Two days passed quickly.
On this day, Chen Lun was playing cards with his subordinates in the entertainment room on the first floor of the hotel. Besides him, there were three others at the table: Flo Yin, Maggie, and Golov Barton-Morley.
This game, called "Fool Durak", originated from the lower class in some city, but has gradually become popular among the upper classes in major cities. It supports up to six people to participate.
The specific gameplay requires the attacking party to deal cards, the defending party to play bigger cards to defend, and the loser must collect all the cards played, and this cycle continues... until one party has played all the cards in his hand, he is the winner, and the loser is naturally "Fool Durak".
At this moment, Chen Lun and his six companions were divided into two groups, forming three teams to fight against each other. He and Flo Yin were in one team, Maggie and Morey were in one team, and Golov and Patton were in one team.
The game has reached a white-hot stage. Chen Lun and Fu Luoyin only have two cards left in their hands, and they are only one step away from victory. But they also have strong opponents, that is, the group of Golov and Barton, who only have one card left.
"Mr. Jack, trust me, I guarantee that Golov won't be able to afford this."
The bard Alex stood behind Chen Lun and Floin and said firmly.
"The spectator is silent, Alex. This is the quality of a gentleman."
Chen Lun rolled his eyes at him, but the latter just spread his hands with a playful smile.
"Ten of Spades."
Although he said this, he followed Alex's advice and played a card. Unexpectedly, Golov smiled and pressed the last card onto the table.
"Jack of Spades."
Golov naturally took the dozens of gold coins on the table and gave half of them to his "teammate" Patton.
"You are just a little older than me, Captain. We will not be shy about giving you these gold coins."
"Alex, I suggest you go out and sing right now. There's a small square around the corner, which is perfect for you... Then give the money you earn back to the leader, otherwise I'm worried that you'll die of food poisoning during dinner."
Although Maggie lost, she was not discouraged. She threw the dozen cards in her hand into the deck and pointed outside the door and said jokingly.
Alex shrugged.
"Oh, I don't think Mr. Jack is so petty, and Miss Floin is a noble lady, how could she poison the food? That is a blasphemy against cooking..."
"Put the highly toxic material I gave you last time into his steak, and increase the dosage so that he doesn't die completely."
Chen Lun immediately turned around and said to Fuluoyin.
"Um."
Flo Yin smiled quietly and nodded tacitly to show that she understood.
Alex gasped on the spot.
Everyone burst into laughter.
"You guys continue, I'm going to go out for a walk."
Chen Lun stood up from the table, patted Alex on the shoulder, and said in a serious tone:
“You better win more.”
"You underestimate the great Alex, Mr. Jack. With me here, they will lose everything."
Alex took Chen Lun's seat and spoke bluntly.
Chen Lun smiled, looked at Fuluoyin, and then left the entertainment room.
In fact, if he wanted to win this kind of card game, no one could take even a copper kro from him, but that would be too boring. Chen Lun even wanted to lose more money to his teammates, otherwise he would always make them feel guilty if he always gave them huge sums of money in the form of wages.
After all, Golov and the other two had approached him privately more than once, saying that their abilities were limited, that they could not help the captain do anything big, and that they did not deserve so much money.
But in Chen Lun's heart, as long as you join this team, you are one of them... He has always been very generous to his own people.
After leaving the hotel, he walked on the busy street. Various vendors pushed their carts past him, shouting and hawking their wares in the wind and sand. Chen Lun lowered his hat brim and secretly opened the panel.
He sighed softly, disappointment evident in his eyes.
'It seems this approach won't work...'
Two days later, some players had efficiently found the supernatural forces on the wanted list and took practical measures to assassinate their members, but they did not share the expected rewards for the kills.
'Hmm... maybe only tasks related to the main storyline can trigger this sharing mechanism?'
Chen Lun speculated silently in his mind.
In fact, this result was within his expectations. After all, if he could share the kill rewards of his players at any time, he could recruit a large number of players and encourage them to kill by constantly issuing tasks, thereby gaining a huge amount of experience points.
At that time, as long as the conditions for promotion are met, he can even ascend in an instant!
This obviously does not conform to the rules of the world, or even the so-called "game" mechanism... Even if he is originally an alien, everything should have an underlying logic, and this kind of "malicious bug" is unlikely to exist.
This is Chen Lun’s understanding.
"Sir, would you like to buy some cigarettes? Buy two packs of cigarettes and I'll give you a pack of matches for free."
At this moment, a tattered newsboy stopped in front of him and asked cautiously in a childish voice.
Chen Lun looked down at the other person. This newsboy couldn't even afford the cheapest hat. He had short, dry yellow hair due to malnutrition, and his skin was abnormally dark due to being exposed to the sun.
The newsboy shielded his eyes from the scorching sun with one hand and protected his cross-body bag with the other. He looked at him with sweat on his forehead, his eyes full of desire and anticipation.
"Sorry, I don't smoke."
Chen Lun said softly.
The newsboy was a little disappointed and said sorry for disturbing you, sir, and was about to leave, but Chen Lun called him again.
"Give me a newspaper, and keep the change. The rest is your tip."
Chen Lun took out a silver goblet and handed it over.
The newsboy seemed extremely surprised. Newspapers actually didn't sell very well in Vulture City. People here had little interest in the so-called news and were worried about their livelihoods all day long. Newspapers were not as attractive to people as cigarettes.
"Thank you, sir!"
The newsboy quickly took out a newspaper from his messenger bag and prepared to hand it to Chen Lun. He thought about it and took out another one.
"You gave me too much money. I'll give you an extra newspaper."
Chen Lun couldn't help but smile.
There was no point in having one more newspaper, but he also knew that this was the only way the little guy in front of him could express his gratitude, so he gladly accepted it.
After walking for a while with the newspaper in his hand, Chen Lun did not find even a wooden bench for pedestrians to rest. In desperation, he had to find a slightly shady place on the side of the road and sit on the ground.
He casually opened the newspaper and took a look, but was surprised to find that at this stage when the whole empire was praising the victory of the war, there was actually a negative report about the Western War on the sub-page.
"It's shocking! The occupied area is littered with corpses!"
"According to relevant investigations, in the four territories surrounding Zhuangmu City in the Anlong United Kingdom, including nineteen villages, countless local residents died inexplicably!"
"Led by Marquis Giovanni, a total of 32 nobles jointly protested, hoping that the royal family would severely punish individual officers of the expeditionary force for carrying out cruel "massacre activities" in the occupied areas, and stated that the Trisur Empire is known for its modern civilization and should not commit such cruel and inhumane acts."
"Reporters from many mainstream newspapers, including Bauhinia Newspaper, Tourmaline Newspaper and Sunshine Post, went to the occupied area to investigate, but were treated roughly by the garrison and were strictly prohibited from entering to interview. This is undoubtedly an act that violates the citizens' right to know. This newspaper seriously suspects that there are conspiracies and secrets hidden in it! I hope that Parliament and the royal family can give the public an answer!"
Chen Lun looked at the newspaper and felt a little confused.
In his impression, the Imperial Army is unlikely to do such a thing, but it cannot be ruled out that some officers are extremely racist and hate the Anlong people.
But even so, it is unlikely that ordinary officers would dare to disobey orders and massacre prisoners and local residents at will.
Chen Lun felt that there was a major hidden secret behind this matter.
He folded the newspaper and placed it under the tree, then turned and left.
*
*
*
A week later.
It was August and the temperature reached its peak.
Chen Lun led his team back to the royal city of Tourmaline Closter.
After settling his subordinates, he immediately used "Cloud Leap" to go to the headquarters of the Kangkai Parliament and met with his immediate superior, Speaker Azgierro.
In the huge secret council chamber, the Speaker was still wearing the same grey robe, sitting quietly and simply on the high ebony seat.
"Jack, thank you for your hard work in the two-month expedition with the army."
The Speaker said softly, and kindly asked him to sit down.
"The main force was the Imperial Military, I only did some small things."
Chen Lun sat down and shook his head.
The Speaker gave him a meaningful look.
"The prince's case has a detailed report, which includes several of your key moves, including the Battle of Hercule Bridgehead, the Battle of Windsor River, and the Battle of Nabil Forest Castle... It can be said that you made a great contribution in the southwest battlefield."
She then raised her index finger slightly, and a dark shadow fell on the marble round table in front of Chen Lun, revealing two small wooden boxes.
"You are quite qualified to be a consul of the Senate. This Western War has also won glory for the Senate. Your deeds will be spread among the members of the Senate, and I should give you the reward you deserve."
“I would like to thank the Speaker and the Parliament for their trust and support. I will continue to perform my duties as always.”
Chen Lun lowered his head and said.
Immediately, at the speaker's signal, he opened the two wooden boxes.
In the wooden box on the left, there was a sunflower-shaped badge. The Speaker explained in due course that this was sent by Prince Dazlaite. It was the "Sunward Medal" symbolizing the honor of the empire, second only to the "Sun Medal" which is the highest honor. Not many people in history have been able to receive this honor.
Although there was no substantial reward, the prince said that with the medal, Chen Lun's baron title would be upgraded to viscount.
As for the wooden box on the right, inside was a strange chip the size of a finger. Its color was difficult to describe, and its surface had a constantly flowing luster.
"This is a high-sequence mysterious substance of the destiny system. I accidentally found it during this period of time. I will give it to you as a reward."
Speaker Azgiel Rodao.
"You should be almost done with the mystical accumulation and preparing for the saint's ascension ceremony. It is an indispensable item."
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker."
Chen Lun thanked him politely.
In fact, he already had a piece of high-sequence destiny material on hand, which Philip had asked Arnold at the dark end of Wonderland to pass on to him.
Including the one given by the Speaker, there are two copies in total.
The saint's promotion ceremony only requires one copy, which makes Chen Lun somewhat "happy troubled", not knowing what to use it for.
"Jack, how much do you know about the Sage's ritual?"
At this time, Azgiero sat on the high seat and spoke softly.
Chen Lun didn't know why the speaker asked this, but he answered honestly:
"The 'Saint Ceremony' is the only way for a mid-sequence Beyonder to advance to a high-sequence. Although it is also a type of promotion ceremony, its difficulty is far greater than the previous one. It can be called a 'natural chasm' that has blocked countless Beyonders who have traveled on the path of God throughout the ages..."
He paused for a moment, and after seeing the Speaker nod slightly, he continued:
"As a ritual to transform from a 'mortal' to a 'mythical creature', no matter which path is used, it has several fixed and rigid requirements... The first is that one must possess complete Sequence 4 mythological knowledge of one's own path or an adjacent path, and possess a corresponding high-sequence mystical substance. The second is that the accumulation of Sequence 5 mystical substances must reach the peak. Finally, one must have a certain level of influence... This influence is similar to reputation. Whether it is good or bad, it must be known within a certain region or even a country."
"That's a very good summary. It seems that you have been working hard to find relevant information and intelligence during this period..."
Speaker Azgiero gave him an approving look.
"But you have fallen into two misunderstandings, or you can say you have only seen the surface."
“Misconceptions and appearances?”
Chen Lun frowned slightly, then said sincerely:
"Please enlighten me, Mr. Speaker."
Azgiero nodded and chuckled.
"First, the Saint Ceremony does not necessarily require a high-level substance of the corresponding path. In history, there were many high-ranking people who did not have high-level substances when they were promoted to Saints... The reason why it is necessary is because it can increase the success rate of promotion. Otherwise, the risk of losing control is too great."
"So that's how it is..."
Chen Lun's face suddenly understood.
"It is like a 'medicine guide', acting as a 'guide' of power, allowing the promoted to adapt to the transformation process more quickly."
"'Medicine guide'? Well, the guide of the medicinal effect... It's a very vivid metaphor."
The Speaker chewed on this unfamiliar word and nodded in agreement.
"Also, the Saint Ceremony does not only require one high-level substance of the corresponding path. On the contrary, the more you prepare, the more mysterious accumulation you can obtain after successfully ascending... Theoretically, as long as you have enough high-level substances, you can even reach the limit of Sequence 4 while ascending to Sainthood."
Chen Lun raised his eyebrows.
"According to what the speaker said, I have two high-level destiny materials on hand. If I succeed in the promotion, I will most likely be able to 'skip a level'? My main occupation level will soar directly? This is good news... It can save a lot of time to accumulate experience. After all, the experience points required for upgrading are already quite exaggerated, and it will probably be even more huge after the high level!"
Speaker Azgierro continued:
"As for the influence you mentioned, it's not accurate... In fact, it should be called an 'anchor point', 'brand' or 'landmark'. It is a necessary thing for those in high positions to expand their power and maintain their humanity. Therefore, starting from the Saint Ceremony, there have been basic requirements. This is the law of the mysterious realm, and it is also an extraordinary law that has never been passed down but must be obeyed."
After listening to the speaker's explanation, Chen Lun couldn't help but be a little surprised.
He didn't expect that the simple points about the "Saint Promotion Mission" on the panel actually had a more essential explanation in this world.
After understanding this, he had a clearer understanding of the power of those in high positions... It was a power dimension beyond the ordinary, and even required an indescribable "anchor point" to be placed in the hearts of the people, no, it should be said that it was in the hearts of any living creature, or even in the inanimate but substantial world, in order to obtain the supreme mythical power!
"Thank you for your answer, Mr. Speaker."
After taking a deep breath, Chen Lun became more excited about the saintly ceremony he was about to face.