Chapter 61: Stuttering Sister

Valerius’s pupils contracted slightly. His mind momentarily blanked.

He never thought a true disciple of the Silent Thunder Sect would be weaker than a seasoned rogue pirate.

If Kaelen had been ambushed and lacked combat experience, he could have won using systematic sect arts. Theo, armed with a supreme blade, was undoubtedly stronger than Kaelen.

But this was far too effortless.

There were almost no traces of a battle at the scene. Vargas’s famed Blood Cleaver was shattered into fragments.

"Patriarch Valerius, you arrived just in time."

Theo casually tossed aside the obsidian coin.

"Please hand Vargas’s corpse over to the authorities."

Once the authorities verified the identity, they would naturally report it to the sect. It saved Theo the trouble of dragging a corpse around.

"Theo, you are truly formidable."

Kaelen looked at him with admiration.

Inner Scenery experts were a world apart. Kaelen wouldn’t be confident defeating an injured Vargas.

"What is this? A hidden weapon?"

Kaelen reached for the coin.

Before he could examine it closely, Valerius slapped it out of his hand.

"Foolish boy, do not grab anything you see."

"It doesn’t look poisoned."

"This is not a hidden weapon. It is a Syndicate Token."

Valerius frowned. He explained its origins, echoing what Vespera had previously mentioned.

"I do not want to take part in an Endless Trial."

Kaelen shrank back. He refused to even glance at the coin again.

"Troubled times indeed."

Valerius sighed. He turned to Theo, his expression softening.

"Those who receive a token from the Shadow Syndicate are vicious and hardened outlaws. For you to dispatch him so effortlessly, you truly deserve the title of top scorer."

At this, he couldn’t help but muse.

"I wonder how astonishing Liana must be."

"I owe much of my progress to her."

Theo’s words made him miss the ice block a little.

Two days. Without her feedback prompts, Theo felt like something was missing.

Before long, officials arrived to clean up the scene.

Every gaze directed at him was filled with awe and shock.

A sixteen-year-old casually slew an Inner Scenery warrior.

[Congratulations, Host, for successfully investing in ’Pip’ and saving his life.]

[Investment Feedback: One Year of Martial Insight.]

At this thought, Theo glanced toward the distance.

The urchin named Pip stood there nervously. His eyes fixed on the fallen rice bag, but he did not dare pick it up.

Theo chuckled softly. He retrieved the bag and dusted it off.

"Take it."

"Sir, I didn’t know he was a fugitive."

Pip trembled, too afraid to reach out.

Yet Theo placed the bag firmly into his arms.

"I was already looking for Vargas. If not for you, I wouldn’t have found him so quickly. You did nothing wrong."

"And don’t call me ’Sir.’ It sounds odd."

Pip froze.

Seeing the young man’s warm smile, his eyes stung. He hastily wiped them with his small hands, smearing his already grimy face further.

"Theo, you are a good person. Just like Stuttering Sister."

"Who is this Stuttering Sister? Can you take me to see her?"

Theo asked gently.

Pip’s face twisted with hesitation. After a brief struggle, he whispered.

"Stuttering Sister told us not to mention her to outsiders or bring anyone to see her."

Hmm.

Theo pondered.

This level of caution suggested she might be hiding from something.

Even if this "Stuttering Sister" wasn’t the person Liana was looking for, she was likely no ordinary figure.

She might even be a suitable investment target.

"But she is very sick now. Terribly sick."

"Can you save her?"

Pip clung to him like a drowning man grasping at straws.

The investment prodigy smiled.

"What a coincidence. I am an excellent healer. Guaranteed to cure her."

The pills he carried were, at the very least, six-mark quality.

For external injuries, there was Bone-Mending Paste. For internal injuries, Five Elements Spirit Pill. For poison, Toxin-Cleansing Elixir.

Any illness could be treated. He was an excellent healer.

No flaws in that logic.