Realm Walker

Chapter 91: A Change Of Plans

With a breath of the Power of the Dark Moon, Little Goofball "tumbled" out at Zhang Yuanqing's feet.

The infant spirit propped himself up on two stubby little hands, glancing left and right in confusion before obediently reaching up to clutch at his master's pant leg with a phantom grip. The unfamiliar environment made the baby ghost feel instinctively shy, and instinctively dependent on his master.

Dumb and timid—nothing like me at all. Zhang Yuanqing sighed internally. Well, forget it. He's still just a kid, after all.

He sent a command to Little Goofball, and only after receiving the order did the infant spirit's glossy black eyes finally turn toward the vendor's stall. He tilted his head and hesitated for a moment, then mustered his courage and crawled toward the display. He sniffed at a vial of jiangshi fluid, scrunched his face in disgust, and crawled away. As for the Burst Stones and other non-yin materials, he didn't spare them a single glance.

Each time Little Goofball paused at a new material, Zhang Yuanqing asked the vendor about it.

"What's this?"

"Blood soil from a mass grave's yin convergence point."

"And this?"

"A ghost infant's umbilical cord. Are you actually going to buy anything?"

"Of course I am. Why else would I be here?" Zhang Yuanqing retorted, then noticed Little Goofball had stopped in front of a nautical compass. "What about this one?"

The compass was extremely old, encased in brass and with a glass cover so fogged it was nearly opaque. The whole thing was barely palm-sized, its dial engraved with English lettering and twisted runes. It looked like something pirates would have used during the Age of Exploration.

"Ah, now this one is special," the vendor said with great conviction. "I acquired it from a foreign Walker. Supposedly it's a fragment of an item, and a high level item fragment at that."

"A fragment?" Zhang Yuanqing scrutinized the compass, which looked perfectly intact aside from its age, and said irritably, "How exactly is it broken?"

The vendor shrugged. "I couldn't tell you."

"Can I hold it?" Zhang Yuanqing asked as he crouched down.

The vendor's eyes lit up. "Of course."

This customer had been asking questions without showing any real interest in buying, but now he was clearly drawn to the nautical compass. The thing really had come from a foreign Walker, and it had been sitting in the vendor's inventory for ages without a buyer.

Zhang Yuanqing picked up the compass and held it in his palm. He waited several seconds, but no information appeared. Through physical contact, however, he could sense that it was a yin attribute object.

"Materials and item fragments don't display information," the vendor said, immediately pegging him as a rookie.

At that moment, Guan Ya spoke up. "What foreign class does this compass belong to?"

The vendor thought for a moment. "I believe it's the Void class. Overseas, that class is also called 'Merchant.' Honestly, I think the term 'Merchant' suits its characteristics better."

Void was the name the Spirit Realm assigned to the class, while Merchant was the nickname Walkers had given it.

Wait a minute. Void? Zhang Yuanqing froze, suddenly recalling the Red Dancing Shoes. He remembered Ou Xiangrong mentioning that they belonged to the foreign Void class.

Little Goofball had chosen this compass, which meant it couldn't be a fake. But why would he choose something from the Void class? Hadn't the infant spirit become a spirit servant through the influence of a Musician-class item?

Zhang Yuanqing fell deep into thought.

"How much?" Guan Ya asked.

"One million," the vendor stated, opening with an outrageous price.

"How do we know you didn't just grab some piece of junk to fool us?" Guan Ya demanded, ready to haggle, shooting Zhang Yuanqing a look that said "don't talk, leave this to me."

The vendor was utterly unmoved. "Take it or leave it."

"There's no shortage of materials here. We can always go to another stall," Guan Ya scoffed.

The vendor shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Guan Ya frowned. Truthfully, she was terrible at bargaining. As a young lady of means, she had never considered price when shopping, only whether she liked something or not. Faced with the vendor's stubbornness, she had no idea how to proceed.

That was when Zhang Yuanqing suddenly produced a business card. "Bro, let me introduce myself. My name's Wang Tai, official Spirit Realm Walker with Kangyang District's Second Squad."

An official Walker? The vendor's expression sobered immediately. He dropped his casual attitude and accepted the card with both hands.

"Relax, I’m just making friends. But bro, you're asking a bit too much for this item fragment."

"Brother Wang, you get what you pay for."

Half an hour later, Zhang Yuanqing purchased the nautical compass for a hundred thousand yuan. Not wanting to attract the attention of White Dragon or Champion Fist, he and Guan Ya quietly left the black market.

In the elevator, Guan Ya gave him a strange look. "You're surprisingly good at haggling."

Zhang Yuanqing shrugged. "I'm not good at haggling. I just know how to make friends. By the way, I'll pay you back later."

It was worth noting that transactions at the black market were made in two forms: chips and cash. The chip system worked like a casino, where you exchanged cash for chips, completed your transactions, and vendors cashed out through the organization running the market. People who used this method generally trusted the organizers but not the sellers, while those who preferred cash transactions were the opposite.

Zhang Yuanqing had used chips to make his purchase, but the one who had actually fronted the money for them was Guan Ya. Zhang Yuanqing had used the excuse that he forgot his bank card.

"Let's go. Dinner's on me. I've already booked a restaurant. Which hotel do you prefer, Sis Guan Ya? I'll book that too."

***

It was half past ten at night, and Zhang Yuanqing was back home. Grandma and Grandpa had already gone to bed, and Jiang Yu'er hadn't come to his room to play games either.

He sat at his desk, logged into the official database, and looked up the Void class.

【Void class. At the Transcendent tier, this class excels at theft and stealth, possesses impressive speed, and is poor in combat.】

His clearance level only granted access to Transcendent tier information.

Not bad at all. If Little Goofball had that kind of agility, we could form an assassin duo, he thought, growing more excited. The compass might not even be a Transcendent-tier item. What if it's a Saint-tier item? That would be an absolute jackpot. I wonder what abilities the Void class has at the Saint tier.

A wave of anticipation washed over him, but then he paused suddenly, murmuring to himself, "Hmm... Theft. Exchange."

Something clicked, and Zhang Yuanqing finally understood why Little Goofball had chosen the compass. The infant spirit's skill was Exchange, and there was a certain degree of overlap between the Exchange and Theft skills.

Come to think of it, why does Little Goofball even have the Exchange skill in the first place? Does the Musician class even have that ability?

He immediately dialed Wang Qian's number.

The call connected quickly, and Wang Qian's voice came over the line, calm and respectful.

—What can I do for you?

Ever since Zhang Yuanqing had rescued his sister, Wang Qian's attitude toward him had undergone a dramatic shift.

"When you tried to save your nephew back then, what item did you request from your organization?" he asked Wang Qian.

Wang Qian didn't understand why he was bringing this up again, but his tone was apologetic.

—I'm sorry, I can't disclose information about the organization's items.

"Then let me ask you this. At the Saint tier or even the Sovereign tier, does the Musician class have any abilities related to theft, exchange, or transference?"

—I don't know about the Sovereign tier, but there are definitely no such abilities at the Saint tier and Transcendent tier.

"Thanks," Zhang Yuanqing said as he hung up, his brow furrowing deeply. Little Goofball had become a spirit servant under the influence of a Musician-class item, yet the ability he'd awakened did not belong to the Musician class.

"It's not a Musician ability," he murmured. "It actually resembles the Void class's Theft skill. Strange."

He pondered this for a long time, but the answer eluded him.

***

Inside a hotel, Xiahou Xin stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, his face expressionless as he gazed down at the glittering cityscape, his phone pressed to his ear.

When the voice on the other end finished speaking, he asked in a low voice, "What's Elder Teddy's stance?"

—He's been pouring all his energy into hunting Black Wuchang lately. He'll probably shelve young master Tianyuan's punishment for the time being. But frankly, I don't think the Xiahou family needs to bother pulling the strings anymore. The evidence Fu Qingyang presented is rock solid. The whole thing has blown up, and there are too many official Walkers watching.

Xiahou Xin grunted in acknowledgment and asked without expression, "I heard the Five Elements Alliance is moving up the full inspection?"

There was a momentary silence on the other end of the line.

—This inspection is different from the previous ones. Elder Teddy requested a Tiger Seal from the higher-ups.

Xiahou Xin's voice grew heavy. "Can your people handle it?"

The person on the other end gave a relaxed laugh.

—Heh. Who can say they've got things handled when a rule-type item is involved? I've already reported the matter upward. If we can't solve the problem, we can solve the person causing the problem. Oh, and regarding that Yuanshi Tianzun fellow, your Xiahou family should leave him alone for now. Wait until this blows over.

"Once the Palace Master is dealt with," Xiahou Xin said flatly, "and once the leader finishes her business in Songhai, I'm going to tear that brat to pieces."

The colder his tone, the more ferocious the rage burning beneath it. Xiahou Xin had faced opponents before, but they had always been on his level. Being bitten this badly by a mere ant was a first.

—The Palace Master won't be able to act so arrogantly for much longer. The leader is searching for her in secret.

"Good."

***

At midnight, Zhang Yuanqing woke from deep sleep, fully alert. He left his bedroom, went to the kitchen, and retrieved a bowl. He pulled the Demon-subduing Awl from his Inventory and slit his wrist, letting his blood, rich with the Power of the Dark Moon, flow into the bowl. Before long, the bowl was almost half full.

The blood of a Nocturnal Specter was required to inscribe a Spirit Talisman. Otherwise, the formation would hold its shape but possess no supernatural power. Midnight was when yin energy peaked and the Power of the Dark Moon within a Nocturnal Specter surged to its strongest.

Zhang Yuanqing dipped his finger in the blood and began painting a series of twisted runes across his bedroom floor. Some resembled tadpoles, others were circles, triangles, or patterns that looked like they belonged to traditional calligraphy. The varieties were diverse, yet when assembled together, they formed a seamless whole.

Soon, the floor of his bedroom was covered in a circular formation of twisted runes. When Zhang Yuanqing completed the final stroke, the formation locked into place. Every rune pulsed with connected energy and radiated a brilliant crimson glow.

It worked! Exhaustion lined his face, but elation filled his chest as he gazed at the surging formation. Inscribing a Spirit Talisman array of this scale was enormously draining on a Nocturnal Specter, and the fatigue from it was equivalent to fighting a full-scale battle.

Without wasting another moment, he placed the ancient nautical compass at the center of the formation, then exhaled a breath of the Power of the Dark Moon and released Little Goofball.

Get in there! he commanded, and Little Goofball scrambled forward on all fours and crawled into the formation.

The moment the infant spirit entered, the crimson light rippled. The dense glow fell inward, enveloping both the baby ghost and the ancient compass.

It feels nice, Little Goofball sent back to its master, feeling a sense of ease.

Then the crimson glow that was wrapped around the compass detached itself from the item and drifted slowly into the air. A strange spiritual essence flickered and swirled within that light.

Zhang Yuanqing stared at the compass for a moment. Something about the item fragment felt diminished, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what. He didn't dwell on it, because the floating mass of crimson light slammed into Little Goofball's body.

It hurts! It hurts so much! The infant spirit wailed in raw agony. Bathed in the blood-red light, he rolled across the floor, wailing and crying, enduring pain no child his age should ever have to bear.

The process lasted roughly ten minutes before the crimson glow gradually merged into the infant spirit's body. Little Goofball lay facedown on the ground, limp and drained, his little bottom sticking up in the air like he'd been wrung dry of every last drop of energy.

Zhang Yuanqing could barely contain himself. It's over. What ability did he gain?

He stilled his mind and projected his consciousness into the spirit servant. Within moments, he had a clear understanding of Little Goofball's changes.

There were three aspects to his spirit servant's transformation. First, Little Goofball's initial skill, Exchange, now had a shorter activation time. The required length of contact with the target had shortened from three seconds to two, while the duration of the swap had increased from three seconds to five.

Second, Little Goofball's Power of the Dark Moon had grown substantially denser. This led to an increase in spiritual intelligence, making him noticeably smarter, and granted him the ability to interact weakly with the physical world by moving lightweight objects.

Third, a new skill had been unlocked: Treasure Hunting. He now possessed an innate talent for finding treasures, an instinct for sensing anything of value or spiritual significance.

Treasure Hunting? The supernatural power contained in the compass was Treasure Hunting? Zhang Yuanqing broke into a grin. Well, no wonder the Void class is known as Merchant overseas.

Though he'd joked about sending Little Goofball into battle on his behalf, Zhang Yuanqing understood the reality perfectly well. Little Goofball was only a low-level spirit servant. Even if he gained combat skills, they would be limited to the Transcendent tier, and nowhere near the power of the Saint tier. Besides, Zhang Yuanqing already considered himself a formidable fighter even at the Transcendent tier. Between his own abilities and his many items, he had no shortage of offensive options.

But Treasure Hunting? That ability was invaluable, especially for finding hidden treasures inside dungeons. The harder the dungeon, the fewer hints were provided, and Spirit Realm Walkers had to explore on their own. Little Goofball's Treasure Hunting ability could absolutely shine in those scenarios.

Zhang Yuanqing left the room and returned seconds later with a mop, scrubbing the blood from the floor. Then he recalled Little Goofball into his body to rest and, thoroughly exhausted himself, crawled under the covers.

Before drifting off, he did what he always did: planned ahead, organized his thoughts, and considered his next move.

The priority now is hunting Black Wuchang and getting through the full inspection. The inspection is targeting the Fallen Ones, and I'm not one of them, so it shouldn't be a big issue. Hopefully this inspection can root out Dark Rose's people so the hunt for Black Wuchang can continue.

He sighed. Ghost Eye Judge's thralls had been going berserk all over the country over the past few days, causing no small amount of chaos. Still, there probably weren't that many thralls under the Fallen Holy Grail's control in the Songhai region, at least.

His thoughts grew sluggish, and sleep claimed him.

***

The next morning, Zhang Yuanqing was jolted awake by a persistent chorus of infantile babbling. He opened his eyes and found Little Goofball perched on the pillow beside him, a white lace bra balanced on his head, staring at his master with an unmistakable look that screamed, "Praise me!"

Where did this women's underwear come from? He thought, then his brain stalled. Wait. Underwear?!

Zhang Yuanqing instantly snapped wide awake. He bolted upright and stared at the white lace bra for several long seconds, his expression slowly filling with horror.

It was Little Aunt's.

"You... Why did you steal my little aunt's underwear?!" he whispered frantically.

"Abba, abba..." Little Goofball sat there with the bra perched on his head, his glossy black eyes gazing up at Zhang Yuanqing with a glint of unmistakable pride, as if to say, "Go on, tell me how great I am!"

After the upgrade, the infant spirit's micro expressions had become remarkably vivid.

Zhang Yuanqing stared at his aunt's bra and sank into deep contemplation. Why does he think Little Aunt's bra is a treasure? Is it the Treasure Hunting skill that's broken, or is there something wrong with my parenting? Is this character a lost cause? Should I reroll a new one?

Just then, a rapping came at the door, and Grandma's voice called from outside, "Yuanzi, time to get up!"

"Coming!" Zhang Yuanqing answered as he scrambled to stuff the underwear under his blanket.

The whole family sat eating breakfast at the table. Jiang Yu'er took a sip of porridge, looked at her mother, and said with a troubled expression, "Mom, have you seen the underwear I left out? It was in the bamboo basket in the bathroom."

"I haven't seen it."

"But I can't find it anywhere. Can you help me look for it? I haven't even washed it yet."

"Fine, fine," Grandma said with a dismissive wave. "Don't talk about this at the table. You're always losing things."

Zhang Yuanqing guiltily kept his head down and sipped his porridge.

***

In honor of Squad Leader Teng Yuan's call for flexible attendance, Zhang Yuanqing decided he absolutely had to skip half a day. Anything less would be disrespectful to such an enlightened leader. Conveniently, there was a major lecture in school that morning.

School is such a hassle. Studying has completely lost its meaning for me. But if I skip too many classes, I'll get expelled, and that would be hard to explain at home, Zhang Yuanqing complained, suddenly finding himself envying adults who had already entered the workforce.

The moment his class ended, he received a call from Fu Qingyang.

"Centurion Fu?" Zhang Yuanqing said as he answered, somewhat surprised.

Fu Qingyang's cool, clear voice came through the phone.

—You're not at the office?

"What's going on?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, already rising from his seat and heading out of the classroom.

—The convoy transporting the Tiger Seal was ambushed en route. Most of the team was killed or wounded. The Elder leading them went after the attackers. The remaining members didn't dare continue alone and are heading back the way they came. The full inspection will have to be postponed.

There was a thread of gravity running through Fu Qingyang's voice.

Zhang Yuanqing's mind went blank for a moment. Tiger Seal? What Tiger Seal?

—The Tiger Seal is a rule-type item. It can help us identify Dark Rose operatives hiding within the branch. Dark Rose's leader needs agents embedded in the Five Elements Alliance to relay intelligence if he wants to make contact with Black Wuchang. A full inspection at this time would be the biggest threat to him. I suspect they're the ones who sabotaged it.

Zhang Yuanqing's tone grew heavy. "So what do you plan to do?"

If he remembered correctly, Fu Qingyang's original plan had been to use the inspection to screen out a batch of spies first.

Fu Qingyang's voice was calm.

—Adjust the plan. Kill Xiahou Tianyuan. You're to perform the spirit interrogation.

He had a lie-detection item, yes, but distinguishing lies was one thing. Making a target speak the truth was another matter entirely.

"You're making a move against the Xiahou family?" Zhang Yuanqing said, stunned.

—I've cleared it with the Elder. He approved it.

"Understood. I'm on my way."