# Chapter 16: Secret Treasure
The pen tip moved across the paper, and the liquid-hot sealing wax was poured onto the lower corner of the document. After a few seconds of stillness, a ring-like lord's seal was pressed down. When the lord's seal was lifted, an imprint appeared.
Su Xiao picked up the approved document on the table, then looked at the red dwarf city lord opposite him. This was the last of the eight city lords. Seeing Su Xiao's gaze, the red dwarf city lord immediately signed a contract on the table.
Please do not misunderstand—this was a legitimate contract, provided by the relevant institutions of the main city, to further strengthen the lord's control over the city lords. Otherwise, each city lord would essentially be a smaller version of the lord.
Su Xiao had Baha send the red dwarf city lord away. The guest room was now left with only Su Xiao and Bubu Wang, who was snoring loudly on the bed behind him. With a snap, the lamp was turned off. Su Xiao sat in the darkness, contemplating. This opponent, the lord's steward, was far too easy to defeat.
His original plan was to have the eight city lords, who were in urgent need of supplies, clash with the steward. Even if they won, these eight lords should have paid some price. But the reality was not so. The steward's death was within the plan, but these eight city lords had won far too easily.
This made Su Xiao think of two possibilities. First, the small lord of Twilight City, Gurwe, might not be as simple as she appeared. Who was truly the puppet was still unknown. It was entirely possible that the steward was merely a shield for this young lord.
This was not impossible. A ten-year-old human girl had inherited her father's lord position, and in a place like the Northern Lands, which was bitterly cold and far from the main city. Throughout the entire Twilight City fief, besides the lords, there were many family forces. Among these people, there were inevitably those who coveted the lord's position.
If the small lord Gurwe had stepped forward to take charge, then assassinations and schemes from the outside would have come directly at her.
Conversely, if the small lord Gurwe only appeared to be a puppet, then those with ulterior motives would surely first deal with the steward, who was jumping around the most. Once the steward was killed, the small lord Gurwe would hide even deeper, continuing to pretend and act with a child's mentality, while secretly waiting for an opportunity.
Besides this, there was another possibility: the small lord Gurwe was indeed just an ordinary noble young lady, only with a somewhat melancholic temperament and a preference for wearing dark-style dresses, which gave rise to such speculation. The true force behind the steward was a hidden power in Twilight City.
Given the steward's personal ability—he hadn't even survived tonight—Su Xiao truly did not believe that such a person could usurp a lord's authority. The Lord's Council was not a decoration. The small lord Gurwe's father had many friends during his lifetime.
Although "when the person is gone, the tea grows cold," allowing a steward to usurp a lord's power would indeed be somewhat embarrassing for the Lord's Council if word got out.
That left only one possibility: the cost of dealing with the steward was far greater than losing some face, so the Lord's Council turned a blind eye.
Su Xiao first thought that someone from the seven great families was secretly supporting the steward. But on second thought, the seven great families would not engage in such lowly schemes. Moreover, the seven heads of the seven great families were the seven most powerful beast clan lords. Whether openly or covertly, they would not bully their own people.
Su Xiao then considered whether the Sea Clan was secretly supporting the steward. After pondering for a moment, he felt this was also unlikely. The steward could betray his people to the Sea Clan for power—that made sense. But what about the two city lords who were in cahoots with him? What were they after?
This was not a question of daring, but of worth. If it was a power struggle among their own, the worst outcome was death. But if they defected to the Sea Clan, once discovered, they would be immediately sent to the Bone Sand City to suffer the punishment of the Soul Purgatory.
Excluding the Sea Clan, Su Xiao began to think about whether it was the work of a cult in this world. There were three relatively powerful cults in this world: the Sea God Cult, the Beast God Cult, and the Dark God Cult.
The Sea God Cult was ruled out first. The Beast God Cult's suspicion was also very small. This cult had nothing to do with the beasts of this world; its members were all ascetics. As long as you didn't actively provoke them, they treated people peacefully.
That left only the Dark God Cult. It could be said that wherever there was Abyss invasion, these guys were there. Previously, Su Xiao thought the Dark God Cult was just a cult within the Shadow World. After arriving at Wind Sea Continent, he discovered this was not the case.
One thing was the same: no matter which world, the natives hated these guys who believed in the Abyss. Within Wind Sea Continent, the Dark God Cult was not rampant. The Beast Clan and Sea Clan were simply too powerful.
Just as Su Xiao was contemplating whether this matter was secretly supported by the Dark God Cult, Baha returned and said in a low voice, "Boss, those two city lords have arrived and want to see you."
The two city lords Baha mentioned were naturally the ones who had previously colluded with the steward. Now that the steward was dead, the purpose of these two coming to see him was obvious.
On the fief, there were ten great cities and ten city lords. To be precise, there were nine official city lords and one acting city lord. This acting city lord was temporarily managing Twilight City. But after Su Xiao arrived at Twilight City, this acting city lord would become a steward, responsible for assisting the lord in managing Twilight City. However, after Su Xiao arrived at Twilight City, this acting city lord could resign.
Regarding this, the acting city lord had no objection, as Su Xiao's resignation compensation was too generous. After his resignation, the Spotted Fox Clan's Piru would serve as the steward. Piru had already traveled overnight to Twilight City to handle the handover.
That meant there were now nine city lords on the fief. Two of them were already outside the door. The remaining seven were those who had attended tonight's banquet and taken the steward's head.
Su Xiao signaled Baha to let the two in. After the two city lords entered the room, Su Xiao noticed that one was a pure-blood orc, and the other was a wolf clan member. The wolf clan member was named Fenris. Among the two, he was clearly the leader.
"Lord, we..."
Before Fenris could finish, Su Xiao raised his hand to interrupt. He said, "Originally, tonight's banquet also invited you two, but my men were delayed along the way."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Fenris and the orc city lord exchanged glances, then their faces were full of smiles. Fenris even took the initiative to pick up the teapot on the table and pour half a cup for Su Xiao's empty teacup.
Su Xiao seemed to be casually chatting about tonight's banquet, but what he actually meant was that the matter of the steward was now over. He did not intend to pursue the matter of these two colluding with the steward.
If he followed the normal procedure, he would either not see these two at all, or mock them a few times before dealing with them, showing the other city lords on the fief what happened to those who colluded with others.
Such handling seemed clean and decisive, but in reality, it would immediately make him a loner. Of the nine city lords on the fief, only these two seemed to be bad. The other seven were very well-behaved. But was that really the case?
The matter of the steward usurping the small lord Gurwe's authority must have been known to the city lords on the fief. If those seven city lords had any regard for the old lord's past kindness, they should have put some pressure on the steward. Not necessarily fully supporting the small lord Gurwe—that was somewhat unrealistic—but at least they shouldn't have let the small lord Gurwe be unable to even leave the manor, effectively under house arrest.
The seven city lords chose to hide in the shadows and watch from the sidelines. On the other hand, the wolf clan city lord Fenris and the orc city lord, although they stood on the steward's side, at least they came forward. More importantly, before Su Xiao took over the Twilight City fief, the great cities of Fenris and the orc city lord each had over 700 units of grain in stock. Although this wasn't enough to last through the harsh winter, Twilight City at that time only had over 500 units of grain in stock.
The great cities managed by these two city lords had more grain stock than the core city of the fief, Twilight City. Moreover, this grain was not plundered from other great cities within the fief, but obtained by these two city lords through their own abilities.
At this moment, Su Xiao had just taken over the Twilight City fief. Should he favor those seven city lords who liked to watch from the shadows and not stick their necks out, or should he value these two who liked to step forward?
The answer was obvious. Su Xiao needed city lords who were willing to step forward. He went to the Twilight City fief not really for the fief itself. He wanted to secretly develop the insect race there, free himself from trivial matters, and go find the Wolf Tomb, the Soul Death God, and compete for the fragments of the Initial Mark that might be discovered at any time.
"Lord, don't you find it strange that a mere steward dared to stand against you?"
Fenris spoke with a smile, his tone a few degrees closer than before.
"Tell me more."
Su Xiao put down his teacup. Fenris immediately picked up the teapot to refill it, while saying, "The easiest to overlook is also the most dangerous."
Fenris didn't directly state it. To dare to speak in such riddles under these circumstances, either he had a death wish, or the party involved had very strong prophecy or causality abilities.
Su Xiao immediately thought of the Tribe faction. The three major forces of this world were the Beast Clan, the Sea Clan, and the Tribe. The first two were fighting so fiercely that people subconsciously overlooked the Voodoo Tribe.
If you laid out the map of Wind Sea Continent flat, you would see that the Tribe's territory was right below the Beast Clan's territory. But why were the Beast Clan and Sea Clan fighting to the death while completely ignoring the Tribe?
The reason was that between the Beast Clan and the Tribe's territories was the Toxic Swamp. To the west of the Tribe was the Wetland Swamp, to the east was the Red Tree Swamp, and behind them was the Dark Rain Belt. The Dark Rain Belt was the most dangerous living being forbidden zone in this world, with a danger level similar to the Eternal Freeze Icefield at the northernmost part of the Sea Clan's territory.
Over the years, the Beast Clan had considered the threat of the Tribe and had thought about dealing with them. But the terrain around the Tribe's territory was too harsh—either deadly poison zones or erosion zones.
This also meant that 99% of the aberrant beasts in this world were on the Tribe's territory. Don't think their territory was small; it was equivalent to one-third of the Beast Clan's territory.
It was the Tribe supporting the steward from behind. This was something Su Xiao hadn't expected. There must be a reason for this.
As if sensing Su Xiao's confusion, the wolf clan Fenris said in a low voice, "Lord, I've heard a rumor. After the old lord died, he actually left behind a secret treasure."
"Secret treasure?"
Su Xiao frowned. He wasn't very interested in this secret treasure.
"Yes, a secret treasure. It's said that the core of this secret treasure is two Primordial Fragments."
Hearing Fenris's words, Su Xiao suddenly became very interested in this secret treasure. The reason was that he had reached a stage where he urgently needed Primordial Fragments. Because just one second ago, when Fenris mentioned Primordial Fragments, Su Xiao received a notification from Reincarnation Paradise.
[Notification: Detected that the Hunter's current resources are sufficient to upgrade one technique ability to Lv.80. Under this premise, partial information on Primordial Fragments has been opened to you.]
Previously, Su Xiao didn't know the specific function of Primordial Fragments. He only heard from White Bull that to break through one's limits and reach the Absolute Strong level, one needed these things. And after reaching the Absolute Strong level, one needed them even more.
When White Bull was at the peak of Ninth Rank, he went through countless hardships to gather 5 Primordial Fragments. After Su Xiao cured White Bull's sister's old injury, White Bull originally wanted to give Su Xiao 2-3 Primordial Fragments, at least so that when Su Xiao advanced from Ninth Rank peak to Absolute Strong, he wouldn't be as difficult as White Bull had been.
Unfortunately, Primordial Fragments within the Void were too rare. White Bull only managed to get one. Counting the one White Bull gave him and the one he obtained last time in the Shadow World, Su Xiao had a total of two Primordial Fragments.
The reason he needed these things was that at his current stage, the resources he held were enough to upgrade Blade Grandmaster to Lv.80. In a sense, the first level cap for Blade Grandmaster was Lv.80. But rather than calling it a cap, it was more like a barrier.
Synthesizing three Primordial Fragments into one could be used to break through the Lv.80 cap of Blade Grandmaster, reaching a new height. After that, Su Xiao's blade technique level cap would skyrocket, at least to Lv.90, or even higher.
To break through Lv.80 for one technique ability required three Primordial Fragments. For three techniques, that was nine. Did that mean it was over? Not at all.
Absolute Strong was not just a title. It was actually a clear strength tier. To advance from Ninth Rank to Absolute Strong, one needed Primordial Power synthesized from five Primordial Fragments to break through to the Absolute Strong level.
Achieving Absolute Strong through this method not only brought an all-attribute increase but also other benefits, greatly boosting strength.
This was also why the formidable figure hadn't advanced to Absolute Strong yet. Clearly, he didn't have enough Primordial Fragments. Four technique grandmasters plus the five needed to break through to Absolute Strong totaled seventeen. And the Demon Scythe Talid probably needed a similar number of Primordial Fragments as Su Xiao, given her Abyss system abilities.
Thinking about it this way, Su Xiao's earlier expenditure of 100 ounces of Space-Time Power to open the Abyss Shop was a huge gain. The reason was that in the Abyss Shop notarized by the Void Tree, one could buy Primordial Fragments.
[Primordial Fragment]
Category: ???
Stock Quantity: ??? (Hunter's reputation too low, unable to view).
Exchange Price: 3820 Precipitated Glass.
...
Precipitated Glass was rare, yes, but at least it was something that could be bought with Soul Coins. Among the three merchant guilds Su Xiao had visited, all of them sold this item, just one more expensive than the other, requiring a large number of Soul Coins. At this moment, Su Xiao once again felt that no matter how many Soul Coins he obtained, it was never enough.
"Tell me in detail about the origin of this secret treasure."
Su Xiao naturally did not intend to let these two Primordial Fragments slip away. Even if it was just a rumor, it was worth trying. Moreover, the fact that the Tribe's voodoo warlocks and witch doctors were willing to participate in this matter indicated that the existence of this secret treasure was highly likely. Otherwise, why would they travel thousands of miles to Twilight City and secretly support a steward?
After listening to the wolf clan Fenris's description, Su Xiao basically understood the secret treasure. This item was the family heirloom of the small lord Gurwe. Because the family had never produced an Absolute Strong or a lord with strength close to Absolute Strong, this item had been passed down all along.
This secret only spread completely when the small lord Gurwe's parents both died in an accident, and because the small lord Gurwe was too young, she didn't know the value of this treasure. She only kept it close to her because it was a relic left by her father, until a maid secretly stole it while the small lord Gurwe was sleeping.
Now, within the Twilight City fief, not only were the Tribe's people secretly searching for this secret treasure, but most of the local families and the city lords of various great cities were also secretly searching.
"Fenris, I'm leaving this matter to you two. After it's done..."
Su Xiao's thumb and index finger came together, and he tapped the document on the table. This made Fenris and the orc city lord both guarantee that they would handle this matter properly.
After the two left, Su Xiao came to the bedside and pushed Bubu Wang, who was on the bed.
"Woo~"
Bubu Wang let out a lazy low whine.
"Let's go."
"Woo~"
Bubu Wang let out another low whine, but still didn't get up. Seeing this, Baha showed a mischievous smile. He took out his terminal and played the audio recorded earlier at the Cold Cemetery. The eerie low howls of wraiths came through. Bubu Wang shuddered, his small eyes going from confused to terrified.
Su Xiao had Amu and Eguin continue guarding the warehouse where a large amount of supplies was stored. He then took Bubu Wang and Baha to the teleportation tower in the fifteenth district. When the teleportation array beneath his feet was activated, there was no accident this time.
Spatial mist surged around them. Due to the long teleportation distance, the gray spatial mist around them didn't dissipate until a few seconds later. A gust of cold wind came through, biting to the bone. Twilight City had arrived.
Baha closed the window that had been blown open in the teleportation tower and turned on the gas lamp that emitted light and heat, allowing the temperature to gradually rise. As they walked down the spiral staircase, Su Xiao saw an elderly guard sitting slumped in a chair, holding an empty wine bottle and snoring loudly.
Exiting the space tower, the scene before them was covered in silver. The buildings in Twilight City were mostly four to five stories high, with steel pipes exposed on the outer walls. The heat they emitted melted the frost and snow on the walls, but the tops of every building were covered in pristine white snow. Combined with the small amount of steam leaking from some pipes, although this place was in the harsh winter, visually there wasn't a strong sense of cold.
The snow on the streets that hadn't been cleared in time had been compacted into a layer, leaving only the public train tracks in the middle. Boarding the public train, the familiar sizzling sound of oil frying and aroma wafted over. Su Xiao looked toward the source and saw that inside the kitchen counter at the front of the public train, a snack resembling fried balls was being cooked. Weren't these supposed to be unique snacks of the main city? It turned out they were also available in the Northern Lands. It seemed he had been fooled by the attendant he first met.
Twilight City was not as large as Eternal Ring City, and it was cold, but it gave people an indescribable sense of harmony. Although it was almost six in the morning, the sky was still dim. Many shops along the street had their lights on, and the warm-colored lighting made the street scene even more pleasant.
Taking the public train to the rear district, Su Xiao got off and walked into a small forest. Following a path through the woods for a while, a manor appeared ahead. This was the lord's manor of Twilight City.
The entire manor was about the size of a football field. Compared to the lords of other fiefs, this was already very frugal. It was evident that the small lord Gurwe's predecessors were the type who had a sense of dignity but didn't seek luxury as long as the residence could maintain the lord's face.
There were no guards on either side of the main gate. From the footprints, it seemed there had been originally. They must have all fled after the steward was killed.
Following the paved path within the manor, Su Xiao arrived before the castle. When he pushed open the castle door, he didn't feel warmth, but rather a cold darkness from not being heated for a long time.
Walking through a corridor with windows on one side, Su Xiao went up the stairs. On the second floor, in one bedroom, he sensed two auras. When he stopped in front of the door, he knocked. There was no sound from inside, but with his hearing, he could hear deliberately suppressed breathing. One of the auras even chose to hold its breath.
Su Xiao's fingertip touched the door. The entire door instantly crystallized, then shattered. As the door shattered, warm air drifted out from the room. In the such a large castle, only this bedroom was heated.
"There's no money here anymore. Is it really worth attacking a lord for a castle without money?!"
A maid, about 30 years old, stood in front of a little girl. One of the maid's hands was behind her, pressing on the little girl's back.
This little girl had a melancholic temperament and wore a gold-black dress. The style was somewhat gothic. The gold thread patterns on it indicated that this outfit was valuable. Clearly, this was the small lord Gurwe.
"You, what do you want to do?"
Although the maid was terrified in her heart, she still protected the small lord Gurwe behind her.
Su Xiao took out some substitute coins and tossed them onto the small round table. He said to the maid, "Go buy some ingredients. I haven't had breakfast yet. Bubu, go restore the heating pipes in this castle. Baha, go kill the dozen or so hidden sentries near the manor."
Bubu Wang and Baha both walked out of the castle. Su Xiao went down to the second basement level of the castle. After lifting a large stone floor tile, he grabbed the sand beneath it. The underground was normal. It would be fine to quietly establish an insect nest beneath the castle.
Su Xiao began to inscribe the array diagram. Summoning Jila to Wind Sea Continent was not a simple matter. Conventional methods couldn't do it at all. Fortunately, he had obtained a rare item long ago, called the Transcendent Blade.
[Transcendent Blade (Special item, can be used to briefly break through the external spatial barrier of a Transcendent Primordial World, allowing individuals of a certain size to enter the Transcendent Primordial World).]
After inscribing for over an hour, Su Xiao finally completed the summoning array diagram. He pressed one hand on the array diagram and activated it. The next second, a notification from the Void Tree appeared.
[Warning (Void Tree): Detected an external Dominator-level war creature responding to this summoning.]
[War Creature: Demon Insect Race.]
[Race Danger Level: Ultra-High Intensity.]
[Warning (Void Tree): This world is in the notarization stage, and this race has caused significant changes to multiple primordial world systems notarized by the Void Tree. According to initial regulations, you will be deducted a "massive" amount of Void Tree reputation.]