Chapter 386: 386. Chapter 386: Shadow Church

386. Chapter 386: Shadow Church

"Brother, sit on this side with your sister."

He Hong said with a gentle smile.

Upon hearing that, Liu Honghui's eyes showed a hint of jealousy.

Ding Lei gave Jiang Cheng a smile full of meaning.

He Hong's thoughts, everyone is an adult, they couldn't not understand.

After all, Jiang Cheng is so young, has a proper face, and his Alchemy Technique even surpasses that of several people present.

But, despite looking about thirty, his real age is close to forty; if he were Jiang Cheng, he wouldn't go for such a woman—though, for fun, that's another story.

"No, I'll just sit here."

Jiang Cheng gave He Hong an apologetic smile and sat down opposite him.

The latter's smile froze on his face.

Liu Honghui felt a surge of pleasure; his gaze toward Jiang Cheng became much more agreeable.

At that moment, the private room's door was pushed open again, and an elder appearing fifty‑to‑sixty years old walked in.

He was not tall, about one meter sixty something.

"Old Tian has arrived."

Ding Lei hurriedly introduced, "Jiang Lao Di, this is Old Tian. Before you came here, he had the highest Alchemy Technique among the few of us."

"Old Tian."

Jiang Cheng quickly returned the greeting.

"No need for formalities."

Tian Mao waved his hands repeatedly, "Just call me Old Tian. I've long heard of little brother Jiang's reputation; I expected him to be arrogant and look down on others, but now I see he's modest and courteous. In my view, Jiang's future achievements are boundless."

"Indeed."

Liu Honghui also nodded in agreement.

"I told you long ago, Jiang Lao Di doesn't have that nasty habit," Ding Lei laughed heartily.

"Little brother Jiang is fine, just a bit shy," He Hong also laughed, his eyes fixed on Jiang Cheng without blinking.

"I'm here, I'm here; something came up earlier, delayed me a bit."

Tian Mao also found a seat and sat down; with that, everyone had arrived.

"Everyone, go ahead and order whatever you like; today it's my treat."

Ding Lei patted his chest.

"Really? Then we won't hold back?" He Hong said with a smile.

"Please, Sister He, show some mercy," Ding Lei immediately pleaded.

The dishes here aren't cheap; even a random one costs thousands to tens of thousands, some even reach hundreds of thousands.

Of course, the price has its reasons: the ingredients are rare, and eating them benefits the body or Spiritual Power, especially certain special dishes that can even enhance one's spirit.

Jiang Cheng symbolically ordered two dishes; the others did the same, after all, none of those present were there just for a meal.

Soon, He Hong looked at Jiang Cheng and asked with a smile, "Brother, you look under twenty, right? Do you have a girlfriend? If not, sister can set you up."

"Ahem," Liu Honghui coughed, glanced at her, "Little brother Jiang, I heard you used to live in the Outer City District?"

"Hmm."

Jiang Cheng replied, "Later, I earned Brother Changlin's favor, and he transferred me from the Outer City District here."

"I see, but the Outer City District indeed offers no prospects; staying here is better," Liu Honghui nodded.

"Indeed, that place in the Outer City District is really backward," Ding Lei and Tian Mao both agreed.

"That's the case, but I'm new here, and I'm clueless about the Inner City District; could any of you explain it to me?"

Hearing that, the few exchanged glances and all laughed.

"What's so hard about that?"

Tian Mao said cheerfully, "The Inner City District looks vast, but in reality it's just a speck; just remember one, two, three."

"One, two, three?"

"It's one mansion, two associations, three families."

Liu Honghui added, "The 'one mansion' naturally refers to our Dongfang City City Lord's Mansion; for example, the Law Enforcement Bureau beneath it is their power. Here, aside from the Jiao Tribe, they are the strongest faction, at least on the surface."

Jiang Cheng nodded; hearing 'Law Enforcement Bureau' made him think of the Poor District and the Outer City District.

It seems the outside situation is tied to the City Lord's Mansion.

"The 'two associations' are the Adventurers Association and the Shadow Church."

"Adventurers Association and Shadow Church?" Jiang Cheng frowned slightly; the first sounded normal, but the second? It didn't seem like a regular organization. "Let's talk about the Adventurers Association first."

Liu Honghui smiled, "You don't need my explanation to know what kind of group this is. Joining is easy; once in, you can receive missions, earn bounties, buy resources. However, entering the core circle is hard—without strong power or the right talent, it's almost impossible."

"Sounds pretty good," Jiang Cheng thought, "But with so many people gathered, what about the Jiao Tribe?"

"Naturally, they pay fees."

Ding Lei's voice rang out, "Members of the Adventurers Association, each time they complete a mission, a portion of the bounty is taken as a fee for the Jiao Tribe—a protection fee. Moreover, the association was founded with the Jiao Tribe's tacit approval."

"Tacit approval from the Jiao Tribe?" Jiang Cheng was a bit surprised.

"Indeed, although the Jiao Tribe issued the Martial Arts Ban, many here still practice in secret. The tribe is powerful, but even they can't monitor every corner, so they simply allowed this association to be created, gathering hidden Force Warriors and Spiritual Thought Masters. That way, any stir won't escape their eyes."

Jiang Cheng took a deep breath.

It seems that really is the case.

He asked again, "What about the Shadow Church?"

The few in the room exchanged glances, all showing a hint of dread in their eyes.

The Shadow Church is an organization in this star sector where we reside; it already existed before our Yan Nation arrived here, and it occupied several star domains, worshipping the ancient deity known as the Lord of Shadows. When our Yan Nation's great army first came, the Lord of Shadows naturally did not want his territory encroached upon, so the two sides erupted into a great war.

Later?

Later, it was destroyed, its territory was completely divided by us, and our ancestors, through interstellar migration, came here; this is why we are here now.

Ding Lei shrugged, "But the hundred‑legged creature, dead yet not stiff, has left the Shadow Church's remnants stirring restlessly for the subsequent hundreds of thousands of years; their strength is limited, so they only dare to conduct small actions behind the scenes,

but if you go back a hundred years, you understand, and combined with the massive battle between the Rebel Army and the Jiao Tribe several decades ago, the Shadow Church found an opportunity, gradually grew larger, and now its influence already spans more than a dozen surrounding planets." (End of chapter)