Chapter 384 - 4: Su Zhou Beats Up the Local Tyrant

Full Title, Chapter 4: Su Zhou Beats Up Zhen Guanxi 4400

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—I have wine, do you have a story?

Although that saying didn’t exist in this Otherworld, Su Zhou’s meaning was obvious: he was trading money for information.

It was indeed a good way to learn about local news and customs, as a few bold—or perhaps tipsy—adventurers had already stood up. "Well then, milord, don’t mind if I do!"

Su Zhou’s features were indeed quite rare in these parts, but at the end of the day, it was just his black hair. The Etruscans and Goths to the south looked the same, so everyone simply assumed he was a lone Transcendent from the southern lands.

After all, even a three-year-old knew the world was about to end. Many Transcendents, not wanting to just stay in their hometowns waiting for death, had begun to wander. They weren’t trying to save the world, necessarily, but at least they could see some new places before they died.

As for him being suspicious... Pfft, it was the end of the world. The Lord himself had died not long ago, so what did a little suspicion matter? Better to spend that energy telling stories and drinking more wine!

Naisel City was indeed the largest Shelter City in the region. Most of the adventurers who made a living here had a few tricks up their sleeves and plenty of stories and news to boast about. And so, while eating the local specialty, charcoal-grilled fish, Su Zhou listened as the locals painted a picture of their world for him, one story at a time.

Although the end of the world was near, there was no shortage of resources within the Order Array, thanks to magical assistance. This was why the major Shelter Cities could maintain stability—after all, as long as people could eat their fill, most wouldn’t fall into complete despair. If things got too bad, they could just bury their heads in the sand and pretend nothing was wrong.

Of course, Su Zhou wasn’t one to be fooled by obvious nonsense. Drawing on his years of experience arguing on the internet, along with his Extraordinary Tier’s sensitivity to subtle human tells, he could easily spot inconsistencies and lies in people’s accounts. After he threw a few guys who were trying to scam free drinks out of the tavern, most who came forward to trade stories for wine were far more honest.

Soon, the afternoon passed and evening fell. The dim sun sank completely below the horizon.

Many more people were waiting to tell their stories, and Su Zhou had plenty of money left to pay them.

But Su Zhou had now gathered more than enough information. He could already piece together a complete picture of the area around Naisel City, as well as the general state of the world.

First, there was the world’s classification of power Tiers: Apprentice, Formal, Elite, and above them, Near-God Powerhouses. In his terms, this translated to Spirit Awakening, Awakening, Extraordinary, and Commander Tier.

’It’s not surprising that the Commander Tier is considered Near God,’ he mused. ’After all, the Tier above Commander is Overlord. A Demon God powerhouse like the Celestial Pool Dragon King, who could topple an entire world, was only at the Overlord Tier. As the rank just below that, the Commander Tier is at least on par with a Human Immortal Demon King. It truly does count as Near God.’

In this world, Su Zhou’s own strength was considered top-tier. The previous Lord of Naisel City, Duke Naisel, had only been at the Extraordinary High-tier and had died unexpectedly while trying to break through to the Commander Tier.

’And this world’s Spiritual Energy Revival actually started decades ago?’

This was a valuable piece of information. Su Zhou had already realized that in both the Divine Wood World and this Otherworld, the Spiritual Energy Revival had begun earlier than on Earth.

If the Spiritual Energy Revival was truly a rising tide sweeping across all worlds, then Earth’s Cosmos must be on the very edge of it, at its highest point.

As for why a profession like "adventurer" still existed in a world on the brink of apocalypse, Su Zhou had also picked up on a few reasons.

This world’s subterranean depths weren’t solid rock. In essence, they were a series of colossal Mazes, and within them were ancient ruins, possibly from a preceding civilization.

Within these Maze ruins were numerous miraculous Extraordinary Items that still functioned even after thousands of years. For example, the core of the Water Purification Magic Array currently in use by Naisel City was an Extraordinary Item excavated from the ruins.

However, the underground also teemed with numerous Demons and monsters. The greatest treasures, in turn, were guarded by powerful Demons, and adventurers were the ones who made these subterranean Mazes and Extraordinary Items their goal.

Rumor had it that the deepest parts of the subterranean ruins held the secret to why the world was ending, as well as the mysteries of the preceding civilization. But whether that was true or not, the ruins were stratified in layers. The domain currently explored by Naisel City only extended to about the sixth layer, and even there, Extraordinary Tier Magical Beasts would occasionally appear.

Furthermore, adventurers were also the fighting force responsible for fending off attacking Magical Beasts and wraiths for the city. The local Lord granted them legal status as a form of unofficial mercenary force. For any Shelter City to survive, it needed such a group of adventurers to explore the Mazes and exterminate the subterranean Demons, protecting the city while simultaneously searching the depths for potentially useful Extraordinary Items.

’There are definitely secrets underground.’ Even as an outsider, Su Zhou could clearly sense that something was seriously wrong with this world’s underground, that it was absolutely hiding something. He made up his mind to find a chance to go down and take a look, to see if he might encounter any powerful Demons or find some miraculous items.