Lord of Prayer - Chapter 61 - 54: Riddlers, Get Out of Jinzhu

Chapter 61: Chapter 54: Riddlers, Get Out of Jinzhu

“Another new mission?”

Zhou Chen looked at the message from Birdman and sighed helplessly. ’Are you guys at Eternal Fire treating me like a tool too? Not even one day off?’

’Working overtime every day without any extra pay… Oh, right, most companies don’t pay for overtime. Never mind, then.’

He typed with his thumb, stating his demand concisely:

“All I need is Canaan Blue.”

“Ha, of course I know that. Don’t worry, the reward won’t disappoint you. Your performance this time impressed a lot of people. Even that esteemed person praised you endlessly, saying you’re sure to become a terrifying Killing Maniac in the future. Hahaha.”

’That esteemed person?’

Zhou Chen’s brow twitched. ’Who is this “esteemed person”? Cyan Whale? Or some unknown high-ranking member of Eternal Fire? All these riddle-speakers need to get the hell out of Jinzhu!’

“By the way, the Star Association isn’t suspicious of you, are they?” Birdman asked.

“I was clean. I made it look like an accidental coincidence. The Star Association has no reason to dig deeper into it. They’re busy tracking the whereabouts of Iron Python and Lady Grey.”

“That’s good. Heh… Here’s a free piece of intel for you: Iron Python has outlived his usefulness and will soon be a corpse. As for that bitch Lady Grey, I had someone sell out her location. She’ll either be caught by the Star Association or silenced beforehand.”

’Iron Python is going to die? And Lady Grey’s location was sold out?’ As Zhou Chen was reeling from the shock, he quickly opened his chat with Jiang Che to report the matter.

The act of a mole backstabbing his organization was performed in one smooth motion.

Iron Python and Lady Grey were two major heads of illegal enterprises in the Jinzhu Region. With them gone, the entire black market industry in the region would be thrown into turmoil, leading to a complete reshuffle.

But, if Iron Python was gone, there would just be a Copper Python. If Lady Grey was gone, there would be a Madam Bai… They seemed like leaders in the criminal underworld, incredibly powerful, but in reality, they were just dogs used by the masterminds behind the scenes to make money. If one fell, another could easily be propped up. The masterminds, meanwhile, could just lie at home while a steady stream of illicit funds flowed in.

Right now, Iron Python’s and Lady Grey’s days were numbered. Having lost all their value, they would most likely be silenced by their superiors. But if the Star Association could arrest them in time, they could obtain criminal evidence against their backers. This was the best chance to go after those big shots.

Zhou Chen believed that Jiang Che wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by. If she could clean up the black market in the Jinzhu Region, her promotion assessment would go much more smoothly.

“See you tomorrow night, same place. Let me know if anything comes up,” Birdman sent as his last message.

“Got it.”

The moment Zhou Chen finished replying, a notification popped up from a shopping platform.

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“I still had to shamelessly ask Kalina for money… Ugh, I really don’t want people calling me a pretty boy who lives off his girlfriend… I hope I can pass the exam.”

In a rented apartment somewhere in Old Paris, Soron wiped the lipstick mark off his face with a tissue and straightened his slightly messy hair. The scent of expensive perfume still clung to him, lingering in the air. He looked at the black and gold bank card on the table and couldn’t help but sigh softly.

Kalina had forced it on him when he went to borrow money just now. It contained five million, enough for him to buy new Alchemy Materials and even pay off all his debts. And this was just the pocket money Kalina had saved up in a year.

Realizing the financial gap between himself and his rich, beautiful girlfriend, Soron heaved another long, melancholic sigh.

—This melancholy was also tinged with the fear and trepidation of having encountered the “Lamp God.”

The unknown Extraordinary realm, the mysterious “Lamp God,” and that incredibly coincidental “opportunity” filled him with an irrepressible sense of awe.

Even if the Lamp God meant no harm, Soron didn’t dare breathe a word of it to anyone. He was convinced that the mysterious gentleman was watching him in secret, waiting for his next visit.

The words the Lamp God had said as he was leaving intensified this feeling—”If you have another wish, remember to prepare a story of equal value.”

This meant the “Lamp God” believed they would meet again.

Soron bit his nails, thinking:

“Encountering the ’Lamp God’ is a mixed bag. On the one hand, he can grant some of my wishes, and I can use his power to grow stronger.

On the other hand, I don’t know his true purpose, so it would be easy to be used without realizing it. Hmm, if the Lamp God is evil, he’ll definitely increase the price of granting wishes over time. Eventually, he’ll most likely demand my flesh and blood, or even my Soul. Or he might Twist my wishes…”

Because of his family’s past experiences, Soron found it difficult to trust the “Lamp God.” But he believed that if the other party was truly a powerful Ascender, his trust wouldn’t be needed anyway.

“Maybe I can discreetly ask my teacher… And once I officially become an Alchemist, I’ll have access to the Alchemy Association’s database. I can see if I can find any relevant information then. For now, it’s best to keep this a secret…”

A thousand thoughts raced through Soron’s mind. His imagination ran wild for a long time until the vibration of his phone pulled him back to reality.

Payment successful. Transaction approved. The seller, “Meow Meow Squad Catches Big Fish,” will ship the item within half an hour.

“The alchemy exam is next Saturday. I can still make it…” Soron breathed a sigh of relief. The great weight on his chest had finally been lifted.

He stared at the fake material on the table, a cold light gradually appearing in his green eyes.

“William, and the rest of you, just you wait!”

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「Jinzhu City.」

Zhou Chen went to the courier station and mailed the Screaming Grey Tree Core. However, he didn’t receive the wish fulfillment value for completing the wish yet. It seemed he would have to wait until the item reached Soron.

Afterwards, he returned to his dorm for Meditation. As soon as his Spiritual Power recovered, he went back to the ocean of collective consciousness, wanting to enter that mysterious place to explore.

“Strange, why can’t I get in there anymore…”

“The deep connection with the Wish Bubble is gone. Is there a cooldown time?”

He tried many times in the ocean of collective consciousness and finally confirmed that he was temporarily unable to re-enter the mysterious area with the dry fountain. It seemed he would have to wait for the “cooldown period” to end.

Since he couldn’t go in and explore, Zhou Chen continued to sift through the Wish Bubbles, looking for wishes he could fulfill.

Looking at the Wish Bubbles floating around him, he told himself to be careful. Just tricking one person had taken everything he had; he couldn’t imagine dealing with another.

If he accidentally pulled Jiang Che in, he’d be exposed in minutes and arrested on the spot.

Time flew by. Only when his Spiritual Power began to feel drained did he finally filter out two wishes.

The first wish was from Old Yang. He was preparing for his Tier Two Alchemy Ceremony and was short on money for resources. Zhou Chen could find an opportunity to sponsor him.

The second wish was from Jiang Che. She had slept less than twenty hours in five days, surviving on extra-strong coffee and stimulants. Now, she was hoping someone could help her with her work so she could finally get some sleep.

Zhou Chen decided to check in on his superior and curry some favor. He wanted Jiang Che to see him in a better light, which would hopefully lead to more promotions, a higher salary, and fewer dirty, tiring, and difficult jobs.

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