Chapter 60: Staggering Compensation
Void, Ataha Star, Ash-Gray Bunker.
The sky was overcast, with ash-like substances drifting everywhere. The land was desolate and severely desertified.
A wooden cross stood abruptly on the ground, with several semi-mechanical vultures perched on it. Their brownish pupils scanned the surroundings, searching for any living creature still in decent condition.
This was Ataha, a notorious lawless zone in the Void. Major races like the Demon Race, Feather Race, and Arcane Eternal Star had no jurisdiction here.
Ataha was absolute freedom and chaos. Only two types of people could survive here: scavengers poor enough to sell their own life force, and exiled criminals.
There was no unified race here; criminals from all races gathered, which is why most called it the Exile Land.
The surface was a danger zone. Without protective gear, one would go into shock within ten minutes, followed by mechanical infection. The first to mutate were the bones, as all the iron in the body would converge to a single point. This process was extremely painful. Worse still, the infected wouldn't die but would continue to linger, consuming large amounts of iron-rich mutated plants and industrial waste until the mutated area of the body became fully mechanized.
Ripples of spatial distortion emerged, and a figure in a white robe stepped out from the spatial waves.
"Welcome, lady from Arcane Eternal Star."
A man whose body was over half-mechanized bowed. His smile was fake, his gaze the unique look of criminals who lived only for today, never knowing if they'd see tomorrow.
"Lead the way."
The woman in the white robe spoke. The bowing criminal smiled even more falsely, turned, and walked toward an underground passage. This passage was entirely constructed of metal, originally a war bunker.
The criminal in front raised his left arm, and a vulture landed on his forearm. He casually tore a piece of necrotic skin from his own shoulder and fed it to the vulture with a smile.
As soon as they entered the Ash-Gray Bunker, a pungent acidic smell hit them. It was the odor of processing some kind of industrial waste. Hundreds of years ago, this was garbage, but now it was a hot commodity. Its iron content was high enough, and consuming it wouldn't kill you, making it a sought-after item.
The bunker had a heavy metal style, dirty and chaotic yet exuding a sense of technology. This was the bitter fruit of a "technological explosion" that had gone terribly wrong. The tech tree had been skewed too far toward warfare due to wars centuries ago, neglecting civil and industrial development, leading to the current state.
Half an hour later, in a lavishly decorated office, a potbellied man with a cigar between his fingers leaned back in a leather chair. Once, these things were ordinary; now, they were the height of luxury.
"You want to hire us to assassinate one of those lunatics? Lady, we may be criminals, but we're sane. From what I know, those people over there are all mad. That recent grand event, this person won, right?"
"Correct."
"So, lady, in your eyes, we people of the Exile Land are just vermin?"
"Yes."
"Hahahaha, you actually admitted it. You Arcane Eternal Star folks aren't too hypocritical after all."
The potbellied leader laughed. His name was Polelu, the ruler of the Exile Land.
Suddenly, Polelu's expression turned cold.
"If it weren't for you coming today, even someone from Arcane Eternal Star wouldn't leave here alive."
"I'll give you Black Maple Tree branches."
"!"
A crack appeared on the cigar between Polelu's fingers.
"How many milligrams?"
"50 grams."
"50,000 milligrams! This..."
Polelu hesitated. Black Maple Tree branches and leaves were measured in milligrams. This guest was paying by the gram, which tempted him.
"Deal. I have no shortage of people here. Besides this photo, is there any other information?"
"Everything is up to you. I only care about the result. Bring me his head in exchange for the Black Maple Tree branches."
The woman in the white robe stood up and walked out of the room. She didn't intend to stay any longer. The elemental force here was nearly depleted. As for her purpose in coming to the Exile Land, it was simple: let these fearless people test the waters. As long as the price was right, there was no one the Exile Land criminals wouldn't kill, no place they wouldn't go. There were some supernatural worlds outside the Void that Arcane Eternal Star people couldn't enter; the consequences would be severe.
...
In his exclusive room, Su Xiao sat cross-legged on the sofa in meditation, Dragon-Slaying Flash resting flat on his thighs.
He had been pondering one thing recently: why hadn't the assassination attempt from Arcane Eternal Star arrived yet? During the Strongest Warrior Tournament, he and Arcane Eternal Star had completely broken ties.
Afterward, Su Xiao learned through Lilim that the Supreme Being of Arcane Eternal Star had given the order to eliminate the last Law Destroyer.
Su Xiao had long known that hostility with Arcane Eternal Star was inevitable. Freaks like Hugh were extremely rare among spellcasters. Most spellcasters fought by manipulating natural elements, and some powerful ones even devoured natural elements to strengthen themselves and extend their lifespans.
Manipulating natural elements to cast spells affected the elemental balance, while devouring them caused permanent loss of elements. If the rate of element generation fell below the consumption rate of spellcasters, it would lead to catastrophic results—something few knew about.
The high-ranking spellcasters were certainly aware of this. They exercised some control, even eradicating races that needed to devour natural elements to survive.
Su Xiao didn't care about this initially. He didn't live in the Void, and even if it exploded, it wasn't his concern.
Unfortunately, Arcane Eternal Star didn't see it that way. They feared a revival of the Law Destruction Era, which would spell disaster for them. This made their positions naturally hostile.
Although Su Xiao wouldn't actively provoke Arcane Eternal Star, since they had declared war, he wouldn't back down. At worst, he'd die—nothing to fear. He had been fighting across various worlds, always bearing the risk of death.
Now, with Arcane Eternal Star still silent, Su Xiao guessed they were reluctant to enter worlds influenced by the Paradise. Whether it was Reincarnation Paradise or other Paradises.
His train of thought ended there. Su Xiao opened his eyes. The azure flame in the [Starfall Furnace] had extinguished. This specialty from Apocalypse Paradise was now scrap. Whether the Realm Severing Thread had been successfully upgraded was unknown. The [Starfall Furnace] was used to upgrade equipment, while the Realm Severing Thread was somewhere between equipment and main material.
Opening the [Starfall Furnace] on the coffee table, wisps of crystal dust drifted out. Nine Epic-grade gems had been scrapped. If the upgrade failed, the loss would be significant, but with Su Xiao's current strength, he could afford it.
He took out the Realm Severing Thread from the [Starfall Furnace]. It was wound on a spool, with a length of 195 meters.
[Realm Severing Thread]
Origin: Akame ga Kill!
Quality: Holy Spirit Rank
Category: Equipment Accessory (Can be loaded onto wrist guards, arm guards, gloves, and other hand equipment)
Durability: 350/350 (Increased by 120 points)
Length: 195 meters
Tensile Strength: 287 (Increased by 253 points)
Sharpness: 80 (Increased by 68 points)
Energy Conductivity: A (Holy Spirit Rank Energy Conductivity)
Rating: 915
Description: In critical moments, do not grip it tightly. The first thing to snap will definitely be your arm.
Price: 527,000 Paradise Coins.
...