novelDen Chapter 307: Starting from the Greater Feng Nightwatchman to Slay Demons and Exorcise Evil
Chapter 307: Starting from the Greater Feng Nightwatchman to Slay Demons and Exorcise Evil
"But now, even I can't get in touch with Sonora. You know, ever since the Disaster Control Bureau colluded with the Azure Cloud Sect, the crackdown on the Witch Association has been far more severe than before. In this new world now, there's no longer a boat that can carry the Witch Association!"
"In short, the great god of the Chongxu Witch Association has abandoned this new world! Let Azure Cloud Sect play by themselves! The Magic Kingdom and Chongxu didn't lose—they just don't want to play anymore!"
Jiang Si naturally paid no mind to Jialan's stubborn words before she left.
"Oh, right, I'm buying fully-constellated Shion accounts at a high price. If you have any stock, you can contact me directly..."
That actually had some value. Quite a few people in Azure Cloud Sect had pulled fully-constellated Shion.
He could help them get in touch with Jialan to exchange fully-constellated Shion for money—right now, fully-constellated Shion accounts were selling at astronomical prices. After selling, when the rerun came, they could pull a full constellation again and still have plenty of money left. It was a surefire profit!
With that thought, he called out, "Yumo."
The little girl who had been following Jiang Si from a concealed spot immediately trotted over.
"Did you pull Shion to full constellation?"
Little Yumo's face flushed bright red, and she nodded excitedly, "I did, I did!""How many?"
"Six, full constellation!"
Jiang Si frowned at that. The true-transmission disciples' salaries weren't low, and with the recent alliance with the Disaster Control Bureau, handling major incidents in South China, the Mirror Kingdom, and the Witch Association, there were also bonuses.
But six full constellations was still too much.
"Do you have enough money?"
"There's, there's a rebate. In the sect."
Jiang Si was momentarily stunned. "What rebate?"
"Pulling, pulling one fully-constellated Sect Master gives an eighty percent rebate, to be reimbursed by Lady Bingtang!" Yumo answered honestly. "Qinghua, Qinghua pulled over a dozen! Many other disciples also pulled a lot."
For a moment, he was speechless.
Wasn't this just Bingtang using her own money to boost the rankings?
And even so, Shion's banner revenue wasn't that impressive.
Bingtang had always been strict about spending on this sort of thing before, not allowing disciples to waste money pulling cards. But now, she had become quite indulgent.
He would have to talk to her about it later.
Lost in thought, he walked forward with Yumo. The two of them followed the roadside, with Yumo stepping on the curb.
In the park, children chased each other holding balloons with Shion's face printed on them. A child fell and started crying, while adults scolded and laughed.
A balloon with Shion's face floated up toward the sky. Yumo jumped, light as a dandelion.
She caught the balloon that was about to fly away and drifted down, swaying gently.
When she tried to hand it to the child, the child's adult smiled and waved, giving the balloon to Yumo. The little girl's face flushed red as she looked at the Sect Master's face on the balloon, waving it happily.
On the street, a pop song written for Azure Cloud Sect by a popular singer played.
Amidst the extraordinary daily life and laughter, it was as if the panic and cries caused by the disaster that collapsed the earth and split the sky had never happened.
Snapping back to reality, Jiang Si glanced at Yumo, who was hopping and skipping beside him, looking somewhat happy:
"I heard that in the Magical Girl Idol Project's own revenue rankings, it just barely made eleventh place. Didn't break the top ten."
No one remembers who was in the top ten, only that the absolute first was Kingfisher.
"Eleven, eleven is still pretty strong..."
"Only the top ten can prove the way."
Shaking his head, Jiang Si simply said, "Have Qinghua tally up how many disciples are willing to sell their fully-constellated Shion accounts. I only want a one percent cut."
Yumo immediately nodded repeatedly.
She pulled out her phone and, using her little finger, slowly typed out the message to Qinghua—she naturally didn't want to talk to Qinghua. Once Qinghua knew the Sect Master was nearby, she would definitely be incredibly annoying!
After sending the message, Yumo, following behind the Sect Master, put away her phone, held the small balloon, and carefully grabbed Jiang Si's pinky finger.
—Generally, this level of contact wouldn't be disliked.
Then, little by little, she held on completely.
Yumo's hands were small, and they were a bit sweaty at the moment, so if she didn't hold tightly, they would slip.
The things Lady Bingtang did, Yumo also tried to do. But sometimes, there were things Lady Bingtang could do that Yumo simply couldn't, which frustrated her.
If only she were a bit older. Maybe it was because Lady Bingtang was about the same age as the Sect Master, while Yumo was too young.
If she grew up a bit more, she would be able to get close to the Sect Master just like Lady Bingtang...
Counting down the days to her birthday every single day, Yumo wished she could grow up more than anyone else.
She also wished that, before she grew up, she could have more contact and memories with the Sect Master.
And so, as she thought and thought, she couldn't help but ask:
"Sect Master... can Yumo go to Chongxu with you?"
"No."
Her head drooped, and she was momentarily dejected.
If the Sect Master went to Chongxu, who knew when they would come back? Without seeing the Sect Master, Yumo would be so lonely...
She imagined herself saying these words, but in reality, after holding back for a long time, she only managed to squeeze out, "Oh..."
Even though she was so affectionately holding Jiang Si's pinky finger.
There was always a feeling that, with a single gust of wind, she would be blown far away, unreachable and ethereal.
If she grew up, would it really be different?
"Was it you who taught Keke the Pseudo-Full Bloom using the Dream Core?"
"I only taught her some, some basics. It was Keke who was smart herself..."
"Well done."
The overcast sky, at just one sentence, suddenly brightened.
She tugged at the Sect Master's pinky, gently swinging it. "Yumo, Yumo also taught her how to better control the seven types of mana!"
During the competition at the Central Bureau earlier, Keke had used the seven-colored mana's Buddha's Fury Lotus, but it was too crude.
The actual damage wasn't that high.
So, later, Yumo took the time to teach Keke how to better use the seven-colored mana, ensuring the Buddha's Fury Lotus's power.
"Oh, thank you for your hard work."
"No, not at all."
Yumo felt dizzy and lightheaded.
Sure enough, just like Qinghua said, starting with Keke was the right move.
This way, she could get closer to the Sect Master. Maybe, one day, she could even be closer than Lady Bingtang...
Not long after, Qinghua sent a message.
She said she could compile all the fully-constellated Shion accounts immediately. There would definitely be plenty, enough to satisfy any demand.
Standing with the Sect Master at the traffic light, waiting to cross the street, she was about to relay the message when she heard the Sect Master suddenly say, "Also, give me Sonora's location."
"Oh, oh, okay. Right now?"
"Yeah."
"The, the Witch Association has already completely fallen. Actually, Sonora could help us find the remaining people. It's best not to kill her right now..." Yumo said quietly. "That's what Lady Bingtang said."
"I'm not going to kill her."
Jiang Si watched the red light slowly disappear and said nonchalantly, "I'm going to court her. Make her fall for me."
"Smack."
Yumo's phone fell to the ground.
**Periphery of Chongxu**
While searching for Sonora in the new world, Witch Shion opened her eyes from within the mining operation.
The time difference between the two worlds was slightly inconsistent.
Only a day had passed in the world below, but a week had already gone by here in Chongxu.
Although she could enter Chongxu by being bitten by Sonora, she wasn't the type to be so passive.
This was the periphery of Chongxu, already in contact with some personnel and organizations related to Chongxu.
One could even say that this mining site was already a part of Chongxu.
Besides mining, Shion would use her divine sense to sweep the area when she had nothing to do, and occasionally she would come out for a stroll.
The garbage dump where this massive mining site was located was actually a meeting point.
All sorts of people flowed through here, a mix of fish and dragons. Sometimes, people from inside Chongxu City would also come here for meetings and transactions.
"Wow, she's out, she's out!"
"She's really something else at mining."
"First two days, then four days, that's crazy..."
"The highest record I remember is five consecutive days, and that person's brain burned out."
"Is she going to break the record? I bet she'd die in three days. My money..."
"Good riddance. She won't die even if you do."
"This time's outstanding miner will probably be her, right..."
The other "mining machines" who had finished their shifts early started chattering about her.
Earlier, Shion, who mined non-stop, was seen by this group as a madwoman, some mocking, some pitying.
No matter how good a mining machine was, it couldn't possibly go without rest for a whole day.
But after a full week of crazed mining without any damage, and actually causing the helmet connecting the mining machine to the mainframe to smoke from overuse!
Everyone was genuinely impressed. They had only ever seen mining machines burning out brains.
This was the first time they'd seen a brain burning out a mining machine. She was truly a natural-born mining saint!
After staying in this place for a long time, mining performance became the sole standard for measuring a person's worth.
In just one week, Witch Shion, with her super-high mining skills and ability, had become the top dog of the entire mining community, with no one daring to provoke her!
Although it was different from what she had anticipated, in the end, it was all mining. Shion was never weak in her life. Mining out a bright and clear world was only natural.
Even with one hand tied behind her back, stealing electricity and occupying computing power, she still had the highest output here.
At first, she considered pretending a bit, raising the output ratio a little. But when she saw everyone else's output was abysmally low, she just lay down and coasted.
Here in the Chongxu periphery, if she wanted, she could lie low for the rest of her life...
During break time, after going up from the platform, wearing the dog collar, the mining machines wandered around the garbage dump. Not only were they given liquid food, but they were also allowed to scavenge in the dump.
Apparently, finding good things could offset work hours.
"Shion, Shion..."
Not far away, the little girl in the raincoat was hiding in a secluded spot in the trash mountain, waving at her and calling out, "Come over here."
When Shion approached, the little girl in the raincoat took out a hot flatbread, water, and a cleaning agent from her bosom.
"This is this time's reward!"
As the girl who had led Shion into the world of mining, this little girl in the raincoat was code-named Little Raincoat.
Such a perfunctory name was probably due to Heavenly Dao erosion.
Earlier, she had been quite cold, even wearing an expression that looked at a dead person when she led Shion into the mining machine.
But as a result, Shion not only withstood the consumption of the mining machine but also became the best miner in the entire mining site.
Little Raincoat's treatment had also risen with the tide.
Shion felt a bit of emotion. This little girl wasn't truly cold-hearted. After realizing she had benefited from Shion's success, she immediately reciprocated.
These flatbreads with vegetables, water, and cleaning agent were very hard to come by in the mining site.
Especially water. The mining site provided liquid food, which simultaneously supplied water and nutrition, preventing people from starving or dying of thirst. But it was neither thirst-quenching nor filling.
Drinking large amounts of clear water was a luxury here.
Although Shion had no use for it—as a three-flower cultivator, she had long since successfully achieved Grain Abstention!
But she couldn't waste it, so she accepted it all with a smile.
Little Raincoat, with a maternal smile, stood on tiptoe and patted her head. "Good girl, eat slowly. I'll bring you more next time!"
This was also why Shion said she had benefited from Shion's success.
This one was basically the ideal type for the Little Black Dragon, naturally exuding a maternal vibe. Even though she was just a little girl, her gentle smile really reminded one of a loving mother.
Although she had no interest in being someone's child, this one was quite useful.
So, Shion didn't plan to turn hostile for now.
"Just a little more effort, and I should be able to buy a ticket to Chongxu..."
Most opportunities to go to Chongxu were bought.
Chongxu City was a place where everything depended on money. Only by creating enough value would one be allowed to enter Chongxu.
And this Little Raincoat, actually, wasn't originally from Chongxu.
Just like Shion, she had come from another world.
"Keep it up, baby Shion!"
As she spoke, she scratched under Shion's chin.
It felt a bit like raising a puppy.
Shion didn't mind. She just looked around. Besides Little Raincoat, most of the other miners also came from other worlds.
They had all attained great power and ascended to this place. Some were captured and forced to become miners, some were tricked into it, and some came willingly to enter Chongxu...
Only Shion had become a miner for the purpose of completing the mining mission.
The break wasn't over yet, when a large insect suddenly appeared in the sky above the garbage dump.
Shion looked up and saw that this insect was almost identical to the one she had crushed when she first arrived.
Then, the insect's abdomen opened, and a massive amount of garbage was frantically dumped out!
Shion's heart stirred.
So, these were spiritual insects used for transporting garbage?
After the garbage was emptied, several people leisurely floated down from inside the insect.
They were all wearing the same blue-black uniform and sunglasses, some with cigarettes in their mouths.
They seemed to be discussing something among themselves.
Then, a tall, thin man stepped forward. Half of his face was mechanical, and his eyeball swiveled as he scanned the crowd.
"Hello, everyone. We are the Nightwatchmen."
Shion noticed that Little Raincoat beside her tensed up.
The Nightwatchmen were the organization responsible for security in the Chongxu periphery. They were the absolute rulers out here. They were rumored to have top-tier assets within Chongxu City as well.
Without a certain amount of assets, one couldn't control the massive garbage dump in the periphery.
The most important thing was that, aside from Shion, everyone else's faces turned ugly.
Every time the Nightwatchmen appeared, it was a huge disaster for them, a group of miners with no backing!
"Right, I'll keep it short. I'm the captain of this operation. I don't have much to say. Earlier, one of our airships—this one." The young man pointed behind him at the large insect. "Was destroyed. It was a huge loss for us."
"So, sorry, folks. The value you've created with your time probably doesn't even match the interest growth on the loan for this airship. So, we've decided to directly recycle you all."
One of the miners let out a cold laugh and took out a Grief Seed of his own—
Everyone who arrived here from other worlds was a prodigy in their own right.
Most were willing to suffer humiliation in order to enter Chongxu. It wasn't that they had no power to resist!
"Raaaaah!"
Various Disaster Beast body parts began to appear on him, and eventually, his entire body was embedded into the Disaster Beast's form, with only his head remaining outside.
He had turned the Disaster Beast into his own armor!
The Disaster Beast armor roared as it charged!
But the dog collar around his neck suddenly exploded!
The Disaster Beast armor quickly disappeared. The miner turned back into a human, slid to the feet of the Nightwatchman, curled up on the ground, and whimpered in pain.
The man with the half-mechanical face sighed, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and elegantly lit it.
"I know you were all very powerful in your own worlds. But this is Chongxu, sir."
He stepped on the miner's face, grinding it. "Can you calm down? If your organs go bad from an adrenaline rush, we'll only be able to feed them to the dogs. Fresh, healthy organs are hot commodities in Chongxu. Listen up, everyone. Legally speaking, your organs belong to the mining site. You only have temporary usage rights. Now, we're going to recycle them. Please don't damage our property."
"You got stronger and evolved in your own worlds, didn't you? So that you could survive with fewer parts, right?"
He lifted his foot and kicked the boy from some unknown world aside. "Better not dirty my clothes, you know? Your entire organs are only worth half a collar."
As he spoke, the half-mechanical-faced young man walked toward the many miners in the factory.
"Alright, no need to be afraid. We have the best medical services. I guarantee that your organs will be removed without you feeling a thing. After that, you'll be sent back in one piece. Mining only requires a head. The rest of the body is just extra, ladies and gentlemen."
Witch Shion just watched silently.
Fully armed mechanical dogs, dog collars that suppressed magic and power, and mana bullets that induced unconsciousness.
The miners were suppressed with almost no resistance.
The prodigies of the lower realms, humiliated and bullied in the upper realm.
This was something she had long anticipated. Nothing surprising.
But down below, Jiang Si was still asking about Sonora's whereabouts, thinking about how to get a Chongxu ID from her.
The brain processing power that Witch Shion could occupy was limited.
Little Raincoat was also grabbed by the ankle by a mechanical dog and was being dragged toward the large insect.
The girl didn't scream or cry for help. She just desperately kicked at the mechanical dog biting her ankle, trying to hold onto the ground.
But as she was dragged along, she left deep scratches in the ground, but she still couldn't stop.
The mechanical dog was also powered by mana; it could even be said to be a kind of man-made mechanical Disaster Beast.
Shion glanced at it, didn't care, and just finished the vegetable flatbread Little Raincoat had given her.
The Nightwatchman captain, who had just been putting on airs, now walked over with his hands behind his back.
He saw the little girl still eating her flatbread and immediately walked over. "Where did this kid come from?"
He snatched the flatbread, sniffed it, and casually threw it away.
Looking like he was about to vomit, he pointed at Shion. "Ptooey, ptooey. You can eat that? Are your organs okay? Tsk, if they can't be sold, you'll be in trouble. Take her away."
He said this flippantly as a mechanical dog lunged at Shion from behind him.
Boom!
Two mechanical dogs flew backward, their parts scattering!
The smile on the Nightwatchman captain's face froze, and all sounds in the garbage dump vanished.
Little Raincoat, the other miners, the Nightwatchmen, and their mechanical dogs—everyone turned to look in the direction of Shion and the Nightwatchman captain.
"Actually, I'm also a Nightwatchman." Shion finally looked up and said flatly.
The young man tilted his head, and his face froze when he saw hers.
Her messy bangs covered half her face, revealing only a pair of jet-black pupils as calm as still water, deep and cold.
Just that one look caused his heart to have a 0.9-second systolic pause.
Then it kicked into overdrive, and within 4 seconds, his heart rate spiked to 192% of its normal value!
For a moment, he thought his newly replaced, expensive, ninety percent new heart had malfunctioned.
That subconscious feeling of looking up and finding a beast's massive maw right in front of his face, even dripping with saliva,
Constantly triggering his primal fear and survival instinct!
Even though his body was already seventy percent mechanically modified, the steel was sounding the alarm...
With a somewhat stiff nod, the Nightwatchman captain forced a smile. "Colleague? Where from?"
"Da Feng."
"Huh?"
In 0.6 seconds, his brain scanned through all the names of organizations, but before that, his body had already unconsciously shouted: "...There is no organization called Da Feng in Chongxu!"
"There is now."
As if mocking him, combined with that absurd fear from before, a long-dormant anger rose within him.
She was just a little girl with a dog collar. What the hell was he afraid of?
"Kill her!"
The other Nightwatchmen drew their pistols.
All the mechanical dogs charged, and the dog collar around her neck kept exploding violently!
But Shion simply stretched out her hand toward the large insect in the sky.
"The weather is dry."
She clenched her fist!
Terrifying black mana dispersed, and the mechanical dogs, pistols, and even the giant insect in the sky began to twist.
"Beware of fire."
Candlelight flickered. From a silent bloom, it gradually converged into a sea, roaring and devouring everything!