Chapter 6: Astonishment
Just as Su Xiao stepped out from the main entrance of Lurenfei Palace, he sensed several gazes of scrutiny from the shadows. This was normal—given his current situation, having no one watching him would be the real anomaly.
Just as Su Xiao was about to withdraw his perception, he noticed one of those scrutinizing gazes was particularly conspicuous.
The difference was that the other gazes were all hiding in the shadows, while this one stared directly at Su Xiao, though from a considerable distance.
Su Xiao’s expression remained unchanged as he strolled slowly along the street, appearing to be idly wandering, but in reality, he was gradually closing in on that direct stare.
After walking for about half an hour, Su Xiao stopped at a small street stall. On the stall were two very worn-out books, and Su Xiao casually picked one up.
[Prompt: Tracking function activated. Holographic map generated.]
A holographic map of the Imperial Capital appeared before Su Xiao’s eyes, with a flashing red dot marking the map. He was now only 975 meters away from Violator No. 9013.
Su Xiao was certain that this violator had come to him voluntarily. As for the purpose, he couldn’t yet determine.
Su Xiao put down the worn book. Instead of heading directly toward the violator’s location, he took an arcing path, gradually circling closer.
As Su Xiao moved, the distance between him and the violator shrank. Ten minutes later, they were only 573 meters apart—close enough.
Just as Su Xiao was about to charge straight in, the red dot representing the violator moved.
Before this, Su Xiao had never imagined anything could move this fast. Although he hadn’t seen how the violator ran, the red dot representing him was instantly stretched into a straight red line.
With a whoosh, the violator vanished from the holographic map’s range. His speed was so great that Su Xiao didn’t even bother trying to chase—it was simply… too damn fast.
Su Xiao was momentarily stunned, but then he realized why this hunt mission had no penalty at all.
It wasn’t a question of whether he could defeat the violator; it was that he couldn’t even catch up. In fact, comparing Su Xiao’s combat power to the violator’s, ten Violator No. 9013s combined wouldn’t be a match for Su Xiao alone.
Violator No. 9013 was one of the smartest violators Su Xiao had ever encountered. This guy had clearly been hunted by other Hunters before, so he had poured all his resources into escape abilities, resulting in his current speed.
Su Xiao felt that even if he trapped the guy, he probably had a ton of escape skills. From his various behaviors, this guy was nothing but a rabbit.
This violator had likely started searching for Su Xiao as soon as he entered this world. Until now, he had only done three things: search, observe, and then flee.
……
Imperial Capital, outskirts.
A gust of wind surged, and a farmer clearing wasteland on the outskirts tilted his head and closed his eyes, getting covered in dust.
Twenty kilometers outside the city, a figure came to an abrupt halt. He wore a light black tight-fitting suit, and his shoulder-length hair was blown back into a slicked-back style by the wind pressure.
“This time, I really hit the jackpot. That aura… at least an Old Hunter level.”
The slicked-back guy took out a water flask, gulped down several big mouthfuls, and even poured some over his head.
As a violator who had survived from the First Rank to the Fifth Rank, this slicked-back guy relied entirely on being cowardly. This time, he planned to stay cowardly too.
……
Imperial Capital, Central Street.
Su Xiao stood on the rooftop of a building—exactly where the violator had been earlier.
There was no valuable intel. Su Xiao observed for a while and then left.
The sudden appearance of the violator didn’t disrupt Su Xiao’s plans; instead, it reassured him. The guy’s escape ability showed he was the cowardly type, so the chances of him interfering with Su Xiao’s awakening mission were low.
Su Xiao had already obtained control of the Crow’s Eye from the Old Saint King, but this matter wasn’t publicized—only the Old Saint King and Su Xiao knew.
Given the current situation, Su Xiao wouldn’t recall the Crow’s Eye for now. He was meeting the Moon Goddess tonight. If he made contact with the Crow’s Eye now, it would be equivalent to admitting he had sided with the Old Saint King. In that case, what awaited Su Xiao tonight wouldn’t be a summons, but an ambush.
Su Xiao stopped in front of a tavern. Coming here suited his current predicament.
At this moment, the Little Vice Officer wasn’t following Su Xiao. Instead, she had gone to meet an acquaintance to get some high-power steam bombs. Apparently, the type she was after were contraband.
Su Xiao entered the tavern. For a commander who had narrowly escaped death and now held no real power, this was the most fitting place for him.
Time passed unnoticed. Although Su Xiao wanted to find the Soul Speaker, without the Crow’s Eye’s help, searching on his own was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
At 6:30 PM, the Little Vice Officer arrived at the tavern and whispered something to Su Xiao. She seemed unchanged on the surface, but hidden inside her military uniform were many steam bombs.
“It’s about time. Let’s go see the Moon Goddess.”
Su Xiao exhaled the smell of alcohol. Although he had had a few drinks, his powerful physique kept him sober, no different from usual.
The place Su Xiao was heading to was the second landmark building in the capital: the Moon Goddess Monastery.
Soon, Su Xiao arrived in front of the Moon Goddess Monastery. A towering statue of a goddess stood inside the monastery, conservatively estimated to be over a hundred meters tall. Below it were several clustered round-topped buildings of varying heights.
The main entrance of the Moon Goddess Monastery was guarded by several Moon Apostles. They wore long garments with leather on the inside and metal plates on the outside. These people didn’t look like clergy; they seemed more like soldiers ready for battle.
In fact, these Moon Apostles were among the main forces on the battlefield. Believers or Moon Apostles from other empires were fools; these were the orthodox faithful, giving them extreme tenacity in battle and a fearless disregard for death.
Su Xiao entered the main hall of the Moon Goddess Monastery without obstruction. Outsiders often came and went here. As soon as he stepped into the opulent hall, a familiar face appeared in his sight—it was the Empire’s Flower, Sonia, whom he had met before in the secret prison.
Sonia’s attire stood out among the passing Moon Apostles and believers. She spotted Su Xiao and approached with a smile.
“Lord Kukulin, you’re very punctual.”
Sonia had changed into a blue dress, and her wine-red hair was braided into a fishtail braid, making her look much more mature and steady.
“This way, please.”
Sonia led the way to a staircase at the inner side of the hall and said, “Lord Kukulin, please have your vice officer temporarily hand over her weapons.”
Sonia didn’t care much whether Su Xiao carried weapons—after all, as the commander of the Ninth Legion, directly assassinating the Moon Goddess was impossible. But Su Xiao’s vice officer, Philomina, was a steam bomb expert. Such a person was too dangerous.
The Little Vice Officer walked over to a wooden table, reached her fair hand directly into her collar, and the five male Moon Apostles nearby tactfully turned away.
Soon, the small wooden table was covered with steam bombs. The bombs looked like horizontally crushed soda cans, with a 0.3 cm thick metal shell covered in diamond-shaped engravings. On the front were three adjustment lock rings, and on the back were fasteners like buckles. They were somewhat heavy overall.
Seeing the 27 steam bombs laid out on the table, Sonia’s cheek twitched. She had seen this nasty thing twice before. Soldiers called them “Fire Steam Hooves,” but the official name was White Phosphorus Steam Bombs. They contained a mixture of ultra-high-pressure steam and water-soluble white phosphorus. After explosion, the steam would contain burning phosphorus fires that couldn’t be extinguished even with water.
This was a strictly prohibited contraband item in the empire. During wartime, the three empires had signed a treaty banning the use of such steam bombs against soldiers, civilians, and so on.
“Wait a moment.”
The Little Vice Officer hopped, and a steam bomb slipped from her pant leg, clattering to the ground. This made the five Moon Apostles and Sonia’s hearts skip a beat.
Sonia led Su Xiao up to the second floor and arrived before a prayer room.
Guards stood at the prayer room door—three Moon Apostles blocking the entrance side by side.
“Commander Kukulin, please come in.”
A Moon Apostle opened the prayer room door, and Su Xiao entered. It was a small room of about ten square meters. Inside, a woman in a purple robe with long black hair was kneeling with her hands clasped together.
This woman appeared to be around thirty years old, with fair skin and a voluptuous figure full of mature feminine allure. Her face wasn’t absolutely stunning, but she had a unique charm—the more you looked at her features, the more pleasing they became, the kind of beauty that grew on you.
“Commander, could I trouble you with something?”
The praying Moon Goddess spoke, and Su Xiao remained on high alert.
“Please, go ahead.”
“Help me up. My legs have gone numb from kneeling.”
“……”
Su Xiao looked at the Moon Goddess with suspicion. If she really was an Old Yinbi, then she was the strangest kind he had ever encountered.
After a moment’s thought, Su Xiao walked up to the Moon Goddess, grabbed the back of her collar, and lifted her up.
At this moment, Su Xiao was standing beside the Moon Goddess and couldn’t see her expression. But when he grabbed her collar, her face showed a moment of shock, disbelief, and confusion—all practically written on her face.
When Su Xiao lifted her up, the Moon Goddess turned her head stiffly and stared directly at Su Xiao.