Preparations Before the Mission

Early morning:

Snowflakes drifted down sparsely.

Early in the morning, Chu Qing bid farewell to Mingyue and the others, then headed straight for the Anomaly Division.

This time, he did not cover his face. Instead, he donned a black robe and used its hood to conceal half his face.

Along the way:

Many people were clearing snow from the streets.

Dressed in hemp clothes and barefoot, they swept the flagstone roads spotless.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Chu Qing stepped into the Anomaly Division.

The Anomaly Division by day was far livelier than it had been last night.

Many black-robed figures came and went, weaving between the various counters.

Chu Qing swept his gaze around and saw counters for materials, information, trades, and more.

Fortunately, none of the counters bore words such as "No beating up newcomers without cause."

Before long, he fixed his eyes on one counter.

A white-robed man was cultivating behind it.

Chu Qing handed over his token and said, "I want to choose Gray Robes!"

The white-robed man opened his eyes, glanced at him, and smiled. "Newcomer?"

Chu Qing nodded curiously. "How did you know?"

The white-robed man smiled. "Only newcomers say they want to choose Gray Robes!"

"Veterans all say—choose livestock!"

Chu Qing was speechless.

The white-robed man registered Chu Qing's information, then said, "Go to the first underground level. That's where the livestock live!"

"Oh, right. The lower their numbers, the stronger and more unruly this bunch of livestock is!"

"Take it easy. Don't let them look down on you."

"And don't let them capture you. If that happens, the big shots in gold robes will have to rescue you!"

Chu Qing nodded.

The white-robed man gave him some further instructions. Chu Qing thanked him and took his leave.

A few minutes later:

Chu Qing stepped