ASER - Chapter 127
Chapter 127: Discovery
When A'Diao walked out the door, her steps faltered, and she steadied herself against the main entrance of the Sea-Sky One Hue restaurant. Qin Yin, who was with her, was startled. "Mr. Zhao, what's wrong?"
Her heart was bleeding; she had suffered internal injuries.
A'Diao didn't even need to act to reveal a pained expression. "My heart aches for the righteous individuals and soldiers who perished. It's too unbearable."
From Han Zhuo +288888!
Because it was too real, and besides, an ordinary person wouldn't throw around so much money just for show. After all, everyone knew Young Master Zhao was exceptionally resourceful, a person of intelligence and astuteness.
Clearly, he was also a person of deep affection and loyalty.
Having spent so much money, many people in the group chat were moved. They had already gathered to collect some of the funds to give to the families of the deceased and properly handle their affairs.
Regardless, her actions had benefited people.
Qin Yin and the other military personnel were moved. Qin Yin changed his form of address and said, "Big Brother Zhao, hang in there. The dead have passed; we must look forward."
He felt that Big Brother Zhao was so heartbroken she was about to vomit blood; her expression was truly too anguished.
It was like those few steps taken by a certain Huanhuan in some palace drama upon learning of her best friend's death... every step was filled with pain.
"Naturally, one must look forward. For a person in this world, fame, fortune, life, and death are all like fleeting clouds. Live well in the present."
A'Diao, still heartbroken over the money, took a deep breath, glanced at an ordinary cultivator standing by the door, and left with Qin Yin.
From Han Zhuo +222222!
Han Zhuo: "..."
At this moment, his expression was like that of a certain Heavenly King Andy Lau watching some popular young actress use eye drops to feign tears. The content of their inner thoughts was different, but both were greatly shocked.
He's faking it, he must be faking it! But it's too real!
At this moment, both Han Zhuo and Qin Yin fell into a state of some kind of delusion, unable to extricate themselves.
In acting classes, this is called "getting into character." It's a very advanced state, something one might encounter but cannot actively seek.
By the time A'Diao reached the military administration office, her Mental Power had already soared to one hundred fifty million, and it was still rising wildly, certain to surpass two hundred million. Furthermore, from now on, whoever stayed at Sea-Sky One Hue, as long as the bill went through her account, would likely contribute to her Mental Power.
Toilet couldn't help but exclaim, "Exchanging over two billion star coins for this Mental Power, you're ruthless enough."
Extravagantly inhuman.
Was this still the village girl A'Diao from a few months ago, who would pinch pennies and meticulously calculate every star coin?
A'Diao actually felt the pain acutely too, but the current opportunity was once in a lifetime. This was an excellent chance for these academy prodigies to deliver themselves to her doorstep for fleecing, and she could also reasonably go on a wild showing-off spree. How could she miss it!
Toilet: "But this showing off of yours is funded by loans. While other academy students are bickering, you're watching the drama and simultaneously using your credit line at Huayao Bank to borrow three billion to flex. That's pretty awesome!"
A'Diao: "So what? I borrowed the money with my own ability, and I'm showing off with my own ability!"
Toilet: "..."
Although she was fierce with Toilet, A'Diao's heart still ached faintly. Originally, after buying the 【Appoint Soldiers Summon Generals】 technique, her other money was mostly squandered. Later, after killing some people and collecting leftover valuables from corpses in the lair and so on, even adding up a few hundred million here and there didn't amount to much—certainly not enough for her current display of extravagance. But she was so smart; with a flash of inspiration, she borrowed three billion from Huayao Bank.
Toilet: "I'm just curious about Huayao Bank's reaction now..."
A'Diao: "Not much reaction. Just someone named Ling Du who suddenly sent me five hundred thousand Mental Power. Probably some Huayao Bank executive with clearance to check my account. Strange. I wasn't planning to actually default on the debt, so why such a big emotional fluctuation from him?"
Toilet: "..."
Borrowing their money to show off on their turf, and even fleecing the resources of their overbearing CEO type.
And you actually considered defaulting on the debt!!!!
But people who borrow to spend in advance usually don't come to a good end. A'Diao still had a common citizen's mindset; she felt scared inside, and the more she thought about it, the more guilty she felt.
Damn it, this loan has interest! And for such a large sum, even though the internal interest rate for high-level VIPs isn't high, it's still compound interest.
Sell Level 5 Spiritual Cores?
Why should I sell the Spiritual Cores I obtained through my own efforts? They definitely need to be fed to Toilet and the Great Spirit Gate.
A'Diao hesitated, her heart aching.
Ahhh! It's all that damn A's fault! When she kills him, she'll definitely clean out his entire fortune!!
Damn it!
Fortunately, she could soon redeem all the skills, including the 【Space Notes】 that A'Diao coveted... That could be considered some consolation.
And she was about to become a Lieutenant Colonel... She just didn't know if that Mysterious Person A would be happy about it.
When her military merits were being calculated, A'Diao was warmly welcomed by the numerous soldiers on the military side. As soon as she saw these tall, handsome, and strong "big brothers," A'Diao's eyes lit up.
Toilet: "?"
What was this person up to again!?
Then, as A'Diao continued to rummage through her loot, a pile of items, not from the corpses themselves, suddenly scattered on the ground.
Clatter clatter.
The ground was covered with Level 5 energy talismans.
All the officers in the entire plaza: "!!!"
"Oops, my apologies. Too many things."
A'Diao picked up these energy talismans and, with a calm expression, continued to rummage through her loot. However, several majors and lieutenant colonels, after hesitating and discussing among themselves, still came over together to ask if they could buy talismans.
"Brother Zhao, do you have a source? I know this might be asking too much, but... I really want to ask."
The current situation along the coast was mysterious and unpredictable, and they all wanted more resources.
Other resources were relatively easier to come by, but talisman resources were truly difficult to obtain.
Especially those Level 5 and above; they couldn't find any supply channels. Even if some were available, there weren't enough to go around.
A'Diao naturally wouldn't easily trade away strategic assets like talismans. After all, in times of need, money wasn't nearly as useful as talismans.
But she could farm Mental Power.
"It's the elders in my family... You also know I'm not short of money."
When the officers looked disappointed, A'Diao put on a reluctant expression and deliberately relented, "Then, how about trading with Spiritual Cores? Two Level 5 cores for one Level 5 energy talisman. Are you willing?"
This wasn't her taking advantage. If you asked anyone outside, hordes of people would rush over to offer Spiritual Cores for such a trade.
Spiritual Cores could be obtained through hunting, and Level 5 talismans could be bought from talisman masters.
However, those who could embed Spiritual Cores into talismans to create energy talismans were exceedingly rare; only grandmasters possessed such skill.
Elsewhere, even three Level 5 Spiritual Cores couldn't be exchanged for a single energy talisman of the same level.
This could be a lifesaver in a critical moment.
Then you might ask, if it was such a disadvantageous trade for others, why would A'Diao still sell?
Others might lose out, but she wouldn't. Her efficiency in making talismans was hundreds, even thousands of times greater than others. She could quickly create a pile of Level 5 energy talismans using Mental Threads. Even Level 6 energy talismans, she could now produce several simultaneously.
This was the source of her confidence.
The goodwill of these officers was practically free for the taking, and she wanted to establish herself as a valuable connection within their network.
Sure enough, these officers were ecstatic, afraid they'd miss out if they were too late. A crowd surged forward to exchange for energy talismans...
Because of this, the originally swift promotion process suddenly slowed down considerably...
The military personnel were cunning; afraid A'Diao would leave after her promotion was finalized, they deliberately prolonged her waiting time to allow their own people to exchange for more resources.
A'Diao knew this full well and let them proceed.
"Which divine young master from Kyoto is this? She's too incredible."
"She even said she wasn't favored at home. That's too modest! Which unfavored child would be given hundreds of Level 5 energy talismans?"
"This reincarnation is truly like hitting the jackpot."
The divine Young Master, Big Brother Zhao—hailed as a descended God of Wealth, an incarnation of a lucky cat—became famous throughout the military department of the Southern Sea's Five Prefectures.
Her reputation was second only to that of the Grand Governor of Qingzhou.
Meanwhile, the prodigies back at the restaurant learned that military officers were frantically exchanging Level 5 energy talismans from Young Master Zhao.
Dongguo Second Young Master had no choice but to proactively confess his foolish actions of the day to his clan, hoping the clan elders could offer some advice on how to mend the situation.
Elite clan education wasn't always effective, but when the disparity between parties was too great, these young masters were also extremely quick to admit defeat.
On the other side, Li Zhaowu also reported to her clan, deeply discussing the possibility of successfully seducing and marrying into a higher status...
"Old Song, you were too hasty." The other four prodigies of Qingzhou felt extremely bitter at this moment.
Song Erhu said nothing, his face dark as he drank plum juice.
Gulp gulp gulp!!!!
Mental Power +++.
But none of them knew that after A'Diao successfully infiltrated the military, she obtained her own dedicated satellite signal line. Only then did she feel at ease letting Sparrow take action.
"Are you sure the hacking techniques Chen Xun programmed for you are effective?"
"Yes. He's now the head of his own department. In terms of official rank and authority, he's at the Senior Third Rank."
So impressive. Does he have a super-brain or something?
A'Diao was curious, "But isn't he skilled in Forbidden Items and technological energy research?"
Sparrow: "That's his public specialty. He can't very well announce that he can also be a hacker, right? But he rarely does this kind of work anymore. He's just updated my programs a few times."
Hacker? A'Diao suddenly remembered the incident with Prefect Zhao of Tongzhou. That idiot Zhao Yu falling into the trap must have been Chen Xun's doing. No wonder he knew everything about the Zhao Clan.
"Alright then. Lock onto and monitor the search channels in this area... Anyone searching for the Zhao Clan of Taihang Mountain in Kyoto, record them all for me. Among these people, there must be A's direct subordinates."
Why make such an arrogant move? It was because Mysterious Person A must have already known about her killing the giant whale. She involved Han Zhuo, firstly, because it was the truth and the other party could verify it. Secondly, to highlight Han Zhuo's identity, making the other party slightly wary and hesitant to act rashly, because if Han Zhuo dared to come to Sea-Sky One Hue now, there must be experts from the Han Clan accompanying him. As for the third reason, she needed to make the other party start investigating her background.
If she investigated his leads, they would be prepared for it. It would be too difficult and likely yield no results.
But if she lured the other party into investigating her, by the same logic, she, in turn, could probe their true situation.
Now, she just had to wait for the results.
In the early days of the spiritual energy resurgence, even a Level 1 Spiritual Core could fetch a high price. But now, with more demonic spirits, an increase in human cultivators who have also grown stronger, the price of Spiritual Cores has dropped. The market has now stabilized. A Level 5 Spiritual Core costs around three million, provided one can find it for sale.
After deducting the cost of one Level 5 Spiritual Core (since she received two and effectively used one's value for the talisman) and Level 5 talisman materials for each transaction, A'Diao's net profit from this wave of trades was over three hundred Level 5 Spiritual Cores. At the current market price for Level 5 Spiritual Cores, she earned one billion star coins.
Toilet: "After this round, you have six thousand Spiritual Cores on hand, worth eighteen billion. If you sell them, you can afford to show off a few more times."
The logic was sound, but A'Diao, caressing the shiny Spiritual Cores, couldn't bring herself to part with them just yet.
What was there to be hesitant about? Toilet was puzzled.
A'Diao, with a melancholic expression, muttered, "I always feel like selling resources I worked hard to obtain is a loss, especially for such a base goal as money... I didn't feel this way when I plundered the bandits or raided the Cui family. Do you think I'm a pervert?"
Toilet: "..."
This line of thinking was a surefire guide to ending up in prison.
Actually, your core working principles aren't much different from those of bandits. The difference is the target: they, the 'black,' prey on the 'white' (the innocent), while you engage in 'black eating black' (preying on other criminals).
Big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp.
Toilet tentatively probed, "So if you're unwilling to sell the Spiritual Cores, how will you cover the loan deficit?"
A'Diao looked as if she had a sudden realization. "Ah, you reminded me! I really should go raid the enemy's lair and eliminate harm for the people, right!"
Right, my ass! That's exactly what you were thinking!
After returning to her room, A'Diao's Mental Power had stabilized at around three hundred fifty million.
A'Diao had previously spent thirty million to obtain the 【404 Array】. Now that she also had the 【Appoint Soldiers Summon Generals】 technique, she naturally had to learn it. But she also spent three hundred million to redeem 【Space Notes Volume 1】.
These two were her current learning priorities.
Fifty million remained, but it was still increasing, albeit not as rapidly as before. She needed to keep this Mental Power in reserve, as she might have to engage in more battles soon.
A'Diao was just about to start cultivating.
Sparrow: "Little Master Diaodiao, I've found something. Look at this person."
A'Diao looked at the information, her expression changing slightly.
Damn it! It's someone from the Qingzhou Grand Governor's Mansion.
Could Mysterious Person A be from the Xiao Clan? Or... it couldn't possibly be the Grand Governor himself, right?
"The cultivation level doesn't match. Grand Governor Xiao Mieluo of Qingzhou is already a Glimmer Upper Rank expert, stationed in A Zone. He definitely wouldn't be Mysterious Person A. Then who on earth is this person... One of his trusted aides? Or a subordinate? Let me check."
A'Diao quickly found out that Xiao Mieluo was twenty-eight years old, the eldest son of the direct line of the Xiao Clan in this generation. Although he was past the age of the current generation of academy-system prodigies, he held great power and possessed considerable influence throughout the entire Tang Song Imperial Court. Even the current prodigies of Qingzhou Academy wouldn't dare to provoke such a figure.
But the Xiao Clan was inherently the most powerful ruling family in the Five Prefectures, suppressing all other clans. Their bloodline was naturally extraordinary, and most of their clan disciples were talented. Among them, Xiao Ai, one of the top three at Qingzhou Academy, was his full younger brother.
The genetics in this family were undeniably excellent.
But would the Xiao Clan be the ones colluding with demonic spirits?
"If it's really someone from the Grand Governor's faction, I'd have to pack up the entire train station and flee overnight."
A'Diao knew that even if she were now at the Glimmer rank, she would never dare to challenge the Xiao Clan, who controlled the military power of the Five Prefectures.
Who knew how deep the waters ran there; she couldn't afford to provoke them.
The so-called feud from an assassination attempt was irreconcilable, but it could be put on hold for many days... Anyway, she could wait until she was strong enough to take revenge before addressing it.
Sparrow: "Then, Master, what's the next step? Should we run?"
A'Diao narrowed her eyes. Run? Was it really someone from the Xiao Clan?
She somehow felt that if someone from Xiao Mieluo's family were causing trouble, not only would a shrewd and powerful figure like Xiao Mieluo, with his far-reaching influence, likely detect it, but even if he didn't, he probably wouldn't condone it.
Destroying the Five Prefectures wouldn't be in his interest. After all, he was already Number One in the Five Prefectures, the local hegemon. Even officials sent down by the Imperial Court here didn't have as much say as he did.
Then it was... As A'Diao was pondering, Sparrow made another discovery.
"Master, I've compiled a list of everyone who searched for information on the Zhao Clan. Some of them directly searched for 'Zhao Ritian of Taihang Mountain'; these people should have some knowledge of the Zhao Clan. However, there's one person here who not only searched for Zhao Ritian but also for the Daoist arts Zhao Ritian excels in... I checked, and the attributes of the Daoist arts he mentioned match the techniques you used to kill the giant whale."
A glint flashed in A'Diao's eyes.
So, this person knew the outcome and process of her fight with the giant whale. Evidently, even if they weren't present, they must have gone to investigate the scene after she and Han Zhuo left, collecting residual traces and auras.
"Who is it?"
Sparrow: "Let me see... Found him. This person is named Lin Xijun. His identity isn't anything special, quite ordinary. But his cultivation is at the Forbidden Master level. He's currently affiliated with a wilderness team under the Li Clan."
The Li Clan of Yunzhou?
How did she run into this family again?
A'Diao thought of the Li Yuankai siblings. It wasn't that her standards were particularly high, but she felt that while those two were smarter and more shrewd than average, they weren't capable of managing such a large-scale operation. So, it must be their elders?
Regardless, this person was a key figure. He definitely had opportunities for direct contact or communication with Mysterious Person A.
Keep an eye on him!
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