Free Web NovelChapter 279: Chapter 83: Gathering for the "Angel Envoy" Auction
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"... but Mechanism City might or will have many big clients," said Zheng, even though he wasn’t present and Chu Qing didn’t mention it."
Said Little Bai:
"How come ... you’re still bringing up the zero item? My brow furrowed as I began my search," he said.
"It’s just a minor detail," they assured me regarding the zero number, "it certainly won’t be for us."
"Is it always a setup targeted against us?"
"Although I don’t know why this auction would attract so much attention, I imagine it’s possibly another marketplace, but that wouldn’t stop the owners from seeking us out, even though they don’t reside in the Inner City. They just don’t pique my interest," Dugu remarked.
Slokou had indicated that the auction he was about to attend was crucial.
"Don’t you find these affairs interesting? Do you really need to go?" asked Locke.
"Let’s go," said Little Bai. "Just move towards the appointed place."
In fact, someone had hidden something in the room, but Little Bai had been thinking about these mechanical bodies that had cured themselves of the Ulaga disease during these days.
Little Bai had been contemplating these mechanical bodies that, during these days, had cured themselves of the Ulaga disease, and there were many rooms, each with a common presence – a certain room was of specific concern, though.
He knew about the great stir that had been causing a commotion in the Inner City and beyond for the past few days, even without having to see the auctioneer in person.
In that other mission, two partners were handed over to him once they had fully restored their mechanical bodies, an exceptionally dangerous task.
Even though it was the most difficult level q mission he had ever accepted, Slokou had a sense that something didn’t quite add up.
"The injuries both to the soul and the mechanical bodies of this person were quite apparent," he noted.
"How could the same mission come up for both of us when our jobs are not the same?" Slokou wondered, puzzled.
Chu Qing and Little Bai had been staying at an inn these past few days, just finishing a busy day with a simple breakfast, at this time when both had just wrapped up their busy day.
[Mission difficulty level s can only be accepted by Little Bai. Head towards the eastern market, the Rainbow Beverage Area, to heal the auctioneer.]
[Mission difficulty level s can only be accepted by Chu Qing. Head towards the eastern market, the Rainbow Beverage Area, to heal the auctioneer.]
At the time Little Bai accepted the special mission, there were still three days left before the season of the Ulaga disease’s rage, while Chu Qing and he had only been in this world for five days.
He was very meticulous, and Little Bai knew this was his intuition speaking.
The disease lay dormant, waiting through the season of rage like it was plotting something.
Although he was obviously capable of handling it himself, having encountered but not met with any severe infections, his real intention was in healing the Ulaga disease. Little Bai didn’t pay much attention to it, he just listened to the accident.
Despite still being in this part of his journey, he did know some things, like the twin killings of utmost reverence, the dubious topic about apocalyptic mechanical creatures, recounted by a patient he had passed by. Little Bai did not wish to partake or calculate an avoidance; there was much to do, and not just a single task.
Everyone was vying for the auctioneer’s noble head, caught up in a struggle.
These past few days, Chu Qing and he had also heard some information: Chu Qing was involved in a mission that had to do with many Healing Guild members, the Slokou Aliens, Gemo Corporation, and Erloke Corporation. ƒreewebɳovel.com
Once he progressed further, Little Bai believed he could slowly accumulate enough data to enter the Heart Core City.
Even though every person’s fortunes in this world were not one and the same, Little Bai figured that by progressing further, he would easily find actual opponents and realize things, while at the same time, he could go find that particular room.
Without exception, everyone bore negative emotions; there were feelings of anger, some of shame, and also some of grief or fear.
Once recognized as a Heart Core Mechanoid, the mechanical person would do anything that would harm his own interests if he were to acquire any of these emotions.
This corroborated his observations about the Ulaga disease: A mechanical being and a soul cannot coexist. All the emotions had become data that could not be deleted, piling up and distorting until there was bloating.
Little Bai, who had already attained a considerable level of fame, was not far from becoming an "Elite of the Inner City," let alone Chu Qing who had already reached the rank of a prominent man with much influence.
Like factory workers at a water plant dealing with a constant stream of work, the two never ceased healing people with mechanical body deficiencies or who had been infected with the Ulaga disease.
Chu Qing and Little Bai had been very busy these days.
...
...
"Why have I been the focus of attention these past few days?"
He looked at the text message on the task list, still unable to make sense of it.
"You will receive a full set of equipment there; I’ve already marked the location on the map task, please proceed to this place first. This assignment is very dangerous, I must warn you, before you complete this assignment, I’ve been observing you for quite some time, thank you for taking on this mission.["
The content of this mission, for some reason, involved pressing a multitude of step-by-step prompts.
Zheng had just accepted the mission.
"Am I not supposed to take on this evil task?... Shouldn’t I look into the details before deciding, as a protective escort for my employer?"
"Why not take the job? Are we the only ones capable of accepting this mission?"
Zheng replied. Little Bai and Zheng exchanged glances.
"[This mission is the only one visible to you with an S difficulty rating.]"
"[This mission is the only one visible to you and Little Bai with an S difficulty rating.]"
——This mission suddenly appeared on the task list for Zheng and Little Bai.
Tasked with escorting the employer to a downtown market auction at the Inner City twelfth floor of the Luo tower, a mercenary waited for a commission, buried amidst trivial matters.
Zheng had just accepted a major mission after several days of engaging in these kinds of tasks.
"Irrelevant, childish,"
Although Zheng didn’t show any affection for Little Bai’s face, his comment reflected disdain. It seems like this was a form of tribute and intimidation, a kind of outside benefit.
Little Bai’s smile grew wider when he looked at the odd children who needed help.
Zheng might feel ashamed or possibly even regret this in retrospect, but he didn’t regret it now.
His mercenary career had gone utterly astray because of Little Bai’s presence.
Whether he was assisting with heavy lifting, or taking care of mechanical species with disabilities, although he couldn’t be a repairman for Mechanism City, after the incidents, he would head to the bar with Dugu, an aging wealthy widow, or help some old mechanic species leader find his lost mechanical dog, among other things.
Zheng took on abnormal children’s tasks every day, despite Little Bai’s interference.
They were all fairly serious crimes, but being a notorious mercenary like Zheng could move up quickly in this line of work.
The journey of the two mercenaries seemed to have taken a turn beginning from this moment.
He felt strangely amused as he watched Little Bai’s ferocious display of emotion.
But in the end, Zheng never did such a thing; though he could easily kill a dying beggar woman with a simple gesture, in reality, he wouldn’t.
That mechanical tribe woman simply had to look at Zheng and Little Bai finished speaking, and she’d flee without lasting more than a moment, though her legs were still robust, even though she was missing an arm.
"At least we can avoid making a mistake in this matter, but I know we can’t control everything that has happened, though this is indeed a mistake. I couldn’t save it," Zheng said.
Little Bai responded after a few seconds of silence.
"The world is already full of dirty issues. It’s better you climb back up to your tower early if you have such a conscience. Is it difficult for you not to take it with you?"
Zheng looked coldly at Little Bai.
"We’ve already accepted this mission together with four others. You should have seen it coming. If we kill it, it might still die,"
"Let it go, sir. It has a soul too... like a person," Little Bai continued, unable to stand in Zheng’s way.
In Zheng’s eyes, these people had no moral conscience toward mechanical species, which were not actually living beings.
Zheng, who often employed his hands for killing, was very familiar with this kind of similarity between a hitman and this incident.
In Mechanism City where hiring mercenaries was very common, the employer’s distribution of missions was simple: the mercenaries didn’t need to know the employer’s background, they just needed to do the job and get paid. He didn’t serve any particular household aside from working for a certain hirer, and he didn’t get involved with other mercenaries of different factions.
This mechanical beggar woman likely stumbled upon some crime in the past, which is why she was reacting this way, Zheng and Little Bai realized without a doubt.
Zheng begged her to let it go, he didn’t listen to anything, didn’t see anything the night before, and said it all himself as the machine tribe woman cried and begged, while Zheng was getting ready to act.
This woman from the Mechanoid tribe just needed to remember to bring a knife to the banquet to kill the fragile shell outside of it.
She is not a beggar begging in the Inner City, but a Mechanoid woman with a non-mechanical body.
But in reality, the banquet she was attending was accepting an assassination mission on a Mechanoid woman with one missing limb, a symbol of feminine deficiency.
Zheng’s eyes held a certain expectation and status in Mechanism City, which Dugu should have already obtained.
The man was afraid of making a mistake.
Inner City, Mechanism City
...
...
"If I really pay attention to some small matter, I might be able to pick up some non-essential details that could be convenient to use later. Without a lead, my subordinates teach me to look through an event," said Locke.
"Locke said:
Zheng squinted his eyes as if in a non-sleeping state, having successfully turned the conversation after the topic was brought up.
"You might consider leaving this high tower. Nothing here is actually wrong. Does it look like I like participating in such matters?" he said.
"There’s no need to find me later at Rainbow Beverage Area, our preparations for this event are still underway, and that suit of Armor A will attract many forces to the auction. The bidding is about to start."
Faith in Little Bai was the most important thing to him, of course, and so thought 95 as well.
"I must think that the Chaos in Mechanism City isn’t bad at all; actually, it’s pretty good. We can’t go looking for him among other people."
Determined to change the subject, he said to Zheng, "..."
"Strangely enough, some huge oddities, like clothing that sticks to your body, would suddenly fall from the sky during a great battle," said Slokou.
Zheng, not at all sleepy, was startled by this sentence. "What?" he asked.
"Don’t worry about it," said Locke.
Locke was very serious, very stern.
Zheng felt he must have had a strange dream, which was clear because he, Zheng, was not the type to indulge in spring dreams.
"I’m also a normal man, but you’d better not have such dreams next time. Go vent out at a bar in Mechanism City if you must," said 95, as he and Zheng were in the bar at that very moment.
Zheng, who could mostly control the content of his dreams, sometimes experienced the emergence of uncontrollable things within his dreams, although there’s a certain probability that this could happen.
Only after Zheng had a spring dream did 95 come to know of it.
The dream environment was filled with indescribable objects and many indescribable things, even including the scent of Dutch Hyacinths.
In Zheng’s dream environment, which just experienced a great battle, some oddities started to appear... they could be compared to a woman’s large white leg...
also knew Zheng’s two weak points: the uncontrollability of his dreams — the second vulnerability of the "Mirror Flower Water Moon."
However, the numerous battles between Zheng and 95 were not exactly straightforward.
In the upcoming auction, they will be responsible for ensuring the safety of Slokou’s high-tier auction participants.
After completing four missions, Zheng and 95 had already been promoted in Slokou’s security. Their promotion was a testament to their success in ensuring safety.
After taking note of the value of these two individuals from a higher perspective, Slokou decided not to probe into them any further and withdrew his gaze.
It was necessary to maintain an aura of mystery. Though Slokou originally had some brilliant strategists and the Dark Arbiters involved, Zheng and 95 managed to solve these issues.
They weren’t just any outsiders in the description; every one of them was a direct threat to the Heart Core, and their battles were unknown to any bystander.
Their names were becoming increasingly respected as the most feared duo.
...
...
The queue had grown incomparably, seemingly indifferent, but now it was on the verge of an angry tide.
The disease control troops formed a long queue, something about it felt peculiar.
"The more meticulous they are, the less likely they are to miss any outbreak. They can collect and analyze soul-twisting spells as much as possible, but it’s of no use if they don’t manage the external visitors, the six of them," said Akash, seeming indifferent to the past events.
Akash continued, "In reality, we were just being hurried along by Zero Number..." freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Even the strongest amongst the Inner City’s Mechanoid residents had rarely ventured to the Heart Core City. It was unheard of for two to climb atop it, let alone the mysterious extermination of a Disease Control Troop by a revered Double Kill, a spectacle for the watching Mechanoid tribespeople.
Chaos had already managed to regulate everything to a great extent, and this city, though accepting external visitors, maintained order and prosperity. From a distance of seven hundred years or more, Mechanism City, despite its name, was as chessboard-straight as the Inner City itself.
Akash frowned upon hearing the four words "revered Double Kill," which held an air of mystic energy.
"A Double Kill of higher status has emerged to rival those of the Inner City legends," said a member of the police squad, continuing the conversation.
Akash snorted, seemingly unimpressed. "It’s probably just a twisted soul-correcting spellmaster."
"And yet, the external visitor emerged without previously holding any significant role," pointed out a member of the police troop.
"Do you have any other information? The most recent Angel Envoy was just eliminated. Although it may bring about a change event, Mechanism City will be facing a catastrophe; you don’t need to worry about what I said," Chu Qing noted.
"But the rage tide will arrive in four days’ time. I fear the Inner City will not be ready," said a member of the Restoration Troop.
"My battle equipment is already in order. You must ensure to let all the residents of the Inner City know; don’t bait too small a fish with too big an attractor. It’s unnecessary," said Akash, taking full responsibility for the current state of Mechanism City. Locke had not been seen leaving the grand hall for quite some time, the Zero Number who presided over Mechanism City.
"Would this not ensure that the Angel Envoy will not fall into a great internal struggle? Have they become stronger than before, these machines of war brought to the Inner City this time by the Troop? All sides are jockeying for position in this power struggle, and the Angel Envoy’s message has already been released," speculated Gemo, recounting the events of these past few days to his compatriots in the police troop.
Standing on a colossal floating island—Heart Core City’s boundary, Akash will soon present himself, just as he had so many times before. And, settled atop Mechanism City’s most formidable defenses, was Akash, while just below was Zero Number. The greatest strength of Heart Core City was Tower 95. Tower 95 was affectionately referred to as "White Mist," just like the Long Queue.
And, therefore, he was called Long Queue—since they seldom used his real name, because Akash had rescued Mechanism City countless times.
The people of Mechanism City held Akash in great reverence and fear.
He was a silver-haired young man with eyes the deep color of the ocean, his demeanor somewhat cold and distant.
Although Akash’s external appearance hadn’t significantly changed and he had long been leading other Mechanoid tribes, internally he never updates his own Heart Core Mechanoid, despite not being essentially upgraded.
For Akash, being able to step into the Inner City’s Heart Core hall frequently meant he was undergoing personal modifications, as he didn’t truly belong to the fifth-generation Mechanoid clan, representing some kind of anomaly within Akash.
Akash, as well as being the head of the Disease Control Troop, was also immediately present within the God’s Guard Team.
This emperor, rarely seen in the present time, had intersected paths with many of the Inner City residents—his servants, as he was encountered by the external visitors even less frequently.
While the emperor was confined by Mechanism City above, the Mechanoid city below teemed with life that, though not approachable, had never changed in seventeen hundred years: men, women, children, and old people of the Mechanoid city.
Akash was a perfect replica of that certain base numerical figure he had fashioned into existence. Everything about these new human types was Zero Number’s own creation.
In the end, they were Mechanoids, a lineage unable to proliferate into a new generation, regardless of how lofty their origins, since the prototypes from Zero Number’s workshop weren’t yet capable of evolution.
The members of the God’s Guard Team, still adhering to their old data exchange ports, hadn’t progressed past the neck.
They bore no trace of mechanical modifications, unlike the second and third-generation Mechanoid tribes’ total mechanical coating; their upper bodies had already beautifully fused blood and metal for the fifth-generation Mechanoid warriors of the God’s Guard Team. Outwardly, nearly all the God’s Guard Team members were virtually indistinguishable from humans.
They were the guardians of the gods, in the truest sense of their namesake.
And hence, they were called the God’s Guard Team, even though this squad was not the first to go by this name. The Disease Control Troop’s history in Mechanism City only counts a total of six deployments.
The Disease Control Troop has not been dispatched for a very long time now, since the last rage tide.
The Heart Core City, Mechanism City above, the exterior towers.
