He had wanted to ask where it had come from, but the words changed as they reached his lips. "You want to sell this?"
"Mm." Su Chen gave a shy smile. "I don't know where the black market is, and I'm young, so I'm afraid of getting scammed."
"If it's not too much trouble, after selling it, please help me buy some Blackflame Potions."
Putting on quite an act, Fatty Sun thought to himself. After some consideration, he said, "If you need potions, then don't sell it on the black market. Just count it as something you seized."
"Handing over seized items can be converted into internal Inspection Department points at fifty percent of market value. But this thing is contraband, so it has no standard market price. I can give you a higher valuation."
"Potion-type support items can also be exchanged with internal Inspection Department points at half the market price, and it'll count as a small merit."
Killing two birds with one stone. After hearing him out, Su Chen understood the logic and immediately became solemn. "Sorry for the trouble, Brother Sun."
"It's nothing. I'll handle it for you." Fatty Sun left with a beaming smile.
After becoming Yuan Chenyang's student, it felt as though everything had changed.
Su Chen sighed inwardly. After resting for a while, he left when the time was right and headed toward the location on the invitation.
Clearshore Hotel stood in the center of Southwind City, practically directly beneath the artificial light source.
Though it was already evening, the place remained brightly lit. Private hovercars of all kinds came and went without pause, and every passenger stepping out was dressed in fine clothing.
Su Chen arrived downstairs in an Inspection Department vehicle. When he looked up, the artificial light source hanging in the sky filled his vision.
Its official name was Skyglow. Southwind City lacked the technological capability to manufacture such a thing; it had come from Yingfeng.
From what little he knew, many of Southwind City's technologies originated from Yingfeng, an incomparably vast megacity that ruled over Southwind City and other cities like it.
After he presented the invitation, an attendant guided him upstairs. The banquet was being held in a private room. Soft music drifted out the moment the door opened, and quite a few people had already arrived. They were all young.
When the door opened, the conversations stopped at once. Every gaze turned toward him, filled with scrutiny, confusion, and surprise...
"So it's Lord Su Chen..." Someone suddenly spoke up loudly and warmly approached him, introducing him to the others at the same time. "This is Inspector Yuan's newly accepted student. He was the one ordered to go undercover, recover the stolen Holy Word Stone, and slaughter the Azure-Scaled Lion pack."
Some came to a realization, some remained indifferent, and some became even more astonished.
They were no strangers to the name. Almost everyone present knew it; Zhou Zong had died only recently.
Though their thoughts varied, they introduced themselves one after another. As Yuan Chenyang's student, he was qualified to stand on equal footing with them.
"...Shi Haoqiang..."
"The second son of Vice Minister Shi from the Exploration Department..."
"...Zhu Mingxu..."
"The eldest son of Minister Zhu from the City Patrol..."
"...Tian Lan..."
"The third daughter of Vice Minister Tian from the Research Department..."
Whenever someone stepped forward, the person beside him would quietly explain that person's background.
After the introductions, the group dispersed. No one really came over to chat with him, except for the guy at his side.
"I haven't introduced myself yet. Du Yu..." He had a crew cut and sharp brows. Lowering his voice, he said, "My father is one of the deputy ministers of the Inspection Department, and he used to serve under Minister Yuan."
Oh... Judging by his background, he was one of their own. Su Chen understood.
"Don't mind it. These people aren't familiar with you either," Du Yu said.
He said that because everyone else had gathered in twos and threes, while their side was rather deserted.
Su Chen did not care. These second-generation heirs all had high status. Some of their fathers were even on the same level as Old Yuan, so there was no need for them to be overly enthusiastic toward him.
He really was steady-minded... Du Yu looked at him with some surprise. What he did not say was that part of this coldness stemmed from Su Chen's refugee background.
People continued arriving, and the two found a corner to stay in.
"Tastes pretty good... This meat is really tender..." Su Chen kept sampling the food. Since coming to this world, the best meal he had eaten had been at Jiang He's home that day.
Concealed gazes occasionally swept over him, only to quietly shake their heads afterward.
The atmosphere at the banquet remained peaceful until—
"Hengyu is here!"
Someone shouted, and the indifference on everyone's faces seemed to melt away. They quickly headed toward the entrance with smiles on their faces.
"Zhang Hengyu..." Su Chen could not help looking over as well, wanting to see the talented man who had taken the blame for him twice.
He did bear a five- or six-tenths resemblance to that City Lord, but his temperament seemed cold. His face was expressionless as his eyes swept from side to side.
Behind him stood a tall woman with a gentle smile. Her red lips were fiery, and her eyes seductive.
Gulp!
Su Chen clearly heard someone swallowing beside him.
Meeting Su Chen's disdainful gaze, Du Yu gave an embarrassed smile and hurriedly explained, "That's Zhang Yunqing. Her personality is terrible. All of us have been taught a lesson by her before."
"Of course, that kind of big sister was also deadly to us back then."
"But..." Du Yu changed the subject again and put on a thoughtful expression. "She went to Yingfeng long ago, then suddenly came back four months ago. I have no idea what she's here for."
Zhang Hengyu and Zhang Yunqing's arrival seemed to give the banquet a center, and everyone gathered around them.
Zhang Hengyu was clearly uncomfortable with it, but Zhang Yunqing was perfectly at ease. She occasionally told amusing stories, keeping the atmosphere lively.
As the conversation deepened, Zhang Yunqing brought up Yingfeng, and Su Chen listened closely.
The difference between those at the bottom and people like them was far more than just wealth, power, or talent.
Many of the things Zhang Yunqing mentioned were things Su Chen had almost no way of learning about.
Even much of what these people had discussed earlier was unknown to him.
For example, top-tier Tier 1 professions.
Only then did Su Chen learn that even in Yingfeng, top-tier Tier 1 professions were extremely rare. There seemed to be no more than five, each tightly controlled and obtainable only after passing layer upon layer of review.
But at Tier 2, they were not any rarer. Instead, there were more of them, while Tier 3 became scarce again.
"Tier 1 is the beginning of a profession. It's like striving for perfection within a limited range, which is extremely difficult," Zhang Yunqing explained. "By Tier 2 and Tier 3, the stage becomes much broader, so top-tier professions are actually more likely to appear."
"Of course, that ease is only relative."
"No wonder Old Yuan reacted like that..." Su Chen clicked his tongue. If he had not planted the source of the top-tier profession on Yuan Chenyang, there would probably have been a great deal of trouble.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but while speaking about this, Zhang Yunqing's gaze occasionally flicked toward him.
"But within any given tier, don't obsess too much over pursuing the top tier. I've seen quite a few people with decent talent who insisted on chasing those top-tier professions." Zhang Yunqing revealed a sorrowful expression. "In the end, they died to the advancement requirements."
"Top-tier professions are powerful, but compared with superior professions, their difficulty nearly doubles."
Su Chen deeply agreed. When he had become a Mystic Artificer, he had nearly died inside.
She emphasized, "And no matter how formidable the profession in the next tier is, it's still difficult for it to defeat an ordinary profession from a higher tier."
"Is Zhang Hengyu sick?" Su Chen turned his head and asked quietly. "Why has he been staring at me the whole time?"
Du Yu was currently immersed in the gentle instruction of the big sister. Hearing that, he could not help looking over. Then he grinned. "He's curious."
"I heard it from my dad. If not for your refugee status, the identity for this trip to Yingfeng might not have gone to him."
"He's a little stubborn. This kind of victory is hard for him to accept. I'd guess he definitely wants to defeat you head-on to prove himself."
"You all know about it too?" Su Chen asked in surprise.
Du Yu waved a hand in explanation. "Only the higher-ups know, so don't worry... Since the City Lord already agreed, no one will dare tug the tiger's whiskers."
"He doesn't know I took out the entire Azure-Scaled Lion pack except for the leader?" Su Chen asked.
"That was real?" Du Yu stared at him in astonishment.
Su Chen fell silent.
Du Yu looked at him in disbelief and explained, "The rumors outside are too outrageous. They say you wiped out the whole lion pack in less than a minute, and even scared the leader away. Only a Tier 2 Professional could have that kind of strength, right?"
Su Chen understood. There had been plenty of witnesses at the time, but the rumors distorted by repeated retelling had instead weakened the truth.
He guessed few of these people truly believed it.
"Congratulations to Hengyu for having a smooth journey in Yingfeng..." Zhang Yunqing raised her glass, and everyone offered their congratulations as well. Attendants weaved through the crowd, serving drinks.
Su Chen and Du Yu did not stand out either. They casually took wineglasses from an attendant nearby.
But just as the two raised their hands, Su Chen's expression changed slightly. His left hand grabbed Du Yu.
Du Yu looked dazed. Before he could react, a tremendous force struck him. His vision spun, and his whole body flew backward.
At the same time, Su Chen raised his right hand. Soundlessly, blue-gold metal threads wrapped around his arm.
Clang!
Metal sparks flew. The attendant beside him had actually drawn a slender, dark-green dagger from beneath the metal tray and thrust it straight at him.
At the same time, another attendant opposite him launched an attack.
"Courting death!" A fierce glint flashed through Su Chen's eyes as Spirit Spike locked onto the target.
The attacker in front of him swayed, then froze in place.
Twisting at the waist, Su Chen spun and threw a punch.
Bang!
With the dull crack of breaking bones, the attacker behind him had his chest caved in. His eyes bulged, and he immediately fell silent.
A strand of metal thread split from Su Chen's arm, wrapped around the dagger, and with a violent tug, shot out like a dart. It struck the attacker opposite him in the head with the dagger's hilt.
Bang!
The entire man fell backward, blood bursting from his forehead.
Su Chen's movements had happened in the blink of an eye. By the time Du Yu reacted, all he saw were two corpses on the ground.
"An, an assassin!?" He froze before crying out in shock.
Though they were both Tier 1 Professionals, he had barely managed to react.
Only then did the others turn around in confusion. Seeing Su Chen's blood-dripping arm and the corpses on the ground, their hearts lurched.
Zhang Hengyu's pupils contracted slightly, while Zhang Yunqing narrowed her peach-blossom eyes.
Whoosh—
A shadow suddenly sprang from behind the curtains not far away. Like a venomous snake, it moved soundlessly. It had lurked there for a long time, waiting only for a fatal strike.
It was so fast that Su Chen could barely react.
A Tier 2 Professional! That was the only thought in his mind.
Yet faster than his thought was the assassin's body flying backward.
Boom!
The assassin was embedded in the wall, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
Su Chen looked at the figure standing before him, his bald head gleaming brightly.
I knew it... He curled his lips inwardly, but still shouted excitedly, "Teacher!"
"Black Pagoda will watch you forever!" The figure embedded in the wall roared. Blood vessels filled his eyes as he stared at Su Chen. "You ruined Black Pagoda's plans. Black Pagoda will not let you go. Just wait to die!"
He burst into crazed laughter. Blood flowed from his eyes, his body convulsed, and he gradually went still.
Bang!
The banquet hall doors suddenly opened. Fully armed Inspection Guards quickly entered and began collecting the bodies.
"This one is still alive," an Inspection Guard reported, referring to the man whose head had been struck by the dagger hilt.
"Oh..." Yuan Chenyang glanced at him. "Take him back for interrogation."
Only then did the others finally wake from their shock.
"Inspector Yuan, what was that?" Zhang Yunqing stepped forward to ask. Her gaze swept over Su Chen, and her expression was displeased.
"Nothing. Just an assassination." Yuan Chenyang was expressionless.
Just... an assassination?
Everyone looked at Su Chen with complicated expressions. From where the bodies had fallen, they could tell how close it had been.
Yet before they had even managed to turn their heads, Su Chen had dealt with both attackers. Such reaction speed and decisiveness were terrifying, and he looked completely unconcerned.
Were refugee mindsets all this fierce?
Before you continue