Chapter 39: Caesar's Generosity
The soul memory fragments that Su Xiao had loosely grasped in his hand completely dissipated. This time, when stripping the soul memory, he absorbed none of it. Even though the Sand King was a dual grandmaster in swordsmanship and close combat, and absorbing this soul memory could have significantly enhanced his own abilities, he still refrained from doing so.
The Sand King had been driven mad by wearing the Soul Crown, and his soul memory was tainted with the aura of Original Sin objects and the Abyss. Absorbing such soul memory carried risks; a single misstep could not only fail to improve his abilities but also lead to erosion by the Soul Crown.
Furthermore, Su Xiao had always believed that the core function of the [Soul Devourer] talent was to enhance his own soul strength, not to absorb soul memories after killing enemies. The risks of the latter far outweighed the potential gains.
A dragon's roar came from the horizon—it was Storm Flame Dragon Dis. Just as Su Xiao had won his battle, Water Brother had retreated.
This was also one of the reasons Su Xiao chose not to fight the Sand King head-on. Even if he had won through a desperate struggle, if Water Brother had attacked afterward, Su Xiao would have been in a very passive position.
Regarding Water Brother, Su Xiao had been wary of him ever since their first encounter. The reason was that even before obtaining the [Primordial Source Mirror], Water Brother was already quite strong. His strength had always been on par with Su Xiao, Solomon, Grey Gentleman, and Father.
Water Brother disliked taking the lead. He had solid strength but never flaunted it, remaining so low-key that many people felt they could go toe-to-toe with him. However, when a real fight broke out, Water Brother would teach them a lesson.
After obtaining the [Primordial Source Mirror], Water Brother didn't become arrogant; instead, he became even more humble. Most importantly, despite having a decent compatibility with the [Primordial Source Mirror], he still maintained a reverent attitude toward Original Sin objects when using it.
Previously, Water Brother had single-handedly faced Dray, Silver Mask, Veronica, Red-Eyed Girl, and the Beast Knight. That lineup was by no means weak.
Silver Mask could be called the strongest assassin in this world. Dray had once been one of the top three bodyguards in this world, having protected a Grand Councilor of the Alliance. The Beast Knight had a mysterious origin. Veronica was recommended by that old fox from the Alliance and could even carry an Iron-Blooded weapon out of Alliance territory. Red-Eyed Girl was meticulously trained by the Platinum Bishop; calling her the sole inheritor of the Sun faction was no exaggeration. She had learned various Sun secret techniques that others dreamed of, even crying as a child while studying them.
The result was that such a lineup was beaten by Water Brother in a single encounter, leaving them questioning their lives. They could only escape using Red-Eyed Girl's ultimate survival ability. More crucially, they managed to escape only because Storm Flame Dragon Dis had carried Su Xiao to the surrounding area, forcing Water Brother to divert his attention to guard against Su Xiao in his dragon-riding state, giving Red-Eyed Girl and the others a chance to flee.
What made Su Xiao even more troubled was that Water Brother was both ruthless and steady. He seemed average in strategy, but at critical moments, he would appear in the most crucial places. His steadiness lay in the fact that if he sensed something was off, he would never stubbornly try to save face. Instead, he would retreat quickly and disappear without a trace for a period afterward.
"Boss, that guy got away."
Baha flew over, his voice sounding strange. Su Xiao looked over and saw that Baha's head was a bit swollen. It was clear that Water Brother had discovered the essence of dealing with Baha: hit him in the mouth.
"Next time, I'll definitely kill that bastard."
Baha, with a black eye from the beating, said fiercely. Beside him, Veronica, who also had a black eye, nodded in agreement.
Su Xiao didn't plan to pursue Water Brother now, both because he was difficult to track and because his next target was Abyss Leader Selvis. Water Brother was currently cooperating with Abyss Leader Selvis.
This would turn the situation into a confrontation between Su Xiao's team and the Ghost City. In Su Xiao's view, this was very unstable. His team's combat power was sufficient, but compared to the entire Ghost City, the scale of their forces was far too small. He needed to find a way to develop the situation into the Alliance camp versus Ghost City, with himself as the Alliance's representative this time.
Su Xiao was somewhat confident about this. In the past hundred years or so, the Dark God Cult had committed many evils within Alliance territory. At this stage, the Alliance didn't want to deal with Ghost City, not because they couldn't, but because no one was willing to become the representative figure in this matter. It was simply too dangerous.
Although the Dark God Cult was detestable, its members were all quite powerful. Most of them had absorbed Abyssal energy, with only differences in quantity. This also meant that their flaws were more extreme, and their combat power was enhanced to a greater degree by Abyssal energy.
Considering the combat power of these guys and their unscrupulous methods, it made sense that no one in the Alliance dared to take the lead against the Dark God Cult. The last time the Alliance drove the Dark God Cult out of its territory, Su Xiao had led the charge. The reason was that, as the director of the Twilight Asylum, Su Xiao was one of the few people who didn't fear retaliation from the Dark God Cult. In fact, his position made him a natural mortal enemy of the Dark God Cult. In the underground third-floor prison of the asylum, 60% of the inmates were Dark God Cult members.
Another person who dared to step up was the leader of the Hunter Unit, Tessa. Although Tessa dared to do so, her family, the Mono family, wouldn't allow it. Tessa herself wasn't afraid of retaliation, but other members of the Mono family were. No one wanted to step out the door in the morning and be gnawed down to bones by devouring insects emerging from the cracks in the roadside gutters.
Therefore, as long as Su Xiao was willing to deal with Ghost City, the four Grand Councilors of the Alliance might not openly express support, but they would definitely back him in secret. More precisely, if Su Xiao showed any intention of heading to Ghost City, the four Grand Councilors would likely be willing to pay a huge sum as a reward for Su Xiao to take care of the Dark God Cult.
Su Xiao's plan was to first return to Kuss City and hint to Mayor Perkin that he was preparing to deal with Abyss Leader Selvis. It was certain that Mayor Perkin would secretly inform the four Grand Councilors. Others couldn't contact all four Grand Councilors simultaneously, but Mayor Perkin absolutely could. Calling him the financial godfather of most of the Alliance was no exaggeration.
The rest would be easy. Su Xiao only needed three things: 1. To enter Ghost City under the Alliance's name and secure a relatively safe temporary base there, 2. To temporarily transfer Tessa's intelligence department under his command, and 3. Sufficient payment.
This was the advantage of having an enemy with a notorious reputation. Although Su Xiao wanted to defeat Abyss Leader Selvis for his own purposes, he didn't intend to let other factions benefit for free. If other factions wanted to profit from this matter, they could, but they had to pay him a sufficient reward first.
Sending Original Sin objects to Abyss Leader Selvis was definitely out of the question. If the other party could use the [Soul Crown] or [Nether Bone Ring], it would backfire.
As Su Xiao pondered this, a notification appeared. The kill notification for defeating the Sand King was unusually slow.
[Notification: You have killed the Sand King.]
[You have obtained 2900 Soul Coins (distributed according to kill contribution).]
[You have obtained 16.8% World Source (distributed according to kill contribution).]
[You have obtained Abyss Fall (Origin-level weapon; due to the death of its previous user, this weapon has entered a semi-sealed state).]
[You have obtained Origin-level Chest: Mad King.]
...
In this battle against the Sand King, Su Xiao and Sacred Poem were in a team. Additionally, Sacred Poem's healing output in this battle was astonishing, which allowed her to claim a significant share of the kill rewards. The Soul Coins, World Source, and kill titles were quite generous, especially the titles. However, since the kill contribution was mostly achieved through [Blood Feather], the chest allocation was entirely skewed toward Su Xiao.
Regarding kill rewards, Su Xiao only needed to obtain the chest. With the bounty from the [Hunt List: Blood Pact], even if there were no kill rewards, he would still be making a huge profit, just like when he killed the Nightmare King earlier.
However, this kill reward surprised Su Xiao slightly. Usually, an enemy's weapon would be obtained from a chest, but this time, it was directly notarized as a kill reward. He exerted force with his foot, causing a circular hole to appear in the ice beneath him, and he fell into the water.
In the clear water below, Su Xiao sank at a steady pace. From a distance, he could sense the aura of the [Abyss Fall] sword. When he reached the bottom, he grasped the hilt of [Abyss Fall] with one hand and tried to pull it out of the giant rock, but after several attempts, he found the weapon was indeed too heavy.
A crystal layer climbed onto Su Xiao's right hand and forearm. He punched the stone base beneath [Abyss Fall], shattering it, then gripped the hilt and stored it in the team storage space.
[Abyss Fall]
Origin: Void.
Quality: Origin-level
Category: Heavy Sword.
Durability: 518/540 points
Attack Power: Visible after unsealing the semi-sealed state.
Equipment Requirement 1: True Strength 300 points, Blade Grandmaster Lv.65 or above, Willpower 170 points or above.
Equipment Requirement 2: If compatibility with this weapon reaches 30% or above, the weight and Willpower requirement can be ignored when using this weapon. However, in this case, there is a high probability that the user will be controlled by the "Dark Evil Spirit" within this heavy sword.
Basic Effect: The length of this weapon will adaptively change according to the user's body size.
Equipment Effect 1: Life Thirst (Original Sin: Passive). Killing enemies with this weapon will gradually release its eight layers of seals.
Tip: If using this weapon while meeting Equipment Requirement 1, each seal release will only increase the overall strength of this weapon.
Tip: If using this weapon while relying on Equipment Requirement 2, each seal release will not only increase the overall strength of this weapon but also rapidly and significantly enhance the user's strength. However, at the same time, the user's resistance to the "Dark Evil Spirit" within this weapon will greatly decrease, making them more susceptible to its control.
Equipment Effect 2: Visible after unsealing the semi-sealed state.
Equipment Effect 3: ???
Rating: Visible after unsealing the semi-sealed state.
Description: This weapon was originally a killing heavy blade forged by a legendary blacksmith. Although it leaned toward killing characteristics, it was not evil. However, after being eroded by the Mad King's consciousness and the Soul Crown, a "Dark Evil Spirit" greedy for life was born within this weapon.
...
Seeing the information on [Abyss Fall], Su Xiao decided to keep this weapon for now. He was somewhat curious about what would happen if he gave this weapon to Black A to use.
Given Black A's rebellious nature, the "Dark Evil Spirit" within this weapon might not necessarily be able to deal with Black A. Especially since Black A had even devoured Abyssal energy before. It was possible that Black A could freeload the strength enhancement from the seal releases without being affected by the "Dark Evil Spirit."
If Black A couldn't use it, he could find a Demon Blacksmith in the future to see if they could reforge it. Selling this heavy sword had never crossed Su Xiao's mind, mainly because it was unlikely anyone would buy it.
A moment later, Su Xiao flicked the crystal short sword in his hand, embedding it into the ice surface. Looking at the ice surface now, it was covered with spatial array diagrams. The people who had gathered one after another had increasingly solemn expressions.
"I won't be returning to the Alliance with you all. There are many matters in the Saint Lan Kingdom waiting for me to oversee. Now that the new king has been crowned, the Dawn God Cult also has many important matters to handle."
The High Priest spoke with a smile. This old divine stick and con artist had clearly guessed that there would be more powerful enemies to deal with later and was preparing to slip back to the Saint Lan Kingdom.
"..."
Su Xiao took out the contract he had signed with the High Priest earlier and destroyed it in front of him. Seeing this, the High Priest didn't feel happy; instead, he sensed something unusual. He approached Su Xiao and asked in a low voice:
"White Night, where are you going next..."
"Ghost City."
"What are you going there for? That's Abyss Leader Selvis's territory. Could it be... Oh~!"
The High Priest's tone of "Oh" carried a hint of understanding, but thinking that Abyss Leader Selvis was recognized as one of the top three powerhouses in this world, the High Priest became even more determined to leave immediately.
"Barring any surprises, the Grand Councilors of the Alliance will support this matter."
Su Xiao spoke casually. Hearing this, the High Priest nodded thoughtfully and said, "Indeed. If you act as the representative for this matter, the four Grand Councilors of the Alliance will definitely pay you a reward first. That's a considerable benefit. If..."
The High Priest's words suddenly trailed off because he realized that if he represented the Dawn God Cult in this operation against Abyss Leader Selvis, the royal family of the Saint Lan Kingdom would have to show their appreciation. Over the years, the Saint Lan Kingdom had also suffered greatly from the Dark God Cult members.
Thinking of this, the High Priest narrowed his eyes. In the current Saint Lan Kingdom, the Black Rose and the previous Radiant God had passed away. The young king was barely stabilizing the situation. The high-ranking nobles of the royal family, who had reaped benefits for years, had only lost some servants due to the appearance of the [Nest of Suffering], with no major losses. Now, if he, as the leader of the Dawn God Cult, personally went to Ghost City to deal with the Dark God Cult, these high-ranking nobles would have to come up with a large amount of resources. Otherwise, the High Priest would have a reason to clean them all up.
If they were willing to offer benefits, it would have to be a substantial amount to match the significance of this expedition to Ghost City. Thinking of this, the High Priest's eyes began to gleam.
Going alone to attack Ghost City might sound more glorious, but the High Priest was quite uneasy. Ghost City was Abyss Leader Selvis's lair. Attacking it alone under the banner of the Dawn God Cult would be like delivering oneself to the enemy.
The High Priest looked around at the people on the teleportation array. After his gaze swept over Su Xiao and the Platinum Bishop, he became firm in his decision: it was safer to stay in this team.
"White Night, I absolutely cannot stand by and do nothing while you go to Ghost City to deal with Abyss Leader Selvis!"
The High Priest spoke with righteous indignation. After all, he was planning to exploit those corrupt nobles of the Saint Lan Kingdom. He felt no psychological pressure whatsoever. Not only did his conscience not ache, but he also felt an unprecedented sense of relief.
Su Xiao was about to activate the teleportation array but paused at the High Priest's words. He thought for a moment and said, "You're old. Forget it."
"It's fine. Even if I leave these old bones in Ghost City, I must make the Dark God Cult pay. I stand against darkness!"
"You should go rest."
"Ten percent. I can't go any lower."
The High Priest said this with a pained expression, his eyes twitching.
"This isn't about the benefits."
"Twenty percent."
Saying this, the High Priest's liver trembled. It seemed he was still keeping eighty percent for himself, but in reality, he would need to find others to cooperate with to make those nobles comply.
"This really isn't about the benefits."
Su Xiao remained calm.
"Thirty percent!"
The High Priest's eyes were bloodshot.
"Hurry up and get on. The teleportation array is about to activate."
Baha spoke. It had coordinated similar situations many times. Hearing this, the High Priest quickly stepped onto the teleportation array. The next second, the array roared to life.
When the spatial fluctuations stabilized, Su Xiao had already returned to the third-floor office of the asylum, connected to the bedroom. Baha opened the door, landed on the doorframe, and said:
"Everyone, the restroom is down the hall to the left, about ten meters. We'll gather tomorrow morning to head to Ghost City."
Before long, everyone left one by one. It was now morning. They had first gone to the Saint Lan Kingdom to deal with the Black Rose, then to the Desert Kingdom to deal with the Sand King. It was time to rest.
Su Xiao sat behind his desk. Of the six traitors he needed to deal with, only one remained. He felt somewhat relieved but also a sense of crisis.
He had Baha brew a pot of Maple Tea, poured himself a cup, and slowly sipped it while contemplating the current situation. Since entering this world, one thing had been bothering him: why were the traitors so careless?
Su Xiao had entered this world because a traitor, using the Void Tree's notarization, had purchased the Awakening Stele from Holy Light Paradise with Space-Time Power. Su Xiao had tracked the Awakening Stele, which triggered the [Hunt List].
Logically, given the traitor's strength and methods, even though they were in this world, their information channels shouldn't be blocked. Thinking this way, the traitor should know of Su Xiao's existence. This wasn't Su Xiao being arrogant; it was because the recent incident where the Law Destroyers blew up the Spellcaster camp's "Flourishing Star" had spread far and wide. Even the Platinum Bishop knew about it and had asked if it was true.
Under such circumstances, the traitor had bought the Awakening Stele. After that, the traitor, still in this world, showed no signs of vigilance. Even after Su Xiao killed four traitors, the remaining one seemed oblivious and didn't actively attack.
This made Su Xiao feel an inexplicable unease. The more he completed the [Hunt List], the more he felt like he was stepping into a trap. Yet, he had to move forward step by step.
[Main Mission: Kill the Mad King (Completed).]
[You have obtained Origin Stones × 15.]
[You have activated the final phase of the main mission: Abyssal Shadow.]
[Main Mission: Abyssal Shadow (Final Phase)]
Difficulty Level: Lv.88 ~ ???
Mission Information: After closing the Abyss Hole, defeat the Abyssal Shadow.
Tip: The Abyssal Shadow is currently in slumber and is expected to awaken soon.
Mission Time Limit: 15 natural days.
Mission Reward: Origin Stone: Endless.
Mission Penalty: None.
...
Seeing the content of the final mission, Su Xiao's long-held anxiety eased a bit. He finally understood why the traitor hadn't acted—they were in slumber.
From what he knew, closing the Abyss Hole, whose location was unknown, would significantly weaken the traitor's power. This was also why the mission difficulty was Lv.88 ~ ???.
If the mission difficulty were Lv.88, he could still fight with all his means. But if he ignored the Abyss Hole and went directly after the traitor, it would be a death sentence.
The Abyss Hole was different from the Abyss Passage. In other words, the Abyss Hole was the prototype of the Abyss Passage. Once a hole appeared in this world and was expanded to a certain extent, it would become an Abyss Passage. The former was relatively easy to seal and wouldn't release large amounts of Abyssal energy, while the latter was extremely difficult to seal. The Abyssal energy it released could spread across the entire world in just a few days, turning it into a realm of darkness.
Regarding the location of the Abyss Hole, Su Xiao estimated that it was likely in Ghost City. In the memory images he had seen earlier, the Sand King, Abyss Leader Selvis, and the traitor had met in a church in Ghost City. That might have been about the Abyss Hole.
Even if the Abyss Hole wasn't in Ghost City, Ghost City would definitely have clues about it. Thinking this, Su Xiao found his teacup empty. He reached for the teapot to pour another cup, only to find it empty as well.
"Burp~"
Caesar, sitting across the desk, had drunk his fill of tea and let out a burp. Chewing on tea leaves, he said, "My dear friend, Caesar has come to help you sell the Golden Jars. And because of our friendship, Caesar has decided not to take any commission from this matter."
Caesar's sudden generosity surprised Su Xiao. Baha, on the windowsill, took two steps back. For some reason, seeing Caesar so generous made Baha feel uneasy.
Su Xiao then realized that Caesar must have reaped huge gains from the treasury of Saint Sand Castle, hence this generosity. Thinking this, Su Xiao felt more at ease.
"My dear friend, Caesar has a question to confirm."
"What is it?"
"Do you still plan to have any dealings with the Golden God Cult afterward? If not, hehehe~"
Caesar rubbed his hands together with a smile. That smile clearly indicated he was ready to bring out the three divine artifacts and negotiate with the Golden God Cult.
Su Xiao thought for a moment and ultimately chose to say nothing. Seeing this, Caesar's smile grew even brighter. After eating lunch in the asylum's cafeteria and making off with half a bag of onions, a basket of eggs, and half a leg of lamb, he left contentedly.
At 2 PM, in the third-floor office of the asylum, Su Xiao handed a stack of signed documents to Erin. Looking at Erin, who wore frameless glasses and had a good figure, he asked, "Has Moni been handling the asylum's financial issues recently?"
The Moni he mentioned was the granddaughter of the old fox. Previously, the old fox had seemed reluctant to transfer his granddaughter to the asylum, but he later changed his mind. It had to be said, Moni was very capable.
"Yes, Moni is in charge. She's very capable."
Erin, sitting across the desk, smiled, her red lips curving into a suspicious arc. Seeing this, Su Xiao said with a somewhat gloomy expression, "At noon today, Moni reported to me that someone was harassing her."
"Who?!"
Erin stood up, pressing her hands on the desk, her pupils contracting into vertical slits.
"You."
Su Xiao extinguished the cigarette between his fingers. Hearing this, Erin sat down awkwardly and began flipping through the documents Su Xiao had signed, as if nothing had happened. After a moment, unable to bear Su Xiao's direct gaze, she explained:
"Alright, I just think she looks cute when she's shy, like my little sister. I have no other intentions. You know me, Director. What bad intentions could I have?"
"..."
Seeing Su Xiao lower his eyelids and say nothing, Erin quickly straightened up and assured him that she would restrain herself and stop bothering Moni for no reason. Finally, after Su Xiao placed the sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash on the desk, Erin breathed a sigh of relief, greeted him, and left the office.
As soon as Erin left, Su Xiao received several notifications.
[Notification: The Golden God Cult's favorability toward you has decreased by 10 points.]
[Notification: The Golden God Cult's favorability toward you has decreased by 15 points.]
[Notification: The Golden God Cult's favorability toward you has decreased by 30 points.]
[Notification: The Golden God Cult's favorability toward you has decreased by 40 points.]
[Current Golden God Cult Favorability: -95 points.]
...
Seeing these notifications, Su Xiao knew that Caesar had started negotiating with the Golden God Cult. As the seller, the Golden God Cult would certainly know that he had gone to Nightmare Island and eliminated the Nightmare King. That wasn't a secret.
After more than half an hour, the office door opened. Caesar, looking refreshed, walked in. He sat down and placed a wooden box on the desk, sliding it over to Su Xiao.
Su Xiao opened the box and found a resin-sealed potion vial inside.
[Notification: You have obtained Golden Secret Medicine (World-class Potion).]