Chapter 1283: Mr. Dong's Cabin

The Mirage Horn was a trophy he had collected from Imperial Consort Mei, who had used the Mirage Horn to change her form and sneak into the Xiaoyao Sect to pick the Bright Lamp. As soon as he recounted this past event, the Mirage Demon became angry.

"This usage is truly too crude!" Zhu Erniang spoke on its behalf. "Just to pass off the fake as real, she wasted an Immortal Mirage Horn!"

He Lingchuan interjected: "Do you know what that Mirage Immortal looked like?"

"Looking at this horn alone, it's impossible to tell."

"Alright." He Lingchuan shrugged. "I would like to ask about the usage of the Mirage Horn. How do I use it to set up an illusion array?"

"You want to trap enemies?" This was the conventional usage of the Mirage Demon's illusion arts.

"No, I just want to use it to bluff... oh no, to confuse people."

"Using a Mirage Horn for this?" The Mirage Demon commented, "Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut."

However, since He Lingchuan asked about its specialty, the Mirage Demon taught him very carefully.

Finally, it told He Lingchuan: "The most profound illusion arts cannot necessarily be seen through even by those who possess Yuan power."

He Lingchuan was between laughter and tears: "My illusion arts are not profound; is there any way to make it so people can't see through it?"

He was a layman, learning a trick on the fly; it had nothing to do with the word "profound."

"The things you use to confuse people must be real." The Mirage Demon continued, "Also, humans find it difficult to use Mirage Horns well; it is best to coordinate with other magic treasures."

"..." This logic was absolute. "You mean, in order to fake it, I have to use real things?" "Yes!" The Mirage Horn's reply was certain. "Don't you humans have a saying: 'When the fake is taken for real, the real also becomes fake.' The reverse is also true: 'When the real is taken for fake, the fake also becomes real.'"

He Lingchuan pressed his temples. "Fine, let me think about it carefully."

He asked many more details before bidding farewell to the spider demon sisters.

Returning to Suoding Island, He Lingchuan pondered the Mirage Demon's words carefully before sending someone to fetch Li Mingrong.

He first handed the damaged Zhe Liao Blade to Li Mingrong for repair before continuing to ask: "I heard you are also skilled at making scenery-type magic treasures?"

There are many types of magic treasures, and their uses are varied. Lady Ying, He Chunhua's wife, would use scenery-type magic treasures when building gardens and landscapes to achieve the effect of drifting clouds and mist.

Of course, she didn't turn them on often to save money.

"What effect does the Proprietor need?"

"The more terrifying, the better; the more frightening, the better." He Lingchuan took out the Mirage Horn and handed it to him, explaining its usage on the spot. "It needs to have atmosphere."

Terrifying, frightening? Li Mingrong thought for a moment: "You brought back a 'Linglong Tower' from the Shanjin Plain. Several of its divine abilities have already failed, but it can still render the environment. Used in combination with this Mirage Horn, it might achieve miraculous results."

"Excellent." He Lingchuan clapped his hands and laughed. "Come with me to the Shanjin Plain; I'm afraid many military armors and magic treasures will need you to tune them on-site."

Since the big boss had made a request for a business trip, Li Mingrong, as a working man, could only happily agree.

For the next few days, He Lingchuan was busy handling official business.

He had been away for several months, and the accumulated work was like a mountain; even if he didn't sleep or rest for five or six days, he wouldn't be able to finish it.

During this period, he also had to find time to inspect the progress of various tasks in the archipelago, check the work status of his subordinates, and announce a new batch of personnel appointments and removals...

With the leader absent for several months, the subordinates were inevitably slack, so it was time for a good reorganization.

For example, the few troublemakers who had caused trouble in the Yangshan Archipelago were all assigned new tasks, which was to head to the Shanjin Plain to serve as the vanguard for the archipelago and He Lingchuan's plans.

This was a small punishment for both sides of the conflict, and the Rongshan people and Bailong people knew it well.

After ten busy days, He Lingchuan finished handling the Yangshan affairs and set off again for the Shanjin Plain.

This time, he brought quite a few people with him.

The ship sailed for five days; the sea was calm, and occasionally white gulls would land on the deck, looking for leftovers from the sea travelers.

On the large Yangshan ship, Wanqifeng walked off the deck and saw his cousin Wanqiliang and several clansmen gathered around a table gambling. He walked over and said: "A-Liang, send a set of black armor to the stern of the cabin, the second room."

"Oh, okay." Wanqiliang agreed, but he was focused on the cards and didn't lift his head.

"Now!" Wanqifeng kicked him in the rear, almost flipping the square table over.

Wanqiliang stumbled and climbed up: "Yes, yes, going now!"

"Don't touch anything after you go in. Leave immediately after delivering the armor; don't linger." Wanqifeng finished his instructions and turned to leave.

Wanqiliang rubbed his rear; his cousin's kick was truly merciless.

The clansman gambling with him laughed: "A-Liang, you fought with the Rongshan people a few days ago; this is the clan leader punishing you."

Wanqiliang scoffed: "Delivering armor is a punishment?"

"You don't even look at where you're delivering it to, the second room at the stern!"

"What's wrong with the second room?" Wanqiliang looked blank. "Are there ghosts?"

They were riding a large ship newly built by the Yangshan Archipelago, which was said to have been launched only two months ago; where would ghosts come from?

It would be too late to die now. "No, that's Mr. Dong's experimental cabin." The companion said, "Mr. Dong sleeps in the last room at the stern and does experiments in the second room at the stern. That is a restricted area of the ship; even the Island Master has ordered that no living person may enter unless ordered."

"Mr. Dong?" Wanqiliang's heart skipped a beat. Mr. Dong was a friend of the Island Master and also a weirdo. It was said that he spent all day in a dark room doing all kinds of strange experiments, dealing with more corpses than living people.

Another companion also leaned in: "Mr. Dong's laboratory is full of all kinds of monsters. The day before yesterday, A-Zi went in to deliver food and saw a black cloth covering a corner. Out of curiosity, he went to lift it—"

He lowered his voice as he spoke, then shouted "Whoosh!" Everyone else leaned back in fright.

"Yes, yes, his reaction was just like yours!" This person laughed uncontrollably. "Almost peed himself!"

Before he could get a beating, he quickly continued: "But the danger is truly dangerous. Under the black cloth was a monster with a human body and a scorpion's tail tip! And, and that thing was alive. When he lifted the cloth, the scorpion also stung his arm!"

"A-Zi's arm immediately swelled up as thick as a water bucket! Fortunately, Mr. Dong rushed over and helped him neutralize the deadly poison in time." He raised his left arm to gesture. "It is said that if it had been thirty breaths later, the poison would have entered his heart, and there would have been no saving him. However, although the poison was neutralized, A-Zi was still in agonizing pain and hasn't been able to sleep for two days. Mr. Dong said he should be punished for randomly touching experimental subjects and forbade him from taking medicine to suppress the pain."

The clansmen on the side gave a long "Oh": "No wonder he's been listless these past two days."

Wanqiliang rolled his eyes: "Isn't it just a stitched-up monster? It can't run around; what's there to be afraid of?"

"There are plenty of monsters in Mr. Dong's cabin. Who knows what's hidden under that black cloth now!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1284 =====