Chapter 50: Shadow
Among the three types of oath costs to choose from, Su Xiao didn't hesitate to pick the third one, the "Deathbed Curse." In his view, this oath cost wasn't a debuff but a rare buff.
For others, raising the health threshold for a deathbed state from 10% to 20% was extremely dangerous. But Su Xiao had the Black King Bracer, whose core ability was to negate the debuffs caused by the deathbed state, allowing him to fight at his peak until death even when entering that phase.
Moreover, the Black King Bracer, combined with the Blood Spear Grandmaster's "lv.40 Ultimate Ability: Death and Rebirth," completed Su Xiao's third stage, his most powerful combat state. Previously, when fighting the Archbishop of the Abyss, he relied on this third stage to slay him. With the stacking of various passive effect attack bonuses, one strike of his "Blade Path Sword: Extreme" had cleaved away a third of the Archbishop's health.
For a long time, Su Xiao's third stage had a flaw: he needed his health to drop below 10% to enter the deathbed state. As in the fight against the Archbishop, he even had to stab himself to fall into that state. Now, this "Oath Object: Life Reversal" raised his deathbed health threshold to 20%. While still dangerous, it was far better than the previous 10%. Don't forget, he had 720,000 health points; even at 20%, that was over 140,000 health.
Su Xiao looked at the "Oath Object: Life Reversal" in his hand. It was a small pendant that didn't need to be worn. After obtaining the oath object, the equipment storage slot connected to his storage space activated the corresponding slot.
There were two ways to equip various items. Items like [Dragon-Slaying Flash], [Berg Heart], and [Divine Judgment] had to be worn or held to unleash their full effects. Others, like [Wolf Blood: Moon Ornament (World-Class: Pendant)], [Oath Emblem: White Dragon], and [Soul Lock Lantern], could be stored in the corresponding equipment storage slots to take effect.
The "Oath Object: Life Reversal" could be equipped in such a slot, but only one oath object could be equipped at a time.
The trait of the "Oath Object: Life Reversal" was interesting. Its oath buff had no effect on Su Xiao, while its oath cost was a buff for him.
There were 45 [Precipitated Glass] left. Su Xiao didn't plan to exchange for anything else. Although the [Greedy Money Bag] was tempting, he strongly suspected its opening reward depended not only on luck but also on his Void Tree Reputation. Otherwise, even if his luck was bad sometimes, he wouldn't have gotten a result like -1 Soul Coin. It must be because his Void Tree Reputation was too low. Yes, that was it.
Having figured this out, Su Xiao closed the Abyss Shop and began considering his next steps. He had only two goals in this world: complete the hunt on the "Hunt List" and find the Awakening Stele of the Law Destruction inheritance. Both matters were now converging.
As for the traitor's whereabouts, there was still no clear news. He only knew it was in the Northern Empire, but the exact location was unknown.
If he were to go to the Northern Territory, he couldn't take a dragon; that would be tantamount to declaring war. Taking a train would be a long journey, about three to four days. With that in mind, he could set off now. By the time the train arrived in the Northern Territory, the Blade Demon Spirit within Dragon-Slaying Flash would have completed its devouring.
Also, this trip to the Northern Territory was to settle things with the traitor, not to wage war on the North. Bringing Dray, Silver Mask, and Veronica would be inappropriate. As for the High Priest, that old fellow had long since slipped back to the Saint Lan Kingdom.
For this trip to the Northern Empire, Su Xiao only planned to bring Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Sacred Hymn. In the previous battle at the Ghost City, Sacred Hymn, as a healer, had coasted through. This time, against the traitor, this big healer had to be present; otherwise, their chances of victory were even slimmer.
Suddenly, Su Xiao thought of someone. It would be best to bring the Northern Princess on this trip. Although she had turned herself from a participant into a spectator with her "excellent" performance during the competition, having her as a guide in the Northern Territory would make many things easier.
More precisely, this trip to the Northern Territory required the Northern Princess as an introducer. Otherwise, the Northern monarch would certainly not allow Su Xiao to set foot there.
This was easy to understand. Looking at Su Xiao's track record since becoming the director of the Madhouse, one could see why the Northern monarch would act this way. After taking office, Su Xiao's first move was to lead the charge against the Dark God Cult. Then he went overseas to destroy the Nightmare King, turned to the Saint Lan Kingdom to slay the Radiance God, and then arranged for the Queen of Agony to take control of the Saint Lan Kingdom. Not stopping there, he led people to the Sand Kingdom, used an Original Sin Object to collapse the Sand King's army in two days, then killed the Sand King, and then went deep into the Great Swamp region, entered the Ghost City with a small team, slew the Archbishop of the Abyss, and nearly uprooted the entire Dark God Cult.
With such achievements, would the Northern monarch and the high-ranking officials and generals of the North agree to let Su Xiao set foot there? The Northern monarch would surely be suspicious, thinking, "This guy, is he here to kill me this time?"
In short, it was now harder for Su Xiao to enter the Northern Territory than for one of the four Grand Councilors to go there. That was why Su Xiao had never considered bringing Dray, Silver Mask, or Veronica to the North from the start, nor even the Storm Flame Dragon, Dis.
Thinking of this, Su Xiao spoke, "Go find the Northern Princess. Tell her I want to see her."
"Yes, sir."
Silver Mask appeared silently nearby and then vanished just as quietly. Baha, who was squatting on the chandelier sleeping, opened one eye, sensed no anomaly, and closed it to continue sleeping.
An hour later, a stretch luxury car drove into the Madhouse courtyard. The door opened, and a stern-faced, well-dressed old butler got out, opened the rear door, and the Northern Princess, dressed in an elegant gown, stepped out.
A moment later, the door was knocked. The Northern Princess entered the office, while the accompanying old butler stood sternly by the door, not entering.
The Northern Princess sat down across the desk. Her white hair with a faint blue tint cascaded softly, and the silver earring on her right ear added charm to her breathtakingly beautiful face. Her elegant yet slightly lazy demeanor made it hard to look away at first glance for anyone who didn't know her.
"In the end, I'm the last one you remember."
The Northern Princess sighed softly, her sorrowful gaze seeming to say that the competition was over before she was remembered. This unique style of speech reminded Baha of their first meeting, and it couldn't help but put on a pained expression. For so long, the Northern Princess was the first person to completely stump Baha.
"I have a favor to ask of you."
Su Xiao spoke. Hearing this, a different light flickered in the Northern Princess's eyes, but then she said, "Indeed, you only remember me when you need me. In your heart, am I just that?"
Hearing this, Su Xiao looked at the Northern Princess across from him. When he noticed the faint, almost imperceptible smile in her eyes, he understood why she was acting this way. The Northern Princess was smarter than he had imagined.
The style the Northern Princess displayed made her seem unreliable. But the problem was, in this competition, Dark Sun, who was stronger than her, was out; Black A was questioning his life; the Sun Apostle chose to endure; and Alisa fought desperately against various enemies. Only the Northern Princess, also known as Crystal Ji, lived a regular and comfortable life, spending a little time each day improving herself. This style caused the other four Devourers to overlook her.
This led to the Northern Princess achieving this outcome despite a mediocre start. It was already a perfect ending.
"Is this also Crystal Ji's exceptional skill?"
Su Xiao looked at the Northern Princess across from him with interest, considering whether to add her to the mining team. His gaze made the Northern Princess's heart skip a beat, and the faint, hidden smile in her eyes disappeared.
"Recently, Kus City hasn't been very safe, so we've decided to send you back to the Northern Territory."
"In the end, you still want to abandon me."
"We'll leave now."
"Wait, I... I can still do quite a bit. Didn't you just say you had a task for me?"
The Northern Princess's tone returned to normal at an astonishing speed. Seeing this, Su Xiao opened the desk drawer, took out a file, and flipped through it, saying, "Your relationship with your sisters is pretty good, especially your eldest sister. She's dreaming of killing you right now."
Su Xiao pulled out a wanted poster from the file. The bounty was 300 million Gulang for the live capture of the Northern Princess. Seeing this underworld bounty, the Northern Princess was first stunned, then the brightness in her eyes dimmed. She took the underworld wanted order, and the crystallization at the spot she touched showed how she felt.
"Eldest sister, she really went this far? I've already fled to the Alliance."
Seeing the Northern Princess like this, Baha flew over with a teapot and poured her a cup of hot tea. The Northern Princess forced a smile in thanks.
Su Xiao didn't speak. He didn't know the grudges among the Northern royal descendants, nor did he have the Hunter Squad investigate. Investigating the Northern royal family's intelligence was too difficult, and everyone had their secrets; there was no need to pry.
"So, in my current situation, what can I do for you?"
Although the Northern Princess's tone was still a bit lazy, her words were much more normal. Clearly, when it came to serious matters, she was relatively reliable.
"I plan to go to the Northern Territory..."
Hearing this, the Northern Princess, who was savoring the maple tea, choked. She looked at Su Xiao in surprise, as if she had misheard, and asked, "What did you just say? Did I... mishear, or?"
"I plan to go to the Northern Territory."
Hearing this again, the Northern Princess's gaze became extremely serious. She hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Are you going to... kill my father?"
"In your perception, am I someone who would assassinate the Northern monarch?"
"Uh..."
The Northern Princess suddenly fell silent, her mind recalling strong figures like the Nightmare King, Black Rose, Radiance God, Sand King, and Abyss Leader Silvis.
"In my opinion, Director Bai Ye, you're not that kind of person."
After saying this, the Northern Princess's conscience ached terribly. She took a sip of maple tea to soothe her discomfort.
"This matter isn't entirely impossible," the Northern Princess paused, took another sip of maple tea, and continued, "The problem is, the risk of me returning to the Northern Territory now..."
Before she could finish, Su Xiao pressed a contract onto the table and slid it over. The Contract Parchment slid in front of the Northern Princess. She picked it up, read the contents clearly, and her heart raced. But a few seconds later, she shook her head gloomily.
"Going to see other worlds is indeed an irresistible temptation for me, but my combat power is a problem. Besides, if I join this team, what can I do? My combat power is inferior to Black A and Alisa, my strategy is inferior to the Sun Apostle. Adding someone to share the spoils, the other three will be dissatisfied. Although I have considerable assets now and don't need a share of the benefits, I still feel like I'd have nothing to do in this team."
Hearing this, Baha looked at her. The Northern Princess said, "Don't be so surprised. Before my grandfather passed away, he gave me a share contract for a merchant guild. He loved me the most when he was alive, and it's thanks to him taking care of me as a child that I didn't become like my sisters, with only power in their eyes and no family affection. Because I value family, my father valued me so much, which aroused the jealousy of my brothers and sisters. Sigh~"
At the end, the Northern Princess sighed, inadvertently showcasing her financial power.
"Merchant guild? Which merchant guild?"
Baha asked. The Northern Princess replied, "The Shadow Merchant Guild. It's strange. I've never seen the high-ranking members of this guild, yet I am one. They are very odd. They send someone every year to deliver Soul Coins on time, but they absolutely refuse my request to go out and see the world, saying the outside world is dangerous."
Hearing the Northern Princess mention the Shadow Merchant Guild, Su Xiao suddenly remembered that this world was named the Shadow World in the Reincarnation Paradise's certification. The Shadow World and the Shadow Merchant Guild were not only connected; perhaps the Shadow Merchant Guild rose within this world and then gradually expanded its business to various Paradise factions.
Many of the same-quality weapons needed for Dragon-Slashing Flash's upgrade were bought from the Shadow Merchant Guild. This guild valued repeat customers highly, sometimes even earning less to maintain good relationships. That's why, when Su Xiao needed something now, his first thought was to buy from the Shadow Merchant Guild, then the Goblin Merchant Guild, and only if he couldn't get it, the Black Sail Merchant Guild.
If the Shadow Merchant Guild rose within this world, then the Northern Princess's grandfather might have been one of its founding members, hence the share contract.
"How much of the Shadow Merchant Guild do you own?"
Baha asked out of pure curiosity. Robbing the Northern Princess wasn't an option; after all, she was the original Northern Princess + Crystal Ji, with their souls and consciousness fused to become the current Northern Princess.
"Twenty percent."
"Damn, a major shareholder."
"Not really."
The Northern Princess smiled "modestly," her eyes practically saying, "Praise me a bit more; I'm actually very happy."
Among the Devourers, Black A chose the Dark Saint, and Boiling Red chose Alisa. It was thought they had made the best choices, a dream start. But now, Crystal Ji's choice seemed to be on another level.
Ask yourself, who was stronger now among Black A, Alisa, and the Northern Princess? In terms of personal combat power, it was definitely Black A. But if it came to killing an opponent, it might be the Northern Princess. No one knew how many disposable items she, as a shareholder of the Shadow Merchant Guild, had hidden. She might just start throwing items one after another in battle, using financial power to annihilate her enemies.
"Actually, I really want to go see other worlds, travel the myriad realms. Just imagining it makes me feel like I wouldn't have lived in vain. But I know that without 'certification,' leaving one's original world is extremely difficult and dangerous. So I thought, when the mining team encounters an opponent, do we really have to solve it with violence from the start?"
Saying this, the Northern Princess's eyes sparkled, and her smile was genuine. She proposed a plan:
After entering an eighth-rank world, if the mining team encountered trouble, the Northern Princess would first negotiate. If the other party insisted on hostility, Alisa would go to kill their high-ranking members. If they still opposed the mining team, Black A, who excelled in group combat, would step in, while the Sun Apostle tormented the opponent's morale from behind.
After the resources were mined, the Northern Princess could use her identity as a Shadow Merchant Guild shareholder to sell them through the guild's channels, fetching a price 15% to 30% higher than bulk sales.
This way, the mining team's processes—world selection, entry, resource search and mining, subsequent armed protection, necessary negotiations, and final resource sales—were all perfected.
By doing this, the Northern Princess would become an indispensable member of the mining team. If she encountered danger in an eighth-rank world, not only Alisa and the Sun Apostle, but even Black A wouldn't sit idly by. No one had a grudge against Soul Coins.
The Northern Princess was the type to say she wouldn't be much use in the mining team, but when she revealed her trump card, she became a core member.
Without much trouble, the subsequent matters were settled. The Northern Princess joined the mining team.
"There's one thing I'm curious about."
Baha spoke, and the Northern Princess, sipping tea, indicated she was all ears.
"What made you choose to join our side?"
"Many reasons. First, you guys don't care about the world's powerful factions at all. If they block your way, you clear them out. So the chance of you conspiring with my sisters is very low. Second, that little old man you work with seems to be the famous Deceiver. Finally, because Director Bai Ye is strong. Finding such a strong backer is good, isn't it?"
Hearing the last part, Baha's expression turned a bit strange. It said, "Do you know that we're hostile to Arcane Eternal Star?"
"Everyone has an enemy somewhere. It doesn't matter."
The Northern Princess didn't seem concerned, which made Baha's gaze serious. Some things had to be clarified before cooperation.
"Do you think the Radiance God was strong?"
"Uh... very strong. I've actually heard some things about Arcane Eternal Star, but since I've never left this world, I don't know much about the void. How many people of the Radiance God's level does Arcane Eternal Star have?"
Hearing this, Baha used its wing as a hand and raised one index finger.
"Just one? No way."
"It's a group."
"?"
The Northern Princess's gaze began to blur. She considered for a moment and asked, "By 'group,' how many exactly?"
"It's a group. We don't know the exact number. The Radiance God wasn't even an 'Absolute Strong.' As far as we know, Arcane Eternal Star has three or four 'Absolute Strong,' one 'Supreme Strong,' and an existence even stronger than 'Supreme Strong.'"
After hearing this, the Northern Princess's face turned a bit pale. But she didn't say anything about backing out. Instead, she felt that choosing to cooperate with this side was the right decision. At least her partners hadn't hidden the fact that they were hostile to Arcane Eternal Star and had informed her of their strength.
"I guess Arcane Eternal Star, as a major void power, wouldn't bother with me. Dealing with me would only lower their status. I'm just a collaborator of their enemy. They haven't even gotten rid of their direct enemy yet, so coming after a little girl from one of the myriad worlds... it doesn't make sense."
The Northern Princess was right. Arcane Eternal Star was indeed hostile to Su Xiao, but all the hatred was focused on him.
Su Xiao checked the time. There was no rush to go to the train station. He pointed to the portrait of the traitor on the table and said to the Northern Princess, "My purpose in going to the Northern Territory this time is to find this person. If..."
"Isn't this the Stone Carver?"
The Northern Princess across from him cast a suspicious glance, as if she didn't understand why Su Xiao was looking for the person in the portrait.
"Stone Carver? You know him?"
"I've only seen him twice. Once when I was a child, traveling with my grandfather, and once at the banquet where my father was crowned monarch."
"You remember quite clearly."
Baha spoke in a normal tone, needing to confirm the relationship between the Northern Princess and the traitor.
"Of course I remember clearly. This Stone Carver's stone carving skills are average, more like a hobby to pass the time. But the Northern General, our territory's combat representative, was his disciple. It's hard to forget someone like that."
"..."
Su Xiao frowned. Things were more complicated than expected. But the good news was that the traitor's whereabouts would be easier to find.
As the setting sun painted the sky, the long-distance train departed from Kus City's train station. This was the train to the Northern capital, Frost City, so it consisted of private compartments. In the first-class VIP compartment, Su Xiao was sitting cross-legged on the bed, meditating. Seeing the train start, Baha pulled the curtains closed.
Amidst the train's whistle, Su Xiao suddenly sensed spatial fluctuations ahead. Caesar was already sitting on the opposite bed.
"My dear friend, the matter is settled."
Caesar patted the wooden box in his arms, which contained a treasure. During this trip to the Ghost City, Su Xiao and Caesar had cooperated. While Su Xiao's side destroyed the Dark God Cult, Caesar took the opportunity to raid their treasury.
Su Xiao took no share of this profit, but Caesar had to help him obtain a secret treasure. This item wasn't too hard to buy in the Reincarnation Paradise, but obtaining it in this world required some extraordinary means. Caesar had now accomplished this.
Moreover, Caesar didn't plan to do anything else afterward. This showed how much Caesar had profited from this cooperation with Su Xiao. His insatiable greed had been temporarily and slightly satisfied.
Night fell quietly. Su Xiao continued meditating, making the journey pass quickly. Unconsciously, the first rays of the next day's sun shone on the compartment curtains, bringing a bit of brightness to the dim space.
Day and night alternated imperceptibly, and time flew by. This meditation gave Su Xiao an unprecedented feeling, causing his Heart Meditation ability, which had reached lv.90, to increase by two consecutive levels. Don't underestimate these two levels; after reaching lv.90, improving Heart Meditation became extremely difficult.
However, this improvement wasn't due to sudden enlightenment or a flash of inspiration, but the accumulation of his frequent meditation.
[Tip: Dragon-Slashing Flash has devoured the Primordial Life Force of the Indestructible Trait: Abyss Spawn.]
This notification pulled Su Xiao out of his meditation. He didn't feel regret; he had actually felt the urge to stop an hour ago.
[Dragon-Slashing Flash has completed this special upgrade and will receive the following base improvements.]
[Dragon-Slashing Flash's durability permanently increased by 30 points.]
[Dragon-Slashing Flash's maximum achievable quality permanently increased by 5% (including the Supreme Blade bonus, total increase of 65%).]
[Tip: This bonus has absolute priority.]
[Tip: This effect is not activated.]
[Blade Demon Spirit strength +28 points. After the Blade Demon Spirit's strength increases, the initial dormancy period after killing an enemy will be reduced. When the Blade Demon Spirit reaches sufficient strength, the kill limit value will increase.]
[Tip: Due to devouring the Primordial Life Force of the Indestructible Trait: Abyss Spawn, you have obtained traitless Primordial Life Force. You can use the remaining traitless Primordial Life Force to grant Dragon-Slashing Flash one of the following three permanent buffs.]