Chapter 14: Gathering
Inside the Vice Dean's office of the Treatment Institute.
After concluding discussions on the follow-up plan, Madam Smoke did not leave the Treatment Institute. Instead, she requested the keys to a two-story luxury villa in the backyard, intending to stay there.
This villa was originally reserved by a former dean of the Treatment Institute before taking office. However, the moment that person arrived at the institute, they were killed by Su Xiao, who had replaced the previous vice dean. The luxury villa in the backyard had remained unoccupied ever since.
What was even more absurd was that around nine in the evening, a steam-powered truck drove into the courtyard. Three maids began directing the movers to carry various pieces of furniture toward the backyard.
Seeing this, Bubu Wang was dumbfounded. He had initially thought Madam Smoke had come to form an alliance, but now it seemed the situation was not that simple.
Inside the office, Su Xiao stood by the window, watching the busy movers. After a moment, he turned to look at Madam Smoke, who had changed into a light summer home outfit, dressed rather coolly, and was applying skincare products.
"How long do you plan to stay temporarily?"
"One or two months, or longer?"
"And that is..."
Su Xiao pointed downstairs. Several movers were carrying an oversized ceramic bathtub toward the backyard. They had even brought their own bathtub from home. Was this a temporary stay?
"That's my bathtub. Don't you all bring your own bathtubs when you go out?"
Madam Smoke untied her hair, leaned comfortably into a single sofa, and began placing cucumber slices on her face.
Su Xiao sent Amu to the restaurant kitchen to order dinner. Amu was particularly enthusiastic about this task. Although it meant running an errand, he got to decide what the late-night snack would be and how many portions to order.
An hour later, the late-night snack arrived. Madam Smoke, who had been comfortably lounging on the sofa and tending to her skin, opened one eye, glanced at the food, and then looked away. To maintain her figure, she rarely ate late-night snacks.
Ten minutes later, Madam Smoke broke her resolve. It wasn't that she couldn't resist the temptation of delicious food, but rather that Amu was eating so voraciously that it was impossible to ignore.
Madam Smoke had come to form an alliance and moved into the Treatment Institute. This series of actions seemed confusing at first glance, but in reality, it carried deep meaning.
Madam Smoke had always represented the "High Wall Council." However, at present, Su Xiao was certain that all of Madam Smoke's positions within the High Wall Council had been revoked.
Although the High Wall Council supported the Chosen faction, it was a major power and would not stake everything on one side. Their support was more of a symbolic gesture.
Having Madam Smoke, a powerhouse who could both represent the High Wall Council and currently held no official position there, provide support in the form of an alliance was the best choice.
If Su Xiao's side ultimately suffered a crushing defeat, Madam Smoke would be acting on her own behalf in forming the alliance. If Su Xiao's side won, Madam Smoke would become the next leader of the High Wall Council.
What was even more clever was that this support came with sincerity. If Su Xiao needed to borrow the power of the High Wall Council, Madam Smoke would issue the orders. On the surface, it would seem like Madam Smoke was asking acquaintances for help, but in reality, it represented a command from the High Wall Council.
Regardless of whether the supported side succeeded or failed, the High Wall Council would suffer no substantial losses. This was the modus operandi of a major power.
Su Xiao had no particular opinion on this. At present, the Treatment Institute had suffered heavy losses and was filled with new members. The fact that the High Wall Council had chosen to support his side was already quite good. There was no need to be picky.
After finishing the late-night snack, Su Xiao sent Old Chapman and Ms. Marina out on an errand: to reclaim all the intelligence channels previously sold to the Steam God Church. Since the two sides were now hostile, there was no need to be subtle about certain matters.
As for the other side coming to accuse the Treatment Institute of breaking its word, Su Xiao's conscience wouldn't be troubled in the slightest. Ever since he started dealing with the Duke, that side had never kept its promises. Besides, when the time came, he would simply say that those informants, out of old loyalty, were unwilling to join the Steam God Church and only wished to serve the Treatment Institute.
If the Duke demanded the return of the ancient gold coins paid for the intelligence channels, Su Xiao would just pretend nothing had happened. After all, the Duke had initially planned to default on the payment. If Su Xiao hadn't cornered him in the Treatment Institute's courtyard last time, that scoundrel would never have coughed up the remaining ancient gold coins.
Currently, Su Xiao had a total of 7,562 ancient gold coins. This was already a considerable amount. He could try to save up a bit more to see if he could accumulate enough to purchase the only eight-star title in the Title Shop. As of now, Su Xiao only had two eight-star titles: "Sky-Rending Storm" and "Deep Blue Shadow."
The current situation, in Su Xiao's view, was quite clear. After the Wadi Family incident, High Wall City had been reorganized into four major powers: the "Healing Church," the "Steam God Church," the "High Wall Council," and the "Wadi Merchant Alliance."
The newly emerged Wadi Merchant Alliance was established by the sole surviving orphan of the Wadi family, Wadi Feg.
The process was complicated, but the explanation was simple. While the representatives of the Healing Church, Steam God Church, and High Wall Council—Su Xiao, the Duke, and Madam Smoke—were crushing the Wadi family, most of the commercial family's industries fell into chaos.
After the old monster, in the guise of a Dark Walker, severed the bloodline of the Wadi family, the Wadi family's merchant alliance was left leaderless.
Under these circumstances, the other three major powers could only watch. It wasn't that they didn't want to swallow the Wadi family's industries, but they couldn't. The four aspects of High Wall City—faith, technology, commerce, and livelihood—were each managed by a major power, forming a stable quadrilateral. Trying to squeeze this quadrilateral into a triangle would inevitably cause the city's currency to collapse.
Given this, the three major powers chose to let the small and medium-sized merchant guilds, like sharks smelling blood, fight over the Wadi Merchant Alliance.
What followed was simple. These merchant guilds were all smart people. They knew they couldn't lose the Wadi family name, and they had to show sufficient respect to the three major powers. They didn't want to return home only to have Kukulin Bai Ye or Madam Smoke knocking on their doors, which would mean they were close to death.
The problem was, how to maintain the Wadi family name? After much deliberation, they found the nephew of the wife of Wadi Terechi, the nominal head of the Wadi family in this generation. Although the blood relation was distant, this 12-year-old child did have a connection to the Wadi family.
And so, little Feg not only suddenly had his surname changed to Wadi but also gained several "distant relatives" he had never seen before. In reality, these people were the heads of several merchant guilds. They had joined forces, using Wadi Feg as a figurehead, to manage the Wadi Merchant Alliance.
Earlier this evening, Su Xiao had notified them that he wanted to meet with Wadi Feg. Calculating the time, they should be arriving soon.
As for why he wanted to see Wadi Feg, it was a precaution. In case the old monster had a split soul or other abilities that allowed it to survive despite the kill notification, and then attached itself to Wadi Feg to make a comeback, that would be troublesome.
It wasn't that Su Xiao was overly cautious. The old monster was truly capable of such a thing.
The current situation was that Su Xiao and Grand Sage Turz were on opposing sides. Since both belonged to the Healing Church, the other departments of the Healing Church chose to remain neutral and observe during this round of competition. This was the case for both the Workshop and the Grand Cathedral.
Of the remaining three major powers, the Steam God Church stood with Grand Sage Turz, the High Wall Council stood with Su Xiao, and the Wadi Merchant Alliance was caught in the middle. Although it was one of the four major powers, its foundation was different.
Thus, the Wadi Merchant Alliance split on the spot. Half sided with Su Xiao, and half sided with Grand Sage Turz. At this moment, the Wadi Merchant Alliance could only say one thing: "I'm too miserable."
"It's already this late. Time to sleep. Staying up late is the enemy of skin."
Madam Smoke rose from the sofa, making a move to leave with her two maids.
"The orphan of the Wadi family will be here soon. Don't you want to meet him?"
Su Xiao spoke.
"Why would I want to see that little brat? It's also hard on those guild leaders. I heard he's the nephew of the wife of Lefak's brother-in-law."
"Damn, that's a pretty distant relative."
"Of course it's distant. The closer ones are all dead. The Dark Walker's soul curse wiped out not only the direct bloodline of the Wadi family but also the collateral and maternal relatives. I heard the curse even spread to the brother of Wadi Lefak's wife."
Leaving these words, Madam Smoke, looking sleepy and languid, left. Not long after she left, the door was knocked open, and Hugh brought in a boy with a noble air and naturally curly brown hair. This was Wadi Feg, the nominal owner of the Wadi Merchant Alliance.
Wadi Feg appeared very nervous. After being seated by Hugh in the chair opposite the desk, he sat there with his head down, as if still immersed in the grief of losing his parents.
Su Xiao looked at Wadi Feg for a few seconds, then signaled Hugh that he could send the boy back. This was not the old monster. The aura fluctuations and soul wavelengths were vastly different. However, this little one... this little thing was also quite "peculiar." It was hard to say whether those guild leaders were lucky or unlucky to have chosen this one.
Thinking about it, this was normal. Given the previous state of the Wadi family, any family that married into it would also be a family of ruthless individuals. For a child from such a ruthless family to be in this situation was not surprising.
At this stage, Su Xiao had only three things to do: 1. Kidnap the Holy Maiden. 2. Obtain the location of the entrance to the Root: Dead Silence City from the Academy faction. 3. If possible, find the Beast Master of the Beast Clan on the Wasteland.
According to Madam Smoke, the Beast Master had mastered a very unique meditation method that used soul power to enhance the effects of meditation. In simple terms, the higher the soul strength, the greater the enhancement to meditation effects.
Su Xiao glanced at his own data, which showed a soul strength of 650 points. The whereabouts of this Beast Master were certainly worth seeking.
He estimated that, given his soul strength, the improvement in meditation efficiency would not be just double or a few times. It could potentially increase meditation efficiency by dozens of times. One day of meditation would be equivalent to the results of a whole month of daily meditation.
The more he meditated, the more he understood its mysteries and numerous benefits. First, it stabilized his blade techniques, which was crucial for Su Xiao. He always used resources to upgrade his Blade Grandmaster ability through the Paradise, then stabilized it through meditation. This was the most reliable method.
Moreover, meditation could permanently increase willpower and mental resilience, as well as offset the debuffs caused by blood energy.
The blood energy Su Xiao possessed had been evolved through the Devouring Core, then purified by the Reincarnation Paradise after consuming Soul Coins. Even so, this blood energy still had considerable debuffs.
To put it simply, if Su Xiao's current "Heart Meditation Lv.73" was a bucket, then the blood energy was water. When the bucket's capacity was sufficient, the blood energy brought only benefits.
Conversely, when the water overflowed from the bucket, the blood energy would bring varying degrees of debuffs.
Su Xiao had already made arrangements for this. Don't forget the tenants in Lily's new home. Among them, the Wraith Brother was one of his own. The remaining Little Flower, the Ancient Magic Mirror, and the Mirror Evil Spirit were either extraterrestrial beings, cursed objects, or malevolent soul entities.
Logically, all three fell within the Treatment Institute's scope of handling. If Su Xiao sent people to surround and kill them now, it would be perfectly justified from any perspective.
In other words, the fact that Little Flower, the Ancient Magic Mirror, and the Mirror Evil Spirit could safely stay in Lily's new home as tenants, without being wiped out by the Hammer Mechanism or the Silver Armor Squad, or being caught and made into specimens, was entirely due to the Treatment Institute's protection.
Initially, these three had no self-awareness. They always thought it was their own strength that had earned them a place to live, not the Treatment Institute's protection. However, after being educated by the Wraith Brother, they gradually came to recognize reality.
When the Wraith Brother said, "There are dozens of guys like me on the 11th floor of the church," the three tenants were shocked. The Mirror Evil Spirit, in particular, had a much clearer look in its eyes.
The Wraith Brother didn't mention that those strong individuals were now either dead or alive.
Still, Little Flower remained somewhat unconvinced until Lily took her to work at the Treatment Institute for a day. When they returned home, Little Flower secretly asked Lily, "Is your vice dean really that ridiculously strong? Could your dean crush me with a few moves?"
After Lily gave a vague answer, Little Flower developed a sincere sense of awe for the Treatment Institute's dean.
In the end, Su Xiao paid the Wraith Brother 20 Soul Crystals (Complete) as a deposit, plus acted as a guarantor to allow the Wraith Brother to leave the city.
As for why a guarantor was needed, it seemed the Wraith Brother had not been on good terms with the Beast Clan and the Wild Beast Clan in the past. According to the Wraith Brother, those were old matters that had been settled.
As for Little Flower, the Ancient Magic Mirror, and the Mirror Evil Spirit going together to find the Beast Master, there would be no reward. This was their rent payment.
After this matter was settled, Lily was so anxious she couldn't sleep all night. She had never been outside the city walls and had heard that many Wild Beast Clans outside ate people, which made her even more nervous. But the next day, she learned that she didn't have to go outside the walls with them.
Checking the time, it was already ten at night. According to the information provided by Madam Smoke, Su Xiao learned that for the Holy Maiden, ten at night meant her nightlife was just beginning. The busiest commercial street in the Central District still had a decent crowd until two in the morning.
A moment later, Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, Hugh, Lily, and the recently returned Old Chapman and Ms. Marina were all seated around the desk. The topic of discussion was how to get Hugh close to the Holy Maiden and have him dine with her in public, both lunch and dinner, in a setting where only the two of them were at the table.
The discussion began. Unfortunately, if the people present were asked to fight strong enemies, hunt anomalies, gather intelligence, or assassinate, they were all professionals. But how to approach a 32-year-old mature woman who had been divorced three times? This fell into everyone's knowledge blind spot.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang spread his paws, meaning, don't look at him. He was a single dog.
"Moo?"
Amu was confused. He still hadn't understood what was being discussed. Seeing everyone gathered around, he thought it was time to eat, so he quickly grabbed a stool and took the C position.
At this moment, Amu, sitting in the C position, was a bit panicked and didn't dare to breathe loudly.
"I'm just a goofball. I have no idea how to seduce the Holy Maiden."
Baha made a shrugging motion with his wings, expressing his helplessness.
"Ugh."
Hugh rarely spoke, meaning that he had indeed had close contact with older women, but that was when he had paid for it.
Lily covered her face with one hand. Today's meeting reminded her that she had never had a boyfriend. Sometimes, being too outstanding meant no one of the opposite sex pursued her.
Old Chapman, with a look of world-weariness, lit his pipe, took a couple of puffs, and said, "Back in the day, I was known as the Casanova of High Wall City."
"Until you went to the Pleasure House without any money..."
Ms. Marina stopped mid-sentence, noticing Old Chapman's murderous glare. She smiled and said nothing more.
Everyone's gaze turned to Ms. Marina, who had yet to express her opinion. She pondered for a moment and remained silent.
Ms. Marina, standing at 2.37 meters tall, weighing 415 pounds, with a body fat percentage of no more than 5%, clearly had no romantic experience. When members of the opposite sex saw her, they felt not attraction but awe. They would even walk in a C-shape when passing by her, afraid of provoking this formidable woman.
"..."
Su Xiao signaled Hugh to go fetch Madam Smoke. A moment later, Madam Smoke, with a look of resentment at being woken up, sat down at the desk. She had just fallen asleep when she was called.
"What is it?"
Madam Smoke's resentment was palpable.
"We need to start contacting the Holy Maiden tonight. As for the specific method, there aren't many good options."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Madam Smoke smiled and said, "Method? No method is needed. I've met the Holy Maiden a few times. Tonight, she is at..."
Upon hearing this, Baha added, "She's at the banquet hall of the Water Garden."
"I'll take Hugh to this banquet shortly. Then, the three of us—me, Hugh, and the Holy Maiden—will sit at a table and chat. Tomorrow at noon, I'll invite her to dinner at the Thorn Flower Hotel. At the latest, by tomorrow afternoon, you can make your move."
Madam Smoke signaled to her maid by the door to prepare her evening gown.
"What about Hugh's evening gown?"
"..."
Su Xiao opened a drawer, took out a stack of gold pounds, pulled out a dozen or so, and handed them to Hugh.
Su Xiao had no interest in the process of contacting the Holy Maiden. He only cared about the result. Tomorrow afternoon, he would personally take Baha and Old Chapman to carry out the kidnapping to avoid any accidents.
This matter had a plan. As for the Academy faction, how to obtain information about the entrance to Dead Silence City from them was a difficult problem.
Those within the Academy faction who knew about this were certainly in positions of high authority. At most, only one or two people knew, including Grand Sage Turz. But kidnapping the Grand Sage was pointless. For someone like Grand Sage Turz, unless he willingly spoke, no method could extract information from him.
Su Xiao had also considered entering the Root: Dead Silence City through other means. However, based on his experience entering the Branch: Dead Silence City last time, he knew better than others the benefits of entering through the entrance.
Entering through an entrance that had existed for many years would not guarantee safety, but it wouldn't be an instant death trap either. However, forcibly breaking open an entrance in the seal of the Root: Dead Silence City had a high probability of landing in some inescapable death zone.
Places like the Root: Dead Silence City were bound to have death zones. After all, this world was once a Transcendent Primordial World.
Thinking this far, Su Xiao suddenly thought of two "good teammates." Those two bastards were definitely still hiding in the shadows, waiting for him to open the door.
Since they were good teammates, they had to share the hardships. Even if those two bastards were hiding at this critical moment, he would drag them out and force them to be good brothers in hardship.
"Baha, go to the logistics department later and print a few hundred wanted posters. Have the Grand Cathedral, the Workshop, the High Wall Council, and the Wadi Merchant Alliance all put bounties on Zuiyasi and Wood."
"Uh..."
Baha was dumbfounded. Then, he understood the key point. This was to drag the good teammates out and have them deal with the Academy faction together.
Then it wouldn't be a one-on-one battle between old schemers. It would be a group of old schemers setting up the Academy faction. At that time, the Academy faction would experience a unique kind of joy.
As for the Duke's aid to the Academy faction, forget it. His eldest son, Cranck, had fully awakened and was now killing his way through the Steam God Church. However, the Duke hadn't yet realized that all these things were done by his eldest son. Cranck was also an outstanding actor.
But there was also a threat: the Duke's eldest daughter. She had used her own cells to cultivate many independent individuals, her own sisters. One of these sisters had witnessed Cranck's increasingly skillful backstabbing.
Strangely, the eldest daughter didn't expose Cranck. Or rather, all of the Duke's offspring harbored resentment toward him. While still in their mother's womb, they had undergone embryonic modification by the Duke, who had once sought to break free from the constraints of flesh and blood.
This was why Cranck had once been emotionally indifferent and why the eldest daughter's body cells were special. Although they were all the Duke's offspring, they were also half-finished products.
Before Cranck awakened, the eldest daughter had planned to become a filial daughter. However, before she could act, she discovered that her brother was already running rampant within the church. At that moment, the eldest daughter felt that her brother was not only her closest relative but also her "kind."
But their "kind" could not coexist. Before killing the person who had brought them all their suffering, they had to settle the score with each other first.
In other words, the current situation in the Steam God Church was that three of the ten Divine Envoys had died, all victims of Cranck's backstabbing. One was unconscious, and Cranck and his sister were locked in a covert struggle.
The Steam God Church appeared the same as before, but internally, it was a mess. Everyone was looking for the terrifying assassin. The person investigating this matter was Cranck, who had taken over the Hammer Mechanism.
Having the murderer investigate the murderer—this operation was truly jaw-dropping. Now, Cranck's sister, Kero, was starting to panic. Without a doubt, her terrifyingly rational brother would dump all the dirty water on her. No matter how much she accused Cranck of his crimes, no one would believe her.
The funniest thing happened before Su Xiao went to sleep. He had just entered the adjacent bedroom when the phone in the office rang. Since he needed to meditate daily, he let Baha answer it.
He initially thought it was Madam Smoke asking for operational funds to buy expensive skincare products. But it wasn't. The caller was the eldest daughter, Kero. She actually wanted to secretly cooperate with Su Xiao to eliminate Cranck.
Su Xiao had thought that having the murderer investigate the murderer was already absurd enough. Now, Kero had come knocking, wanting to ally with him, the mastermind behind the scenes.
Su Xiao naturally welcomed this. Now that the Duke was hostile to him and had chosen to support Grand Sage Turz, the more chaotic the Steam God Church was, the better.
A few minutes later, Su Xiao ended this almost absurd secret conversation. He estimated that the eldest daughter, Kero, was no match for the noble son, Cranck.
Su Xiao lay down on the bed and fell asleep. He slept until noon the next day because he felt that he might not have the chance to sleep and rest for the next few days.
"How is Madam Smoke doing?"
Su Xiao put down his utensils, picked up a glass of water, and drank it all in one gulp.
Upon hearing this, Baha said, "She just finished lunch with the Holy Maiden and arranged to have afternoon tea together."
"Afternoon tea?"
Su Xiao muttered, took out his pocket watch, and checked the time. It was about time.
He walked to the desk, spread a map of the Central District on it, and began to arrange: "Marina, in half an hour, throw an explosive cone at this location to blow up the water tower near the inner river two kilometers away. Chapman, you lie in ambush here. Bubu Wang, you stay here. Baha, you pre-set a spatial layer in advance. When the Holy Maiden's car arrives, make your move."
After arranging the positions, Su Xiao picked up a mask from the table and put it on.
An hour later, at 1:07 PM, next to Central Street.
The afternoon sun was scorching. There were few pedestrians on the street. On the roof of a three-story clothing store by the roadside, Su Xiao sat cross-legged, holding a bottle of iced wine with condensation on its surface.
Hiss, hiss.
Static came from the wireless earpiece, followed by Bubu Wang's bark. This meant that Madam Smoke had gotten out of the car at the predetermined location.
At this moment, in the Holy Maiden's steam car, besides the driver who also served as a bodyguard, Madam Smoke and Hugh were also inside. Madam Smoke claimed Hugh was her nephew. The purpose of this introduction was to have the Holy Maiden pull some strings within the Academy faction so that Hugh, who worked at the Treatment Institute, could get a position there.
Upon hearing that Hugh was from the Treatment Institute, the Holy Maiden instinctively became wary. She had already received some news, such as that she had been targeted by the Treatment Institute's vice dean.
Upon hearing this news, the Holy Maiden almost cried. A few days ago, she had seen the Treatment Institute's vice dean, Kukulin Bai Ye, from a distance. At first, she had a good impression of him and was about to go over and greet him. But as she got closer, she felt only one thing: terror. It was a shiver that came from the depths of her heart and soul. Even watching from afar, she wanted to flee, afraid of being swallowed whole by that vast, invisible blood beast.
So, upon hearing that Hugh was from the Treatment Institute, the Holy Maiden was naturally wary. After learning that Hugh had only been working there for a few days and about the recent heavy losses suffered by the Treatment Institute, the Holy Maiden understood that this was a request for connections. She couldn't easily refuse, especially since Madam Smoke was involved.
At the street corner, the car slowly came to a stop. Madam Smoke got out of the passenger seat. She said with a hint of apology, "Once I've taken care of some trivial matters, I'll see you at the tea party."
"See you at the tea party."
The Holy Maiden replied. She was sitting in the back seat, and only her lace-trimmed sun hat was visible. Hugh, sitting beside her, also wanted to get out, but the Holy Maiden stopped him, saying, "Let's go to the tea party first and wait."
Hugh remained silent, which was taken as agreement to the Holy Maiden's suggestion.
The car started moving again. The driver's gaze swept forward. Suddenly, he felt something was wrong.
Then, the car seemed to pass through an invisible barrier. The driver quickly braked and turned around. The Holy Maiden and Hugh in the back seat had disappeared.
No enemy, no roadblock, no attack. The people who were there a second ago were gone the next.
The bodyguard, who was also the driver, rushed out of the car. He fully expanded his perception range, wanting to shout something but not knowing what to shout. Just then, he looked at a clothing store by the roadside. He leaped up to the third-floor roof. At the edge, a bottle of iced wine caught his eye. On the bottle, faint fingerprints were visible from the cold water vapor.
Seeing this, the bodyguard smiled. As long as he had this as a medium, he could...
Crash!
A semi-transparent liquid rushed out of the iced wine bottle. Before the bodyguard could react, it climbed onto him. A small figure made of water drilled into his ear canal.
The bodyguard leaped down from the roof, crashing heavily onto the car. He then began to destroy the vehicle and the surrounding street. When he came to his senses, he found himself standing amidst a pile of mechanical parts.
A kilometer away, Madam Smoke, who had witnessed the entire operation of Su Xiao, Baha, and Old Chapman, had a stiff expression. She wanted to ask one question: "Why are you all so skilled at this?"
At three in the afternoon, in the Vice Dean's office of the Treatment Institute, Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha pushed open the door and entered. Amu was carrying a large cloth bag.
After untying the bag, the Holy Maiden was revealed, her mouth sealed with tape. With a rip, Su Xiao tore off the tape and looked at the Holy Maiden, who was staring at him intently.
"Do you know who I am?!"
The Holy Maiden had never suffered such humiliation and wanted to test the waters, so she blurted out this sentence. As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it.
"Yes, I do."
Su Xiao, wearing a mask, gestured with his hand. Amu handed him a glass of iced water.
"The weather is hot. Don't be shy."
Su Xiao handed the iced water to the Holy Maiden. Seeing this, she forced a smile, trying to salvage her earlier arrogance.
"I'll return your words to you. Do you know who I am?"
Su Xiao crouched down to look the Holy Maiden in the eye.
"No, I don't. Who are you people?"
The Holy Maiden looked around at the masked person, the masked dog, the masked cow, and the unusually calm little secretary sitting behind the desk in the corner.
"..."
Su Xiao took off his mask and introduced himself, "I am the vice dean of the Treatment Institute."
"You, you, you, what are you going to do? You must stay calm."
The more the Holy Maiden spoke, the more frightened she became.
"I invited you here today to talk about something. Where did you take my adorable subordinate Hugh? I heard you two are eloping? Is it really okay to just kidnap my people like that?"
Su Xiao spoke in a calm tone, then lit a cigarette.
"This, I, you..."
The Holy Maiden didn't know what to say. Her mind raced. She thought that only the Academy faction, which could contend with Kukulin Bai Ye, could save her now. But before she could find an excuse to notify the Academy faction, Su Xiao had Amu drag the phone over with its cord.
"Notify the Academy faction."
Hearing this, the Holy Maiden was stunned for at least three seconds. Then, she immediately picked up the phone and contacted the Academy faction. Soon, the phone was answered. The Holy Maiden directly connected to Grand Sage Turz.
"What is it?"
Grand Sage Turz's voice came through. The Holy Maiden was about to cry for help but stopped due to Su Xiao's gaze. She obediently handed over the receiver.
"It's me."
Su Xiao spoke. Upon hearing this, Grand Sage Turz was silent for a moment before saying, "You kidnapped the Holy Maiden?"
"Yes."
"Have you gone mad?"
Grand Sage Turz's tone had a rare hint of amusement.
"The Holy Maiden eloped with my subordinate. I invited her here. Is there a problem?"
"..."
Silence fell on the other end of the line again. Su Xiao ignored this and continued, "Return my subordinate Hugh within two days."
With these words, Su Xiao hung up the phone. Then, he said, "Hugh, take her to the room on the fourth floor and keep a close watch. If anything goes wrong, use your spatial ability to take her away from here and lock her in the secret room at the branch."
Upon hearing this, Hugh walked into the office from the corridor. Seeing this, the Holy Maiden pointed at Hugh, so anxious she could barely speak:
"He, isn't he Hugh?"
"Madam, you're mistaken. He is Hugh's twin brother."
Baha said with a smile. The Holy Maiden had a lot to say but ended up saying nothing.
Baha flew out the window. Bubu Wang blended into the environment. Amu entered the adjacent alchemy laboratory. Only Su Xiao and Lily, who was diligently reviewing documents behind the desk in the corner, remained in the office.
Footsteps came from the corridor. The door was pushed open, and three figures walked into the office. They casually sat around the desk with Su Xiao.
"My dear friend, the matter with Dragon God Dean is settled."
Caesar grinned and initiated a trade request.
[You have received 50,000 Soul Coins.]
Su Xiao had anticipated that the reward for helping Dragon God Dean would be high, but he hadn't expected it to be this high.
One of the arrivals was naturally Caesar. As for the other two, one sat down, picked up a dried fruit plate, and started eating, crossing his legs and resting them on the desk.
The other was wearing a deep purple suit. His head was a skull inlaid with rice-sized black gemstones, with faint green flames in his eye sockets. Yes, it was Zuiyasi and Wood.
Su Xiao, Caesar, Wood, and Zuiyasi—the four good teammates were all gathered here. When Lily saw this scene, she suddenly felt a sense of dread, as if this world had become dangerous.