Chapter 42: The Delighted Guide
Today, Gem Street was very quiet, with not a single person on the road. Many men and women dressed as clergy were hidden in the shadows, closely monitoring a certain inn.
These were all members of the Kodo School, who had come here on orders from above.
At this moment, in the top-floor room of the Kodo School headquarters, five bishops had gathered. Among them, Bishop Noah was so worried he could lose his hair. Across from him, Bishop Duru sat with his eyes closed, resting, as if none of this had anything to do with him and it was all Bishop Noah’s fault.
“Noah, we need an explanation.”
A bishop covered in age spots spoke, his expression dark. It wasn’t because Bishop Noah had secretly traded with someone, but because of another matter.
Bishop Noah pondered for a long while but said nothing. At this point, anything he said would seem weak and futile.
Bishop Noah’s current thought was that recalling the Heresy Execution Squad was the wisest decision he had made in nearly a decade.
Two hours ago, the news that Su Xiao had returned to ‘Danke City’ reached the upper echelons of the Kodo School. After confirming that Su Xiao was only active on Gem Street, the higher-ups felt much more at ease.
As high-ranking members of the Kodo School, they naturally knew many secrets that outsiders were unaware of. For example, Su Xiao had gone to the Underground Kingdom and killed the Wolf Spider Queen, and then he had gone to the Northern Region.
Not long after, the Northern Archmage’s faction went silent. The Kodo School’s informants stationed there reported back that Su Xiao had dealt with the Archmage.
Originally, the Kodo School had leaned toward hostility against Su Xiao, planning to secretly eliminate him. Only Bishop Noah opposed this.
After learning that Su Xiao had taken care of the Archmage, the Kodo School’s higher-ups gathered again to discuss the matter and decided not to seek revenge against Su Xiao. The cost was too high, and success was uncertain.
With this result, the Kodo School higher-ups were quite satisfied. They actually didn’t want to fight Su Xiao to the death; it was just a matter of saving face before. The assassination plan they proposed was merely for show.
Just as the Kodo School thought the past grievances were settled, Su Xiao returned to Gem Street, causing the higher-ups to worry again. They feared Su Xiao had come back to cause trouble.
Somehow, news of Su Xiao’s secret cooperation with Bishop Noah and the recall of the Heresy Execution Squad leaked, reaching the ears of the Kodo School’s higher-ups.
The higher-ups were ‘outraged,’ of course—this was just surface anger. In reality, they secretly praised Bishop Noah for his foresight. If they were hostile to Su Xiao now, the Heresy Execution Squad would be the Kodo School’s main combat force, tasked with confronting Su Xiao head-on.
Just as the Kodo School higher-ups breathed a sigh of relief, Baha brought Moon Spirit, Divine Maiden Shataye, and the Old Knight back to Gem Street, all arriving at the inn where the Heresy Execution Squad was stationed.
Upon learning this, the Kodo School higher-ups were stunned. Not to mention them, even Bishop Noah broke out in a cold sweat. He had no idea what Su Xiao was planning. Could it be that he intended to encircle and annihilate the Heresy Execution Squad? Thinking of this, Bishop Noah’s heart sank.
Divine Maiden Shataye—this name was a taboo for the Kodo School. Shataye had once fought her way out of the Kodo School headquarters, then blockaded the Soul Clock Tower for decades. After losing control of her mind, she massacred an entire city.
The Kodo School began secretly mobilizing their forces. Just then, Insect Lord Hash arrived at the Insect Tower on Gem Street. The first to react wasn’t the Kodo School, but the Lame Gang of Gem Street.
Too many unknown strong individuals were passing through their Insect Tower to Gem Street. If these people started a war with the Kodo School, the Lame Gang would be crying their eyes out. They had done nothing wrong—they only operated the Insect Tower. This blame was too heavy to bear, so the Lame Gang immediately fled.
As things stood, the Kodo School higher-ups were deeply worried. They immediately sealed off the Insect Tower, prohibiting anyone from using it. If any more unknown strong individuals arrived, the situation would be hopeless.
Unbeknownst to them, night had fallen outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. In the meeting room, the five bishops and the slightly lower-ranking high priests sat in silence. Tonight, they were destined to be sleepless.
In contrast, the inn on Gem Street was lively. Bubu Wang and Moon Spirit were sitting across from each other, playing checkers—naturally taught by Bubu Wang. Baha and Amu were watching the fun nearby.
The Heresy Execution Squad was gathered around several round tables, with over a dozen wooden cups on the tables. Some members of the squad were dozing with their heads down, not even removing their long, pointed metal helmets while sleeping.
Insect Lord Hash was lying on the bar counter, snoring loudly. As for seeking revenge on Su Xiao, after Su Xiao promised to concoct a permanent enhancement potion to stabilize his condition, Insect Lord Hash had already forgotten about it. For him, surviving was a win. His strength allowed him to experience even more novel things.
An hour ago, Insect Lord Hash had found a new goal: to take a certain little one on a journey across this world, to see the endless waters, the transparent and cold mountains, and the ancient rock thrones.
Divine Maiden Shataye was exceptionally devout, kneeling on a prayer cushion in the corner, praying. At first glance, she seemed ostracized, but that wasn’t the case. In the boss team, Divine Maiden Shataye ranked second in full combat power. Unless the Heresy Execution Squad was reduced to just one person, no one could surpass her in combat ranking.
That was the nature of the Heresy Execution Squad. A full squad of twelve wasn’t their strongest form. Every time a member died in battle, the others grew stronger. Sacrificing teammates made them stronger. When only one remained, they had a 50% chance of winning in a one-on-one fight with Su Xiao.
The current combat power ranking was: Su Xiao > Divine Maiden Shataye > Heresy Execution Squad > Insect Lord Hash > Amu (temporarily devoured source) > Old Knight > Moon Spirit > Baha > Bubu Wang > Beini.
Baha’s lower ranking had a reason. He was an assassination type. Su Xiao had only recently broken through the 200-point attribute barrier, so Baha’s main attributes hadn’t yet grown through potential activation. He didn’t need resources; he needed time. After experiencing a few more eighth-rank worlds, Baha’s combat power would be formidable, possibly even surpassing Amu.
Everything was ready, only waiting for the teams from Apocalypse Paradise and Holy Light Paradise to arrive in this world.
The next morning, the Kodo School came to visit. Their general meaning was that if Su Xiao needed anything, he could contact them. They also sincerely invited Divine Maiden Shataye to the Kodo School headquarters, but she ignored them.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
In the Old Royal Capital, Talo, there was a long-abandoned park. The ground was overgrown with weeds, and a homeless person covered in rags lay dead by the flowerbed.
A spatial fluctuation flickered, and several figures appeared in the park. They were dressed differently—four men and two women.
“Just running an errand, and the reward is unexpectedly generous.”
A man in a suit spoke. He tapped his chest, and his clothes quickly transformed into a set of noble attire.
“Heavenly Judge, you’ve had disguise permissions since the first rank. What you wear doesn’t matter.”
A woman with her hair in a bun spoke. She wore a long dress and high heels. Her name was Nitia, an eighth-rank contractor from Apocalypse Paradise, a top-tier combatant in the eighth rank, a plant summoner.
“Personal habit.”
The man called Heavenly Judge looked up at the sky. The overcast clouds made him squint, giving him an ominous feeling about this world.
“This world likely has an Ancient God. Stay far away from that thing.”
“I’ve heard of Ancient Gods. They’re said to be very strong?”
As Nitia spoke, she crouched down and stuffed a seed into a crack in the stone ground.
“It’s not just about strength. Ancient Gods can erode will, soul, and physical energy. Fighting an Ancient God requires ‘entry qualifications.’ Certain technique types excel at fighting Ancient Gods, like Blade Grandmasters who can resist mental control, or Sword Grandmasters who can resist energy erosion. That’s the ‘entry qualification.’”
Heavenly Judge took out various devices, planning to launch small-to-medium satellites in this world, which would aid him in combat.
This was the team from Apocalypse Paradise carrying the supply crate, tasked with trading with the Holy Light Paradise team.
Among these people, Heavenly Judge was the strongest, so the team was named after his code name. The Heavenly Judge Squad consisted of six members:
Heavenly Judge (Male, 29): Main combatant, tech side, strongest in the squad.
Nitia (Female, 28): Main combatant, plant summoner.
Tyrant (Male, 35): Main combatant, tank type (can use domain suppression).
Big Eye (Male, 18): Eighth-rank top-tier perception type, barrier type.
Green Dog (Gender? Age?): Eighth-rank top-tier control type, barrier type.
Little Fairy (Female, 19): Eighth-rank top-tier healing type, barrier type, secondary.
It could be said that the Apocalypse Paradise team’s composition was very reasonable. With three barrier-type members alone, they could prevent the supply crate from being taken.
“Let’s move. Head to the trade location.”
Heavenly Judge glanced around at the others. Before entering this world, they had gotten to know each other at the Starry Sky Transit Station. They also knew that the trade location wasn’t in the ‘Old Royal Capital, Talo,’ but in ‘Ruined City, Shao Guang.’
That was a dual-notarized area. Neither side of the trade would dare act recklessly, making it the most suitable location. Through a teleportation array, they could directly reach the outskirts of Shao Guang.
Actually, the Old Royal Capital wasn’t bad, but it was only notarized by Apocalypse Paradise.
“You’re late. I’m the guide.”
A girl with short pink hair came running over. It was Molei.
“The guide has arrived. What should we call you?”
Heavenly Judge looked Molei up and down. After confirming she was fine, he nodded.
“Molei, Battle Angel.”
Molei grinned, showing her little fangs. She had hit a stroke of luck. As soon as she entered this world, she received a task. The task was simple: before the trade team arrived, scout Shao Guang for any suspicious activity. For the past few days, Molei had been busy with this.
Molei had already confirmed that the situation in Ruined City, Shao Guang, was stable. The reward for this task was practically free resources, and a huge amount at that—equivalent to the total earnings from fighting through an entire world.
Moreover, six top-tier eighth-rank strong individuals had been teleported in. Very stable!
Thinking of this, Molei smiled even more brightly. Who knew how long this sunny mood of hers would last.