The Rise of the Urban God

CHAPTER 13

Dustin came home in the afternoon, looking half the man he was in the morning, in terms of happiness.

Without Dustin saying anything, Ulmer understood the situation of the restaurant.

“If this continues for another couple of days, we won’t be able to pay the rent,” Dustin was telling Robin and Ayana. “We’ll be forced to shut down the hotel business.”

Their family was producing lots of vegetables and fruits. Their hotel business was a way for them to use those fruits and vegetables. If they couldn’t do that now, they’d have to sell them from the house itself.

But who would come to their house and buy these things when nobody came to the hotel to eat food?

In the end, they might be forced to throw away the extra vegetables and fruits.

“It seems I might have to become a porter once again,” Dustin was telling Robin.

Ayana heard that from outside and frowned.

She came to her room and wrote a letter.

Ulmer was sitting on the bed right now, and he could somewhat see what she was writing. Her curse handwriting was so neat and perfect. Compared to her writing, his handwriting would look like chicken scribbling its claws in the ground.

“What are you writing, Ayana?” he hesitantly asked.

“I’m writing a letter to the emperor,” she said without stopping the pen.

“Do you think he’ll respond to your letter?”

“This is the 103rd time,” she said, “so I have no expectations. But if there’s even the slightest chance that it might reach him… then I’m going to continue sending these.”

A few seconds of silence passed.

“Yesterday… you bumped into me, right?” Ulmer asked. “You looked like you were running away from something. What were you running from?” 

Ayana stopped writing and slowly looked at him. “I-I saw Henry in the distance and began to run away so that he wouldn’t see me. And I ended up colliding with you.”

“So that’s what happened, huh. Doesn’t that mean I should thank Henry now?” Ulmer asked.

Ayana glanced at him and wryly smiled. “He’s not the kind of person who’d understand let alone appreciate your thanks.”

“Mm, you’re right. He looks very arrogant.”

“He comes from a rich family. His housemaids, friends, and everyone probably praised him from a young age,” Ayana said. “If I had married him, he would definitely demand me to praise him no matter what he does. I can never be with that kind of a person.... even as a friend.”

“Haah,” Ulmer exhaled audibly. “Some people can really live in vanity.”

“You are right,” Ayana continued writing. “By the way, if it’s alright with you, would you tell me what you used to do outside, or what brought you to our city?”

“My past is not worth mentioning really,” Ulmer said. “I'm nobody. There’s no one left for me in the outside world, except my grandmother. I’m thinking about bringing her over to this place one day.” He believed that she might like living here than to live with her second son who didn’t give her a tenth of the respect he’d give to his own wife. “As for the reason that I came to this city… it is to get revenge on someone.”

Ayana was startled to hear that. “Revenge?”

“A woman betrayed me,” Ulmer said without looking at her.

Ayana paused for a moment before saying, “Did you… love her?”

“...Not anymore,” Ulmer frowned. “I have nothing but hatred for her.”

“If she cheated on you, then just forget about her,” Ayana said. “You are married now. You just have to get successful, and then when she sees you in the future, she will regret cheating on you.”

“She didn’t just cheat on me, Ayana…” Ulmer clenched his teeth. “She killed my parents and my sister in cold blood. She’s a sadistic, perverted, psychopathic killer.”

“W-What?” Ayana was shocked to hear that. “S-She killed your family? She’s so evil. What is her name?”

“Her name is… Brianna.”

Ayana’s eyes widened, and her heart trembled. “B-Brianna? It can’t be…”

Ulmer’s expression changed. “You know her?”

“T-There are definitely many women with that name in this city which has a population of nearly sixty million,” Ayana said. “But there is one woman named Brianna in the royal family. She’s the grand daughter of the emperor!” she looked at Ulmer anxiously. “But she has a great reputation in the city. The one that’s cheated on you is likely some other woman.” Even though she said that, she looked conflicted. “I hope it’s not her. Those people have the power of systems. We are no match for those people. If it’s really her, then you should forget about revenge, Husband.”

Ulmer took a deep breath. “I think that the Brianna I’m looking for is probably the granddaughter of the emperor.” His words deepened Ayana’s frown. “No matter how powerful she is, I will face her. Even if the sky collapses, I will get my revenge on her!”

Meanwhile, the silver-ranked Junior Officer went to Henry and reported everything he heard.

“That guy managed to defeat eight people by himself?” Henry raised an eyebrow. He was currently in the middle of interrogating a criminal. “He didn’t look like someone who learned martial arts.”

“Do you want me to send more men this time, Senior?” the junior officer asked.

“No need. Let’s squeeze the Revers family from every angle, and they will surely kick him out by themselves,” Henry said. “I still can’t believe that Ayana would marry someone else, knowing that I’m in love with her!” He showed his anger on the criminal and beat him with the baton, which could release an abnormal amount of heat, and it burned the skin of the criminal, making him cry and jump in horror. “Why are you crying?” He beat the criminal some more. “You should have known this would happen before you robbed a house IN MY TERRITORY!” He hit the head and knocked him out. “Starve him for a week and then release him.”

“Yes, Senior.”

Henry then walked out of the station and lit up a cigar. “Cigarettes… The outside world’s inventions are really great. It’s a pity that we are only allowed to smoke no more than one packet a month. If only I was born in a noble family…”

If anybody was found privately distributing or selling or exchanging cigars, they would be severely punished. Henry’s uncle was caught selling cigars about thirty years ago, and he was locked in a room full of ten thousand cigars and was told to finish them in ten days, or he’d be sent to jail for the rest of his life. He ended up dying on the third day.

The only people that could produce, distribute, sell cigars or alcohol or any harmful, addictive substances were the nobles.

“I should at least try and seduce a noble woman…” Henry thought. “Using her, I can get more privileges and enjoy life more. And then there’s Ayana, too.”