Half a Year Later!

After the matters in Gengjin City had been dealt with, the two of them stayed in the city for a few more days.

Yan Ping handed the list and records obtained from the stone house to the Gengjin City patrol team and assisted with the follow-up investigation into the clues surrounding Zhou Yuan's disappearance.

After bringing the Soul Tool lockbox back to Gengjin City, Qian Yaoting found a shop that specialized in Soul Tool components and asked the owner to help crack the lock mechanism.

Inside the box were a batch of ore samples and several secret letters. Their contents concerned Black Vulture's covert dealings with a certain ore merchants' association in Gengjin City.

Following the leads, the patrol team destroyed two of Black Vulture's contact points in Gengjin City and arrested several people involved in the case.

The person ultimately responsible for Zhou Yuan's disappearance was also caught during the subsequent investigation. The procurement officer had accepted bribes from Black Vulture and voluntarily sold out the guard unit's route.

After the case was settled, Yan Ping sought the two of them out to offer his thanks. He gave Qian Yaoting a treasured ore sample native to Gengjin City as a token of gratitude. Qian Yaoting accepted it without saying much, then said goodbye to Yan Ping and left Gengjin City with Li Long.

During the six months after leaving Gengjin City, the two continued traveling according to their original route.

They traveled south from the northern border of the Star Luo Empire, passing through Ironwall City, the outskirts of Shadow Valley, and several towns along the way.

Ironwall City was a major military stronghold on the Star Luo Empire's northern defense line, garrisoned by the empire's most elite border troops. A Soul Tool defensive tower stood on the city