095. Hyakunin Isshu

"Yes, I understand. Thanks for reminding me."

Lu Ban hung up the phone.

The person who just called him was He Youwu from the police station. He Youwu told him that when the police went to find the real estate agent, the person had already disappeared. In fact, the identity of the real estate agent was fake. There was actually someone else who was impersonating the real estate agent and wandering around Jiangcheng.

"Indeed, if one disguises themselves as a real estate agent, they can appear in many places without leaving a trace and arousing suspicion. However, there shouldn't be many people like that. Didn't the police notice?"

Lu Ban still felt somewhat puzzled.

In addition, He Youwu reminded Lu Ban that since he had seen the agent's appearance and had spoken with him, the agent might try to harm Lu Ban, so Lu Ban should be careful.

Perhaps because of this, the criminal has not committed any more crimes recently, probably out of fear that the police will set a trap to lure him into the trap.

"That being said, I'll be going on a mission soon too."

Lu Ban might be missing for several more days. Not to mention the murderer, even the police won't be able to find him.

With less than a day left before the mission's start date, Lu Ban had spent the last few days researching art-related materials, such as Impressionism, Modernism, and Classicism. Since he was going to participate in the Harmony Island's Poetry Festival, he naturally needed to know a little about these things, or he would be laughed at.

In his field of vision, the cold text of the system appeared on the computer screen. Lu Ban clicked on [Silence Department Store], preparing to find a suitable weapon of mass destruction.

The disastrous scene at the last wedding was still fresh in Lu Ban. If he had a powerful weapon like the [Simulated Sunflare], he could have just blasted that lump of mud and been done with it. There was no need to risk his life.

As a person who is cautious in everything he does, plans carefully before acting, and always strives to utterly destroy his enemies, Lu Ban believes in the importance of firepower.

However, he has only accumulated 36,000 points, which is far from 50,000 points. He cannot unlock the next stage of the store and can only choose the best among the [Excellent] quality items.

This isn't to say that Lu Ban is fickle; he believes that the quality of a product doesn't necessarily represent its ultimate strength. For example, the suona he bought with a few hundred points can connect him to Great Being somewhere unknown, and the crowbar he bought with a thousand points is more useful than other things.

With a quick glance, Lu Ban had already memorized the few items he had previously set his sights on.

First, there's a pumpkin-shaped product, which looks about the size of a palm.

Halloween

[Excellent]

In the Night Country, Halloween represents a day when the dead and the living meet.

Pumpkins, believed to be able to communicate with the spirits of the dead, are a common food for Halloween.

Eat this, and all you'll have on your mind is Halloween.

"Halloween! Halloween Halloween!!!"

Price: 5555 Silence Points

This pumpkin is supposed to be a one-time use item. According to the item description, once you eat this pumpkin, all you'll think about is Halloween.

Lu Ban speculated that this should be a powerful control tool. If they encountered any giant octopus or shark on the Harmony Island, they could just throw it into the mouths of those monsters and they would lose consciousness.

His gaze moved down to the second item, a thread-bound book that looked tattered and had burn marks.

[Blazing Heavenly Thunder]

[Excellent]

After several twists and turns, the Daoist arts of immortals finally settled down in the Ruined City and established their own sect.

The technique of summoning lightning has always been a secret among the immortals of the Ruined City capital.

[Legend has it that the founder of the immortal sect Daoist He Ming, sat in meditation under a cypress tree for thirty days without eating or drinking, ultimately attaining the supreme Dao and summoning thunderous lightning.]

However, whether incomplete Daoist techniques still hold true remains to be seen.

"It's true, everything I said is true!!!"

Price: 26,000 Silence Points

This is a real gem. You can tell from the price: 20,000 Silence Points. Buying it would be enough to empty Lu Ban's entire fortune.

But this product is also the one that Lu Ban seems to have the most powerful ability to summon heavenly lightning. It looks very fantastical. As we all know, the demons and monsters in the fantasy world are all experience packs for the protagonist to level up. If one lightning strike doesn't kill them, they'll get another one.

However, the description of the item, "Daoist He Ming," made Lu Ban somewhat uneasy. This Daoist seemed to have been corrupted by those Great Being, and even his notes were enough to ward off evil. Perhaps the heavenly lightning didn't strike down from the clouds, but spewed from the mouth of another evil god.

Lu Ban certainly didn't mind that it was too expensive, but this thing might be a bit too early for Lu Ban.

He looked at the third item.

[Glazed Fire]

[Excellent]

[The weapon that pirates on Harmony Island feared most]

[Once it spreads, even the sea will be engulfed in flames.]

Legend has it that this flame originated from the sigh of a deity, and only Saiō can wield it; any mortal who tries to use it will surely be consumed by its own flames.

Some believe that the ever-burning flame in the main hall of the Wa Island Grand Shrine is the Glazed Fire.

"A flame that never goes out and a flame that never burns are the same thing."

Price: 7654 Silence Points

Lu Ban quite likes this product.

The main reason is that it originates from Harmony Island. If Lu Ban uses it in missions on Harmony Island, it's like using the original ingredients in the original soup.

"The Sigh of the Unfixed Mist should frequently appear at sea Harmony Island. The people there must have mastered methods to drive away or collect and avoid them. This flame is related to the shrine maiden of Wa Island Grand Shrine. Perhaps it is a method used in that world to dispel the dense fog."

The more Lu Ban thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

He pondered for a moment and then exchanged for [Glazed Fire].

A bottle appeared in his hand.

The bottle is about the size of a mini Coca-Cola can, made of glass, with the opening sealed. Inside the transparent bottle is a burning flame.

The flames were different from those Lu Ban usually saw; they resembled some kind of flowing liquid, with colors ranging from crimson to deep black, dark green, azure, and orange-yellow flowing within them. As the bottle was rotated, those colors changed and flowed along with its movement, displaying a mesmerizing array of hues.

Holding it in my hand, it wasn't hot; in fact, it felt slightly cool.

Clearly, this is also an item that can only be used once.

Lu Ban tapped the bottle with his finger. The bottle was quite sturdy. It looked like glass, but it was actually more like an iron can, so there was no need to worry about leakage.

He carefully put away the bottle of Glazed Fire and checked his backpack.

After sending a message to Feng Yu, Qin Tiantian, and the two police officers that he was going to another city to gather information, Lu Ban opened the system's task selection panel.

He chose "Hyakunin Isshu".

[Hyakunin Isshu]

The triennial Poetry Festival is a major cultural event on Harmony Island.

People from different islands and regions will gather on Song Island to engage in artistic exchange.

However, this year's Poetry Festival is somewhat different.

The giant doll suspended in mid-air, the suffocating Pale Gray Fog, the vanished artist—all speak of the eeriness.

[Task Difficulty: Selectable]

[Mission Requirements: Participate in the Poetry Festival and search for the missing artist]

[Mission Requirement: Survive until the end of the Poetry Festival]

"Communication first, life second!"