The wind howled as Max descended from the skies, the sprawling buildings of Kain-City coming into view. Its stone walls stretched across the horizon, much taller and sturdier than he remembered. The chaos he associated with Kain-city, the ramshackle markets, roving gangs, and poorly maintained roads, seemed to have vanished, replaced by an eerie sense of order and calm.

"huh ?"

Max landed just outside the main gate, brushing off dust from his long coat. He adjusted his collar, his sharp eyes scanning the massive entrance where a line of merchants and travelers were being thoroughly checked by armed guards.

"What the..." Max muttered under his breath, his brows furrowing. Kain-City was supposed to be a hub of lawlessness. The last time he had been here, there weren't even guards at the gate. People came and went as they pleased. Now, the place looked like a fortress.

Max walked toward the entrance, his usual confident stride carrying him past the line. He nodded at a guard, expecting to walk right through, but the man stepped forward and raised a hand to stop him.

"Identification," the guard said flatly, his expression unreadable.

Max blinked, genuinely caught off guard. "Identification?"

The guard narrowed his eyes. "Yes. Every visitor needs to present a valid ID to enter the city. No exceptions."

Max tilted his head. "Since when does Kain-City care about IDs? Last time I was here, there weren't even proper gates, let alone guards."

The guard's expression didn't change. "That was before. Show your ID, or step aside."

Max resisted the urge to roll his eyes. His usual instinct was to intimidate his way through situations like this, but something about the guard's demeanor made him pause. The man wasn't bluffing.

"I don't have it on me," Max said casually, pulling out his phone. "But I do have a picture of it. One second."

While the guard watched, Max's fingers flew across his phone screen. Internally, he was typing orders to the AI embedded in the device.

The AI responded instantly, generating a digital ID within seconds.

With a subtle tap, the ID appeared on his screen. Max held it out to the guard.

"Here it is. Should be all in order," he said confidently.

The guard took out a scanning device and hovered it over the phone. Max watched the device's screen carefully, noting the brief flash of static as his AI manipulated the data.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Everything checks out," the guard said after a moment, handing back the phone. "You can enter."

Max gave a polite nod, stepping past the gate. Once inside, he took a deep breath and looked around.

The transformation was staggering. The once-chaotic streets of Kain-City were now clean and orderly. Vendors had proper stalls instead of random crates, and even the buildings looked like they had been recently refurbished. Uniformed officers patrolled the area, and the loud, raucous noise that had once been the city's hallmark was now replaced with a quiet buzz of organized activity.

"Am I in the wrong city?" Max muttered to himself, glancing around in disbelief.

Still he had things to do, so for now he ignored the changes and walked forward.

His first stop was the delivery hub for SkyPort Logistics, one of the most trusted and expensive teleportation-based delivery services in the region. Inside, he provided the code Charles had sent him, and within moments, the clerk handed him a small box with a spatial ring inside.

Max slipped it onto his finger without examining the contents.

Next he walked around looking for a good restaurant to have a meal, and check the recent news of Kain-city.

As he walked through the city, his sharp eyes caught sight of a familiar group of faces: three former hooligans who had once done a small errand for him during one of his brief stays in Kain-City, when he sent them to buy some drugs for the crows.

The three men stood by a neat little stall selling glass bottles of perfume. The bald one smiled brightly at a woman as he handed her a bottle, the thin one expertly wrapped another customer's purchase, and the slightly fat one gestured politely, encouraging passersby to browse their wares.

Max stopped in his tracks, flabbergasted.

"What in the world..." he muttered, staring at the trio in disbelief.

He approached the stall, his presence causing the three men to stiffen slightly.

"Boss?" the bald one said hesitantly, recognizing Max immediately.

Max crossed his arms, his voice dripping with skepticism. "What are you three doing selling perfume? Did you change professions or something?"

The thin one laughed nervously. "Oh, no, Boss. We've always been perfume merchants. This is, uh... this is our true calling!"

Max raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Perfume merchants, huh? You mean to tell me you weren't shaking people down and running scams the last time I saw you?"

The slightly fat one coughed, avoiding Max's gaze. "Boss, those were... misunderstandings. We've turned over a new leaf."

Max looked at them like they'd grown a second head. "You turned over a new leaf? All three of you? At the same time?"

The bald one leaned in, lowering his voice. "It's the new military general, Boss. The one in charge of border protection. He is going to pass through the city soon, and some of his man rushed here first and, uh... things changed."

"Changed how?" Max asked.

The thin one wiped his brow. "they cleaned house, Boss. Every gang, every shady deal, it's all gone. We're lucky we weren't run out of the city like some of the others. So, yeah, we're perfume merchants now."

Max didn't ask further, even if he did the trio shouldn't know much, instead he had an idea checking the trio.

"You know," Max said, his tone casual, "I've got a job for you three."

The trio exchanged nervous glances. "Uh, Boss, we're kind of busy, can we do it after the General leaves. "

Max waved a hand, cutting them off. "No, no, it's nothing big. Just some work for Charles Wood. He's got a company, and he needs men. Congratulations, you've been promoted."

"But Boss.. " the fat one started.

Max pulled out his phone and called Charles.

"Charles," Max said as soon as the call connected, "I've got three men for you. Former hooligans, now rebranded as perfume merchants. Perfect candidates for whatever grunt work you need done."

Charles's voice was hesitant on the other end. "Are they... reliable?"

Max glanced at the trio, who were now sweating bullets. "Oh, absolutely. Model citizens. You're going to love them."

Charles sighed. "Fine. Send them over. Also I got some candidates on my side when are you free to talk to them boss? "

"Give me an hour or two, I'd call you have them ready."

"Got it boss."

Max hung up and grinned at the three men. "Congratulations. You've got jobs. Don't screw it up."

The bald one opened his mouth to protest, but Max raised a hand. "No arguments. Go meet Charles. You're working for him now, and get stronger fast and by any means.

Also never mention me, to anyone. "

As Max walked away, the trio stood in stunned silence.

"Did we just get conscripted?" the thin one asked.

"I think we did," the fat one replied.

"And for that Charles Wood, no less," the bald one added.

"So we're leaving the city?".

"I guess we're."

They exchanged a collective confused look, before packing up their perfume stall and heading off, leaving Max chuckling to himself as he disappeared into the crowd.