Flame-Burner

"Thanks for the invitation!!"

Yin Ming waved Johnny Green away, having no intention of squeezing any more oil out of him.

What a joke?

In his previous life, he had dared to do the work of "seeking dragons and dividing gold."

That was mainly because, in the age of dwindling Dharma, all the restrictions and curses laid down in ancient cultivators' tombs had completely failed.

Besides, as the only immortal cultivator in the age of dwindling Dharma, although his divine sense lacked spiritual energy as a medium and could not disturb even a speck of dust in the present world, it could observe every stir of wind and grass for several kilometers around, allowing him to avoid tomb passage mechanisms and all manner of dangers with ease. Otherwise, not even the lives of nine generations of his clan would have been enough to fill those tombs.

He could wait until demons, evil gods, wizards, and warlocks had all been buried in the earth for eternal sleep before returning to his old trade.

"Uh... won't you reconsider? I can tell that you're very suited to our organization."

The succubus Dinaya Aman had descended and attempted to bewitch a young wizard—most likely the Yin Ming before her.

He had sensed danger in advance and fled early, yet he could also resist a succubus's charm. Such danger perception and willpower would be wasted if he did not explore ancient ruins!

Yin Ming: "..."

Out of a team of more than ten people, only one had returned from a single operation—and he was half-crippled.

Did she have no fucking idea what a death rate above ninety percent meant?

"..."

"Forget joining your organization! But I can trade with you for the products of ancient ruin explorations."

Yin Ming naturally held a deep interest in ancient ruins.

If Alchemical Bombs could be excavated, then the methods for refining Alchemical Bombs could surely be excavated as well.

But if they wanted him to enter ruins and risk his life, then one word: difficult!

It was not because he was cowardly or followed his heart.

The immortal path was a crossing fought for, striving toward life without fearing death. A personality that followed its heart would have met the best possible end in the age of dwindling Dharma by dying peacefully of old age; it would have been impossible to cultivate to become a Corpse-Liberation Immortal.

It was not that he refused to fight for anything, but that he did not fight for everything.

There would always be knowledge in this world that was common as dirt, and artifacts that were not worth much, things he could obtain through ordinary trade.

He could turn all of those into his own strength first, then explore those hidden and scarce pieces of knowledge later.

"Cough, cough... trade?"

Johnny Green adjusted his breathing, then shook his head with a chuckle. "Among the things recovered from the last wizard ruin, everyone qualified to trade with the organization was a formal wizard or a One-Ring Wizard. Besides, do you have Element Crystals?"

Yin Ming: "..."

Element Crystals!

So they were the currency of this extraordinary world.

The Scavenger Gourd truly deserved to be called an auxiliary-type Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Sure enough, the games from his previous life had not deceived him. Equipping support gear really could automatically increase his gold!

"Element Crystals! You mean this?"

Yin Ming took out an Element Crystal the size of a fist, crystal-clear in texture and refracting five-colored light. The gourd could condense one this large every day.

Johnny Green: "..."

Dressed in a peasant serf's clothes, Johnny had assumed Yin Ming had merely stumbled upon a wizard's inheritance and luckily become a wizard apprentice. Yet he actually had whole Element Crystals.

"As far as I know, the only thing left from the last wizard ruin is a Detailed Explanation of Basic Runes that nobody wants. Besides, Element Crystals alone are useless. Only One-Ring Wizards are customers. Wizard apprentices can only participate in exchanges if they're internal members."

Wait!

A Detailed Explanation of Basic Runes?

Runes were the foundation of the wizard cultivation system. If he could analyze the basic principles behind rune construction, Yin Ming could fuse the two cultivation systems.

Compared to that, the talisman techniques contained within Alchemical Bombs were not worth mentioning at all.

Yin Ming decisively stopped, turned around, and forced out an awkward smile. "How do I join you guys?"

Johnny Green: "..."

"..."

The Flame-Burners Association was located near Green Forest City, close to the royal capital of the Landon Duchy.

Yin Ming chose to travel with Johnny Green. Although his current physique, speed, and endurance all surpassed those of ordinary horses, he still sold a Red-Eyed Fire Ox Magic Beast hide and hired a carriage to accommodate the injured man.

"Creak, creak..."

The inferior nag headed west. At the carriage's leisurely pace, it would take a full day to reach their destination.

Seventeen had gone, but only one had returned. Johnny Green stared out the window at the passing scenery, his mood low.

Yin Ming broke the stifling silence first and asked, "Green! How many Element Crystals does it take to become an internal Flame-Burner member and exchange for the Detailed Explanation of Basic Runes?"

"Twenty standard units of Element Crystals, roughly... two of those, I suppose!"

Johnny Green turned back, thought for a moment, then added, "After all, it's only the basic rune for the Rank 0 spell: Wizard's Hand. Even if it's a detailed explanation of the rune, formal wizards wouldn't give it a second glance."

Rank 0 spell: Wizard's Hand.

A detailed explanation of one basic rune?

He had thought it would be a volume comparable to a Daoist canon, detailing all common basic runes and compiling them into a book. He had not expected it to be a detailed explanation of just one basic rune.

"Forget it! One rune collected is one rune gained. If it really were a detailed compendium of all runes, it wouldn't have failed to sell and been left for me."

Analyzing basic runes was inherently a long and enduring task.

The hardest part was making the breakthrough from zero to one.

Yin Ming did not feel disappointed. He continued, "We're idle anyway. Tell me about the Flame-Burners Association along the way."

Johnny Green nodded. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Then let's start with Norman Martin, the founder of the Flame-Burners Association!"

"Strictly speaking, the Flame-Burners Association does not belong to any faction."

"Norman Martin was a commoner, a commoner with exceptionally good luck who enjoyed excavating ancient ruins."

"At that time, the elements in this world had only just revived, and it could not yet bear the descent of powerful beings. Wizards, warlocks, demon gods, evil gods, demons—powerful beings from every faction sent down miracles and scattered inheritances across this world."

"Those who obtained the inheritances of 'gods' were called the God-Blessed. They led mortals out of ignorance, yet trampled and warred against one another for centuries. Mortals revered them as saviors, as flames of hope."

"Norman Martin was also one among the multitude who worshipped the God-Blessed, until he excavated an ancient civilization ruin from the previous era. He discovered that people did not need so-called gods at all to develop civilization and live happier lives."

"At that point, this world was nothing but hell, a furnace. And those who had brought calamity upon it were the 'gods,' as well as the God-Blessed whom countless people regarded as saviors and flames of hope."

"Light? Flame? They were merely darkness, only a shade lighter!"

"Norman Martin thus proposed the origin of our Flame-Burners Association's name: since the flame of hope cannot bring light, then use the flames as firewood and burn them, illuminating the darkness."

The elemental world had also experienced an age of dwindling Dharma, an era when the extraordinary did not exist?

Yin Ming remembered the name "Norman Martin" and continued asking, "What happened afterward?"

"Of course it failed! They died terribly." Johnny Green spread his hands and chuckled. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be doing business with wizards and warlocks right now. We'd be nailing them to crosses and burning them alive."

"That makes sense! Idealists usually meet no good end!" Yin Ming nodded.

"I think so too. It's fine just to treat it as a story!" Johnny Green agreed.