure of their true strength, then you yield first. Because it means the other party might be a Law Contemplator."

"What if someone's faking it? Bullshit, you need to use your brains! Rule out those that are clearly Law Objects. Rule out those whose strength you can roughly estimate."

"As for those whose strength you can't gauge, who suddenly produce such items, and you feel their items aren't Law Objects, and you can't tell if they're bluffing—in this case, you yield. As long as it's not an absolutely necessary fight, you yield a bit."

"What, you want to bet your life on whether they're the real deal?"

"You get the information out first. Check whether it's real or not later."

This was exactly the situation the teacher had described.

They were certain Celt wasn't bluffing.

The spiritual flames on Celt were almost burning them from several meters away.

Under these circumstances, the situation was clear.

Standing before them now was a Law Contemplator, a madman, a lunatic who might have lived for over a hundred years.

And one who walked the path of 【Absurdity】—the king of kings among lunatics.