Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
As Wandering Path and Miss Fortune spoke, a staff member from the hot spring resort hurried over. Miss Fortune stood up, and the staff member handed her a telegram. After expressing her gratitude, she opened it and read aloud, "Target located."
"Make the call," Wandering Path instructed.
"Understood." Miss Fortune went to make the call while Wandering Path stepped out of the hot spring and into his room to shower and change into clean clothes. When he emerged, Miss Fortune was already waiting for him.
"Ye Xin has news. Yesterday at 7 PM, Leopard Woman disembarked at the Nordo City port. After gathering information in the area, she headed straight to a town where bait had been set up. Just an hour ago, the police who set the bait contacted Zhao Wei, saying they had a catch. Cui Ming has informed the Ye Family. Currently, Leopard Woman has booked a room at this inn and even asked the owner about the location of Oasis, paying him five thousand for supplies for four people. It seems like four individuals are planning to enter the desert."
Miss Fortune continued her report: "Leopard Woman is in her room and made a call through a relay to someone in Dawn City. To avoid alarming anyone, the line wasn't tapped. The police checked the telephone exchange and found that this call was routed to a place called Qingqing's Sanatorium, which is about fifty kilometers from Dawn City. This sanatorium is known for its unique geographical setting, attracting wealthy foreign dignitaries and tycoons."
"Fishing for information; if there's an issue in the town, those behind it will easily trace back to the sanatorium. If they set up even a slight trap there, they'll know if it's a ruse. Leopard Woman's open appearance is likely a test to see if there are any traps," Wandering Path analyzed. The food and water for four indicated that three others were not present, raising many questions.
"The Fire Cult may not suspect a trap; this could just be a habitual reconnaissance to understand the Eastern Continent's environment. It seems that the person at the sanatorium is indeed the leader Cui Ming mentioned," Wandering Path continued. "Miss Fortune, contact Cui Ming and inform him that he has enough resources to deal with those at the sanatorium; I’ll take care of the others as I prepare to enter the desert from Dawn City. Also, reach out to Ye Xin and ask him to trust me to lead; he shouldn't follow Cui Ming's orders but can feign compliance on the surface."
Miss Fortune paused in surprise. "Wandering, it seems we are on the same side this time."
"Our goals with Cui Ming may seem aligned but are not entirely so," Wandering Path clarified. "Cui Ming's objective is to rescue Master Bei; in order to do that, he needs to catch big fish to negotiate with the Fire Cult. It's simple: if we all follow Cui Ming's lead, what’s the best outcome? Capturing some key figures from the Fire Cult and then letting them go? That would be foolish for our alliance as it signals our stance to them. They won't sit idly by; they'll surely retaliate against us practitioners in secret. Moreover, with most voices within our alliance advocating for peace, initiating war could lead us into an awkward situation."
Wandering Path elaborated: "This plan has two possibilities: eliminate all knowledgeable members of the Fire Cult or abandon this plan altogether. Don’t let Cui Ming’s assistance sway you too much; he has never been one to consider the bigger picture. Besides, Cui Ming also sees an opportunity; there’s definitely a big fish at that sanatorium who thinks highly of himself—at least he believes he’s clever. Cui Ming thinks he’s clever too; let them compete while we deal with Leopard Woman and her companions in the desert without communication means. We need to capture one alive—a live bait—to pry open his mouth and see what kind of monsters lurk within the Fire Cult... Rest assured, Bufon fully supports my approach and has authorized me to take charge; otherwise, I wouldn’t have left you and Wei Wei behind. Do you understand? Now go make that call."
Miss Fortune smiled wryly; it turned out that allies like Cui Ming and Wandering Path couldn’t be trusted either. Was it unfair of Wandering? She thought not; Wandering had his own stance just as Cui Ming did. They seemed like comrades on the same line but had significant differences in interests. Cui Ming often overlooked his allies' positions; when considering plans, he only thought about how allies could help him without weighing their benefits or drawbacks. She didn’t know him well enough—perhaps Cui Ming had already figured everything out? She didn’t understand Wandering either; maybe he knew that Cui Ming was already aware of everything as well—these people played their games too well; she would just focus on being a competent Henchman.
...
Several hours later, everyone gathered in the living room of a small villa: Mi Xiaonan had completed her undercover mission and returned to Dawn City yesterday to attend this meeting. The attendees included Beiyue, Cui Ming, Li Qing, Ding Ze, Mi Xiaonan, Ashen, Akali, Jayce, and Feng.
The meeting was about selecting personnel. Cui Ming left a portion of the team to focus on the sanatorium, while the others would be dispatched by Wandering. Wandering planned to move several people to Nordo City to set up contacts, while also bringing the remaining personnel from Dawn City into the Dawn Desert.
Who should be chosen? First, Li Qing was ruled out. Cui Ming wanted to keep Li Qing, but it was not possible since Li Qing had now become a Hunter. Wandering could no longer be considered an ally, at least not in this matter. Cui Ming's goal was to capture people and then exchange them, while Wandering aimed to weaken the Fire Cult's strength. However, Cui Ming had to worry that if he captured the leader, Wandering might have arranged for someone to assassinate him.
It was ironic that allies had become people with different dreams, but this was always the case; even those forced into cooperation had different needs in their hearts. Fortunately, this ally still held some value and would not turn against him. If that were the case, why demand so much?
Li Qing was excluded because Cui Ming did not want any conflict with him. He needed someone from Wandering whom he could control and who could still be friends after the killing was done. Among the candidates, only one person was most suitable: Jayce. Cui Ming deliberately ignored Jayce's status as royalty from Twilight City and regarded him as a spoiled rich kid.
Jayce's strengths were his speed, powerful close combat skills, and accurate ranged attacks; he was a versatile individual. Cui Ming noted these advantages and decided to keep Jayce.
The Balance Sect trio needed to act together, so Cui Ming decided against Mi Xiaonan. After this exclusion, aside from Feng, who was definitely selected, he also needed to choose one person from Beiyue or Ding Ze. Cui Ming chose Beiyue because he felt a bit awkward commanding Ding Ze; he wasn't sure how to approach it. He found it easy to command everyone in the Five-Man Team except Ding Ze, who always felt somewhat inappropriate to lead.
Cui Ming said, "Jayce, Feng, Beiyue—we four will stay in Dawn City. The others will be led by Ding Ze and will meet up with Wandering."
Everyone agreed without objection and quickly gathered their belongings before setting off, leaving only four people in the small villa.
The Green Serenity Sanatorium was familiar to the people of Dawn City; it had previously sparked large-scale protests. Azure Mountain was a beautiful mountain filled with springs and home to two of the world's ten famous springs. At its foot lay a lake fed by these springs. The water here was not only drinkable but also rich in various minerals essential for the human body.
Nearby residents had long consumed Azure Mountain's spring water and reported some strange occurrences; for instance, patients with terminal illnesses who moved to villages near Azure Mountain experienced improvements in their conditions or even complete recoveries. Such recoveries were not mere fabrications; there were numerous cases worldwide with unclear reasons behind them. However, many longevity seekers lived near Azure Mountain, suggesting that the spring water possessed unique properties.
Nobility came in several forms: one type relied on their parents' power and became influential at a young age—this kind was rare in developed countries today; most began their journey in powerless departments and gradually entered the noble class through hard work. Another type consisted of commoners who became exceptional through their own efforts. Regardless of how they achieved it, most people became nobles at relatively older ages when various ailments had already set in. With Azure Mountain's global fame established, plans began for a sanatorium catering specifically to nobles worldwide.
This naturally provoked protests from residents of four nearby villages who opposed the government’s appropriation of their beautiful landscape. The government claimed it was protecting the environment by imposing high fees and reducing visitors to Azure Mountain while promising that the four villages could still access the spring water and receive substantial annual subsidies.
The residents of Dawn City were not pleased. Although Azure Mountain was quite far, fifty kilometers away, it was a popular destination for citizens during holidays, perfect for outings and camping. The government had long arranged for personnel to manage Azure Mountain, making it a tradition over the past decade. With the construction of the sanatorium, they would no longer be able to visit Azure Mountain. The representatives of the citizens believed that the government should serve the people; after all, the taxes from Dawn City had always been sufficient, and it was only right for the government to invest extra funds to protect the entertainment and services for its citizens.
However, legally, the court supported the government. The reason was that Azure Mountain had a greater impact on the four nearby villages, where the residents' ancestors had lived for generations. The villagers had long disliked these city dwellers coming to Azure Mountain, disturbing their lives and taking advantage of what they considered private springs without charge. Additionally, with the government's promise of annual subsidies, they agreed to the construction of the sanatorium.
This was an interesting case that became a classic example in law courses at various universities, encompassing issues of property rights, ownership, and usage rights. It also served as a lesson in social studies about how minorities often seek help from majorities when in need but tend to disregard the needs of those majorities once their own demands are met. Debates filled the classroom regarding what was right or wrong.
Because of this, Cui Ming and others were well aware of Azure Mountain.
Azure Mountain stood over fourteen hundred meters high, surrounded by sheer cliffs, with some springs trickling down through crevices in the rocks. The Green Serenity Sanatorium was built between halfway up and at the foot of the mountain, at an elevation of just over two hundred meters in a relatively gentle area. Just fifty meters from the main building of the sanatorium lay Azure Lake. The transportation facilities and streetlights were all very complete. The sanatorium itself covered a large area; aside from the central office for staff, there were over thirty small villas scattered around the center of the sanatorium, all connected by roads. (To be continued.)
Comment 0 Comment Count