Chapter 166: “Spark”

Thomas walked back along the street, greeting every shopkeeper with familiar ease.

“Old man, business is good today!”

“Squad Leader Thomas! It’s all thanks to you folks. The streets are much safer now!”

He smiled and nodded, casually adding a reminder, “Recently, some scum from other guilds might come to cause trouble. If anything happens, just call the Workers’ Inspection Team. Don’t be polite with them.”

The shopkeepers all agreed repeatedly, their smiles genuine. This feeling of being respected and trusted was something Thomas had never experienced before.

When he sauntered back to the noodle stall, he found the owner chatting with a young man, his posture even showing a hint of deference.

The youth had black hair and golden eyes. His looks weren’t top-tier, but simply standing there quietly, he possessed an aura that couldn’t be ignored.

A strange feeling.

When you deliberately tried not to notice him, he seemed to blend into the background, becoming as unnoticeable as the air.

But once your gaze fell upon him, your heart would inexplicably skip a beat. It was like facing a priest in a church, actually making you feel an urge to pour out all the thoughts in your heart.

The youth noticed his gaze, turned his head, gave him a slight smile, and actively walked over.

“Comrade, I heard you did a heroic deed today and caught a thief?” Allen’s tone carried a hint of teasing, “It seems I need to award you a commendation banner on behalf of the people.”

“You are…” Thomas was momentarily stunned by this familiar form of address.

“Don’t be nervous, I’m just a passing concerned citizen.” Allen casually waved his hand.

Thomas’s gaze moved past him, only then noticing that three other people stood behind Allen, their eyes fixed squarely on him.

One of them, Thomas recognized.

It was Finn, the direct superior of the Political Commissar of the Workers’ Inspection Team, a true big shot who had real say within the Mutual Aid Association.

Thomas had seen him giving instructions to the Muddy Lane Workers’ Inspection Brigade before.

He was very young, but indeed very capable, very wise.

Of the other two, one carried a long object wrapped in black cloth. His eyes were sharp as an eagle’s, fixed intently on Thomas, his entire body radiating an aura that kept strangers at bay, like a top-tier assassin.

The last one stood ramrod straight, his posture like a pine tree. Like their Brigade Captain Mathieu, he had a military background, his presence as solid and heavy as a mountain.

To have these three as his entourage…

Thomas remembered the overwhelming reports in the newspapers recently, that Century Duel that occupied the front page… black hair, golden eyes.

No way?

Could the person before him be the legendary only son of the Minister of Finance, the mysterious owner of the Continental Hotel, and the founder of the Mutual Aid Association—Allen de Laval?

Thomas had previously privately criticized this big shot for being idle. But now, seeing him in person, his legs uncontrollably snapped together, his body stiffening like a spear.

“You… you are Young Master Laval?” His voice was dry from nervousness.

“Just call me Comrade Allen.” Allen smiled, patted his shoulder, and corrected his form of address.

He turned and called to the stall owner, “Boss, four bowls of noodles.”

Then he looked at Thomas, “Have you eaten?”

Thomas was about to say he had eaten in the morning, but his stomach betrayed him with a rumble.

After a busy morning, he was long since hungry.

This big shot didn’t seem to put on airs, so he honestly nodded.

“Boss, one more bowl!”

“Coming right up!” the owner immediately responded, deftly starting to cook the noodles.

Steaming hot noodles were soon served. Allen slurped his noodles while casually chatting with Thomas.

“Are you getting used to life in the Workers’ Inspection Team? How are the food and living conditions? What are your views and suggestions regarding the Mutual Aid Association? Are there any urgent problems that need solving?”

Thomas was flattered and quickly answered each question, his words full of gratitude, “Everything’s good, everything’s good, it’s ten thousand times better than when I was just wandering the streets! It’s just…”

He scratched his head, giving an embarrassed chuckle, “It’s just that I’m still single. There are too many bachelors in the team, it’s a bit lonely.”

Allen found this amusing, setting his chopsticks down with a tap, “That’s easy to solve! Once things stabilize in a while, the Mutual Aid Association will organize a few social events, guaranteed to solve your personal problem! The revolution needs successors too!”

His words made everyone around laugh.

After the laughter subsided, Allen’s tone shifted, getting down to business: market prices, business environment, the grassroots’ real views on the reforms, whether the Mutual Aid Association’s work was being properly implemented… each question was sharper than the last, getting straight to the core.

In his past as the brains of a gang, these were precisely the things Thomas paid most attention to.

He didn’t dare be negligent, truthfully reporting everything he knew, clearly organized, with unique insights.

Allen listened, nodding repeatedly, the approval in his eyes growing stronger.

“Not bad. You’re a good comrade willing to delve deep among the masses. Keep up the good work, there’s a future for you.”

Allen patted his shoulder, praising him verbally, but his gaze subtly drifted toward the street corner.

He lowered his voice, speaking so only the two of them could hear, “That dried fruit seller at the corner is a spy keeping an eye on you. Later, go over and strike up a conversation with him. We’ll circle around from behind and take him down.”

“Huh?”

Thomas instinctively wanted to turn and look.

“Don’t move, don’t alert the snake.” Allen reminded him.

Soon, the five finished their noodles. Allen paid the bill, complimented the owner on his skill, and then left with his people.

Thomas stood in place, taking two deep breaths to suppress the wild pounding in his chest.

Pretending to stroll, he slowly walked toward the corner.

The spy was disguised well, wearing ordinary citizen’s clothes, but his eyes, constantly darting around and scanning the surroundings, betrayed him.

“Brother, how much for this dried fruit?” Thomas smiled as he approached, blocking his line of sight.

The spy’s heart skipped a beat, not expecting his surveillance target to initiate contact.

He was just about to casually reply when an icy chill that made his hair stand on end suddenly surged from behind.

Before he could react, a pitch-black longsword had already been placed silently against his neck.

The blade was matte, yet it emitted a heart-palpitating oppressive force.

The spy discovered with horror that the Engraved Emblem Power within his body seemed to be crushed by a mountain, impossible to mobilize even a shred.

“Well done. It seems we have good chemistry.”

Allen looked at the instantly subdued spy, giving Thomas an approving smile.

Thomas looked at Allen’s calm and composed demeanor, a huge wave surging in his heart.

Those legendary deeds about him in the newspapers might actually be true.

This noble young master was completely different from any noble he had imagined.

Those golden eyes of his seemed to contain a vast, boundless world, making one involuntarily want to follow, to witness the scenery he wished to see.

“Speak. Who sent you?”

Allen’s voice remained calm, his gaze falling on the pale-faced spy, making him feel as if he were being stared at by a giant beast, the blood in his entire body turning ice-cold.

The spy clearly understood that this seemingly harmless black-haired youth before him was a monster he absolutely could not afford to provoke.

“I… I’m just a passing merchant.”

The spy stammered an excuse, cold sweat trickling down his temple.

“Oh? A merchant, perfect timing then.” The black sword in Allen’s hand had somehow already appeared, its tip lightly pressing against the spy’s throat. That icy touch made his entire body stiffen, “I happen to have a big deal I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Let’s go. Our Mutual Aid Association is always very polite to guests. We’re just inviting you for a cup of tea.”

Allen’s smile was warm, but in the spy’s eyes, it was more terrifying than a demon’s grin.

But he had no choice.

He was just a bastard child with thin blood, using this meager Engraved Emblem Power to act as a dog for big shots. Losing his life over such a small matter really wasn’t worth it.

The spy wisely gave up resistance. Flanked by Luca and Johann, he was dragged away like a dead dog, silently disappearing into the depths of the alley.

“See you next time, comrade!”

Allen smiled as he bid farewell to Thomas. That “comrade” made his heart skip another beat.

Thomas, his heart surging with emotion, returned to the noodle stall.

He was just about to boast to the owner about today’s incredible encounter when a familiar figure was already waiting there.

It was Brigade Captain Mathieu.

“My dear little squad leader, you’re really something, making me search for you all over.” Mathieu stood with his arms crossed, looking at him with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Yikes!” Thomas’s heart lurched, the pride on his face instantly freezing, “Bri… Brigade Captain, weren’t you supposed to be in a meeting?”

Mathieu didn’t speak, just looked him up and down. That gaze was no different from a butcher inspecting a pig for slaughter.

Thomas grew even more panicked, cold sweat instantly breaking out on his back.

It’s over, it’s over. Skipped training and got caught red-handed by the direct superior. Was he about to be fired now?

His mind raced, already considering whether to confess proactively to seek leniency or play dumb and try to muddle through.

Just as he was about to crack under the pressure, Mathieu suddenly sighed.

“You kid, you’re clever, alright, just too much petty cunning. If you could put that energy to proper use, you wouldn’t still be just a squad leader.”

He pointed to a stool, “Want some noodles?”

“No, no, no, I’m full, full, had two bowls today.” Thomas waved his hands like a rattle-drum.

Mathieu gave him a sidelong glance, ordered a bowl for himself, and then, without looking up, asked:

“Alright, tell me. What good deeds did you accomplish all day today?”

Mathieu’s voice held no emotion, yet it made the hairs on the back of Thomas’s neck stand up.

He didn’t dare hide anything, spilling everything like beans from a bamboo tube: from catching the thief on the street, to how he “bumped into” Young Master Allen, to how he cooperated with Allen’s group to cleanly and efficiently capture that spy. He reported it all truthfully.

After finishing, he secretly glanced up, observing the brigade captain’s expression, preparing for the thunderous rage.

But Mathieu said nothing, just lowered his head to focus on dealing with the noodles in his bowl.

The stall was silent except for the sound of him slurping noodles. To Thomas, that sound was more unsettling than any reprimand.

It’s over. This is the calm before the storm.

He looked at the brigade captain’s solitary back as he ate noodles alone. His broad shoulders, under the dim yellow light, actually conveyed a sense of loneliness.

Thomas’s mind, in a moment of madness, recalled the social event Allen had mentioned during the day, and as if possessed, blurted out:

“That… Brigade Captain, are you married?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself.

Asking his direct superior such a private matter, especially after being caught for a mistake, wasn’t this like lighting a lamp in an outhouse—looking for trouble?

Mathieu’s noodle-eating motion stopped.

He slowly put down his chopsticks, his gaze looking past Thomas’s shoulder toward the distant, bustling street. His eyes became empty and distant.

“I used to be.”

He paused, his voice growing even lower.

“I’m from the Empire. I used to be a lord’s personal guard. I had a wife, a daughter. My hands were stained with too much blood, I always felt deeply sinful. I told her, if I die someday, remarry. The money I left would be enough to raise our daughter.”

“But my foolish woman said, even if I died, she wouldn’t remarry.”

“Later, I grew tired of killing. After a massacre, I returned to my hometown. But when I got back, I found out that the village where my wife and daughter were… had been slaughtered by people from a rival lord.”

“The entire village. Not a single soul left.”

“I… just lost all my family like that. Ridiculous, right? I myself had slaughtered other villages, killed other people’s wives and children. This is probably karma.”

Hearing this, Thomas’s heart trembled.

He had never imagined that this brigade captain, usually stern and impartial, so威严 it made people afraid to look him in the eye, carried such a human tragedy on his shoulders.

“In the end, I muddled through a few years as a mercenary, came to the Capital, and through a series of coincidences, became this brigade captain of the Workers’ Inspection Team.” Mathieu said slowly, a trace of weariness in his tone, “So, Thomas, do you understand now? Everything we do isn’t for ourselves, but to prevent more innocent, good people from suffering the same tragedy.”

Thomas fell silent.

He looked at Mathieu before him, then remembered Young Master Allen’s golden eyes that seemed to contain the entire world. Something in his heart broke through the soil, growing wildly.

Just then, the owner who had been focused on cooking noodles walked over, wiping his hands on his apron.

But his demeanor now was completely different from the simple street vendor of before. His eyes were steady, carrying an air of authority identical to Mathieu’s.

He leaned close to Mathieu’s ear and whispered a few words very softly.

Mathieu’s brows furrowed. He glanced at Thomas.

“Have him… now? Is that alright?”

“If the Leader thinks he’s no problem, what reason do we have to hesitate?” The owner’s voice was very low, but it still drifted into Thomas’s ears, “I’ve been observing him all along. He’s good material. Since the Leader personally guided him today, it’s fate.”

Leader?

The leader they mentioned, could it be… Young Master Laval?

And what was this ’cause’ they mentioned… the cause of the Mutual Aid Association?

Thomas’s mind was a tangled mess. He felt like he had stumbled upon some enormous secret.

Mathieu re-examined Thomas, his gaze seeming to pierce through his flesh, to see his bones and soul.

After a long while, he spoke in an unprecedented serious tone, his voice deep.

“Comrade Thomas.”

Those two words made Thomas’s entire body jolt. He instinctively straightened his back.

“Yes!”

“I ask you a question. If there is a greater cause that requires you to sacrifice everything, including a comfortable life, even your life, are you willing?”

This question was too big.

So big that Thomas didn’t know how to answer for a moment.

After joining the Mutual Aid Association, his life goal had changed from just scraping by to wanting to make something of himself.

But when it truly came to needing sacrifice, he couldn’t easily make that choice.

Facing death unflinchingly required faith. And someone like him, who had struggled at the bottom, didn’t have real faith.

If he had any, it was only faith in violence and money.

However, as he thought about how to cleverly refuse, the figure of Young Master Laval involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

Those golden eyes held a flame capable of igniting everything.

And so, a phrase utterly unfamiliar to him blurted out.

“I am willing to fight for the liberation of humanity for the rest of my life!”

The air instantly fell silent.

Mathieu and the noodle stall owner looked at each other, both seeing surprise in the other’s eyes.

“The Leader’s influence?” the owner murmured.

“It seems so… the Leader’s charisma is truly…”

Mathieu took a deep breath, his gaze toward Thomas completely changed.

It was the look one gives a comrade, a look toward a future comrade-in-arms.

“Comrade, are you willing… to join Dawn’s Children?”