Chapter 82: The Little Dark-Skinned Girl

The others saw that Lin Qingyun was not easy to approach and dared not gather around him any longer. Lin Qingyun stepped into the water fortress.

He noticed that as the other half-grown children dispersed, a frail figure in the distance kept her head down, following him a few meters behind, sticking close to the edge of the buildings with caution.

Lin Qingyun could clearly sense that this person was not simply walking, but was following him.

“There are thirteen official pill shops in Gathering Area Three, six weapon shops, three places to repair weapons, twenty-one material buyers, thirty-seven small entertainment venues, six large amusements, and three casinos…”

His spiritual sense had already spread out, and he saw that this little girl was less than one and a half meters tall, thin and dark-skinned, shy to the point that her eyes never once looked in his direction.

Head bowed, she walked alone, constantly muttering to herself.

Her voice was so weak, barely audible above the noise of the surroundings. If one didn’t listen carefully, even those at the Heart of the Zither realm would find it hard to catch her words.

“There are three thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine permanent residents in Gathering Area Three, four thousand nine hundred and fifty people working in shifts with business intentions, and over thirty-five thousand eight hundred others made up of roaming hunting teams, mercenaries, and miscellaneous personnel, with deaths and changes occurring. Overall development here lags behind Areas One, Five, Six, and Seven…”

The thin, dark-skinned girl kept speaking in her mosquito-like voice.

Lin Qingyun had just arrived at Gathering Area Three. Although it was built in the lake in the manner of a water fortress, everything was quite complete. With tens of thousands gathering here, using it as a base of trade, it was comparable to a small town.

Moreover, gambling, gladiatorial arenas, and brothels were not forbidden, making it even more prosperous.

If Lin Qingyun’s spiritual sense hadn’t actively paid attention, he wouldn’t have noticed this little girl’s feeble voice.

“There are six Cloud Ascension realm hunting teams, but only three are truly capable of hunting at that realm; the leaders of the other three have only just been promoted.”

“To fight, one must go to the gladiatorial arena, otherwise trouble will arise. The founder is powerful. The number of Cloud Ascension realm experts passing through is hard to determine, but there are always some.”

“There is a management office, controlled jointly by the top merchants and a few powerful hunting teams…”

The little girl kept muttering to herself, and Lin Qingyun found it quite amusing. When he entered, those half-grown children had been doing something similar, but this dark-skinned little girl’s method was much less off-putting.

“I wonder how this tavern is?” Passing by a tavern, Lin Qingyun voiced his thoughts. He’d been fighting and struggling outside recently and hadn’t eaten a proper meal in a while, so he spoke aloud without much care.

“If you want a regular meal, this place is fine. It’s a mid-to-high-end restaurant, but not known for its specialty dishes. Specialty dishes here are made from local demon beast meat, wild vegetables, medicinal herbs, and such.”

Lin Qingyun smiled, “Then tell me which place has good specialty dishes. Price doesn’t matter.”

He wasn’t one of those hunters earning hard money; even his battles were for self-improvement, and there were many ways for him to earn.

“There are many small eateries, but if you really don’t care about the price, then ‘Paradise on Earth’ is the best. It’s a place for dining, entertainment, lodging, and gambling all in one. It’s the most upscale and isn’t located within the water fortress. You could see the cruise ship from the outskirts when you entered. After the upheaval and destruction here, it was reconstructed from an abandoned cruise ship a hundred miles away.”

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“The cruise ship was occupied by some demon tribes at first, who destroyed most of it. Later, the big bosses from the management office used great power to bring it here. By the way, the management office is also on that cruise ship.”

At that moment, they were communicating in a rather amusing way.

Lin Qingyun spoke aloud to himself, and the thin, dark-skinned girl answered quietly with her head down. Anyone unaware might think they were clandestine operatives exchanging information.

“Paradise on Earth, in a place like this.” Lin Qingyun shook his head with a smile.

One had to admit, peaceful, tranquil, safe life was only found domestically.

Though most places abroad weren’t as peculiar as Hanzawa, some had organizations and powers in control, even a little government force, but overall most remained chaotic.

“Actually, some places have better specialty dishes, if you don’t care about prestige. Purely for unique flavors, many local places are better than Paradise on Earth. Paradise uses higher-grade ingredients and has a grander setting, but in terms of specialties, there are many choices.” Seeing Lin Qingyun sigh about Paradise on Earth, the thin girl thought he was short on money and quickly corrected herself.

“Let’s try the places you recommended first, then we’ll visit Paradise on Earth. Come along and be my guide. How do you charge?”

Lin Qingyun had money and didn’t mind spending it, but he didn’t want to be a fool.

Seeing Lin Qingyun speak directly to her and beckon her over, the thin girl finally let out a long breath. Her scavenging for clients often meant days without finding one.

“Sir, my name is Hei Ya, but you can call me Little Hei. I was born here and grew up in this place. Payment is up to you; a meal of ordinary demon beast meat is fine, or a low-grade pill. If you’re dissatisfied, it means I failed at my job, and you don’t have to pay anything.”

Hei Ya hurried over, still timid and cautious as she spoke.

Lin Qingyun wasn’t in a rush and let Little Hei take him to two specialty eateries first. The flavors were indeed excellent. One specialized in swamp fish stew, others in common fish, and some in demon beast meat—though only of the most ordinary sort.

As Little Hei explained, while those who could hunt demon beasts here were at least at the Heart of the Zither realm, there were still some at the Phoenix Dawn realm. Some followed others in, some were the offspring of those who stayed for entertainment—like herself.

Her mother had been brought here by a notorious thief, only at the Phoenix Dawn realm, and was forced to live with him. After several years, the thief died hunting demon beasts, leaving only mother and daughter.

Her mother was bullied afterward and couldn’t leave. To find someone to take them away, she accompanied various men, was repeatedly deceived, and eventually suffered mental collapse. Finally, she rushed into the swamp, never to return.

Hei Ya had been alone here since the age of five, scavenging or begging for survival.

After turning ten, she washed dishes and did odd jobs, occasionally learning to be a guide like the other local children. Though she looked skinny and dark, she was actually already sixteen.

The children at the gate offering to be guides weren’t saying much, but Lin Qingyun could tell what they did: finding entertainment for people, introducing black market goods, or simply accompanying and flattering clients, running errands.

But Little Hei was different. The girl was very attentive; she could recite facts and figures about anything she heard, saw, or knew.

Partly diligence, partly natural talent.

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As Lin Qingyun entered Gathering Area Three and was led by this unusual girl to sample the local cuisine, the boatman who had fled from the Ten Thousand Dragons Demon Hunting Team had also returned.

On the third floor of a wooden building, the boatman knelt in the hall, face pale and breath ragged.

Zhou Wanlong, who had been enjoying himself in Paradise on Earth, rushed back urgently, his face dark as iron. He had ten seats for his associates, but only the one to his left was occupied by a middle-aged man in a suit.

The suited man was Zhou Wanhui, Zhou Wanlong’s younger brother. Zhou Wanhui usually managed the hunting teams and was one of six deputy captains.

The Ten Thousand Dragons Demon Hunting Team had six deputy captains and six hunting teams. The organization also ran a restaurant, two taverns, two inns, and other businesses.

The six teams were their strongest force. Ever since Zhou Wanlong advanced to the Cloud Ascension realm two years ago, they had been thriving. Now, an entire team had been wiped out.

“Captain… I escaped only because I was far enough away. When I fled, Vice-Captain Wang and Third Brother were killed. That man was ruthless, wielding several top-grade magic weapons at once, controlling three or four flying swords…”

The boatman still hadn’t recovered from witnessing Vice-Captain Wang’s team slaughtered. His voice trembled uncontrollably.

Seeing Zhou Wanlong seated above made him even more anxious.

This man had rooted himself in Hanzawa for twenty years, rising from the Heart of the Zither realm to Cloud Ascension. His ruthlessness and reputation were no joke.

“You say he’s at the Heart of the Zither realm, alone, controlling so many top-grade magic weapons—why not say he’s a Cloud Ascension expert?” Zhou Wanhui, despite his refined appearance, only dressed so for his brother’s status as a major figure. In truth, he was still the fierce tiger he’d always been.

“Really… truly!” The boatman was nearly scared out of his wits. Tiger Lord had once flayed a man alive for intimidation.

“He could be at the ninth level of Heart of the Zither with a mutated spirit, and those fools have grown too lax and indulgent these years, so they were caught off guard.” Zhou Wanlong, coldly after hearing the boatman's report, said, “Either strike first, or kill the opponent outright. Letting the enemy move first—what were they thinking?”

“Damn it, an entire team wiped out! Who is this bastard? He must be found and killed. Old Wang deserved it—after all these years, he tried to rob someone and was killed first. Didn’t they claim they could challenge Cloud Ascension together? Damn it…” Zhou Wanhui cursed angrily.

“Now, go find someone to draw his portrait, then notify the men below and hunt him down.” Zhou Wanlong didn’t lose his temper, but issued orders in a cold voice.

Then he turned to Zhou Wanhui, “Call back the other four teams. If the target doesn’t appear in the gathering area in the next few days, send everyone out to search for him.”

“I’ll handle it, brother. Damn it, are we going to let a lone outsider bully us in Gathering Area Three? If we don’t kill him, I’ll flay him myself…” Zhou Wanhui went out to make arrangements.

The boatman, still trembling, was pushed out to find someone for the portrait.

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