Chapter 58 Promise

An obsidian coin refracting transparent prismatic light was tossed into the air, spun once, and fell back into Xingyu’s palm.

A total of five metal coins, inlaid with colored glaze, each glowing with a unique brilliance.

This was the first time Xingyu had ever come into contact with coins of such a large denomination.

Their weight was unexpectedly light, drastically different from the weight of a human life as she had imagined it.

This was the pricing she had set for the supervisor's life.

The entity that had threatened her life on the first day was now reduced to a few gleaming metal pieces.

Even though the contract was no longer valid, she had still taken back her payment. There were still some scattered, smaller coins left in the Ashen Gang, but those were worthless in her eyes.

After retrieving her rightful share, she prepared to leave.

Seeing that she seemingly had no intention of pursuing the matter further, an undercurrent of restless anticipation began to fill the room.

So-called loyalty, once it lost its cohesive force, was nothing more than loose sand.

These people easily discarded their former vows, turning instead to chase new interests.

Muyan’s body was not yet cold, and the subordinates who had once been fiercely loyal to him were already starting to plot their own agendas.

"The boss is dead, why are we still guarding this dump?"

"There’s definitely good stuff over at the Mutual Aid Alliance. Since that supervisor is finished too, why don't we go loot a fortune?"

"Shh, keep your voice down! Don't let her—"

The third person's warning cut off abruptly as they suddenly realized Xingyu was still in the room.

The whispering did not escape Xingyu’s ears.

The moment she turned around, the entire room fell into dead silence.

The gang members who had just been fantasizing about striking it rich instantly froze in place, the expressions on their faces shifting from excitement to pure terror. Some trembled under her gaze, while others tried to squeeze out ingratiating smiles.

A middle-aged man with a scar across his face took the initiative to step forward.

He forced an obsequious smile.

"Uh... well, great, Milord," his voice trembled slightly. "You see, since you've already dealt with that supervisor, could we also go over there—"

He swallowed hard, his tongue seeming to tie itself as he continued, "We can go over there and help you clean up the mess. You take all the good stuff, and we’ll just take whatever's left. How does that sound?"

This man didn't even know her code name, nor could he pronounce that awkward-sounding word.

Just as his voice trailed off, another young man, who looked about Xingyu’s age, suddenly dropped to his knees. His knees struck the hard floor heavily, producing a dull thud.

The young man ignored the pain, his voice filled with subservience: "W-We are willing to serve you! We will do whatever you say!"

Someone wore a look of disdain. But more of them showed expressions of envy, as if regretting they hadn't thought of this move first.

Regardless, beneath these surface emotions, a faint undercurrent of excitement had already spread.

"I have no interest in that place."

Having given her reply, Xingyu turned and walked toward the exit.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she turned back.

The people in the room instantly held their breath, terrified of missing any of her words, a strange sense of anticipation hanging in the air.

"However, there is still a girl there."

She leveled her palm and gestured slightly upward above her own forehead.

"She is a bit taller than me, with long black hair and black eyes. When I return tonight, make sure she is safe and sound."

"Otherwise... I can also recreate that night you will never forget."

The room plunged into instant dead silence.

The scarred man was the first to react, nodding hurriedly: "Y-Yes! We will definitely protect that girl well, and we will never let her suffer any harm!"

Other gang members expressed their compliance as well, some shouting guarantees, others nodding frantically. Voices of oaths rose and fell, everyone straining to project a facade of false loyalty and determination.

A whisper came from a corner: "That girl must be worth a fortune..."

Before the sentence could finish, the speaker was kicked hard by the person next to him. That person glared at the speaker, warning him to hold his tongue.

Xingyu’s gaze swept across each person's face, evaluating the truthfulness of their words.

Finally, she nodded slightly, accepting their promise.

...

She thought of something else.

Xingyu pulled the silver-gray official agent badge from her pocket, her fingertips brushing over its cold surface.

No matter how hard she tried to probe it with her [Information Reading] ability, the badge remained like a sealed black box, refusing to reveal any information.

Even now that her abilities were no longer restricted by the chip, this situation remained unchanged.

She took out her short sword and tried to leave a mark on the badge.

Metal struck metal with a crisp ring, yet the result was unexpected—

A tiny nick appeared on the blade of the sword, while the badge remained completely undamaged.

...Forget it.

Xingyu lost the desire to explore further.

The material of this badge was beyond her comprehension, and she had no idea if it had any built-in tracking or other technology that might bring her trouble. Continuing to research it seemed pointless.

Indifferently, Xingyu tossed the silver-gray badge onto the ground.

The badge bounced a few times on the floor with crisp sounds, finally rolling into the gutter by the roadside.

Day and the red sun had risen, and the sky was growing increasingly bright.

After a brief thought, Xingyu walked toward the direction of the Inner Ring.

It wasn't as if she had to go to the Raindrop Agency...

Yesterday, she had mentally prepared herself never to go back.

But now, with [Information Reading] able to reveal more complete and truthful information, she couldn't wait to see more details regarding Hill.

Setting off later today, there were already progressively more pedestrians on the road.

Xingyu casually thrust her hands into the pockets of her ragged clothes, her gaze sizing up the people around her.

The information of ordinary people was as ordinary as ever.

She had confirmed one thing.

The name "Numinous Matter" was what people referred to as spiritual energy.

At this moment, her "Numinous Matter Intensity" value had rebounded to 25.

She hadn't forgotten Jingyi’s words; this was the status bar reflecting an individual's comprehensive physical and mental condition.

Her current state indeed wasn't entirely good.

Even though Qixue had treated almost all of her external injuries... her left hand still throbbed faintly and hadn't fully recovered.

Perhaps because her rest was still insufficient and her injuries weren't fully healed, her stats hadn't maxed out.

Observing passersby, Xingyu found that most people's values were only in the teens, and some even had single digits. Values exceeding twenty were extremely rare.

Recalling purely ordinary people, Muyan’s value had been the highest.

His physique was indeed astonishing, but his value hadn't exceeded the upper limit of 30.

On the contrary, Qixue, who looked somewhat thin due to long-term malnutrition, actually had a value limit reaching 28...

Pondering this, she suddenly caught a blind spot.

If "Numinous Matter Intensity" simultaneously reflected comprehensive physical and mental states, then the name "spiritual energy" wasn't entirely accurate. It sounded like a purely mental state, but in reality, it encompassed much more.

Was this naming just a conventional usage?

Most transcendent individuals kept their abilities strictly confidential, which had prevented her from fully grasping the complete picture of this world's transcendent abilities up to now.

She only knew that, in people's perception, transcendent abilities had only two categories: physical and mental—quite crude and simplistic.

However, she had heard 020 mention words like "Mercy" on multiple occasions.

Combining terms she could now see, such as "Path of Mercy," "Path of Might," "Simulated Awakening"...

Clearly, there was a corresponding relationship among them.

Yet, she had never once heard these special terms spoken by ordinary human beings in this world.

Was everyone keeping it a secret, or...

Had even transcendent individuals, or even the Administration and the Council, failed to understand this domain and grasped the true essence of power?