Chapter 755: The 7 Gods (Part 1)

“Speak. Who sent you? What do you want with me?”

In the dimly lit room, Ophelia turned to stare at Hu Qi, who had just entered.

Her voice was calm, but a closer look revealed the tense line of her shoulders and the slight half-step she took backward.

These details betrayed her inner wariness.

Hu Qi took it all in, his gaze sweeping casually toward a corner of the room.

A gentle smile touched the corners of his lips.

“Ired sent me.”

As he spoke, information about the woman flashed through his mind.

In the tangled circles of Professionals in Night Crow Harbor, the Round Bell was a relatively low-key group.

And the Ophelia before him was one of its members.

She was also the one who had guided Ired into the world of Professionals.

The path she followed was known as the Drunken Dream Master.

This was a rather unique professional path.

It was completely different from Hu Qi’s Fire Torturer path.

It was not a path geared toward direct combat.

Starting from Sequence Nine, the Wine Taster, this path exhibited unique qualities.

A Professional on this path could drink fine wine for a chance to obtain fragments of the brewer’s memories.

These could include, but were not limited to, combat techniques, Magic Potion Science, and various forms of Steam Knowledge.

They could even develop an astonishing tolerance for alcohol.

Upon reaching Sequence Eight, the Bartender, they could mix drinks with all sorts of wondrous effects.

For example, a strong liquor that briefly enhanced physical strength, or a sweet nectar that made one forget their pain.

The Ophelia before him was precisely a Sequence Eight Bartender.

The Blood Joy she had mixed before was one such special concoction.

Thanks to the enhancement from the Drunken Dream Master’s Extraordinary Traits,

an otherwise ordinary drink would become something else entirely.

It offered immense benefits to the body.

It could instantly nourish one’s Qi and Blood, stimulating the brain and producing a feeling of extreme pleasure.

This was why it was named ‘Blood Joy’.

However, under normal circumstances, only a Professional could withstand such a drink.

If an ordinary person were to swallow it,

there was only one possible outcome.

Their Qi and Blood would boil, their blood vessels would rupture, and they would die.

Ophelia did not believe Hu Qi’s words.

“Ired sent you? What proof do you have…”

However, her words of doubt caught in her throat halfway through.

Right then, before her eyes,

Hu Qi extended his hand.

Tendrils of flame, as if drawn by some unknown force, surged from the nearby kerosene lamp.

They gathered in his palm, forming a cluster of constantly dancing fire.

The glow of the fire was especially harsh in the dim room.

As Ired’s guide, this was a scene she knew all too well.

This was the fire-controlling Ability of an Arsonist, Sequence Nine of the Fire Torturer path.

“Ired actually taught you this professional path…”

Ophelia raised her slender eyebrows slightly, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

After all,

it had been less than a year since their last gathering.

Before this, she had never heard Ired mention taking on an apprentice.

This meant the person before her had entered an Extraordinary Sequence in just half a year.

Such Talent was truly astonishing.

However, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that Ired had been secretly training him all along and simply hadn’t told them.

Thinking of this,

Ophelia asked about something else.

“How is Ired? Did he succeed in his advancement?”

Hu Qi lowered his head slightly, his tone heavy.

“Instructor Ired… he met with an accident during his advancement.”

He paused for a moment, as if collecting his words.

“Before he died, he told me that if I wished to continue on the Path to Transcendence, I could seek guidance here.”

His account was concise, yet it cleverly obscured certain details.

Such as Ired’s true cause of death.

In his version, Ired had an accident during the advancement process.

After listening, Ophelia fell silent for a moment.

Her gaze fell on the dancing flame in Hu Qi’s palm, its light flickering in her deep eyes.

“What a pity…”

Her voice held a trace of regret.

The advancement process for a Professional’s Sequence was extremely dangerous.

The slightest mistake could result in death.

Every advancement was like dancing on the edge of a cliff; one misstep, and you would plunge into a bottomless abyss.

Dying on the spot was actually considered fortunate.

What was more terrifying was to suffer spiritual pollution from a higher-order being and ultimately transform completely into a horrifying monster.

At this thought, she couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

Ired had been a rare talent; otherwise, she would never have brought him into this circle.

With his Talent, he had a real chance of breaking through to Sequence Eight.

As his guide,

he was an ally on her side. If he had been able to advance to Sequence Eight, it would have naturally benefited her as well.

“Back in the village, Instructor Ired never explained the relevant knowledge about Professionals in detail.”

Hu Qi said with a serious expression.

“I’ve come this time precisely to systematically learn the details of the Professional system, as well as knowledge regarding the Ancient Burrim Language.”

This was his goal.

To use this opportunity to make contact with the Professional circle and obtain more information about Professionals and Mystical Knowledge.

The Ancient Burrim Language was different from the common tongue that ordinary people in this world used for communication.

It was a language used specifically to record Mystical Knowledge.

Magic Potions, various mystical rituals, and information about Professionals were all recorded in the Ancient Burrim Language.

Unlike the common tongue, this language possessed the power to stir Spirituality.

Therefore, mastering the Ancient Burrim Language was a necessary Skill for every Professional.