Chapter 56

In the old-fashioned office, Qi Wen hung up.

He was not as decrepit as he sounded on the phone, only slightly aging. His fading white hair was slicked back neatly, and the suit he was wearing was ironed to perfection. His eyebrows were strong, giving him an air of strength even if he was not angry.

At the moment, he did not show any signs of displeasure as he massaged his brows, his expression unreadable.

Behind the office desk, the youngster eating a tangerine looked up unconcernedly and asked casually, “Dad, what did she say?”

Qi Wen looked calm. “She’s still young and immature. She’ll know how good home is soon.”

“Unappreciative of your kindness then?”

The youngster chuckled coldly. “The father is trash, and the daughter is a cripple. Did she really think she could become an invigilator by her own efforts? I have to say it, Dad, you don’t have to waste any feelings on a wasted investment who’ll have to marry into our family sooner or later… Tch, if it wasn’t for Grandfather’s wishes, I wouldn’t want a defective product like this even if it was given to me for free.”

Bang!

Qi Wen’s teacup shattered in front of him, the hot water splashing out and nearly making the youngster jump in fright.

“Shut up, you trash! What are you thinking in that head of yours? Are Grandfather’s wishes something you can attempt to just figure out!?”

Qi Wen’s eyes widened, glaring at him. “Also, are the Savior’s Association’s matters something you can meddle in? Actually involving yourself with that group of lunatics, you even left them leverage as well as that scourge! You’re afraid I won’t be angered to death by you early enough, is that it, Qi Yuan?”

“…”

Qi Yuan froze for a long time before replying stubbornly, “Aren’t I just trying to help out in our family matters?”

“Shut up! He Luo? He Luo, come in.”

Qi Wen abruptly slammed the walking stick in his hand on the ground, and an intelligent, capable-looking man walked in from outside.

“Send this wastrel back home,” Qi Wen said icily. “If he tries to leave before the rumors die down, break whichever leg he dares to put out the door!”

“Dad, isn’t this too much?”

Qi Yuan was annoyed. “What’s with you acting like I’ve opened a hole as big as the sky when I simply earned a little money? Weren’t you the one who started getting involved with them in the first place? What are you scared of, huh, Dad? That wh*re will have to serve you tea and pour you water sooner or later; would she still dare to offend us?”

Qi Wen was angered to the point of not wanting to deal with the boy anymore and merely closed his eyes.

Very soon, Qi Yuan was dragged away by the reasoning of his bodyguard, leaving He Luo alone in the office with his boss. He Luo’s expression was as calm as ever, and he did not speak.

After a long while, Qi Wen massaged the space between his eyebrows and finally let out a sigh, returning to his original imperturbable stout expression.

“Is it matters relating to the Savior’s Association?” He asked.

“Wang Hai has been hiding in the suburbs these two days, moving about sneakily. It seems like he’s contacting someone.”

He Luo continued, “Young Master was deceived by him. It seems he was given some incentive to do so. Although I’ve erased all traces of it, I’m afraid that the trouble the Savior’s Association will rile up might implicate us.”

“Where is he now?”

“Not sure. This afternoon, he sought me out and said he wanted to see you—”

He Luo paused, then repeated Wang Hai’s words. “He said he’s under orders from the baptized.

“As instructed, I told him that Boss is ill and cannot see anyone. He left after that.”

Qi Wen cast his dark eyes downward.

“Very good,” he said. “Very good.”

In the silence, Qi Wen’s fingers tapped his walking stick, seemingly talking to himself. “For decades, why have so many things happened in a backwater place like New Ocean?

“Having observed it for so many years, when the Huai household fell, then the Yin household came along. It wasn’t easy to get the Yin household to leave, but then the Savior’s Association started relentless causing trouble while hiding in the shadows…”

He narrowed his eyes, whispering softly, “One after another, all of them want to make others their pawns.”

He Luo did not say anything.

Qi Wen did not need someone to explain either.

As if he was busy weighing difficult choices, his expression constantly changed—occasionally somber, occasionally fierce.

Only when He Luo finally came forward was his train of thought interrupted. Unbothered by his angry gaze, He Luo said in a low voice, “Boss, when it’s broken, break it off*.”[1]

“…”

Qi Wen looked coldly at his assistant, who had followed him for many years, for a long, long time. He seemed to finally come to a decision and closed his eyes.

“What about that gigolo going around asking questions?”

“He was dealt with yesterday. His body has been dumped in the ocean,” He Luo answered. “The underlings have clarified that he was acting on his own. It was nothing to do with the Astronomical Association.”

Qi Wen’s expression calmed somewhat. “Does Yin Qing know what happened that year?”

“That matter has been dealt with very discreetly. No traces have been left behind.”

He Luo answered, “After that happened, I found someone to place a Memory Loss Curse, so the elementiums of everyone involved will slowly boil away. Even if they didn’t die by now, they would’ve become simpletons, remembering nothing. Even if she does know, she wouldn’t have any proof anyway.”

Not even the sound of breathing could be heard in the silence that followed.

After a long time, Qi Wen raised his eyebrow.

“Then finish it off.”

His expression was cool. “It was a mistake working with them that year, if not, we wouldn’t be plagued till today. Tomorrow, no, tonight, make a trip to clear out everything to do with the Savior’s Association. Don’t leave behind anything they can use as leverage.

“Though the Qi household is small, it’s not something any random lunatic can take control of…”

“Alright.”

He Luo nodded. “What about over at Yin Qing’s?”

“…We don’t have to take action.”

Qi Wen narrowed his gaze. “For now, our top priority is to pull ourselves out of the situation and withdraw… New Ocean is about to have a revolt. I would like to see how long she can hop over this pit of fire.”

.

In the evening, Huai Shi received a delivery.

To be precise, an unmarked vehicle stopped in front of the chalcedony museum door. After a call was made to Huai Shi asking him to come out, a box was thrown out the car door, and then it left.

“This is Yesterday Express’s style. They guarantee quality, quantity, and speed, but you can’t expect too much from their customer service.”

Crow stood on the table, claws swiping over a row of cell phones. She had a variety of applications Huai Shi did not recognize open, its list constantly being refreshed. There was a myriad of products, and the settlement currency was even more all over the place.

Notifications sounded endlessly, making it sound as though she was receiving takeaway orders.

After acquiring the basic tools, she recently seemed to be busying herself making potions.

On the surface, it could be said that she was working hard to help out the household, but Huai Shi was unsure exactly how much she earned. He only heard her shout something every other day about life in poverty being tough.

Only ghosts would believe it….

When Huai Shi walked into the basement carrying the box, he saw the crucibles on the table making gurgling noises and colorful gases floating about endlessly. If not for the huge hundred-watt lightbulb on the ceiling, simply put, he would have thought he had walked into some crazy alchemist’s laboratory.

“Honestly speaking, this outdatedness is due to a lack of qualifications. I can only rely on flasks and beakers.”

Crow expressed contempt toward her situation. “With our current budget, even a decent centrifuge and solution crystallizer are unaffordable, let alone a cleanroom layout, cracking furnace, and a bunch of other stuff…”

After looking through her requested items list, Huai Shi felt as though she wanted to open a chemical plant beneath his own house. His brain started to ache. ‘Since when do you alchemists keep with the times?’

“Don’t be silly. Beakers and crucibles—can these types of toys that can only be used to mess around in junior high chemistry lessons compare to professional equipment worth hundreds of thousands, or even millions?”

Crow turned to glance at him. “The nature of alchemy is to burn money. If you don’t put in money, how’re you going to get strong?”

Huai Shi was upset. “I still don’t see myself getting stronger after putting in this much!”

“That means you didn’t put in enough. Put in more. You didn’t even put in a Ferrari’s worth, yet you dare to say you’ve invested?” Crow rolled her eyes and motioned for Huai Shi to put the thing on the table.

In the afternoon, she had sold off the loot Huai Shi had risked himself to bring back—the Wailing Snake’s horns.

Its surprise appearance was not unwelcome. She willingly bartered and exchanged for quite a few materials from the other party.

After inspecting the materials, Crow nodded in satisfaction. “Not bad. With this, the materials needed for your complimentary potions in the future, and a portion of the materials needed for your stigmas are gathered.”

“Just these?”

Huai Shi lowered his head and looked at the miscellaneous items sealed in bottles lined up in the box.

There were a few bottles of oddly-colored powders, a crystallized druse, a few pitch-black iron ores as well as various liquids that seemed to have been extracted from plants…

He had no idea what to make of this.

“This is Rainbow Ash. In the past, the Nordics would call the naturally-occurring space transfer phenomenon a rainbow bridge. This is the natural substance that is left behind the phenomenon ends. It is a superior material used as a blending agent.

“This is Proof of the Silent. It looks like ore but is actually an elementium polymerization agent.

“This is a rare item that only has a chance of appearing after someone keeps their oath after being entrusted to keep a secret their entire life. It can be said that it’s the crystallization of will and loyalty. The fact that this one here is big as a thumb means that this particular secret was indeed something.

“As for the ore, it’s just some common Dark Metal and Frost Silver. They’re actually the cheapest items.

“These materials are essential when I help you make the stigma.”

Crow explained them one by one, then looked at the sacrificial sword Huai Shi had put on the table. “Still, the main ingredient is this thing.”

The sacrificial sword, after being stared at by her, made a trembling sound as if it was scared and kept attempting to jump out of its sheath to escape. However, after she stepped on it with her claw, it did not move anymore.

It simply kept wailing, as if begging for her mercy.

It was clearly supposed to be an incomparably fearsome Blood Drinker Sword, but looking at it now, it looked like a lab rat waiting to be slaughtered in a laboratory.

Crow suddenly asked, “Huai Shi, do you still remember what a stigma is?”

“Uh-huh. I remember you said it’s… a solidified wonder?”

“Yes, correct. The so-called stigma is the name of an intangible wonder that is turned into a substance.”

Crow shrugged slightly. “Though these wonders often bring disasters—the brains of the people who hope a wonder found in hell can bring happiness definitely aren’t normal, are they?

“—the special qualities of border relics aren’t limited to their uses or the fact that they are in hell. It’s more due to them being a product of an abyss wonder. Calling it an otherworldly stigma wouldn’t be too—”

Having heard to this point, Huai Shi finally understood and could not resist rolling his eyes. “In other words, you want to disassemble a car, remove its engine, and make me a bike, right?”

“That’s pretty much the concept. Disassemble the east wall to repair the west wall, you know.” Crow waved her wings, seeming to possess maximum confidence. “Don’t worry. We won’t actually use that much.

“I’ll piece together the leftovers, so this sword will probably still be usable… I think.”

Huai Shi could not be bothered to say anything else.

He could only pray in his heart that his stigma would not be too fraudulent. He did not ask for much, only that she would not take out the basic uses and sell them like DLCs.

Preselling every five minutes was bad enough. If a Collector’s Edition worth of gold came out later, how unbearable would that be?

“Right. What’s that?”

Huai Shi pointed to the corner, at the basin where a strange map had emerged. He could vaguely distinguish New Ocean’s topography on it. In a remote area, a spot of light soundlessly extinguished.

“Oh, that.”

Crow glanced at it and said meaningfully, “It’s the location where Wang Hai is currently hiding.”

[1] Normally advice to end a relationship