Chapter 27

The rain pattered against the ground, splashing up sprays of water. Beneath the dim sky stood towering buildings and flashing neon lights.

Xiao Hen emerged from a pitch-black alley, dusted off his rain-soaked clothes, and walked to the roadside. After looking around, he picked a direction and strode away.

"Shuttle, I need to know what world this is!"

Xiao Hen wiped the rain from his face and asked in his mind.

"This is the world of Ghost Blows Out the Light: The Musical Journey. Generating mission. Please wait... Mission generated."

Main Quest: Obtain the Crystal of Illusion (Flower of the Other Shore)

Side Quest: Join the Spirit Cultivation Society, enter the Goddess Tomb, and protect Ying Caihong from death until the Flower of the Other Shore is obtained.

Xiao Hen fell silent, rapidly sorting through the movie's plot in his mind and recalling some of its general events.

It was a domestic film with both excellent actors and special effects. Xiao Hen had watched it a year ago, but after so much time, he could no longer remember the plot very clearly.

"To obtain the Flower of the Other Shore, I have to enter the Goddess Tomb. If I go alone, even with my current physical abilities, there's a high chance I'll die. Besides, this kind of thing requires professionals." Xiao Hen sheltered from the rain beneath the entrance of a clothing store while thinking.

"The Main Quest is to obtain the Crystal of Illusion, namely the Flower of the Other Shore. As for why the Shuttle called it the Crystal of Illusion, according to the movie's final explanation, the Flower of the Other Shore is a Skyfall Meteorite containing endless power of illusion. The Shuttle isn't wrong to call it the Crystal of Illusion."

"Thinking back to the previous Story World, The Great Wall, that green crystal was called the Pearl of Greed by the Shuttle. From that, it seems this Flower of the Other Shore's unnatural special ability is highly useful for repairing the Shuttle. Perhaps this time, the repair progress can reach fifteen percent too!" Xiao Hen smiled.

The crystal from The Great Wall had reduced the Shuttle's damage from seventy-three percent to fifty-eight percent. Xiao Hen guessed that this Flower of the Other Shore might achieve the same effect. Even if not, surely it could manage eight percent?

As long as it could be repaired to fifty percent, he would be able to prepare in advance for the worlds he entered in the future, greatly increasing his safety. There would be even more benefits to preparing ahead of time, such as gaining greater rewards in the coming worlds.

"The Side Quest is to join the Spirit Cultivation Society?"

Xiao Hen rubbed his chin. The Spirit Cultivation Society was a cult organization founded by Ying Caihong, a Plot character in this world. Most of its members were wealthy young masters and the like. Of course, judging from the Plot, Ying Caihong had no supernatural abilities at all. She relied entirely on deception to make those rich young masters work themselves to the bone for her.

Ying Caihong was born in Sichuan Province, Huaxia. She had been born with one black eye and one yellow eye, and legend said she could see through the realms of yin and yang. Yet she had been treated as an omen of misfortune by the villagers since childhood. In the end, she was adopted by a wealthy Japanese businessman, though in truth she had been kept as his mistress. After the businessman died, Ying Caihong inherited his fortune and established the Global Mining Group.

The Plot began after Ying Caihong's Global Mining Group signed a tomb-raiding contract with Hu Bayi's partner, Wang Kaixuan.

"The Goddess Tomb... the Side Quest..."

Xiao Hen muttered to himself, then began determining where he was. To enter the Goddess Tomb, he first had to join the Spirit Cultivation Society and follow Ying Caihong into the ancient tomb. Only she could take him in, because throughout the Plot, Hu Bayi had refused to enter the tomb chamber. He only went in at the end because he had no choice but to save Wang Kaixuan.

Judging from the Side Quest, the quest issued by the Shuttle was perfectly reasonable. It was practically handing Xiao Hen the most logical path on a silver platter.

"Still, it actually wants me to protect Ying Caihong until I obtain the Flower of the Other Shore. Does that mean once I get it, there'll be no problem even if I kill her myself?"

The Side Quest made it clear that the Shuttle's foremost goal had always been the Flower of the Other Shore. The Main Quest directly targeted it, and even the Side Quest had been designed to aid in obtaining it.

"I need to know the current era and determine when the Plot begins. Also, the Spirit Cultivation Society's headquarters is in Hong Kong..."

Xiao Hen walked down the street until he reached a newsstand. He picked up a stack of newspapers and flipped through them, finding the current date. Fortunately, there was still some time before the Plot began. Now, all he needed to do was join the Spirit Cultivation Society.

This was Jinling. He would need to figure out a way to get to Hong Kong. At the moment, Xiao Hen was someone who technically did not exist in this world.

After getting a phone number from one of the fake-document ads posted along the street, Xiao Hen followed the instructions over the phone to a secluded alley, where someone met him. He passed through the alley and entered a low building that resembled a reception office. When Xiao Hen came in, a middle-aged man walked over to receive him.

By the time Xiao Hen emerged from the place, several burly men were sprawled on the floor inside. Such fake-document dens often harbored extortionists, but extorting others was one thing. Trying to extort Xiao Hen? Heh, they were dreaming.

Xiao Hen looked at the documents in his hand and smiled faintly. Getting to Hong Kong should no longer be a problem.

After getting off the plane, Xiao Hen left the airport, hailed a taxi, and headed toward the city center. The Spirit Cultivation Society was located in an office building in central Hong Kong.

"At this point, Ying Caihong should already have a brain tumor and be desperately searching for a way to survive, right?" Xiao Hen gave a cold smile as he stepped out of the taxi and looked at the high-rise before him. Clear words were displayed on the building: Global Mining Group.

Xiao Hen walked inside. The moment he reached the front desk, someone stopped him.

"Who are you? Unauthorized people are not allowed in here," a young woman at the front desk said cautiously.

"I have an appointment with your chairman, Ms. Ying Caihong." Xiao Hen lied without even blinking.

"Really?" The receptionist looked doubtful.

"Yes. If you don't believe me, you can call and confirm it. Just mention the word 'goddess,'" Xiao Hen said with a smile.

Half-convinced and half-suspicious, the woman made a call to the Chairman's office. Ying Caihong answered, and the young woman asked directly, "Chairman, did you arrange to meet anyone today? There's someone downstairs who wants to see you. He says he has an appointment with you."

Ying Caihong's voice came through the phone. "I didn't arrange to meet anyone today."

The young woman gave Xiao Hen a puzzled look. Xiao Hen merely smiled and gestured for her to continue. "Chairman, this person said that if I told you two words, you would understand. Those two words are: goddess."

"..."

The line went silent, and the young woman hurriedly called out, "Hello? Hello?"

"Send him up!" After a long while, Ying Caihong's voice finally came through the phone.

"Yes, Chairman." The young woman froze, then relaxed. It seemed this man really had arranged a time with the Chairman.

"You can go up. The chairman is in Room 1003 on the tenth floor!"

Xiao Hen pressed the elevator button, then took the elevator upstairs.

Did anyone guess it?