Chapter 520: Daily Life’s All About Bold Moves

Chapter 520: Daily Life’s All About Bold Moves

The influence of the Purple Vine Guild wasn’t strong in this town due to its less favorable location. However, that level of influence sufficed for their intelligence gathering needs. It was impossible to squeeze out many personnel useful as combat strength for Zheng Yichen. The Purple Vine Guild was a merchant guild, not some special organization brimming with formidable fighters.

Intelligence agents don’t necessarily need to fight; having enough informants suffices. These informants were actually more important than combat personnel. Wasting them as expendables in a single fight would be the biggest mistake.

What Zheng Yichen gained here was real-time intelligence support. If anything particularly unusual arose within the town, related information would be immediately transmitted to Zheng Yichen’s Magic Weapon Summoning Book. Whatever needed to be done afterward was Zheng Yichen’s responsibility. It had nothing to do with the town’s bar…

Zheng Yichen found this arrangement quite suitable. It was substantial help already. His main goal wasn’t to confront the Derivative Witch head-on either; it was to wait for his prey to come to him. After leaving the bar, Zheng Yichen returned to his previous lodgings. He looked over the information within a Confidential Post in his Magic Weapon Summoning Book. This information detailed every suspicious event occurring in the town over the past few days.

The screened and organized information made Zheng Yichen rather envious. He wished he had many subordinates this capable… But then he reconsidered. Management wasn’t his strong suit. Even back at the Underground Base, Loris handled the management of the Ghost Maids. If Zheng Yichen were in charge, he wouldn’t know how to properly arrange things…

Just look at Carlin, who went back to find his teacher for retraining and hadn’t returned yet. That showed how unreliable Zheng Yichen’s arrangements for subordinates were… So, Zheng Yichen rarely contemplated gathering a large crew of followers. Instead, he spent more time planning how to develop a ‘Main Quest’ system within the Magic Weapon Summoning Book. Wasn’t that much more practical than having followers?

It wouldn’t expose his identity either. If he were to recruit followers, could he get every single one like Carlin and secure them with a power ful Contract? That sounded far too troublesome.

“Hmm… So frustrating,” Zheng Yichen rubbed his temples. Dealing with intelligence reports was something he dreaded. Even after screening, pinpointing the truly needed information required mental effort. Some bits were like puzzles requiring deep thought. Frowning for a while, Zheng Yichen simply forwarded the intelligence to Dan Marina. She was just idle within the Containment Zone anyway; might as well let her analyze it.

He might as well use this time to focus on learning Spatial Extension techniques. Mastering Spatial Manipulation techniques was genuinely a formidable ability. Even if not directly applicable in combat, it was supremely useful for escape – Shrinking the earth into inches seemed effortless.

Flying? Zheng Yichen curled his lip. The deeper his understanding of Spatial Manipulation techniques, the more he redefined escape tactics. Unless one could fly exceptionally fast, facing an enemy who also mastered Spatial Manipulation for movement meant escape was nearly impossible!

So, Zheng Yichen essentially became a hands-off boss. While deeply engrossed in his studies, a notification alert from the Magic Weapon Summoning Book snapped him back to reality. Picking it up, he glanced and froze momentarily. A group from the Sanctuary Church was approaching!

It felt like they had specifically tracked his trail. Though he was famous now, was that really necessary? Whatever. He wouldn’t dwell on it and continued his vigil. Although he preferred not to clash with the Church people, he wasn’t afraid if a conflict arose.

The intelligence report mentioned just one squad, not a large force mobilized here. Even if Loris appeared later, a single squad felt like underestimating her significantly. Not to mention Zheng Yichen himself being present…

Back to studying!

Soon after, Zheng Yichen was surprised when someone knocked on his door. Opening it, he saw a vaguely familiar face… “You are…?”

“Name’s Oro. We saw each other once before, in the desert.” Oro put away the pipe he used so comfortably and introduced himself with a smile. “I’m staying just next door to you, sir. Feel free to find me if you need anything.” He then left directly without any pause.

Zheng Yichen blinked a few times, slightly puzzled. Okay, being interrupted during study was a definite buzzkill, but Oro’s straightforward departure prevented resentment. Plus, given Oro’s words, his purpose seemed to be… offering help?

What kind of help? Just not causing trouble would be enough. Zheng Yichen certainly didn’t want the ‘stump’ he was waiting by to get chopped down by Church members. While they likely couldn’t eliminate the Derivative Witch, their arrival timing felt intensely awkward.

“Are you so certain the Cursed Sorceress will appear here?” In Oro’s room, a man sat opposite him, regarding Oro sternly.

“I’m not certain,” Oro shrugged. But since he had started searching for the Cursed Sorceress, the chance of her appearing here was significant. “Oh, right. Asking me that, does it mean you have a way to deal with her?”

The man opposite Oro twitched violently at the corner of his eye. Deal with the Cursed Sorceress? Did he think he had lived too long? She was formidable enough during the Witch Hunt when weakened. Now, fully recovered?

She wasn’t something that could be easily overcome just by numbers anymore.

“Then are you just stirring up trouble out of boredom?”

“Of course not,” Oro chuckled lightly. “Doesn’t the Church want to identify what existence the Cursed Sorceress is dealing with? Isn’t this an opportunity?” Confronting the current Cursed Sorceress was out of the question. The Church had plenty going on, and the Derivative Witches were troublesome enough, needing resolution. Starting conflicts with the Cursed Sorceress now was ill-advised. There were other factors too, like that dragon’s capabilities. Hence, plans regarding the Cursed Sorceress had been pushed back considerably. From the last Witch Hunt, the Church could practically predict the next time she went Berserk, even if the cycle was lengthy…

“It’s not just because of that, is it?”

“Hmm… I’ve reviewed some data. Whether it was the ‘Sorceress’ dealt with previously or the ‘Aberration’ later appearing in the Containment Zone, both seemed uniquely connected to the Undying Sorceress.” Oro stated. Those in the know understood the Undying Sorceress’s Core Ability wasn’t Undeath, but the Soul… So, a Sorceress’s title didn’t always perfectly match her true power. What happened to those who misunderstood due to ignorance was their problem; the Church wouldn’t make that mistake.

After all, the Church were the primary force against Sorceresses. Other shadowy factions like the Dark Church or Dark Forces also dealt with Sorceresses, but their motives weren’t pure. They aimed more for profit than eliminating a threat…

“The capabilities of that strange Sorceress the Saintess dealt with have been identified as Soul-based perception. As for what appeared in the Containment Zone later… although no clues were found… it surely can’t be simple. Let’s hypothesize: The Undying Sorceress was indeed destroyed, but her preparations wouldn’t vanish along with her, correct?”

“Those preparations were presumably the Undying Sorceress’s plans for resurrection. Now deprived of her core presence, what happens when those plans spiral out of control? How about we guess how many preparations the Undying Sorceress had?”

Oro’s words turned his companion’s expression ugly. How many preparations could the Undying Sorceress have? Given a Sorceress’s methods, one plan could lie dormant for decades, even centuries, potentially passed down like a generational Curse. And the Undying Sorceress had lived so long… even one plan per year would amount to hundreds.

If they all went out of control – hundreds of Derivative Witches resembling their previous foe!?

Damn, what would become of this world?

“Haha~ Don’t look so terrified,” Oro laughed, seeing the man’s face. “There can’t possibly be that many. If the Undying Sorceress had been that powerful, she could have leveraged the threat of her death as skillfully as the Fate Sorceress did to intimidate us… Though to be fair, she went too far and was outplayed by the Fate Sorceress.”

“We focused on clearing residues, mistaking the aftermath for manageable, but overlooked the Undying Sorceress’s nature…” After all, she was capable of creating entities like Corpse Puppets. So, the consequence of her preparations losing control was clearly sentient action: “We weren’t aware, but wouldn’t the Fate Sorceress know?”

“So, there definitely won’t be hundreds of those ‘Sorceresses’, but certainly more than one. Therefore, the Cursed Sorceress is likely dealing with these Derivative Witches born from the Undying Sorceress’s out-of-control preparations. Perhaps it was entrusted by the Fate Sorceress? Or maybe they reached some kind of consensus.”

“Eh, don’t take all I say as absolute truth. This is the best inference possible from current intel. Whether it’s accurate depends on the unfolding events.”

“Oro… Your position really doesn’t do your talents justice,” the man before Oro remarked after a while.

“Ha~ No big deal. I don’t find power particularly appealing anyway. It just brings inconveniences. This current situation suits me fine.”

“But you could contribute so much more to the Church…”

“Make it sound like I’m not giving my all now. I’ve declined several important gatherings during this period,” Oro shook his head, speaking with an exaggerated sense of grievance, making the man opposite him even more exasperated.

Oro and Achille were similar types. Unlike Achille’s sternness, Oro was… well, playful. Fine, playful then. The problem was he was truly capable. What was it with this era? Previously, the Church didn’t have so many high-talent individuals uninterested in promotion. It wasn’t about ambition; capable people in higher positions could serve greater functions. These days… Never mind.

While others fought tooth and nail for opportunities, there were always peculiar types like him who disdained and declined them.

“Alright, after we finish investigating this, I’ll return to where I came from.”

“True. Though people trust your competence, your personal safety isn’t secure,” the man nodded. Unlike Achille, who was both capable and a potent fighter and thus generally unconcerned about security, Oro was different. His combat prowess was decent among ordinary Professionals, but just barely. His true value lay in his brain.

Moreover, due to Oro’s actions, he had thwarted numerous plans of the Cults or other Dark Forces groups. Many hated him deeply and wished him dead immediately. Yet, despite the intense pressure, this guy lived quite freely, seemingly indifferent to such threats.

“A brain works best under sufficient pressure. So, an unsafe environment suits me perfectly,” Oro smiled, unfazed. Seeing his nonchalance towards danger, the man instantly recalled a distinctively vivid word often seen on the Magic Weapon Forum – bold! (Waves/wild/lavish)

Oro wasn’t just being bold; he was pushing the limits. Why? His actual combat power… was High-Rank. If any ordinary High-Rank got close, he’d be doomed!

Yet, those wanting him dead weren’t only High-Rankers; some were even stronger. Those formidable foes found Oro particularly vexing. To outsiders, Oro lived lavishly. None knew the immense pile of dead brain cells behind that carefree facade.

The man knew. Could anyone remember how many sips of water they drank since childhood? Tough, right? Yet Oro knew precisely how many people he had offended, how many wanted him dead, and who those people were! He even figured out how many others were indirectly affected through these grudges.

This was the true reason for his perpetual survival and freedom. His enemies stood little chance of successful retaliation. Plus, Oro had always remained single; there were no vulnerable loved ones or weaknesses anyone could exploit. So those enemies were forced to just gnash their teeth with unproductive hatred. Concrete action?

Most who wanted him dead were unsavory characters. The majority who acted came to bad ends. Others were sent by the Church to specific places for ‘rehabilitation’ and a chance at a new life.

The very reason this man was here was to protect this guy whose daily life was all about bold moves! Dragging Oro into this current situation had disrupted his own schedule. If he wasn’t kept safe, Oro might genuinely ‘cool down’ one day. The Church definitely did not wish to lose such a capable individual.

If he died, the consequences weren’t simply about cremation. It was highly likely even his True Spirit wouldn’t safely return to the River Styx. Also, in the areas where Oro operated, some members of the local Church Branch liked to loiter, waiting for foolish opponents trying to target him. Yes, successfully tailing Oro was considered a badge of competence within the Church.

“What about if your guess is wrong?”

“Then wouldn’t you get a laugh?”

“…Have you ever given me such an opportunity?”

“Let me think… Seems not.”