153: Chapter 153 Handing Over the Fragments

Dawn broke.

"Time to go to the Deacon Hall."

He rolled out of bed and gave himself a quick wash.

Then, he pulled a small cloth bundle from his robes.

Inside the bundle was that pitch-black abyssal bone tablet fragment.

It was covered in several cracks and looked quite ominous.

"System, one last confirmation. The analysis progress is still at 5.8%, right? It hasn't increased?"

[Confirmed. Abyssal bone tablet fragment analysis progress: 5.8%.]

[Analyzed fragment information has been organized and can be extracted at any time.]

"Good."

Lin Muchen tucked the bundle back into his robes.

"Let's go and get rid of this hot potato."

He pushed open the door and stepped out of the Quiet Room.

In the early morning, there weren't many people in the Sect.

Occasionally, a few Disciples would hurry past, all rushing to Cultivate or complete missions early.

Lin Muchen made his way toward the Deacon Hall.

In his mind, he rehearsed what he was going to say in a moment.

"I picked it up."

"The Formation collapsed, so I grabbed a piece while I was at it."

"While studying it, I accidentally sensed some fragmented information."

"I don't know anything else."

"The main strategy is to be sincere yet ignorant."

He reached the entrance of the Deacon Hall.

The main gates were already open.

Inside, several deacons were organizing dossiers.

Lin Muchen walked inside.

"Disciple Lin Muchen requests an audience with Elder Qin Huaiyue."

A deacon looked up and glanced at him.

"Elder Qin is in the side hall. Follow me."

The deacon led him through the main hall and into the side hall at the back.

In the side hall, Qin Huaiyue was sitting at a table reading a dossier.

The aura of the Gang Refinement Stage made it a bit difficult to breathe.

"Elder, Disciple Lin Muchen has arrived."

"Mhm, you may leave."

The deacon withdrew and closed the door.

Qin Huaiyue set down the dossier and looked at Lin Muchen.

"Oh, it's you."

"You were the one involved in that matter at the Northern Border last time, weren't you?"

Lin Muchen quickly performed a formal salute.

"It was this Disciple."

"Sit."

Qin Huaiyue pointed to the chair opposite him.

Lin Muchen sat down, his back straight as a board.

"Speak, what is the matter?"

Lin Muchen pulled the small cloth bundle from his robes and placed it on the table.

"A few days ago, this Disciple picked this up in the Blood Wolf Gang's Forbidden Ground."

Qin Huaiyue's eyebrow twitched.

He reached out, picked up the bundle, and opened it.

When he saw the pitch-black bone tablet fragment inside, his expression changed instantly.

"An abyssal bone talisman?"

He picked up the fragment and examined it closely.

Then, he probed it with spiritual energy.

"It really is... and this aura is very pure."

He looked at Lin Muchen.

"How did you find it? Tell me in detail."

Lin Muchen had prepared for this long ago.

"Reporting to Elder, at that time, the evil Formation in the Blood Wolf Gang's Forbidden Ground collapsed, and the cave caved in."

"While searching through the ruins, this Disciple saw this Talisman shattered on the ground and picked up a piece."

"Later, after bringing it back to the Sect, I tried to study it a bit."

Qin Huaiyue stared at him.

"What did you find out?"

Lin Muchen scratched his head, putting on an expression of trying hard to remember.

"I can't really say I found anything out... it's just that when I held this Talisman, some fragments would occasionally flash through my mind."

"There seemed to be terms like 'Venerable Black Bone,' 'Bone Envoy,' 'Blood Sacrifice Node,' 'Northern Border Rift'... and so on."

"But they were all very blurry and didn't form complete sentences."

After hearing this, Qin Huaiyue fell silent for a moment.

His fingers tapped on the table.

"Venerable Black Bone..."

"Bone Envoy..."

"Blood Sacrifice Node..."

He looked at Lin Muchen.

"Are you certain those were the words?"

Lin Muchen nodded.

"Certain, but that's all. There was nothing more."

Qin Huaiyue picked up the bone tablet fragment again and looked at it for a long time.

"After you picked up this Talisman, did you notice anything unusual?"

"For example... being followed? Or the Talisman making some movement on its own?"

Lin Muchen shook his head.

"No, it has always been very quiet."

Qin Huaiyue gave an 'mhm'.

"Consider yourself lucky."

"This bone Talisman is the identification token of a 'Bone Envoy' under the command of 'Venerable Black Bone'."

"It contains a trace of abyssal aura sealed inside, serving as both proof of identity and a tracking marker."

"The piece you found is broken, the Seal has loosened, and the aura has leaked out, which is why you were able to sense the fragmented information."

"But by the same token, if the 'Bone Envoy' has a corresponding secret tracking method, they could possibly follow this trace of aura to find you."

Lin Muchen's heart skipped a beat.

"Then... then wouldn't this Disciple be..."

Qin Huaiyue waved his hand.

"No need to worry."

"Since you picked it up, you've kept it in a container that isolates its aura, right?"

Lin Muchen quickly nodded.

"Yes, this Disciple kept it in a specially made jade box."

In truth, it was the System's isolation Seal, but the effect was much the same.

"Then that's fine."

Qin Huaiyue said.

"You isolated it well; the aura didn't leak out, so they couldn't track it."

"Furthermore, this Talisman is broken, so the tracking marker itself is damaged."

"Now that you've handed it over, the Sect will handle it properly."

"From now on, this matter has nothing to do with you."

Lin Muchen breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Elder."

Qin Huaiyue placed the bone tablet fragment into a specially made metal box, closed the lid, and applied a Talisman.

"The information you've provided is very important."

"The Sect, in conjunction with other Righteous Path forces, is already investigating 'Venerable Black Bone' and the Abyssal Fissure at the Northern Border."

"This fragment of yours, along with those bits of information, are key pieces of physical evidence."

"They can help us confirm that 'Venerable Black Bone's' forces have indeed infiltrated the Northern Border and are setting up 'Blood Sacrifice Nodes' in an attempt to stabilize the Rift."

He looked at Lin Muchen.

"You have performed a great service."

Lin Muchen quickly stood up.

"This Disciple does not dare to take credit; it was merely a stroke of luck that I picked it up."

Qin Huaiyue smiled.

"Luck is also a merit."

"The Sect has a System of rewards and punishments."

"For handing over key evidence and providing important intelligence, you are rewarded with... five thousand contribution points."

Lin Muchen's eyes lit up.

Five thousand contribution points!

This was much faster than doing missions!

"Thank you, Elder!"

Qin Huaiyue took a token from a drawer and handed it to Lin Muchen.

"Take this and go to the Contribution Hall to claim them."

"Additionally, regarding the matter at the Northern Border, the Sect may later dispatch elite Disciples to investigate."

"If you are interested, you can sign up."

Lin Muchen took the token, shaking his head inwardly.

Interested?

I couldn't be less interested.

"This Disciple's cultivation is still shallow; I wish to consolidate it for a period first."

Qin Huaiyue didn't press the matter.

"Fine, you decide for yourself."

"Go then."

Lin Muchen saluted and withdrew from the side hall.

Stepping out of the Deacon Hall, he let out a long breath.

"Done."

"The hot potato has been thrown away."

"And I earned five thousand contribution points for nothing."

"A total win."

He felt the token in his robes and grinned.

"System, how was that? My play was pretty good, right?"

[Analysis: Operation reasonable.]

[Successfully severed potential Karmic ties with 'Venerable Black Bone's' forces.]

[Obtained a large amount of Sect contribution points, which can be exchanged for resources to accelerate development.]

[Risk has been transferred to the Sect.]

"Exactly."

Lin Muchen walked toward the Contribution Hall.

"Let the Sect handle the high-risk stuff."

"As for me, I'll just stay low and develop."

He reached the Contribution Hall and handed the token to the deacon.

After verifying it, the deacon transferred five thousand contribution points into his identification token.

[Ding—]

[Sect contribution points: 2000 → 7000.]

Lin Muchen looked at the numbers that popped up on his identification token, feeling delighted.

Seven thousand contribution points!

How many good things could that buy?

He walked out of the Deacon Hall and headed straight for the Treasure Pavilion.