Chapter 32: Temporary Identity
Adley chose to do this. Su Xiao speculated that Douglas had likely approached them earlier and tempted them with benefits to attack Tiffany.
Without Douglas, Adley and his group couldn't have completed 32 commission tasks in such a short time, even with their adventure group of 165 people.
The commission tasks Adley took on were all supernatural incidents involving Dark Demons and Wraiths.
After Adley cooperated with Douglas, these commission tasks were no longer a problem. As one of the three giants of the Dark Prison, Douglas knew all supernatural incidents in Sodo City. Without his tacit approval, Dark Demons and Wraiths wouldn't dare appear in Sodo.
The rewards from completing 32 commission tasks in a short time, along with the benefits Douglas offered, tempted Adley. After all, he and his team weren't doing well within the Watch Guild.
Before fleeing, Adley made one last grab—attacking the acting manager of the Sanctuary House. Fearing retaliation from the Watch Guild, he chose to shift the blame to the dead, namely that pair of contractor lovers.
Adley and his members had a huge advantage: even after fleeing, they still had income channels—they could go mining.
Douglas clearly didn't care much about Adley. His earlier arrangement was likely just to annoy Su Xiao and eliminate the threat of Tiffany, whose abilities were greatly feared.
Although Tiffany didn't die, the possibility of her reappearing was slim. That female hunter had probably run off somewhere to open a fortune-telling shop, tricking young girls lost in life. This wasn't surprising; Tiffany's original partner was female. After hunting together for a long time, they developed unusual feelings for each other. The death of that female hunter hit Tiffany hard.
"It was Adley."
Su Xiao tossed aside the note in his hand. He didn't plan to specifically seek revenge on Adley. Compared to the threat from the Ancient God, Adley was nothing. The Ancient God in the Dark Prison was constantly recovering its strength. Fortunately, this was a seventh-rank world; even if the Ancient God was strong, it wouldn't be so strong as to be completely unopposable.
"Adley?"
Baha's voice cracked a little. Remembering that guy in the tight suit that seemed ready to burst at any moment, disbelief filled his eyes.
After sitting on the steam train for over ten hours, Su Xiao planned to rest for a few hours. Starting tomorrow morning, he would be very busy with many things to handle.
He went upstairs, found a bedroom, took a hot shower, and lay down on the bed to sleep.
Not knowing how long he slept, Su Xiao's eyes suddenly snapped open. This time, there was no confusion in his gaze. Though his upper body was bare, the Dragon-Slaying Flash was already in his hand.
Thin mist drifted in the room. The temperature had dropped by over ten degrees. Ice crystals had formed in the water glass on the bedside table.
"Bubu."
Su Xiao patted Bubu Wang's head. Bubu Wang, curled up at the foot of the bed, woke up. After looking around, its dog face gradually showed terror, and its hind legs began to tremble.
"Ooooh~"
A ethereal female voice came. Hearing this voice, along with the thin mist in the room and the eerie atmosphere, Bubu Wang almost ascended on the spot. This was the thing it feared most.
"I'm so cold~"
"Woof?"
Bubu Wang tilted its head. As long as it could talk, it wasn't that scared.
A semi-transparent figure floated down from the ceiling. The first thing to appear was a pair of feet, with a silver chain ornament tied around one ankle. Although the visitor had a bit of a twisted sense of humor, they still had some self-awareness, fearing they might be casually cut down by Su Xiao, so they first revealed the silver chain ornament to identify themselves.
"Did Tiffany send you?"
"She died, so miserably~"
The 'white-clothed female ghost' had a grim face, her clothes fluttering without wind.
Ten seconds later, the bedroom was brightly lit. The white-clothed female ghost knelt on the ground, forehead pressed to the floor, hands stretched out flat.
"Tiffany sent me to deliver a message. She won't return to Sodo City. I'm sorry. I deeply apologize for my earlier behavior. Please forgive me this once."
The 'white-clothed female ghost' was sincere, mainly because the Dragon-Slaying Flash was nailed in front of her, with light blue arcs surging along it.
"Give this to Tiffany. You can leave."
Su Xiao tossed out a test tube. The liquid inside was ethereal, constantly shifting between liquid and gaseous states.
The 'white-clothed female ghost' took the test tube and vanished into the wall. This was a somewhat weak Wraith. Not all Dark Demons and Wraiths were hostile to humans; there were exceptions, like this 'white-clothed female ghost.' Apart from liking to scare people, she hadn't done anything bad. At night, she would even help lost civilians find their way, though she would scare them half to death.
Su Xiao checked the time. It was almost six o'clock, but outside was still somewhat dark. Sodo City was in summer; at six in the morning, it should be bright. The Ancient God's influence on this world was beginning to manifest in many ways.
After a while, Su Xiao felt a wave sweep over him. No changes occurred around him, but the Void Tree had completed the notarization.
[Prompt (Void Tree): World Reputation Store has been reset.]
[Prompt (Void Tree): World Contact Platform has been activated.]
...
Su Xiao first checked the World Contact Platform.
[You have activated the Contact Platform. Detected that the Hunter is currently a Overlord-level unit (disguised). You need to formulate a temporary identity. This identity is only usable within this world.]
After a moment of thought, Su Xiao formulated the identity of Holy Flame Alchemist. He had cultivated this identity for a long time and didn't care if others knew it came from Reincarnation Paradise. This was unavoidable no matter what.
As soon as the World Contact Platform was activated, it became lively. Any contractors, hunters, or battle angels within this world could freely speak there.
White Scholar (Reincarnation Paradise): "The following speakers are on this round's assassination list."
Holy Dove (Holy Light Paradise): "Recruiting temporary partner, melee type preferred."
Molei (Apocalypse Paradise): "Holy Dove, listen to me. I really didn't mean to kill you. You don't need to run when you see me."
Lance (Apocalypse Paradise): "Ladies, don't you feel something's wrong?"
Holy Dove (Holy Light Paradise): "Obviously, the first speaker is just joking."
White Scholar (Reincarnation Paradise): "Statistics complete. This round's assassination targets are Holy Dove, Molei, Lance. Locations locked: Agatman City, Mist City, Sodo City. I will find the three of you between 7:00 and 24:00 today. Please be prepared."
Lance (Apocalypse Paradise): "???"
Holy Dove (Holy Light Paradise): "Are you a mad dog? Are you serious? What's the reason?"
Adley (Apocalypse Paradise): "Selling large quantities of minerals. Interested parties, contact me."
...
Dozens of messages appeared in succession. Clearly, there were quite a few contractors in this world, just scattered.
This was undoubtedly an opportunity. Contractors could more easily identify the World Child, so Su Xiao also posted a message.
Holy Flame Alchemist (Reincarnation Paradise): "Searching for the World Child. This is a commission from the Watch Guild. Commission source: God Hunter Kukulin, God Hunter Ta Barde. If you provide valuable intelligence, the commission reward will be split 70-30 after completion."
White Scholar (Reincarnation Paradise): "Will do my best to search. As for the reward, you know."
Half Crocodile (Reincarnation Paradise): "Holy Flame is in this world? Need a fighter? We can discuss the reward."
Qi Mei (Reincarnation Paradise): "Same as above."
Adley (Apocalypse Paradise): "Holy Flame is?"
Qi Mei (Reincarnation Paradise): "You can think of it as a Big Daddy, a Super Big Daddy."
Molei (Apocalypse Paradise): "This is a very strong big shot? A thigh?"
Qi Mei (Reincarnation Paradise): "I don't know if they're strong, but the fatherly price is real. As for why? Why should I tell you? You little bitch from Apocalypse."
Molei (Apocalypse Paradise): "Who are you calling a little bitch?"
Qi Mei (Reincarnation Paradise): "Mist City Industrial Zone. Dare to come?"
...
Su Xiao closed the gradually chaotic contact platform. The identity of Holy Flame was very useful. Whether he could find the World Child through this channel depended on luck.
After closing the contact platform, Su Xiao opened the World Store.
[You have unlocked the right to exchange the following items. Item source: Void Tree.]