Chapter 35: The Beginning
Outside the office door, Secretary Yuyuna knocked on the door. Her temperament was gentle, and due to her slightly short stature and pure appearance, she had deliberately put on light makeup and wore high heels to make herself appear more mature.
Being able to work beside someone she admired, and being their absolute trusted confidant, Yuyuna felt on her first day of work as if she were dreaming. However, after two years of training, she had become a competent deputy, and could to a certain extent arrange the City Lord's meals and daily life, to prevent his health from worsening further due to irregular eating and sleeping habits.
After Secretary Yuyuna knocked on the office door, there was no response from inside. This made her frown slightly. This was indeed the City Lord's office, but the City Lord's friend was inside the office. Pushing the door open directly would inevitably seem rude.
Just as she was about to raise her hand to knock again, she suddenly felt someone push her, forcing her to step aside. When she turned her head to look, preparing to ask, a figure had already kicked the wooden door.
Bang!
The office door, which had a layer of K-style metal inside, was not kicked open, but only bent inward. The force of this kick was very much in line with the strength possessed by an Absolute Strong Rank summoner.
Amu appeared and punched the office door open with one fist. Carrying a battle axe radiating cold air, he charged into the office.
Such a sudden change made Secretary Yuyuna's face lose color. City Lord Xia Er'yin was calm, but there was inevitably some worry in her eyes.
As the door was broken open, the scene inside the office came into view. Behind the leather chair at the desk, a female figure composed of black mist, with long hair like smoke and blue eyes, had one arm locked around the Goddess of Fortune's neck. Under this guillotine-like grappling technique, given the Goddess of Fortune's small build, her eyes had already begun to glaze over.
Amu threw his battle axe. With a whistling sound, the spinning axe sliced through the attacker's head, cutting the black mist head apart. But the next moment, the black mist figure recovered, turning into mist and slipping through the gaps around the floor-to-ceiling window, disappearing into the air outside.
With a thud, the Goddess of Fortune fell from the leather chair. City Lord Xia Er'yin quickly stepped forward, placing one hand on the side of the Goddess of Fortune's neck. Feeling her life force and pulse, she breathed a sigh of relief. As a close friend, she knew that friendly deities like the Goddess of Fortune were beings of flesh and blood. Before obtaining their "Divine Soul," many friendly deities were simply powerful individuals within that ability system.
What had attacked the Goddess of Fortune was the Blade Demon Spirit released by Su Xiao. He did this to avoid being seen through by this Goddess of Fortune. Disguise abilities could handle perception, but they were not very effective against precognition, let alone the top-tier precognition of the Goddess of Fortune.
"Yuyuna, go find a physician."
Just as City Lord Xia Er'yin finished speaking, Su Xiao had already placed one hand on the Goddess of Fortune's neck. After all, he had just arrived in Xiguang City, and City Lord Xia Er'yin did not fully trust him.
"It's just a deep coma. If needed, she can be forcibly awakened within five seconds."
City Lord Xia Er'yin understood Su Xiao's implication. The Goddess of Fortune was fine, but if they wanted to wake her immediately, it would certainly put a huge burden on her body, possibly even leaving permanent damage.
Before long, under the escort of several guards, a middle-aged physician arrived. After initially determining the Goddess of Fortune's condition, the middle-aged physician said, "It's not a major problem, but it's best not to wake this lady easily. She already has severe deep-seated damage. This injury has caused her old wounds to recur. What she needs most now is rest and treatment for the deep-seated damage."
The deep-seated damage the physician referred to was naturally soul injuries. Hearing this result, City Lord Xia Er'yin nodded knowingly, expressed her thanks, and had someone escort the physician away.
A moment later, the elevator on the 33rd floor opened. Under the guidance and escort of several guards, the middle-aged physician stepped into the elevator. Just before the elevator doors closed, a flash of dark blue briefly appeared in the physician's pupils. He rubbed his temples. Everything he had just experienced, though still personally experienced, felt like watching a movie. Could it be that he was nervous about seeing the City Lord? Or had he not rested well lately?
As the elevator doors closed, the guard captain outside the elevator widened his eyes slightly. After a flash of dark blue in his eyes, he looked around, then went down the stairs to the 29th floor, heading toward the guard room.
Meanwhile, in the guard room, a young man watching the surveillance footage yawned. He saw through the monitor that his captain was heading toward the guard room. He quickly straightened his appearance. Just as he was about to remind his colleagues, he remembered the usual ostracism he faced. Leisurely, he picked up his teacup and took a sip of the carbonated drink inside.
When the guard captain arrived at the guard room, although the door was open, he knocked twice. This caused quite a stir in the several-dozen-square-meter guard room. Several guards who had been slacking off stood up straight, their hearts pounding. The young man in front of the surveillance screen glanced at this scene, his expression serious but his mood beautiful. He picked up his teacup and took a small sip of the carbonated drink.
"You, and you, come with me."
The guard captain pointed at two guards. Their hearts grew even more anxious, but the guard captain's next words relieved them greatly.
"The City Lord has ordered me to deliver a document to the city bank. Both of you come with me."
Half an hour later, in the city center, on the 36th floor of the City Bank, inside the branch manager's office.
"Hello, Mr. Lales. This is the document the City Lord instructed me to deliver."
As the guard captain approached, he handed over a paper document. Branch Manager Lales looked suspicious. He couldn't figure out why the City Lord had sent the guard captain from the central building to deliver a document. Normally, it would be the City Lord's secretary or deputy who delivered it. When document security was needed, the central security team would handle it.
However, as the deputy branch manager of the City Bank, Lales had spent most of his life navigating social intricacies. He didn't ask questions. He took the document and opened it, only to find that it was covered in characters formed from dark blue smoke. These characters gathered together, turning into black mist that drilled into his mouth and nose.
Lales' expression quickly shifted from terror to calm. He snapped his fingers with a pop, and the three guards in front of him all collapsed to the ground. The dark blue smoke floating out from the three guards all rushed into Branch Manager Lales' head, turning his eyes dark blue.
Lales woke up the computer beside him and entered a string of code. A few seconds later, the code formed a dog head, one that looked very much like a husky. The computer screen went black for a few seconds before beginning to operate at full load. Various codes flashed on the screen before disappearing. The hacker style was nowhere near as cool as in movies or TV shows; it was all tedious code. The dog head earlier had been the coolest operation of the entire process.
Before long, the computer screen returned to normal. Several statistical lists appeared. Branch Manager Lales picked up his teacup, lightly tapping it with his index finger while reading the inventory list of the bank vault. Not bad, Xiguang City was unexpectedly wealthy. It seemed they had fleeced quite a few contractors from Apocalypse Paradise.
Meanwhile, in the City Lord's office, Su Xiao sat across the desk. He held a teacup, lightly tapping it with his finger, as if deep in thought, his unfocused gaze fixed on the rotating perpetual motion machine on the desk.
"Is Fortune's condition serious?"
City Lord Xia Er'yin behind the desk spoke.
"It's okay. It will just take a longer recovery period. She might not wake up for about ten days."
"I see. Well, okay. Being able to heal her soul injury is nothing to complain about for her."
City Lord Xia Er'yin's expression improved. She looked toward the door on the inner side of the office. Behind the door was a bedroom. As a workaholic, how could her office not be connected to a bedroom?
"Regarding the treatment costs," City Lord Xia Er'yin began, but Su Xiao raised his hand to interrupt her. He said, "Being able to treat the Goddess of Fortune is itself a gain. I've triggered a quest here. Also, after she recovers, she owes me this favor."
Hearing this, City Lord Xia Er'yin smiled and nodded, replying that it was only natural. After obtaining the list of required medicinal materials and equipment for the treatment, she had her secretary prepare them. They would be ready before tonight.
"City Lord, there's something I'd like to ask, if you don't mind sharing a bit. I want to avoid getting involved in trouble."
Su Xiao spoke. He naturally wanted to ask about the earlier attack. As a witness, not asking about such a matter would be the biggest suspicion.
"I know what you want to ask. If I'm not mistaken, this should have been done by the Law Destroyer, Kukulin Bai Ye."
Su Xiao didn't speak, because he couldn't figure out for a moment whether this was being caught in the crossfire or being accurately predicted.
"About ten days ago, the Law Destroyer Kukulin Bai Ye commissioned the leader of the Hunters' Group, Lu Xiwa, saying he wanted to come to Xiguang City to handle important matters. I naturally refused. Now it seems the price of refusing these villains has come. That Law Destroyer and Lu Xiwa must be plotting something in secret. Perhaps that old fox Augustus from Huanghun City is also involved..."
City Lord Xia Er'yin interlocked her fingers, looking thoughtful.
"Why do you reject that Law Destroyer coming to this city? Do you have old grievances?"
"No, not at all. But he is very dangerous."
"The reason?"
"That madman dared to detonate a super-powerful explosive on Arcane Eternal Star and successfully destroyed one of its resource satellites. For such a madman, what's the big deal about leveling Xiguang City to the ground?"
"I've heard of this, but it's just a rumor."
"I received an invitation to the Arcane Festival and attended in person. So I personally witnessed the two explosions on Arcane Eternal Star. Those two pillars of solar fire standing between heaven and earth are still fresh in my memory. I will never allow that walking natural disaster of a demon to set foot in Xiguang City."
As City Lord Xia Er'yin spoke, her eyes began to lose focus and confidence.
Su Xiao didn't speak. He found that, from others' perspectives, he seemed like the final boss villain.
But on second thought, City Lord Xia Er'yin was fleecing the contractors from Apocalypse Paradise, while he was now fleecing her. Back and forth, how could he be the villain? Clearly, he was avenging the contractors of Apocalypse Paradise, who were also from the Paradise faction.
People from the Paradise faction couldn't let these natives of Blazing Sun Star bully them. So the logic was: Fleecing Apocalypse Paradise contractors = Fleecing the Paradise faction = Fleecing Reincarnation Paradise = Fleecing Hunters = Fleecing Su Xiao = Damn, they dare to fleece me? I have to get them!
After converting through the Law Destruction formula, his conscience immediately felt at ease. And, dear contractor friends from Apocalypse Paradise, this time, the bad blood is definitely being avenged for you.
If the Battle Angel Zellina, whom Su Xiao had previously lured with [Emergency Aid], knew about this reasoning, she would probably say with a complicated expression: "Thank you so much for avenging this bad blood," while glancing at the knife at her neck.
"City Lord, how do you plan to deal with this Law Destroyer?"
"Temporarily, I have no plans in that regard. But I certainly can't just let this slide."
"Why not have the City Lord certify a quest with the Void Tree, specifically to hunt down the Law Destroyer Kukulin Bai Ye?"
"Hmm... That proposal is indeed feasible. But that Law Destroyer is too strong. The bounty would have to be set very high."
Saying this, City Lord Xia Er'yin's expression wavered.
"He's already bullied you to this extent. Are you just going to tolerate it?"
Su Xiao naturally had to persuade her. He was counting on accepting this quest.
"This attack was more like a warning. If I issue a wanted notice, it becomes a mortal enmity."
"Did you hear about the Soul Academy incident a while back? That Law Destroyer looted the Soul Academy's treasury. He might also have his eyes on your Xiguang City treasury. Rather than waiting to be attacked, it's better to strike first."
"No, no. Besides, our Xiguang City has many treasuries. If only one is looted, the loss is within acceptable limits. Moreover, the security of our treasuries uses technology just retired by the Giant Bank. There's no need to worry about that."
Hearing this from across the desk, Su Xiao understood. So it was the previous generation of Giant Bank security technology. He already had a general idea of the countermeasures.
"Soul Alchemist, do you have a grudge against Kukulin Bai Ye? I always feel like you really want me to put a bounty on him."
City Lord Xia Er'yin looked at Su Xiao with a knowing smile, as if she had already seen through his heart. In reality, if City Lord Xia Er'yin truly saw through Su Xiao's heart, her mentality would have shattered on the spot.
After chatting for a while, City Lord Xia Er'yin went to a meeting. Only Su Xiao and Secretary Yuyuna remained in the office. Yuyuna said in a soft voice, "If you need anything, you can find me. I'm right next door."
Su Xiao didn't speak. A bottle of potion appeared between his fingers. Seeing this, Yuyuna quickly refused, "Mr. Soul Alchemist, I can't..."
"It's not valuable, but it can moisturize the skin and nourish the complexion."
"This..." Hearing about moisturizing the skin and nourishing the complexion, Yuyuna was a little tempted.
"Fill the bathtub with warm water, pour in one-fifth of this. Once a week. After a month of persistence, your skin age should remain healthy until you're over fifty."
"Mr. Soul Alchemist, can I buy it with money?"
Yuyuna's expression was extremely conflicted.
"Judging by the material cost, this nourishing potion is probably worth about 0.5 Moon Silver Coins? Or even less. It's just a small welcome gift."
"Mr. Soul Alchemist, thank you for your welcome gift."
A welcome gift of this value, Yuyuna was willing to accept. Not long after she left the office, she returned pushing a food cart. It was very sumptuous.
While eating, Su Xiao attempted to activate the "Xiguang City Quest." The Void Tree's prompt appeared.
[Checked that your imprint level is LV.95. You can accept high-level quests corresponding to your imprint level.]
[Quest list is as follows:]
1. Side Quest: The Gods.
Quest Level: LV.95****
Quest Brief: Kill the avatars of the gods.
Quest Deadline: Before the end of this world progress.
Quest Reward: 3,000,000 Moon Silver Coins.
Failure Penalty: Void Tree Reputation -8500 points.
2. Side Quest: Dark Invasion.
Quest Level: LV.95.
Quest Brief: Go deep into the west side of the Lightless Zone, find and bring back the "City Lord's Iron Ring."
Quest Deadline: Before the end of this world progress.
Quest Reward: 1,500,000 Moon Silver Coins.
Failure Penalty: Void Tree Reputation -8200 points.
3. Side Quest: Reconnaissance Intelligence.
Quest Level: LV.95.
Quest Brief: Enter the central district of Huanghun City and record the contents on the Sun Stone Tablet.
Quest Deadline: Before the end of this world progress.
Quest Reward: 1,200,000 Moon Silver Coins.
Failure Penalty: Void Tree Reputation -12000 points.
4. Side Quest: Noble Leader.
Quest Level: LV.93.
Quest Brief: Sneak into the mansion of the old noble Augustus in the inner district of Huanghun City, and steal the secret document from his bedroom.
Quest Deadline: Before the end of this world progress.
Quest Reward: 850,000 Moon Silver Coins.
Failure Penalty: Void Tree Reputation -11000 points.
5. Side Quest: Hunter's Shield and Spear.
Quest Level: LV.94.
Quest Brief: Sneak into the "Vanguard Fortress" on the south side of the Lightless Zone, and steal the exploration notes of the Lightless Zone belonging to the noble Lu Xiwa.
Quest Deadline: Before the end of this world progress.
Quest Reward: 1,950,000 Moon Silver Coins.
Failure Penalty: Void Tree Reputation -15000 points.
6. Side Quest: The Nest of Extreme Darkness.
Quest Level: LV.95
Quest Brief: Sneak into the lower level of the Great Library in the inner district of Huanghun City, and take the ancient book "Prophet's Enlightenment" from the bookshelf of the Eyeless Sage.
Quest Deadline: Before the end of this world progress.
Quest Reward: 2,150,000 Moon Silver Coins.
Failure Penalty: Void Tree Reputation -16800 points.
Su Xiao flipped through the quest list. There were over thirty quests in total. He didn't choose; he wanted them all. That's right, he accepted all of these quests. The reason was, even if he couldn't complete them, let these quests deduct his Void Tree Reputation. But to deduct it, he would need to have that reputation in the first place. Void Tree Reputation — ??? In this quest certification mechanism, it was equivalent to being invincible.
The first few quests, Su Xiao found quite interesting. For example, "Side Quest: The Nest of Extreme Darkness." If he wanted to complete this quest, would he sneak into the Great Library stealthily? Of course not. His relationship with the old nobles was getting worse, so naturally, he would get closer to the Great Library.
He would just talk directly to the old monster. If nothing unexpected happened, obtaining the "Prophet's Enlightenment" from him wouldn't require any cost.
As for "Side Quest: Noble Leader," this time he needed to hand over the [Blazing Sun Greatsword] to the Monarch faction. He would mention this matter to Augustus. When it came to the major affair of the [Blazing Sun Greatsword], that old fox would immediately send his subordinates to fetch the secret document from the safe in his own bedroom.
As for "Side Quest: Hunter's Shield and Spear," this quest was very interesting. It required Lu Xiwa's exploration notes on the Lightless Zone. With a quest reward of 1,950,000 Moon Silver Coins, this was equivalent to 195,000 Soul Coins. He would directly tell Lu Xiwa: 97,500 Soul Coins for those exploration notes.
In this situation, Lu Xiwa wouldn't refuse. For the Hunters' Group exploring the Lightless Zone, the results they obtained were willing to be shared with all intelligent races and forces willing to fight against the Abyss and darkness. Not to mention, there were Soul Coins to be had. This wasn't just a good deal; it was an incredible deal.
Lu Xiwa's reaction at that time would basically be: 'Hey, you there, yes, you, come here. Watch him for me, don't let him run away. I'll be right back.'
This quest was a case of City Lord Xia Er'yin looking at people through tinted glasses. But thinking about it, who would have thought that the Hunters' Group, known for their fierce and crazy style of action, would be so generous with their precious exploration notes?
That evening, in the basement level of City Lord Xia Er'yin's residence, inside a converted treatment room.
The Goddess of Fortune lay on the operating table. Beside her was City Lord Xia Er'yin, her expression somewhat worried.
"Soul Alchemist, will Fortune really wake up temporarily?"
"Before the soul anesthesia, yes. But her judgment will be affected. She'll talk nonsense."
"Will she be able to recognize me then?"
"Not sure."
Su Xiao adjusted the various equipment. After confirming that all the potions were ready, he flexed his fingers. Some time ago, he had learned the "Healing Secret Art" from the Sun Scholars, evolving it into the "Solar Healing Secret Art." Since healing and alchemy shared many commonalities, assuming he previously had "Solar Healing Secret Art LV.30," he now had at least "Solar Healing Secret Art LV.85."
At that time, after Su Xiao demonstrated his healing methods to the four Sun Scholars, their evaluation was: "The healing effect is average, but the technique is still quite gentle."
From this, one could imagine that the "Solar Healing Secret Art" was a somewhat rough method of treatment. Of course, the effects were top-notch.
If it were before, Su Xiao would only have had a 10% chance of healing the Goddess of Fortune's soul injury. But now, he was 100% confident he could heal her soul injury. However, everything in the world requires balance. The "Solar Healing Secret Art" had such powerful healing effects and no side effects after recovery. If the treatment process was a little rough, the patient probably wouldn't mind.
As the soul anesthesia took effect, the unconscious Goddess of Fortune suddenly felt a coolness from within. This made her eyelids flutter, and she slowly opened her eyes. First, her friend City Lord Xia Er'yin came into view. This made the Goddess of Fortune, who was wearing a special oxygen mask, let out a long sigh of relief. She shifted her gaze to the right side of the operating table.
On the right side of the operating table was a figure wearing a lower-face mask connected to over a dozen black tubes, holding a suspicious-looking instrument. Seeing this, the Goddess of Fortune immediately put herself into the role of a horror movie protagonist.
"Mm!" The Goddess of Fortune tried to get up but couldn't move an inch. She felt herself falling into darkness, tears welling up in her eyes. She had already recognized who this healer was: the infamous Law Destroyer, Kukulin Bai Ye. Thinking of this, she connected: 'A Blade Grandmaster is treating me. This is the end.' This feeling was comparable to being anesthetized on the operating table, only to learn that your surgeon this time was a blacksmith.
Seeing the tears at the corner of the Goddess of Fortune's eyes, City Lord Xia Er'yin smiled and said, "Look how happy Fortune is. Knowing she can be cured, she's crying tears of joy."
City Lord Xia Er'yin's words reached the still-conscious Goddess of Fortune's ears, and she was immediately angered into unconsciousness.
This made Su Xiao frown. He checked the data on the equipment beside him. The Goddess of Fortune shouldn't have fallen into a deep coma so quickly. He took out several semi-finished potions, quickly adjusted them, and injected them into the IV bag. As the potion took effect, the Goddess of Fortune's various vital signs began to stabilize.
Wind Sea Continent, Beast Clan Main City, Yonghuan City.
A steam train passed through the wilderness, and endless wheat fields made this picturesque scenery feel peaceful and comfortable. At that moment, a black spot suddenly appeared in the air. This spot slowly formed a vortex, spinning and expanding.
This spatial invasion immediately triggered the rejection reaction of this world. Driven by the world's consciousness, the black spatial vortex slowed down and showed signs of healing.
Crack!
A spider-like carapace leg, sharp as a blade, suddenly stabbed out from within the black spatial vortex.
No Update Today
Went to the rehabilitation hospital this afternoon to see my dad. Just got home. Going to sleep early tonight. No update today. My recent updates haven't been very consistent. Please forgive me, dear readers. After updating continuously for several years, combined with my terrible sleep schedule, my health has indeed deteriorated. In the past, I would grit my teeth and write even when I wasn't feeling well, just pushing through. But after being hospitalized once, I've become much more cautious since then. When I feel unwell, I ask for time off. Anyway, thank you all for your understanding.
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