Start as a Spiritual Planter: I Have a Game Panel-Chapter 214: Source Power transactions with Su Xing

Not long after that, Ram, together with Korrin and Nyra, went out, covered in cloaks, to secretly look for Su Mu.

The bustling streets of the Cyber Core District offered countless hiding places, and Ram felt a knot of frustration tighten in his chest with every dead end they hit.

Nyra, her senses sharp, moved through the alleys like a whisper, while Korrin, imposing even under his cloak, kept a vigilant watch.

However, even after searching for a whole day, combing through the crowded markets, dimly lit bars, and back alleys, he didn't find anything useful.

Su Mu did indeed seem to have vanished without a trace.

"Anything?" Ram asked, his voice low as Nyra melted out of the shadows, shaking her head.

"Nothing, Master. No one seemed to have seen her leaving."

Korrin grunted, his eyes scanning the street. "Perhaps she did not want to be found, Master."

Ram sighed, running a hand over his face. "Maybe. Or maybe someone made sure she couldn't be."

The thought sent a chill down his spine.

He couldn't shake the feeling that Su Mu's disappearance was more than just her needing space.

In the meantime, he was also preparing to upgrade Nyra and a few other Half-Drows to Tier 4.

With the newly recovered Life Energy from the last few days of rest and the constant, steady output from his [Recovery (Unique)] talent, his reserves were slowly building back up.

He knew he needed every advantage he could get, especially with the ever-present threat of Shane.

Upgrading his core team was a priority.

In addition to that, he was also constantly in contact with Su Xing, so that he could gather more Source Power for Korrin's use.

The regular supply of Source Power was crucial for Korrin's [Herd Summoning] ability, allowing him to increase their numbers with more Fire Mages every day.

By now, there were already more than 500 Tier 3 Elite and 92 Tier 3 Rare quality Fire mages, most of them still practicing inside the Sylvan Space.

Ram looked out over the neon-drenched city from their temporary hideout. The search so far had been fruitless, and the uncertainty was gnawing at him.

"Wherever you are, Mu'er," he whispered to the uncaring city, "stay safe." He knew he couldn't keep searching aimlessly.

With a heavy heart, he turned his attention back to the Cleaners Association, the faces of Nyra and Korrin reflecting his slightly saddened eyes.

As he returned to the safe house, the heavy door sighing shut behind him, Mai and the few Half-Drows present in the main control room looked up.

Their faces were like mirrors, reflecting the same disappointment he felt etched on his own.

Xiao Mu, who had grown quite fond of Su Mu, looked particularly downcast, her usually cheerful demeanor replaced by a quiet sadness.

"Still no sign of her, Master Ram?" one of the younger Half-Drows, a lithe girl named Lyra who often helped Nyra, asked.

Her voice was soft, barely a whisper, and her normally bright eyes were clouded with worry.

Ram shook his head, the movement feeling heavy. He pulled back the hood of his cloak, letting it fall onto his shoulders.

The lighting of the safe house cast long, dancing shadows across the room, making his tired face look even more weary.

"Nothing," he said, his voice raspy from the day's fruitless search. "It's like she's just… really determined not to be found by us." He let out a quiet breath, the sound barely audible. frёeωebɳovel.com

He turned his gaze to Nyra. "Nyra," he began, his tone shifting, trying to inject a bit of resolve into his voice, "you and the others I've selected, get ready. The upgrades to Tier 4 will start tomorrow morning. We need every single one of you at your absolute best."

Nyra nodded, her chin lifting. A spark of determination managed to push through some of the sadness in her dark eyes. "We'll be ready, Master," she affirmed, her voice firm.

"Korrin," Ram continued, turning to the imposing figure who always seemed to fill whatever space he occupied.

"Keep working with Su Xing. The more Fire Mages you can bring into the fold, the stronger our hand will be if things… well, if they get ugly." He paused, then asked, "How's that going, by the way?"

Korrin straightened up, some of his usual gruff confidence returning to his voice. "Su Xing turned out to be surprisingly good at this, Master. Those spiritual plants of yours are a hot item on the regional market."

"He's managing to pull in close to twelve hundred points of Source Power every day, sometimes even a bit more after division."

Collecting a thousand points of source power per day was not easy, until he thought of using Su Xing as a medium to sell his spiritual plants on the regional market, by sharing 5% total revenue after the service fee to Su Xing.

Su Xing was also very happy to earn more source power, together with his connections and surprisingly vast resources, which had become invaluable.

"Good," Ram said, and a small bit of the tightness in his chest eased. It wasn't much, but any good news was welcome.

"That's… that's really good. Once all the Half-Drows are fully prepared, none of those goons from the Blood Hawk gang will be able to stand in our way. We'll hit them hard and fast."

After giving a few more instructions to Korrin and Nyra, making sure they understood their tasks for the coming days, Ram then spent some time with Mai, Sid, and Liam.

They gathered around a large table in a quieter corner of the control room, the glow of the large monitor casting a faint light on their faces as they discussed a few pressing details.

The discussion itself was pretty short, getting straight to the point.

The only really important thing that came up was a message from Old Man Shesh. "He wants to meet us," Mai said, relaying the information. "Before we make any big moves against the Blood Hawk Gang."

Liam frowned. "Why? What's his angle?"

Mai shrugged, a slight frown creasing her brow. "From what I can gather, the old guy doesn't seem to think we can actually handle the Blood Hawk Gang. He probably thinks we're just going to poke the hornet's nest and waste his time."

Sid chimed in, his voice low and thoughtful. "To be fair, he's not the only one. Including me, a few others here have the same feeling."

"We are just a bunch of Tier 3 awakeners, facing against a Tier 5 and a few Tier 4 awakeners, which was nothing short of looking for death."

Sid continued, while staring at Ram. "Most of us were thinking along the lines of harassing Shane, giving him a few headaches, showing him we're not just going to roll over and let him walk all over us."

"However, the actions of Ram in the last few days made Shane's anger rise by another few points."

Ram listened, nodding slowly. He understood their caution, their desire to play it safe, to chip away at Shane's operations rather than go for an all-out confrontation.

But Ram had different plans stirring in his mind. He was tired of this drawn-out conflict, the constant looking over his shoulder.

He didn't want to drag out this fight with Shane any longer than absolutely necessary. He wanted to end it.

As for why he was so dead set on killing Shane, by any means necessary, it wasn't just about strategy or revenge anymore.

It was because of what he'd just seen, or rather, what his Spiritual Eye had revealed to him, after looking at the mask Mai placed on the table in front of them a few moments ago, its surface dark and unsettling.

He didn't say anything to Mai or the others about its potential value or its dangerous uses; they likely saw it as just another strange artifact.

Ram, however, leaned closer, his gaze intense, and quietly activated his [Spiritual Eye].