Chapter 22: The Traitor
The steam train, like a steel beast, broke through the thick fog, racing along the tracks.
Inside VIP Car No. 2, the lights were bright. Su Xiao held a metal sphere in his hand, twisting it. This item was called the Eye of Mystery. With his current level of alchemy, disassembling the Eye of Mystery risked not being able to reassemble it, but twisting it together like a puzzle was no problem.
Su Xiao realized that, for now, he didn't need to disassemble the Eye of Mystery. Its initial refinement was somewhat like solving a Rubik's Cube—every few twists, he needed to sense its internal structure. This process was both refining the Eye of Mystery and understanding it, preparing for the disassembly stage later on.
Amu and Baha were fast asleep on the seats opposite. Ta Balder and Bubu Wang were in the "first-class cabin," which had a wide view and fresh air, though the wind was strong.
The main reason Su Xiao had left the search for the [Watch Relic] for last was that he wasn't sure he could find it. Benefits in hand were what mattered; collecting the relics with known locations first was the safest approach.
If he sold all the divine relics in his possession, his current World Reputation would reach 3,748 points, still a bit short of his target.
Su Xiao took out a Hunter's Badge. Its owner was a man named Adam. Although Adam was an old hunter, if he didn't lose control within a few years, there would be one more Divine Hunter. After being corrupted by the "Root of Fusion," Adam hadn't grown stronger—he had grown weaker.
Su Xiao had always wanted to determine one thing: was Adam's corruption by the "Root of Fusion" truly a coincidence?
Regarding luck, Su Xiao was self-aware. For example, in the last world, his summoned insect race had swept through the trial zone, yet he only obtained a few Scarlet Cards. According to Reincarnation Paradise's prompt, the drop rate of Scarlet Cards from killing contractors was as high as 52.7%.
But this time, just two days after entering this world, he had learned of the existence of the "Root of Fusion" through Adam's death. Such luck was already beyond the realm of good fortune.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Su Xiao felt as if someone was pushing all this forward. As for what they were plotting, Su Xiao had no prophetic abilities and couldn't guess for now.
Just as Su Xiao was deep in thought—
Thump, thump, thump~
Bubu Wang's dog head poked down from the upper part of the window. Seeing Su Xiao look over, Bubu Wang quickly pulled his head back. After a moment, he started thumping on the window again, quite playful.
When the steam train emerged from the thick fog, it was already 2 a.m. After passing through four stations, it arrived at Dawn City at 6 a.m.
The salty sea breeze blew in. From within the station, the distant sea was visible. The sun rose above the horizon, dyeing the sea a pale gold, like a scene from a painting.
Dawn City was famous for its beautiful scenery, but even more famous was its level of chaos. Over 500 years ago, when nations were still in the cold weapon and maritime era, Dawn City was infested with pirates.
Don't think these pirates were a ragtag bunch. At their peak, even the Rhine Kingdom couldn't handle them. They established a pirate nation, which led to war with the Rhine Kingdom.
The pirates couldn't fight the Rhine Kingdom at sea, of course, since they wanted to seize territory. As a result, the Rhine Kingdom's Third Army taught them a lesson. After purging a portion, the remaining pirates wisely went legitimate, becoming the naval forces of the Rhine Kingdom.
Originally, this island was called Black Flag Island, but the name immediately brought pirates to mind. After deliberation by the Rhine Kingdom's rulers, it was renamed Dawn City.
Even after many attempts at legitimization, Dawn City's customs were hard to change. The people here believed in force, and with the port providing an easy escape route, the level of chaos was predictable.
As soon as he left the steam train station, dirty streets appeared before him. If Fog City was the Rhine Kingdom's favored son, then Dawn City was the one bought with a phone card.
Regarding the [Watch Relic], Su Xiao only knew it was in Dawn City; he knew nothing else.
Su Xiao didn't believe he was the first to come to Dawn City searching for the [Watch Relic]. That item held extraordinary significance for the Watch Guild, and they had likely sent hunters to search for it many times.
Su Xiao wasn't skilled at finding hunter relics. That didn't matter—he had brought someone skilled at it. Not Ta Balder, but another person, someone with no connection to the Watch Guild. Baha had fought this person, injured them, and obtained their bloodstains. That was enough.
He found a small inn to stay at temporarily. With nothing to do, Su Xiao took out a tattered piece of paper. On it, he could vaguely make out a formation diagram. He had found it in the shelter house and had studied it for days, but found nothing—the marks were too blurry.
"Hmm~"
Ta Balder sat cross-legged on the floor, hands on his knees, beginning to think about what to do next. Before he could think for long, his bloated "pumpkin helmet" drooped, and snoring came from inside.
The reason Su Xiao wasn't searching for the [Watch Relic] was that wandering around aimlessly without any clues was very unwise. He had already sent a message to the Watch Guild headquarters, requesting over 30 old hunters to assist.
This assistance request wasn't important—it was meant for the enemy's eyes. Su Xiao would use the enemy to find the [Watch Relic].
The Dark Prison forces were better at finding hunter relics because they had the "Root of Fusion." All Su Xiao had to do was bring the Dark Prison forces to Dawn City, tell them the [Watch Relic] was here, and then watch the enemy's performance, along with Bubu Wang's tracking ability.
Beep, beep, beep.
The communicator in Su Xiao's pocket sounded. It was a signal from Bubu Wang, meaning it was ready.
Su Xiao took out a small vial the size of a pinky finger, switched his title, and poured out the bloodstains inside.
Pfft~
The blood rippled through the air. The title ability "Blood Mark (Active)" activated. Soon, Su Xiao determined the general direction of the enemy.
He contacted Bubu Wang, telling it to track in that general direction. About ten minutes later, Bubu Wang sent back a message: it had found the target.
Hearing this, Su Xiao opened his eyes. He didn't deactivate the "Blood Mark (Active)" effect. This title ability lasted 12 hours and, though it could only track the enemy's general direction, it was still important.
Bubu Wang had already started tracking. Su Xiao's mind raced. First, the enemy hadn't known the [Watch Relic] was in Dawn City before. That meant the traitor within the Watch Guild wasn't as troublesome as imagined. At least, they weren't a high-ranking member of the Watch Guild—the ordinary high-ranking members all knew the [Watch Relic] was in Dawn City.
Realizing this, Su Xiao's thinking broadened. The traitor had been able to send a silver-haired hunter, an old hunter, to assassinate him. Their position in the Watch Guild was definitely not low.
A high position, but not privy to too many secrets. Combined with the Watch Guild's simple structure, Su Xiao's gaze turned to Ta Balder. Divine Hunters fit both criteria: "high position" and "not knowing too many secrets."
Divine Hunters were different from the Watch Guild's high-ranking members. Some secrets didn't need to be known by Divine Hunters. They often fought against Dark Prison forces, and if an enemy took their head, secrets could leak.
The somewhat dim-witted Ta Balder didn't need to be suspected, but another Divine Hunter, Hyena Fox Yas, was different. Hyena Fox Yas was fully capable of sending an old hunter.
As soon as this suspicion arose, Su Xiao's first thought was to kill this guy as soon as possible. He wasn't a righteous ally—he didn't need any evidence. By the time he gathered evidence that Hyena Fox Yas was the traitor, it would be too late.
Besides, this guy had been coasting along. As a fellow Divine Hunter, Ta Balder, though a bit dim-witted, was running all over the world, investigating what the Dark Demons and Wraiths were up to.
Hyena Fox Yas never dreamed that, before even meeting Su Xiao, he was already marked for elimination.
"Hmm!"
Ta Balder suddenly jerked his head up, as if startled awake. Seeing Su Xiao sitting across from him, he immediately pretended to be deep in thought, as if he hadn't been asleep. But after thinking for over ten seconds, his helmet drooped again, and he fell asleep.
Just as Su Xiao was about to order breakfast, the communicator in his pocket buzzed, flashing red. This meant the enemy had found the location of the [Watch Relic].
Realizing this, Su Xiao was somewhat surprised. He checked the time. The enemy had only been in Dawn City for about an hour. Impressive efficiency.
"Balder, wake up."
"Hmm? Is it morning?"
"..."
Su Xiao pushed open the door and left the room. Amu and Baha followed. After a moment of confusion, Ta Balder quickly caught up.
Meanwhile, at the southeast corner of Dawn City, in front of a basement door, several bloodstains were scattered nearby. Three Dark Demons were guarding this secluded alley. A figure walked into the alley. Seeing this, the three Dark Demons became alert. One of them spoke:
"Don't forget the reward you promised..."
The newcomer just smiled, paid little attention to the three Dark Demons, and pushed open the basement door.
Several translucent phantoms drifted inside the basement. Over a dozen bodies lay on the ground. They had no wounds, but their faces were frozen in terrified expressions, as if they had tried to scream but couldn't.
"Rhine has fallen too."
As if sighing, as if mocking, Douglas walked into the basement and stopped before a pitch-black underground passage. Not far from him, Bubu Wang was looking around.