Chapter 351: The Queen

"What kind of treatment?" Wu Chang's eyes gleamed, brighter than when he activated the Lake Light Sacred Sword.

As the leader of the Secret Law Knights and a noble personally ennobled by the Queen, your treatment certainly shouldn't be too poor.

Seeing Wu Chang's expectant gaze, Zhu Li smiled faintly and took two small leather cases from behind her, handing them to Wu Chang.

One case was light, the other heavy; Wu Chang opened the lighter one first, inside which lay a beautifully crafted metal key, beneath it a property deed.

Zhu Li said, "In Grimlan, of course we can't let our Knight Commander, the Queen's Sword, and his wife stay in a hotel."

"This villa once belonged to a baron; his assets once spanned all of Stilan, but his family later declined and sold it to the Church."

"Though he was a new noble, perhaps lacking in taste, the house's furnishings were undeniably comfortable and luxurious."

Wu Chang looked at Zhu Li in surprise and asked, "Does the Church also do real estate?"

Zhu Li nodded slightly and said:

"Grimlan is the center of the world economy, gathering immense wealth; no one can remain unmoved watching such wealth flow before their eyes."

Wu Chang ventured, "Including the Queen?"

Zhu Li's expression froze for an instant; she sighed and said:

"Even back at the Moonlight Sanatorium, your intuition was this sharp."

The Holy Revelation Church was born from a schism with the Papacy; though it is a branch of the Revelation, it offers only faith, not wealth.

Zhu Li appears to hold absolute power, managing the Holy Revelation Church, but its true leader remains Olivia.

Olivia appointed him as leader of the Secret Law Knights, and the state-provided housing came from Church property—because the entire Church is the Queen's property.

Wu Chang glanced at the villa's location: in Grimlan's West District, far from the heavily industrialized East District.

He was very satisfied with the Queen's arrangement and immediately opened the second leather case.

Compared to the first case, the contents of the second were far simpler and more direct.

A stack of brand-new banknotes, each worth one hundred pounds; by thickness, the total should be ten thousand pounds.

The number seemed small, but the pound was Stilan's highest-denomination currency, directly tied to gold.

A coal miner's monthly wage was about two to four pounds, and the average lifespan was under fifty years.

Ten thousand pounds was a fortune many workers could never earn in ten lifetimes.

The villa Olivia had just given Wu Chang—with its garden—was worth no more than five thousand pounds.

The Queen's gesture delivered not only the Sacred Sword, but also a mansion and a fortune.

Could she be trying to seduce him? He'd returned to Stilan with his whole family—how inappropriate.

Wu Chang's face twisted in discomfort; she'd thrown so much money at him—wouldn't it be rude not to let her make a move?

He stowed the cash from the case into his personal space, then asked, "What is this money for?"

Zhu Li said, "Your operational funds."

"Rebuilding the Secret Law Knights requires money—for recruitment, training, salaries. This is just startup capital; if it's insufficient, you can come to me for more."

Wu Chang's face showed confusion.

Money? What money? Do you pay Secret Law Knights just to join?

The Secret Law Knights he targeted were first people like Raventon—original inhabitants of the instance, all descendants of the old Secret Law Knights, eager to restore their ancestors' glory.

They weren't short on money; why would they need him to pay them?

He wasn't hiring them—he was giving them a chance to regain fame and honor.

The second group of targets were Deep Dungeon players.

Once they joined his faction, they'd automatically get this instance, and the side quest would be pure easy win.

Whether first or second group, he'd be lucky if they didn't pay him to join—now he's supposed to pay them?

This was backwards.

Zhu Li saw Wu Chang's confusion and assumed he had no experience; she said:

"Running a large organization isn't like managing your solo operation in the New World—expenses arise everywhere; you'll understand when you face them."

"Once you've assembled your core team, I'll help you find a property to serve as the Secret Law Knights' base."

"With funds and a base secured, next comes recruitment."

Wu Chang said, "I'll keep an eye out for recruits soon."

Zhu Li shook her head. "Don't overreach—you've been back in Stilan less than a day; how can you possibly be looking?"

"Though Your Majesty has granted you authority to recruit members, not just anyone qualifies to become a Secret Law Knight."

"Pay attention to Raventon—he has many others like him behind him. Try to interact more, but whether you can win them over depends on your charisma and what you can offer."

"Besides them, the World Industrial Exposition is approaching; the Queen has declared she will unveil the most brilliant jewel of industrial achievement—a steam engine endowed with supernatural power."

"To witness industrial transcendence, supernaturals from across the world are flooding into Grimlan—this is a prime opportunity for recruitment."

"I've partnered with the Alchemical Guild and the Clock Tower Magic Association to host a Supernatural Gathering—next Wednesday at eight p. m."

Zhu Li spoke, then produced four gilded invitation cards.

Wu Chang took the invitations and glanced at them; he saw mystical runes inscribed to verify authenticity.

From Zhu Li's words, Stilan had developed a steam engine tied to the supernatural, to be the centerpiece of the World Industrial Exposition, declaring industry's entry into transcendence.

The move had inevitably shaken the supernatural world; to verify whether Olivia's claim was true, supernaturals from all sides poured into Grimlan.

Among them were supernaturals from other organizations, independent supernaturals, and Deep Dungeon players.

Stilan's native supernatural factions planned to use this moment to hold a recruitment event, drawing in promising supernaturals.

Wu Chang held the invitations and asked, "Me, my wife Eileen, and Raventon—three are enough. Who's the fourth for?"

Zhu Li smiled. "These invitations aren't for you; as leader of the Secret Law Knights, you're naturally one of the gathering's organizers."

Wu Chang raised an eyebrow—so he wasn't a guest, but part of the hiring side.

"Then these are…"

Zhu Li said calmly, "We're recruiting elites, not trash."

"To filter out the worthy, we've prepared forty-eight invitation cards, which will be randomly scattered around Grimlan over these days, causing the transcendent ones to fight over them."

"Only those who ultimately obtain an invitation card are eligible to attend our gathering."

"If you encounter a gathering of transcendent beings, leave an invitation card there and see if any usable individuals are among them. If you can't distribute them all, by midnight the day after tomorrow, plant the remaining invitations on the statue in front of St. George's Cathedral Square."

Wu Chang flipped through the invitation cards; he had a hunch this idea was Zhu Li's.

As a teammate, Zhu Li was considerate, never stingy with help—whether manpower or resources—when it was needed.

But toward the weak, Zhu Li was utterly cold-blooded, showing not a shred of mercy.

At the Moonlight Sanatorium, she dug pits to filter who qualified as her partner, eliminating every player who entered the Moonlight Sanatorium.

Fortunately, the Steam Phantom instance didn't occur in a closed zone; otherwise, nine or ten out of ten players entering the instance would've been filtered out by Zhu Li first.

Wu Chang toyed with the invitation card and asked, "Of the forty-eight you've filtered, how many can I recruit?"

Zhu Li said, "That depends on your ability. If you find them worthy and they're willing to follow you, you can take all forty-eight."

Wu Chang smiled and asked, "Won't the Alchemical Society and the Magic Association object?"

Zhu Li replied calmly, "With Queen Olivia's support, they won't dare object."

Wu Chang sucked in a breath of cold air—this debt to the Queen would never be repaid.

She didn't just give him gear, houses, and money—she even shoved people into his hands.

After finishing business, she immediately dropped Wu Chang and Ai Lin off at the villa and left.

As Wu Chang and Ai Lin stepped out of the car, they saw a middle-aged man in the guise of a butler standing at the door; he bowed slightly and said:

"Good evening, Lord Xiao En. Your luggage left at the hotel has been delivered to the residence. Dinner is prepared; if you and Lady are ready, you may take your seats now."

Wu Chang took Ai Lin's hand and said, "Let's go, Lady."

While Wu Chang's true body and Ai Lin were dining, his True Self—lacking the identity granted by the True Traveler—was wandering through Grimlan at night.

His true body's identity had too many constraints; naturally, his True Self had to handle such matters.

He'd heard Grimlan's nights were haunted by serial killers and the Church of Serenity—he wanted to see what it was really like.

After walking a short while, energy fluctuations indeed came from afar.

He activated Social Anxiety and Elite Stealth, creeping toward the source of the battle.

When he drew closer, he realized the combatants weren't killers or members of the Church of Serenity—they were a group of Abyss players.

In terms of matchmaking, the Abyss Game remained quite friendly to players other than Wu Chang.

Players who got matched into S-rank instances were all top-tier players from the Wasteland Realm, each with extensive experience.

They'd all disguised their appearances to resemble locals of the Steam Phantom dimension, but when using their skills in battle, their power systems—non-native to this dimension—still easily exposed their identities.

It was a brawl involving nine players: four on one side, five on the other. Their attacks were restrained; though fierce, the battle held back, no one fighting to the death.

Judging from the core of the conflict, they seemed to be fighting over something.

Besides the nine combatants, several other players watched from the surroundings.

Wu Chang used his Insight combined with the Eye of Spellbreaking to scan the area roughly, and found that at least four other players—besides himself—were watching the battle.

The four players occupied different positions, spaced far apart; it was clear they weren't from the same faction and were wary of each other.

Players who entered the Steam Phantom instance were all the absolute top-tier from the Wasteland Realm, meaning Wu Chang was likely to recognize some of them.

Among the four, one was indeed someone Wu Chang knew.

If Wu Chang was the most targeted player by the game administrators in the Wasteland Realm, then this man could be called the Wasteland Realm's unluckiest player.

On the third floor of a white three-story house near the battlefield, Xiang Jianxing crouched on the roof, carefully observing the distant fight.

Each of the nine combatants was a household name in the Wasteland Realm; even the weakest among them ranked within the top two hundred on the Wasteland Realm's player power list.

Mention any one of their nicknames on the player forums, and countless people would swarm to watch the big shots.

Hidden Class Transfers were rare in the Wasteland Realm, but among these nine combatants, the one without a Hidden Class Transfer was the unusual one.

To spy on a battle of this caliber, Xiang Jianxing had to be extremely cautious.

Technically, Xiang Jianxing's level hadn't even reached 30; unless he actively entered, he shouldn't have been matched into an S-rank instance at all.

But his Sword Cultivator Class Transfer gave him massive bonuses—it was a transfer achievable only in the Reason Realm, and he'd consistently ranked in the top ten of the Reason Realm's Class Transfer leaderboard.

Even now, unable to unleash his full Sword Cultivator power, if he went all out, he could hold his own against any single opponent below.

That barely qualified him to enter the Steam Phantom instance.

The good news: the Steam Phantom instance had never appeared before—it was newly generated, and its difficulty likely wasn't much higher than an A-rank instance.

The bad news: even the simplest S-rank instance was still an S-rank instance; to survive and leave, one had to be ready to exhaust every survival tool.

But ten days from now was the World Instance day.

If he burned all his cards in the Steam Phantom instance, he'd have no edge left for the World Instance.

Everyone was holding back, saving their strength for the World Instance—that's why the battle below was so restrained.

As Xiang Jianxing analyzed and recorded the combat styles of the players below, a voice came from behind him:

"What are you watching?"

Xiang Jianxing spun around in shock and found a burly player standing behind him—he'd appeared without warning. Xiang Jianxing nearly drew his sword to attack, but stopped when he recognized the face.

"Peace?"

Since the existence of the World Instance was revealed in "Hot Topics," no player in the Wasteland Realm failed to recognize Peace's face.

Wu Chang said, "We meet again."

Xiang Jianxing lowered his voice: "Thank you for helping me in the Silent Town instance."

Even now, Xiang Jianxing and the Administration hadn't realized the hidden NPC in the Silent Passage was a player.

So in Xiang Jianxing's view, their last meeting had still been in Silent Town.

Wu Chang dismissed it: "It was nothing."

Xiang Jianxing asked softly, "Peace, are you here to seize that item too?"

Wu Chang asked, "Seize what item?"

Xiang Jianxing shook his head. "It seems to be some kind of token, but I don't know exactly what. Our people heard that possessing this so-called token allows one to freely choose which faction to join."

Wu Chang's expression turned strange. Could the thing they were fighting over be the invitation to the Occult Gathering?

"Why don't you go seize it yourself?"

Xiang Jianxing said, "I'm waiting for two people. One of them is you."

Wu Chang asked curiously, "Waiting for me?"

Haven't we not seen each other for days? Has Xiang Jianxing become some kind of fortune-teller?

Xiang Jianxing said, "Several Bureau members entered the Steam Phantom instance with me. One of them is a senior who excels at breaking open instances."

"He said the plane where the Steam Phantom instance is located is the same as the former Moonlight Sanatorium instance, and the two are likely linked."

"He also said that whether Peace has entered this plane before, or according to the matching system, as long as Peace hasn't already obtained entry rights to the world instance, you should appear in this instance."

Wu Chang narrowed his eyes. Many knew of the Moonlight Sanatorium instance, but few knew its corresponding plane number.

The fact that he knew it—and remembered it—meant he had some substance.

Before he could press further, he heard a rapid pounding of footsteps from afar.

A group of black-clad secret police charged toward the players below, locked in battle.

"Grimlan Police Department! Cease combat! Surrender!"

The two factions exchanged glances and chose to temporarily halt fighting, fleeing in opposite directions.

Top-tier players' experience told them: never oppose the ruling power within an instance until its true nature is understood.

Seeing these damned transcendents not only refusing to surrender but preparing to flee, the secret police immediately opened fire.

The secret police used revolvers—slow rate of fire, but bullets moved at extreme speed, faster than most players' skills.

The bullet caliber was small, but the lethality was immense.

A strength-type player, slower than the others, lagged behind and was struck by a secret police bullet.

The bullet pierced not only his defensive skill but also his upper arm, nearly shattering his humerus.

Remember, every player here was among the top in the Wasteland Realm—each one a minor superhuman in the real world.

Strength-type players had absurdly dense muscle tissue. Not even a. 50 caliber anti-materiel rifle, used without defensive skills, could inflict such deep penetration wounds through pure flesh.

The secret police's bullets were definitely abnormal.

Xiang Jianxing pulled out a small-caliber bullet. "These secret police are a specialized institution of Stilan, designed to counter transcendents. Their bullets are specially engineered to inflict extra damage on transcendents."

"We tried acquiring a few rounds, but couldn't determine the source of their power."

Wu Chang said, "Can I see them?"

Xiang Jianxing said, "Of course. I carry them with me specifically for you."

Wu Chang took the bullet. It looked utterly ordinary—except for a tiny gear emblem engraved on the tip, with no other anomalies.

He saw no occult runes on it. After picking it up, no item information popped up before his eyes.

But his intuition told him this bullet was definitely abnormal.

While Xiang Jianxing wasn't looking, he took out the King's Medal he wore on his person from his personal space.

Wearing the King's Medal, he immediately saw different information on the bullet.

"Item Name: Anti-Magic Bullet" (Unlocked by King's Medal)

"Item Type: consumable"

"Item Skill: Anti-Magic"

"Skill Description: Modified from the Anti-Magic Crossbow mechanism. Causes non-negligible damage to targets possessing transcendental power. This effect can only be used by plane natives."

"Note: This bullet is manufactured by the Anti-Magic Steam Press, a core machine used by Stilan to suppress transcendents—the jewel in the crown of industry."

(End of Chapter)