Chapter 10 The mission
(Have not been proofread)
…
We went to the village square and were briefed on the plan of how to destroy the black mist once and for all. I heard that a few years back, this plan was also implemented but failed due to the lack of information and the strength of the people at that time.
Only a handful of them were able to return and the rest was left inside that dreadful black mist and was never heard of from them ever again.
Everyone knew of the danger this time but many still wanted to join the mission as they now have a weapon against the black mist.
I am now currently looking at a spherical-shaped leather bag that contained fine powdered Ether dust.
"So this is the weapon that was used to drive away the black mist…" I began checking the dust with my spiritual eyes and saw that it contained a few mixtures.
For some this mixture is unknown, but for me… I have already determined what they are.
"Ghost dust powder and mandrake root… Hmm… What are those?"
I curiously separated the fine dust and checked them carefully on the small table of my hotel room.
"Oh… So this Ghost dust powder is poisonous… while the mandrake root serves as a catalyst… But for what?"
My subconscious mind displayed a lot of things but it serves me nothing as it just showed me the components. It is up to me to deduce what they are and how they function.
Feeling a bit bored as I have not understood anything, I gathered everything using my knife and shifted my eyes to the one-and-a-half tree branch lying on the floor.
I quickly sat on the ground and began cutting and sharpening the tree branch.
"I wonder why the memory of this body was broken…" I muttered subconsciously.
But when I blink, I noticed some writing in my subconscious mind.
"The host body was hit by this celestial object to the head and shattered his brain. The brain has been repaired but most of the intact memory was taken by the host's previous spirit…"
Upon reading this, it now dawned on me that this should really be the reason why I could not remember anything at all.
But the question now is that… who am I? Which spirit do I belong to?
"Answering the query of the host… You are a random soul that was bound to this celestial object and entered this host."
I was a bit dumbfounded upon reading that.
"It means… I might have died somewhere in this world…" I muttered feeling a bit incredulous.
But since I have no further memory of anything, I could only heave a helpless sight and shake my head.
I began to focus on my work. I need more weapons to be able to survive that eerie mission that I've got to involve myself in.
Early the next day, I opened my eyes after meditating.
Meditating is also a subconscious action that I think this body would always do at night.
Though I have no idea why, I still do it because it enables me to communicate more on those small balls of light which makes me feel at peace.
Knock! Knock!
"Come in!" I called.
When the door opened, I saw Big sister Xhiling and another young woman enter my room.
I did not move from my meditating position and just shifted my gaze at them.
"Can… Can he really see?" I suddenly heard the young woman who seems to be Xin Mei ask in a low voice.
"Hehe… Watch this…" Big Sister Xhiling suddenly bends down.
I was curious about what she would do. But I knew from that smile of hers that she is going to play another trick.
Big sister Xhiling is wearing a light blue robe with a ponytail. She looks a bit heroic and masculine. While the other woman still wears the same cyan robe and a veil which made me think if she ever changes her clothes.
Big sister Xhiling suddenly lifted her skirt in front of me.
Upon seeing this, I was a bit flustered and quickly shifted my head to the side subconsciously as if it would work, so I still saw the white inner shorts that she is wearing.
"Hihi… See, he can see just fine." She suddenly chuckled.
"Hey, little brother… We are going out shopping… do you want to come with us?"
I thought for a while and decided to go with them as I feel a bit bored staying in the hotel. The mission will be tomorrow, so it would not be that bad to go around and maybe buy something.
"Okay…" I said as I jump off the bed and quickly grab my jacket from the side.
The three of us walks out of the inn and soon arrived near the village square.
Although this village is not that big, it still has a lot of people.
If I am not wrong, I could see almost a thousand people walking inside this huge market.
When we arrive, many of them could not help but look at the three of us.
Well, I could not blame them for that.
Our group looks like two sisters taking their little brother for a stroll.
My height is only near the two's shoulder so I am a bit small. Of course, that would be the case as I am only 10.
As we stroll around the market, I suddenly noticed a strange spiritual fluctuation from an object.
As I subconsciously walk towards it, Big sister Xhiling stopped me.
"Don't go to that place… It's a dangerous place…" she said in a low voice.
"Dangerous? Why is that?" asked Xin Mei on her side.
Big sister Xhiling looks at the place where many people are gathered and I saw a scowl appearing on her face.
"Those people are desperate to get rich… they would bet their whole life on those strange stones and objects hoping that they would get something out of it. But a lot of scammers are in that place. They would make sure that you would lose everything… even your soul." She replied with a tone of dread and anger.
I could not help but frown.
I clearly felt a strange spiritual fluctuation in that area. If I am not mistaken it should be a purer kind of Ether energy.
But since she said that it is dangerous… then I would just follow her lead.
I nod my head and was about to turn around when three people suddenly appear behind us.
"Hey, hey, hey… What do we have here?" a lanky fellow wearing tight old jeans and a leather jacket said while showing a perverted smile on his face.
"Are these two beautiful ladies looking for something? Maybe some… fun perhaps…" he added while ogling Big sister Xhiling and Xin Mei up and down.
The other two also showed a disgusting expressions that I almost wanted to poke their eyes out.
In my mind, I almost wanted to take action right at this time in annoyance.
However, I did not want to as I know it would cause too much trouble.
In my subconscious mind, I actually wanted to drag the two women away from those three.
But before we could say anything, another group approached us.
"What seems to be happening here?" asked a stern voice coming from a middle-aged man with a long scar on his face.
The middle-aged man looks a bit intimidating from his looks and it made the other three a bit flustered.
"Ah… Scarface Jiang… This… This is just a misunderstanding. We were helping these beautiful ladies…" the lanky fellow said as he suddenly turns around and bolted like he had just seen a ghost.
"Damn it! You said that Scarface Jiang is not here!" he curses his companion while they run away.
After three was gone, the man with a long scar on his face looks at our group and a frown appears on his face.
"If I am not mistaken… you are little Lingling…, right?" he suddenly said.
A surprised expression appears on Big sister Xhiling beautiful face upon hearing those words.
"Who… who are you? How… how do you know me?" she asked while her hand is already on the blade behind her.
"Hahaha… As weary as ever. You seem to have forgotten me… Maybe the name Long Jiangshi rings a bell." He said while chuckling.
Upon hearing his words, the expression on Big sister Xhiling's face once again changes to that of a surprise.
"You… You're Senior Officer Long?" she said but then suddenly covered her mouth.
"No need to be cautious… We are all members of the military here." He said while pointing to the people behind him.
The group then seemed to welcome us and we walked with them to the place where many are gathered.
It turns out that those people once belong to a company that Big Sister Xhiling served with.
After she was transferred to Special Forces, she lost communication with her old group and one of the officers in that group was the person known to this place as Scarface Jiang.
After listening to the two recounting the past, my mind was once again attracted to the pure Ether energy coming from a few of those things scattered in this market-like place.
"Boy… are you interested in artifact and precious stone prospecting?" one of the brawny men walking with us asked.
I shrugged my shoulder as I did not have any idea what he was talking about.
He then began to explain how things work in this place.
It turns out that many of these people have gathered in this place to determine the value of the precious stones and ancient artifacts covered in hardened substances due to age.
You can only get lucky if what you got is truly something precious.
Plus there are hawkers that sell odd-looking stones where one can get precious items or relics. Sometimes some could even get Ether weapons from the warring periods or ether-powered items which cost a lot when sold to the cities.
And because it is hard to determine the value, it becomes a bet for those enthusiasts if they could become rich overnight or not.
Chapter 11 Gems, Treasures, and Rocks
(Have not been proofread)
…
The bustling crowd and loud shouts from the people around me almost made me lose my mind.
Due to my sensitivity, it was hard for me to suddenly filter such sounds which almost made my head ache so much.
However, I did not show my anxiety and nervousness and just followed the group of men who surrounded us and seemed to be protecting us three.
"Scarface Jiang… it seems that you've found yourself some beauties… Why don't you share them with us…" suddenly a slightly pudgy guy with bulging muscles came forward with a group of men behind him.
"Fatty Gong… these are my guests, don't disrespect them." Scarface Jiang replied with a deep frown.
Then I noticed a man walking beside the fat guy with muscles and whispering some words.
"Master… that young lady is from the Falling Cloud sect…" the man wearing a leather coat whispered.
I could see shock and anxiousness appear suddenly in the eyes of the muscled fatty.
It seems that he is a bit afraid of the sect of that big sister.
I wanted to be nosy about this situation but when I sensed that familiar aura within my spirit eyes, I quickly turn to that direction.
I could see a small statue that looks like that of an armored soldier holding a spear. The small statue is the size of a palm and is covered with a thick layer of brown hardened dirt or melted metal or something which I could not identify.
Looking at the object I could not help but walk towards it to scrutinize it thoroughly.
I then discovered that the thing is really emitting Ether.
But what it emits made me want to touch it.
"Warning! Warning! Ether particle discovered… Purity… high… The host is advised to procure the object for further analysis…"
Upon reading those words, I decided to get the object… only if I could.
"Boy… do you want this thing?" a middle-aged man suddenly asked which startled me for a bit as my concentration is on the object.
I look at the object and then at Big sister Xhiling.
"Do you want that thing?" she asked while a smile is on her face.
I just nodded my head.
She did grab some paper money inside her small pouch and handed it to the middle-aged man.
The man had a wide grin and I could not help but notice his yellowish teeth. I did not want to pry deeper into why this man is happy, but I quickly take the object and put it in my pocket.
Our group did not linger in that place and continued walking towards the place where Scarface Jiang explained it as the place of precious gems.
This time, I could already sense the energy coming from those different colored gems displayed on the tables. The energy varies from color to color so I could not help but be amazed by the thickness of the aura in the surroundings.
"No wonder I could not detect this place even from back then…" I thought as I noticed that I had only detected the aura of those precious gems when I was about 20 meters away from them.
The thick mist-like aura in the air prevents my spirit eyes from penetrating through and detecting the hidden aura within.
But the most curious thing is that I could actually see those precious stones.
Unlike the black mist where all I could see is the dark void, in this place, I could see them clearly.
"Hahaha… Jackpot!" suddenly a disheveled man shouted from within that group.
We were closer to that place so I could feel the strong red aura coming from the stone which has been cut by a person using some kind of tool and hammer.
The tool is actually coated with Ether stone dust and it easily chips away the hardened material around the objects or cuts those precious stones like it's nothing.
However, the skill required to precisely cut through the stones is something commendable.
As I watch everything happening within my Spirit Eyes I was peeved as my senses are slowly drowned by the noise and the aura.
I clenched my fist and control myself so that I could focus my senses on what I only wanted to see, feel, or hear.
In the forest, I have already done such training and because of that I could easily locate and analyze anything that is beyond my Spirit Eyes.
The happy cheers and the sad wailings that drowned my senses slowly became quieter for a bit. Soon, I was already able to regain my control.
"This place is nothing good…" Big Sister Xhiling said with a disgusted tone.
I could see her looking at a disheveled-looking man with a big grin on his face.
In his hand, he is holding a red gem with a red aura in it.
"I think he lost everything but gained only enough to buy it back… What a stupid person," she muttered resentment clearly written all over her face.
"Hehe… Little Lingling, this is just life… You win some, you lose some…" Scarface Jiang said indifferently.
"If you want to play, I will pay for you… just for you to experience the thrill…" he said while nodding at the person beside him.
I could tell that Scarface Jiang is trying to shoo us as a new group approaches us.
Big sister Xhiling seems to know what he means as she walks to a few discarded stones on the side followed by one of the men of Scarface Jiang.
"Junior sister… these stones are left over from some big cuts… But sometimes one can get lucky to get some gems here…" the man explained.
Big sister Xhiling nodded her head and we decided to amuse ourselves by picking up some cut stones. There are some that have part of the gems exposed, but one could tell that this was cut at the edge so only a thin layer of the gem could be seen.
While we were picking, another group of women approached us as they also began picking some stones for fun just like us.
I too followed suit and touches the cut rocks on the corner.
I soon felt something strange.
Those partially exposed rocks have an aura inside of them. As I touched the rock, I could see the aura coursing through my body.
I was dumbfounded as the aura enters my veins making me feel cool and calm.
But what dumbfounded me the most was that, when the aura reaches my head, it would suddenly vanish.
This is the first time that I've seen such a scene before.
I received no warning or information about what is happening. When I close my eyes no changes happen in my status.
I curiously began to search for more types of energy. I know that the type of energy I am absorbing is different from the energy in the object I've just bought.
I could not figure out the difference for now, but I know that as long as I absorb the energy, I could see its benefit later.
Soon, I found three more such objects and quickly absorbed the energy within them.
No physical changes are happening in the exposed gems, but I could see a slight discoloration on its surface.
While touching the stones, my hand was suddenly stuck.
The reason for this is that I suddenly felt something strange inside the stone I am currently holding.
But before I could do anything about it, a big hand suddenly grabs it from nowhere.
But how could I let go of such a thing?
The big hand wanted to take the stone from me, but with my grip and strength, how could they take it?
I look at the source of that big hand and saw a young man who seems to be at the age of 18 or 19. He is wearing a brown leather coat, a pair of faded jeans, and blue sunglasses.
From his temperament, a memory flashes in my mind.
"Rich and privileged…" I thought.
This guy seems to belong to a rich family. He seems to be aiming at me from the way he grins and looks at me behind his sunglasses.
"Hand it over… little boy…" he said in a deep voice.
I did not say anything and just looks at the young man.
The young man frowned while looking straight at me.
"Hehe… A blind kid… How audacious… How dare you compete with me." he said in a low voice as if he did not want to attract any attention to us.
"Unhand this stone or I will make sure that you will not be able to leave this place alive…" he suddenly threatened.
But even after putting much of his strength into taking the stone, I still did not let go.
I find it too amusing that this person thinks that he could just threaten me.
I slowly retract my hand but still did not let go of the stone.
The young man followed while fumbling toward me.
His face showed disbelief in his eyes.
Suddenly, he showed an angry grimace on his face as he grabs a short knife from his back.
"Stupid bastard! Don't you know who I am?!" he suddenly growled.
Without hesitation, he stabbed the knife into my stomach.
From the way he stabs it, it seems that he is aiming for my life.
I was a bit stunned at this moment as I did not expect that this person would react as such.
Vous aimerez peut-être aussi
Commentaire de paragraphe
La fonction de commentaire de paragraphe est maintenant disponible sur le Web ! Déplacez la souris sur n’importe quel paragraphe et cliquez sur l’icône pour ajouter votre commentaire.
De plus, vous pouvez toujours l’activer/désactiver dans les paramètres.
OK