Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
The Crow ignored Cui Ming and turned to Beiyue. "I can take you to Zuan and let you see your father... but I don't want to discuss that right now. If you truly want to meet him, I hope we can talk privately. If you listen to him and try to threaten the Fire Cult, the consequence will be that the Fire Cult won't agree, because they don't control Master Bei. I die, and you will never know where your father is."
Cui Ming smiled. "Crow, my friend has also been to Zuan." Not just Little Lu, but also Ding Ze, although Ding Ze had only been to the outskirts of Zuan.
Little Lu was quite honest. "I ran into Vik by chance; I don't know where he lives."
Cui Ming looked at the Crow. "You don't know either."
The Crow glanced at Beiyue. "I also study animals; they can help me find people. I can take you to see your father. Don't be afraid of me; you could easily kill me."
Cui Ming said, "It's a long way from here to Zuan."
The Crow replied, "We can rent an airship in Nordo City. Instead of heading west, we’ll go east; the east is the ocean, an uninhabited area. Once we reach Zuan's airspace, we can use parachutes to land in Zuan. If all goes well, in ten days at most, you'll be able to see your father. Don't you want to know the truth about how your mother was killed?"
Cui Ming interjected, "Didn't you say her mother was killed by her father?"
"I was just guessing. I'm not Master Bei's child; I have no interest in knowing these things."
Beiyue asked, "What do you want?"
"I want to talk privately," the Crow glanced at Cui Ming. "Unless you think you lack basic judgment."
The others didn't care; they were only there to help Cui Ming. How Beiyue chose to talk with the Crow was none of their concern—except for Jayce, who might be an insider for Wandering.
Beiyue glanced at Cui Ming, who thought for a long time before nodding. Indeed, Beiyue had some basic judgment skills. If Beiyue had doubts or suspicions, she would definitely tell herself. Even if she didn't, Beiyue would explain to herself the content of her negotiations with the Crow. The only obstacle was that she couldn't refute the Crow on the spot.
Cui Ming was in a good mood. The rumored top expert of Strategy, a reclusive master, had been captured by him, and this sense of achievement brought him great excitement. Although the process was somewhat convoluted and involved a lot of luck, it was mainly about the results. However, what made Cui Ming unhappy was that after being captured, the Crow showed no signs of despair or frustration; instead, he remained calm and composed. As soon as they got into the car, he started a conversation with Beiyue.
On their training island, the minibus was very quiet. Suddenly, Little Lu spoke up: "Crow, are you really the Crow?"
The Crow looked at Little Lu in the back seat and asked, "Then who would I be?"
Little Lu closed his eyes as if dozing off and replied, "Your level is still what it was over a decade ago. Am I wrong? You reached your current level over ten years ago. Why haven't you made any progress in all these years?"
The Crow countered Little Lu's question: "How do you know?"
"I watched your Assessment Match when I was young; I have a deep impression of you," Little Lu answered. "You defeated four members of the alliance using binding techniques and torture to absorb their Force."
Cui Ming looked at Little Lu and asked, "Why didn't you say this earlier?"
Little Lu replied, "You didn't mention that the target was the Crow."
"..." That was true; it was because he wasn't sure who the other party was.
The Crow sighed lightly: "It's been over a decade... You may not know this, but although scientists in textbooks are often depicted as elderly figures, many scientists achieve great accomplishments in their youth—in their twenties or thirties. As they age, they often contribute less than they did when they were younger. I understand what you think: a mysterious practitioner in their twenties who masters four disciplines as if they were majors—how terrifying is the strength of Strategy?"
Cui Ming questioned, "What about reality?"
The Crow smiled at Cui Ming and said, "What is reality? What do you have to exchange with me?"
Cui Ming replied, "I respect you greatly; I have always regarded you as an idol of Strategy."
The Crow looked at Cui Ming for a while and said, "Because I can no longer surpass myself, because I have many mundane matters to handle, because every day I find myself thinking about other things even when I go to the restroom."
Little Lu said, "An excellent scientist becomes an official, and he loses all his scientific talent, left only with a stench of bureaucratic style. A talented young person, faced with the pressure of survival, can only abandon his ideals and go with the flow. An honest and kind person, upon entering society from school, will either be rejected by society or learn to be hypocritical and lie."
The Crow responded noncommittally, "Young man, you are too extreme. However, there is some truth in your words. After I transitioned from being a pure practitioner to a manager, I have stagnated. I understand one thing very clearly: no matter how strong I am, I cannot stand against the Force Alliance. It is better to strengthen the quality of practitioners so that we can gain leverage in negotiations with the Alliance."
Cui Ming asked, "One last question: why do you believe in the Fire Cult?"
The Crow was silent for a long time before speaking: "When one person tells you something, you may doubt it; when a group of people says it, you will believe it. Later on, even if you know it is false, you realize that you need a spiritual anchor. Most importantly, for thousands of years, the people of the Fire Cult have been no different from others but have always been viewed with disdain by most of you. I do not follow this religion for its sake; I do it for their dignity—basic dignity and equal treatment."
Cui Ming said, "But..."
"I have never regarded anyone as a heretic because I know that deep down, I am not a believer. Religion is merely a means to control my subordinates."
"But when the quality of Fire Cult Practitioners reaches a certain standard, war is bound to break out."
The Crow countered, "Do you think dignity is something that is granted by others rather than something one fights for?"
Cui Ming fell silent; their positions were different. If he were a member of the Fire Cult facing the discrimination that truly exists among most people, along with the hidden penalties imposed by the Eternity Alliance in business trade and studying abroad, he would feel frustrated as well. Most people cannot see their own evils; they enjoy the benefits brought by injustice and consider them deserved until they face unfair treatment themselves. This proposition does not require debate because differing positions yield no results; everyone has their own truth in their hearts. Just as with good and evil, each person has their own standards.
“Jayce, I’m counting on you this time. Please let Evelyn take you back to the hotel.” Cui Ming said as they parked at the small dock. This dock provided access to the island, which was originally their Training Island. When Beiyue returned earlier to wait for news from Cui Ming, he had already tidied up the island, making it ready for occupancy, though food supplies still needed replenishing.
Jayce replied calmly, “Don’t worry too much about my identity; if I were going to die, I would have done so long ago. So, should I arrange for someone to bring you food?”
Cui Ming nodded, “That would be best.” He stepped out of the car, shielding the crow with his body, puzzled. Could it be that Jayce was truly a kind-hearted kid?
There was someone on duty at the dock, and a speedboat was moored for North Moon Group. With Wind, Beiyue, the crow, Little Lu, and Cui Ming, there were five of them. Since the speedboat only accommodated three people, they decided to temporarily rent another one. However, during the grouping process, Cui Ming noticed something intriguing: Little Lu actually wanted to share a boat with the crow.
This was highly unusual; Little Lu was someone who typically kept to himself and didn’t concern himself with worldly matters. He hadn’t returned to the city with the others on the minibus, which surprised Cui Ming even more. Now he was conveniently helping Beiyue by escorting the crow onto the boat while he himself boarded… it just didn’t add up. Little Lu’s character suggested that unless someone invited him to leave first, he would always be the last one to go.
“Little Lu, you drive this boat,” Cui Ming said. “Neither Wind nor I know how to operate one.”
Wind thought of Miss Fortune and chuckled lightly, “Sometimes lacking a skill can be a blessing.”
Little Lu turned around, seemingly at a loss for words. After a brief pause, he nodded and said, “Alright.” With that, he moved over to another speedboat.
Wandering, you can play this game; I honestly didn’t expect you’d arrange for Little Lu. Feeling quite pleased with himself for having outsmarted Wandering and tricked Little Lu into volunteering, he realized that Wandering was aware of his mindset and had arranged for Little Lu to assist him.
Beiyue started up his speedboat while Little Lu did the same. Cui Ming quickly shouted, “Wait! Let’s grab some food… Boss, do you have anything to eat? Instant noodles or anything will do.”
Having lived together with Wind for the longest time, Cui Ming’s slightest glance made Wind aware that something was off; hence he didn’t board the boat right away. They walked together to the speedboat management office at the dock. Cui Ming whispered, “Let’s sink the boat later; find a way to delay Little Lu’s time getting onto the island.”
"Oh, got it." Feng pointed out, "We need pork and cabbage, both."
The two of them each carried a bag of food onto the boat. Cui Ming boarded the Beiyue, while Feng got on the Little Lu. The Beiyue led the way, with the Little Lu following behind.
This was a triangular speedboat with three seats. Beiyue was in front, while Cui Ming and Crow sat in the back. Crow's expression was calm, and Cui Ming couldn't detect any dissatisfaction or hostility from him.
After traveling about five hundred meters, Beiyue turned around and said, "The Little Lu has a problem with their boat." He slowed down.
Cui Ming leaned forward and said, "Let's go."
Beiyue, puzzled, accelerated again. Crow remarked, "Interesting."
"What's interesting?" Cui Ming asked.
Crow replied, "You let your friend deliberately sabotage the boat; that's interesting. From your conversation and the seating arrangement, it's clear that Little Lu isn't familiar with you."
The speedboat moved quickly through the strong sea breeze, making it hard for Beiyue to hear what was happening behind him. Cui Ming and Crow spoke as if they were old friends, their heads almost touching as they conversed. Cui Ming asked, "Just tell me honestly, is Master Bei really in Zuan?"
"What I say will only leave you half-convinced; is this question even meaningful?" Crow countered.
Cui Ming thought for a moment before changing the subject. He asked, "What is the secret of Strategy?" (To be continued.)
Comment 0 Comment Count