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墨書 Inktalez
The conversation was straightforward. Cui Ming had a rough understanding of the situation, while the Four Elders were largely uninvolved; the city lord had never been seen by anyone. It was as if they belonged to two different worlds. The envoy was responsible for maintaining order, food supplies, and other matters. Among the Four Elders, Sadin appeared most frequently. Typically, when two residents had a conflict that escalated into a fight, the envoy would report it, and the Elders would intervene. Sadin's usual method was to separate the two individuals, instructing the envoy to arrange alternative accommodations for them while also requiring that they not stray too far from their new homes within a certain timeframe. The Prophet would then ask the envoy who was right and who was wrong; whoever was deemed wrong would be killed without any chance for appeal. Toad was the most ruthless, executing anyone involved in a fight. The Sword Demon rarely made an appearance; on one rare occasion when he did show up, someone used magic to attack another in front of him. Those nearby expected a spectacle but were surprised to see that the Sword Demon seemed oblivious and simply continued on his way.
Fights typically broke out between madmen or between madmen and ordinary residents. Ordinary residents wouldn’t make such mistakes, but when they had grudges, they would plan to kill each other while hiding their identities. After all, most of the ordinary people who lived there were not good individuals. In cases of more complex murders that required investigation, aside from Sadin, the other three Elders would only come to glance at the scene and would not engage further.
The Elders took turns serving monthly duties, with each Elder assigned for one month. Cui Ming inquired about the residence of the Four Elders, but Mos had no idea since the mountains were forbidden territory accessible only to envoys.
...
Wind learned that Cui Ming had taken Liu Meier's photo album and might be up to something unsavory. He was furious—outraged beyond measure. Was this some kind of joke? Upon seeing Cui Ming return, he felt an intense animosity as he swooped down from his treehouse to strike at Cui Ming.
Cui Ming was startled. "What are you doing? Is madness contagious?" He drew a card—not a binding card—and immediately turned to flee, shoving Mos in front of him just in time to duck his head. The katana struck against the shell of a dragon tortoise. What was happening?
Cui Ming exclaimed, "What on earth?"
"Give me back my album," Wind demanded angrily. "No! I don’t want anything that’s been tainted."
"What? What?" Cui Ming questioned again as he pulled the album from his pocket and tossed it over.
"I said I don’t want it," Wind Blade flashed his sword and sliced the album into pieces.
"Are you crazy or just stupid?" Cui Ming asked.
Miss Fortune watched from a nearby tree, grinning as she said, "Cui Ming, why did you steal Wind's album?"
Cui Ming replied, "What else could I do? I needed to show it to the tortoise; I must present some solid evidence of the beauty of the Three Continents."
Wind paused in surprise. " Miss Fortune said you took my album to a corner for some dirty business."
Cui Ming questioned back, "What kind of dirty business can an album do?"
"Well..." Wind thought for a moment before sheathing her sword and enthusiastically extending her hand toward Mos. "Hello! I'm Wind; nice to meet you."
Cui Ming looked at Miss Fortune and then at the wind, confused. "What the hell?" he muttered, completely unable to understand.
"It's nothing," the wind waved his hand dismissively. "What's important is that I take you to see our temporary camp, Turtle."
Cui Ming was baffled, and Moss was even more so. Suddenly, Moss turned hostile, then turned hostile again... Was this how the humans of the Eternal Sphere behaved? However, the wind had extended his hand for quite a while, so Moss shook it and then swayed along with the wind toward the camp.
Miss Fortune landed beside them, and Cui Ming asked, "What?"
Suppressing a laugh, Miss Fortune whispered, "The wind thinks you took the sketchbook somewhere else."
Cui Ming questioned, "Can a sketchbook be taken somewhere? I thought in the book, it was all done by hand? Isn't that right?"
"..." Miss Fortune was stunned for a long time. "How did you get here?"
"I walked over... I found an Otherworldly Creature on the way. We took a detour; what's up?"
Miss Fortune pondered for a long time before saying, "Let's go. It's important to receive guests."
"What the hell? This is so strange. Did you guys eat some poisonous mushrooms?" Cui Ming asked. "Could it be that someone discovered us and set a trap on purpose? It's possible; the prophet understands our strength and knows he has low odds in a direct confrontation. So he might use our unfamiliarity with the jungle against us, employing hallucinogenic drugs or plants to make us absorb..."
Miss Fortune covered her face and tugged at Cui Ming's shirt. "Let's go."
"Wait," Cui Ming said. "Disperse your Force in your abdomen."
"What for?" Miss Fortune gathered her Force to one side.
Cui Ming punched just above Miss Fortune's abdomen. Near her stomach, his fist connected with her Force. Miss Fortune felt her insides shake violently before her stomach convulsed strongly, and she vomited. Damn it! She reached for her gun but saw Cui Ming observing the vomit with a small twig. "Normal food, normal food, normal food... Could it be the drinking water?"
Miss Fortune pressed her handgun against Cui Ming's head and shouted, "Get moving!"
Moss was already in the treehouse when he heard the shout. He turned back nervously; Cui Ming was reliable, but it seemed his two companions were not. The wind was puzzled as well and called out, "What’s going on?"
Cui Ming angrily said, "I want to know what."
"What what? If anyone says anything again, I'll take care of them," Miss Fortune declared with confidence.
Cui Ming remained cautious, taking refuge in a tree branch beside the treehouse, quietly observing. Moss was equally vigilant, leaning against Cui Ming, feeling that they were comrades in arms. The conversation had become exhausting; Moss had no intention of revealing his purpose and seemed ready to leave. Finally, Miss Fortune couldn't hold back any longer. She jumped to Cui Ming's side and whispered in detail about the situation, explaining a certain skill's process, and finally asked the blushing Cui Ming, "Do you understand now?"
Cui Ming nodded slowly. "I need to wash my hands."
"Why?"
"From my deductions, the wind is experienced, so the book must exist. I came into contact with the book..."
"Focus on the matter at hand."
"Can you help me get some water?"
"Alright, I'm scared of you." Miss Fortune prepared to leave but suddenly leaned in close to Cui Ming's ear and said suggestively, "If you want to know more, I can be your mentor."
Cui Ming ignored her and leaped into the treehouse, finally ending the distraction and starting to discuss serious matters.
...
The Four Elders took turns on duty. Given their personalities, they could stir up some trouble. If Sadin got involved, they would contact him; if it was someone else, they would remain hidden.
The initial plan was to assassinate a certain madman and wait for his body to be discovered to see who would investigate. If it wasn't Sadin, they would move on to the second phase of the plan. If it was Sadin, they would need to invite him to a safe place for negotiations; Cui Ming was unwilling to gamble his life on someone else's character. Based on Li Qing's situation, Miss Fortune's hunting license should convince Sadin; otherwise, he would be seen as the villain.
In the second phase of the plan, if the Sword Demon showed up, he would likely just take a glance and leave. Toad wouldn't be interested either and would ask nearby people about it. The Prophet was more troublesome; despite being led by Cui Ming during their encounters, he had managed to outsmart Cui Ming at a crucial moment. Thus, Cui Ming always judged the Prophet as a clever fool who let others play while he hid his true strength.
If the Prophet discovered any intruders, he would definitely raise an alarm; the Elders disliked significant events happening on the island as they disrupted their peaceful cultivation. Therefore, escape would be necessary.
Thus, in the initial plan, it was crucial that the deceased did not appear to have been killed by an outsider. Cui Ming's cards, Miss Fortune's bullets, and Wind's knife all left clear traces; hence they needed Moss's assistance. After the killing, Moss would destroy the wounds to create the appearance that Otherworldly Creatures had attacked and killed him.
If such a plan were to be executed, selecting the right targets would be crucial; they must be residents of Silent City who live alone. However, those who dare to live alone are likely skilled and generally not insane. Choosing the target becomes the key to this plan. The baseline is that those who are killed should not evoke guilt among others.
The condition for Mos is to be sent to the Force Alliance for examination. If it is found that Mos has tendencies towards violent behavior, Cui Ming will keep his promise and send Mos back to Silent City or to a safe place, such as Dawn Desert.
Although Mos is not very bold, he is quite clever. Through conversations with Miss Fortune and Wind, he learns that Cui Ming has not lied about the information he provided.
Once the plan was formulated, they began to pack up. To avoid detection and excessive entanglement with Otherworldly Creatures, Mos took the lead. His turtle shell, made from dragon scales, is extremely tough, and combined with Force protection, it rivals Bufon's shield. The four of them—three people and one turtle—traveled for two days until they finally reached the edge of the Rainforest, where a river flowed. On the other side of the river were forests of Pine Trees and Cypresses, showing clear signs of human activity. To the south of the river, they could see a residence stretching over ten kilometers.
The Residence consists of wooden houses built around the nearby mountains—sturdy, exquisite, and solid. Some houses are clustered together while others stand alone, but they are all relatively close to each other and not targets for Cui Ming and his group. At two corners, there are two isolated wooden houses. One is located towards the east, with its nearest occupant four kilometers away. The other is perched on a cliff in the west, also four kilometers from other residents.
Now they need to find out who owns these two wooden houses. If either has a criminal record or is insane, then that will be their target. If not, the four of them will head north in search of new targets.
Miss Fortune took charge and began dividing into groups. Originally, Cui Ming was supposed to team up with the turtle, but Miss Fortune had a mischievous glint in her eye as she said, “Wind and Turtle will team up; I’ll pair with Cui Ming.”
Cui Ming was about to protest when Mos interjected: “My name is Mos; I’m not a turtle. I just happen to have a shell like one. Since you all look somewhat like monkeys, can I call you monkeys?” He was clearly displeased.
“Mr. Mos, please team up with Wind; you’ll be responsible for the east,” Miss Fortune replied.
“This grouping seems a bit unscientific,” Cui Ming remarked. Logically speaking, he should be paired with Miss Fortune since he had more brains and adaptability compared to Wind and Turtle. It wasn’t that Wind wasn’t smart; he simply lacked interest in certain matters.
“I’ve already made my decision,” Miss Fortune stated firmly. “Regardless of who the opponent is or whether there’s an opportunity, no attacks are allowed. We’ll return here the day after tomorrow to decide our next steps. Everyone be careful; Silent City has strong capabilities, and many are criminals hiding here under protection. Be cautious when using cameras; if discovered and pursued during your escape, you must create a thick smoke signal by igniting something and covering it with green branches to produce dense smoke. Near this smoke signal, you should set up an arrow marker using four sticks—if you’re heading east, then point the arrow southward—understood? Let’s go.”
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