Chapter 36: Chapter 35 Demons and Purgatory
While Lin Rui examined the yet-to-be-resolved sea arrest warrants in his hands, he stole glances at the red-clothed girl a few dozen ters away.
The Blood Blade girl was still following him, her face expressionless.
But just now, during the explosion in the wine cellar, Lin Rui thought he saw this woman smiling, her smile laced with sarcasm and schadenfreude.
Lin Rui wondered what the woman wanted to do. If you want to kill, then kill. If you want to skin soone, just do it. If you want to get on with it, then get on. Don’t dawdle, or I, Lin, will frown and take your surna!
He had long adopted a devil-may-care attitude and simply redirected his attention, “Speaking of which, each of these demons is quite pitiful and their lives are not easy. Look at this Consumptive Demon. Just because she contracted tuberculosis, she was driven out of the brothel, and she had to sell all the money she had saved over ten years. In just a few months, she gambled it all away in pawnshops and spent it in drugstores. In the end, she coughed herself nearly to death in the cold wind under the bridge.”
Wang Sen didn’t give it much thought and agreed, Right, isn’t it?
...
He had also seen this sea arrest warrant and felt that the people the Consumptive Demon killed all deserved to die.
However, this is a characteristic of Tianji Star. The vast majority of demons are transford from living humans. They all possess hidden, powerful bloodline talents. So transform due to intense desires, so due to extre hatred, and so are martial cultivators who lose control of their minds, causing their bodies to mutate and beco ‘demons’.
Therefore, a large portion of these demons had suffered tragic fates before their transformations.
The forms of demonic mutations vary greatly, with most focusing on a particular part of the body.
For instance, the Thousand-Tendril Demon transford with its hair as the main focus, whereas the Consumptive Demon’s mutation concentrated on the lungs.
These demons are a disaster and nightmare for the ordinary people of Tianji Star but a stroke of luck for the Earth Federation.
Because of the existence of demons, most of the martial force of Tianji Star people is firmly restrained within the atmosphere, leaving them no ti to look outward.
For the Tianji Star people, the most significant threats have always been the ‘demons,’ ‘purgatory,’ and themselves.
Lin Rui flipped through the sea arrest warrants to the last one and abruptly stood up, “Next up is this Consumptive Demon. The current bounty is one hundred and eighty silver taels. Sa rules as always, we’ll go have a look. If we can’t beat her, we run; if we can, we send her to salvation. Considering her condition, she probably doesn’t want to harm anyone else and is enduring great pain. We should let her rest in peace sooner rather than later.”
He had acquired a total of nine sea arrest warrants for demons from the scribe.
All of the second realm ones had been dealt with, and what remained were all of the third realm, which were a bit tricky.
However, based on their encounter with the Evil Wine Ghost, Lin Rui felt that they could take a chance.
The combat power of Wang Sen gave him much confidence, worthy of being ranked 213th in the abnormals’ practical combat assessnt. Wang Sen’s combat power had also reached the peak of the second realm, always managing with aplomb.
Moreover, there were Soul Power points. This was Lin Rui’s biggest confidence booster. The results of his recent trial use of the Soul Power points had left him pleasantly surprised.
Lin Rui also had the trump card of being possessed by General Xue, believing that even if he faced an upper-level third realm demon, he should have the power to protect himself.
—Although he had not yet attempted possession up to this point.
Upon hearing this, Wang Sen felt sowhat nervous, as the Consumptive Demon was an early third realm demon.
He then cald down.
As Lin Rui had said, if they couldn’t defeat it, they would just run; there was no risk.
A third realm demon with a bounty of one hundred and eighty silver taels was nothing to scoff at. Yinyue County, being on a vital transportation route, certainly wasn’t short on money.
But at that mont, Lin Rui felt the Deputy Head’s badge at his waist grow hot.
It was a colleague requesting communication.
Although the cultural state of Tianji Star people only resembled ancient China during the Song and Ming dynasties, their level of technology was impressive.
In particular, their chanical Techniques and talisman thods possessed very magical abilities. To this day, they kept the Earth Federation wary, sparing no effort to understand their intricacies.
Eight hundred years ago, the Federation fleet suffered a crushing defeat at Tianji Star. The wreckage of those warships allowed the chanical Techniques and talisman of the Tianji Star people to develop by leaps and bounds, reaching a zenith.
Luckily for them, the Tianji Star people generally disdain the overall technology of the Earth Federation.
This was understandable; if the Qing Dynasty had triumphed over the foreigners, who would have bothered with the ‘Westernization Movent’?
Besides, these chanical Techniques and talismans couldn’t be widely popularized and used, unable to benefit the common people, bringing only a slight change to the upper echelons of Tianji Star.
The Deputy Head’s badge in Lin Rui’s hands was created by a master of chanical Techniques on Tianji Star after studying Federation technology, equipped with long-distance communication capabilities, functioning sowhat like a military walkie-talkie.
Due to the difficulty of production and the high cost, only about a hundred people in the entire county could afford such a device. Its status was akin to the big cell phones of the 1990s, a symbol of one’s status.
Lin Rui took off the badge and pressed the beast head button at its center. Zhang Tianchang’s voice then emanated from inside, “Twelve, what are you doing? Why such a commotion, it sounds like a thunderclap?”
Lin Rui turned his head upon hearing this and glanced at the explosion site behind him, speaking succinctly, “We were at the Linyue Restaurant, where we’ve just killed a vile liquor ghoul. Oddly enough, this demon had hoarded a lot of Drunk Immortal Brew in the wine cellar, which exploded when we were caught off guard.”
Drunk Immortal Brew is what Tianji Star calls high-proof alcohol.
“Drunk Immortal Brew? How much of it would it take to cause such commotion? What would a vile liquor ghoul do with so much Drunk Immortal Brew?”
Zhang Tianchang’s words carried a hint of suspicion, but he didn’t seem interested in delving deeper, and quickly changed the subject, “Twelve, I heard you’ve also taken care of the Faceless Ghost and the Demon Wing Ghost?”
“Mhm.” Lin Rui responded indifferently, his gaze shifting suspiciously around him.
He had not yet reported back to the yan. How did Zhang Tianchang know about it?
Lin Rui’s expression shifted slightly as he looked towards the Zuihua House located at the entrance to Hanhua Alley.
Zuihua House was a five-story building, the tallest structure in the area, offering a panoramic view of the entire city from the fifth level.
When Lin Rui stimulated his optic nerves with electromagnetic pulses, significantly enhancing his vision, he saw soone on the rooftop looking this way.
It appeared to be the County Magistrate?
So that was it; his diligence had been seen by his superior.
This was a good thing!
Lin Rui felt an increased fondness for the young County Magistrate; it seed the man had no intention of throwing him into the fire.
“This child, I really don’t know what to say to you.”
Zhang Tianchang sighed, “You’ve just started your job; it would be best to take it easy and rember to act within your capabilities!”
Zhang Tianchang felt a mix of happiness, gratification, and worry over Lin Twelve’s achievents.
This subordinate’s ability to take action was extraordinary, capturing three level-two demonic creatures in less than half a day since starting his post. However, the situation within the city was turbulent, and Lin Twelve’s high profile could easily lead him to a downfall in this tumult.
“Your subordinate understands.” Lin Rui withdrew his gaze from the Zuihua House. “Did the arrest officer seek out for another matter?”
“You guessed it.”
Zhang Tianchang replied with a hearty smile, “One of Zhao Yuanwai’s family mbers reported to the yan that a level-two demonic creature is causing havoc in their household at the southern corner of Willow Alley, resulting in two human deaths. I’ve dispatched two squads of county soldiers to surround Zhao’s residence. If you are currently available, head over and assess the situation.”
Lin Rui raised his eyebrows at these words.
A level-two demonic creature?
He lacked interest, yet promptly replied, “Your subordinate understands. We will head there now.”
A mosquito may be small, but it is still at.
“When you arrive, ensure you are mindful of your deanor. Zhao Yuanwai makes annual donations to the yan, so try not to make things difficult for the County Magistrate,” Zhang Tianchang continued to instruct, “Zhao Yuanwai is easy to deal with, very particular about manners, and very generous. You will realize when you get there, but still act within your ans. If you can handle it, do so; if you can’t, withdraw temporarily and advise Zhao Yuanwai’s family to find another place to stay. After all, they are wealthy with several properties in the city; there’s no shortage of places for them to live.”
Zhang Tianchang figured Lin Rui should be able to handle a single level-two demonic creature.
Yet, he couldn’t help but worry.
The more excellent Lin Twelve perford, the more Zhang Tianchang appreciated, cherished, and wished for his safety.
Lin Rui, however, found this arrest officer to be tediously verbose. He patiently listened until the communication with Zhang Tianchang ended, then hung the token back at his waist and patted the dust off his clothes, “Let’s go. It seems we must first make a trip to Willow Alley.”
Wang Sen was initially shaking his head, scoffing to himself—this is what gentry are like.
Had it been a commoner, with the current state of the yan, they definitely wouldn’t have had the ti to bother.
It was only for a wealthy gentry like Zhao Yuanwai that the County Magistrate would dispatch two squads of county soldiers at such a ti.
Even Earth Federation these days is just the sa; despite highly advanced technology, the vast majority of social resources are held by the wealthy and the politicians.
But when Wang Sen heard the last few sentences from Zhang Tianchang, his spirits lifted.
He understood the hint in Zhang Tianchang’s words—there should be a red envelope waiting, and a significant amount at that.
This was certainly safer than provoking a level-three demonic creature.
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