# Chapter 18: Weakness
Su Xiao had no intention of saving the Ouroboros Stone Tablet. Ever since he obtained this thing, aside from the initial benefits, he had been constantly outsmarting it.
Not only that, but on one occasion, Beini took the Ouroboros Stone Tablet to explore ancient ruins, and the scepter they found was stolen by the tablet.
That scepter was discovered by Beini and was intended for Su Xiao's use. It was a rare item similar to the [Primordial Mask].
Calculating it this way, the initial gains from cooperating with the Ouroboros Stone Tablet not only didn't profit Su Xiao, but actually resulted in a significant loss.
Having tasted sweetness, the Ouroboros Stone Tablet became insatiably greedy. It represented greed itself, until it met Kaisa. The two clashed, and the Ouroboros Stone Tablet immediately got its comeuppance.
On the high-speed open-top armored vehicle, Tide Hunter sat in the corner of the back row, his face slightly pale.
In the row ahead, Kaisa had already pressed the mud ball onto the Ouroboros Stone Tablet, flattening it with his thumb, then spreading it evenly with his index finger.
Golden light gradually appeared on the stone tablet. Kaisa's gaze sharpened, clearly displeased. He made a move to take off his shoes, which not only made the Ouroboros Stone Tablet tremble, but also nearly broke Tide Hunter's composure in the back seat.
The Ouroboros Stone Tablet radiated golden light, and several golden characters appeared on its surface. Gold represented fortunate events, while a black character represented potential threats.
"My dear friend, look at this mark."
Kaisa turned the Ouroboros Stone Tablet around, and Su Xiao saw a black symbol on it.
The symbol represented the Apocalypse Paradise, meaning that for a period afterward, Su Xiao might suffer misfortune and bad luck originating from the Apocalypse Paradise.
"Wait a moment."
Kaisa took a deep breath, his index finger quickly turning oily green, and pressed it onto the black mark on the stone tablet. Whether it was an illusion or not, Su Xiao vaguely heard the miserable hissing of a snake.
This single press seemed to consume immense mental energy. Kaisa's expression showed signs of fatigue as his finger returned to its normal color.
The black mark on the stone tablet rapidly disintegrated, transforming into two patterns. Both patterns were miniature: a small frog and a little rabbit with a crescent moon on its body.
This was the maximum amount of information obtainable through the Ouroboros Stone Tablet. In Kaisa's words, if it weren't for being summoned here this time, he wouldn't use this move. It was too damaging to his vitality; he'd need at least half a month of "Graham Thick Soup" to recover.
It sounded like Kaisa was only this proactive because of the summons, but that wasn't the case. In the previous world, Kaisa and Su Xiao had cooperated to loot the Sun Church's treasury and the Sea God Kingdom's treasury. The cooperative gains made Kaisa realize how incredibly profitable it was, so this time he brought out a newly acquired trump card to probe for fortune and misfortune.
Apocalypse Paradise, Small Frog, Crescent Moon, Little Rabbit.
These four pieces of information represented people or events that would bring danger to Su Xiao, but not to the point of death.
The Apocalypse Paradise was a broad category. The Small Frog and Crescent Moon + Little Rabbit were subsequent hints. Seeing these icons, Su Xiao immediately thought of the silly sand sculpture sister duo, namely Molei and Yueshitu.
If those two were in this world, they really might cause him a major defeat. Yueshitu alone was equivalent to an entire legion, with hundreds of thousands of moon-type summoned beasts.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao knew this was both a threat and an opportunity. If in the previous world the silly sand sculpture sisters were ATM machines, now they were mining machines + ATM machines, provided he could catch them.
Once caught, it wouldn't just be a heart-pounding fortune obtained. Capturing Yueshitu opened up significant operational possibilities.
Someone like Yueshitu had most likely signed a contract with a moon-type goddess. After capturing Yueshitu, forcing her summoned creatures to fight the enemy was highly unrealistic. The contract Yueshitu signed with the moon-type goddess had a 99.99% probability of preventing this—it was common sense.
Having hundreds of thousands of moon-type summoned creatures fight, bearing the risk of death, wouldn't work. But having them mine had a very high probability of being feasible.
Using one's imagination, it was obvious that Yueshitu being so wealthy was related to this aspect. That meant most of her summoned creatures knew some mining knowledge. Forcing them to mine active ore veins with brute force was even less of a problem.
This plan was very feasible. The only issue was not knowing the locations of Molei and Yueshitu yet. At the current point in time, Su Xiao could hang Molei and Yueshitu up and beat them.
"Kaisa, any way?"
"No way. Look at it, it's cracked."
Kaisa raised the Ouroboros Stone Tablet in his hand, indicating that it couldn't be used to lock onto the positions of Molei and Yueshitu.
The vehicle drove back to Freedom City. This fortress city with a rather steampunk style had become busy. There were quite a few pedestrians on the streets, and over a dozen Scavengers sat on the steps by the roadside, their jackal-like eyes sizing up every passerby.
Freedom City didn't reject Hunters and Scavengers. Both brought high economic income to the city every year.
The open-top armored vehicle stopped in front of a hotel. The interior was dim, and behind the bar was a woman with smoky makeup and black lipstick, yawning.
After paying a few grams of active ore, Su Xiao opened several rooms on the third floor of the hotel. First, the Doom Fortress hadn't yet arrived near Freedom City. Second, since entering this world, he hadn't rested for a single moment.
Kaisa had already gone off on his own. That guy had taken 8,000 kilograms of active ore from Su Xiao, promising to handle the channels as quickly as possible, and to investigate the [Mutation Solution·Type V] and the internal renovation issues of the fortress.
When Su Xiao woke up from his sleep, it was already four in the afternoon. He washed up and fully woke himself.
Taking out his communicator, Kaisa had 49 unread messages. Li Xiniwei had only 1. Checking it revealed bad news. The [Mutation Solution·Type V] was under strict control. A channel had been found, but the other party was asking for 60,000 kilograms of active ore, more than ten times the usual price.
Li Xiniwei's meaning was to give him more time. He would try to pressure the seller through Freedom City's official channels, if not at cost price, then at least not higher than the previous selling price. This was clearly taking advantage of a newcomer.
From this matter, Su Xiao could see that Li Xiniwei wasn't suited for this kind of work. He was better at handling problems that could be put on the table. For example, the aftermath of looting the six fortresses earlier—Li Xiniwei had handled that beautifully.
This was one of the shortcomings of most Vassal Alliance merchants. They were typical bullies at home, helpless when encountering Scavengers, Hunters, or underground smugglers who didn't follow rules, always trying to suppress them with regulations.
Li Xiniwei had many shortcomings, but everyone had their shining points. Su Xiao's idea was whether he could pay a certain amount of active ore to stuff Li Xiniwei into the "Inquisition Tribunal" and have him serve there. The position didn't need to be very high, but it couldn't be too low either.
Having a planted agent in the "Inquisition Tribunal" would make many things easier. For example, he could buy second-hand weapons retired by the "Vassal Alliance" military.
Those things weren't expensive at all. The problem was the channel. Without a channel, even if he brought 1,000,000 kilograms of active ore to them, they wouldn't sell. Not because they didn't want to, but because they didn't dare. If someone from the Inquisition Tribunal acted as a go-between, the result would be different.
Given the level of corruption at the Inquisition Tribunal, with good management, it might even be possible to get heavy artillery-level weapons from the Vassal Alliance.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao decided in his heart that even if it cost a lot, he had to arrange for Li Xiniwei to enter the Inquisition Tribunal.
Was Su Xiao worried about Li Xiniwei stabbing him in the back? Of course he was. Given Li Xiniwei's style of conduct, once he entered the Inquisition Tribunal, there was over a 90% probability that he would stab Su Xiao in the back.
Li Xiniwei had a fatal weakness. He said he was a forty-year-old bachelor, which wasn't a lie. But he had once had a wife and daughter. Later, his wife died in an accident, leaving only a daughter.
Li Xiniwei's weakness was his daughter. Su Xiao didn't know this originally. During the previous looting of the fortresses, Bubu Wang had left plant-type surveillance devices in the main control rooms of those six fortresses.
From the Vassal Alliance siblings, specifically the sister Ao Niya, Su Xiao had overheard something. Li Xiniwei had a daughter, right in Freedom City. That pair of Vassal Alliance siblings planned to kidnap Li Xiniwei's daughter to blackmail him into submission.
Originally, Su Xiao planned to help Li Xiniwei avoid this calamity, since he was someone working for him. But Su Xiao was surprised to discover that after only one day of letting Li Xiniwei operate, this 40-something Vassal Alliance bachelor merchant had already started trying to contact the high-ranking members of the "Watchtower," subtly indicating that if they helped him solve a problem, he could reveal a major matter.
This was already obvious. Li Xiniwei wanted to request the "Watchtower" high-ranking members to help him detoxify through their means. As thanks, he would reveal everything he knew to them—in other words, stab Su Xiao in the back.
Kill Li Xiniwei? Too wasteful. This man, with almost no foundation in Freedom City, had contacted the "Watchtower" high-ranking members within a day, and had contacted three of them. Damn, what a talent.
If Bubu Wang hadn't placed plant-type surveillance devices on him, no one would know how Li Xiniwei managed it. This guy, through layers of deception, risking death at the slightest mistake, had directly spoken with three "Watchtower" high-ranking members in a total of 7 hours and 21 minutes, while keeping himself in a relatively safe environment.
The three "Watchtower" high-ranking members were also a bit stunned at first. After ordering an investigation and learning about Li Xiniwei's general operational methods, those three high-ranking members probably all slapped their thighs and said, "Damn, this is a talent. Go find him immediately."
Li Xiniwei had never known he had this kind of ability before. This time, encountering Su Xiao, his potential was fully unleashed, and he successfully showed off.
The most brilliant move Li Xiniwei made during this period was that the three "Watchtower" high-ranking members he contacted had factional conflicts with each other. As soon as the investigation into Li Xiniwei began, the three parties' people ran into each other and almost started fighting.
The current situation was that once Li Xiniwei was placed in the "Inquisition Tribunal," all three parties would think it was one of the others who had planted him there. They had factional conflicts, yes, but they wouldn't let it spread to the "Inquisition Tribunal," as that would invite external forces.
Li Xiniwei was practically born with a rebellious bone. Originally, Su Xiao wanted to eliminate this man, but his current situation was too perfect. Not sending him to the "Inquisition Tribunal" would be too wasteful.
To control a person, you didn't necessarily have to tamper with them directly, especially someone like Li Xiniwei. He was a refined desperado. Threatening him with life and death wouldn't control him.
Since Li Xiniwei was already sharpening his knife, ready to deliver a beautiful backstab, Su Xiao wouldn't be polite either.
Leaving room 309 of the hotel, Su Xiao walked into the adjacent room. As soon as he opened the door, steam drifted out. These vapors seemed alive, forming very thin tentacles as they dispersed outside the door.
Walking into the steam, at the center of the room was a bathtub. Inside lay a naked figure. Sensing Su Xiao's arrival, the person in the bathtub opened her eyes.
"The power you desire has been given to you. How should you repay me?"
Su Xiao stood by the bathtub. Amid the dripping water sounds, the figure in the bathtub stood up. She opened her eyes, her pupils crimson red.
The girl with crimson pupils appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen, not very tall, with tattoos covering her back to hide scars from childhood. She wore a pair of black gloves on her hands.
The crimson-eyed girl pressed one hand to her chest, feeling the power within her body and the thing coexisting with her. She asked, "She... what's her name?"
"Devourer, Boiling Red."
Leaving these words, Su Xiao walked out of the room and went to a sparsely populated restaurant on the first floor.
Half an hour later, he sat opposite the crimson-eyed girl, enjoying lunch. She wore a brown coat with a hood up. When eating, she clearly wasn't very familiar with the utensils here.
During the meal, the door pushed open, and a figure in a black robe walked in. It was Li Xiniwei. Of course, he didn't want to come, but he didn't dare not to, or he would die on the spot.
"Li Xiniwei, can I trust you?"
Su Xiao spoke while enjoying his dinner.
"Of course, we're business partners."
"Good. I'm prepared to spend a great deal to send you to serve in the Inquisition Tribunal. Although feeding those vampires requires a large sum of money, it's worth it."
"Alright, when do we depart?"
Li Xiniwei's expression was as normal as ever. Truly a master of acting.
"A vehicle will pick you up in 30 minutes. By 11 PM, you'll be at the Inquisition Tribunal."
"That's too rushed. Give me some time to prepare."
Li Xiniwei braced himself to object. He couldn't understand why Su Xiao wanted to send him to the Inquisition Tribunal so quickly. If he left now, he would simultaneously offend three big shots from the Watchtower. Leaving now meant mocking all three parties, making them fight each other while he ran away. It was easy to imagine how much they would hate him afterward.
"Time waits for no one, Li Xiniwei. In the blink of an eye, your daughter has grown so big. Like you, she has chosen to work for me. What a wonderful coincidence, don't you think?"
Su Xiao held a wine glass in his hand, turning his head to look at Li Xiniwei. The center of his pupils faintly glowed red.
As Su Xiao spoke, the girl sitting across from him raised her head. Amu, standing behind her, pulled down her hood from behind.
Seeing the girl's appearance, Li Xiniwei was struck as if by lightning. His mouth opened and closed, wanting to say something, but like a dying fish on the shore, he gasped for air in vain.
"Duo... Luo... Xi."
Li Xiniwei took a big step back, slipped, and sat down on the ground, completely losing his previous demeanor of strategic composure.
"Li Xiniwei, look how excited you are, sitting on the ground. Get up quickly."
Baha spoke, landing on the back of the chair behind the crimson-eyed girl Duoluoxi. Hearing this, Li Xiniwei, his lips trembling, hurriedly stood up.
"I..."
"No need to thank us. We're all 'one of us,' right?"
The back of the chair under Baha's claw cracked. Seeing this, Li Xiniwei nodded. He was like a deflating balloon, letting out a long breath. He knew he had lost.
Li Xiniwei looked at his daughter Duoluoxi. Duoluoxi's gaze didn't yield at all. Her teeth ground together with cracking sounds, and the fork in her hand was bent out of shape.
This made Li Xiniwei sigh inwardly. How did his wife give birth to such a father-betraying thing?
The father-betraying girl Duoluoxi continued eating. That's right, she was the host of the second-generation Devourer: Boiling Red.
With the situation back to completely controllable, Su Xiao finished the wine in his glass and checked Kaisa's messages. There were over 40 in total. After reviewing them, he understood the situation.