By your smell

Kane occasionally looked around as he walked through the depressing streets of the Arcanum district. He encountered the exhausted faces of the workers operating machinery. Their movements lacked emotion; they looked more like machines than people.

He kept moving forward, receiving occasional glances that would glare at him as if he were an exotic animal. He was the only one who seemed to be alive in that depressing street.

The sky was still gray, and the air was filled only with the sound of various machines and the constant clanking of metal, creating a strange and lonely atmosphere.

After walking for quite a while, Kane arrived at 72 Dry Street. He looked both ways, searching for the person who would help him in the future, both in the material world and the Historical Void.

'If I'm not mistaken, according to the game, that woman should be around here somewhere,' he thought as he surveyed the surroundings.

He slowed the pace of his steps slyly, watching the faces of the people around him, trying to find the woman he was looking for.

Time it was passed quickly. The gray clouds moved with the wind, and the sky darkened like a wolf's mouth. The street lamps began to light up, emitting a yellowish light that illuminated the darkness of the streets.

Kane, who was walking back to take a cab to meet with the people from MystTech Innovations, had been looking for the woman all this time, but she was nowhere to be found.

'It looks like that woman is not in this place today, so why do I have to come again tomorrow to see if I can find her,' he thought with a long sigh.

Although he knew it wouldn't be easy to find a person in this vast city, he had a small hope that he would see them today because fate seemed to favor him today.

Sighing again, Kane looked at the time on his phone, which was 6:50 p.m.

With no more time to search, he took a cab to where he would meet Lys. He wasn't worried he wouldn't find her; he had plenty of time before the next event began.

...

After half an hour, Kane got out of the cab in front of a luxurious building, a restaurant called "Imperial." He was now wearing an elegant black suit with Air Jord*n 6 "Gold Ho*ps" Wmn's lo sneakers.

He looked at the imposing building with mixed feelings. It was the first time in his life that he had visited such a luxurious place, and he never imagined that one day he would be in such a place.

Kane took a deep breath and walked inside. Once inside, he looked around in awe before going to the front desk.

A woman, impeccably dressed, inspected him for a moment before asking:

"Sir, how may I help you?"

"I have a reservation on the top floor," Kane replied calmly.

"Can you tell me your name so I can look it up on the list?"

"Sure, my name is Kane Jineman."

The receptionist quickly looked up the list. After a few seconds, she looked up, somewhat surprised.

"Mr. Kane, please follow me."

Kane nodded and followed the receptionist. They walked down a hallway and then rode the elevator up. After a few minutes, they arrived at an elegant restaurant where impeccably coiffed and dressed servers carried trays with glasses of wine.

The receptionist pointed to a table near a massive window with a breathtaking view.

"Mr. Kane, this is your table."

Kane thanked and sat down, his eyes fixed on the illuminated city. He got lost in thought as he ignored the annoying voices in his mind.

...

After about ten minutes, Kane looked at the time on his phone: 7:30 p.m. He also saw that his mother had sent him several messages asking where he was.

"Merlin Hermes?"

As he answered his mother, Kane heard an oddly familiar female voice. They weren't calling him by name but by the fake name he had used all this time.

'Could it be that they already recognized me so quickly...? I dyed my hair white...' he thought.

He turned his gaze towards the source of the voice and met Rachel's expressionless face, in which a slight surprise was evident. Next to her was a woman with pale blonde hair and emerald green eyes.

Rachel is dressed in a slim-fitting black suit ensemble, a well-fitted jacket, and a belt accentuating her waist. Underneath the coat, she wears a turtleneck sweater in a dark green shade, adding a subtle but elegant contrast.

Accessories stand out in her outfit: Her hands are adorned with a golden watch on her left wrist and several delicate rings that complement her style. She also wears long golden earrings.

Kane, after inspecting Rachel's appearance, noticed the woman next to him, who was also dressed in an elegant suit, and then asked:

"Rachel, how did you recognize me?"

Keeping her expression calm, Rachel replied:

"By your smell."

Kane raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Because of my smell?"

It seemed Kane wasn't the only one surprised; the woman next to him also showed the same reaction.

Ignoring the surprised looks, Rachel sat down beside Kane while the pale blonde-haired woman Kane sensed was Lys, whom he'd spoken to on the phone hours earlier, watching them.

A playful smile appeared on Rachel's usually expressionless face as she said:

"So your real name isn't Merlin Hermes~."

Kane looked at her momentarily before he let out a long sigh. He never imagined that he would be recognized by his scent, and at that moment, he remembered that she had also mentioned something related to his scent when they were in the Historical Void.

"Could it be that this woman has a special sensitivity to smells?" he thought, believing that to be the reason, and said:

"I never imagined I would find you in this place."

"I didn't expect to find you so quickly either, let alone that you were the person who bought a large part of my company's shares."

"So you're the owner of MystTech Innovations," Kane muttered, realizing why Rachel looked familiar.

"So, you remember what you told me when we were in the Historical Void, right?"

"Yes, I remember you saying we would meet in the material world if we completed the Historical Void scenario, although I never imagined it would be this way."

With a smile on her expressionless face, Rachel said:

"Ah, right, come to think of it, there's a video of you circulating."

Hearing this, Kane frowned.

"What do you mean there's a video of me circulating?"

Rachel reached over, pulled out her phone, and showed Kane the video her friend had sent her. In it, he is shown fighting the Fable-ranked History Devourer.

Kane watched the entire video and couldn't help but let out a long sigh. It seemed as if fate was playing a bad joke on him. Most likely, all the important people had seen that video.

'How complicated. Now I have to be much more careful,' he sighed. He didn't like the idea of hiding, but he knew it was the best thing to do for the moment. His level was low, so he could practically do nothing.

"By the way, Rachel, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, no problem; what kind of favor is it?"

"If you can accompany me to a fragment of the historical void. I need an ingredient from that place."

Rachel's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and a smile tugged at her lips.

"Sure, no problem; when are we going?"

Lys, who had been silent, could not believe her eyes. Her boss, who hates men, was now close to one and seemed to accept anything he asked of her.

Although Lys understood her boss a little, seeing Kane's appearance would make her fall in love with him. However, since she was already married, she wasn't interested in looking for another man; with her husband, she had more than enough.

'I wish my husband were as handsome as he is; I wouldn't order anymore in this world,' she sighed.

Soon after, the waiter arrived with the menus, and the three ordered their dishes while discussing different things. After eating, they talked about the main reason for their meeting.