Chapter 571: Chapter 252: Great Lord of the World, East Cliff City Thirteen, Refining Pattern Master 2

Cao Ku remained silent.

Xu Guang immediately frowned; the forces colluding with Lei Dong were unexpectedly significant.

The Lifeless Sect, a top-tier offshore power, is so troublesome that even masters from the Beiji Six Institutes find it challenging when encountering them outside of mainland. This sect truly welcomes all who believe in the ’Great Lord of the World,’ including countless demons and formidable beings.

"Should we report this to the Northern Imperial Institute?" Cao Ku asked.

Jin Buhuan shook his head, "Not for now. Can you sense the strength of the person who cast the curse?"

Cao Ku shook his head, "This was likely done secretly through the Lifeless Imprint, making it difficult to sense. However, given Lei Dong’s strength, those entangled with him wouldn’t be extraordinary experts and are likely not yet undergoing Nirvana Transformation."

The two agreed on this point. After all, Lei Dong was merely Third Grade and had barely achieved that through rewards and resources from the Golden Bull Chamber of Commerce due to meritorious service—essentially a hollow Third Grade.

If not for the Chamber of Commerce’s support, someone of his strength would usually end up as a miner extracting virtual crystals.

Thinking of this, Jin Buhuan’s expression grew even darker.

Externally, this is a disgrace for the Golden Bull Chamber of Commerce; a mere Third Grade like Lei Dong dared betray them, indicating a decline in power to a great extent.

Internally, since Lei Dong was under Jin Buhuan, if this matter got out, Jin Buhuan’s situation within the chamber would undoubtedly become more precarious.

"What should we do next?"

Cao Ku asked, and both he and Xu Guang turned to Jin Buhuan.

After pondering, Jin Buhuan spoke, "Since Lei Dong can’t speak, we’ll have to investigate on our own. I suggest a dual approach: first, uncover what exactly the hidden treasure they’ve concealed is. Given the involvement of the Lifeless Sect, those slaves’ deaths were surely for a blood sacrifice.

On the other hand, it’s impossible for the Lifeless Sect to enter Jizhou unnoticed. The route for Lei Dong buying slaves is from East Cliff City, three thousand miles away. We need to investigate their activities there. If things become unmanageable, we’ll seek guidance from the teachers at the Northern Imperial Institute."

The other two agreed immediately.

The treasure that the Lifeless Sect places value on is undoubtedly precious. If they can investigate it themselves and succeed, it would be their opportunity. Even if the treasure is in the Golden Bull Chamber of Commerce’s mines, it’s not something they can decide upon.

Upon hearing this, Xu Guang said, "Cai has been watching Lei Dong for several days. His activities are very regular; he visits the mine every day, but usually goes to Mine No. 3. I suspect this is a diversion."

Jin Buhuan said, "Brother Xu, Cai’s investigative skills are astonishing. Why not have you and Cai investigate over at East Cliff City? Cao Ku and I will investigate the location of the treasure to understand what it truly is."

This seemed like a relatively reasonable distribution.

Bai Cai’s skills in exploring unknown and needs-investigation things make him more suitable for the East Cliff City area.

The East Cliff City could be a volatile area by the coast, and though Bai Cai’s strength isn’t very strong, with Xu Guang’s support, safety could be ensured.

Meanwhile, Cao Ku and Jin Buhuan stayed at the mining site. With Cao Ku’s divine techniques, he could silently hypnotize some individuals, making it suitable to investigate when there’s a clear target, and the people aware are not strong.

With the plan set, the group then parted ways.

...

Though Bai Cai is not a native of Jizhou, he comes from Luntai State in the Thirty-Three Eastern States and knows Jizhou better than Xu Guang.

"Boss, I went to East Cliff City before. It’s indeed a bit chaotic there. Demons frequently come ashore, making deals with some powers in Jizhou. Demons and humans intermingle, and almost every existing power has some connection with offshore forces."

Xu Guang was a bit surprised, "Does the Beiji Six Institutes just ignore it?"

Bai Cai shook his head, "It’s somewhat tacitly approved. After all, there are both good and bad demons. The various powers in Jizhou need an outlet to obtain precious resources from offshore, and offshore demons also need a platform to sell the surplus resources they get outside."

Xu Guang understood, recalling the Demon Hunter procedures taught at the Northern Imperial Institute.

They don’t just kill any demon on sight; they have to ’judge the crime,’ ’decide,’ and ’behead.’

’Judging the crime’ is about investigating the demon’s offenses, ’deciding’ employs the Illusion Mirror to probe the demon’s sins, and ’beheading’ is the final step.

Presumably, those demons doing business ashore must have been judged by the Illusion Mirror at the Beiji Six Institutes.

The affairs of the world quickly broadened Xu Guang’s horizons.

East Cliff City, with its intricate internal power structures, isn’t weak overall. Even if it doesn’t match the seven satellite cities of Beiji City, the difference is minimal.

Three thousand miles is only a bit more than one hour for Xu Guang.

With the sun bright, Xu Guang and Bai Cai walked into the city.

Having been to East Cliff City before, Bai Cai knew there were many middlemen selling information, so he took Xu Guang to a tavern.

"Man’Er and melon; is there a thirteen?"

Sitting down for a meal, they saw a waiter with a tasseled jade at his waist. As he approached, Bai Cai quickly whispered a phrase.

The young waiter was a bit surprised, took a close look at Bai Cai and Xu Guang, then turned away without a word.

Bai Cai explained.

This was black language from East Cliff City.

Xu Guang nodded without much thought; every place has its dialect. Industries have their lingo. There’s no need to delve too deeply; obtaining information is what’s important.

...

The air was thick with the scent of wine, forming a hazy, colorful mist in the dim underground.

Suddenly, there came a knock on the door.

"Mr. Thirteen, someone’s looking for you outside."

The man in the wine cellar opened his eyes and opened the door.