The Gentleman at the End of the World

Chapter 27: The First Gentleman

While Yi Chen was affected by the 'flaying' from deep within the mansion, Qian Bosen deliberately paused to wait, but offered no assistance.

Several minutes passed.

When Yi Chen recovered, Qian Bosen quietly gave an evaluation.

"If next time you can resist the [Whispers of the God Skin] through your own will, that would be even better.

Next, we still need to walk for half an hour.

Before meeting the First Gentleman,

I have some personal questions I want to ask you."

"Alright."

"During your process of eradicating the 'Observer' at the bottom of the lake, what else did you experience? Did you see any special scenes beyond the assessment area?"

Yi Chen had no intention of concealing anything.

He described in detail his experience of being mentally invaded by the giant eye, and his consciousness being packaged and sent to the abyssal laboratory,

Especially the epic music echoing in his mind,

That silhouette and attire symbolizing the final form of fish,

And the golden frame that appeared above his head.

Just as Yi Chen was about to say the ancient name on the frame,

Slap!

Qian Bosen, walking in front, turned around at lightning speed and covered Yi Chen's mouth with his hand.

"Refrain from calling out such ancient, origin-nature names.

Not only will it cause serious, fundamental pathological effects on yourself,

It may even expose the specific location of Zion and the God Skin Mansion.

Considering you haven't fully joined the organization yet and this is your first offense, we'll let this matter slide.

The fact that you survived under such circumstances indeed qualifies you to meet [The First Gentleman]."

"Mr. Qian Bosen, what exactly was that fish entity in the abyss?"

"An ancient existence, related to [The Origin]... an existence far beyond your reach. Even I only know the tip of the iceberg.

As for more information, when you reach a sufficient level, you can seek it out yourself.

Let's not digress,

Tell me about your experience in the Seven-Day Cemetery."

"Alright."

Upon learning that Yi Chen was just an ordinary outsourced employee without any training,

Qian Bosen was quite surprised.

A completely ordinary person, merely with enhanced senses, actually managed to kill an [Initial Stage Pathologized Individual]... such a case was almost unheard of in all areas under the organization's jurisdiction.

Not to mention, Yi Chen even accepted the 'pathological traits' afterwards.

"No wonder Albert actively recommended you~ I believe [The First Gentleman] will also be gratified to have such a special new blood join the organization."

As they chatted,

The two had already descended a hundred meters down the spiral staircase.

Qian Bosen took out a special high-level seal to unlock the sealed iron door at the bottom of the staircase.

Creak~

Since they had been moving through narrow spaces like wall cracks and spiral staircases before, a sense of claustrophobia filled the brain.

As the iron door opened,

The sense of space expanded dozens of times, and warm candlelight welcomed them, sweeping away the claustrophobia.

However,

Yi Chen felt no relief at all, instead feeling even more oppressed and uneasy.

The so-called [depths of the mansion]

Turned out to be a medieval church buried deep underground.

High central nave, low side aisles, long rows of clustered columns guiding visitors towards the altar.

However, this underground church had no window structures,

Seemingly unwilling to accept the divine light descending from heaven,

Also unwilling to communicate with 'above' in any form.

Replacing the windows were square niches carved into the walls, with candles placed inside,

Creating light artificially,

Indicating certain beliefs and determination of the organization.

Next came the most unsettling and bizarre 'design' and 'individual' that made Yi Chen extremely uneasy

[Above the Altar]

A 'human' of uncertain life or death was suspended,

The reason for using quotation marks was that although the flesh structure and proportions were the same as humans, it stood nearly six meters tall.

A middle-aged face peeked through the disheveled white hair hanging down.

Covering the body was an old, hole-ridden black suit with some patches.

≮Additional Organs≯

Six additional foreign organs were sewn onto the body, only 4 visible externally.

1. A decrepit arm installed on the right shoulder blade,

2. A sea-blue eye embedded in the back of the head,

3. An ear attached to the back of the right hand,

4. A spine covered with skin, connected to the lumbar vertebrae, extending out like a tail,

The following are not visible:

5. A piece of white skin with strange tattoos sewn onto the chest,

6. A human-faced heart, completely implanted in the right side of the chest, functioning normally.

The above six foreign organs were all taken from previous [First Gentlemen], carrying their characteristics and will from when they were alive.

≮Suspension Method≯

Chains from the church ceiling,

Wrapped around the limbs,

Nailed into the skin of the back,

Horizontally piercing through the back of the neck,

The entire body suspended above the altar in a cruciform shape.

These chains touching the flesh seemed to be imbued with some vitality, the cold steel becoming warm, even growing flesh-colored skin on the surface.

This was the current [First Gentleman], the seventh master of the God Skin Mansion - Alexis King Claude.

『So this is the First Gentleman...』

Upon seeing this sight,

Yi Chen became doubtful and even nervous about the commendation he was about to receive.

As he approached the steps in front of the altar along with the White Owl,

The First Gentleman slowly opened his eyes.

At that moment,

Yi Chen's skin all over his body began to writhe.

"Since the review panel has given you such high praise, step onto the final sacred stairs and accept my skin."

"Yes."

Yi Chen finally understood,

The highest tier reward in the assessment, the 'Gentleman's Skin', was taken directly from the master of the God Skin Mansion.

Although unaware of the [Skin]'s use,

It would undoubtedly greatly aid his future development.

Huff... taking a deep breath

Yi Chen didn't hesitate much,

Trying his best to maintain a standard posture and elegant demeanor,

Just as he stepped onto the stairs,

Clang clang~ the chains moved

The previously suspended First Gentleman Claude landed on the altar, bending down to look at the small young man before him,

"Come into contact with me."

At the same time, he reached out his hand,

Their palms touched,

At this instant,

Yi Chen could no longer control the 'nature change' of his skin, which became completely uncontrollable, flowing like liquid.

Similarly,

An indescribable skin flowed towards him like liquid.

It was like a 'skin exchange'.

This feeling of liquid flow

Reminded him of a memory that should have been deleted, a black sea full of ink, the feeling of waves carrying away a part of what was inside his body.

Buzz!

During the process of 'transferring skin', First Gentleman Claude unexpectedly felt a pull of death from within Yi Chen's body... even slowly forming a small black vortex actively absorbing his skin.

"Death?"

The decrepit arm attached to Claude's back suddenly swung out! Forcibly breaking the contact between the two.

However,

Yi Chen, immersed in the state of acceptance, was completely unaware of what happened outside.

When he opened his eyes again,

A 10cm × 10cm 'Gentleman's Skin' had appeared in his hand.

He could clearly feel that this skin was alive.

At the same moment,

White Owl Qian Bosen, standing at the foot of the stairs, also showed a rare expression of surprise.

『Such a large piece?』

He had seen some extremely outstanding newcomers who could meet the First Gentleman before, but had never seen anyone receive such a large piece of skin.

Clang clang~ the chains moved,

The First Gentleman returned to his suspended state.

At the same time, a black box appeared above the altar.

"Keep your [Skin] safe, go perform the acceptance ritual... I'm also curious to see what kind of gentleman you'll be identified as."

"Yes."

Yi Chen hurriedly approached the altar, placed the skin in his hand into the box, and held it in his arms.

Before parting,

The First Gentleman added one more sentence, which was more directed at the White Owl.

"Through the skin contact just now, I found that your physique is very ordinary, without any basic training... more like an 'outsider'.

Qian Bosen, this young man's subsequent basic training needs to be stepped up, requiring multiple times the effort compared to others.

If necessary, you can apply to the institute for extended periods of closed-door study.

In any case, I'm entrusting this matter to you.

Talents must be carefully nurtured, we don't have much time left."

"Understood."

As the words ended,

On the First Gentleman's chest, the extra white skin attached to it displayed an incomprehensible ancient pattern.

[Space Compression]

In the blink of an eye,

Yi Chen and Qian Bosen had returned to the side hall of the assessment review.

As if the meeting with [The First Gentleman] had only occurred in a dream,

Feeling the black box in his hand and the vibrant gentleman's skin inside,

The excitement, joy, and satisfaction of obtaining a top-tier trophy surged forth,

"Going to the bottom of the lake... was indeed the right choice."

(End of Chapter)

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