Trade! Spirit Badge!

"Rest assured, everyone—the Inspection Bureau will protect every Federation citizen!"

Liu Zheng rubbed his shoulder and said, "But I still have some matters to attend to. I hope everyone can wait peacefully."

"The mist is coming soon. Redfang Village lies outside the mist's shroud..."

Arriving nearby, Wu Yu heard Liu Zheng speaking with great confidence.

He opened [Map] and glanced at the countdown.

"It really is almost time."

When asking the inn waiter for information, Wu Yu had asked about the mist. But the waiter knew nothing, saying that morning fog occasionally appeared here, while dangerous mist simply did not exist.

The weather had been clear lately, and no morning fog had appeared either.

Therefore,

Wu Yu concluded that the "mist" would most likely affect only those climbing the tower!

As for whether it was poison, monsters, or corrosive gas, he could only guess.

"Bzzz—"

Suddenly, he heard something.

He immediately looked up and saw a Micro Drone flying over the houses, something spinning beneath it.

"That drone can fire spirit-energy shells!"

"I've never even seen something like that at the Black Crow Merchant Guild."

"Looks like... it's recording video?"

Wu Yu fell into thought.

Liu Zheng was an official, after all. He was probably gathering information about this place.

At that moment,

Liu Zheng spotted Wu Yu and called out, "You're here too, little brother!"

"Inspector Liu."

Wu Yu responded politely.

Liu Zheng nodded slightly and asked, "May I ask whether you've seen Boss Jin?"

"Boss Jin?"

Wu Yu's heart stirred, and he immediately understood who Liu Zheng meant.

After thinking back, Wu Yu answered, "I haven't seen him since we got separated, but while fleeing, I saw him running toward the wasteland."

"What a headlong flight into danger!"

Liu Zheng frowned deeply, knowing Boss Jin was in danger.

"Inspector Liu, I have something to tell you."

Wu Yu spoke slowly.

"Oh?"

Liu Zheng scrutinized Wu Yu, then nodded. "You look like you spent the night here as well. Shall we go upstairs and talk?"

"Please!"

Watching the two head upstairs, Brother Kun and the others were dumbfounded.

Yu Tiezhu scratched his head. Without thinking much of it, he grinned foolishly. "Since Lord Liu has matters to attend to, let's wait around the village a little longer."

"Okay!"

Bai Xiaotian nodded obediently.

"No, why should we?"

Brother Kun's face darkened, but he did not dare say anything.

Second floor!

After closing the door, Wu Yu walked to the table and poured Liu Zheng a cup of tea.

The latter raised a hand to stop him and said, "Little brother, no need to beat around the bush. Speak plainly!"

"That works."

Wu Yu likewise disliked empty courtesies and said at once, "Inspector Liu should be investigating this secret realm world, right? I have some discoveries I'd like to trade with you."

"A trade?"

Liu Zheng frowned slightly.

Yet Wu Yu remained neither servile nor overbearing, with neither arrogance nor fear on his face.

Liu Zheng could not help sitting up straighter, regarding the young man before him seriously for the first time.

"That's right. I do want to gather sufficient information in the shortest possible time."

Liu Zheng said, "But how do I know whether your information is valuable?"

"I'll provide the information first."

Wu Yu smiled slightly. "Lord Liu loves the people as a parent loves his children. I'm sure you won't break your word."

"What kind of strange ancient saying is 'loves the people as a parent loves his children'?"

Liu Zheng looked speechless and could not help laughing.

"Stop beating around the bush! But the trade is possible. Go on."

Hearing that,

Wu Yu did not waste any words and told him about Evil Tiger Stronghold, Lostway Cave, and the village chief.

This information was not top secret. One merely needed to spend time and money making inquiries. Wu Yu had only gained an advantage through acting first and having silver.

Others might not have matched him,

but Liu Zheng had killed so many bandits. He might have gotten cards like "ten taels of silver" or "one tael of silver," perhaps more than one.

Of course, Wu Yu would not mention that he had secretly snatched the bandit leader's kill.

"This world... is actually this real!"

Liu Zheng exclaimed in astonishment, murmuring, "This may be a vast otherworld. We're merely restricted to the range of [Map]!"

"A complete Transcendent system, martial artists who surpass ordinary mortals, and even Storage Bags! The village chief displayed one so casually; they must be very common in this world."

"The purchasing power of silver is far too high. It must have some special use in this world."

After listening for only a while, Liu Zheng had already formed many guesses.

He looked at Wu Yu in surprise and smiled. "You gathered this information too? Kid, you want to trade this information with me?"

"I'm merely saving Lord Liu some time and doing my duty as a citizen."

Wu Yu smiled faintly.

"So when you need something, I'm Lord Liu."

Liu Zheng shook his head with a smile. "Speak. What do you want me to do? Protect you until the evacuation point?"

"No."

Wu Yu said, "I want Lord Liu to give me a spirit-energy piece of equipment for self-protection."

"What a huge appetite!"

Liu Zheng was startled and said helplessly, "Any equipment containing spirit energy costs far more!"

"Secondhand is fine. It doesn't need to be intact."

Wu Yu hurriedly replied.

"..."

Liu Zheng looked at Wu Yu with uncertainty and suspicion.

Could that desperate chase earlier...

That made sense. The bandits had chased him all the way, one fleeing and one pursuing, for who knew how long. The commotion could be seen from far away!

"Fine! I can't give you the Inspection Bureau's standard equipment, but I happen to have a discarded piece of junk. Consider it payment for that information."

After pondering briefly, Liu Zheng touched the blue band around his wrist.

A glimmer of light flashed, and a somewhat worn badge appeared on the table.

"A branded spatial wristwatch. It can access the Spirit Network and has storage capabilities."

Wu Yu looked at the blue wristband and recognized it immediately.

Even low-quality off-brand versions of this thing cost thirty thousand on the market, let alone a branded one!

It combined modern spirit-energy technology with cultivators' Storage Bag technology. No wonder he had looked down on the village chief during their conversation.

As for the badge, after thinking for a moment, Wu Yu remembered it too.

It was the Diamond Badge launched by Spirit Mountain Technology three years ago. It could passively protect its owner, unfolding a "Diamond Shield" that floated over the body's surface!

It was an exquisite fusion of talismans, magical artifacts, and spirit-energy technology.

"The Diamond Badge—I've used it a few times. It should have around fifty percent left."

Liu Zheng said, "Looking at you, are you planning to kill monsters and loot items?"

"Little brother, I still have to advise you: [Vitality Pill] may be precious, but your own life is even more important. Those bandits are no good people, and there's more than just ordinary men among them, not to mention those archers."

After saying that,

Liu Zheng sighed, shook his head, and left the room.

Only after he had gone downstairs did Wu Yu pick up the Diamond Badge on the table, narrowing his eyes.

His target... was not those ordinary bandits!

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.

Wu Yu frowned, put away the Diamond Badge, and opened the door.

Outside stood a pretty young girl. Her fair little face was pure and adorable, while her large eyes were actually different colors. Her JK uniform looked utterly out of place against the backdrop of this ancient inn.