Chapter 20

If not for that last mechanical sentence, faced with the maid's sudden attack, Li Yu would likely have already turned to flee or fought back with all his might.

The moment he was tackled, he was still wondering in his mind:

"Re-recognizing master?"

"And it needs to collect fingerprints, iris, and bodily fluids? The first two are easy to understand, but what is the procedure for bodily fluids?"

This question had an answer in the blink of an eye.

As Hongdou tackled Li Yu, red light suddenly surged, and amidst *click-clack* sounds, the original human girl's shell transformed in the blink of an eye into a brightly colored, exquisite mechanical fox with a red mole between its brows, scrambling and stepping on Li Yu's chest.

One must know that in his past life, Li Yu was also a pet owner.

This movement directly triggered his instincts; his hands hugged it unconsciously, and while lifting it up, he tilted his head back to avoid the tongue the mechanical fox was probing with.

Caught off guard, they made eye contact, and at the same time, a certain finger felt a slight pain.

Subsequently, mechanical voices rang out in sequence:

"Fingerprint collection complete!"

"Iris scan complete!"

"Bodily fluid collection complete!"

"Shameless, that puppeteer named Yun Dongjun."

"And blood is blood, what the hell is 'bodily fluid'?"

Li Yu, whose information had been collected in the blink of an eye, still held the mechanical fox and couldn't help but let out a complaint.

Just as he was about to continue, he saw Hongdou, with her mechanical fox head, tilt it in a quite lively and cute manner, staring at Li Yu as she continued:

"Master-recognition complete... new master is a sixteen-year-old human male, body state abnormal, suspected of being parasitized by an Evil God's alien egg, beginning search for solutions."

"Starting Spirit Doctor module... startup failed."

"Starting Bounty module... startup fail... startup successful; unknown reasons have caused permissions to be unable to fully open, unable to connect to the Tiangong internal network, the issued bounty can only cover a five-hundred-foot radius."

"According to the master's physical health status, combined with the transcendent market prices within the Tiangong Sect, it is suggested that the master provide a wonder item capable of moving a 【Sequence Six】 or higher sequence cultivator, or a secret medicine formula of equivalent value; otherwise, even if issued, it will likely become an invalid bounty."

"As a Linglong Doll, Hongdou possesses secondary permissions and can issue one bounty per day."

"Master, shall we issue the relevant bounty?"

These sentences made Li Yu first disappointed, then pleasantly surprised, and then disappointed again.

The surprise was that Hongdou was truly partially repaired, and some functional modules had recovered.

Even her last sentence carried a tone.

Clearly, she was much more intelligent than before.

The disappointment was that it still sounded like his problem could not be solved.

"Forget Sequence Six, I don't even have a wonder item to move a Sequence Eight cultivator."

"And the coverage is only a few hundred feet; wouldn't that mean I can't even leave the Heavenly Mechanism Workshop?"

"This function is a bit of a chicken rib, isn't it?"

"Cancel, cancel, don't issue it for now."

Li Yu denied the bounty while continuing to develop and explore Hongdou.

One question after another was thrown out by him.

"Besides the bounty module, what else have you recovered?"

"Combat module recovered by thirty percent, can use all cold weapons within the body, and awakened part of the 'Chainsaw Sword Art'... Spirit Doctor module one percent, can perform wound dressing for the master... Spirit Plant module ten percent, can plant non-transcendent crops... Memory module five percent, awakened part of transcendent knowledge..."

"Hmm? Memory module?"

Hearing the keyword, Li Yu swallowed back the words he was about to use to complain about the Chainsaw Sword Art.

As if thinking of something, his eyes couldn't help but light up.

This Linglong Doll had once been highly anticipated and cultivated as a growth-type transcendent assistant.

Since that was the case, the creator must have had her master a great deal of secret knowledge.

Without a hint of hesitation, Li Yu asked again in succession:

"Do you still remember how you were destroyed?"

"I... I don't know."

"How can you be fully repaired?"

"I... I don't know."

"In your awakened memories, is there anything related to paths to godhood, transcendent sequences, or secret medicine formulas?"

"Searching... replying to Master, Hongdou knows part of the Tiangong Sect's sequences and formulas."

"Tell me!"

"... Sorry, this question has touched upon core confidentiality clauses; the master is not a Tiangong Sect cultivator, and Hongdou does not have the permission to leak it."

It seemed because she had refused Li Yu,

a rare look of sadness appeared on Hongdou's fox face.

This vividness and spirituality made Li Yu feel it was quite rare.

He had picked up a huge bargain, without a doubt.

Although he hadn't obtained the secrets he wanted, Li Yu wasn't discouraged and asked abruptly again:

"Do you know what kind of deity the Spirit Venerable is? And what are Fire Essences?"

"Replying to Master! 'Spirit Venerable is an ancient deity, suspected to have fallen during the War of the Gods...'"

"'Fire Essence is a type of special life form widely existing in places rich in various fire Qi; although it cannot move and has no intelligence, the spirituality contained in Fire Essence makes this life form a decent transcendent material, which all major sects mine and sell.'"

"Does the Tiangong Sect have them?"

"Of course, the largest known Fire Essence mineral vein on the continent is located in the southern part of the Li Nation, and the Tiangong Sect holds all the shares and is responsible for mining operations."

When Li Yu heard this,

he didn't know what he had thought of, but his expression was unreadable, and his eyes were full of excitement.

Deep down, he began to ponder:

"The thirty-six types of highly toxic minerals needed for the Alchemist Apprentice secret medicine, as well as the Fire Essence and the alchemy furnace needed for the Pill-Forming Ritual, should all be purchasable if I go to that 【Taiping Market】."

"The only problem is that I must transform into the appearance of a Son of the Forbidden God to have a certain chance of sneaking in, but that will be very eye-catching."

"And in that state, I am extremely unstable; if there are any wonder items or high-sequence powerhouses related to the Forbidden God Sect at that market... I'm afraid I'll be finished."

=9+Book_Bar

Thinking of this, Li Yu suddenly remembered the warnings previously issued by Zhu Mei and the other evil cultivator guests.

The Forbidden God Sect had corresponding recovery procedures for "Sons of the Forbidden God" who were wandering outside and in the midst of transformation.

Jiao Qing and Sun Sanniang were both registered sect members!

And those Forbidden God statues and sacrificial books that were clearly wonder items—if there were no accidents, this Jiao family meat shop had long been marked by the Forbidden God Sect; it might even be one of their strongholds.

As the news of the couple's death continued to spread, I'm afraid it wouldn't be long before the Forbidden God Sect came knocking.

As these thoughts surged, Li Yu's expression immediately turned gloomy.

He had gradually adapted to Wanfu City!

Naturally, he understood the terror of the Forbidden God Sect.

"If there is no other way, I must take the risk and go to the Taiping Market."

"Advancing to 【Alchemist Apprentice】 at the fastest speed is my only way to survive."

"But now, it seems there is a more convenient path?"

As these thoughts stirred, Li Yu's burning gaze fell on Hongdou once again.

After pondering for a few breaths, Li Yu weighed his words and asked:

"If I issue a bounty requiring Tiangong Sect personnel nearby who receive the news to provide me with a Fire Essence and an alchemy furnace, what kind of reward would I need to provide?"

"Also, does this bounty function have a confidentiality agreement, and will it be known to the outside world?"

"Replying to Master!"

"According to the transcendent market prices known to Hongdou, the internal price for a Fire Essence is two hundred taels of silver, and a basic Tiangong alchemy furnace equipped with intelligent heating requires three hundred taels of silver."

"All bounties have confidentiality agreements; the recipient cannot leak them, otherwise they will face expulsion by the Tiangong Sect and have all their gains confiscated."

"If the master feels it is still not enough, you can choose a non-face-to-face transaction."

When Hongdou finished answering, Li Yu already had a smile on his face.

He had decided!

Since a safe and effective shortcut had appeared before him, why would he need to take huge risks to go to the Taiping Market?

He would buy the most critical Fire Essence and alchemy furnace from the Tiangong Sect.

And for those toxic minerals, he had also thought of a place to buy them.

"On the main street of Heavenly Mechanism Workshop, there are several 【Smoke Qi Houses】."

"They sell all sorts of things that can make people addicted and experience infinite pleasure and floating sensations; every day, a large number of commoners, and even low-level cultivators, are there puffing away."

"And the drug primer, True Lead, as well as cinnabar, mica, sulfur... and other highly toxic minerals, happen to be among them; they can be smoked individually or combined to refine into some fierce great pills, making people feel like they are becoming immortals or gods after eating them, euphemistically called 【Five-Stone Powder】, 【Carefree Pills】, etc."

"The formula is split in two, plus the confidentiality agreement on the other side; I can even have Hongdou change her form and sneak out to buy these minerals."

"In this way, I can ensure nothing goes wrong."

"And the speed of gathering them will also be faster."

Thinking to this point, Li Yu was already extremely cautious.

Without further hesitation, he said to Hongdou:

"Hongdou, follow what I said and issue the bounty, add two hundred taels to the price, and require the recipient to gather them and arrive at the fastest speed; no face-to-face, just trade through the door."

"Understood, Master!"

"Bounty is being issued...!"

When the mechanical voice fell, one could see red light beginning to flash in Hongdou's pair of charming fox eyes.

This scene made Li Yu feel both novel and very confused.

"What is the principle behind this?"

"The Tiangong Sect's internal network? Radio?"

"I don't know if anyone will take the bounty and come; although there should be many Heavenly Artisan Sect salespeople in the Heavenly Secret Workshop area, like that Meng Shenji, but it can only be sent out five hundred feet, I'm afraid I'll have to rely on luck? If it really is Meng Shenji who takes it, then the non-face-to-face transaction would be a ridiculous act of burying one's head in the sand."

Just as Li Yu was muttering,

after only a few breaths, a look of excitement appeared on Hongdou's fox face, and she shouted:

"Bounty has been taken!"

"Tiangong Sect salesperson Shi Dazhu is preparing the trade items and will arrive in half an incense stick's time; please have the funds ready in advance, initiator."

(End of chapter)