Logan's Hoard of Knowledge
As the key slots into place and the air shifts, Logan takes in the familiar sight of his portable home, the convenience of it being the main reason he doesn't regret being a hermit as much as he thought he would. The place is very spacious for what it looks like on the outside, but most of that space is occupied by a mountain of random objects that an untrained eye would probably call junk; to the Surveyor they are treasures and secrets. Logan moves around the room with practiced ease, knowing exactly where everything is and how to get there; he makes his way to a small couch covered in dried blood. "I need to wash this later." He picks up a scroll from a pile close to him. "Maybe I should update some of these; there are a lot of people around lately. I need to be prepared if I want to get back into society, as much as I can even prepare for that." It takes a bit to gather all the random scrolls scattered around the rooms; the Surveyor places them on a small desk and starts reading. "I can't believe someone decided to get rid of these; they are still useful."
Overseers
They are the cops of this strange world, complete with the same corruption, maybe even worse. It's a bit strange that so many of the important ones seem to be clean; it makes me wonder where exactly the corruption is. Is it even higher, or is it among the low-ranking street cops? My bet is on both.
Mika Mori (Stalker Overtime)
Mika Mori (Ennui problems)
A human that fell victim to a very common problem; I guess some things never change. She is strong, and that strength leads to isolation, as it often does. Sounds familiar. Her track record is spotless, on the surface, but she started appearing less in normal cases and more on high-profile ones as time went on. I can see that being the cause of her problems; some people don't take well to high society or less work for some reason. A mercenary with a suspiciously similar fighting style to her has become very active lately. I am not around much to confirm personally, but her style is quite unique. I wonder how others managed to miss the connection. Regardless, she needs something to do before she crosses the threshold; nobody wants an overseer like her to go rogue. Maybe she needs a hobby or a friend, but she does have a sort of team going lately. I don't have anything against her, and as far as I know, I was never branded a criminal, but her boredom may be a problem if she sees me as a fun distraction. I think I studied something like her case, but I am a bit rusty, and helping people like this is beyond me now; hopefully, she finds some meaning. I should give her one of my games if we meet; assuming she doesn't try killing me on sight, it should be old enough that she doesn't know it.
Kaguya
Kaguya (Overzealous child)
A kid, according to most people, which is honestly very surprising. Not her, but the fact everyone treats her like a kid, in this strange place where age sometimes is more of a suggestion everyone is so quick to assume. I met spirits older than the world that look younger than her; are city folks really that ignorant? Her personality may have something to do with it as well; it's very childlike, but once again, so are ancient spirits. Her optimism is enviable, her energy must be exhausting to deal with in person, and her sense of justice is very strong, if a bit inflexible. It is very rare for an overseer to have absolutely no rumors about corruption, but she managed it somehow; she is just that good. Maybe that's not the right word. She is really strong as well; there are rumors going around that there is something hiding beneath the surface, that her blade can defy reality itself. I am not sure what to believe, but I don't need to be told that something is strange about her being so high rank without being strong. Her view of the world seems idealistic enough that she would not attack me on sight; dialogue may be possible, if exhausting. Her sword is a legendary relic; I am curious how she got it. I think she would like a relic, something small and pretty; I have a lot of those; hopefully she doesn't take it as a bribe.
Aoi (Exorcist Overtime)
Aoi (Mid-amnesia crisis)
Her story is not as tragic as it would appear. She lost her memory and her knowledge, but she gained purpose, and she did not lose her friends; she made new ones instead. Going from Exorcist to Overseer is not as big of a career change as it would seem; they both fight for peace, supposedly. I can't say I understand her reasoning, but I can guess it; she wanted to take a more direct role, maybe. She is good at her job, her new job; at least she has to be considering the position she is currently in and never abandoned the old one completely. It must be difficult to manage both responsibilities, but not impossible, and from what I hear she is not alone, which should take the edge off. Someone with her general appearance was sighted at one of the Fox V-Tuber concerts; the details are not clear but pretty reliable. She is a middle ground between the excitable one and the jaded one, which means I don't know how likely she is to be a problem; she seems less likely to fight me for fun at least. If the rumors are true, she either doesn't do much or is everywhere at once; if the second is true, we may have something in common. I could give her some ancient garbs, but her skills may be more out of need than passion, in which case maybe a jewel would be better.
Exorcists
Supernatural cops. Not really; they have a very important role in this world, taking care of spirits, but there are similarities. I respect what they do, and they are less corrupt than the overseers most of the time, at least. I was often mistaken for one of them; I wonder why. A lot of them are from Senguru, so I deal with them from time to time, and they are less hostile than most.
Miko
Miko (Eternal supporter)
A ghost, the irony does not escape me. From what I was able to gather, this entity may be older than the city itself; it's probably an exaggeration, but I have yet to find someone that doesn't remember the ghost miko being already there at some point or another. I am used to dealing with ancient entities like this; conversation may be easier than with normal people, actually, but it doesn't seem like the spirit in question is particularly hard to deal with in general. Placid would be a good description, a calming presence for the living and not. Very supportive of other exorcists, I am not sure what the actual combat capabilities of the ghost are, but the help more than makes up for it. Living so long must have some interesting effects on the mind, and I am sure there are a lot of ancient secrets buried in there, but accessing them may not be easy. I don't think confrontation will be a problem; being mostly supportive and with a calm personality, I should be able to approach. I may be a demon, but I don't have enough bad karma to be marked a target. It would not surprise me if such an ancient creature already knew about most of my hoard and the civilizations the objects come from; definitely an interesting conversation, but what could I offer? Maybe I could track down something personally nostalgic; it would be a fun challenge.
Senguru-no-Sumire
Senguru-no-Sumire (Dark Princess)
The little princess of the exorcists, a powerful one but clearly unused to the lifestyle. The reasons for her presence are not completely clear; the sources are conflicting, which can only mean one thing: someone is actively covering up the real one. Her abilities are impressive, but rumors abound about where they really come from; her Aura is apparently much darker than what an exorcist should have, let alone a pampered princess groomed for royal life. Some say she is a monster in disguise, others that she is a fake replacing the real one, and others still simply say she is possessed; the last one seems the most likely, but the circumstances of this possession must be quite peculiar if it is allowed to continue around so many exorcists. Her personality on the surface seems to be the classic spoiled heir, but my sources cannot dig that deep; I would have to meet her in person to make a proper judgment. There is something wrong with her in general; maybe her personality is fake too. I should be safe as long as I don't offend her, which may be easier said than done, but I will do my best. Royalty already has access to many rare things; maybe something relatively insignificant would be more interesting to her. I don't know why, but I have the strange urge to give her one of those strange worms I found floating in that spirit plane, but that would be outrageous for her, I am sure. If there is a secret, I want to know what it is.
Iku
Iku (Head Miko, old)
A very young-looking miko who is known around the city as the head of the special exorcist squad. She is much older than she looks, but the information I have points to the fact this is not the result of the same condition as me. She apparently had to use a special technique as a last resort; she normally would use it later, I guess. Very respected despite the apparent age, comes with the territory, I guess. She is good at her job. Most people may not even know she looks like this right now and just remember her by reputation. I should not have to worry about her attacking me; being a professional means she should recognize I am not an evil spirit. Her business model seems unsustainable under normal circumstances, but she makes it work somehow; she must be really good at budgeting or really cheap, probably both. If she is as old as my information says, I may have some things to ask her; old people are full of interesting perspectives on the events of the past; I am just not sure she would answer. She is not as old as the ghost, so finding something she doesn't know would be easier, but she may be uninterested in most material things anyway. I still have some scrolls somewhere about a dead religion; maybe she would like a new perspective. They did talk about fighting demons, but it may have been a metaphor.
Waffu
Waffu (Office Umbrella)
Reminds me of the people back home, just living day to day, paycheck to paycheck. Back there I would call it depressing; here I call it calming and a bit of a miracle. His work ethic is very good for someone that doesn't like his job, and he is very good at it. His peculiar anatomy makes it difficult to properly compare him to most creatures, but he is surprisingly resilient considering he resembles quite the fragile implement. I remember seeing youkais like that back in the day, before I started studying this kind of stuff for a job. He should not be a problem; I am not marked, and he will not go out of his way to work without extra pay. I would still not approach without good reason; I hear he likes his spaces. Considering that I don't know much about his age, I am not sure if he would be familiar with my artifacts. He would probably like something useful, like a pan or something, or a book; I have a couple of those.
Beast Hunters
People that decided to risk life and limb for the hunt, and me, I guess; there's also me. Most of them are brash, reckless, not particularly bright, and quite violent. They also have a strange sense of community and loyalty that I was not expecting; it reminds me of a game from back home. I don't really feel like I belong here, but I like most of them; they are fun to be around.
Kaine Tsukikage
Kaine Tsukikage (Head Chef of the hunters)
I honestly don't know that much about her, not as much as you would think considering I am technically her employee. She used to be a lot different a long time ago and settled down to make the Hunter's Lodge; all the hunters are grateful to her for that. Her reputation never disappeared; a lot of people are still scared just by hearing her name, but now it's also associated with food. Despite the rumors I know she is not hostile, I saw her a couple of times even if we never talked; I don't think she would attack anyone without a reason. The reason may not necessarily be good, but that's already more than a lot of people around here. I know for a fact she likes ingredients, and I do have a lot of those; in fact, I am sure some of the stuff I bring back already makes its way to her. Maybe I should research her more; on the other hand, I guess it would be more respectful if I didn't.
Yunlāw Jín
Yunlāw Jín (Fire Monkey)
I should not be surprised someone like this is a Beast Hunter. Reckless, cheerful, and carefree, all appropriate adjectives. He is not as dumb as people make him out to be; I saw firsthand his performance in battle, and I recognize the spark in his eyes; he just doesn't seem to care about anything else. He has a peculiar sense of honor, giving even the beasts he hunts a fair shot at survival, as fair as being put against him is in the first place can be, but I guess he doesn't see that part. His flames are more destructive than normal. I am curious why, if it's something he learned and adapted or something he was born with. I already have my Gamma, if I were to learn something it would not be fire, but it's always good to have more knowledge. He is fun to be around, and he seems unbothered by the problems he attracts, he even seems happy to be able to fight, I am not as optimistic. Ancient ruins and old secrets don't interest him, but I am sure he would appreciate some new technique if I were to find a complete one, provided it fits his style. I don't mind hunting with him, makes the actual hunt easier, but the material gathering is a bit difficult, there is a limit to how much we can strategize about not burning anything. Lucky us the craters are usually all the proof people need that we did our job, that and the lights in the sky.
John “Berserker” Thomas
John “Berserker” Thomas (Honey Badger)
Another hunter, famous for his reckless behavior, after seeing his animal form I can understand why he is like this. Called a berserker and fights like one but not really one in character, outside of combat he is a calmer person. Used to isolation, only joined the Lodge recently, still earlier than me. Despite being essentially a hermit from the hair tribe he displays some knowledge of modern Earth, I suspect he may be a reincarnated human, he seems to have adapted well. We have not interacted much but we did run into eachother on respective hunts, some may consider his reckless abandon disconcerting and his almost complete lack of tactics suboptimal, but I think he is quite reliable, you don't always need a plan to fight. His aura is dark, which does cause him some problems apparently, I need more concrete proof to judge someone and as far as proof goes he is just really into the fight. Sometimes he even looks remorseful after a fight, I could hazard a guess as to why, but it would be counterproductive without more information. I am not sure what he would be interested in, I would need to guess but maybe some Earth goods to remind him of home. He could also wish to forget, maybe a meditation scroll is better.
Tie Dao (Overtime Surveyor)
Tie Dao (Coiling Hunger)
An unfortunate soul plagued by a curse. We share the same duties and as such we often exchange information and findings. His passion for cooking and eating is genuine even if it comes from a dark place sometimes and the food he manages to make with beasts we hunt is alway good. Always as cheery as he can be in front of others; I can see the darkness hidden in his eyes sometimes but it would be rude to point it out so I do my best to distract him as I can. It's easy to get carried away talking about our travels, and he always does his best to keep up with my technicalities, I should try to make my knowledge more easily digestible too. He brings me small artifacts sometimes, and I share monster parts as well, he can use them better than me anyway. His curse is a serious matter that needs to be dealt with, he pretends not to care and does his best to not let it show but I know it weights heavy on him. I never saw anything quite like it in my research, similar situations but not to this degree of complexity, I will keep searching too, I may not be able to look at the future but we have much yet to learn from the past too. There is hope for him yet.
Bodyguards
People that protect other people. An odd bunch all things considered, most of them are normal but it seems the most popular ones are always strange in some way. They help people, and are less prone to corruption, mostly because they don't actually have an organization in the same way as others, as far as I know at least. I don't really need one, but it's good to know them.
Maihime Amajiro
Maihime Amajiro (Failed Bodyguard, not that bad actually)
Called a failure and a drunkard, among other derogatory terms, she seems to be a bodyguard down on her luck. Almost perpetually drunk and with a reputation for being... Let's go with affectionate, which made her not particularly wanted in her job. Despite that she is not that bad, when she does get a job she does pretty well all things considered. Her lack of a tail seems to be a sore spot, despite being curious I better try to remember that, neither of the two reported reactions is something I want to deal with. Her life seems to be turning around somewhat lately, the accursed foxtuber hired her, they seem to get along well, she even appeared on stream, that was unexpected. I am not sure she has any interest other than getting drunk, which means she should leave me alone if I don't interfere with her job. I do have some very old wine I could give her, I don't drink anyway.
Chi Shin'nou
Chi Shin'nou (Broken Scale)
Some people spend their whole life without finding a meaning, she found one. Her solution is very strange, and I will never understand it, but it's hers and she seems happy with it. She is good at her job and her clients rarely complain about her skills, her personality is another story. She appears scatterbrained, someone could call her dumb even, but I suspect her philosophy applies to her thoughts as well, so to her, even random intrusive thoughts are deserving of her attention. I could keep up with that, I am used to multitasking, but I can imagine the average client gets a little worried when the bodyguard comments on the shape of a cloud with a danger in front of her. I know she will not attack me without reason, she doesn't seek out fights, so I can at least count on that, I don't plan on interfeering with her job if I can help it. She seems to have some goal that she pursues, I am not sure what it is but she does ask strange questions sometimes, questions that seem more targeted than the usual ones, mostly because they are recurrent with multiple people. I have the perfect artifact for her, a broken scale, very decorated, it's stuck in perpetual balance, to it like to her everything is equal. I know she will be neutral to is as she is to everything else, buts sometimes making a point is more important.
Ootori Tsugumi
Ootori Tsugumi (Mispaced Secretary)
Classified as a bodyguard but her current role is more that of a secretary. Shapeshifter with a troubled past, I gathered many rumors about her, but that seems just the average Yahata employee. More recent information leads me to believe she is good in this particular role, and the older rumors are likely to be exaggerated. As a professional she should be fine as long as I don't threaten her client, or in this case her faction. Not much is known about her personality from rumors alone, they tend to focus more on her lack of loyalty and how unreliable she is, so I am not sure what artifact would be appropriate. I hate to assume but women like clothes right? Maybe something elegant, or something from Earth. I lack information; I would need to study her more.
Warsmiths
Merchants of war. People that woke up and instead of choosing violence chose large-scale rebellion. Most of them have an army and fight for something, that something rarely makes sense. I suspect there is someone behind them, it's a bit too strange that all these warlords just appeared in the same period. I prefer avoiding them, my track record around this kind of situation is less than stellar, but war means history, so I have to keep an eye on them. Hopefully I will get to record the ways they failed rather than all the lives lost in the carnage.
Andrew Brunet
Andrew Brunet (Father Samurai)
A strange mix of a samurai and a priest, but the kind of priest I am more used to rather than the monks of these lands. He would feel out of place in this section if I were not familiar with the problems his religion already caused. Crusades are not something I am looking forward to documenting. His rebellion is only spiritual for now and he is a peaceful man most of the time, but his skill with a blade is disconcerting, a real priest would not need that. His flock is pretty normal all things considered, he is the one that is a bit unpredictable. He must know of Earth, his religion is from there, but he seems to be missing part of his memory or identity. May be unstable, treat with caution. I may have a Bible lying about somewhere, but he probably already has those, maybe some utility knowledge would be more useful for him. It's hard to survive in an unfamiliar world so as wary as I am of him I do respect the effort, I will help if I can but I don't think he would accept the help of a demon.
Aziz
Aziz (Loud Echo)
I am not sure how to describe this person, he appears to be an undead from an age long past. I found stories of his old exploits, but what he is now is not particularly congruent with the legend. He antagonizes anyone he meets, treats everyone like some manner of inferior creature, and talks about revolution and bloodshed. He supposedly is gathering an army but I am quite certain nobody joined him, and I can't blame them, being degraded constantly and being called a worm is not really a sound recruitment strategy. Maybe he could attract people interested in his cause by being more transparent about it but it's not clear exactly what his goals are. Nobody takes him seriously, I also started doubting if he is the real Aziz or just some poor soul that was convinced to be him, but it would be better to not underestimate him, his interpersonal skills may be in the negatives but there is a spark of the old warlord in there somewhere when it comes to skill in combat. I would rather avoid him, but he decided to make himself everyone else's problem so I will most likely not have a choice.
Kuiara Tamenai
Kuiara Tamenai (Karma Failed)
It's strange to see a warlord without an army, even stranger to see two of them, we live in interesting times. Rumors say he used to be some sort of monster a long time ago, but nobody with that name shows up in the history of this world, and I should know that, it's kind of my job. Now the creature going around with that name seems to be changed, something Kuiara appears to reject. Dissociative disorder aside, the personality seems the same, and the skills of a warlord are also there. Another person I would rather avoid, and unlike others I will probably manage to do that by being careful, which is not easy I guess but I have hope. Whoever they are it's clear the pride they still have for what they did, and still do, so repentance seems unlikely. I really need to search better, this lack of substantial information would lead me to believe this to be a case of reincarnation, but not from Earth, from somewhere else.
Hayato Taida
Hayato Taida (Lazy Swordmaster)
The head of Yahata, a mercenary that appeared from nowhere and gained popularity thanks to the impressive feat of liberating a castle in Limbo. Rumors say he did it all by himself, I don't doubt that but I do wonder why. He is not the best leader by normal standards but the simple fact that Yahata has yet to fall apart proves he at least knows how to keep his employees happy. He appears lazy and unmotivated, and he often makes attempts at seduction against several women with normally negative results, but his skill in combat is undeniable and he has a code of conduct unlike most people in his line of work. Information about his past is very rare and muddled, I really should look into more concrete information but that is not easy from this far away, I would need to personally investigate him for that. He should not be a problem anyway, not the type of person that attacks first unless it's a job. He seems too carefree to be interested in ancient culture, but he could be interested in some other things, maybe I should have kept those artistic depictions of women I found in that ruin, but they didn't feel important back then, they even followed modern beauty standards so they had no historical significance.
Faisal
Faisal (Anget Incarnate, justified probably)
A very angry woman, from the little I know of her past I can't even blame her. Her ideology is not a secret and her methods are very open. Recently joined Yahata, she seems to fit in well, or at least has yet to kill all of them. Other than her anger and her obsession with justice not much reaches me out here, information is scarce sometimes. I don't think I should worry about her, I am not a criminal, but you can never be sure with her type. I could give her a weapon maybe? Or a book on laws, but giving her information outdated by centuries may not be a good idea. I understand her view of the world, I understand why she sees it that way, but I don't think it's viable. I guess her approach is better than many alternatives, but it's not perfect. I don't think there is a perfect approach, life is not that easy, hopefully she will find a way to deal with the anger. Blind rage will not help her goals.
Insurgents
Chaos, just chaos. Whoever these people are they don't follow normal logic, they cause problems apparently at random and then disappear in the same way. But I can see a pattern, the attacks are not coordinated but they always benefit the same people, the same group. There is an agenda there, even if I am not sure what the end goal is I know someone is behind it. I will figure it out one day, and I will record it faithfully. My role is not to interfere, and in this case stopping them would be meaningless, I would have to find the source. The only question is should I?
Femurman
Femurman (Immortal Nuisance, professional)
This guy is just a living, or unliving I guess, annoyance. He made it his job to piss people off and fight them, but just to take time. I saw the records, I know he does it on purpose; I just need to find out why. He probably doesn't know, so even talking to him would not be useful for that, if I can even have a conversation with him without having to fight. He will be a problem if I meet him, it's just a question of when, but it's a problem that solves itself most of the time.
Xana Redsilk
Xana Redsilk (No, Just No)
Rumors say that the head of Redlight is a red oni, I highly doubt that. She is the source of all the problems Redlight makes, and probably a lot more. It's strange for me to say this about someone I don't even know, but I hate her, everything she made is horrible and the rumors don't paint a much better picture, for once I believe them. I am looking froward to documenting her downfall, I am sure it will happen, she is accumulating too much hatred and too many enemies to last. I have time after all.
NAMELESS LORD OF FLAME
Living fire (I don't even know if there is a person in there)
I have nothing on this, just fire, a lot of fire. Reminds me of a song.
Smugglers
I still can't believe technology is illegal here, they are way too behind Earth. At least some people make it a job to bring progress. I guess they also bring other things, and they smuggle other illegal things in the City, ok fine most are bad people but I know for a fact that buying a new game should not be illegal.
Kyomi
Kyomi (Weaponized Cuteness)
She shattered my worldview. A fox shapeshifter that managed to make a career of being a V-Tuber out of all things, and if she is a real foxgirl how many other V-Tubers are also actually real? Her business model is a bit strange, she treats her own merch as smuggled goods in the city, which I guess is technically true, and keeps her Earth streams Youdou streams somewhat separate. Her personality on stream is very annoying, but I am almost certain it's just a character, the way she speaks also hints at the fact she has intimate knowledge of Earth. She is probably a reincarnated human, It would explain a lot. She may be interested in something cool to show on stream, but she may as well use fakes, and not knowing her real personality means I don't have information for anything else. I really want to know where she got the idea, or if there are more, something I considered normal turned out to be fake, or real? It's a strange situation to be in. She has a cult, nothing strange there, all V-Tubers have one. She also deals in normal smuggling sometimes, I am not sure how but I suspect she uses her knowledge of Earth for it.
Shukisame (Insurgent Overtime)
Shukisame (Battle Maniac)
A battle maniac that attacks people seemingly at random, but is usually more dangerous than the other annoyance. Rumors have it that someone with the same fighting style is a pretty successful smuggler, I don't have definitive proof that they are the same person but it has a pretty high chance of being the case. I prefer avoiding this kind of person but for some reason I can't seems to avoid it, I will probably have to meet him at some point.
Stalkers
Spies and ninjas and stuff. Not very professional of a description but there is not much to say. Some are assassins, some are just spies, most work in the shadows for one reason or another. There are outliers, as is always the case, but they are pretty rare. I deal with them more than I would like, but they are either very interested in my information or my clients tend to send one of them as a messenger. I do my best to check the backgrounds, they are good but most of the time I am better. The ones I can't find info on are not necessarily bad either, just good at what they do, I just wish I knew in advance.
Jaki
Jaki (Deathless Mystery)
A ninja. I lack information on him, hard to kill apparently, he keeps coming back. That's about it.
Madoka
Madoka (Real Stalker)
A Staker that lives up to the name more than most. Frequently spotted in a variety of places, who knows how many other places she ends up in when she doesn't want to get spotted. Seems to focus on information gathering and selling, not much is known of her combat capabilities, which could mean she either doesn't fight or leaves no traces of it. Seems to have focused on the foxtuber lately, information about her skyrocketed and strange items appeared on the market which should be Madoka's work, according to some rumors. Other than that I don't know much about her, ninjas are like that and I am not close enough to the city to get better info myself. Stalkers are unpredictable because normally how much trouble they are depends on the contracts, I can just hope the rumors are true and that she just stalks instead of also killing. It would not be the first time someone sent an assassin after me, I prefer avoiding that.
Detective Hasu
Detective Hasu (Veteran Colleague)
I was not aware of the presence of someone with a similar profession to mine in the city, then again I did not really pay attention to much back then. His reputation among the downtrodden of the Devil Moon district speaks of his values, and the fact he is still alive speaks of his skills. With the limited access to information I have it's difficult to determine where he came from, but I have some theories regarding the supposed dark aura he emanates, it's not much considering how many stories like that exist in this world but with just a bit more I should be able to restrict the field enough. He may as well be the living proof that my coexistence in the city is possible, I should ask him how he does it. We both deal in secrets and search for the truth but I focus on the more distant past most of the time, while he focuses on the present, our skills should be applicable to the other's job as well but acclimation would be needed. I hear he likes suits, I do have a lot of those, but maybe secrets would be a more appropriate gift between colleagues. I have much I could learn from him, but he also seems to have his own problems, I should be careful not to add to them.
Isshin Hanamura (Exorcist Overtime)
Isshin Hanamura (Apparent Homeless)
There are some strange people in this world, and he is certainly amongst them. Appears homeless, acts homeless, strangely enough, the information I have about hims says he has a house. Between the work of a Stalker and that of an Exorcist he has much to do but he seems to always have the time to beg for food and shelter around the city, or maybe it's the opposite and he has no time to go back home. He is impressive in his ability to survive things that by all means he should not, it should make his work easier at least. I am not sure if he would be a problem, I don't think he cares about non marked demons and he mostly goes for cults but you never know. I think he would like some sort of machine that does things for him, they would be illegal but I do have some ancient equivalents.
Institude Apprentices
I don't envy them, being stuck in school is still not something I would want, even if it's magic kung-fu school. The system seems predatory and restrictive, a bit like university back home. People try to send me there from time to time, I look too young to have a job apparently and they don't want me to waste my potential. I may visit one day, but there is no way I will let myself be captured.
Yuki Yuri
Yuki Yuri (Fake Failure)
All kinds of people become famous for the most disparate of reasons, it's pretty rare for someone to do so because of how incompetent they are. She is in a strange situation, she is both regarded as a prodigious student and exorcist and as an absolute failure, and unlike most conflicting rumors, both of those statements seem to be true. Anxiety seems to be her default state and people take advantage of her for several reasons, the strange part is that she actually does the things she is asked to do quite well. She needs a friend, or anyone that wouldn't take advantage of her really, to maybe get a bit better in the anxiety department. I am not sure what she would like, I heard she carries books around a lot, but nobody is quite sure what is in them. Maybe I have something like that in my collection, it must be something so ancient people have forgotten about it. I will have to visit the institute at some point, it would still be better to avoid her, I don't want to cause her undue stress, she has enough of it.
Long Zhi Wen
Long Zhi Wen (Industrial Revoultion)
Head of the Rising Star Temple, considered an arrogant prodigy by pretty much everyone. He seems to be preparing for something, nobody is quite sure what but it seems to have to do with technology. He surrounds himself with strange people, nobody is quite sure if there is a reason or it just happened by itself, but the fact the temple is still standing is nothing short of a miracle. Some of the more underground sources say that he is preparing for a rebellion and to bring technology and comfort to the city. It's a noble goal but I understand why it requires secrecy, the powers that be don't appreciate change around here. The black market has been more varied in selection of Earth tech, it may be because of him, or because of a more general increase in competent smugglers, but point is times are changing. He doesn't seem the easiest person to deal with but at the same time he should not be a problem, going out of his way to bother someone that isn't against him or his goal seems too meaningless for him, he seems to value intelligence. His cause is a good one and I would not mind helping, but would he even want my help? If he as good at transmutation as the rumors say I don't think he wants any artifacts, but he may be interested in the story behind them.
Street Vendor
Normal people trying to live a normal life. Not all are completely legal but it's not my place to judge, I just record. Some of my best information sources are like them.
Joe White
Joe White (Average)
A very normal man. He is nice and has a restaurant with a dojo on the side. I am not sure how he ended up with all these strange characters or how he is important enough to be noticed but honestly it's a good thing. There are still nice people in the city, and there are also still normal people too. I should visit his restaurant, I hear the food is really good, and there is information to be gathered when people are happy.
Yamata no Mizuki
Yamata no Mizuki (I am holding myself back so much from making the obvious pun)
Pharmacist with ties to the Hellion mob. I don't have the best relationship with them but her ties don't seem that tight. Has a good reputation as a shopkeeper and medicine seller, information about the illegal side of the operation is rare which means she is good at her job. I only know that there is an illegal side. I don't think she will personally be a problem, but it would be better to avoid her, even if she is not a problem the mob will probably be around her. Her personality seems quite calm, and shopkeepers tend to think about profit so a good offering would be something with sell value, like monster parts she can make medicine out of. Of course it would not be a good idea to approach her without making sure to have a plan and even befriending her would be more of a cause of problems for both of us, but I don't like to judge too much.
Aura Slave
The name is a bit misleading, Aura Pet would be more accurate. Exactly like pets some are treated well, like part of the family, while others are treated like cattle. Logically speaking this is a required job in this society, but it could be handled better. Of course, that would mean someone that matters would need to be dissatisfied with it, which is not the case since they are the ones benefitting most.
Ren (Custom "Physician" Overtime)
Ren (Wrong Job)
The most prominent of the so called Aura Slaves, owing to his apparent freedom to do as he pleases. Most slaves are bound to a master, he travels the city offering the services of a healer instead. Nobody knows what he looks like apart from his clients, and they keep the secret well, probably more out of a misguided sense of conquest than any care for the man. His personality is said to be quiet, kind and attentive, what you would expect from someone with his job, I suspect what he actually does is closer to a psychologist than a doctor, I recognize the patterns. It is strange to see a slave with so much freedom, I am glad to see exceptions exist but still think this should be a normal job, he is the living proof that it could work. Since information about him is scarce I am not sure what his interests are, but I would guess he reads a lot, maybe some old records would be appropriate. I could give him a copy of my old psychology textbooks, they are not artifacts but they could be useful. There is a high chance he is a spy, using the moments of vulnerability to gather information, which would go against the oath doctors have but I don't think he took any oath. It's an unfortunate consequence of the world we live in, I would not blame him.
Housekeepers
Maids and Butlers, but also all kinds of people necessary for the running of a big household. Very rare back on Earth, at least in this capacity, the vaguely feudal culture here makes them normal. A surprising amount of them are trained in combat and martial arts, to the point where someone would be an outlier if they were completely defenseless. Strange people end up here sometimes, it's a quiet job most of the time and some attempt to reach peace thanks to it.
Dazai
Dazai (Quiet Life or Forced Labor?)
An interesting butler with a strange past. I don't know what happened in the gap, I would need to personally investigate him for that, but I know of his life in the Six-Finger Mafia. There are way too many reasons why he could be in this position now so I would need to know more to form an opinion, what I do know is that it's not as stange as it seems. Info incomplete, needs more proof.
Yakuza
The organized crime of the city, I am familiar with them, both here and back home. They are divided into two big families, one is more tolerable than the other. The Hellions hate me, and it's at least somewhat justified, I did cause a lot of problems for them at the time, and probably will keep doing it, I can't completely ignore all the shit they do. The Six-Fingers are more tolerable, still criminals but with a code of honor; they can at least be reasoned with even if it's probably better if I don't try, too many things could go wrong.
Odd Jobs
Random people of interest, either with no job or way too many. I should not be one to talk, being overworked is a problem, but some people take it to another level. Sometimes I envy the freedom, then I remember why I am doing this and that no matter what job I would still end up in a similar situation. I am not doing too bad all things considered.
Hajun
Hajun (Karmic Debt Record Holder)
Former criminal weighted down by his sins, both literally and metaphorically. He took on several vows to help work off his karmic debt, but also managed to break all known records for the amount he has to repay, between the vows and the fact he is apparently trying I suspect corruption is the cause of a lot of his debt. Part of Yahata currently. His vows would not allow him to accept any gifts without repaying them from what I gathered, so I gues the best gift I could give him is to not make his debt higher. Not particularly smart, probably needs some friends to keep an eye on him, Yahata seems to be treating him well so I should have no reason to worry.
Shinka, the Chimera Queen
Shinka (Missing Link)
I am not sure what she is, but I would like to find out. I have my theories on humanoid chimeras, and she could be the key to proving them.
Factions
Crimson Iris Cult
I should argue about the name, I really should, but I can't. It's supposed to be a company and also the gathering of fans of the fox, but it really is a cult. It's not even her fault, not completely anyway, even if she was not a gremlin that acts like a goddess that demands worship I am sure she would have gathered a cult regardless. V-tuber fans are crazy, she is just taking advantage of an existing phenomenon.
Yahata Mercenaries
A growing group of people that does odd jobs around the City. Mostly made of criminals and people down on teir luck it's a surprisingly reputable organization. The criminals seem to be searching for redemption and supporting each other in that goal, to various degrees of success. I am not the kind to belong to a faction, but I would not mind maintaining friendly relations with them, there is a high concentration of interesting characters here, and that will lead to history and secrets. I can only hope it's good history.
Redlight
I don't have much to say about them, they're a bunch of criminals, real ones this time. I hate them, and they hate me, this time I guess it's justified. They have bigger problems than me and I have better things to do than hunt them down knowing two more will sprout from the ashes of those I vaporize. This is a story I don't mind is left untold.
Fists of Aziz
Can you call one person a faction? Maybe someone will be roped in by his crazy antics, the world is full of strange people after all and the ones that like being degraded are sadly more common than most would expect. I don't want to have anything to do with him and his cause, but I don't have a choice, you are either with him or against him, and I am not siding with the madman. I already have enough of that by myself.
Blades of Christ
This feels so familiar, like I never woke up with demon powers and was still at home hearing the crazy ramblings of the priest each sunday. Maybe these ramblings are marginally more crazy but the core is the same. They don't hurt anyone for now, and sometimes people need something to believe in. I will record their story faithfully, it's the least they deserve, I may not share the belief but I will not be the one to shatter it.
Rising Star Temple
The leader is an asshole, but the organization is not that bad. From what I gather it's full of unstable people, one way or another, but it's trying to work for a noble cause. I don't think the current nobles and important people agree with the idea of modernizing the city, Earth technology is still mostly illegal, but they don't seem to care. This feels like a different kind of rebellion, one that needs to be documented all the same, and if I know something about this place from all the ruins scattered around it will be no less bloody.