During this time, Leo and Jinx truly started living together. In the daytime, Leo would go out looking for work, and he actually managed to find a job hauling cargo at the docks. The owner of the merchant ship was from Ionia. Seeing that Leo had a kind face and lacked the exaggerated tattoos of a Zaunite, looking very much like an Ionian himself, he hired Leo to help out.
However, since it was a merchant ship from the outside world, Leo only worked there for two days before the ship left Zaun with its cargo. Fortunately, thanks to strength that didn't match his appearance, Leo received an extra reward from the owner, which was enough for him and Jinx to live on for a while longer.
Beyond that, Leo took the time to properly study the "golden finger" ability that had come with him.
Of course, he didn't dare descend into the Spirit Blossom realm again. Instead, Leo carefully studied the number of descents. In the Spirit Blossom space, Leo had found a new frame resembling an energy bar. Once the white energy bar was full, he would gain another chance to descend.
When he first discovered it, Leo didn't know how to replenish the energy bar. The strange thing was, the energy bar was actually rising on its own. Although the rate of increase was maddeningly slow, it was definitely going up. This meant that while Leo was in the material realm, the energy bar was recharging.
But... what was he doing that caused it to recharge?
After studying it for a while, Leo discovered it was because of emotions.
The reason the energy bar in the Spirit Blossom space was rising was that it absorbed the emotions of people in the material realm. The sorrow, joy, and anger that came from the depths of human souls—all these feelings would replenish the bar's energy.
This discovery excited Leo. The Spirit Blossom "golden finger" was the key to whether he could live safely in this world. Now that he had found a way to replenish his descents, as long as he could avoid Thresh, he could continuously grow stronger in the material realm.
So he conducted some research. And then, Leo discovered something very strange.
The rate at which other people's emotions increased his energy bar seemed... to be far less than the increase he got when he was just lying around at home?
He would go out for an afternoon and encounter hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Although he didn't have close contact with them, Leo would deliberately get near those with strong emotional fluctuations. Yet, the progress was far less than what he got just by coming home and looking at Jinx.
Seriously, what was up with that?
After thinking it over and over, and looking at Jinx, whose emotions were so easy to read, Leo figured... this was probably a privilege reserved for the mentally ill?
In any case, this was a good thing.
Late at night, in a bustling little market on the outskirts of the Lanes, Leo stood before a stall. He took a few coins from his pocket, placed them on the table, and then looked up at the... human? creature in front of him. It was shirtless, wearing an apron on its lower body, with green skin, resembling a fat-headed fish.
"Jeric, I'd like one order of whitefish with berry sauce, and one order of spicy Krug meat," Leo said.
"Gahihihih," an incomprehensible sound came out as the humanoid creature holding a cleaver laughed heartily. It raised the cleaver and chopped it down on the cutting board, splitting a sea fish in two.
Leo waited quietly.
The Krug meat he had bought from the eatery before was just plain boiled, and aside from the fishy taste, it had no other flavor. But the Krug made by Jeric was different. This place had been personally certified by Vi as the best Krug stall in all of Zaun.
Although Leo still wasn't used to the greasy texture of Krug meat, he could stomach the version Jeric made.
Besides, not only was Jeric's food tastier than the eatery's, but it was also significantly cheaper.
With little money to spare... Leo naturally had to be frugal.
"Guhahahai!" Jeric finished preparing the food, packed it into two large containers, and handed them to Leo.
Leo reached out and took them. As he felt the bottom of the containers, his palm was immediately covered in grease. The sensation made the corner of his mouth twitch.
Forget it... you can't expect food in Zaun to be clean and sanitary.
It's all damn chemistry and corner-cutting!
"Thanks, Jeric," Leo said, giving him a wave.
Jeric looked up, cackled, and waved back at Leo.
Carrying the food, Leo walked home.
A few minutes after Leo left the stall, a woman with her hands in her pockets, a hat on her head, and a red jacket appeared in the market. She walked with a slight hunch. Behind her was a tall, slender woman who looked somewhat timid.
"Hey... what are we doing here?"
Looking at Vi ahead of her, Caitlyn finally couldn't hold back anymore.
She took a few long strides to catch up, drew close to Vi, and whispered to her.
"Just follow me," Vi didn't answer Caitlyn's question, instead walking straight to a stall and sitting down.
"Jeric."
"Ghiaaa?" Jeric turned his head. When he saw Vi, his small pair of eyes on his large, round, fat face lit up instantly.
"Gahali!"
"Yeah, it's me. I'm back. Hurry up and get me something good to eat. Also... I have a favor to ask you," Vi said, rubbing her stomach.
"You have no idea how much I've missed this taste!" Vi said with a smile.
Even if the heavens themselves came down, she had to eat at Jeric's first today!
God only knew how much she had craved this delicious flavor while she was in prison.
Caitlyn stood to the side, completely bewildered. She glanced at the stains on the counter, then at the sanitary conditions inside the stall. Then, the beautiful Enforcer from the topside felt her lips twitch.
This... is food?
This is what the people of the undercity eat?
...
Leo entered the alley, holding the food containers. But the moment he stepped in, his eyes narrowed.
Because at the bottom of his building, by the lift, lay two unconscious people.
And the door to his own apartment was open, with loud noises coming from inside.
Seeing this, Leo held the food containers steady, nimbly hopped over the people lying on the ground, and went up the stairs.
"I knew this day would come," Leo muttered to himself.
He had long been prepared for Silco to come looking for them.
After all, Zaun was Silco's backyard. Plus, the graffiti Jinx had painted all over the building's exterior was like a flame attracting fireflies. It was only a matter of time before Silco's people tracked them down.
Soon, Leo reached his door and looked inside.
The place was a complete mess. His only two pieces of furniture, the wooden plank bed and the wooden table, were smashed to pieces. Inside, Jinx was being pinned against the wall by a woman, held by the neck, and was screaming a torrent of curses.
"Stay still. You think I want to drag you back?" Sevika growled, looking down at the struggling Jinx.
If she had a choice, she wouldn't want to bring Jinx back at all!
This was merely an order from Silco.
"Then let me go! You big idiot!" Jinx yelled, even opening her mouth to bite. The sight made Leo, who was watching, lose his composure and almost laugh out loud.
He watched as Jinx opened her mouth, her little white teeth sinking into Sevika's mechanical arm. The grating, scraping sound was ear-piercing.
He had to admit, Jinx had a pretty good set of teeth.
"Ahem."
Leo made a sound.