Chapter 13: Secrets
Inside the Vadi Family sacrificial hall, the tentacles hanging from the ceiling dissolved into scale-like fluff that scattered down like snowflakes, covering the floor.
After crushing the centipede insect, Su Xiao flicked the bloodstains from his long blade and sheathed it. Fighting the old monster was unexpected, and though it was quite perilous, it also served as an entry point.
In the few days since entering this world, Su Xiao had felt that while the factions within seemed loosely organized, there was actually no way to find a breakthrough. Now, killing the old monster was like opening a gap in a sealed container, allowing him to glimpse the secrets inside.
[Tip: You have killed Myriad Insects·Vadi·Treach.]
[You have gained 11.59% World Source.]
[You have gained Golden Skill Point ×1.]
[You have gained Immortal Chest·Undying Insect.]
[You have gained Family Emblem.]
[Family Emblem (Special Item): This emblem represents the head of the Vadi Family and holds great prestige among the Beast Clan, Wild Beast Clan, Wandering Tribes, etc. Holding this emblem allows negotiation and trade with most intelligent beings on the Wasteland.]
The World Source gained from killing the old monster was considerable, but compared to the old monster's strength, it seemed somewhat mismatched. Considering that the old monster had always stayed behind the scenes and had given up much in pursuit of immortality, his influence on this world was naturally smaller—this was one of the key criteria for determining World Source acquisition.
Su Xiao had long known that the amount of World Source gained did not directly equate to an enemy's strength. Generally, the stronger an individual, the greater their influence on the world, and the more World Source gained upon killing them.
As for the Golden Skill Point in the kill reward, it was clearly a recognition and proof of the old monster's former strength.
Su Xiao looked at the emblem in his hand. Upon closer inspection, the Vadi Family crest looked more and more like coiled centipedes, just beautified and simplified.
From the emblem's information, it was clear that the Vadi Family had been interacting frequently with the Beast Clan, Wild Beast Clan, and Wandering Tribes in recent years. This was actually normal—the Vadi Family mainly engaged in trade, purchasing supplies from outside the city or acquiring them through the Healing Church's expedition teams.
Speaking of expedition teams, one had to mention the Workshop. The expedition teams were the Workshop's combat representatives, mainly responsible for scouting the Wasteland's conditions and monitoring whether the Beast Clan, Wild Beast Clan, Wandering Tribes, etc., had any plans to attack High Wall City.
In terms of combat power within the entire Healing Church, the expedition teams and the Healing Institute were evenly matched. Both sides had overly rich combat experience—the former frequently fought various wild beasts, while the latter dealt with all kinds of bizarre incidents and fought against eerie creatures.
If one needed to leave High Wall City, finding an old member of the expedition team as a guide was the best choice. The harsh environments of the Wasteland and its astonishing climate changes were no joke—one moment it was clear skies, the next a black rain that corroded souls would fall.
[Tip: Promotion Quest·Fourth Ring (Triggered).]
[Promotion Quest: Open the Door (Fourth Ring)]
Difficulty Level: lv.81.
Quest Briefing: Find the entrance to the Root·Dead Silence City and open the sealed gate leading to the Root·Dead Silence City.
Quest Time Limit: 6 natural days.
Quest Reward: Shelter Stone ×10.
Quest Penalty: None.
With the key in hand, the next step was naturally to open the door, so Su Xiao was not surprised by the fourth ring of the promotion quest.
As for the quest giving few clues, that was not a big problem. In the past, quest clues were also sparse. After killing the old monster, Su Xiao had found an entry point.
Su Xiao did not rush to leave the sacrificial hall. Based on his extensive experience, secret places like the Deep World were excellent treasure troves.
Someone like the old monster would most likely hide all his treasures in a secret room or hidden cabinet. If the mechanism was triggered incorrectly, the treasures inside would be destroyed to prevent them from falling into enemy hands.
After some searching, Su Xiao found a clue on the stone chair where the old monster had been sitting. The armrests had indentations of varying depths and could be pressed down—clearly some kind of mechanism password.
Su Xiao was experienced in this regard. He immediately concocted a large jar of freezing solution, loaded it into a nebulizer, activated it, and the nebulizer hovering above the stone chair sprayed a massive amount of freezing mist in just 0.5 seconds, freezing the entire chair and several meters of rock and soil beneath it.
Who knew what mechanisms were under the stone chair? At lower ranks, Su Xiao would have racked his brain to find various ways to break them. Now, he was at Rank 8, almost Rank 9.
Boom!
With one kick from Su Xiao, the entire stone chair and a large chunk of the ground beneath it turned into ice shards that shot forward. After all, he was almost Rank 9—his method of cracking mechanisms had long become simple and unadorned, returning to basics.
Puzzles and deductions were methods used when one's rank wasn't high enough and one hadn't seen through the essence. Freezing everything and then kicking it solved everything.
A staircase leading underground appeared. Su Xiao descended the steps. After about a dozen steps, a silver-gray metal door blocked the way.
A circular lock plate was embedded in the door, and on it, a face emerged and said, "Password."
"..."
Su Xiao didn't know the password. He stepped back a few paces, ready to take a running start and deliver a straight kick.
"W-wait."
The circular lock plate, or rather the lock plate spirit, spoke with a trembling, fearful voice. It turned on its own, and with a few clicks, the silver-gray metal door opened.
"Please, come in, sir. By the way, I was forced to guard this door. I'm not familiar with that old bug, haha, hahahahaha."
The lock plate spirit laughed with exaggerated enthusiasm, because it felt that if this terrifying "humanoid blood aura monster" kicked it, it could immediately choose its next reincarnation.
"Don't get your hopes up. That old bug spent years pursuing immortality. Apart from fixed assets, ninety-nine percent of the wealth the Vadi Family accumulated was used for that."
The lock plate spirit smiled obsequiously, afraid that any word might offend Su Xiao and earn it a slash.
"..."
Su Xiao walked into the secret room. It was not large, about ten square meters, with shelves on both sides. Although there were many treasures, most could not be taken out of this world.
For such items, Su Xiao took them all. If they couldn't be taken out, he could sacrifice them to the [Oath Emblem·White Dragon]. Although he had found that sometimes sacrificing a comic book yielded better returns than sacrificing precious items, that was just a coincidence.
Still, this confirmed one thing: the items sacrificed through the [Oath Emblem·White Dragon] almost certainly ended up with the White Dragon Girl.
Speaking of which, the White Dragon Girl seemed to be the wealthiest person Su Xiao knew. Back then, the Ancient Dragon Faction and the Sun Faction had nearly annihilated each other, and the legacies of both civilizations were entrusted to the White Dragon Girl.
Su Xiao activated the [Oath Emblem·White Dragon], and a vortex appeared. He threw in various treasures that couldn't be taken out of this world, and finally tossed in a comic book from Beini before closing the sacrifice.
Apart from these, Su Xiao's total gains were as follows:
[You have gained 1185 Ancient Gold Coins.]
[You have gained Soul Crystal (Complete) ×83.]
[You have gained Overlord Essence ×1.]
[You have gained Insect Book·Calamity Body Reincarnation (Item/Knowledge Book).]
[You have gained Filth Insect Fossil (Immortal Item).]
Su Xiao put away the Ancient Gold Coins, Soul Crystals, and Overlord Essence, then picked up the [Insect Book·Calamity Body Reincarnation].
[Insect Book·Calamity Body Reincarnation]
Origin: Gloomy Continent·Sacrificial Courtyard.
Category: Item/Knowledge Book (Can be used directly or read to learn the recorded content.)
Tip: Direct use and learning through reading produce different effects.
Durability: 5/7 (Partially damaged, but reading is unaffected.)
Usage Effect: Using this item allows you to conduct a transaction with the Ancient Insect King, provided you have prepared the bait it likes.
Tip: After feeding the Ancient Insect King, it will either give you ??? or swallow you in one bite.
Recorded Content: This book contains knowledge about filth insects, immortality, insect kings, etc.
Introduction: An item passed down from the Age of Gods.
Su Xiao put away the [Insect Book·Calamity Body Reincarnation]. He wasn't interested in the knowledge recorded in it; rather, he was very interested in trading with the Ancient Insect King.
From the item description, trading with the Ancient Insect King required not only preparing its favorite bait but also that after feeding it, what it gave was entirely up to its mood. If it was in a bad mood, it might just swallow the trader whole.
Su Xiao welcomed such beings. Just from the name "Ancient Insect King," he could infer that it was both ancient and powerful.
Ancient + Powerful = Higher quality chest.
No one said that after luring the Ancient Insect King, one had to trade with it. This wasn't a game where one had to follow the plot. Setting up traps in advance, luring the Ancient Insect King, killing it, and taking the kill reward—wouldn't that be wonderful? Why bother relying on its mood and risk being swallowed?
Su Xiao picked up the last item, the [Filth Insect Fossil], and checked its attributes.
[Filth Insect Fossil]
Origin: Gloomy Continent·Root·Dead Silence City.
Quality: Immortal.
Category: Rare Material.
Introduction: A core fragment cut from the "Sin Collective" by a chosen one using the Holy Insect Sword. Unfortunately, this chosen one was defeated by the "Sin Collective" and left Dead Silence City with a dying body. From then on, this chosen one developed a nearly twisted obsession with immortality.
Su Xiao examined the translucent fossil in his hand. He couldn't immediately think of a use for it, but its Immortal quality was there. Although material quality could generally be considered half a rank lower than other items, its value couldn't be denied.
Leaving the secret room, Su Xiao stopped by the door, glanced sideways at the lock plate spirit for a moment, then raised his hand and pressed it against the silver-gray metal door.
With a crack, the silver-gray metal door shattered, and a semi-fluid metal inside burrowed into the cracks in the floor.
Su Xiao did this because he had used the Eye of the Gods to scan the lock plate spirit. It wasn't strong but had existed for a long time and was in a state of imprisonment.
Killing such an existence yielded nothing, so it was better to release it and build a good relationship. It might come in handy later.
As for the lock plate spirit being ungrateful and not repaying kindness, that was fine. Su Xiao would make it repay.
Su Xiao closed the activated [Holy Divider]. With a click as the [Holy Divider] shut, he felt a strong repulsive force.
Whoosh—the wind whistled past his ears, and Su Xiao was back in the passage formed by purple tissue. He retraced his steps to the sealed area, activated a star stone on the passage wall, and the closed passage ahead quickly dissolved.
With the path open, Baha and Old Chaman, who had been waiting on the other side, rushed over. Baha asked, "Boss, all done?"
"Yeah."
Su Xiao continued outward. When he reached the crack at the exit, he saw Amu's upper body hanging down from above.
"Moo?"
Seeing the bloodstains on Su Xiao, Amu knew things were finished. It pulled back hard and freed itself from the crack.
Admittedly, Amu wasn't always foolish. For instance, this time, it seemed stubbornly trying to squeeze into the crack, but in reality, Amu knew it couldn't get in, and the space here was peculiar—Baha couldn't casually open an alternate space.
Under these circumstances, Amu still blocked the crack to prevent the Duke, Lady Smoke, and others from entering. It was stuck there, so others couldn't get in and dared not attack it easily. Attacking Amu meant enmity with Su Xiao and hostility with the entire Healing Institute.
Su Xiao emerged from the crack and returned to the surface, finding many people gathered around. Grand Sage·Tulz, Bishop Ans, the Duke, and Lady Smoke were all there. In fact, these people represented the top power levels of High Wall City's various factions.
Of course, this excluded the Archbishop and Saint Priestess. These old fellows had lived too long—no one could compare to them. They had founded High Wall City themselves, but they all adhered to the principle of not interfering unless High Wall City was on the verge of destruction.
"Have your people disperse."
Su Xiao spoke, ready to negotiate a deal.
Hearing this, Lady Smoke raised her hand first, and her subordinates all withdrew. The Duke and Bishop Ans also signaled their agreement, followed by Grand Sage·Tulz.
Soon, aside from Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha, only five people remained. A crystal seat formed behind Su Xiao, and he sat down naturally. Though bare-chested with bloodstains and wounds, he didn't mind and lit a cigarette.
"I want to discuss a deal with you."
Hearing this, Grand Sage·Tulz immediately understood what was happening. He turned and left, uninterested in such fame.
"I'm broke, very poor."
Bishop Ans smiled apologetically and also left, leaving only the Duke and Lady Smoke.
Dealing with these people, Su Xiao didn't need to spell everything out—like the content of this transaction.
Su Xiao had killed the old monster in the Deep World, meaning he had resolved the Vadi Family incident. This was undeniable, and no one dared to deny it.
What benefit did this bring Su Xiao? Fame? He could stay in this world for at most a month. Given his current status as Vice Dean of the Healing Institute, fame meant nothing to him.
In other words, the great merit of resolving the Vadi Family incident would bring Su Xiao no tangible benefits afterward. The resources gained during the process were the real profit.
Under these circumstances, why claim credit for resolving the Vadi Family incident? Selling the credit to the Duke and Lady Smoke, letting them claim they resolved it, was a win-win choice.
"Name your price. I want Ancient Gold Coins, or better yet, Soul Coins."
Hearing this, the Duke said, "I'll offer 20,000 Ancient Gold Coins."
The Duke was going all out. This time, his "Hammer of Wrath Organization" had remained the most intact. If he took this credit, he and Su Xiao would be the final winners together.
The price of 20,000 Ancient Gold Coins was hard to refuse. Su Xiao estimated that even if the unrevealed eight-star title in the Title Shop was expensive, it wouldn't be ridiculously so. With these 20,000 Ancient Gold Coins, he might actually be able to get that title.
Considering the Duke's previous default on payment—which Su Xiao only recovered after luring him to the Healing Institute courtyard and surrounding him—Su Xiao was skeptical about whether the Duke could actually produce 20,000 Ancient Gold Coins.
"I'll offer 5,000, plus a secret. You won't refuse this secret."
Lady Smoke also made her offer.
"Deal."
Su Xiao agreed without hesitation. The Duke's 20,000 would require daily door-blocking to collect, while Lady Smoke would pay 5,000 Ancient Gold Coins on the spot plus a secret.
Most importantly, for Su Xiao, this was free profit. If neither bought the credit, it would fall on him with no benefit. Getting 5,000 Ancient Gold Coins for free was like picking up money.
Lady Smoke seemed momentarily stunned, then smiled at the Duke. Though she said nothing, the mockery was palpable.
Soon, Lady Smoke's subordinates brought a large chest. With a clang, they set it on the ground and opened it, revealing it was full of dark-gold Ancient Gold Coins.
Seeing this, the Duke looked at Su Xiao and said, "I didn't expect our cooperation to be so brief. Perhaps by tomorrow morning, we'll be enemies."
Leaving this thought-provoking remark, the Duke left with his men.
Though the Duke's words seemed directed at Su Xiao, they were also a statement to Grand Sage·Tulz.
Although the Vadi Family incident was resolved, it was just the beginning. Currently, the major factions in High Wall City were divided into two camps.