Master Changsheng

Chapter 123, Section 121: Closed Beta Test [Please Subscribe and Vote]

Malken laughed happily.

This was the first time he had seen An Kai's sincere encouragement in all the time he had followed him...

The once icy-faced man has developed a wide range of expressions in less than a year since he started working with An Kai.

At the same time, Malken also learned a lot of useful things...

For example, being ruthless...

Two days later.

Malken left the newly built House of Goodness.

On that day, a small oasis not far from the House of Goodness was suddenly shrouded in thick fog.

In this scorching desert, a thick fog suddenly rises, obscuring the oasis. Approaching the area, one can also feel a strange energy fluctuation emanating from it.

There were also faint fluctuations of magical energy emanating from it.

Just then, a small orc squad that frequently patrolled the area stealthily approached.

After some discussion, the orc squad quietly slipped into the thick fog.

Half a day later.

Of the dozens of orcs in the squad, only one orc managed to escape from the oasis in a sorry state.

He kept shouting, "Chaos City! Chaos City!"

He ran away into the distance, seemingly insane, his face contorted with fear…

Inside the oasis, Malken watched the orcs depart, muttering to himself, "Looks like I did a pretty good job!"

The thick fog was emitted by him.

The fluctuations in magical elements were emanating from the magic stones that Ankai had given him.

When the orcs approached, Malken held the magic stone and approached them, transmitting the magic stone's energy.

Otherwise, the distance would be too great, and the fluctuations in magical elements would be too weak for the foolish orcs to detect.

As for the so-called Chaos City, it was a miniature version of the inner city of Chaos City that Ankai instructed Chris to control the Earth Spirits to work overtime to create.

This is just a glimpse of the scene at the inner city gate of Chaos City...

Meanwhile, Malken, following Ankai's instructions, used a deceptive setup to convey the message of the [Spirit Empowerment Realm].

Furthermore, Malken cannot reveal this directly; the orcs must guess based on their own discoveries.

All of this was arranged by Ankai.

An Kai knew perfectly well that the clearer the information was presented, the less others would believe it. Only by providing some clues and letting them guess the information themselves would they truly believe it.

Even if you present him with the complete and correct process, he will still have reservations and think that there is something fishy going on.

Even if the accuracy rate of his guesses based on various hints is only one percent, he will still believe it without a doubt.

Especially the twenty-eighth prince of the orcs, that paranoid fellow.

We shouldn't give him too many clues...

In the side quest, since the desert was sealed off, the twenty-eighth prince of the orcs has become increasingly paranoid.

Every day when Ankai checks the side quests, he finds that this guy seems to have a persecution complex, believing that even a grain of sand in the desert could assassinate him.

There were always four fifth-tier beastmen and more than 20 fourth-tier beastmen around him. Even when he was sleeping or taking care of his physiological needs, this kid was always protected by at least two fifth-tier beastmen and more than a dozen beastmen...

This left Ankai momentarily unsure whether the guy had paranoia or exhibitionism...

In short, the twenty-eighth orc prince and Chris are like two extremes.

One is extremely reckless, the other is extremely cautious.

Among the twenty-eight orc princes, there are four fifth-tier and over twenty fourth-tier individuals.

If we try to fight head-on, it will definitely not work.

Given the orc prince's consistent style, he is very likely to run away before even engaging in battle. With so many powerful figures protecting him, if he is determined to escape, Ankai really doesn't have any good solutions.

So, after much thought, Ankai came up with the idea of using the [Spirit Empowerment Realm] for fishing.

If even one of the four fifth-tier orcs is tempted and comes here despite all the advice, then it will be a victory for Ankai!

He refused to believe it. This was a secret realm that even Chris, Widow Wang, and Malken wanted to enter. Could those orcs, those idiots with brains smaller than their eyes, possibly resist?!

Inside the oasis.

Ankai put away the real [Enchantment Instance Certificate] under Malken's envious gaze, and then took out a fake item made by the detector merchant Andoun and casually threw it on the ground.

"Malken, well done, keep it up. I'll come find you again tomorrow."

Ankai didn't hold back his praise, and amidst Malken's silly chuckles, he began his journey back to the city.

Hanks was also by his side…

The reason Hanks was called upon was not because Hanks had a good relationship with him or for any other reason, but simply because when Hanks left the city, Widow Wang would secretly protect him.

After all, what he's doing now means Chris can't protect him.

The Spirit Realm is so close, Ankai isn't sure Chris can hold back.

After much deliberation, Malcolm realized he had important business to attend to, so he decided to drag Hanks along...

Ankai and Hanks chatted and laughed as they walked toward the New Good House.

Ankai's face is always represented by the "Pretender Mask," which is the face of Hanks' father.

The two walked through the desert, and with Hanks' somewhat flattering attitude, they seemed like a real father and son.

Widow Wang, who was secretly following the two, was furious when she saw Hanks's expression.

"You old bastard, can't you see he's using your woman?!"

"That little bastard Ankai, his heart is truly black. He even managed to fool Chris, a fifth-tier mage. The way he's wary of Chris shows he never even considered letting her enter the [Spirit Empowerment Realm]..."

Behind Ankai and Hanks, Widow Wang watched Ankai's retreating figure, muttering a few words to herself, before her gaze towards Ankai became even more wary…

However, Widow Wang sighed again.

Back in the nameless town, Widow Wang only discovered that An Kai actually possessed a "kind nature," which was quite rare in the town.

Because of this, Widow Wang cast a strange look at An Kai.

More than anything, people were curious—curious about how long An Kai, with his weak strength and kind nature, could survive.

As time went by, Ankai's kind nature completely disappeared after his three near-death experiences.

He chose to integrate into the environment instead of trying to lead by example and change those with malicious intent, as he had done at the beginning.

Then, under the unwitting gaze of Widow Wang, An Kai gradually gained a foothold in the nameless town.

He figured out a set of rules for doing things that were unique to him... He was self-centered.

Later, civil war broke out in the Duchy of Bucklin, and the residents of the nameless town left, leaving only the mayor, who came from the Duchy of Bucklin, to stay behind.

Their purpose was to find the sixth prince of their Duchy of Buklin, who had been living in exile, and to entrust him with the will of the King of Buklin.

Before his death, the King of the Principality of Buklin seemed to sense something was amiss and knew that his days were numbered. That's why he made a true will and entrusted it to his confidant, instructing him to come to the desert and find the sixth prince of the Principality of Buklin who had been living in exile.

The mayor, who came from the capital of Buklin, thought no one knew his identity, but little did he know that most of the town's residents knew he came from the capital.

Unfortunately, although the town mayor was loyal, he still caught the attention of the capital, and the four princes sent their men to assassinate him.

In a life-or-death situation, the town mayor swallowed a storage ring to prevent the true will of the old king from being discovered.

It's a bit of a shame that the town mayor's storage ring ultimately benefited Ankai, who returned to the nameless town...

Widow Wang had been watching An Kai's every move.

This was simply because she had explored the nameless town an hour earlier than Ankai.

Widow Wang felt a great sense of satisfaction upon witnessing An Kai's every move and his act of burning down the Mage Association.

They immediately helped Ankai set the fire ablaze, burning down the entire nameless town...

This can be seen as an outlet for her frustration after being imprisoned in an unknown town for so many years by that old bastard Donglin…

Afterwards, Widow Wang thought she would never see An Kai again.

After all, they no longer had a nameless town to settle down in, and their strength was weak.

It is difficult to survive in the desert.

Little did she know that Ankai not only survived, but thrived...

So much so that in just a few years...

Not only did she become the new city lord of "Chaos City," but she was also controlled by Ankai...

Having three fifth-tier professionals under her command—this stark contrast in status and position was a scene Wang the Widow had never imagined…

I pondered as I went, and I continued on my journey.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the entrance of what is now the "House of Goodness".

At the city gate, the guards were two fourth-tier professionals from the seven kingdoms and two former fourth-tier professionals from the inner city of Chaos City.

Using four fourth-level gatekeepers—this level of investment is unparalleled in the entire desert, or even the seven surrounding kingdoms.

And this was also Ankai's instruction.

Widow Wang had to admit that ever since they started using fourth-tier professionals to guard the gate, professionals of any strength in the desert had become obedient and dared not think too much when they came here.

With registration for entry into the city, and the improved security within the city, the situation has improved several times over.

Although the four doormen already represent one-fifth of the family's resources...

Sometimes even Widow Wang couldn't understand An Kai.

Some things are done in an unusual way, but the results are surprisingly good.

In general, in Widow Wang's eyes, An Kai was increasingly showing the demeanor of a powerful ruler who controlled a region.

The only thing is that my heart is getting colder and colder...

It was so ruthless that even this fifth-tier professional felt fear in her heart...

Chris... she's really in a bad situation.

Once inside the city, Ankai parted ways with Hanks.

Hanks lived near the city gate.

This single area is several times larger than the former "Evergreen Gang" headquarters.

After the assignment, Hanks was very satisfied, while Widow Wang curled her lip, knowing perfectly well what An Kai was up to.

It's simply a matter of having her act as the first line of defense for the Good People's Home when the enemy attacks, giving him time to decide whether to flee or fight back...

Hanks wanted to move, but he didn't want to.

They said living near the city gate was good, as it would be convenient when fleeing.

No one knows what kind of spell An Kai cast on him; Widow Wang still doesn't understand.

After parting ways with Hanks, Ankai did not return to his castle.

Without any fifth-tier professionals around him, he felt somewhat out of place back in the castle.

He walked along the outer city of the House of Goodness, and after entering the inner city, he came to a remote corner in the west.

There is an underground room here that no one else knows about, except for Ankai.

After looking around, An Kai entered and ate a little bit of beast meat that had been enhanced using the [Beast Meat Refining Table +6] before beginning his seclusion for the day.

He used his seclusion to pass the time while waiting for the side quests to unfold...

Holding the Meditation Staff +6, I sat on the animal hide bed and began my meditation…

However, Ankai's absence at night kept Chris awake at the castle.

Her expression was icy, and two voices kept echoing in her mind:

"Hahaha, you've been fooled! He played you and then dumped you! Kill him! Find him, kill him!"

"Chris, don't you want to save your true self? Your true self is in mortal danger right now; he is your hope!"

Standing on the castle windowsill, Chris's expression was sometimes ferocious, radiating a tyrannical aura that seemed capable of destroying everything...

Sometimes I struggle, thinking back on how to grasp that sliver of "hope"...

The reason for this is the lack of guidance from Ankai.

If Ankai were here, even if it came at a price, Chris would feel that they were one step closer to hope.

However, without Ankai's guidance, the thought, "Kill him! He's lying to you!" became increasingly clear in her mind...

That night, the entire castle was filled with Chris's tyrannical fifth-tier aura.

Nurneseius had something to say about this.

That night, it didn't dare to move an inch.

Even breathing is something they avoid if they can.

Chris's tyrannical aura made Nurnexus feel as if he were seeing the old men of the Black Dragon Clan.

The same brutality, the same terror.

It was terrified that it would make any noise that would attract Chris's attention, and then, as if in a fit of rage, slap it to death...

Like Nurnexus, High Prince Wayne of the Kingdom of Shak also suffered a similar fate…

That night, he did not study magic...

Instead, he sat quietly, letting his mind wander after a whole night. He didn't want to be like this, after all, the spell [Swiftness] was at its final stage, but the violent magical elements filled the entire castle.

Wayne had no choice but to abandon his research, and like Nurnexus, dared not utter a single sound...

He was praying in his heart, praying that Ankai would return soon…

dawn.

Nurnexus and Wayne, inside the castle, both breathed a sigh of relief.

That is because the violent aura disappeared.

Inside the castle, Chris, who had been standing by the window all night, regained her composure and saw Ankai and Hanks walking towards the castle together.

"Hope" triumphs over "Kill him!"...

Chris's identity has been restored to that of a maid.

When Ankai returned to the castle, he saw the resentful look in Nurnexus's eyes, as if he had abandoned it.

An Kai felt a chill run down his spine from that gaze, and quickly took out the bones he had left over from yesterday from his storage ring, throwing them at Nurnexus…

Nurneseus's expression brightened, and his resentful look vanished.

They picked up the bone and returned to the "little castle".

Ankai, with a sleepy-eyed Hanks by his side, sat in his Chinese courtyard, chatting idly...

Even now, Hanks was still a little surprised. When did Ankai become so talkative?

Only Widow Wang knew that An Kai was afraid of death...

As Hanks and Ankai left, Widow Wang curled her lip in disdain: "Cowardly brat!"

Inside the courtyard, Ankai mostly rambled on about meaningless things, while Hanks responded with half-hearted yawns…

Shortly after, the side quest refreshed.

"Okay, shut up, I don't want to hear you talk anymore."

Ankai immediately stopped Hanks from continuing to speak.

This startled Hanks: "What kind of weird habit is this?! Didn't you say it first?!"

Of course, he only dared to think those words in his heart...