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墨書 Inktalez
As the wind and Miss Fortune took a break on the road, they began to spar, but Miss Fortune's two shots shattered Wind's katana. Both Wind and Miss Fortune were momentarily stunned. Wind stared at the broken blade, dropping to his knees in disbelief as if the sky had fallen. Miss Fortune was terrified; she had no idea that Wind's sword was just a factory-made item, and now it was broken—what should she do?
Cui Ming was also startled. True, it was factory-made, but the Force imbued in the blade was quite impressive. One possibility was that Wind had intentionally broken it; judging by his expression, that didn't seem likely. Although Wind was skilled, his acting was rather poor. Another possibility was that Miss Fortune's shot had incredible power.
Miss Fortune trembled slightly, feeling helpless. "I didn't know it would turn out like this! How could I have known it would be a lethal attack, a full-powered strike combined with a stroke of luck?" The soft-spoken girl’s words slipped out in her panic.
"What?" Cui Ming didn’t quite understand.
Miss Fortune stammered, "You really can't blame me! My Force bullets carry the blessing of misfortune for my opponents, which translates to good fortune for me. That's why I call myself Miss Fortune. There’s a 1% chance of triggering a lethal attack with each bullet; with six shots in total, that's six times the damage. There’s a 10% chance of a full-powered strike when using both guns together, doubling the attack power. And there’s a 0.1% chance of a stroke of luck that ignores Force protection."
Cui Ming gasped and asked, "Miss, if that shot hadn't hit the sword but rather hit a person, what would happen?"
After thinking for a moment, Miss Fortune replied, "I refuse to answer that question. The odds are almost impossible."
It seemed that the fortune teller who had read her fate as a child hadn’t been wrong; Miss Fortune was indeed shrouded in an aura of misfortune. With the help of Wandering, Master Nan had thoroughly understood her abilities and crafted dual guns for her. It was said that the most formidable aspect of these guns was that Miss Fortune could channel her misfortune into them while remaining unaffected herself. The only ones troubled by her misfortune were her opponents—at least that’s how the story went.
Wind lay on the sandy ground, crying out loud, "This was a token from my junior sister!" Once upon a time, before he entered seclusion to practice the Wind Sword Technique, his junior sister had gifted him this sword. Though he roamed the world of games, he always held onto the memory of his first love.
Cui Ming scoffed upon hearing this. "Your junior sister isn't dead; I'll have her send you a hundred more next time." It wasn't such a big deal; he waved his hand dismissively and urged them to move on.
Miss Fortune and Cui Ming set off again while Wind followed behind them dejectedly with his broken sword in hand. For eight hours straight, he didn’t utter a single word—a stark contrast to his usual chatter. Feeling uneasy about Wind's silence, Miss Fortune began talking more to fill the void. Cui Ming offered some comfort while also trying to motivate Wind, but their moods remained unchanged.
That night while resting, an exasperated Miss Fortune pointed her gun at her own head and said, "How about I trade you my life?"
"Just wash up and go to sleep," Wind finally spoke up as he leaned against one side to rest.
Fortunately, by the next day, Wind's mood improved and he started talking again; after all, time has a way of dulling all wounds. The three entered York Mountains where Miss Fortune disregarded their advice and headed for York Tribe Capital to find a familiar blacksmith to forge another katana for her. This made Cui Ming want to kick Wind twice for being so foolish as to wait around for seven days. Wasn’t it amusing? Here they were stuck waiting while Wind felt wronged; after all, it was his sword that broke and he had said it would be fine to just grab any katana. But Miss Fortune wouldn’t hear it—she insisted she was the victim in this situation! How unfair was it that she had to wait seven days?
In these seven days, Miss Fortune, although lacking the Force Stone, managed to purchase some precious alloy materials. Cui Ming contacted the Ye Family and Beiyue, explaining the situation and urging them to remain calm, as the timing for action had not yet arrived.
However, during these seven days, Cui Ming and the others witnessed the process of elder selection within the York Clan.
On the third day of their stay in York Tribe Capital, Mi Xiaonan arrived, as there were practitioners passing through. Particularly, Cui Ming, being a champion member, caught the attention of the Yorkians. Initially, there was no issue; seeing them linger, they naturally sent someone over to greet them. Mi Xiaonan conveyed the elders' intentions, and in keeping with the York Clan's tradition of hospitality and friendliness towards friends, the elders invited the three to participate in the elder election ceremony.
Beiyue had already been in contact with Mi Xiaonan and would return to Dawn City after the ceremony.
The elder selection took place eighty kilometers from the capital. Due to mountainous terrain and the Yorkians' reluctance to excessively disrupt nature, most roads within York Clan territory were only two meters wide outside of city streets, primarily consisting of concrete paths. The main mode of transportation was horses, specifically a small breed unique to the York Mountains. Given human height considerations, ordinary-sized horses were also provided in York Clan cities.
The York Mountains were a treasure trove, not only housing various precious herbs but also trees that had become extinct in other regions. Nature was well-preserved here; this was a legacy passed down through generations by the York Clan and would continue to be inherited.
The elder selection process was straightforward: candidates had to be heroes, warriors, or elders. Mi Xiaonan belonged to the hero category, which was rarely attainable by non-practitioners. The warrior status was reserved for those who had made significant contributions to the York Clan. The elder status was most common among those who had served as village heads or city lords and received praise during their tenure. This praise referred not only to integrity but also to management skills and community support. Upon reaching sixty years of age, outstanding individuals would be awarded elder status by the council. With only about ten thousand people in the York Clan, most candidates were elders.
There were a total of seven elder positions up for election every four years. If no elders passed away during that period, it would simply be a ceremonial event; if any did die, replacements would be selected based on how many vacancies arose. Elders held no real power during peacetime; they could not participate in governance or determine foreign policy. However, they held privileges during crises—such as when Fire Cult Practitioners emerged or when York Clan territory faced invasion—granting them real authority. The council was also the only body authorized to issue decrees within York Clan.
In these four years, two elders had passed away; thus, two out of five candidates would be selected. It was mandatory to have five candidates; even if numbers fell short, heroes or warriors would be named as candidates.
The Grand Elder was an ordinary man around ninety years old who welcomed the three guests. Despite his age, he remained very clear-minded and would resign if he felt unable to fulfill his duties. Alternatively, if other elders noticed his incapacity for elder responsibilities, they would advise him to step down.
The Grand Elder expressed gratitude towards Cui Ming for taking care of his clansman Mi Xiaonan. Cui Ming felt embarrassed by this acknowledgment. The Grand Elder then inquired about matters concerning Fire Cult Practitioners. Mi Xiaonan shared everything with him and mentioned that Cui Ming had some understanding of Fire Cults. Currently, this issue was of utmost concern for the council since it was potentially capable of igniting war—perhaps even a world war.
Cui Ming responded with little sincerity at first; however, Mi Xiaonan quickly understood and soon took Mi Xiaobo and Miss Fortune for a tour while leaving Mi Xiaonan at the tea gathering with the Grand Elder. Cui Ming briefly introduced some surface-level information to the Grand Elder—intelligence that was similar to what Force Alliance knew—but it turned out that the Grand Elder possessed even more knowledge than Cui Ming.
Once they were alone, Cui Ming had matters he wished to discuss with this esteemed Grand Elder known as the wisest in York Clan. The first matter concerned whether there was any connection between Dawn Empire and Fire Cults. The second matter pertained to what exactly lay within the gold mines of Starfire Desert.
The Grand Elder replied: "In regard to World War III, Dawn Empire stood on the side of justice and participated in that war. Many people are unaware that its origins are somewhat related to Dawn Empire. When Dawn Tribe first appeared, it occupied merely ten square kilometers of land. At its founding period, Dawn Empire spanned only three hundred thousand square kilometers; now it covers ten million square kilometers—and frankly speaking, much of Western Continent is under its control. If you think recent conflicts with neighboring states signify a crisis for Dawn Empire, you are mistaken. This situation arose because issues emerged within Dawn Empire's regime and military authority; Elder Council needed an excuse to deploy soldiers across Western Continent as a precaution against certain individuals causing disruption."
Cui Ming nodded: "So what you mean is that Dawn Empire's relationship with Fire Cults is ambiguous."
"I didn't say it; you understood it yourself," the Elder said. "The Fire Cult is far from us, and we have no enmity with them. There shouldn't be too much to worry about, but because of this, I am concerned that the rise of the Fire Cult Practitioner is related to the Dawn Empire. The Dawn Empire won't openly support the Fire Cult, although the Elder Council controls the military, their staff is quite adept in diplomatic matters."
Cui Ming nodded. "I have always believed that with the technology of the Fire Cult, it would be difficult to achieve any significant weapon research."
"Youth, weapons are no longer useful. Both the Elder Council and the Fire Cult know that the level of weaponry equipped in Twilight City is something they cannot catch up to in a decade or two. What is more terrifying than weapons are practitioners. The York Clan's long-standing principle has been to fully assist the Force Alliance, for the reason that if the Force Alliance remains neutral and maintains its strength without fragmentation, then the Eternal Sphere will not see another world war."
The Elder continued, "As for your second question, I cannot answer you. In the last secret meeting addressing the crisis with the Fire Cult, the Ye Family mentioned a gold mine and placed great importance on it. However, with their current strength, they cannot investigate it, and we certainly cannot either. It can only be speculation, which is meaningless."
Cui Ming said, "I suspect it is related to the Breeding Room."
"The Breeding Room?" The Elder did not laugh but fell into deep thought. After a long while, he looked at Cui Ming and said slowly, "I find your deduction quite interesting."
"Really?"
"Mi Xiaobo's father was a hero; he once pursued a group that had invaded the land of Fire Phoenix."
Cui Ming knew about Fire Phoenix; it was a phoenix discovered thirty years ago, currently residing in the York Mountain Range. The alliance strictly forbids anyone from approaching its habitat, and the York Clan has taken on this guarding responsibility.
This group injured the phoenix, but instead of attacking them, it fled. They dared not linger and left immediately. Mi Xiaobo's father pursued them relentlessly and discovered he had stumbled into a criminal network, which surprised him greatly—what ordinary person would dare provoke a phoenix?
In the end, Mi Xiaobo's father traced back to a practitioner named Dr. Hart, who was not a member of the Force Alliance and was relatively unknown. Seven years ago, an explosion occurred at a research institute belonging to the Dawn Empire. Although no issues were uncovered during investigations, Mi Xiaobo's father found that the funding behind this research institute came from a criminal network associated with Dr. Hart. (To be continued.)
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