The Deceitful One

Thursday, 12th July 1582.

The City of Dreams, Nadir rose from the earth like a phoenix rising from the flames and piercing the skies.

The city's towering buildings and various machinery present throughout, shone with a resplendent light as they reflected the bright light of the rising sun.

Steam hissed from every corner of the streets in Nadir, carrying with it the sounds of moving gears and rattling cogs.

Nadir was the capital of the Belize Kingdom, a city that was known for its progress and innovation. A city that was known by innumerable immigrants that came here to start a new life, as the city where dreams came true!

As a whole, the city looked like a giant steel and concrete behemoth. Steam and machinery played a large role in the functioning of this city.

The air was thick and gloomy with the scent of oil and smoke coming from the numerous factories in the suburbs. And the constant sound of the rumbling machinery never ceased to exist.

Massive steel dirigibles lazily drifted above the skyline as they carried passengers from one place to another. And on the ground, there were inter-city metros and trams that ferried people to and fro.

Everywhere one looked, one would find people bustling about their daily business. Most of the streets appeared crowded even though Nadir was a large city with innumerable wide streets!

The people here were of all races. As explained earlier, Nadir was the place where people from all other kingdoms and even faraway continents came together!

Hence, one would find myriad cultures and traditions in this city, thanks to its residents that hailed from all sorts of backgrounds. The reason why they all gathered here was simple.

It was because Nadir was a place full of opportunities!

But amidst breathtaking skyscrapers and fantastic pieces of machinery, there was something dark lurking beneath the surface.

On the surface, everything seemed to be working in harmony. With everything and everyone being regulated fairly by people in high positions of authority…

But hidden in the shadows lay secret societies and shadowy figures that wielded supernatural powers, manipulating everything from the dark for their own benefit.

Nadir not only provided opportunities to regular people but also Transcendents!

Transcendents from all over the Western Continent came to the city in hopes of achieving their dreams. Despite the darkness and the dangers within the city, there was a sense of boundless optimism.

Similar to regular people, Transcendents too traveled to this place to fulfill their aspirations. Just like this one figure who was sitting inside the first carriage of the train coming from Damascus.

The piercing horn of the steam train echoed in the distance as it approached the Nadir Train Station. The sound grew louder and louder until the train finally entered the station.

The steel wheels of the steam train screeched as they came to a halt. The clouds of steam dispersed from the chimney of the train, enveloping the train platform in a layer of warm mist.

As the train came to a stop, the door to the first carriage—which was also the first class passenger carriage—swung open. Dozens of passengers dressed in lavish clothes stepped out and onto the platform.

Some looked around with excitement and wonder while others hugged and kissed the people that were awaiting their arrival.

Amidst the crowd of passengers, a tall figure wearing a three-piece black suit and a black blindfold around his eyes stepped onto the platform without any luggage.

On the shoulder of this person was a black cat that was looking around the station with bright eyes.

When the people around this person saw him, they were first taken aback by his handsome appearance and his expensive-looking clothes. However, soon they couldn't help but pity this person when they realized that he was blind.

Some of the eager young ladies walked towards him hoping to help him out, but they were shocked to see that the man was walking away and dodging the crowd with great accuracy as if he wasn't blind at all!

Bryan completely ignored these young ladies as he made his way out of the train station with the help of his spiritual sense.

'Bryan! Bryan! Let's go have some food first!' Benny nuzzled his head against Bryan's.

"All right." Bryan smiled warmly.

In the distance, somewhere in an inconspicuous corner of the station, four young men, wearing ragged clothes, were greedily eyeing Bryan.

One of them chuckled, "That fucker looks very rich! I'm sure he has a lot of money on him."

"Yes," Another man chimed in, "And he's blind too. This will be easy."

"Let's just rob him. No need to beat him up." A short man added.

"He's right. Let's do it silently, without drawing too much attention. There are a lot of cops patrolling the station." A burly young man, supposedly the leader of the group, spoke.

After coming to a consensus, the four of them walked toward Bryan who seemed to be oblivious of them.

"Good Sir! Do you need a guide?"

"You seem to be someone new to Nadir! Please let us help you."

"Yes, yes! You look like someone who might need help."

"We know the best hotels in Nadir for someone of your stature!"

The four of them surrounded Bryan. Two of them gently grabbed his arm. While one began to massage his shoulders and the other one stood right in front of him with a fawning face, most likely to draw his attention.

Bryan's lips curled up into a mischievous smirk, "Oh, how generous of you lot! Nadir is sure full of kind young men like you. I would love to have you as my guide."

The burly young man standing in front of Bryan made eye contact with the other three. He then looked at Bryan and replied apologetically, "Apologies, sir! I just recalled that we had to run an errand. I hope you have a great time in Nadir."

The four of them snickered at Bryan and soon disappeared amidst the crowd.

"Heh," Bryan smirked and muttered under his breath, "I hope you have a miserable time."

Benny couldn't help but giggle, 'Poor fellows.'

The duo then walked towards the exit of the train station. Meanwhile, the four young men walked to a corner of the platform with wide smiles on their faces,

"Hehe, these tourists are so stupid and gullible."

"I felt a large stack of paper when I reached inside his pocket! I think we are rich!"

The four of them huddled together and took out the items that they had stolen from Bryan. However, their smiles froze! Because their hands were empty!

"What the fuck!?"

"What is happening? I was sure I had grabbed something!"

"Am I hallucinating!?"

The short young man amongst them checked his pockets, and his face instantly paled, "My money is gone!!"

The three of them looked at him and then simultaneously checked their own pockets. The next moment, they were wide-eyed.

"Where's my wallet!?"

"My coins and cash are missing too!"

"T-The watch that I had stolen yesterday is gone!"

All four of them looked at each other, their faces etched with sheer disbelief.

The burly man gnashed his teeth in anger, "Quick! After that despicable man!"

The four of them then ran towards the place where they had 'robbed' Bryan. However, he was no longer there. They scoured the entire platform but still couldn't find him.

They could only blame themselves and their lucks for trying to steal from a master thief!

Meanwhile, Bryan had already exited the train station with Benny and was currently sitting in a personal public car. From the driver, he got to know that there were two types of transportation vehicles in Nadir.

One was a personal type that Bryan was in right now. And the other one was a shared type and was usually much larger than the personal type vehicles.

Bryan couldn't help but think back to the times when the steam car had just been invented and only the rich and affluent could afford it. But now, almost everybody could.

As he looked out the window of the car, he couldn't help but admire this beautiful city. He had never seen buildings so tall ever in his life. Even the Damascus Clock Tower paled in comparison to a regular building here.

In the distance, he could even see buildings as tall as over a hundred floors!

Moreover, he also saw many machines that he had never seen before. The driver told him that most of the machines were needed in the day-to-day operations of the city from sanitation, and sewage systems, to building and construction, etc.

Bryan was taken aback. He couldn't help but ask, "If all these jobs have been taken over by the machines then what about the working class and the poor people?"

The driver shook his head as a helpless sigh escaped his lips, "Poverty and homelessness have been at an all-time high. The majority of the poor people are jobless and can't feed themselves or their families.

"After what happened in Damascus last year, it's as if all the wealthy people and the politicians are completely against the welfare of the poor. The times are tough, no one wants to support the poor people, afraid that'd be condemned by society."

At the mention of the incident in Damascus, Bryan stayed silent for a long time. His fists clenched in anger, 'The poor people were affected just as much as the wealthy when the Devil descended. Why must they bear the brunt of it?'

As he asked himself this question in his heart, he couldn't help but feel that the world was indeed a very cruel place.