Chapter 176: Su Lin Seeks Revenge from Morning till Night

"Old K?" The man with deep nasolabial folds repeated it with a puzzled frown, glancing disapprovingly at Su Lin's hand on his shoulder; his brows furrowed, then relaxed, and he said calmly:

"Sir, you must be mistaken."

Though somewhat annoyed, he endured and explained to Su Lin—there was no other reason: Su Lin had appeared beside him without triggering his spiritual perception, and his entire spiritual essence was now sealed.

Su Lin froze, then remembered that the A-Z messengers of the Aurora Society all held Ranks; this man was a Rank 4 Demigod, and his appearance didn't match the Aurora Society's aesthetic standards—though the members were all insane, they were all handsome and beautiful.

Alright, he'd jumped to conclusions—this ugly man couldn't possibly be from the Aurora Society.

"Who are you?"

"Doren Aitho, Deputy Minister of the Sifa Force."

"You're in the Sifa Force, and you come to a place like this?"

"The work pressure is high, sir," Doren Aitho maintained a submissive posture, his tone normal. "I'm just here to experience the atmosphere."

"My little bee, did you bring a friend tonight? See you soon." A girl with wine-red wavy hair winked at Doren Aitho as she passed by.

"How may I assist you?" Doren Aitho blinked back, his expression unchanged as he said to Su Lin: "If you're looking for someone, I might be able to help."

Doren Aitho preliminarily judged that this man's target wasn't him—he didn't know the Rank, but the position might be Archangel or holder of a high-tier Supernatural Item. He'd just wanted to use the ring on his finger to escape, but it had failed; his mental state remained as stable as a normal person's, as if he'd returned to when he was still ordinary.

"Hmm, let me think…"

Cold sweat spontaneously formed on Doren Aitho's forehead—could this really be happening?

The man maintained this attitude even after learning his identity—did that mean he didn't care if the Royal Family found out? One possibility: he possessed sufficient power that even the Royal Family's knowledge wouldn't matter. Another: the thing he intended to do wasn't significant at all.

To be honest, if he had a choice, he truly didn't want to deal with beings of such high rank.

Moments later

"You're Mr. K?" Su Lin entered a private room past the frenzied crowd, standing before the most handsome male Supernatural Item user there, and said bluntly: "Use your Aurora Society's connections to gather information on the Original Moon worshippers."

"Hmm, I didn't get it wrong this time—I hear the real rap master's background BGM on you."

It felt like someone in an abandoned school was continuously scratching their fingernails against a wooden door—dark, obscure, grating, tormenting the sanity of normal people.

Mr. K sat on the sofa, staring at the man who'd entered with six wings sprouting from his back and eyes turned white-gold; his mind went nearly blank. The faint aura directed at him made his teeth chatter. Aside from his indelible faith in the Great True Creator, he could barely muster the thought of fleeing.

After several seconds, understanding the intent of this being, he tried to say:

"But we are the Aurora Society! We worship a different deity than the Rose School. We have no regular contact."

"It doesn't matter. You're all cults. Cults always have something in common with other cults." Su Lin branded Mr. K with a Light Mark, ensuring he could never reveal what happened today. "I'm not interested in your internal affairs. You only need to find the followers of the Original Moon."

"With all due respect," Mr. K paused, "Even we, slandered by the Seven Gods' sects, and the worshippers of the Demon King, are fundamentally different from the Rose School."

"These details aren't important. Find them, then tell me their whereabouts."

After giving instructions, Su Lin stepped out of the room. Combat on the battlefield was common—any means to eliminate an enemy was normal. A certain Mr. Zhou, the writer, once said: throw everything at them—just do it.

But the Fallen Mother Goddess's methods were truly too advanced, giving Su Lin a rare experience. Since this method failed to kill him, he would eventually return the favor to the Fallen Mother Goddess.

This has nothing to do with Klein's commission. A gentleman seeks revenge after ten years—I, Su Lin, seek revenge from morning till night!

"Let's go. Tell me what's going on here?" Su Lin looked at Doren Aitho and the wine-red wavy-haired waitress, both with grim faces outside, and smiled faintly.

A full-ranked Supernatural Item user dressed as a waitress winking at you—you think I'm blind?

"This place is actually my business," Doren Aitho said, seeing his subordinate hadn't relayed the message, and spoke honestly.

Su Lin raised an eyebrow, glancing at the gold pounds in the gamblers' hands and the Sulers on the dance floor.

"Your business is quite good."

"Thank you for the compliment," Doren Aitho replied politely.

"But it's mine now." Su Lin lightly clasped Doren Aitho's arm. "Tell me how much this place earns in a month."

"?"

To obtain Supernatural Power and Supernatural Items in this world, there's a simple method—money.

Six days remain until the Fasak Empire bombs Beckland.

The sunrise rose above the horizon, golden light glinting on the rolling tides; the cries of seabirds and the rustling waves drifted into his ears with the wind.

Lu Mingfei carried a simple suitcase down the gangway from the ship, waved farewell to Berlan Lers on deck, and walked toward the town of Damir Port ahead.

Berlan Lers watched the retreating young figure in silence. The first mate approached, holding a loaf of white bread, and said:

"What an interesting kid. I submitted his manuscript to Beckland Steam Publishing. I have a feeling he'll turn this book into a money tree."

"Guess his permanent contact address? It's 160 Berkland Street—that's a prime location. Definitely a rich man's Young Master."

"Set sail," Berlan Lers forced out two words.

"What?" The first mate blinked.

Berlan Lers felt his heart pounding violently. He stared wide-eyed at the young man's back—there, wrapped around the youth named Li Jiatu, was a transparent phantom, smiling mysteriously at him.

"Set sail immediately!!"

Arriving at a tavern named "Flying Fish & Wine," Lu Mingfei sidestepped a man dressed as a sailor.

Before pushing open the door, Lu Mingfei noticed various wanted posters outside the tavern.

Among them were 800,000 pounds for the "King of the Five Seas," and hundreds of pounds for ordinary pirate captains—layered from high to low, forming a unique sight.

"Something's missing…" Lu Mingfei paused, peering left and right, spotting an alley. He stepped quickly inside, and when he emerged, he held a wanted poster in his hand.

While no one was watching, Lu Mingfei pasted it in the center of the wanted wall.

"Hmm. Perfect."

Lu Mingfei turned his gaze back and pushed open the door. There, prominently displayed, was a man wearing a straw hat and grinning with bared teeth—Master Meng Qi, bounty 3,000 pounds.

"Welcome," said a bartender with a scar across his face and bronze skin, wiping a glass with a white cloth; his voice was muffled, as if he barely opened his mouth.

Lu Mingfei looked around. According to Berlan Lers's introduction, he might find a suitable merchant ship or adventurer team here—provided he didn't get lured onto a pirate vessel.

"Gentlemen, I need a ship that can take me to Banshi Port," Lu Mingfei called out loudly.

It was morning; the tavern wasn't crowded, but most patrons looked listless, as if they'd just woken from a hangover. Low murmurs filled the air.

The moment Lu Mingfei spoke, the tavern fell into brief silence.

"Xigang?" The bare-chested man with black hair, green eyes, and aged features spoke first. "That place is just ruins now. Are you going there to hunt for treasure?"

"You could say that." Lu Mingfei smiled in reply.

Inside his body lived a twisted creature who, on that day, had voluntarily asked Old Zhou where on the vast ocean there were strange, thrilling, and profitable places.

Xigang. He'd planned to ask more, but that brute had immediately said they could set off.

'No. Adventure must carry the anticipation of the unknown.'

He had to admit the creature was right, so on the ship, after reading just the opening of The Master of Mysterious Forces, Lu Mingfei held himself back from continuing.

"You'd be better off chasing the 'Ghost Empire,' 'Solomon's Legacy,' 'Secret of the Fountain of Youth,' 'Key of Death,' 'Sunk Lauro,' or 'Rosell's Hidden Treasures,'" chuckled a short, bald man with a sleazy aura. "At least then you're buying a dream, not a pile of broken stones."

The tavern erupted in loud, cheerful laughter.

Lu Mingfei wasn't angry; he merely tapped the table in front of the bartender and smiled. "So, gentlemen, does anyone here want to take me there?"

"Listen here, kid," said a burly man in the navy's distinctive blue-and-white striped shirt, bare-armed despite the near-freezing cold.

"Don't get a fever in your head and rush to Xigang. That place has nothing but cannibalistic primitive tribes and ruins."

"Many like you, opportunists, have vanished there. Probably not even bones remain."

Seeing this, Lu Mingfei turned and sat on the wooden table in front of the bartender. "Any recommended food?"

"Special cured meat. The most famous dish in Damir," the bartender replied coldly.

"That's right! The most famous bartender and cured meat!" A man in a dark red long-sleeved coat pushed the door open. "That guy once extorted Gelmán Spáro with a plate of special cured meat—oh, the fee was scars on his head and teeth in his mouth."

"I'll have a plate too."

"Ireland," the bartender's face darkened, but he held his tongue and silently brought out two plates of sliced cured meat—clearly divided into red and white, with fine textures—from the kitchen behind.

"You shouldn't go to Xigang," said the middle-aged man named Ireland, picking up a slice of meat and popping it into his mouth, then tossing a few copper coins onto the counter, grabbing a bottle of wine, and pouring himself a drink.

"He's the one who knows Xigang best," said the man who had spoken first, then lifted the bottle and walked out through the door.

Lu Mingfei looked curiously at the man. Ireland had no desire to converse; he quietly finished his cold meat and headed outside. As he left, he glanced at Lu Mingfei from the corner of his eye and said:

"Don't go looking for death."

After drinking his fill and eating his fill, Lu Mingfei still couldn't find anyone willing to take him along.

He could fly there, of course—but if possible, he wanted to truly experience this journey, like a true adventurer. Strictly speaking, this was his first trip to another world.

Leaving several bills on the table, Lu Mingfei pushed open the door and stepped out.

Unlike summer, the sea wind at this time was cold, fierce, and damp; in the alley's confined terrain, it created drafts that made his black overcoat instinctively flap backward.

Lu Mingfei frowned ahead. The black-haired, green-eyed man with aged features stood at the corner of an alley, leaning against a beige wall, watching him.

He gestured for Lu Mingfei to follow, then turned into a quiet, shadowy alley. Lu Mingfei hurried after him.

Inside the alley, Lu Mingfei looked at the man. "Will you take me to Xigang?"

"You're a new adventurer, aren't you?" The man didn't answer Lu Mingfei's question but asked instead if he was inexperienced. "You don't need to go to Xigang for adventure or treasure."

"The people who once lived there weren't wealthy. Beneath the ruins, there's only scattered debris—not worth risking being eaten by cannibals."

"After pirates and gold-hunting crews vanished there, only bold newcomers go to Xigang."

"So what's your point?" Lu Mingfei didn't believe this man had stayed behind solely to warn him against going to Xigang like some kind-hearted older brother. Such generous souls were rare even in his world—there was one in his group, but now he'd turned to selling counterfeit goods.

"Forgive me for not introducing myself. I'm John Proto, formerly a member of the famed Zilingsi Fleet." His expression turned serious, patiently waiting for shock to appear on the other's face.

But the other merely stared silently. It threw off his rhythm. After a few seconds of eye contact, he continued, reorganizing his words:

"Our captain is now Traci. I'm the second mate."

The other nodded, expression unchanged, like a perfect listener, waiting for him to continue.

"Would you like to join us for a glorious adventure?"

"Our captain is a beautiful woman, famous across the seas. And if you join us, you'll have the chance to gain power beyond nature!"

Only then did Lu Mingfei understand the man's intent—he was in human resources.

"I can tell you're a promising talent, even though you're just starting out."

Recruiting fresh graduates?

"Our ship is anchored not far from the harbor. Want to take a look?"

Lu Mingfei hesitated. Time was still long—he could go to Xigang later. Meanwhile, he might as well check if they had any updates on the next stage of Sequence advancement. Since he couldn't absorb Qi here to cultivate, he'd try the Sequence Path instead.

"Sure."

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