After coming face-to-face with the divine fragment and receiving her master's instructions.
The usually bold and meticulous Lin Qingyan couldn't sleep for a while after eating the ice cream her idol neighbor gave her. She only managed to sleep soundly after her master relayed the orders from her Grandmaster.
The directive was: be cautious, and return quickly after the mission is complete.
There weren't many truly complete gods left now. After the great war many years ago, the powerful gods had long since disintegrated, becoming divine fragments. Although their strength was still formidable, far exceeding that of mortals, Yan had ten thousand ways to deal with divine fragments. Even the oldest, most mysterious, and most powerful Sui, Yan couldn't directly execute it today without paying a heavy price.
As for the divine fragment sealed in Lin Qingyan's bracelet, its power was weak, its divinity was low, and it was completely unheard of. Presumably, its original form was some obscure minor deity. Yan had many ways to suppress even the complete form of such a god, let alone a weakened fragment.
Yan wasn't afraid.
But Lin Qingyan was just an ordinary Celestial Master. She couldn't fight a divine fragment on her own.
However.
According to her Grandmaster's analysis.
When Lin Qingyan met the other party, she could sense their presence, and they could one hundred percent sense the existence of their own soul fragment in her bracelet. If they were angry, they would have certainly struck her down on the spot, instead of both of them just running off.
It was obvious.
The other party was also afraid.
They knew they were in Lungmen, on someone else's territory, and they knew how much of their strength remained, so they didn't dare to act rashly, lest they attract the attention of a stronger power.
Under normal circumstances.
The Yan of today rarely took the initiative to eliminate the divine fragments scattered across the land. On one hand... there were too many, and they couldn't keep up. On the other hand, as long as these divine fragments didn't cause trouble, basically no one would bother them. After all, no matter how weak a divine fragment was, the word 'divine' said it all. They couldn't be killed by ordinary armies, and even if they could, the cost would be significant and not worth it at all.
Unless it was a malevolent divine fragment.
As for the divine fragments who liked to slack off, wander the mountains and rivers reciting poetry, or just stay at home, Yan's Sui Regulator Commission couldn't be bothered to care, letting them do as they pleased. After all, the Sui Regulator Commission itself had divine fragments working inside as consultants.
And Lin Qingyan, as her master's only beloved apprentice, was exceptionally talented, a young prodigy even in Yan. How could someone like her not have life-saving tools on hand? Even if that divine fragment attacked, and even if she couldn't win, she could most likely escape.
However, since the other party chose not to attack, they would not be classified as a malevolent god, and Yan's Sui Regulator Commission and Tianshi Fu were no pushovers.
The waters in Lungmen truly ran deep.
Lin Qingyan sighed before heading out, planning to continue posing as a tourist and wander the upper district for a day. Tomorrow, she would go to the commoner district for some investigation, and then to the slums.
However...
When Lin Qingyan changed her clothes and came down from her apartment building.
In an instant, she froze on the spot.
That one!!
That divine fragment!!
Was downstairs from my own apartment!!
Waiting for me!!
Lin Qingyan's scalp tingled.
She was powerful among her peers, and could even hold her own against some of her elders. This was the first time she had ever bristled like a little cat. Her body's protective mechanisms caused static electricity to crackle across her skin, and the stray electrons made Lin Qingyan's long golden hair stand on end. There were even faint arcs of electricity flashing, and she had already secretly formed a hand seal. If the other party made a move, she would immediately unleash her full power!
However!
Escape!!
With the life-saving talisman her Grandmaster gave her, she was one hundred percent certain she could escape successfully. Because of this, although Lin Qingyan was surprised and nervous, she wasn't particularly afraid.
Lucas Reeve was also a bit surprised.
He never would have imagined that he would run into this girl here. Moreover, arcs of electricity were currently jumping across her body, and her fingers were silently forming a seal, as if preparing to attack. Her golden hair danced in the electric field, and her cowlick stood straight up, like a frightened but cute little kitten.
She wasn't wearing the bracelet today.
Presumably, after yesterday, she realized that he knew of her existence as well.
To be honest.
Lucas Reeve was tempted to just snatch the bracelet back. After all, it was his soul fragment. He couldn't just let it be lost out there.
Surtr didn't think as much as Lucas Reeve.
The moment the blonde girl prepared to form her seal, in Surtr's eyes, the girl had already been classified as...
An enemy!
She tightened her grip on Laevatain's hilt. If the other party made any move, she would counterattack immediately.
Seeing this, Lucas Reeve decided to test the waters first. Since the other party hadn't attacked immediately, it meant she was also wary.
He took over Surtr's body.
'Surtr's' icy temperament changed in an instant, becoming deep and ancient.
And Lin Qingyan's face grew even uglier. She knew the original god was out. This red-haired girl was probably just a puppet walking the earth...
Yan's research on Gods and Behemoths was very in-depth, and their research into the soul was among the best in the world. If Columbia and Victoria were at the peak of technology, then Yan was at the peak of metaphysics, having truly taken Originium Arts to a whole new level. In theory, it was similar to Leithanien, but Yan played with it in a much more elaborate way.
"Don't misunderstand, I mean no harm."
Lucas Reeve's voice flowed slowly from Surtr's mouth. His dark pupils were as deep as a bottomless abyss. Lin Qingyan only had to look for a moment to feel like she was about to fall in. This divine fragment was very powerful.
Lin Qingyan took a deep breath.
Indeed.
From the other party's tone, Lin Qingyan detected no malice. She asked sternly, neither humble nor overbearing.
"Then why are you ambushing me downstairs!"
"???"
Lucas Reeve was stunned, a million question marks flashing in his mind.
How was I supposed to know you live here!!
"I'm waiting for someone."
Waiting for someone?!
Hmph!
As if I'd believe that!
Lin Qingyan sneered inwardly. How could it be such a coincidence.
Just as Lin Qingyan was about to press further.
A familiar voice came from the nearby stairwell.
"Ah~ Miss Qingyan, good morning."
A cute idol with long golden hair, dressed in casual clothes, came out, bouncing along.
"Get back..."
Lin Qingyan's face changed slightly. She didn't want to drag an ordinary person into the deepest secrets of the world.
However.
Before Lin Qingyan could finish her sentence.
Sora had already skipped over to Lucas Reeve.
"Good morning, Miss Surtr. Have you been waiting long? Enna and Tex should be here soon. Let's head over to Penguin Logistics right away."
"......"
Lin Qingyan's eyes widened. The electric arcs flickering on her body suddenly fizzled out, and her high-standing cowlick drooped down.
"......"
She really was waiting for someone!!!
And the person she was waiting for was her neighbor, the little idol!!
Damn it!
Sora turned her head, looked at Lin Qingyan, and asked with confusion, "Miss Qingyan, what were you about to say?"
Lin Qingyan's eye twitched a few times, and she shook her head repeatedly. "No, it's nothing."
She actually looked a little cute like this.
And Sora seemed to have noticed something was off, looking surprised.
"Miss Surtr, do you know Miss Qingyan? What a coincidence!"
Lucas Reeve nodded, but then quickly shook his head. "We met once last night. I didn't expect her to live here too. It's quite a coincidence."
Sora giggled and said, "Miss Qingyan just moved in next door to me recently. She's a very nice person."
Lin Qingyan was on the verge of breaking down. She was already considering moving.
She never thought her place of residence would be exposed just like that.
This...
Why is it so coincidental!!
Hmph!!
While Sora and Lucas Reeve were chatting, Exusiai and the others arrived right on time.
"Let's go, Miss Surtr. Enna and I planned to set off this afternoon after lunch. If the boss agrees, you can come with us this afternoon. If the boss doesn't agree, there's nothing I can do."
Texas was the same as always, with a Pocky stick dangling from her mouth like a cigarette, bobbing up and down as she spoke. Lucas Reeve even suspected that half of Texas's salary went to buying Pocky.
"Miss Qingyan, we're leaving now~~"
Sora waved at Lin Qingyan. Exusiai and the others didn't know her but waved politely as well. Lucas Reeve turned his head, smiled, and waved goodbye to her, then left with the Penguin Logistics girls, leaving Lin Qingyan alone, a mess in the cold wind.
"......"
After a few seconds.
Lin Qingyan finally recovered from her flustered state.
One thing was for sure...
This divine fragment also had the attribute of slacking off, integrating with ordinary people to start its divine fragment daily life. It didn't even seem to care that its own soul fragment had been sealed by someone else.
Just as she thought.
As her master said.
On this land today, there weren't many malevolent gods. A large number of evil creatures were outside of Terra. Many of the divine fragments left behind on Terra's soil had basically started their retirement lives.
However.
Lin Qingyan didn't let her guard down. She decided to move first; she probably couldn't stay in this rented apartment anymore. She would also report her recent findings to her master.
The Penguin Logistics headquarters was in a high-end office building. According to Exusiai, the entire building actually belonged to Penguin Logistics. However, Penguin Logistics wasn't big; its employees were just the few of them. There used to be one more, but they hadn't been back to Penguin Logistics for a long time.
In Lucas Reeve's mind.
Penguin Logistics should be a large corporation.
Exusiai and the others should just be the combat personnel who often operate in the field, just like Blacksteel Worldwide, which had a large number of logistics and basic support staff in addition to mercenaries. But when they took the elevator upstairs, he was surprised to find that Penguin Logistics really was just the few of them!
Leaving aside Sora, there were only three combat-capable members at the moment...
Tsk...
With so few people, it couldn't even be considered a small company. Even a studio had more people than this. To be famous throughout Lungmen and even all of Terra... all he could say was, impressive...
The elevator doors opened.
Lucas Reeve arrived at the Penguin Logistics company.
His eyes fell on a messy office area. On a wall not far away was a small Penguin Logistics logo poster.
It looked like a home-based studio, a small workshop...
Led by Texas, Lucas Reeve turned into a private room on the side. This must be the boss's office. It was hard to imagine that the owner of an entire high-end office building, a tycoon worth at least ten digits, would use such an office.
And Texas didn't even bother to knock, pushing the office door open directly. A roaring heavy metal music came from inside, seeming to make the whole earth tremble.
Then.
Lucas Reeve saw a... a... a penguin...
Lying leisurely on a lounge chair. One penguin flipper held a wine glass, but it was filled with coke. The other hand nimbly held a pistol, constantly spinning it. He wore a small shirt, a hip-hop hat on his head, sunglasses on his face, and several large gold chains around his neck.
At a glance, he looked like a hip-hop penguin.
"......"
Lucas Reeve couldn't hold it in.
A penguin...
So it really is PENGUIN Logistics!!
However, he quickly realized that this penguin was a long-lived being...
After all, in Terra, almost everyone was an Ancient or a Beast-Eared person. Those who looked like animals were the Pioneers. But he had only ever seen one pure animal, and that was the High Priest...
As Lucas Reeve entered, the penguin lifted his sunglasses slightly, then immediately leaped from the lounge chair onto the desk, speaking in a hip-hop rap cadence.
"Yo! A rare guest! My dear girls have actually brought me back such a huge rare guest."
Texas was very surprised.
Because the way her boss was looking at Surtr was completely different. Could it be that the two of them really knew each other?
"Boss, this is the Miss Surtr we talked about yesterday."
Exusiai quickly said, "Her skills are amazing, she could even join our Penguin Logistics, yo."
Emperor hopped down from the table and waved a flipper. "Girls, you can step out for a moment."
After the four of them left, Emperor finally lifted his bead-sized eyes, and his pupils, looking at Surtr, met Lucas Reeve's gaze directly.
"So rare, the power of the Ancient God of Flame fused with the power of another god I don't recognize. You must know that blue-feathered bird, right? You have his scent on you, and it's very strong. You must have spent a lot of time together. Since the real owner is here."
"Let me introduce myself first. I am the Emperor~ Boss, rapper, entrepreneur, producer~ I have many titles..."
Lucas Reeve was a little surprised.
This Emperor could see through his soul as a fusion of the power of the Ancient God of Flame in one glance. As expected... none of the long-lived beings were to be trifled with.
"You're also interested in that fragment. Oh no... I can't say that. After all, this blade itself is your own fragment. It's normal to be interested."
Lucas Reeve didn't say a word the whole time, digesting the information in Emperor's words.
Instead, Emperor kept chattering on.
"Since you want to go, then go. I agree. I can provide specific information. However, as payment, I need you to protect my girls' safety. With you joining, I can at least rest a little easier."