"Wh-What's happening?" Luoning was startled, her words instinctively stammered.
Mr. Baiyi paused, calming his surprised emotions, the Luoning in front of him was just an ordinary person, but she was already able to have precognitive dreams?
No wonder even the Black Night Rose couldn't block her visions.
"Can you specifically describe that dream?" Mr. Baiyi's tone remained gentle, coupled with his somewhat elegant temperament and delicate appearance, he instantly transformed from a distant handsome guy to a boy-next-door type.
Luoning blushed subconsciously under Mr. Baiyi's gaze, but the dirt covering her face made it impossible to notice.
"Three days ago, after finishing my mother's funeral, that night I had a nightmare. In the dream, I saw a place turning completely scarlet, the scarlet spread rapidly, half the city was instantly stained with color, it exuded a strong ominous feeling, and... then I woke up frightened..."
Luoning spoke quickly, her voice dropping slightly at the end, as if feeling ashamed.
Mr. Baiyi's eyes filled with intense contemplation; he did not doubt Luoning's words. Firstly, Luoning managed to survive the city-destroying crisis happening a year later and continued to survive for thirty years, which was proof enough of the accuracy of her premonitions.
Secondly, the current situation in Dongwu City was somewhat complex, making it very likely that everything she dreamed might happen.
The Will Clan, part of the Legislator Clan, was relentlessly pursuing the Scarlet Sect, which indicated two possibilities: either the Scarlet Sect had stolen something from the Will Clan, or there was some deep-seated enmity between them.
Now, the second possibility could be ruled out; no enmity requires a direct lineage, especially a clearly gifted one, to confront a cult as the risk is too great.
Based on this, it could be inferred that the item the Scarlet Sect stole was remarkable, valuable enough for them to stand against the Federation.
Looking at what Quartermaster Sabo found, it could be seen that the vast and secretive Black Night Rose was actually targeting the Scarlet Sect.
Adding to that unknown attitude, even Mr. Baiyi couldn't comprehend the Old City Lord....
Chaotic, very chaotic, yet hidden within the chaos, besides the Old City Lord, all other powerful factions or individuals seemed to be vying for a certain artifact.
This artifact was what Sabo once asked about, with fifty thousand Gold Coins, he had clearly already confirmed, and the scarlet in Luoning's premonition was most likely related to this artifact!
"Mr. Baiyi!"
Some people who knew Mr. Baiyi noticed the young man by the roadside and couldn't help but greet him.
Mr. Baiyi snapped back to reality, politely nodded, and turned with Luoning in a different direction: "Let's head back to the shop first, I have something to ask you."
Luoning followed closely, reaching only up to Mr. Baiyi's chest, resembling a little tail, drawing some curious glances.
But no one said anything; instead, they warmly greeted Mr. Baiyi, asking if there were any new equipment available, but seeing Mr. Baiyi's somewhat busy pace, they didn't persist.
Rumors had spread like wildfire throughout the city that this Alchemist had broken through Silver at the age of eighteen, which signified power, especially a Technology Alchemist, meaning they could easily acquire more powerful equipment.
Safety could be more guaranteed, so there was greater respect for Mr. Baiyi.
Returning smoothly to the Potion Shop, under the watchful gaze of the scarlet Soul Fire of Or, Mr. Baiyi quickly led Luoning to his laboratory.
Finding an empty spot to sit, the hem of Mr. Baiyi's trench coat revealed a worker bee, projecting a holographic image of the entire map of Dongwu City.
"Try to recall carefully, where did you first see the scarlet you mentioned?" Mr. Baiyi asked, softening his tone, trying not to pressure Luoning.
Luoning's eyes sparkled at the unprecedented high-tech, without hesitation pointing to the eastern residential district: "Here!"
She remembered her precognitive dream vividly, as it was her lifesaving ability, otherwise, she wouldn't have immediately bought the book [Astronomical Observation]. She believed that the stars and dreams alike would guide her.
Mr. Baiyi smiled, not minding Luoning's dirty demeanor, and patted her on the head: "You're now an employee here, with a monthly salary of 100 Gold Coins, payable on the thirtieth, remember that."
Luoning froze, asking incredulously: "O-One hundred Gold Coins?"
The book she held was worth 0.08 Contribution Points, she had spent all her and her mother's savings, and here she was offered one hundred Contribution Points directly, oh my! She was going to become wealthy!
Mr. Baiyi was very satisfied with Luoning's reaction, which starkly contrasted with an Elf. The same one hundred wages; elves were greedy, humans were content—indeed, relying on your own kind was trusty.
"Alright, follow this sphere out, someone will show you to change clothes, bathe, and introduce your job. I have other matters to attend to."
Unable to resist, Mr. Baiyi patted the future store mascot's head once more.
The young girl lowered her head, somewhat bashful, seeming shy, and followed the worker bee out of the laboratory.
Once the door closed, Mr. Baiyi calmly said: "Connect with Mr. Sabo."
"Alright, please hold on."
A mechanical sound rang out, and from the lining of Mr. Baiyi's trench coat, a mechanical voice emerged, about two seconds later, Sabo's sharp voice sounded: "Oh~ my friend, what can I do for you?"
"I have some information, but it requires one kilogram of Mithril and a hundred Soul Crystals, are you interested?" Mr. Baiyi smiled, Sabo the Dwarf had plenty of wealth, who knew how much money he'd been wrung for in the half-year cooperation, one last sting couldn't hurt.
"Let me guess, is it about the Scarlet Sect?"
Sabo's tone carried a bit of resignation: "My friend, I'm almost squeezed dry, I don't have that much money now, and you've already taken thirty thousand Gold Coins, which I consider as this time's service fee for your help, so at least information about the Scarlet Sect has to be included in it."
Mr. Baiyi paused, a trace of awkwardness flashing in his eyes. He thought for a moment and backed down, not going too far.
"You've convinced me, but a hundred Soul Essences and helping me buy one kilogram of Mithril would do, you know the rules, information isn't free here."
Soul Crystals are the upgraded version of Soul Essences, each piece costs more than three hundred Gold Coins, whereas Soul Essences cost only thirty Gold Coins.
And Mithril... ten Gold Coins per gram, a thousand grams make ten thousand Gold Coins, both are expensive consumables....
"In ten minutes, your transportation device will receive what you want." Sabo's tone turned cunning again, containing expectation: "My friend, isn't it time for you to divulge your information?"
"The Scarlet Sect's stronghold, there's an 80% chance it's in the eastern residential district." Mr. Baiyi said warmly: "Alright, Mr. Sabo, your items need to be fast, I need to prepare as well."
"My friend, your information always astounds me, don't worry, I'll manage it." Though Sabo's voice still carried a hint of craftiness, it also conveyed a sense of gravity.
Having said that, he promptly disconnected the communication.
He was the city's Quartermaster, needing to efficiently transfer the personnel investigating the Black Night Rose towards investigating the Scarlet Sect, or else he'd die.
Mr. Baiyi sat before his seat, his eyes filled with thought, with thirty-two thousand Contribution Points remaining. These assets must be quickly converted into combat power, Scarlet... it's becoming troubling....
He sent messages to some people and began to wait quietly.
He needed to use some connections in Dongwu City to help him acquire things that couldn't be obtained openly, and then quietly wait.