–Extra! The Puming Group is buying massive quantities of Ability Orbs at the cost of fifteen years of life each!–
Outside the Yangxue Avenue Cafe on the main road of Hub Town, a man ran past a crowd of adventurers, waving and shouting.
–Fifteen years of life for one Ability Orb?–
The man sitting at the table set down his porcelain cup.
The person beside him sneered:
–Pfft, sure, they’re the Puming Group, but who do they think we are in Hub Town? Fifteen years for one of our rare Ability Orbs? That’s a pipe dream.–
Another runner shouted: –We need fifty thousand Ability Orbs in two days! If anyone has a Resonance Statuette, lend it to us!–
–Pfft!–
–What? Did I hear the units wrong?–
With a crash, the cafe door burst open as people flooded out. Out on the street, someone had already shot forward and grabbed the messenger’s arm.
–Cough!– The coffee drinker was drenched.
Several people, like martial arts masters, rushed in front of the shouting man and grabbed him, yelling excitedly: –Say that again—was it twenty Ability Orbs, or two hundred?–
The man twisted his arm, reversing the grip and pinning his captor’s hands behind his back:
–What two hundred? Didn’t I say it clearly? Bobori from the Puming Group said it himself—at least twenty thousand Ability Orbs! And he’d prefer if we could collect fifty thousand right here!–
–Right here? Are there other buying points elsewhere?–
–Oh my god!–
–Where the hell did he get so many Chronos? Pfft, I even doubt how long they’ll live.-
The crowd gathered around, clustering with disbelief: –Are those three Puming guys crazy? 50,000 ability spheres are 700,000 to 800,000 Chronos!-
–Are they just playing with beans?-
–What the hell is Yang Zicang up to now?-
The man in the center wiped the saliva from the excited crowd that had sprayed on his face.
–Who knows? Anyway, I just made a few hundred Chronos. Believe it or not, my team members have already gone to the Silver Ring Hall. Our income today will be four to five thousand.-
As he spoke, a silver-white financing request spread out.
{I am Boboli from Puming Group. Dear friends, we currently need approximately 20,000 to 40,000 ability spheres. The acquisition deadline is before midnight tomorrow.}
–Oh my god, is this real?-
–Wait, wasn’t it 50,000?-
The financing link disconnected and then reopened with a message:
{Current acquisition branch locations: Ground floor of Zhenxiu Fang, Silver Ring Plaza, lobby of Shanyue Tower…}
Another announcement link spread out.
{I am Zhu Yin, deputy mayor of Silver Hub Town. Mr. Boboli of Puming Group will acquire at least 37,000 ability spheres before tomorrow… Some ability spheres will be settled with Virtual Zero Chronos—a rare opportunity!}
–What? Wasn’t it 40,000 just now?-
{Still need at least 35,000 more. Didn’t expect everyone to be so enthusiastic. Thanks.}
–What the hell, only a few minutes have passed!-
The crowd erupted and scattered, each using their own skills as they rushed toward the previously mentioned acquisition locations.
The entire town was surging with people.
Meanwhile, on the Land of Lost Frequencies. Robin Lo was swiftly darting between the greenhouses with the shadow-like little Matt Chao, buying up all kinds of abilities—good and bad—as well as some materials, at 12N to 13N.
At the rebuilt Rose Creek, various teams were now racing there at full speed.
A hundred ability balls could earn over two hundred years; a thousand ability balls could earn two to three thousand years!
All they had to do was simply resonate with the small statue—everyone was in a frenzy.
As for those far away, they could only sigh in regret that they simply couldn’t make it in time, missing this precious chance to earn Chronos.
In a certain shed area, a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl named Xiao Li kept resonating with her short-range teleportation ability in delight. She had never imagined she would have such a day of squandering, with Chronos flowing away like water, ten years at a time.
–Uncle Yang, that Yang Zicang actually offered me such a high price—fifty years each.-
The girl looked at Shed Master Yang, whose expression was less than pleased, and whispered playfully, –Last time he gave me such a lavish gift as soon as we met. He… he couldn’t have some interest in me, could he?-
–Phew!-
Shed Master Yang let out a foul breath. –Relax, he has zero damn interest in a little girl like you.-
–Oh~- Xiao Li stuck out her tongue in mild amusement.
She knew that the shed owner beside her appeared to have no remarkable abilities, but in fact possessed an extremely precious talent—otherwise, she wouldn’t have been singled out from the crowd and brought to his shed for protection.
In this shed area, there were several other ability users whose powers seemed useless but were incredibly rare. And everyone got along wonderfully, all thanks to the shed owner’s hawk-eyed Moxel ability, which seemed to see straight into people’s hearts.
–Maybe Yang Zicang is about to pull off something earth-shattering again. I’ll lend him a hand too.–
This man—also named Yang, with a weathered face and shoulder-length hair—placed his hand on the statue.
[I begin to craft the –Ambition of True Destiny- ability orb.]
[I consume 10N of Chronos principal.]
A sphere like a small, green-skinned fruit was spat out by the slowly opening mouth of the statue.
Rose Creek.
Beneath the biting wind and the dancing light of the bonfire, the Rose Queen sat on a broad, cushioned stone chair deep within the hall. She gazed at the two ability orbs in her hands—condensed by her bonded Enightmare through the small statue.
[Guardian of Rose Thoughts]
[Resists telepathic attacks by amplifying Chronos; each activation consumes 1N.]
Suddenly, enthusiastic cheers erupted from the entrance of the hall, and a figure strode in through the parting crowd.
The moment that person saw Xu Aiyuan, their expression faltered briefly before returning to normal.
–You are the Black Dragon King?–
–Yes, last time Yang Zicang saved the Lost Frequency Land, and now he’s aggressively buying up ability balls both in Hub Town and here. There must be something else going on.–
Behind the burly Black Dragon King, two henchmen dragging four sacks followed him into the hall to warm themselves by the bonfire.
The slender woman stood up to greet them.
The burly man approached the delicate woman, –So, I, I’ll put them here…–
The man’s words were a bit incoherent.
Xu Aiyuan smiled softly, exuding boundless charm.
Li Sumei, close at Xu Aiyuan’s side, chuckled lightly. –Lord Black Dragon is quite polite in his speech.–
Xu Aiyuan’s smiling eyes swept over the girl beside her.
–Go get some hot water for them.–
After Li Sumei left, the Rose Queen turned back and looked up slightly at the man’s bear-like, burly shoulders, still dusted with unmelted snowflakes.
–On the way here, you must have used up quite a bit of amplified Chronos. On behalf of Yang Zicang, thank you.–
The Black Dragon King suddenly felt as if a thorn had pierced his heart.
–Rose… Queen, you’re too kind.–
After resting a moment and confirming the number of ability balls, Li Sumei handed over two Tianbao treasures and a bag of slightly dull, obsidian-like coins.
–So these are the Void Zero Chronos coins? Uh, on behalf of my brothers in the shed, I thank you all.–
The Black Dragon King took the money pouch and turned to leave.
–Won’t you rest a bit more?-
–It gets colder at night—going back will deduct more Chronos. We won’t stay.-
After descending the stone steps and taking a few steps, the man suddenly heard a clear, pleasant voice from behind.
–With such power, why don’t you set foot on the new trajectory of fate?-
The bear-like man pondered for a moment, then tilted his head slightly toward the lady, who was as delicate as a flower, and said:
–If I leave, they might not make it. There are several thousand people, after all. Heh, so what can I do? I’ll stay for now and take things one step at a time.-
Xu Aiyuan, standing at the entrance of the great hall, watched the figure draped in beast skins trudging through the snow, keeping her eyes on the three black dots until they vanished into the snow beyond the city gate.
……
A few hours earlier.
When Huan Bao’er had brought the mental spectrum synchronization device, preparing to record this astonishing masterpiece,
she saw the three of them rapidly adding treasure chests to the space.
–What are you all doing…-
Jiaoma quickly ran over from the grass.
–Godmother Huanhuan, these rewards are different from those Executive Croft gives.-
Huan Bao’er stared at her with cold, emotionless eyes.
But unlike before, the girl didn’t lower her head under that gaze. Instead, she met the eyes of the noble lady and said:
–Don’t be angry, godmother. This is a chance for the weak. These things will inspire them, help them find self-worth, and make them feel they can stand against the strong.-
The frost in Huan Bao’er’s eyes gradually melted.
–This is the confidence and hope they need to fight against powerful enemies.-
The director-general suddenly burst out laughing.
–So that’s how it is. That’s the key point.-
Seeing Huan Bao’er’s change in attitude, Jiao Ma breathed a sigh of relief.
–In that case, I’ll lend you a hand. Feel free to tell me whatever else you need to include.-
Jiao Ma was overjoyed. She turned and called for Boboli, and the boy in the distance ran over.
–We plan to focus on Hub Town, purchasing ability spheres to include as the main prizes. Chronos weapons will be the top-tier prizes, and daily necessities will be the common prizes.-
Huan Bao’er’s eyes lit up.
–Well done, Chief Designer!-
Shortly after, Huan Bao’er appeared at the door of her own office.
The moment she pushed open the door, the boisterous atmosphere inside instantly fell silent.
A group of employees—all wearing Lost Illusion uniforms but with dyed hair, bizarre waistcoats, sleeves rolled up to reveal tattoos, simpleton expressions, or a priest-like demeanor as they sipped tea and read books while others dared not approach—quickly straightened their postures.
–Zorro!-
The man, who had put his Zorro mask back on, looked up from behind a card table. A psychic bean sprout was stuck on his head, bobbing back and forth as he moved.
Huan Bao’er, with a stern face, scanned everyone in the room and said:
–And all of you—starting now, I have an announcement to make!-
Huan Bao’er kicked the door shut.
–Top-secret operation, code name: Third Dark Hand.-
–Top-secret?-
–Third Dark Hand? What’s that?-
In the dim black stone room, the crowd looked up as the woman strode in from the doorway.
–Everyone must participate and keep this confidential. Otherwise, all this year’s evaluations will be scored ‘0’, and you’ll be recorded as security leakers.-
–Ah~- A chorus of groans filled the room.
–Chief Secretary Baobao, aren’t you supposed to be on vacation? Don’t worry about us—go have some fun!-
Bang! As Huan Bao’er passed by, the speaker’s head was smashed onto the table by a mysterious force, costing them several days of Chronos.
[Huan Bao’er begins assembling the Phantom Tooth Special Action Team.]
[Huan Bao’er declares herself captain of the Phantom Tooth Special Action Team.]
[Huan Bao’er declares all members of the Lian Xing Section to be Phantom Tooth Squad members.]
[Huan Bao’er declares that the Phantom Tooth Squad has accepted the Lian Xing Section’s top-secret emergency mission: Third Dark Hand.]
–No way, is this for real?-
–A special operation exclusive to our Lian Xing Section…-
At last, the dozen or so people in the room realized that Chief Coordinator Huan Bao’er wasn’t joking with them.
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