The Fairy: From the Traveling Merchant

Chapter 988 Completing the Trial
At six o'clock in the morning, as the first rays of sunlight shone into the bedroom of the villa at 16 Williams Street, Zhao Chen, who was sitting upright on the bed, just came out of his cultivation state and exhaled a breath of stale air.

The night that just passed was the most "peaceful" night he had since entering this "trial world".

Since there was no need for "dual cultivation" and no "unfriendly guests" visiting, he had a rare six hours to condense his inner energy and refine his evil spirits, and finally mastered the "Sky-Patrolling Tribulation Technique".

Since this spell is called "Patrolling the Heavens and Pointing at Calamities," its function is indeed related to "calamities," and it has both active and passive usage methods.

Actively using this technique allows one to use tools such as "playing cards" or "pendulums" to calculate the "good or bad" outcome of one's actions, much like the abilities of "fortune tellers" in this other dimension.

As for passivity, it's somewhat like the "demon's" sense of danger, which can warn you in advance when you're about to encounter a "calamity"... except that it can't do what the "demon" does, which can know exactly where the danger is coming from.

At this moment, Su Xuanbing pushed open the door and walked in, bringing breakfast with her.

Seeing that Zhao Chen had finished his practice and stood up, she placed the plate on the table and smiled, "I'm so grateful for your care these past few days. On the last day, it's my turn to serve you."

To be honest, the food on the plate was poorly presented, clearly the work of a novice, and certainly not something bought or cooked by a chef in a villa.

But after glancing at it, Zhao Chen did not disappoint Xuan Bing's kindness. He smiled and responded, then used a fork to pick up a piece of sausage and put it in his mouth.

"How is it?" Su Xuanbing asked with some anticipation.

"It's alright..." Zhao Chen gave a fair assessment.

The main reason is that the ingredients are top-notch, and as long as the cooking time is well controlled, it's generally impossible for it to taste bad.

Su Xuanbing is an expert in handling fire, and she also has divine sense to check the condition of the sausages at all times, so it's impossible for them to be burnt or undercooked.

"Really? Then it seems I'm quite talented." Su Xuanbing's lips curled up, clearly pleased with the words.

When it comes to cooking, perhaps Sister Hongxia has more in common with you. She loves it and is quite good at it.

Zhao Chen finished the breakfast for three in a few bites, then wiped his mouth and asked, "Has Xiaoxi already left?"

“Yes, nothing else entered her dream that night. We need to focus all our efforts on killing that demon hound, so we don’t have time to deal with her. That’s why I just gave her the ‘Desecration Token’ so she can complete the trial mission first.” Su Xuanbing nodded. She knew what Zhao Chen really wanted to ask, so she continued without waiting for a response, “After completing the mission, she was told that she could stay in this world for half an hour.”

"And you can apply to leave at any time during this half hour."

Half an hour... Zhao Chen pondered for a few seconds, then muttered to himself, "We'll see where that demon hound is by then. Hopefully, we'll make it in time..."

Su Xuanbing seemed not to hear him and changed the subject: "I'm leaving the remaining gold pounds to the head maid you created, so she can keep the villa running..."

She paused here, then asked curiously, "Aren't you planning to take those humanoid maids with you?"

“We won’t bring it. Anyway, we still have the data backup of ‘Guan Si Niang’, so we can create a new one anytime… Besides, we might come back here again in the future, so we’ll have a place to stay then,” Zhao Chen said meaningfully.

The fact that Daoist Taixiao created this projection world so realistically and perfectly, and even sent a "divine body" to reside in it, makes it seem like a one-time trial space. It must have a deeper purpose.

Moreover, there are many secrets hidden here, especially the "heroic detective." Zhao Chen has been hearing his name ever since he entered this place, but he has never been able to meet him. Zhao Chen always felt that he might have some interaction with him in the future.

“In that case, the sealed artifact ‘1-42’ with the ‘Demon Hunter’ ability is expected to arrive in Backlund at 8:30, but due to the incident in the factory area last night, it might arrive earlier… Let’s set off now,” Su Xuanbing suggested after glancing at the hands of the wall clock in the bedroom.

In this world devoid of "spiritual energy," relying solely on food to sustain her strength each day was unbearable, and she didn't want to stay a moment longer.

"Then let's go." Zhao Chen nodded slightly, then reached out and let his coat, hat and other clothes fly onto his body. After saying goodbye to the four head maids in the house, he took Su Xuanbing's arm and walked towards the door.

But before leaving, he stopped, took out a die, tossed it into the air, and caught it back in his palm.

Seeing this, Su Xuanbing, who knew that Zhao Chen had just learned the "Sky-Piercing Finger Technique," asked with a smile, "What was the result?"

"Six points...that means everything went quite smoothly." Zhao Chen showed the dice roll, but a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

Because while he was throwing the dice, he also focused his attention on throwing the dice inside the "Great Sun Star Raft" to make calculations.

The results were the same, but that's not the point... The point is that Zhao Chen discovered that the effect of the "Sky-Patrolling Finger Technique" was not diminished much inside the "Great Sun Star Raft," and was no worse than in the projection world.

This is completely different from the "Dongyou Qingjian Jue"!
The "Dongyou Qingjian Jue" is considered a "divine skill" in the interdimensional projection, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it can "see the heavens and measure the earth". However, in the "Star Chariot", it only has the power of an ordinary spell.

"It seems that my 'Great Sun Starship' and the 'Source Castle' of that 'protagonist' Klein really have a connection?"

While they were pondering, Zhao Chen and Su Xuanbing had already left the villa and entered the "Queens" district, just across the street, preparing to take the subway to the Night Watchers' residence in the North District.

—They had no intention of returning, so naturally they wouldn't ride in their own carriage.

However, as the two passed by a garden villa, they saw several policemen escorting a middle-aged gentleman out of the villa, while a group of people surrounded the entrance, shouting and cursing, and even throwing stones at the middle-aged gentleman.

"Give me back my factory, you bastard!"

"I'm bankrupt, and you won't have it easy either!"

"You scum who associate with villains, die..."

The increasingly vile curses rose and fell, and the middle-aged gentleman being held captive looked utterly dejected, muttering to himself repeatedly:
"I never expected it to turn out like this..."

"I only asked him to blow up Pierre's factory, not the entire factory area!"

"I am a victim too!"

But no one listened to his excuses; instead, several people broke through the police cordon and beat him several times.

The police turned a blind eye to this, letting people vent their emotions, and only protecting the middle-aged gentleman from fatal injuries.

"Because of you, he's really had a lot of bad luck." Su Xuanbing said with a smile in her voice.

His tone was full of schadenfreude.

“Politicians are all innocent…” Zhao Chen said dismissively. “And it’s not like we’re wronging him. He was the mastermind behind the factory bombing. If we hadn’t intervened, at least a dozen innocent people would have died.”

“In the eyes of those high and mighty figures, workers are much cheaper than the equipment that gets blown up,” Su Xuanbing replied, then added with a sigh, “In comparison, our Great Xia values ​​ordinary people much more.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Chen's heart stirred, and he asked the question that had been puzzling him: "The Great Xia Dynasty seems to care quite a bit about ordinary people?"

After all, according to the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty, the government generally does not interfere in fights between cultivators, but if ordinary people are injured, at least a large sum of money must be paid to get them off the hook, and this is only if a small number of people are involved.

Moreover, in a place like Kyushu with its strict laws, the punishments would be even more severe.

Not to mention using "cave heavens" to accelerate the ripening of sweet potato rice, ensuring that ordinary people could have enough to eat.

When asked, Su Xuanbing thought for a moment and said uncertainly, "I really haven't thought about why... However, my grandfather once said when mentioning the whereabouts of the five generations of sweet potato rice consumers: We must ensure that the concept of 'people' on the front line is not contaminated."

“I asked what it meant, but my grandfather told me I would know after I reached the ‘Dongxuan’ stage.”

The concept of "human being" is not polluted? Is it the "concept" I knew before? Can concepts be polluted? Zhao Chen frowned, but because he still had too little information, he couldn't figure it out and had to give up.

Afterwards, the two took the subway all the way to the North District and secretly sneaked into the "Heihe Security Company." — Because to "record" their abilities, they needed to get close to the sealed object, so this time they had to come in personally.

……

The underground library of Heihe Security Company.

The entire Backlund squad, including Ms. Daly, was gathered there, constantly checking their watches, as if waiting for something to arrive.

Suddenly, a series of footsteps came from the underground passage toward the "St. Samuel" Cathedral and quickly approached.

Immediately afterwards, the main door to the underground library opened, and a group of night watchmen wearing red gloves and black woolen overcoats jogged inside.

The leader was a man in his forties with soft facial features and long, dark hair at his temples.

Wearing an extravagant top hat and carrying a black cane inlaid with gold, he was the captain of the "Red Gloves" squad, the "Requiemrator" Soster.

At this moment, the "Red Gloves" looked wary and alert, as if they were facing an extremely terrifying enemy.

Thump, thump, thump, a figure in full silver armor walked in.

It gives an unusually heavy feeling, with every detail following an ancient style. The area diagonally from the left shoulder to the lower abdomen is stained with a splash of dark red blood that cannot be washed off. Combined with the red splattered spots in other places, it creates a picture with a very eerie beauty, like a unique and gorgeous decoration.

"The Requiem Master" Soster glanced around the underground library, his gaze lingering on Ms. Daly for a few seconds before he pulled out his pocket watch, glanced at it, and said:

“Please send one person from your squad to replace my team members. They brought ‘1-42’ from Riston City here; they’re all nearing their limit.”

Warren, the captain of the Backlund garrison squad, stepped forward and said, "I'll do it."

At this moment, the silver full-body armor stopped, raised its hand and lifted the visor to reveal the wearer inside, a beautiful girl with long, wine-red hair.

The fact that a petite woman is wearing this heavy sealing artifact shows that the others are indeed close to their limits.

"Is the hot water ready?" Soster asked again.

“It’s in the room right next door. I just took a bath there. Would you like to come and take a look?” Ms. Daisy helped the wine-red-haired girl up and answered with a smile.

Soster did not respond to her immediately, but said to the girl who was taking off her armor with Daly's help, "Cindy, don't waste time, or you will have to return to the goddess's embrace."

“Yes, Captain.” Cindy, wearing red gloves, didn’t hesitate and went straight to the next room, where she found the bathtub still steaming with white mist.

She quickly stripped off her clothes and lay down in the hot water, not even showing her nose.

Her skin quickly turned bright red, like a cooked lobster, and strange silver lines, resembling scars, gradually seeped out from its surface.

The silver patterns, like the pure light of swords, spread outwards and merged into the hot water.

In just a few seconds, the white steam disappeared, and a thin, transparent layer of floating ice even condensed on the surface of the hot water!
Only after the silver patterns had completely dissipated did Cindy sit up, panting heavily, and mutter to herself in confusion:

"The side effects seem to have disappeared rather quickly this time..."

"And when I took off my armor, I felt that the power of '1-42' had weakened a bit."

……

In a corner of the underground library, above his head was the "Xiande Qintian Calendar." Zhao Chen, who had completely "intercepted" the spontaneous power of the bloodstained armor, nodded in satisfaction. Then, he took Su Xuanbing away from the Night Watchers' stronghold and booked a room with a bathroom at a nearby inn.

Next, they filled the bathtub with hot water, and then Zhao Chen once again used the "Xiande Qintian Calendar" to return the sealed artifact's power that he had just "intercepted" to himself.

A sharp, stinging pain shot through him, but thankfully it was still within Zhao Chen's tolerance. He took a deep breath and began using the "Dream Cave Azure Simplified Technique" to calculate the "Demon Hound's" current location.

The next moment, a line of text appeared on the "green bamboo slips" that resembled a viscous liquid:
"North District, 12 Pinster Street"

Pinster Street...it's not far away? Zhao Chen calculated several more times and found that the demon hound hadn't moved.

As expected, the "Demon Hunter's" abilities countered the demon, and this time it failed to sense any danger or malice.

Zhao Chen took a deep breath and recalculated the location of the banker, Patrick Jason Beria, and unsurprisingly found him there as well.

That's perfect! The thought flashed through Zhao Chen's mind. He quickly took off his clothes, soaked in the prepared hot water, and transmitted his voice to Su Xuanbing beside him: "Control your thoughts and don't think about dealing with the 'demon'."

“I understand.” Su Xuanbing nodded, his crimson armor already fully donned, and his Fire-Tipped Spear and Wind-Fire Wheels in place.

However, with only two blocks separating them, even if the two demons sensed the danger immediately, it was unlikely they could escape her pursuit.

After all, at this point, she no longer needed to worry about the reactions of the official extraordinary individuals; she could simply return once the mission was completed.

A few seconds later, Zhao Chen also got out of the bathtub and then put on a long robe of magical artifact quality.

He didn't say anything more to Su Xuanbing. Instead, one of them rode on a sword while the other rode on a fire wheel, and together they rushed towards the house at No. 12 Pinster Street from two different directions.

On the other side, the banker, or rather, the "Apostle of Desire" Patrick Jason Beria, was counting the banknotes he had hastily brought with him when suddenly his hand stopped, and he looked around in surprise and uncertainty.

Only now did he vaguely sense the approaching danger.

But at that moment, a dazzling sword light pierced through the entire house and struck his head with overwhelming force.

"Gnarled branches obscure the sky and block out the sun and moon; a single blade severs the cycle of reincarnation."

This is "Demon's Curse"!
Zhao Chen was worried that the "demon" also had strange ways of protecting itself, and that it would immediately use a killing move against "fate".

The "Apostle of Desire" had now regained its composure and cold-bloodedness, focusing intently on sensing the emotions and desires of the extraordinary being behind the sword light.

However, to his despair, the person seemed even more "cold-blooded" than him, completely unaware of the existence of his "desire".

Unable to dodge in time, he had no choice but to raise his right hand, spread his huge bat wings, and a few blue flames quickly condensed around them.

But the next moment, he suddenly felt his movements were restricted and his abilities were suppressed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a radiant golden seal had somehow flown to the top of his head, while he was still bound by a silver suit of armor.

As prerequisite spells for the great divine power of "Demon King's Binding", the "Demon Suppressing Golden Seal" and "Demon-Controlling Silver Armor" are also quite effective against the demons of this world.

Without giving the "Apostle of Desire" a chance to make amends, "Demon's Fatal Strike" descended, instantly shattering Patrick Jason Belial, the "Apostle of Desire," into a bloody mist!
Meanwhile, the real killer of the serial murders, who had swelled into a tall demon with bat-like wings on its back and a giant demonic dog with mysterious horns on its head, also met its end—it was pierced by Su Xuanbing's Fire-Tipped Spear and burned to ashes by the "Fire Lotus" that emerged from it!

That heinous demonic giant dog met its end so simply, dying without leaving a trace.

At this moment, Zhao Chen and Su Xuanbing simultaneously heard the notification that the trial was completed, informing them that they could "open the door" and leave this world at any time within the next half hour.

But Zhao Chen didn't plan to leave immediately; he wanted to go somewhere else.

(End of this chapter)