Chapter 175: Some people are still alive, but have already been gone for a while (Revised)

"Great! Really a big help!" Cai Mao's smile carried a hint of sincerity; he immediately turned and ordered the red-haired lackey guarding the private room.

"Go get the map of the Black Stone Mine Cave and its surrounding area! Quick!" The lackey, upon hearing, guessed it was probably for Ying Duo and company, and ran off swiftly.

Seeing his subordinate run off, Cai Mao again sincerely inquired of Ying Duo and the four others.

"Holy Son, and a few... mercenary gentlemen, besides the map and information, do you need anything else? Weapons? Supplies? As long as I have it, I'll certainly provide it!"

Although these words were mostly out of respect for the "Holy Son," they were also a small thank-you for relieving these guys' urgent need.

Shen Zexi merely shook his head; carrying too much gear outdoors would hinder movement. Although Ying Duo has space-type aberrant arts, it seems to be filled with all sorts of his various parts.

"Our basic supplies are already fully prepared; thank you very much for your kindness, but if you could provide that nearby map, it would be the greatest help to us."

Qi Hengyu, Luo Jinyou, and Chen Mo Zhi also each said they had no extra needs; they had also made full preparations.

It was obvious that none of them were good at communicating, but Cai Mao couldn't let the atmosphere stay deadlocked, so he had to initiate conversation himself.

"That kid fetching the map will probably need a bit more time; how about you all have something to drink? I don't have much good stuff here, but it can at least quench thirst."

As his words fell, another purple-haired lackey quickly approached carrying a tray.

On the tray were several cups of plain water, but the cup placed before Ying Duo held a liquid that shimmered like a rainbow, appearing especially "unique" under the private room's lighting.

The purple-haired lackey carefully placed the cup before Ying Duo, his voice low yet extremely reverent.

"Holy Son, please partake of the Holy Drink!"

"Holy Drink?!"

Luo Jinyou and Qi Hengyu at the table almost simultaneously exclaimed, eyes widening at the cup whose contents looked obviously off.

Ying Duo seemed accustomed to the title "Holy Son"; he glanced at the five-colored liquid, recalling he had drunk it before—it merely looked good, with no special effects.

Anyway, being idle is being idle; seeing an interaction key before him, Yang Yixie felt like pressing it.

Only seeing Ying Duo pick up the cup that exuded oddness everywhere—the "Holy Drink"—and make a motion to drink.

"Wait!" Shen Zexi instantly reached out to block it; he wasn't suspecting Cai Mao of daring to poison him outright, but the drink looked truly suspicious.

The kid's brain is already messed up; he can't keep drinking this random junk.

Ying Duo's interaction was forced to stop; he turned his head to look at Shen Zexi.

Shen Zexi felt a bit uneasy under his hollow eyes, but still insisted:

"The mission is imminent; how about drinking some plain water?"

Having seen Ying Duo's bizarre aesthetic, Shen Zexi genuinely worried he'd drink this cup just because of its appearance.

But Ying Duo merely blinked, seeming to understand Shen Zexi's meaning, nodded, and naturally pushed the cup toward Shen Zexi.

"You like it? Then have it."

Love of beauty is universal.

Hmm, NPCs are the same; players can understand, anyway this thing is purely for looking good.

Shen Zexi: "......"

I didn't mean that!

But seeing Ying Duo had no intention of touching that "Holy Drink" cup, Shen Zexi also breathed a sigh of relief.

To completely eliminate the risk, he casually moved that oddly colored drink to the far end of the table, away from Ying Duo.

Ying Duo indeed lost interest in that Holy Drink, but Chen Mo Zhi's gaze never left the cup.

This so-called Holy Drink is so vivid yet murky, not like juice; could it contain some hallucinogenic ingredient?

But what exotic plant could be mixed to produce this color? It also seems to emit no energy fluctuation...

Chen Mo Zhi silently raised his eyes; everyone's attention was almost entirely on Ying Duo, so no one would notice what he did in the corner.

This is quite fine...

Chen Mo Zhi subtly shifted toward the Holy Drink cup, attempting to observe it up close to see what exactly this so-called Holy Drink was.

He curiously lifted the Holy Drink cup, held it under his nose, and gently fanned it as one would when sniffing a potion.

However, just as his nostrils twitched, focusing on discerning what exotic plant types might be in the Holy Drink, Qi Hengyu, standing on Ying Duo's other side, happened to look over.

At first, Qi Hengyu merely noticed that Chen Mo Zhi, whom he had always considered gloomy, seemed to be furtively doing something in that corner.

But as soon as he lifted his gaze, he happened to see Chen Mo Zhi holding the Holy Drink cup with both eyes tightly shut, as if in prayer, his whole body freezing.

So mental illness is contagious???

Qi Hengyu's expression instantly turned quite strange, but he didn't call him out, instead giving our proud Young Master Chen a bit of face.

Although, this face might not be what Chen Mo Zhi actually wanted.

Upon realizing his actions just now had all been seen by Qi Hengyu, combined with that strange look of his, Chen Mo Zhi froze entirely, his scarlet pupils constricting, the corner of his mouth seeming to exhale a wisp of wandering soul.

"Crack—"

The sound of glass shattering suddenly rang out in the private room; Shen Zexi and Luo Jinyou instinctively turned, seeing Chen Mo Zhi's hand still holding glass shards and the strange colored liquid.

Chen Mo Zhi, caught off guard, became the focus of everyone's gaze; he only felt the hairs on his whole body stand up, and after a long silence he managed to utter a few words:

"I thought it would drop......"

These glass shards look more like they were shattered by external force, someone crushing them barehanded.

Shen Zexi looked at the glass fragments remaining in Chen Mo Zhi's hand, only feeling a headache.

Well, this Young Master of the Chen Family having to sit at the same table as Ying Duo—no wonder he accepted Ying Duo's team invitation.

Cai Mao also saw through but didn't expose it, quickly speaking up to defuse the situation.

"It's just a cup, no problem; the private room has a toilet, why not go wash your hands? Just carefully toss the shards in the trash, don't cut yourself."

Chen Mo Zhi said nothing, merely silently walking toward the toilet.

Some people are still alive, but have actually been gone for a while.

Fortunately, just as Chen Mo Zhi entered the toilet, the lackey brought over a roll of an old map.

The recorded handwriting on it is a bit messy, roughly marking where which minerals were found, or which mining routes have been abolished; it looks fairly complex.

But actually, if you ignore those scribbles, the map's routes are clear; it truly is a good map.