Chapter 4: Opportunity
The gas lamp in the cell dimmed briefly before stabilizing. Su Xiao, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation, opened his eyes. The crystal wall ahead was slowly rising as a guard pushed a food cart inside. Though his current identity was imprisoned, he was still a Beast Clan lord.
Before long, several dishes with distinct Beast Clan characteristics were placed on the cart. Beast Clan specialties naturally meant generous portions of juicy meat and a large cup as thick as a bowl, filled to the brim with malt liquor. The warm amber liquid looked like beer but was actually a strong, bitter spirit.
The guard who delivered the lunch bowed slightly to Su Xiao before retreating outside the cell. Only after the thick crystal wall, dozens of centimeters thick, descended again did the Beast Clan guards outside relax somewhat.
Su Xiao sampled a piece of the mediocre-looking meat. To his surprise, it tasted quite good. He took a sip of the malt liquor—also decent. However, the drink had been laced with a colorless, odorless potent poison. Others might not detect it, but Su Xiao found it affected the flavor.
He tried a bite of the stew, savoring it carefully. Yes, the food was also laced with the same potent poison. It was clear someone intended to kill this identity—Lord Gowen—dead.
Su Xiao casually tossed the utensils back onto the plate and picked up the mouthwash. As soon as he took a sip, he found it too was poisoned. Frowning slightly, he grabbed the water cup from the bedside table and rinsed his mouth, finally clearing the strange taste of the poison. The person who concocted this poison was skilled in its creation but a third-rate amateur at masking the flavor.
Looking at the food on the cart, Su Xiao concluded this couldn't be the work of Grand Commander Kane. Though Kane had a grudge against the current identity, Lord Gowen, the way Kane had dealt with Gowen showed he was an absolute old fox.
If Lord Gowen were poisoned to death in prison, the one who would suffer most would undoubtedly be Grand Commander Kane. Everyone knew the two were enemies. Lord Gowen had been imprisoned for attempting to assassinate Kane's wife, awaiting the Beast King's personal judgment.
At this critical juncture, if Lord Gowen were poisoned in prison, Kane would be unable to defend himself. His enemies would fan the flames, and the Beast King would have to take a stance.
Don't underestimate Beast Clan lords as third-tier power holders. These lords with fiefdoms were essentially dukes. Some lord families had existed since the Dark Age, passing down their fiefdoms through generations after the Beast Clan's rise.
The Beast Clan had one main city and seven high-walled cities. The main city was naturally ruled by the Beast King, while the seven high-walled cities were controlled by the seven most powerful Beast Clan lords—or rather, seven Beast Clan families. They were like the power centers of seven kingdoms, distributed in different directions around the main city, which served as their central authority.
Regular lords governed a large city along with several subordinate cities, forming a complete fiefdom. Their comprehensive strength was primarily measured by tax revenue, food production, mineral resources, and the combat power of their legions.
Su Xiao's current disguise, Lord Gowen, had lost his fiefdom and his family had declined to just him alone. Yet until the Beast King's judgment, he remained a Beast Clan lord.
Crucially, none of the other hundred-plus lords could be certain they wouldn't face a similar decline. Was Lord Gowen's fate today a preview of their own tomorrow? For this reason, if Lord Gowen were poisoned in prison, Grand Commander Kane would be the one in the most trouble.
Grand Commander Kane had never intended to kill Lord Gowen. By any reasoning, causing the death of a Beast Clan lord was a grave matter, especially when no one dared to provoke the current Beast King's authority.
Worse still, the current Beast King was showing signs of aging, no longer the war king of old. His chosen successor had always had friction with the major families. Families like War Bear, Jackal, Serpent Witch, Astrologer, Storm, and Iron Pattern had long wanted to push one of their own to the throne, unwilling to let the Steel Feather family produce another Beast King. After all, the Steel Feather family had already produced three consecutive Beast Kings.
At this critical moment, if news spread that Grand Commander Kane had poisoned a lord, regardless of the truth, the Beast King would have to intervene. After all, Grand Commander Kane was the right hand of his right hand—an absolute confidant.
Without a doubt, the poisoner this time was either an enemy of Grand Commander Kane or one of the seven major Beast Clan families.
Looking at the food before him, Su Xiao felt his luck had turned. He raised his hand to signal the Bearman captain outside to enter.
"Mr. Gowen, what is it?"
"Go find Kane. Tell him to come see me."
"You're joking. A small fry like me could never meet Lord Commander Kane. That's really asking too much..."
"These meals were poisoned. I probably don't have much time left."
Hearing this, the Bearman captain's heart clenched. The fur on his cheeks stood on end. He leaned down to sniff the food and malt liquor, then signaled his subordinate. After whispering something to his trusted Minotaur, the Minotaur hurried away.
Though the Bearman captain had inspected the food before serving, he was now extremely anxious. Soon, the Minotaur returned with a cage containing several small creatures resembling ground squirrels. The Bearman captain took some food and stuffed it into the cage. Within seconds, all the rodent-like creatures died.
Seeing this, the Bearman captain immediately braced himself against the wall. With utmost sincerity and concern, he said, "L-Lord... Lord, you must hold on! I'll fetch a doctor immediately!"
By the end, bloodshot veins bulged in the Bearman captain's eyes. Understandably, if a Beast Clan lord were poisoned to death under his watch, and this involved a Grand Commander, the Bearman captain would face a grim fate regardless of the outcome.
"I'm not dead yet. Why the panic?"
Su Xiao casually tossed the shackles from his hands onto the table. At this critical moment, the Bearman captain and other Beast Clan members overlooked such details.
"First, go tell Kane..."
Before Su Xiao could finish, the Bearman captain interrupted, "But Lord, you need a doctor more."
"..."
Su Xiao turned his head and stared at the Bearman captain for a few seconds. The captain swallowed hard. Though his rank was low—just a small prison squad leader—after the initial panic, he steadied himself. After weighing the options for a few seconds, he decided to report this to Lord Kane first.
As for how the Bearman captain could contact the Grand Commander, normally it would be impossible. But given that the captain was currently guarding Kane's enemy, and considering the methods of Kane's trusted subordinates, such details wouldn't be overlooked.
This opportunity showed Su Xiao a possibility: to reverse his current disadvantage at the fastest speed, turning all the weaknesses of his current identity into strengths.
As long as he secured the lord identity and obtained a fiefdom, things would become much easier. Then he could deal with the four bounties on the "Hunt List: Blood Pact."
Whether it was "Wolf Tomb," "Hunting the Death God," or "Killing the Absolute Strong Spellcaster," these were all important matters. As for the final task of quelling the conflict between the Beast Clan and the Sea Clan, before entering the Wind Sea Continent, Su Xiao had treated it like a lottery, investing 10 ounces of Space-Time Power for a 500-fold return.
But after understanding the situation in the Wind Sea Continent, he knew those 10 ounces of Space-Time Power were wasted. The ultimate goal this time was to find the "Initial Mark." This matter was of the highest priority, followed by the development of the "Jila Insect Race," then finding "Wolf Tomb," followed by "Hunting the Death God," and finally "Killing the Absolute Strong Spellcaster."
The subsequent matters could wait, progressing step by step. But finding the "Initial Mark" required constant vigilance. After entering this world, Su Xiao learned some bad news. Due to the intense battle between Reincarnation Paradise and Dawn Paradise, when Dawn Paradise tried to deploy the "Initial Mark" into this world, it didn't go smoothly.
The exact process was unclear, and there was no need to delve into it. The current situation was that the "Initial Mark" had shattered into many pieces. The piece discovered by the Sea Clan was the largest. It was because someone tried to activate this piece of the "Initial Mark" that all the scattered fragments across the Wind Sea Continent were activated.
These semi-activated fragments became possible to find. In short, any Contractor, Hunter, or Battle Angel within this world would receive a prompt from the Void Tree when approaching these Initial Mark fragments within a certain range.
More troublesome was that due to the nature of the Initial Mark, it couldn't be stored in a storage space. This meant that once you obtained an Initial Mark fragment, you were either a hunter or the hunted.
Moreover, the lineup this time included Brother Ruthless, Demon Scythe Tailed, Black Demon, the Four Ranger Brothers, three Undead System users, Nightmare Ghost Cain, Water Brother, and others. Just thinking about it made the danger of finding the fragments clear.
Holding a fragment and hiding in some remote place? That was pointless. Ultimately, the Initial Mark itself wasn't particularly valuable. It was more like a key, capable of opening a corresponding "storage device." That "storage device" contained at least 2 million ounces or more of Space-Time Power. That was the key.
This meant grabbing a small piece of the key was meaningless. When this world's progress ended, the person holding the most "Initial Mark" fragments would be the sole winner. All remaining fragments in everyone else's hands would belong to this person.
Even the fragments scattered across the Wind Sea Continent that hadn't been discovered by Contractors yet would be directionally reclaimed through the Void Tree's certification.
Therefore, in this world's progress, it was nearly impossible to seize all the fragments. The key was how to become the person holding the most fragments.
Or rather, how to kill those who held more fragments than you. How many fragments you obtained wasn't the real point. As long as no one had more than you, you were the winner.
Su Xiao didn't have to wait long. One by one, Beast Clan personal guards in deep red armor, exuding a murderous aura, stood in two rows outside the cell. A figure with white hair and beard, slightly thin, with an aura like an eagle watching and a wolf stalking, holding a walking stick, stopped outside the cell. His seemingly cloudy but actually sharp eyes looked into the cell. All the guards and wardens nearby lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze. His presence was too strong, suffocating.
Grand Commander Kane, leaning on his walking stick, entered the cell. After sitting down, he had the accompanying physician examine the food on the cart. After a moment, the Snake Man physician shook his head, indicating the potent poison in the food was already incurable. If he had been called within minutes of the poisoning, he might have had a way. Now it was hopeless.
"You probably won't believe this, but I never intended to take your life. That would be disadvantageous for me. Having you rot in this prison is what I wanted to see."
Saying this, Grand Commander Kane sighed as if with emotion. He raised his hand, signaling everyone to withdraw. This shocked the two accompanying trusted subordinates, but they dared not defy Kane's order and reluctantly retreated.
"This old thing won't live much longer anyway. Go ahead and strike. I've lost this round. The Beast King can't personally intervene. My old partner and I, two against seven—it's truly beyond our strength."
As Grand Commander Kane spoke, the mark on his heart had quietly activated. This was his contingency plan. Or rather, he planned to "die" here today, thereby dismantling the seven major Beast Clan families' arrangement.
As for whether it was a real death or a fake one, it was certainly fake. This might even be part of Grand Commander Kane's plan.
The situation was clear. The poisoners were the alliance formed by the seven major Beast Clan families. They intended to drag the Beast King's family, the Steel Feather family, off the throne. A new Beast King would be chosen from among the seven families. The Steel Feather family would then rejoin the family alliance, and the new Beast King's family would become independent, mutually restraining the family alliance.
In other words, two Grand Commanders, representing the Beast King, were now secretly contending with the family alliance. Interestingly, this internal struggle had little impact on the war with the Sea Clan. Or rather, since the war had been ongoing for so long, both the Beast Clan and Sea Clan had grown accustomed to it, having long developed the ability to fight while engaging in power struggles. Moreover, it wasn't just the Beast Clan—the Sea Clan's internal affairs were even more chaotic.
Looking at the steadily seated Grand Commander Kane across from him, Su Xiao estimated that everything happening now was likely within the other's calculations. After this incident, there would probably be a counterattack against the family alliance.
If he followed the normal procedure, to maintain his current disguise identity, Su Xiao would be forced to act. Otherwise, given Lord Gowen's fierce and bold nature, not killing his enemy at such an opportunity would seem abnormal.
However, Su Xiao didn't intend to continue using Lord Gowen's identity. Instead, he planned to use it as a springboard. More importantly, he didn't want to get involved in the conflict between Kane and the family alliance. Securing the lord position and obtaining a fiefdom as quickly as possible were the priorities.
"Sorry to interrupt your plan. But as things stand, this poison can't kill me."
Su Xiao spoke. Hearing this, Grand Commander Kane across from him showed a hint of suspicion. Not about what Su Xiao said, but about his tone and demeanor.
"So, you won't die?"
Grand Commander Kane remained expressionless, but was secretly probing. Seemingly out of habit, his thumb brushed over the gem on his walking stick, but the two personal guards hidden behind him had quietly moved to protect his sides. This old fox was even more cunning than imagined.
"If it were the original Lord Gowen, he would be dead by now."
As soon as Su Xiao said this, Grand Commander Kane across from him made as if to stand and leave. After slowly and agedly rising, he said, "This is the Beast Clan's own affair. It has nothing to do with your Paradise. I'll arrange for you to leave here shortly."
With that, Grand Commander Kane walked toward the cell door.
"Is that so? Nothing to do with the Paradise factions? Then what about Arcane Eternal Star?"
Hearing this, Grand Commander Kane paused mid-step and said, "Perhaps you have a grudge against Arcane Eternal Star, but that's not a reason for us to join forces..."
Grand Commander Kane stopped mid-sentence because he saw the Law-Destroying Mark that Su Xiao had condensed with Azure Steel Shadow Energy, and felt the overwhelmingly oppressive aura. After a moment of consideration, he asked, "Who are you?"
"In the Void, most call me the Law Destroyer."
"You're the Law Destroyer who blew up the Spellcasters' resource star?"
After saying this, Grand Commander Kane's eyes clearly showed more vigilance. Although Arcane Eternal Star had now allied with the Sea Clan, making them the Beast Clan's enemy, someone who dared to blow up Arcane Eternal Star's resource star would certainly have the guts to level the Beast Clan's main city.
"Just a rumor. Arcane Eternal Star is slandering me."
"Many people witnessed it."
"They're all in cahoots with Arcane Eternal Star. Just rumors."
"Then... let's call it a rumor for now."
Saying this, Grand Commander Kane sat down again, re-examining Su Xiao. He now understood why he had felt something was off earlier. In fact, when Su Xiao first spoke, Grand Commander Kane had sensed that this was different from the usual Lord Gowen. As an enemy, Kane naturally knew Lord Gowen very well; otherwise, he couldn't have arranged things so thoroughly.
"Are you here to deal with the Spellcasters here?"
At this point, Grand Commander Kane was already smiling. He didn't want to cooperate with a Contractor from a Paradise faction. But if the other party was a Law-Destroying Shadow, that was a different matter. They had a common enemy, which would make cooperation more stable.
In truth, the high-level figures of various forces in the Wind Sea Continent weren't hostile to the Paradise factions. It was just that Contractors caused too much trouble. Past painful experiences had given these natives severe headaches. Seeing a Contractor now made their heads spin.
"I'm not here specifically to deal with Spellcasters. I can't disclose the details."
"Hmm, that's understandable. But if you said you were here to retaliate against the Spellcasters, it would make cooperation between us easier."
"I rarely lie, and I'm not good at scheming."
"Someone who blew up the Spellcasters' resource star shouldn't say that. I'm old, and hearing that makes my skin crawl."
"..."
Su Xiao was silent for a few seconds, pretending nothing happened. Changing the subject, he said, "I do have one matter here that involves dealing with the Spellcasters."
"What matter? Care to share?"
"Hunting their Absolute Strong."
"Oh?"
A strange light flickered in Grand Commander Kane's eyes. Then, with a hint of probing, he asked, "If you were to face Spellcasters of a similar power level to yours, how many could you handle at once?"
"I've never tried. A few hundred should be no problem."
"I've always had a certain fondness for Contractors from Paradise factions. One should be bold in trying new things. Cooperating with a Contractor who doesn't act recklessly is a very good choice."
Grand Commander Kane's old face showed an increasingly friendly smile, with none of the coldness from before when he had turned to leave.
Seeing this, Su Xiao said casually, "Actually, I have two friends I could introduce to you. They could both be main forces against the Spellcasters and the Sea Clan."
"Oh? Such a thing? They must be introduced."
"They're both Undead System users..."
"I think this matter shouldn't be decided hastily."
Grand Commander Kane directly changed the subject. This negotiation was truly full of twists and turns.
"How much do you know about our situation here? For example..."
Grand Commander Kane didn't continue.
"For example, the conflict between the current Beast King and the family alliance?"
Su Xiao didn't intend to pretend he knew nothing about the Beast Clan. If they were to cooperate, he needed to show some sincerity. Moreover, whether he could use Lord Gowen's identity as a springboard to turn disadvantages into advantages depended on this meeting.
"Since you know, you need to stand on our side and confront the family alliance. Do you have any suggestions on this? Of course, we're just chatting now, no need to take it too seriously."
Grand Commander Kane's tone was casual, as if they were really just chatting.
"The internal affairs of the Beast Clan have nothing to do with me."
As Su Xiao spoke, he deactivated his disguise authority, reverting to his original appearance. If things went smoothly, he wouldn't need this disguise authority anymore.
"Law Destroyer, if you want to cooperate with us, you can't stay out of this."
Grand Commander Kane's expression began to cool, his gaze turning sharp.
"I'll find what I need, deal with the Spellcasters, and then leave. The Beast Clan's internal affairs have nothing to do with me."
Su Xiao took out the sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash from his storage space, placed one end on the ground, and rested his crossed hands on the hilt. He looked calmly at Grand Commander Kane across from him.
They stared at each other. After more than ten seconds, a smile appeared on Grand Commander Kane's face. He nodded with satisfaction. He had been testing all along, testing whether this cooperation partner would seriously interfere in Beast Clan affairs. From the current situation, that possibility seemed low.
"Then tell me, what benefits can you bring to our Beast Clan? And what do we need to give in return?"
"Keep all the Spellcasters here occupied."
"That sounds reliable. I guess once you show your face, they'll be more focused on eliminating you than bothering with us Beast Clan."
Grand Commander Kane laughed half-jokingly, but then, with typical old fox cunning, asked, "What do we need to give?"
"The lord position and the corresponding fiefdom."
Su Xiao didn't hide his intentions, stating them directly. This made Grand Commander Kane across from him frown slightly. "Law Destroyer, you just said the Beast Clan's internal affairs have nothing to do with you, and now you want a fiefdom."
"The symbolic meaning of me obtaining a fiefdom far outweighs the practical meaning."
"That sounds like something from your Paradise faction. How could I forget that. In other words, any fiefdom will do, as long as it's vast enough? Even if it's resource-poor and remote?"
"Of course."
When Su Xiao heard the last point about the fiefdom being remote, he was especially satisfied. It had to be remote. How else could he hide a several-hundred-meter-tall insect nest?
"I can't decide this matter. After all, a lord is passing his position to his nephew. I need to get the King's approval."
Leaving these words, Grand Commander Kane stood up and left. His meaning was simple: from now on, Su Xiao was Lord Gowen's nephew, and Lord Gowen was passing the lord position to him. This way, there was no need to appoint an additional lord, and it avoided many subsequent troubles.
Over an hour later, Grand Commander Kane returned. After a brief conversation, he left. As expected, the Beast Clan found it hard to refuse the condition of someone keeping the Spellcasters occupied. They were truly tired of being bombarded by these magic artillery platforms.
First, Su Xiao could leave the prison at any time now, and his lord position was secure. But the fiefdom wouldn't come so easily. He checked the newly appeared faction mission, which read:
[Faction Mission: Lord's Authority]
Difficulty Level: Lv.84 ~ Lv.86
Mission Info: Current reputation value must be above 100 points.
Mission Duration: 10 natural days.
Mission Reward: Obtain the fiefdom corresponding to the lord position.
Mission Penalty: Lose Beast Clan lord identity, and Beast Clan reputation -50000 points.
This faction mission seemed simple but wasn't. Su Xiao's current faction reputation was -38950. This meant he needed to gain over 39050 reputation points to complete the mission and obtain the fiefdom.
Although Su Xiao was now a Beast Clan lord, he had neither a Beast Clan legion nor a fiefdom. Nearly 40,000 faction reputation wasn't a small amount. The [Silver. Moonlight] Technique-type set was worth only 78,000 reputation points, showing the value of Beast Clan reputation.
No matter how he looked at it, the Beast King and Grand Commander Kane's intention was to have Su Xiao attract all the Spellcasters' hatred without actually giving him a fiefdom. Su Xiao already had a way to deal with this. It wasn't through his War Lord title or summoning the insect race, but through a title he had been developing for a long time using Faith Power·Sun. The Faith Power·Sun continuously flowing from Serstar into the Sun Ring had all been absorbed by this title.
Su Xiao took out the title embedded in the Sun Ring. He didn't know how much the Sun Lord title had improved over this long time. Only by prying this title out of the Sun Ring, temporarily interrupting its enhancement, could he check its star rating and attributes.
Su Xiao pressed his index finger on the Sun Lord title, pushing it out of the Sun Ring. With a crackling sound, sparks like solar embers scattered. A prompt appeared.
[You have activated the title: Sun Lord (★★★★★★★★).]