After his shift, Stirling rushed back to Dojo and found Master Kim.

  "You want to enter the inner city?" Master Kim was a bit surprised and asked Stirling.

  "Yes, Master." Stirling answered.

  "What's wrong? Not happy with work here?" Master Kim frowned.

  "Not really, Master; I can make more money in the inner city." Stirling rubbed his hands together and smiled awkwardly.

  "..."

  "Money-grubber?" Master Kim nearly ripped out his beard. He scrutinized his youngest disciple again, then said:

  "The relationships is complex there. The pay is better, but the strength needed is greater. To be frank, now isn't your time to go."

  "However, since you made the decision, I won't stop you. Your third senior brother, Pillnar, is a vice captain of the Night Watch in the inner city. This makes things easier. I'll write him a letter; whether it works out depends on your luck."

  Stirling realized that Master Kim's influence had already settled half the issue. He bowed to Master Kim and said: "Thank you, Master!"

  ...

  September 17th.

  Stirling finished his shift as usual and headed towards the dojo.

  Upon returning to Dojo, Stirling noticed a familiar figure in the front yard.

  It was Pillnar! Pillnar was chatting with Master Kim in the courtyard. Then, Master Kim pointed at Stirling, who had just come in. Pillnar turned to look at Stirling.

  Stirling strode forward and bowed with honor to both of them. "Master, Senior!"

  "Pillnar, this is your seventh junior, Luis Chilavert." Master Kim said.

  Pillnar looked Stirling up and down, a rare smile appearing on his usually stony face.

  "A promising talent. I heard from Master that you have got to the Bone Forging stage?"

  "Yes, Senior," Stirling replied.

  "Wanting to go to the inner city shows ambition, which is great. But your Bone Forging level is still not strong enough."

  Pillnar noticed Stirling's steady expression. He nodded a tad and said, "Yet, the team is short-handed. I will recommend you for a position as a clerk."

  Stirling was secretly delighted.

  A clerk was a low-level official who registered documents in the archives. This role had no rank and was considered marginal. Others would, as a matter of course, look down on this lowly job, even considering it an insult.

  But Stirling was different. He was going to the inner city to cultivate, on the down-low, to find a discreet place to develop his skills. Being a patrol officer meant always being on the move, which wasn't as appealing as this clerk's job.

  Stirling immediately bowed and said, "Thank you very much, Senior!"

  Pillnar felt astonished to see Stirling take the clerk position without a heisatation. In his original plan, this lowly position was an excuse to inspire his junior brother. It aimed at encouraging him to work harder on his cultivation. Then, Luis might get better opportunities as his strength improved. However, his junior looked happy about it. Shouldn't a samurai's duty be to vanquish demons and monsters? A lowly clerk, living a life of ease and comfort, is hardly what an authentic samurai like him would seek. He looked at Master Kim, only to see the old man with an innocent, indifferent expression. With a hint of disdain in his heart, Pillnar took out a badge from his robes, handing it to Stirling:

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  "Come straight to Night Watch in the inner city before roll call tomorrow."

  With that, Pillnar bowed to Master Kim in farewell and left the dojo in a rush. After seeing Pillnar off, Master Kim and Stirling walked and talked:

  "Seven, the inner city is a complex place with many factions. Once inside, do more and talk less. Listen, Dojo is your home forever, we welcome your back anytime. Don't be lazy; I'll be checking your progress from time to time."

  Seeing Stirling readily agree and his humble attitude, Master Kim felt satisfied. Unlike Pillnar, the old man didn't want to keep Stirling by his side right now for some reasons. Therefore, he was completely open to Seven's choices. He then gave Stirling some more instructions on cultivation before easily departing.

  Stirling stood alone in the courtyard. He looked at the bronze-patterned badge in his hand, a little excited because things went well. Now, he could almost see mountains of hematopoietic pills beckoning to him.

  The next morning, Stirling retrieved some items he had hidden in the house and packed them into his bag. He then left the dojo and headed towards the inner city.

  In the outer city, Night Watch, someone from the inner city would come to help with Stirling's job change that morning.

  Upon arriving at the inner-city gate, a squad of armored soldiers blocked Stirling's path.

  These soldiers were not just usual ones; they were all samurai from the Skin-Resurfacing Stage. Wearing iron armor, they worked in squads of about twelve. They were highly skilled and, with the formed team, could instantly kill regular Bone-Forging Level cultivators. Even those at the Visceral Irrigating Stage would flee.

  Only a Blood-Boiling Grandmaster, fierce like a lion or tiger, could face a hundred armored samurai and handle them.

  Stirling took out the badge Pillnar had given him and handed it to the armored guard at the gate.

  The guard just looked at the badge and let him through. This showed that Night Watch's identity gave him enormous advantages in the inner city.

  Stirling stepped without difficulty through the gate. At that moment, he had entered a new world, the heart of Farfield City, the inner city. The buildings in the inner city differed completely from those in the outer city. The streets were not only clean and wide but also well maintained. Even though it was still early, there were already quite a few pedestrians on the streets. They were well-dressed and walked without a hitch. It was clear they enjoyed a better standard of living than those in the outer city.

  Stirling looked around as he walked. He noticed a big difference between the inner and outer cities.

  Quiet. The inner city was eerily quiet. There were many pedestrians, but they whispered. Their faces looked calm, showing confidence. In contrast with the inner city, the outer city felt different. Here, vendors and passers-by were loud and lively. Being quiet would draw disapproval.

  Stirling chuckled, then ignored it and walked straight along the central street.

  Before going into the inner city, Stirling asked where the Night Watch's offices were. In the government district on the right-hand side of the central street. In over half an hour, Stirling arrived at the entrance of the Night Watch in the inner city.

  A group of watchmen in white flying cloud robes stood at the entrance, waiting for roll call. Stirling's arrival drew the attention of several people.

  "Luis, over here!" Pillnar saw him and waved.

  Stirling ran to Pillnar's side at once. " Senior." Stirling greeted.

  "Yes, I'll show you around in a bit, then take you to report for duty." Pillnar said.

  Hearing Pillnar and Stirling talk, the surrounding people showed different expressions. Some smiled with welcome, while others looked on with wary indifference.

  On Stirling's first day with the Night Watch in the outer city, everyone chatted well. In the inner city, things were very different. Stirling realized the Night Watch factions there were likely deeply divided.

  Stirling and the others waited a bit longer until the Night Watch doors opened at last.

  The group filed in, with Stirling right behind Pillnar. The Night Watch headquarters in the inner city were huge, over twice the size of the outer city's base. Most importantly, the officers split into two teams upon entering.

  One team entered to the left; the other to the right. Pillnar, with Stirling, headed to the right.

  There was a small courtyard on each side. Stirling led the group down a long corridor to the right courtyard. There, a man stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for them.

  "Pillnar whispered to Stirling as they entered, 'This is our captain, Sacchi. He's a late-stage viscera-irrigating expert."

  "Sure, an expert." Stirling nodded, his expression one of complete agreement.