66: Chapter 66 The Princess's Hush Money, the Everlasting Red-Name Artifact

As the last Blood-Eyed Mystic Turtle dissolved into a shower of light, deathly silence once again returned to the shores of Black Water Lake.

Qin Ji casually flicked the viscous liquid off his dagger. His purple-gold pupils constricted slightly in the night as he scanned his attribute panel.

【Physical Defense: 3500 -> 4800】

【Physique: 2200 -> 2950】

“Still missing a little something.”

Qin Ji shook his head. Although this rocket-like speed of improvement would be enough to make every player in the server delete their accounts if it got out, he still felt it wasn't enough. The place he was going tonight was the palace—the most heavily guarded Forbidden Ground in all of God's Domain. When it came to defense, you could never stack too much.

Just as he was preparing to find another place to continue terrorizing wild monsters, a faint whistling sound suddenly broke the silence of the lakeshore.

Qin Ji's movements didn't falter for a second. His body instantly shifted half a meter to the right as he reversed his grip on the dagger, accurately intercepting the newcomer's path.

“Clang!”

A crisp sound of metal clashing rang out.

A rapier gleaming with cold light was firmly locked by his dagger. The owner of the sword clearly hadn't expected Qin Ji's reaction to be so swift; her figure stalled slightly in mid-air before she used the momentum to drift backward, landing on a protruding rock.

By the pale moonlight, Qin Ji saw the newcomer clearly.

It was a woman wearing silver-white light armor. Her long golden hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, and her exquisite features held an innate arrogance. However, at this moment, those azure eyes carried a hint of undeniable anxiety and gravity.

It was none other than the “hero” who had falsely claimed credit for killing the Devil King—the Second Princess of the Star Kingdom, Leona.

“Nice reactions.”

Leona sheathed her rapier and scanned the surroundings warily. After confirming no one else was there, she lowered her voice and said, “It seems that old hag, the Klinfiss Bird, has already sought you out.”

Qin Ji raised an eyebrow, performing a stylish flourish with his dagger, showing no intention of putting it away.

“Your Highness, did you come to this desolate wilderness in the middle of the night just to show concern for my social life?”

He looked at Leona with a half-smile, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness. “Or are you here to silence me? After all, only dead men keep secrets forever.”

“Kill you?”

Leona snorted coldly, a flash of disdain in her eyes, but it was overshadowed by a deep sense of wariness. “If I could kill you, I would have done it the moment you stepped out of the Newbie Village. Even the Devil King Grelorlinssen died by your hand; I’m not so stupid as to seek my own death.”

She took a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm her emotions, then pulled a faintly glowing scroll and a skill book from her Storage Ring and threw them directly at Qin Ji.

“This is what you wanted. Take them and keep your mouth shut.”

Qin Ji caught them but didn't rush to check them. Instead, he sized Leona up with the look one might give a fat sheep.

“Your Highness, is this... hush money?”

“This is the compensation we agreed upon earlier!” Leona said through gritted teeth. “I take the glory and fame of killing the Devil King, and you take the tangible benefits. We each get what we need, and we owe each other nothing.”

Qin Ji grinned, revealing a row of forest-white teeth.

“That was the previous price.”

“What do you mean?!” Leona’s expression changed abruptly, her knuckles whitening as she gripped her sword. “Are you trying to hike the price on the spot?”

“No, no, no, I am a businessman of integrity.”

Qin Ji leisurely tossed the scroll and skill book in his hand. “But the situation has changed. That lovely stepmother of yours just gave me an offer I couldn't refuse to go to the palace tonight and expose your ‘crimes.’ Tell me, should I listen to her, or to you?”

Leona's pupils instantly contracted into pinpricks.

She stared fixedly at Qin Ji, her chest heaving violently, clearly incensed. But she also knew that the current Qin Ji was the only variable. If this madman truly sided with the Queen, she would not only be disgraced but might even end up in a place beyond redemption.

“What do you want?” Leona’s voice was practically squeezed out from between her teeth.

“It'll cost extra.”

Qin Ji answered with total confidence.

Leona took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to tear this shameless scoundrel into a thousand pieces. She pulled out an ancient-looking Talisman from her ring and slammed it onto the ground.

“This is a 【Death Substitute Talisman】; it can block one fatal attack! Is that enough?!”

Qin Ji's eyes lit up. The dagger in his hand vanished instantly, replaced by a warm, enthusiastic smile. He bent down to pick up the Talisman and stuffed it into his backpack along with the previous scroll and skill book. His movements were fluid and dazzlingly fast.

“Enough, enough! Your Highness is truly generous!”

Qin Ji patted his chest and said with a righteous face, “Don't worry, my mouth is the tightest. Tonight, I'll act like I never saw that old hag. I definitely won't say a single word out of turn in front of the King.”

“Hmph, I hope you remember your words.”

Leona gave him a cold look, seemingly not wanting to stay for another second. “If you dare betray me, even if I have to exhaust the entire strength of the Star Kingdom, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth!”

With that, she turned into a streak of silver light and quickly disappeared into the night.

Watching Leona’s departing figure, the smile on Qin Ji's face gradually faded, replaced by a look of mockery.

“Betrayal? Was there ever any trust between us?”

In this world where data was king, promises were nothing more than lies the weak used to comfort themselves. He had indeed promised Leona he wouldn't talk nonsense, but he hadn't promised not to see the Queen. As for what he would do then... that would depend on who paid more.

Taking from both the plaintiff and the defendant—that was the proper self-cultivation of a villain.

Qin Ji withdrew his gaze and began to take stock of his recent gains.

First was that skill book.

【profound ice wings (1-Star)】

【Effect: Condense a pair of profound ice wings to gain flight capability, lasting for 5 minutes.】

【Cost: 300 Mana】

【Cooldown: 60 minutes】

“Good stuff.”

Qin Ji's eyes brightened. At this stage, players with the ability to fly were as rare as phoenix feathers. With this skill, his mobility would undergo a qualitative leap, whether for hunting or escaping.

Next was that 【Death Substitute Talisman】, life-saving trump card +1.

Finally, the item that moved Qin Ji the most—the scroll emitting a faint golden light.

【Immortal Scroll (Special Item)】

【Effect: Performs a “Soul Bind” enchantment on a piece of equipment. The enchanted equipment will gain the traits of “Indestructible, Never Drops, Unstealable, and Unbreakable.”】

“A Divine Artifact!”

Qin Ji couldn't help but whistle.

For a player like him whose red name was so deep it was practically purple, the death penalty was terrifying. Once killed, there was a high probability that all the equipment on his body would drop. With this scroll, it meant he could completely lock down his most core piece of equipment.

Without any hesitation, Qin Ji directly took out the 【abyssal demon sword】 that had accompanied him in slaughtering the Newbie Village.

“Snap.”

The scroll shattered, turning into countless golden runes that merged into the blade. On the originally pitch-black body of the sword, a layer of dark golden light faintly emerged, giving it a sense of indestructible weight.

“Done.”

Qin Ji satisfiedly put away the longsword.

There was still some time before midnight, and he didn't plan on just waiting around. His backpack was stuffed with equipment dropped from those unlucky bastards in the Dream Chasing Guild, as well as a pile of Materials from farming monsters just now. He needed to find a place to fence the goods.

While he couldn't enter the main city, the black market didn't care about red names.

With a thought from Qin Ji, the air behind him suddenly dropped in temperature as a pair of crystal-clear ice wings snapped open.

“Whoosh—”

The airflow surged, and his figure rose from the ground like a predatory night hawk, flying toward a hidden canyon thirty miles away from the main city.

...

The Twilight Black Market was located within a massive underground rift.

This was a breeding ground for chaos and vice, as well as a paradise for countless red-named players and grey-market merchants.

Qin Ji retracted his wings and landed on the bustling street. He didn't hide his red name; that blood-red ID 【Snow Emperor】 was exceptionally eye-catching in the dim light. The originally noisy crowd around him instantly fell silent. Countless gazes of awe, greed, and fear fell upon him, automatically parting a path for him.

Qin Ji ignored this and walked straight into a shop hanging a “Falling Treasure Chamber of Commerce” sign.

“Oh, a rare guest!”

As soon as he entered, a round figure greeted him.

This was a chubby little man wearing a robe with money patterns, a professional fake smile on his face, and squinting eyes that held a light of shrewdness. No Rank was displayed above his head; instead, he carried a special title—【Planar Merchant】.

Qian Duoduo.

A world-renowned flipper in the gaming world. It was said that as long as you could afford it, he could even get you the Main God's underwear.

“What business does the Great Boss have for me?” Qian Duoduo rubbed his hands together, his gaze scanning the blood-stained equipment on Qin Ji, his eyelids twitching slightly.

His talent, 【Treasure-Dropping Golden Rat】, was sounding a frantic alarm.

The man before him was strong. Ridiculously strong. That overwhelming scent of blood and pressure was even more terrifying than some Lord-tier BOSSes he had seen in the Abyssal Plane.

“Clearing inventory.”

Qin Ji didn't waste words, opening his backpack and dumping the over one hundred pieces of equipment stripped from the Dream Chasing Guild onto the counter with a clatter.

“Clatter, clatter—”

The multicolored light of the equipment instantly illuminated the entire shop.

Qian Duoduo's smile froze on his face, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.

“This... this is the standard equipment of the Dream Chasing Guild? And Dream Chaser in the Mist's staff?”

He sucked in a breath of cold air, his gaze toward Qin Ji changing instantly. “The rumors outside are true? You really slaughtered the entire Dream Chasing team alone?”

“What? Afraid to take them?” Qin Ji casually picked up an apple and took a bite, asking indistinctly.

“I'll take them! Of course I'll take them!”

Qian Duoduo instantly regained his merchant persona, the shock in his eyes turning into fervor. “In the eyes of our Falling Treasure Chamber of Commerce, there are only goods, no grudges. Even if it's the King's underpants, as long as you dare to sell, I dare to buy!”

He quickly flicked his abacus, his fingers moving so fast they were mere blurs.

“A total of one hundred and eight pieces of equipment. Among them are three Silver-tier, forty-five Bronze-tier, and the rest are Black Iron-tier... Package price, forty-two thousand copper coins.”

“Fifty thousand,” Qin Ji said calmly.

“Great Boss, business isn't done this way...”

“Fifty thousand.” Qin Ji interrupted him, his gaze calmly fixed on Qian Duoduo's eyes. “In the future, if I have good stuff, I'll come to you first. For example... a city establishment token or something.”

“Deal!”

Qian Duoduo agreed without hesitation, his round face smiling so much his features were all squeezed together.

Whether it was forty-two thousand or fifty thousand didn't matter to him at all. What mattered was this favor and the priority for that “city establishment token” Qin Ji mentioned. As a veteran merchant, he was all too aware of the potential of the man before him.

This kind of person would either die halfway or become a future god.

“Straightforward.”

Qin Ji took the money bag handed over by Qian Duoduo and tossed it into his backpack without even looking.

“By the way, Great Boss.”

Just as Qin Ji was about to turn and leave, Qian Duoduo suddenly called out to him, his expression turning somewhat mysterious. “Seeing as the Great Boss takes such good care of my business, I'll throw in a piece of information.”

“Speak.”

“Lately, things haven't been peaceful in the main city.” Qian Duoduo lowered his voice and pointed upward. “I heard those fanatics from the City of Heaven and the madmen from the Abyss are all infiltrating this place. Especially tonight, something big seems to be happening at the palace. If you're going there, Great Boss... you'd better be careful.”

Qin Ji's footsteps paused slightly.

Even a merchant has caught wind of it? It seems tonight's play will be even more lively than imagined.

“Thanks.”

Qin Ji waved his hand and strode out of the shop.

By now, the night was deep.

A massive red moon hung in the vault of heaven, dyeing the entire world a bizarre crimson.

Qin Ji stood at the exit of the black market, gazing at the brightly lit City of Origin suspended in the clouds in the distance. Beneath that glamorous facade, undercurrents surged, and killing intent lurked everywhere.

“Time's about up.”

He pulled the 【mirror of the dead realm】 from his breast.

The black vortex on the mirror's surface slowly rotated, emitting a heart-palpitating chill.

The corners of Qin Ji's mouth curled up, revealing an expectant smile. Then he took a step forward, and his entire being was instantly swallowed by the mirror's surface, vanishing into the vast night.

The show begins.