The Last Gentleman

The world, tainted by disease,

Filled with bizarre entities and unusual powers,

Alongside a mysterious organization waiting ahead,

An endless unknown lies in wait to be explored.

Due to his excitement, Yi Chen only slept four hours last night. Perhaps because he had acquired a "disease trait," he felt neither tired nor fatigued, his spirit and appearance in top form.

As he stepped out of the cemetery gate,

He expected fresh air, warm sunlight, and lively townsfolk bustling about.

However,

The street scene was hardly any better than the cemetery.

A thick smell pervaded the air, a mix of crude oil, industrial waste, metal, and various byproducts, almost tangible in its intensity.

Through rows of low, sharp-peaked town buildings, he could see several thick smokestacks belching out fumes.

The sunlight was far from the brightness he had anticipated,

As if veiled by layers of fine fabric. Sparse rays barely touched the ground, failing even to dispel the remnants of the dark dust from last night.

In his line of sight, the number of townsfolk did not exceed the count of his fingers.

They seemed unwilling to expose their bodies to the air, wrapping themselves fully in large pieces of fabric.

Even their faces were covered by simple, homemade masks as they hunched over, breathing as close to the ground as possible.

The entire town felt strange and cold,

Even tinged with a hint of despair.

"This world... is worse than I imagined."

Just then, a cheerful scratching sound came from his shoulder.

A furry black creature, resembling a small, black mass of flesh, seemed to have just woken up,

Its mouth wide open, revealing black-and-white eyes that rubbed together like it was stretching after a nap.

Two thin black hands waved back and forth in a gentle motion.

"Finally, out of that cursed cemetery, this is great! Before we begin our adventure, let's grab something to eat... it's been ages since I last had a meal."

"Sure, what do you want to eat?"

"Grapes, loads of grapes..."

When the black mass said "grapes," it pointed to its own eyes, and Yi Chen understood what it really meant by "grapes."

Not finding it strange at all, he thought about his own world before, where people enjoyed eating foods like fish eyes or roasted pig eyes.

"Alright, but let’s first visit a clothing store."

Currently, Yi Chen was only wearing a shabby, torn shirt,

With holes in the sleeves and rips along the waist and pants.

With this body of "William Behrens," unbathed and unwashed for several days, he would be the lowest of the low even among the homeless.

Walking down the town’s relatively broad streets,

With no one cleaning for ages, the gaps between cobblestones were filled with sunflower seed shells, dirty water, and decaying insect remains.

Foot traffic had dwindled over the years, and many shops had long since closed.

The few remaining shops barely survived and could shut down at any moment.

Seeing this, Yi Chen couldn’t help but doubt if there really would be a decent clothing store around.

Just as he wondered,

At the corner of an alleyway, a building distinct from the surrounding houses caught his eye.

Primarily black and heavily Gothic in style, it stood tall and slender.

In the narrow windows, figures seemed to be secretly watching the outside world.

The overall appearance was refined and somber, resembling a noble’s residence from a big city, clashing with this dilapidated town.

The brass-framed plaque by the door read - [Maurice & Sad]

Thanks to the enhanced vision provided by the small black creature, Yi Chen could see the high-end clothing inside through the window.

“This should be the high-end clothing store Mr. Wilbert mentioned,” he thought.

"Such a store must cost a lot to run daily; it’s hard to imagine the townsfolk affording anything here. Why would a shop like this even exist?"

Carrying these doubts, Yi Chen made his way through the filthy street, under the gaze of the masked residents, and pushed open the clothing store’s front door.

Ding!

The silver bell attached to the doorframe rang.

A faint, elegant fragrance quickly filled his nostrils, drowning out the industrial stench lingering in his nose.

This scent instantly transported Yi Chen out of the decaying town and into the refined, tranquil atmosphere of the clothing store.

Various hand-held lamps were distributed across the store,

On top of wardrobes,

In wall corners,

Or it could be displayed alone as a decorative piece on a stand, with lights intertwined, presenting a panoramic view of the clothing store to customers, while providing warmth and a sense of safety.

A lady wearing an embellished hat, her face veiled in sheer fabric, and her long dress trailing on the floor, emerged from an inner room.

Through the thin veil, the firelight outlined a face as beautiful as a painting.

Yi Chen originally thought his shabby appearance would make the owner look down on him or even throw him out.

However,

the woman stopped in front of him,

inhaling gently through the veil,

catching the unique scent of the cemetery that clung to Yi Chen.

“It’s rare… it’s been a long time since a living person managed to leave the cemetery. Was it Wilbert who sent you?”

“Yes. Mr. Wilbert instructed me to come here and buy a well-fitting suit before boarding the carriage.”

Yi Chen promptly took out a metallic business card from his pocket.

“Are you in a hurry to leave today?”

“Yes.”

“In that case, we’ll have to go with 'ready-to-wear'… Once you pass the organization’s evaluation, you can head over to the tailor shop for 'full customization'.”

When the lady mentioned the term “organization,” it became clear that both she and this clothing store must be connected to it. This also explained the financial backing behind it.

“I wonder if the money I have will be enough?”

Yi Chen took out all the silver coins he’d earned working at the cemetery, filling a small pouch.

However,

the lady didn’t even glance at the scattered coins.

Instead, she grabbed his wrist, her sharp nails almost piercing his skin.

With that simple contact,

the lady measured his body and extracted some information from his body.

“No wonder you managed to walk out of the cemetery alive and even received Wilbert’s card along with cemetery artifacts. It turns out you willingly accepted the [Pathogenesis]. Fascinating.”

With that, the lady withdrew her hand, taking nearly half of the coins from his pouch.

“I happen to have a ready-made outfit in your size.

But before you try it on, you’ll need to ‘purify’ your body, washing away the dust of the deceased from the cemetery.”

Under the lady’s guidance, they arrived at the store’s bathroom.

After cleaning up,

she personally shaved and groomed him.

With his appearance fully tended to, Yi Chen could finally examine himself in the dressing mirror.

Under the neatly trimmed black hair, his face wasn’t much different from his original appearance—only now enhanced with some Western features, like a higher nose bridge and deeper-set eyes.

Looking closely, he bore a slight resemblance to a young Keanu Reeves… though the details were a bit off, the overall look was quite good.

‘I really do share a lot in common with the original owner of this body… maybe it has something to do with the transmigration.’

Next came the outfit fitting.

A white shirt,

a small vest with dark green stripes,

black pants with a bit of stretch,

and a black trench coat that covered his entire body, including his face, giving him a gloomy aura.

After lacing up the black Oxford shoes,

the lady tied a black tie for him,

and when he saw his new image in the mirror, Yi Chen felt a renewed sense of vigor.

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