Chapter 3: Surprise
The silver moon hung high, and the treatment center, which usually had some activity, was now exceptionally cold and desolate.
Inside the main building at the rear, Su Xiao pushed open the door to the director's office. After turning on the light, he saw a cabinet filled with various commendations. These commendations were all issued by the High Wall Guild. Compared to these honors, the sponsorship funds they provided each time made the treatment center members happier.
The scenes of the past had shattered within a few hours, but there was nothing to be sentimental about. Su Xiao had merely replaced this identity; it wasn't a fusion of memories or anything similar. Viewing the temporary memories was more like watching a movie.
Sitting behind the slightly worn-out office desk, Su Xiao began to think about what to do next. He opened his task list, and both the promotion task and the main task appeared.
That's right, Su Xiao had accepted the main task and intended to make it fail, but a small problem had arisen along the way.
[Main Task: Steady and Secure.]
Difficulty Level: Lv.63.
Task Brief: Survive until the Day of Divine Worship.
Task Duration: Until the Day of Divine Worship begins.
Task Reward: 2 True Skill Points.
Task Penalty: None.
...
Upon seeing this task, Su Xiao's mood was far from pleasant. This main task was ridiculously simple. Given Su Xiao's current strength, a task of Lv.63 difficulty was unlikely to threaten his life, provided he didn't get careless. Capsizing in a ditch still happened occasionally.
The problem was that Su Xiao intended to fail this main task, thereby using the Eight-Star Title to exempt himself from the forced execution penalty, thus obtaining five attribute-less Seven-Star Titles. Subsequently, he would use these titles to smelt a combat-type Eight-Star Title, which he would wear while exploring the Dead Silence City.
Undoubtedly, an Eight-Star combat title would significantly enhance his combat power. This could be glimpsed from the two Eight-Star titles, [Sky-Rending Surge] and [War Lord].
The current issue was that, not only was it difficult to fail a survival task, but this main task, for the first time, didn't have a forced execution penalty. Su Xiao speculated that this was 'squeezed' by the promotion task.
Both the promotion task and the main task were the highest priority tasks upon entering a world. Accepting either one allowed exploration within the task world.
What happened if both were accepted simultaneously? The answer was that the lower-difficulty task would be squeezed, resulting in even lower difficulty. For example, a hunter with top-tier Eighth-Rank combat power receiving a Lv.63 task meant the task's difficulty was, at most, at the level of the early to mid Seventh-Rank.
For now, he could only hope that the next stage of the main task would be more difficult, at least providing a forced execution penalty.
Su Xiao discovered for the first time that sometimes making a main task fail was so difficult; it depended on luck.
Putting this aside for the moment, his thoughts turned to the Day of Divine Worship three days later. Whether it was the treatment center being schemed against, him being poisoned, or the promotion task and main task, everything pointed towards the Day of Divine Worship three days later.
The so-called Day of Divine Worship was a grand ceremony to honor the 'Ancient Deity'. To be precise, the deity worshipped by the Healing Church was the Ancient Deity.
In this world, the Ancient Deity did not refer to a category of gods but solely represented the God of Eternal Life. It was said that in ancient times, as long as one believed in this deity, they could attain eternal life.
No matter how one listened to it, this sounded somewhat far-fetched. Believing in a deity to gain supernatural power was already good enough, but directly obtaining eternal life through belief was hard to believe.
Compared to this ethereal legend, there was another viewpoint among the people: that the High Wall City had its current state entirely due to the protection of the God of Eternal Life. It was the God of Eternal Life who drove away the spread of deathly stillness within the city, allowing the land to become fertile again, the fresh water to become sweet again, and the fruits to regain their abundance.
Within High Wall City, one could disbelieve in the Healing Church, the Steam God Church, or even oppose the High Wall Council, but one must never show the slightest disrespect to the God of Eternal Life.
There was an incident over a hundred years ago. A follower of the Healing Church claimed to be a divine envoy sent by the God of Eternal Life, bearing the deity's will. As a result, he was jointly captured by members of the Healing Church, the Steam God Church, the Security Force, and the Wadi Family Guard, and was burned at the stake that very night.
With this precedent, no one dared to claim being a divine envoy of the God of Eternal Life ever again.
Su Xiao currently had two things to do. First, find a way to obtain more Ancient Gold Coins. With these, he could exchange for titles in the Title Shop. Second, he needed to appropriately investigate the upheaval during the Day of Divine Worship three days later.
The reason for saying 'appropriately investigate' was that Su Xiao didn't actually expect to uncover the mastermind behind this. He wasn't omniscient. He had just arrived in this world and couldn't grasp the overall situation with only the temporary memories he had obtained.
On the other hand, the unknown force lurking in the shadows had undoubtedly been preparing for a long time, perhaps years or even decades. With such a disparity in intelligence, how could he possibly contend with them in the initial stage?
Instead of humiliating himself early on, it was better to observe until the Day of Divine Worship. Three days was enough time to cultivate a World Child.
Su Xiao planned to use [Devourer: Black A] + [Traitor's Will] + [World Three Pieces...] to cultivate a World Child, letting him attract firepower from the front.
As for possible allies, Su Xiao estimated that even if Zuiyasi and Wude had come to this world, they wouldn't show themselves until they found the Dead Silence City. They would remain hidden in the shadows, waiting for Su Xiao to clear the fog and reveal the path ahead. Only then would these two cunning bastards likely appear and head to the Dead Silence City together.
Kaisa had no news for now, probably busy wreaking havoc on some organization's finances.
Su Xiao was about to take out the glass pillar containing Black A to let it choose this time's 'lucky one', when Bubu Wang suddenly became alert, looking towards the main entrance downstairs.
In the cold, quiet courtyard at night, a burly figure draped in a dark gold robe and wearing a hood walked in. Beneath the darkness of the hood were a pair of dim yellow eyes, a glow more akin to that emitted by machinery.
This person's steps were steady. Standing opposite him, one would feel as if an invisible mountain range was pressing down, making it hard to breathe.
With a faint clanking sound of metal, the visitor entered the main building and smoothly reached the office where Su Xiao was.
"I heard you were dead. I came to see."
The visitor spoke, his voice deep and thick, faintly revealing a hint of electronic synthesis.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak, only glanced at the wine bottle the visitor was carrying.
"This is the wine for your memorial. Since you're not dead, let's drink together."
The visitor casually took two glasses from the cabinet, sat opposite Su Xiao across the desk, poured two glasses of wine, and pushed one towards Su Xiao.
Su Xiao placed his hand on the sliding glass. He looked at the man opposite him, whose body was over 70% replaced by machinery. His combat power was not to be underestimated. Su Xiao estimated that in a life-or-death battle, he would have a 60% chance of winning. However, fighting against this kind of mechanical enemy would come at a great cost. Their mutual destruction moves were exceptionally powerful.
Or rather, among the many power systems, the mutual destruction capabilities of the technological side and the mechanical system were definitely in the top three.
With such strength, the visitor's identity was naturally extraordinary. He was the leader of the Steam God Church, whose name was still unknown, so everyone called him the Mechanical Duke.
The Steam God Church advocated for the survival of the fittest and revered the strong. Because of this, the Duke had a decent private relationship with the previous owner of Su Xiao's identity. They weren't in frequent contact but occasionally shared a few drinks. When drinking, they didn't talk much, leaving aside the conflicts between their factions.
Simply put, the Mechanical Duke when drinking together was different from the Mechanical Duke as the leader of the Steam God Church. The former was simply a friend and drinking buddy, while the latter was an iron-blooded leader who had to consider various interests and gains and losses.
"You managed to hold off this Beast Tide. The treatment center has impressed me once again."
The Duke finished his strong liquor in one gulp.
"Was it arranged by your side?"
Su Xiao picked up the glass and was about to drink when he stopped. This stuff was strong liquor mixed with gasoline.
But considering the other party was a mechanical system, drinking gasoline probably wasn't a problem.
"Not to your taste? I originally thought that since you were dead, I could savor our church's fine brew. What a pity."
The Duke poured himself another glass, looked out the window, took a big gulp, and then said:
"This Beast Tide wasn't planned by my side. I was originally planning to blow a gap at Wall Gate No. 16 half a month after the Day of Divine Worship, luring the beasts in. Then I'd let your treatment center and the beasts fight it out, eliminating the treatment center's threat. But the problem is, before I could act, someone else had already set their sights on you."
The Duke grinned as he spoke, revealing a mouthful of metal teeth.
"After the incident, I thought it was arranged internally by your Healing Church. But now, it doesn't seem like it. Those two old farts in the Healing Church wouldn't truly want to harm you. The reason I came this time is to discuss this matter with you."
The Duke's tone changed from its previous lightness. He continued:
"Bai Ye, the Day of Divine Worship is in three days. At this critical time, the department in High Wall City that handles supernatural incidents most quickly has been wiped out fighting the beasts. I feel... something is wrong. It's too coincidental. And we still haven't found out who planned the Beast Tide."
The Duke finally revealed the true purpose of his visit tonight. It seemed like he was checking on an old friend, but he was actually seeking a certain degree of cooperation.
At this stage, the treatment center was temporarily crippled. For the Steam God Church, this was a golden opportunity for the 'Hammer Institution'. The Hammer had wanted to replace the treatment center for a long time.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't reply immediately. In his view, the treatment center was indeed half-wasted now. Its core combat power had been decimated, its peripheral members were panicked, and both its combat strength and intelligence were lost. The current treatment center was just an empty shell.
Under these circumstances, having someone willing to step up and hold the fort was undoubtedly a good thing for Su Xiao. Although the Duke opposite him had ill intentions, appearing as a drinking buddy but mixing gasoline into the wine.
"What do you want?"
Su Xiao didn't believe the Duke had only come to negotiate tonight.
"Although my brats have been preparing for a long time, if they suddenly take over handling supernatural cases in the city, they'll have a hard time finding leads. The treatment center has been responsible for this for years. You must have quite a few eyes and ears left in the four districts, right?"
The Duke finally stated his true purpose for this trip. Handling supernatural cases wasn't just about having a group of people. Over the years, the treatment center had cultivated numerous informants in the four major districts of High Wall City. Any random beggar on the street could be one of the treatment center's eyes and ears.
What the Duke's Hammer Institution lacked most was this kind of foundation. Now that the treatment center had collapsed, the informants operating in the gray or black underworld were panicked. As long as they were given enough security and benefits, it would be quite natural for them to embrace the Steam God Church.
Su Xiao recalled the temporary memories for a moment. He leaned sideways and pressed on the floor beside the desk leg. With a click, a hidden drawer popped out from the desk. Inside were three thick notebooks. Opening them, they were densely filled with names and information. Next to each name were messy photos.
What was recorded in these handwritten copies were the eyes and ears the treatment center had developed over the years. Now that the old hands were gone, with Su Xiao's current identity, he could freely dispose of this material, deciding whether to give it to the new treatment center director and deputy director, or to the Duke.
For Su Xiao, keeping this thing in his hands was worthless. These informants were panicked, and he couldn't stabilize them alone. The strength of one person couldn't compare to the security provided by an organization.
"Name your price, my... new friend."
The Duke spoke with a smile, grinning so wide his alloy teeth showed.
This sentence carried too many implications. Hearing this, Baha made a signal to Amu and Bubu Wang. Amu silently blocked the door, while Bubu Wang stood in front of Ilya. Bubu had a good impression of Zuiyasi, so of course, he would take care of his daughter.
The Duke's words 'new friend' clearly indicated that he had noticed the difference between Su Xiao and the original deputy director. Despite this, the Duke didn't make a fuss but instead showed an attitude of continuing cooperation.
This rough-talking, wine-loving leader of the Steam God Church was definitely more formidable than he appeared.
"Are you sure you want to buy?"
Su Xiao spoke, also subtly probing. The implication of this sentence was: without knowing Su Xiao's true origins, did he really dare to cooperate with him?
"As long as it's not something from outside the wall, why wouldn't I dare to buy it?"
The Duke finished his glass of wine as he spoke. The true meaning of this sentence was that he had confirmed Su Xiao was not some bizarre entity from beyond the wall. If so, they could cooperate.
"The people in here have all served the treatment center..."
"Fifty coins."
The Duke pulled a money pouch from his robe and placed it on the table.
Su Xiao opened it and found gold coins inside. The obverse of the coin bore a trident-like symbol, while the reverse showed a sharp claw. This claw resembled a human hand, with sharp but not too long tips.
Seeing this claw, Su Xiao recalled that when he entered this world, he had experienced a dream-like sequence. At the end of the 'illusion', a giant hand claw lifted him out of the darkness. Looking at the claw on the coin now, it was exactly the same as the one in his memory.
[You have obtained Ancient Gold Coins × 50.]
Su Xiao remained expressionless. In the Title Shop, a Six-Star Title cost about 100 Ancient Gold Coins. The top three Seven-Star Titles required 500 to 650 coins each.
"It's not a matter of the gold coins..."
"Bai Ye, this is just a deposit. After the list is verified, there will be a balance of 450 coins."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. He needed to stay calm now. He believed the Duke would offer a higher price.
The Duke opposite him remained impassive. He was certain that Su Xiao would definitely sell this list. The best destination for those informants now was definitely not the treatment center. A new batch would replace the old. Once the new blood of the treatment center gradually took power, they wouldn't trust the informants left by the previous members.
Furthermore, these informants wouldn't easily accept the new members of the treatment center. They had deep feelings for the old members. However, if they were to work across factions for the Steam God Church, it would be different. Under these circumstances, a reluctant job change would surely lead to the new boss valuing them highly.
"Since you're reluctant, forget it. I, for one, hate forcing people."
The Duke stood up and left. One step, two steps, three steps...
At the door, the Duke stood silently. Su Xiao also didn't speak. The atmosphere was a bit awkward.
"Add another fifty."
The Duke practically squeezed these words out through his teeth.
"You're so sincere, it's hard to refuse."
Su Xiao placed the thick notebook on the table. The Duke, who had sat back down, crossed his legs and flipped through the notes, becoming more satisfied the more he read.
"If those two old bastards on your side find out you sold this, they'll be so angry they won't be able to hold their canes steady."
The Duke spoke with a slightly teasing tone. The old fellows he referred to were the two currently in power in the Healing Church: Archbishop Lusso and Holy Sacrificer Antosha.
The Archbishop and the Holy Sacrificer were the pinnacle of power in the Healing Church, but these two stayed in the Grand Cathedral year-round and never went out.
Mentioning these two old fellows, the Duke's expression changed. After all, he had grown up being schemed against by them. Although the Duke was now over fifty and a regional hegemon, deep down, he hadn't forgotten the scenes of being schemed against by those two old things. The worst time he was schemed against, he was forced to kill his own younger brother.
Su Xiao naturally knew about these two old immortals. His method of dealing with them was simply not to meet them. Old people were shrewd, old ghosts were cunning. Those two old fellows might have already decayed into ghosts by time.
"The treatment center has finally declined. Bai Ye, have you considered coming to work for me? If you're willing to come, the entire Hammer will be under your management. I won't interfere at all."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't reply. Seeing this, the Duke didn't ask further. He stood up and walked out. Just as he reached the door, he seemed to suddenly remember something and said:
"I heard you have a conflict with the newly transferred treatment center director and deputy director?"
"..."
Su Xiao picked up the sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash and turned his head to look at the Duke.
"Since you don't like them, I took the liberty of helping you deal with them. No need to thank me."
A hearty laugh gradually faded away down the long corridor. The Mechanical Duke was just like the rumors said; he acted without any regard for rules.
After turning the corner in the corridor, the Duke's laughing expression faded. He felt a slight disappointment. If Su Xiao had been provoked into attacking just now, he could have avoided paying the subsequent 500 Ancient Gold Coins. These things were used one and gone.
Back in the office, after the Duke left, Baha said, "Boss, that guy is too arrogant."
"He did it on purpose."
Su Xiao chose to hand over those informants to the Steam God Church, not just for the Ancient Gold Coins. With the upheaval on the Day of Divine Worship three days later, it was best to have someone out front to take the heat. Now that the Steam God Church's Hammer Institution was actively wading into this muddy water, Su Xiao certainly wouldn't stop them.
Su Xiao opened a drawer, searched for a moment, and based on the location in his temporary memories, pulled out a file cover. Opening it, a person's information appeared on it.
'Young Master Cranck, 27 years old, unmarried, eldest son of the Mechanical Duke. Average talent, indifferent to wealth, beauty, and status. At 17, he had already held a key position in the Steam God Church thanks to his exceptional intellect.'
This son of the Mechanical Duke was both excellent and lacked strong supernatural talent. Within the strength-worshipping Steam God Church, this was a contradictory combination.
Su Xiao felt that if he didn't arrange a scene of 'fatherly kindness and filial piety', it would be a waste of the Mechanical Duke's visit to exploit his misfortune tonight.
Young Master Cranck was indifferent to wealth, power, and beauty? No problem. [Traitor's Will] was specifically designed to cure this problem.
[Traitor's Will: When the target becomes a World Child, they will inherit the Traitor's Will, with a high probability of committing acts of betrayal.
Traitor's Will: Those who inherit this will experience unimaginable pleasure when betraying others.]
For someone like Young Master Cranck, who felt indifferent to everything, once he experienced the pleasure of the Traitor's Will, he would definitely become addicted to it.
Young Master Cranck was working under his own father. It was quite possible that 'Mourning Son Cranck' would soon be online.
Su Xiao tapped his index finger on the desk. He had originally planned to talk to the new director and deputy director, letting them take over the treatment center. He wasn't prepared to continue handling this mess. Just holding the title for now was enough.
But before he could contact them, they had been wiped out by the Duke. The Duke had keen instincts, knowing that something big would happen on the Day of Divine Worship three days later. Even if he acted excessively now, as long as he didn't openly slap the Healing Church in the face, the Healing Church would at most settle the score later, not immediately turn hostile.
He had originally wanted to see if there were any talented individuals among the newcomers, but that had fallen through. Just as Su Xiao was thinking this, he suddenly sensed an aura approaching. He looked out the window into the courtyard and saw a ghost floating in.
Seeing such a good opportunity, Su Xiao prepared to catch it and keep it as a mana recovery pack. But upon closer inspection, he felt this ghost looked somewhat familiar.
Picking up a file on the table, Su Xiao opened it and compared. This floating ghost was actually the unlucky new director. It had to be said that the position of treatment center director was indeed extremely high-risk, though 90% of the risk came from the deputy director, and the rest from external factors.
As if noticing Su Xiao's gaze, the ghost looked up towards the office. His translucent, pale face gradually filled with hatred, and he lunged straight at Su Xiao.
Su Xiao opened the window and stepped back a few paces. A gust of yin wind swept in. Just as the new director lunged with the yin wind and a terrifying wail, a large blood-energy hand formed behind Su Xiao, grabbing the new director like a frog.
After a ghostly howl, the new director was nearly crushed. It seemed this fellow was too unwilling in his heart and had turned into this vengeful spirit to return. He had nervously taken office, only to quickly learn that Deputy Director Su Xiao wasn't dead. This fellow immediately fled.
However, while staying in a hotel and still asleep, he was personally found by the Duke. The Duke had eliminated him before coming to see Su Xiao.
After a preliminary perception, Su Xiao found that this was a vengeful spirit formed by negative emotions like resentment combined with a strand of soul energy. He lost interest. The blood-energy hand clenched, and with a squelch, it crushed the spirit.
Within just over half an hour, people began arriving at the treatment center headquarters one after another. Su Xiao noticed they were all new members. It seemed the tragic deaths of the new director and deputy director had left these newcomers somewhat lost, so they all came to the treatment center.
Since these people could be brought in as new blood, they had naturally received corresponding training. Around midnight, the treatment center headquarters was once again brightly lit. Apparently, the few high-ranking members weren't prepared to investigate the matter too thoroughly and were clearly planning to settle accounts with the Duke later.
After ordering a late-night snack and sitting around the office desk, Su Xiao noticed Ilya still standing obediently to the side.
"Eat."
"Mm, I'm really hungry."
Ilya sat down next to Bubu Wang, muttered something under her breath, and then began to eat.
Su Xiao learned that Ilya would leave this world at the earliest tomorrow, or at the latest, tomorrow morning. This time, her parents and grandmother had let her come out more to see what the outside world was like.
Even so, Su Xiao always felt that there was more to Ilya's visit this time than met the eye.
Earlier, Su Xiao had a feeling that Zuiyasi didn't respect the Underworld God as much as one might imagine. Logically, as the supreme ancient god of Doom Star, Zuiyasi should have been respectful, or at least somewhat reverent, when mentioning this existence.
But the reality was quite different. This gave Su Xiao the impression that the faction Zuiyasi belonged to seemed to be brewing something in secret, and their ambitions were considerable. It was even possible they were thinking of pulling the Underworld God down from the position of supreme ancient god.
After advancing to the Ninth Rank, Su Xiao would be able to go to the Transcendent Primordial World: Doom Star. If such a change occurred, he wouldn't mind participating.
It wasn't just this matter. After Su Xiao's last chance encounter with Mage Sage Seraphilia on the Demon Train, the feeling she gave him was no longer one of being untouchable. Although he still felt he wasn't her match, Su Xiao estimated that as long as he advanced to the Ninth Rank and experienced two or three Ninth-Rank worlds, Seraphilia would likely no longer be his opponent. Her combat power should be at the late Ninth-Rank or late-late Ninth-Rank level. Law Destroyers had a natural advantage against Spellcasters.
Su Xiao arranged for Ilya to stay in the bedroom connected to the office. He sat cross-legged in the office to meditate. There were still a few hours until dawn, so there was no need to sleep.
A few hours quickly passed. The early sun rose in the sky. Just past 6 AM, High Wall City took on a scene of curling cooking smoke, as if the entire giant city was waking up again.
Su Xiao ended his meditation. He told Amu to stay in the office, then took Bubu Wang and Baha and went out.
Since the Duke had already started breaking the rules, Young Master Cranck naturally needed to be arranged.
Su Xiao led Bubu Wang and Baha out of the treatment center headquarters and headed east. On the bustling street, he hadn't gone far when a communicator in his pocket began to vibrate. This puzzled him. Why was that person contacting him so early?
Taking out the communicator, based on the interconnection positioning, he changed his direction.
Nearly an hour later, Su Xiao stopped on a pedestrian street. A figure was waiting ahead. It was Gulu.
For some reason, Gulu's left hand was wrapped in bandages covered with golden patterns. Having only been in this world for one night, Gulu already had dark circles like smoky eye makeup. This scene seemed familiar.
"Sacred Hymn, look who that is."
Gulu's tone was gritting her teeth. She tore off the bandages on her left arm, revealing a thin-lipped, red mouth on her left palm.
"Don't struggle meaninglessly. You can't escape..."
Just as Sacred Hymn spoke, her soul vision saw Su Xiao opposite. In that instant, Sacred Hymn's mentality underwent a huge change.