Chapter 48: Why Don't You Just Rob Someone
Inside the grand cathedral of the Sun Church, there were nine floors in total. Su Xiao was on the first floor, which was relatively spacious. The commission office, logistics supply depot, forge, and other facilities were all located on this floor.
Although it was called a grand cathedral, there was no place for prayer here. The followers of the Sun Church did not believe in gods; they were staunch atheists.
To be precise, they firmly believed that gods were merely more powerful beings or energy entities, differing only in the magnitude of their strength, not in the dimension of their existence.
The best thing about believing in the sun was that there were no divine decrees or guidance from gods. This also meant that the Sun Church followers were not particularly aggressive, but don't go provoking them.
Su Xiao walked into the hall on the first floor and saw a bulletin board on the right wall. It was covered with colorful papers—some were handwritten notices, others were simply cut-out newspaper clippings pasted on. The content on the board read:
'Black Lake Aquatic Beast: Recommended to go in the morning or afternoon. Do not fight this beast at night. Comprehensive danger level: III.'
[Tip: Completing this commission grants 1200 reputation points.]
'Valley Grass Farm Underground Cave: To reach this location, you must enter the Beast Transformation Zone. Comprehensive danger level: II.'
[Tip: Completing this commission grants 3000 reputation points.]
'Purge: Deep into the Beast Transformation Zone to reduce the number of beasts. Requires at least 50 followers and 2-3 Dawn Priests to lead the way. Comprehensive danger level: I.'
[Tip: Completing this commission grants 7600 reputation points.]
'Investigate Rosa...: The latter half of this name is obscured by bloodstains, as are all known records. Find the full name and the origin and identity of this person. Comprehensive danger level: ?.'
[Tip: Completing this commission grants 860,000 reputation points.]
'Try Bishop Cooper's Experimental Potion: If you have the guts, this is the fastest way to get Sun Stones. Bishop Cooper is generous, but no one has dared to drink his potion in a long time. Comprehensive danger level: I.'
[Tip: Completing this commission grants 7250 reputation points.]
...
The prompts below were only visible to Su Xiao. The commissions on the bulletin board came from various sources—some from other factions, some from civilians, and even some transferred from the New Kingdom ruled by the Blazing Sun Lord.
The so-called New Kingdom, though its sphere of influence could rival that of a normal kingdom, had a vastly different structure. It was more like a massive faction or a collective of interests. It didn't issue currency or establish laws—not because it didn't want to, but because it couldn't.
In this lawless world, where wild beasts roamed and famine was rampant, what could civilians do when danger struck? There was only one way: seek help from powerful individuals or factions among their own kind—by submitting commissions.
The state of this world meant that no single large faction could protect many civilians. Civilians themselves were a kind of danger. Anyone could undergo mental beast transformation. Once it began, there was no talk of talent or potential. The deeper the transformation, the stronger the individual. Every breath of air in this world contained madness. As long as mental beast transformation started, there was no need to worry about failing to transition to the supernatural.
There was a difference between civilians and supernatural beings after transformation—their upper limits. Civilians could reach up to Stage 5 beast transformation, while supernatural beings could reach Stage 6. Only one person had reached Stage 7, and that was an extreme exception.
Forget Stage 7 or even Stage 6, Stage 5 alone was deadly. According to the Paradise power system, a Stage 5 beast transformation's combat power was roughly at the mid-level of Eighth Rank.
Worse still, compared to supernatural beings, civilians transformed faster. They might start in the morning and reach Stage 5 by evening.
No one could withstand that. The New Kingdom, led by the Blazing Sun Lord, had once tried to protect civilians, but that didn't end well.
Typically, if a civilian underwent beast transformation, by noon the next day, there would be no survivors in their town—all killed by them. It wasn't just about aggression. According to an experiment by a Sun Church deacon, beast transformers would destroy anything with life force or even anything movable within their line of sight.
After searching the bulletin board, Su Xiao found a suitable commission. Its danger level was I, a high-risk commission. The content was about strange noises in Eternity Lookout Town.
Eternity Lookout Town was a small town with a few hundred civilians. Don't think that's a small population. Given the state of this world, a town of a few hundred was already decent, at least enough to sustain itself.
All towns, cities, and settlements here were very xenophobic. No one knew if an outsider's heart was firm or if they would suddenly undergo mental beast transformation. Everyone had a beast inside them. Mental beast transformation wasn't really a disease; it was just letting that beast out.
Su Xiao's task was to go to Eternity Lookout Town and determine what was making the strange noises at night. Completing this commission would earn him 5400 reputation points.
This commission might seem trivial, but it wasn't. Any unknown fear could trigger mental beast transformation, leading to the deaths of hundreds.
[Tip: You have accepted the faction mission, Strange Noises in Eternity Lookout Town.]
[Faction Mission: Strange Noises in Eternity Lookout Town.]
Difficulty Level: Faction missions have no difficulty assessment.
Mission Info: Find the source of the strange noises in Eternity Lookout Town and make it public.
Mission Duration: 2 days.
Mission Reward: 5400 Sun Church reputation points.
Mission Penalty: -5400 Sun Church reputation points. If Sun Church reputation becomes negative, the Hunter will lose their status as a Sun Church member and can never rejoin this faction.
Tip: Due to the faction characteristics of the Sun Church, if you have negative reputation as a Sun Church member, it will not trigger hostile relations.
...
Su Xiao currently had 4256 reputation points. With an additional 5400 as startup capital, as long as he wasn't too unlucky, after completing this commission, he could stay in the grand cathedral for the next few days, quietly making a fortune. That experience would be absolutely amazing.
Thinking about this, Su Xiao's mood improved. Fully equipped with the [Sun Church Set], he no longer drew attention from the Sun Church followers.
"This... brother."
Su Xiao spoke, and a burly man passing by stopped.
"Half an hour ago, a woman was captured. Do you know where she is?"
Hearing Su Xiao's words, the burly man didn't respond and looked at him with an unfriendly gaze.
"Where do you get off calling me brother? I'm an 18-year-old lady."
The burly man—no, the burly lady—looked down at Su Xiao with an even more unfriendly gaze.
"..."
Su Xiao looked at the lady before him, who was about 3.2 meters tall, broad-shouldered, and thick-waisted, capable of holding a man with one arm. He was momentarily speechless. Since they were all wearing perception-blocking head buckets, he couldn't tell her appearance. As for her physique, it was completely that of a brother.
"Over there."
The lady pointed to the inner part of the hall, indicating that Su Xiao should go through the backyard to the Sun Altar.
"Thanks."
"Hmph, next time, look more carefully. Can't you tell my gender from my figure?"
The lady struck a bodybuilder pose, her muscles bulging under her clothes. Honestly, she looked even more like a brother.
Su Xiao didn't say much. He walked out the back door of the hall and followed a path in the backyard. It was still night, with stars scattered across the sky.
Following the path, Su Xiao entered a man-made ring-shaped valley. The surrounding ring-shaped cliffs were steep, and the area was large. In the center was a stone altar.
Steps surrounded the altar, and on it were X-shaped metal frames. These frames were connected to metal pillars behind them, which could be raised or lowered to adjust the height of the X-shaped frames, thereby controlling the intensity of the sun exposure. On the Sun Altar, every meter of height difference meant a vastly different level of sun exposure.
To the right of the altar, a dozen iron cages were lined up. Except for the one containing Molei, the others were empty. The Sun Church didn't purify just anyone; most of those purified were supernatural beings.
The cloth ball in Molei's mouth was gone. Her hands were tied behind her back, and she was lying on her side in the cage. For some reason, Molei was sleeping incredibly soundly, drool dripping from the corner of her mouth. Clearly, she was under the influence of some ability.
Seeing this, Su Xiao went behind the cage and pressed his finger against the back of Molei's neck. A blue flash appeared and disappeared, leaving a mark that briefly showed before fading.
After doing this, Su Xiao looked into the darkness. A few seconds later, a female voice came from the shadows.
"Put away your disrespectful thoughts."
The female follower in the darkness opened her eyes—pitch-black eyes that were unsettling.
"This is an acquaintance of mine. I'm letting her go. Are you going to stop me?"
Su Xiao stared at those eyes in the darkness. After a moment of eye contact, the eyes disappeared, and the female follower left.
Clang, clang, clang.
Su Xiao's left hand, made of crystal, knocked on the cage where Molei was. But Molei just moved slightly and slept even more soundly.
Seeing this, Su Xiao kicked Molei. She still didn't wake up.
Su Xiao took out some tape from his storage space, tore off a piece, and sealed Molei's mouth. Then he pinched her nose. Time passed.
Molei, who had been sleeping blissfully, showed a hint of seriousness on her face, which turned into pain. Suddenly, she opened her eyes, sat up, tilted her head back, and shook off the tape from her mouth.
"Pant, pant, pant! Where am I? Who are you? What do you want?"
Molei gasped for air, her eyes full of vigilance. She had recovered from the dream-inducing ability.
"Do you want to leave?"
"Bai, Bai Ye? You came to save me?"
As Molei spoke, she shrank back. She had worked with Su Xiao before and knew one thing clearly: before reaching a cooperative relationship, never trust anything this blood-qi big shot said. He would arrange things until you doubted life. Of course, if circumstances forced it, you had to trust him.
"Yes, I came to save you, so you should be grateful. I took a big risk to save you this time..."
"Bro, no need to say more. How many Soul Coins? I'll pay."
Molei nodded seriously. This silly girl understood the drill.
"50,000 Soul Coins, and I'll let you out."
"Why don't you just rob someone? No way, at most 5000."
Molei refused. If Baha were there, he would definitely tell Molei: Rob? Robbing isn't as fast as this.
"Deal."
"Huh?"
Molei was dumbfounded. Su Xiao ignored her shock and activated the trading permission. A few seconds later.
[Tip: You have received 5000 Soul Coins.]
Upon receiving this prompt, Su Xiao took out lock-picking tools and opened the simple lock on the cage in a dozen seconds, signaling that Molei could leave.
"Uh... Don't you need to send me through a secret passage or something? This is the Sun Church's headquarters. Even if I could fly, I wouldn't get out."
Molei was bitter. She did have an item that could get her out, but it was too expensive, and this place felt too dangerous. Whether she could even use that item was uncertain.
"You paid 5000 Soul Coins. As promised, I let you out. You're out now. Our transaction is over. Good luck."
With that, Su Xiao walked out of the valley.
"Wait! How many Soul Coins do I need to pay to get out of here?"
"This isn't a matter of Soul Coins..."
"10,000 Soul Coins!"
Molei's eyes were bloodshot. Hearing this, Su Xiao paused. He had a new understanding of how wealthy Molei and Yueshitu were.
"I'll pay 10,000 Soul Coins! Take me out of here!"
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak, which made Molei panic. 10,000 Soul Coins was equivalent to one-sixth of her mine vein income per world progress. That was a huge sum—no, a huge expense. She thought to herself, could this really not be solved with Soul Coins?
"Let's discuss the escape route. There are three routes. The dangerous one will cost you 9000 Soul Coins. The low-risk route is 10,000 Soul Coins. The completely safe route is 12,000 Soul Coins. Which one do you choose?"
Su Xiao pulled out a map from his chest—a map of the grand cathedral and the surrounding dozen kilometers. Seeing this map, Molei felt like she was falling apart. Her "wallet" was falling apart.