Chapter 202: Gone and Returned

The next morning, Lei Kedun ate breakfast in the restaurant downstairs.

An invisible nature spirit brought over the Tasoke Gazette that had just arrived today; Lei Kedun took the newspaper and unfolded it.

Unsurprisingly, the most prominent spot on the paper reported Ka Ping's death.

The underground cell in Ka Ping's luxurious villa, used to imprison the kidnapped girls, was also discovered.

The girls who escaped reported to the church that Ka Ping was a human trafficker, accusing him of having harmed them to varying degrees after the kidnapping.

The hero who killed Ka Ping and everyone in the villa and rescued the kidnapped girls was given the codename "Black Emperor" by the newspaper!

Heh! It looks like Ke Lai En's role this time was a success.

The "dong dong dong!" knocking interrupted Lei Kedun's thoughts.

A nature spirit approached and skillfully attached itself to the door handle.

With a "creak!" the main door opened automatically.

De Si Ti Ni, with a head of grizzled beard and hair, entered smiling.

Only after the other person found a chair opposite and sat down did Lei Kedun, slightly puzzled, speak:

"What's happening? You look in a good mood."

"I received His reply; it was the whereabouts of a Prophet trait. Once I complete my promotion in Beikeland, I can go search for that trait."

De Si Ti Ni smiled and explained.

"Prophet." Recalling it in his mind, Lei Kedun realized he knew nothing about it except that it was Sequence Two of the Fate Path.

He raised an eyebrow slightly, and asked curiously:

"Prophet? What kind of characteristics?"

De Si Ti Ni smiled:

"He is God's spokesperson, able to see omens and understand what will happen in the future."

"God granted Him the ability to perform miracles and marvels."

God's spokesperson. I recall Will saying that He can only be considered part of Fate; only by becoming the Wheel of Fate does one, to some extent, become an embodiment of Fate.

If the Wheel of Fate appears, the Sequence Two Prophet would naturally be its subordinate angel—God's spokesperson, also meaning the spokesperson of Fate!

After a moment of contemplation, Lei Kedun looked back at De Si Ti Ni and said sincerely, "Congratulations!"

【5】 In Silver City, Dai Li Ke hid the semi‑transparent little insect he coughed up, intending to wait until the next Tarot Society meeting to ask the other members what it was before deciding whether to hand it to the Chief.

【6】 He originally wanted to ask Mr. Fool directly what it was, but considering he had already troubled Mr. Fool more than once during this period, the thin‑skinned Dai Li Ke gave up on asking him directly.

【7】 After sitting in the room for a moment, Dai Li Ke took up the Hurricane Axe, strapped it to his waist, and prepared to go out to the trading district to see if he could directly purchase the materials other Tarot Society members were seeking.

【8】 Whether to strengthen his own power or to probe for news beyond the God‑Abandoned Land, he needed to bring something to trade with others.

【9】 While pondering the questions he would need to ask at the next Tarot Society, Dai Li Ke unknowingly walked to the training ground on the edge of Silver City.

【10】 This is the place where exploration squads stay and are quarantined after returning; only after a certain isolation period and safety confirmation are they released home.

【11】 It is an experience Silver City has refined over two thousand years; not complicated, but sufficiently practical.

【12】 Seeing the training ground illuminated by dim yellow torches, Dai Li Ke initially wanted to turn and leave, but hesitated whether to step inside for a look.

【13】 If the Chief and others hadn't canceled the exploration of that half‑ruined Divine Temple, the squad members who went there should have already returned.

【14】 While pondering, Dai Li Ke stepped into the training ground.

【15】 Upon entering, Dai Li Ke saw a bald man with dark‑blue symbols tattooed on the top of his head, a hulking figure nearly two and a half meters tall.

【16】 He was Wei Te Xi Er Meng, one of the Council Elders of Silver City's Six‑person Council, a powerful demon hunter!

【17】 Dai Li Ke also saw two acquaintances of the same age; one was his patrol squad teammate Dake Rui Jin Si.

【18】 "The Six‑person Council replaced the shepherd elder Luo Wei Ya with Elder Wei Te?"

【19】 Dai Li Ke whispered silently beside him.

【20】 Although it wasn't Shepherd Elder Luo Wei Ya leading the team, but the more senior Elder Wei Te, Dai Li Ke didn't think this would avoid the associated danger.

【21】 Perhaps Dai Li Ke's gaze was too direct; on the other side of a semi‑transparent wall as hard as Steel, the boy named Dake turned his head and looked over.

【22】 "Dake, you returned from exploring that half‑ruined Divine Temple? How was it? No danger, right?"

【23】 Seeing Dake look at him, Dai Li Ke shouted from his side of the wall.

【24】 The brilliant smile and words Dai Li Ke expected didn't appear; Dake took a few steps forward, then smiled and replied:

In Silver City, Derrick hid the translucent small worm he had coughed up, preparing to ask the other Tarot Club members what it was at the next Tarot Club meeting, and finally decided whether to hand it over to the Chief.

He originally wanted to directly ask Mr. Fool what it was, but considering he had already bothered Mr. Fool more than once recently, the thin-skinned Derrick still gave up the plan to directly ask Mr. Fool.

Dai Li Ke suddenly felt a chill run through his body, as if he were in a desolate, terrifying dark night, surrounded by pitch blackness and gathering undercurrents.

No, this shouldn't be; that's not the tone or demeanor Dake uses!

While thinking in his mind about the questions he needed to ask everyone at the next Tarot Club meeting, Derrick unconsciously walked to the training ground located at the edge of Silver City.

Lei Kedun sat before the restaurant's fireplace, leafing through a book without a cover; it was a spiritual realm knowledge book obtained earlier through a ritual from Green Light Serapis.

"Hmm?" Lei Kedun's inspiration was sparked; he looked up toward the front side, a faint violet glow shading his eyes.

His gaze pierced reality and saw the corresponding spirit realm area.

A little creature entirely covered in black fur, with a shallow yellow, relatively long snout, was straining to push a safe that far exceeded its own size.

"Pretty fast, just one day and you found the safe for me."

Upon entering the training ground, Derrick saw a man who had shaved his head, with dark cyan symbols tattooed on the top, and whose height was close to 2.5 meters, a sturdy fellow.

Then a pale blue glow lit his eyes; he set the opened book aside, stepped two paces forward, and raised his hand to sketch a mysterious symbol representing a 'door' in the air.

Releasing his spiritual energy, the spot where Lei Kedun had gestured filled with overlapping symbols like double doors; the spirit rippled like water, briefly bridging the gap between the restaurant's reality and the spirit realm.

Clang! The sound of heavy metal hitting the floor rang out as a silver‑gray safe, its surface covered with a paper figure, fell from midair onto the floor.

A black silhouette then burst out of the spirit realm and lunged forward; a mud kitten‑sized body stood atop the safe, hands on hips, staring intently at Lei Kedun.

Although it was not Elder Loewy, who is a shepherd, leading the team, but the more senior Elder Wetter, Derrick still did not think that this would avoid the corresponding danger.

Perhaps it was Derek's gaze being too direct; on the other side of a stretch of wall that was semi-transparent but hard as Steel, the boy named Dak, having noticed something, turned his head and looked over.

"Dak, you've come back from exploring that half-ruined shrine? How was it? Didn't encounter any danger, right?"

Seeing Dak look toward him, Derek called out from this side of the wall.

The bright smile and words Derek had expected did not appear; instead, he saw Dak walk a few steps closer, then smile and reply:

"Yes, no danger, everything went very smoothly!"

The smile on Dak's face was flawless, and his reply was concise.

But Derek suddenly felt a chill all over, as if he were in a desolate, terrifying night, with darkness all around and gloom accumulating.

No, this shouldn't be; this is not Dak's tone and demeanor!

Bekland, Mingsike Jie.

Rekton sat in front of the restaurant's fireplace, flipping through a book without a cover, which was a knowledge book on the spiritual realm he had previously obtained by performing a ritual and requesting it from the Green Light Serapis.

"Hmm?" Rekton's intuition was triggered; he lifted his head to look toward the side-front, and a faint purple glow appeared in his eyes.

Rekton's sight penetrated reality, seeing the corresponding area of the spirit realm.

A small creature covered entirely in black fur, with a pale yellow and relatively long snout, was straining to push a safe far larger than its own size.

"Not bad, it's only been a day and you've already found the safe for me."

Rekton muttered softly to himself.

Immediately a faint blue glow lit up his eyes; he set the open book aside, stepped forward two paces, and raised his hand to draw in the air a mysterious symbol symbolizing a "door".

As he let his spiritual energy flow out, the place where he had just gestured appeared with layers of overlapping symbols like a series of double doors; as the spiritual energy rippled like water, the barrier between reality and the spirit realm inside the restaurant was briefly breached.

Clang! The sound of a heavy metal object hitting the floor rang out, and a silver-gray safe with a paper person stuck on its surface fell directly from midair onto the floor.

Immediately a black silhouette shot out of the spirit realm and lunged forward; a creature the size of a mud-covered thunder cat stood atop the safe, hands on hips, staring intently at Rekton.

"Ooo~ ooo~"

Even without using a language‑of‑understanding and mind‑communication spell, Lei Keton can understand what it wants to convey:

"Hurry up and give the money!"

Raising an eyebrow at the greedy little creature, Lei Keton went upstairs, placed the pre‑prepared gold coins into a bag, took it down and handed it to the other party.

Mudlurker, clutching a bag about the size of its own body, leapt in a water‑jumping posture from the safe.

The instant it touched the floor, its body melted straight into it, and the bag of gold coins it was dragging merged with the floor as well.

Lei Keton watched the other fall into the spirit realm like a swimming fish, quickly drifting away.

Lei Keton shifted his gaze back to the safe; from the paper effigy stuck on it, he could confirm the safe had never been opened.

The greedy Mudlurker did not know that the safe it was searching for was the most valuable.

Lei Keton slightly lifted the corner of his mouth, tore off the paper effigy from the safe, then simulated the opening ability and easily opened the safe, revealing gold bars, land deeds, jewels, antiques and other items inside.

A head with a flat, pale‑yellow snout poked out from the side, its eyes fixed on the treasure inside the safe.

In the next instant it turned into a black shadow and pounced.

In mid‑air, an invisible natural spirit tightly bound it; Mudlurker's little arms and legs flailed uselessly.

Glancing at the Mudlurker that kept disappearing and reappearing, Lei Keton closed the safe again and re‑stuck the paper effigy on it.

A thin layer of faint starlight appeared, then vanished in an instant.

After securing the safe against theft, Lei Keton finally turned his sight back to the Mudlurker suspended in mid‑air, showing no intention of letting it down, and directly spoke in Ancient Hekmis language:

"Didn't you already leave? Why did you come back?"

"Woo~ Woo~ I smell the scent of treasure, you swindler! There are so many riches, yet you only gave me a few gold coins!"

"All of these are what I found, they're all mine! Woo!"

Lei Keton seemed to understand the Mudlurker's words, then directly twisted it into his hand and flung it back into the spirit realm.

The little creature persisted, burrowed back, slammed its head against the safe, whined while shaking its head, then changed direction and crashed into the safe again.

A bit clever, but not much!

Points of starlight swirled around Lei Keton's palm, rapidly forming a slowly rotating mass of Star Sand.

Raising his hand and pushing forward, the slowly chosen Star Sand turned into brilliant rays of starlight that struck the Mudlurker's tiny body, sending it back into the spirit realm once more.

In the spirit realm, the dazzling starlight flickered repeatedly, carrying it far away.

"Pay attention, don't let this little creature steal anything from the house; if it can't take the safe's contents, it may shift its target."

Lei Keton turned to the crow Anu, who was preening on the windowsill, and reminded it to beware of a nimble spirit‑realm creature; a death‑god‑path crow is even more adept.

(End of chapter)