“Thorned Flower Guild…”
Miao Yan’s face turned extremely solemn and the indifferent expression on her face finally dissipated. She narrowed her eyes and stared at the man known as Shen. “Should I be feeling honoured? The infamous Thorned Flower Guild Leader is standing before me. I am curious though; with the strength that your guild has, was there any need to seek outside help?”
Shen maintained a calm and dashing smile. “No one person or organization is all-powerful. There will always be a weakness and an area where one has no expertise in.”
“What I am curious about is how you found me,” Miao Yan asked softly. “I am not a famous person within the circle of Players and those who know me are few in number.”
“There are special ways, aren’t there?” Shen smiled in a playful manner and winked. “Miss Miao Yan, you have an exalted Exclusive Account, in addition to having the highest supervisory authority. Those with such a high level of authority are far and few; I could probably count them all with one hand.”
Miao Yan’s face changed slightly. “You… could it be you have connections within the Development Team?”
Shen raised his head to look at the skies. Observing the stars in the night sky, he suddenly uttered out a laugh. “Enough. This is such a beautiful night; let us not waste it discussing this boring topic.”
“Then let us talk business,” Miao Yan said in a serious tone. “Did you bring what I want?”
Shen sighed. “Naturally.”
He raised his right hand and his sleeves fluttered. Next, a beam of light suddenly appeared before Miao Yan, suspended gently in place. Surprisingly, there was a golden seed within the light!
“World Tree…” Miao Yan stared at the glowing golden seed, seemingly in a daze. She then exhaled and muttered. “So, this thing really does exist.”
“It does not merely ‘exist’,” Shen said lightly. “Very well, I have shown my sincerity.”
“You will also get to see my sincerity,” Miao Yan said before pulling out a card from her pocket.
“This is?” Shen looked at the card within Miao Yan’s hand and frowned.
“Considering how big that item is, there is no way for me to take it with me, right? That is a coffin. Have you ever seen someone running through the street while carrying a coffin? Besides, I do not trust strangers,” Miao Yan replied with indifference. “I stored the item within a private warehouse in Tokyo Port Terminal. This card is the pass needed to unlock the warehouse. As for the address, it is at the back of the card.”
Shen’s pair of bluish sapphire eyes narrowed and he glanced at Miao Yan. The corners of his lips slowly turned up a little. He extended his hand to accept the card and pocketed it without examining it.
“… are you not afraid that I might be lying?” Miao Yan looked on blankly.
Shen gave an indifferent smile. “Since I have chosen to make this deal with you, I will trust you. Naturally, the one I trust more… is myself. The last time someone lied to me happened so long ago that I cannot even recall the appearance of that person.”
Miao Yan replied coldly. “Needless to say, that fellow’s ending must be excruciatingly horrible.”
“I have always been a fair person,” Shen gave a light smile. “If others show me sincerity, then I will reciprocate with sincerity as well. If others try to deceive me, well… the Thorned Flower Guild has thorns.”
Miao Yan stared at Shen for a long time before revealing a smile. “You are a very confident person. All right then, our transaction is complete and I have nothing else to talk about with you. Next time, do not come looking for me. I do not like doing business with infamous guilds like yours. As for this time’s middleman, I will no longer be in contact with him.”
“That means there is no telling when we will meet again,” Shen sighed.
Miao Yan extended her hand and gripped the suspended golden seed within her palm before keeping it into the system. Turning to regard Shen, Miao Yan knitted her eyebrows. “I am curious, what are you planning to do with Qin Shi Huang’s coffin?”
“I do not mind answering that question,” Shen replied indifferently. “Of course, that is if you are willing to tell me why you want to collect the seeds of the ‘World Tree’…”
“ … Forget it,” Miao Yan pondered before shaking her head. “Truthfully, I am not that curious. Let us keep our respective secrets.”
Watching Miao Yan moving away, Shen waited until she had taken a few steps before revealing a smile and calmly said. “There are seven seeds of the World Tree in total. Miss Miao Yan, do you not wish to know the whereabouts of the other seeds?”
“No,” Miao Yan did not even bother to turn her head and waved her hand as she walked off. She replied loudly. “The price of doing business with people like you is too high. This time, for the sake of acquiring the coffin of Qin Shi Huang, I nearly lost my life. I will look for the seeds myself. Do not contact me again in the future!”
Observing Miao Yan leave through the intersection without turning back, Shen let out a soft sigh.
He raised his head and looked at the ‘Thunder Gate’ of Senso-ji Temple. Suddenly revealing a smile, he sat down on the platform.
Despite wearing an immaculate white coloured trench coat, he appeared nonchalant as he sat down before raising his head to gaze at the stars in the sky. After observing with amazement for a while, he gave out a bitter laugh. “Such a beautiful sky would cause anyone who looks at it for too long to get lost in its beauty.”
After saying that, Shen shut his eyes and stood up. “Enough, a fake is a fake. No matter how beautiful it is, it is still illusory in the end.”
Shen walked out of Senso-ji Temple into the outer streets and the champagne coloured Bentley Continental slowly moved until it was beside him. Shen then got into the car.
“Go back home,” Shen leaned upon the seat and closed his eyes.
“Guild Leader,” The driver seated up front was a strapping middle-aged man. “Are we going back just like this? On the day after tomorrow, there will be an instance dungeon in Tokyo. Members of Team C have already arrived at Tokyo. Do you want to go receive them?”
“That is merely an [A] Class technological type instance dungeon,” Shen retrieved a wine glass from the car’s cabinet and poured himself a glass of whiskey. Sipping a mouthful, he then said indifferently. “I am not in the mood to deal with these small matters. You will stay behind and observe then. Team C has failed their quest once, right? If a problem crops up again this time, then there is no need for Team C to exist anymore.”
After saying that, he gently finished the glass of whiskey and closed his eyes, no longer saying anything.
…
… …
They spent another day in Zero City.
Chen Xiaolian judged that it was time for them to leave. Zero City was indeed a good place; the high quality equipment and goods sold in the flea market and business district were simply dazzling.
Even so… they do not have enough points on them. The points that they have were not considerable and the 1,000 points that Chen Xiaolian has were simply insufficient to buy anything.
Rather than watch on with envy, they might as well leave.
However, Roddy’s chuunibyou illness flared up and he shamelessly begged Chen Xiaolian to stay for another day.
He said that he wanted to go to the Military Arms Department to look at the Mechs and various other weapons of the technological type.
Truthfully, both Chen Xiaolian and Qiao Qiao were able to see through his mind easily – this fellow wanted to go to the outdoor bar and café in the evening to test his luck, he wanted to see if he could meet the pilot known as Nicole again.
Since there was nothing important going on, they acquiesced with this fellow’s request to satisfy him this one time.
Everyone stayed in Zero City for one more day. On the third day, they left together.
They checked out of the ‘Tourist Lodge’ and walked non-stop until they reached the central plaza. As they were passing through the beach area of the Sea of Love, that buffoon, Roddy kept turning his head to stare incessantly at the area – last night, he sat at the bar situated in the Sea of Love until daybreak, but was unable to meet the purple-haired girl, Nicole again.
After arriving at the central plaza, they entered the teleportation gate and were instantly teleported to the rooftop of a big building.
They found that the receptionist for this big building’s rooftop was different. Furthermore… the matter that surprised them was the apparent increase in security on the rooftop. There were actually four Sentinel Mechs standing in the vicinity!
There were also two Awakened ones wearing protective suit, standing behind the table.
“This is the public Entrance and Exit Gate. Are you planning to leave?”
An unfamiliar receptionist came over and smiled. “You may take the elevator to leave. At the same time, I must remind you all: Once you walk out of the elevator, Zero City’s period of opening will end for all of you. If you want to return to Zero City after that, you will have to wait until the next opening period to enter. Are you all certain that you want to leave?”
“Certain,” Qiao Qiao said loudly and slapped Roddy in the head – that fellow has been staring at the surrounding Mechs, staring at their cockpits… unfortunately, even though the cockpits were transparent, the pilots inside were all wearing helmets and thick protective suits. Forget recognizing their appearance, even identifying their gender would be impossible.
“In that case, goodbye,” The receptionist gave a light smile.
Chen Xiaolian pulled Roddy as they left but this buffoon suddenly extricated himself from Chen Xiaolian’s hand. Roddy turned around to face the Mechs and shouted:
“Nicole, maybe you are here! Maybe you are not! If that is the case, I beseech of these pilots to send my message to her! Please tell her, I, Roddy will definitely succeed in wooing her!”
Hearing those words, the receptionist and even the two grim looking Awakened ones behind the table, they who were obviously part of the security personnel were stunned.
The receptionist and the two Awakened ones could not restrain themselves and they laughed out. One of them stared at Roddy. “Where did this idiotic kid come from? Hahaha! I am about to die of laughter!”
“Idiot!” Qiao Qiao viciously struck Roddy on his head. Roddy gripped his head in pain and dared not fight back. However, he kept his attention directed at the Sentinel Mechs in the vicinity before Chen Xiaolian dragged him into the elevator.
Once the elevator doors closed…
“Hahahahahahahaha!!”
The Mech on the left side suddenly erupted with gleeful laughter. Even though his voice was electronically synthesized, the Mech he was in appeared unable to stand steady from his laughter. One could imagine how much the pilot inside was laughing.
“Nicole! Hahahaha! Nicole, you have another infatuated fan! Hahahahahaha! What a courageous youngster!”
“A courageous kid! I will bet 50 points on his success!”
“I will bet 100 points, that idiotic kid is dead for sure! Hahaha!”
Three of the Mechs burst out in a frenzy of laughter.
Then…
The fourth Mech that had been remaining silent suddenly raised a foot to kick down the Mech that was laughing the hardest!
“Is it that funny?”
Despite the electronically synthesized voice, if Roddy were here, he would have recognized that tone – that was Nicole!
Nicole was actually present amongst the four Mechs!
Nicole sat in the cockpit, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. Her face was red as she fiercely said. “If anyone dares to laugh again, when we get back, I will break that person’s leg!”
…
“Being with you is simply too embarrassing,” Qiao Qiao sighed as she kicked Roddy out of the elevator.
The outside area of the elevator was not the big business building that they had entered through, instead…
It was a bustling shopping mall!
The outside of the elevator led to the first floor of the shopping mall. The malls there were crowded and bustling with activity.
They looked at each other. Lun Tai though, remained calm. “This is very normal. Sometimes, the exit passage is not the same as the entrance passage. Perhaps it is for the sake of confidentiality. Let us leave this place.”
Walking out of the elevator, they realized that this place was actually the most bustling spot in Tokyo – Ginza!
“Let us call a cab and return to the hotel,” Qiao Qiao thought about it before smiling. “Or we can just go back to the airport. I can book the tickets while we are on the way there. Or I can get my old man’s airplane to come fetch us.”
Chen Xiaolian deliberated the matter. “Return to the hotel.”
Qiao Qiao narrowed her eyes. “Could you be thinking of searching for the woman known as Miao Yan?”
Chen Xiaolian looked at Qiao Qiao. He extended his hand to feel her hair and smiled gently. “Jealous?”
“I…” Qiao Qiao blushed. Then, she snorted. “I am not!”
“So what if you are jealous? Why deny it?” Chen Xiaolian’s fingers reached Qiao Qiao’s ears and he gently pinched them. “Seeing you becoming jealous because of me makes me very happy.”
Seeing the furious expression on Qiao Qiao’s face caused the rest of them to turn their heads away.
Qiao Qiao snorted and proceeded to call a cab.
Roddy pointed to a random café in the shopping mall and suggested that they go in for a while.
At that moment, Chen Xiaolian’s face suddenly changed!
“Eh?”
Chen Xiaolian’s face suddenly turned pale as he gaped at the sight before him… however, it was clear that his eyes were not focused on anything!
“What is it?” Qiao Qiao knitted her eyebrows and pulled Chen Xiaolian’s arm.
Chen Xiaolian’s face was a mask of helplessness and confusion. However, there was mostly rage!
“Bloody Hell! … The Guild System has suddenly received… an instance dungeon notification!”
“Instance dungeon notification?”
Roddy, Xia Xiaolei, Lun Tai and Bei Tai convened around him, their faces turning grim.
With an expression of absurdity, Chen Xiaolian directly used the guild channel to share out the system prompt.
“What is going on here?”