Chapter 37: The Demon Lord's Successor
Zhang Yuanqing pushed open the door and saw Yuan Ting sitting at the conference table, a cigarette held between his fingers, leaning back lazily in his chair with a smile on his face.
Beside the Nocturnal Specter was a pen holder with a command banner inserted into it. The banner was made of silk cloth and had a pointed iron tip. The flag was a pure black background with cloud patterns embroidered in silver thread, and a character for "command" stitched in the center.
In appearance alone, it looked no different from the command banners used in ancient armies.
Zhang Yuanqing took his seat, and sat up straight.
"Captain Yuan, what did you want to see me about? Let me say upfront, I'm very happy in Squad Two and have no interest in changing organizations," he said, using a joking tone to probe the other party's intentions.
"You cleared Sheling Tunnel, and Centurion Fu values you highly," Yuan Ting explained. "I couldn't poach you even if I wanted to. You probably don't know this, but when Centurion Fu originally requested that strategy guide for you, Elder Sun of our Taiyi Sect believed you couldn't possibly clear it, and did not take up the offer to recruit you.
"Now it's too late for regrets. Quite a few people in our sect have complained about this. They think you have great potential, and might even advance to the Saint stage in the future."
Yuan Ting stopped himself short, saying, "Oh, I'm saying too much, too much. I tend to be quite talkative. I hope you don't mind."
Oh, so that's what he meant by Elder Sun being foolish, Zhang Yuanqing thought as he nodded.
"Do you smoke?"
"Not really."
"When I was your age, I didn't smoke either, until I became a Nocturnal Specter. The trial missions scared me so badly I suffered psychological trauma and picked up smoking as a result. Though it's not a good thing, it really does help relieve stress. Every Nocturnal Specter has their own quirks.
"I have a friend named Jian Ji. When he first became a Nocturnal Specter, he was so traumatized that he needed to watch an hour of Teletubbies every day to soothe his emotions and ease his fears. He still can't break that habit even now."
As he told that story, Yuan Ting burst out into hearty laughter.
Captain Yuan, you really are quite talkative, but how can you go around spreading your friend's embarrassing secrets? Zhang Yuanqing complained internally even as he maintained a mask of attentiveness.
After chatting for a while, Yuan Ting finally got around to what he was really there for.
He coughed once then said seriously, "We're searching for a lucky individual, someone who obtained the Demon Lord's inheritance. All newly promoted Nocturnal Specters from this year are subjects of our investigation, including you. This 'Demon Lord' is the ID of a high level Spirit Realm Walker."
Demon Lord's inheritance? Zhang Yuanqing looked puzzled.
"I don't understand what you mean," he conceded.
"Let me explain more clearly," Yuan Ting replied. "According to our official speculation, the Spirit Realm doesn't distribute endless Character Cards—there's a certain upper bound. Therefore, when any Spirit Realm Walker dies, everything about them gets reclaimed by the Spirit Realm, including their Character Card."
Yuan Ting lit another cigarette, then continued, "When high level Spirit Realm Walkers die, their Character Cards are not completely reformatted by the Spirit Realm. Those Character Cards will retain some special attributes when they are distributed to newcomers. We call this phenomenon inheritance."
Such a thing exists? Zhang Yuanqing wondered.
"Can I ask who the Demon Lord was, and what your purpose is in searching for the Demon Lord's successor? I hope you can understand where I'm coming from, since this concerns me personally," he said.
Yuan Ting's reply was surprisingly frank, and he spoke without reservation:
"I don't know the higher-ups' purpose in searching for the Demon Lord's successor. For middle management like us, we just follow orders. As for the Demon Lord..."
Fear and hatred colored Yuan Ting's face as he continued in a heavy voice, "He was a fallen Nocturnal Specter, a mortal enemy of our Taiyi Sect. Many official Spirit Realm Walkers died at his hands, from both the Five Elements Alliance and the Taiyi Sect. Even the elders in our sect were extremely wary of him. He once caused a panic throughout the official organizations.
"The Sect Master once evaluated him as the most promising and most terrifying Nocturnal Specter in the past thirty years."
I don't know whether he's terrifying or not, but he's definitely a chuunibyou[1]... Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.
"How do you identify the Demon Lord's successor? Or rather, how should I cooperate with you?" he asked instead.
It sounded like the Demon Lord's successor has no real connection to the Demon Lord himself. Since the Taiyi Sect was a righteous organization, they surely wouldn't take their anger out on innocent people.
Once again, Yuan Ting spoke frankly.
"There are two special characteristics that set the Demon Lord's successor apart. First, their Character Card does not bear a crescent moon, but a full moon. Second, when clearing dungeons, they receive one additional Character Card-exclusive reward compared to ordinary Nocturnal Specters."
Holy shit!!
Zhang Yuanqing maintained his composure on the surface, but his heart was in complete turmoil. Didn't that describe his Character Card perfectly?
The Character Card that Bro Bing sent him... belonged to the Demon Lord?
Why would Bro Bing have the Demon Lord's Character Card, and what was his relationship with the Demon Lord?
I always thought that receiving the Red Dancing Shoes as a Character Card-exclusive reward was normal. So it turns out this inheritance from the Demon Lord gave me something special, he realized.
Fortunately, due to the scarcity of rule-type items, he had managed to conceal this Character Card-exclusive reward.
The Squad Leader and that sly veteran woman only know I have a rule-type item, but don't know about the Character Card-exclusive reward.
As these thoughts flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind, he steadied himself, not letting them spiral out of control.
Instead, he said regretfully, "Looks like I'm not the Demon Lord's successor. I always thought I was special, especially since I managed to clear Sheling Tunnel. But Captain Yuan, how can I display my mark? Whether it is visible or not is not under my control."
That mark represented the Spirit Realm. His black moon mark only appeared prominently on his forehead that night when he had gained his Character Card, and when leveling up in the Spirit Realm. At other times, it seemed nonexistent.
Yuan Ting glanced down at the command banner inserted into the pen holder and said, "Low-level Spirit Realm Walkers can't change their marks. That sort of stylish 'cosmetic' is a privilege of high-level Walkers. I don't need to see your mark, I just need to identify lies."
As he spoke, he looked toward the pen holder beside him and explained, "This command banner is an item I borrowed from Centurion Fu. Its ability is to command complete obedience from its target, and does not allow them to lie. The cost is that I also cannot lie."
Zhang Yuanqing tried his best to maintain the smile on his face. At that moment, no words could describe his mood.
Yuan Ting wasted no more time. He pulled out the command banner and pointed it at Zhang Yuanqing, saying in a weighty voice, "Now then, I ask you: is your Nocturnal Specter mark a crescent moon or full moon?"
As his words fell, Zhang Yuanqing felt a mysterious, majestic power envelop him, making him feel an instinctive awe and an unconscious desire for submission. He didn't dare hide anything, and wanted to pour out all his secrets.
His innermost spirit grew uncontrollably tense, and his scalp tingled continuously.
What was Taiyi Sect's purpose in searching for the Demon Lord's successor? If it was merely to recruit talent, there was no need to be this vague and ambiguous, since that would be perfectly normal.
There had to be deeper reasons.
The Character Card had been given to him by Bro Bing, so even he might be involved.
As he grew more and more anxious, Zhang Yuanqing suddenly thought of the infant spirit he'd kept within his body. The master could transfer damage and negative effects to their spirit servant, letting it bear the burden.
Though the command banner's power was mighty and awe-inspiring, it didn't seem to cause substantial harm. Little Goofball should be fine, so he could try it.
Zhang Yuanqing immediately calmed his emotions and communicated with the infant spirit inside his body, letting their spirits briefly connect.
Suddenly, the majestic power flowed through his spiritual body and surged into the infant spirit.
The sleeping infant spirit kicked its legs, as if having a nightmare. At the same time, his own spirit immediately relaxed as the feeling of awe and fear dissipated.
"Crescent!" Zhang Yuanqing answered in a quiet voice.
Yuan Ting remained silent for several seconds, keeping the banner pointed at Zhang Yuanqing. Then he asked again, "Do you have Character Card-exclusive rewards?"
"No," came the reply.
Yuan Ting fell silent again. Over ten seconds elapsed before he sighed and pulled back the command banner.
"You've passed the screening," he announced.
"I'll report the results to the organization. Taiyi Sect takes the issue of the Demon Lord's successor very seriously, so there may be similar inspections in the future. Also, if you discover any Nocturnal Specters with these two characteristics, you must inform me. The Taiyi Sect will provide generous rewards."
No amount of money would make me report myself, Zhang Yuanqing thought as he breathed a silent sigh of relief.
"If I find any, I'll notify you immediately," he said instead, patting his chest.
Yuan Ting nodded with satisfaction.
"Actually, becoming the Demon Lord's successor isn't necessarily a good thing. The Spirit Realm has balancing mechanisms. Spirit Realm Walkers with special abilities like that are often assigned quests with higher difficulties. Remember, rewards and risks are always proportional."
Zhang Yuanqing smiled and said, "The Demon Lord's successor really is pitiful."
That was an honest thought.
Yuan Ting put the pen holder and command banner back in his briefcase while simultaneously pulling out his phone.
"If you don't mind, let's add each other as friends," he said. "There are too few Nocturnal Specters in the Five Elements Alliance, so no one can offer you professional experience and knowledge. If you have questions about anything, you can consult me."
You really are a good person, Zhang Yuanqing thought as he happily scanned the offered QR code and added him as a friend.
Yuan Ting put away his phone and added with a smile, "I charge consultation fees."
Zhang Yuanqing's expression immediately froze. Was this guy demanding money?
"By the way, it's been almost a week since you advanced to Nocturnal Specter, right?" Yuan Ting continued. "Based on our accumulated experience, newly-promoted Nocturnal Specters will be summoned to the Spirit Realm again within one or two weeks, and it will most likely be a multiplayer confrontation realm."
So I'll receive a mission within a week at most? Wait, I think I remember who this guy is now. He made two hundred yuan off me last night!
Zhang Yuanqing's mood grew heavy and he asked, "How much does this intelligence cost?"
Yuan Ting smiled in response.
"This one's free."
Free? Oh, you really are a good person.
"Then I have more questions I'd like to ask you, Captain Yuan," Zhang Yuanqing said immediately. "Can the answers to them be free as well?"
"It depends on whether your questions are worth any money," Yuan Ting said.
"Is the Power of the Diurnal Spirit an acquirable skill for Nocturnal Specters who advance to higher levels?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure exactly which level that skill belongs to."
That's enough. I now have a fairly clear understanding of my class' future direction. I can have both sun and moon, yin and yang gathered in one body. Very cool!
"I have no more questions."
***
Zhang Yuanqing watched as the Taiyi Sect Nocturnal Specter left the conference room and took the steel staircase down, then he walked toward the squad leader's office.
He still needed to report the situation in his aunt's hospital, but he'd have to change his story. He couldn't expose any information related to Little Goofball. He couldn't let anyone know he had a spirit servant, not at this stage.
In his office, Li Dongze heard howling coming from beyond the door.
"I stand at the storm's eye, grasping tight the spinning sun and moon, wishing that all above heaven and below earth could be in perfect order—"
The singing stopped, followed by a gentle knock.
"Come in," Li Dongze responded.
1. A chuunibyou is a Japanese slang term to describe middle-school kids with delusions of grandeur. ☜
