Chapter 143 Noble Guest

The Holy Elephant Auction House suddenly had a "VIP."

In a single day, he spent a fortune, buying several auction items.

These were just "common objects," insignificant to Gu Shen.

After bidding on the items and paying the balance, he sat in the VIP waiting room. Before long, a group of staff members came. Judging by the leader's suited and booted appearance, he seemed to be a senior manager of the auction house.

"Mr. Amir... I'm the general manager of Holy Elephant."

The visitor introduced himself simply and respectfully invited him, "Our boss would like to meet you."

Clients like Gu Shen, who spent a seven-figure sum in just one day, weren't exactly rare.

However, this client's request was a bit special.

Gu Shen wanted Holy Elephant to pack and send the "objects" he'd purchased to Dongzhou... Although he held a Floral Banner credit black card, he had, after all, spent money. Part of the reason he chose to bid on those things was because he liked them.

These antique utensils and murals could all be placed in the Spring Rain Temple.

A foreigner?

Judging by Gu Shen's clothing... he didn't quite seem like one. The basic information in the auction house's files clearly stated that he was a noble young master who grew up in an inland state.

Gu Shen's purpose in coming here was simple.

He didn't want to attract too much attention, but at the same time, he wanted to find a local with "sufficient ability" to help him find the Lamp of Wrath... He chose this auction house, used his money to buy auction items, and then contacted the boss behind the scenes.

Here, things he couldn't conveniently do could be done by that "boss."

……

……

The general manager led the way to the office on the top floor of the building.

Gu Shen quietly pushed open the door.

He noticed... there was already an aura of transcendence here. Although it wasn't strong, it indicated that the Holy Elephant Auction House was controlled by transcendents.

Well... as it should be.

The people who stood at the highest level of the Southern Continent world should be transcendents.

It seemed he'd come to the right place.

"Oh! Dear... Mr. Amir..."

The boss's chair in the office slowly turned around. The "boss," who had been facing the huge floor-to-ceiling window, appreciating the silvery sunlight, slowly turned around. The smile on his face was enthusiastic, but his eyes quickly became dazed.

A wisp of blazing fire slowly dissipated between his eyebrows.

Gu Shen flicked his fingers, extinguishing the flame.

He looked up at the surveillance camera.

"Someone is monitoring the boss's office... Compared to the forces behind the Holy Elephant Auction House, he's just a small fish." Chu Ling said, "The surveillance footage is blocked. There are three transcendents on this floor, with strength around the second stage."

Gu Shen nodded.

Now, his mental strength was faster than Chu Ling's [Data Investigation].

There should be four transcendents in the entire Holy Elephant Building, but while he was waiting, another one had already left... The strength of these transcendents was actually quite good.

Gu Shen's "Blazing Fire" could vaguely sense the mental outlines of those transcendents.

Similar to his current attire... these transcendents were all wearing church robes, indicating they were from the same church.

His actions were swift and decisive.

Since they had met, there was no need to be polite and waste time.

Gu Shen directly used Blazing Fire to hypnotize the boss, pulling him into his mental domain... As for the other transcendents on the same floor, Gu Shen wasn't worried. Current second-stage ability users posed no threat to his "Blazing Fire."

"Amir... Mr..."

The boss looked confused, slowly looking up at Gu Shen. After being hypnotized, the enthusiastic smile on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by bewilderment.

"I need you to do me a favor... Search for the whereabouts of this lamp within the borders of Silvery City."

Gu Shen took out a photo of the Lamp of Wrath, waved it in front of the boss, and briefly described its characteristics.

He said softly, "Also... be as low-key as possible. I don't want too many people to know. This matter needs to be done by someone absolutely trustworthy."

The boss listened carefully.

At this moment, he looked at Gu Shen as if he were looking at a dazzling sun, his eyes filled with nothing but worship and trust.

"...Yes."

"Remember, we had a very pleasant chat during today's meeting. You can contact me if anything comes up. This is my contact number..." Gu Shen wrote down his contact information. When the boss took it, his expression suddenly struggled.

At this moment.

Gu Shen faintly felt a ripple of mental strength.

Perhaps it was a coincidence... a transcendent's mental strength swept past here and vaguely noticed something unusual.

Gu Shen frowned.

Footsteps sounded behind him. He signaled the boss to take the note and quickly ended the hypnosis. The two returned to their positions of host and guest chatting. The next moment, someone pushed open the door.

A young transcendent wearing a white robe, with black hair and black eyes, stood at the door.

At this moment, Gu Shen sensed the transcendent's power... It was probably around the sixth level of the Deep Sea, and the person was only in their twenties. This level of strength was quite good.

"Zhou?"

The boss looked up and saw the visitor, stunned for a moment. He vaguely felt like he had forgotten something, but when he saw the note in his hand, a series of memories appeared in his mind... He had a pleasant conversation with Amir, a VIP from Holy Elephant, and they exchanged contact information.

So he remembered after all.

Then it was nothing.

The boss smiled and stood up, treating the black-haired transcendent with great enthusiasm, saying amiably, "Zhou, you've come at the right time... Please allow me to introduce you to a noble from Aihamkanda, Amir, who is also a believer of the Crescent Moon Church..."

Gu Shen sighed softly.

From the word "also," he understood.

The identity of a Crescent Moon Church believer wasn't just randomly assigned. This was probably one of the largest sects in Silvery City.

However, this guy's name and appearance looked very much like someone from Dongzhou.

Zhou?

This didn't seem like a name used in the Southern Continent.

The young transcendent with black hair and black eyes had a tense expression at first. When she stepped into the boss's office, she scanned around with her mental strength. After confirming that there was nothing unusual, she breathed a sigh of relief. When she heard the boss's introduction, her expression turned into a smile.

She had also heard that Holy Elephant had a "big client" today.

So it was this person?

Judging from his appearance... how did he look somewhat like someone from Dongzhou?

"Amir?" Zhou smiled. "Are you from Aihamkanda?"

The moment she spoke.

Gu Shen was slightly surprised.

This voice... was actually female?

That white robe was wrapped too tightly, and with her black hair and black eyes, it was impossible to tell her gender. One could only see a handsome and fair face. It wasn't until she spoke that Gu Shen realized the other party's true gender.

This was a young woman.

"I'm a native of Aihamkanda, but I'm mixed-race."

Gu Shen saw through what the other party was thinking at a glance.

He touched his cheeks and explained with a smile, "Southern Continent people don't deceive Southern Continent people. My mother was born in Yinghai and married here twenty years ago."

Zhou was amused by this statement.

She nodded, revealing a smile, "I believe you have no need to lie to me... but I'm not a Southern Continent person."

The boss also smiled.

Zhou suddenly asked, "You want to send those auction items to Dongzhou?"

"In recent years, my family has had trade relations with Dadu. This time, I came to Silvery City and conveniently selected a few favorite collectibles to send over as gifts for my friends there." Gu Shen said calmly with a smile, "I'll have to trouble you with the rest of the work."

"Small matter, small matter."

The boss quickly said.

Zhou said softly with a smile, "There are still good things at the auction house these days. Maybe there's something else you'll like..."

"Definitely."

Gu Shen smiled and prepared to leave.

"May the Moon God grant you peace." Zhou stepped back slightly and placed a hand on her chest.

This was the greeting of the Crescent Moon Church.

Gu Shen didn't hesitate to make the same gesture, solemnly responding softly, "...May the Moon God also grant you tranquility."

……

……

After Gu Shen left.

The smile on Zhou's face slowly disappeared.

She looked at the boss and asked, "What did that person say to you just now?"

The boss looked blank. He thought about it and truthfully recounted it... but these were all contents he had "imagined" in accordance with the Blazing Fire hypnosis.

"You suspect him?"

After speaking, the boss asked in confusion.

"Something's strange... but I can't quite put my finger on it. Give me his file."

A moment later.

Zhou stood silently in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at Gu Shen's departing figure outside the building.

There were no problems with this person's file.

Born in Aihamkanda, raised in the Southern Continent, a believer of the Crescent Moon Church, and the greeting response just now was also without flaws. However, as a transcendent, her inner feelings were not calm. She always felt that this young man was not as simple as she imagined.

Was she... overthinking it?

……

……

Gu Shen didn't hypnotize "Zhou."

The reason was simple.

It wasn't because he was worried about failing the hypnosis.

It was because he was worried that there were unclean things in this woman's mind.

He was already certain... "Zhou" was a member of the Crescent Moon Church. In fact, the "Moon God" that this church worshiped was just an empty shell. There was no such thing as a Moon God at all, and even if there was, it wouldn't be in the Southern Continent.

The Southern Continent only had one true god.

His respected name was "Storm."

Without a doubt, the Crescent Moon Church was several times, even dozens of times, larger than the Evening Bell Church. It most likely controlled the entire Silvery City, and just the garrison scattered in the Holy Elephant Group already had the strength of the sixth level.

In the Southern Continent, the most terrifying thing wasn't the [Heaven's Eye] of the deep sea, but the mental strength of the Storm God's throne. If his existence was detected... it would definitely cause a lot of trouble.

He just wanted to investigate an "antique lamp" without transcendent power. There was no need to make a big fuss.

Gu Shen was still very confident in his hypnotism.

With "Zhou's" strength, it was impossible for her to notice anything unusual.

He returned to the hotel and began to meditate.

However, before long, the doorbell rang.

"It's 'Zhou.' She's here to find you."

Chu Ling smiled, "The Crescent Moon Church's doctrine requires believers to have a noble moral baseline and shouldn't have behaviors that cross the moral baseline before holding a legal notarization ceremony... Her actions are probably not appropriate, right?"

Gu Shen sighed softly.

What he didn't want to see was the current scene... After an extremely simple encounter, he was targeted by the transcendent of the Crescent Moon Church.

There were no problems with his file.

There were no problems with the content of the exchange.

Could it be the farewell greeting... No, it shouldn't be. He had finished reading that codex, and the final greeting shouldn't have had any problems either.

He smiled wryly, "If possible, I'd rather the ones knocking on the door were those other church strongmen in the building."

"I didn't expect you to have such a preference. Unfortunately, fate doesn't always go as planned..." Chu Ling said nonchalantly, "It looks like you're in trouble now. I won't disturb your sweet time. Just let me know when you need technical support."

After speaking.

The other side of the mental link fell silent.

Gu Shen rubbed his cheeks, adjusted his expression, opened the door, and looked at the woman standing in front of him with surprise.

"May the Moon God grant you tranquility."

Zhou smiled and saluted.

These people really didn't mind trouble... Gu Shen slandered in his heart, and with a sincere expression, he returned the salute and asked in surprise, "This is..."

"It's like this... Holy Elephant has a gift they want to give you."

Zhou glanced into the room without leaving a trace.

Her mental strength had already scanned around, and there was nothing unusual.

Then... she advanced very naturally, met Gu Shen's retreat, came to the room, turned around, and closed the door.

"Gift?"

Gu Shen accompanied the woman in acting out this scene while feeling a headache, because he saw... that white robe of Zhou's was adorned with a trident emblem containing the power of the Storm God.

Back in the snowy plains, these emblems could only be used for mental communication.

In the Southern Continent... there shouldn't be a stronger power, right?

Gu Shen patiently waited for Zhou's subsequent words, carefully observed, and scanned the woman's entire body with his mental strength. He suddenly understood what Chu Ling's previous pointed meaning was.

This woman was actually carrying some strange things under her wide white robe.

For example... a leather whip?

"I want to... properly reward you for the Moon God."

After closing the door, Zhou slowly turned around, her voice soft and seductive.

She took off the white robe that was blocking her hair, revealing her beautiful long hair.

This voice contained the power of "mental hypnosis."

Unfortunately, it was ineffective against Gu Shen.

The moment this woman stepped into this room, Gu Shen understood... that the next battle was unavoidable.

He said calmly, "I'm requesting technical support. Cut off all linked signals in the room to ensure absolute 'safety.'"

"Received. Your awareness is quite high." Chu Ling replied instantly.

With a "crackling" sound.

[Deep Sea] voluntarily disconnected its control over this room...

It was also at this moment that Zhou realized something was wrong.

Her voice had absolutely no effect on the man in front of her.

"Who exactly are you?!"

The smile on her face instantly disappeared, and her eyes suddenly burst with a silver glow. Gu Shen didn't retreat but advanced, directly rushing up to meet the silver glow. Before starting the fight, he glanced at the room's facilities... If it were an open environment, he wouldn't have done something like welcoming an attack.

It was just... he didn't want anything in the room to be messed up by this fight.

What it looked like before the fight.

What it still looked like after the fight.

In just an instant.

Gu Shen's palm was enveloped in Blazing Fire, directly extinguishing the two strands of silver light on the ground. He closed in on Zhou in less than a second, his hand wrapped in Blazing Fire, pressing down on the woman's face.

Flames surged.

The woman groaned painfully, but her delicate face wasn't directly burned... Gu Shen only used the "mental attribute" of Blazing Fire, and countless vast mental forces poured in like an ocean.

A year of meditation.

Gu Shen had already cultivated the Spring Breath to the point of perfection.

His mental strength had reached an unprecedented height...

However, that emblem actually burst out with a powerful mental force in an instant!

Just as he had anticipated.

In the Southern Continent... the emblems bestowed by the Storm God's throne, depending on the recipient's identity, some were already considered a mental sealed object, capable of erupting with considerable power at a critical moment.

Gu Shen could only retreat backward, dodging this strand of storm shock.

He knew that some "noise" was inevitable next.

"Crackle--"

Zhou's eyes were pitch black. At this moment, she briefly lost the ability to "see things." In her rage, she pulled out a long whip from her waist.

The sound of explosions rang in the air.

A slender whip shadow grazed Gu Shen's cheek, directly shattering the lamps on one side of the bed!

As this whip struck down, the alarm in the room also sounded.

Gu Shen advanced with a calm expression.

He rushed forward again, turning into a phantom in the narrow space. Before the second whip could be raised, he had already rushed into the woman's arms, mercilessly punching her squarely in the lower abdomen.

"Cough..."

Zhou's expression was pale. She bent over, coughing violently, and her consciousness began to scatter.

……

……

The hotel attendants who rushed over in response to the hotel alarm saw two figures, a man and a woman, in the dark presidential suite, vaguely close together on the big bed. Through the gauze curtain, they could only see two blurred figures.

Broken lamps were scattered all over the floor.

The leather whip was by the bed.

The attendants were a little dumbfounded.

The manager on the side had already understood what had happened in the room. The alarm was just a misunderstanding. He said respectfully, "Sorry for the disturbance... We will replace the lamps for you two tomorrow."

After the quiet was restored.

Gu Shen slowly stood up. He looked coldly at the unconscious "Zhou," feeling a headache.

How should he handle this?

Kill her directly?

Killing her was the cleanest and neatest way to handle it, but he probably wouldn't be able to stay in Silvery City for long.

What troubled Gu Shen was that this woman had already come to his door... Did this mean that the entire Crescent Moon Church had noticed his false identity?

After thinking it over, Gu Shen decided to take a gamble.

Based on Gu Shen's knowledge of "Fire Seed," every "transcendent" who refined a Fire Seed had completed a transformation of their life level.

For them, there was nothing that God couldn't do, only things that people couldn't think of.

The number of believers of the Storm God's throne was in the tens of millions.

This was an incredibly large number, and it was more than he had estimated.

But even so, within his territories, every emblem vibration, every mental cry for help, the Storm God's throne should be able to hear!

There were many such voices every day.

He hoped that he didn't cherish every "cry for help" so much.

At least... don't hear his own cry.

Gu Shen grasped Zhou's hand and had her "personally" take off the Storm emblem for him.

All was calm.

Immediately afterward, the mental power of Blazing Fire surged in...