"You there, present your identification!"
At the dock outside Dongyang City, crowds came and went, with squads of soldiers constantly passing through the throng, checking everyone's identification.
Not far away, in a restaurant, Lin Xiao was sitting by the window, gazing at the passersby in the distance.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, your food is ready."
Lin Xiao turned at the sound and saw the waiter carrying a large tray over to his side.
"Thank you." Lin Xiao nodded, then glanced outside again. "I remember that when I last came to Dongyang City, the checks here weren't this strict. Has something happened?"
"You haven't heard, sir? They're searching for Evil Soul Masters."
"Evil Soul Masters?" A hint of "surprise" appeared on Lin Xiao's face as he leaned slightly forward, seeming quite interested.
Seeing this, the waiter didn't hold back. "You know about the announcement that came from Mingdu some time ago, right?"
"Of course I do." Lin Xiao nodded. "Rumors say that Evil Soul Masters are running rampant across the empire, committing murder, arson, robbery, and every evil deed imaginable, even affecting areas near Mingdu. The Regent Prince, with the people's welfare in mind, has decided to eliminate all Evil Soul Masters from the empire."
"That's exactly it." As the waiter placed the dishes on the table, he lowered his voice. "But that's only the surface news."
"Oh?" Lin Xiao also lowered his voice a little. "You know some inside information, too?"
"Of course. I've heard that the organization formed by those Evil Soul Masters has deep ties to Shrek Academy. Even our Majesty's long illness is something they did together with Shrek Academy, just to plunge our Sun Moon Empire into chaos. Truly treacherous!"
"Fortunately, we have the Regent Prince to prevent us from falling into civil strife."
Lin Xiao couldn't help but click his tongue helplessly.
This was truly quite "internal" information, even he, an elder of the Holy Spirit Cult, did not know of it.
"Where did you hear this from? Is it really true?" Still, Lin Xiao went along with the waiter's words and continued asking.
"Hey, who knows if it's true or false. All I know is that if His Highness can eliminate the Evil Soul Masters from the empire, that's a good thing."
"During those years when Evil Soul Masters ran wild, we didn't dare go out without fear. Now it's much safer to go out, and people dare to travel far. True or not, it's a tremendous blessing."
Lin Xiao fell silent for a moment at those words, then turned his head once more to look toward the dock.
Indeed, to ordinary people, whether Soul Masters, soul mentors, or the imperial family, all were too distant. As long as someone intended to eliminate Evil Soul Masters, Xu Tianran was a wise ruler in the eyes of the common folk.
"Thanks." Lin Xiao smiled and quietly slipped a few copper soul coins into the waiter's pocket. The man immediately beamed and left.
"Alright, sir, just call me if you need anything later."
"Looks like we'll have to take a detour."
Besides Lin Xiao, the Snow Empress's soul gently floated out. As she spoke, she looked out the window.
"No problem. I was just taking the convenient route anyway. Since the blockade is so tight, I can just swim out from the sea myself to scout the range of the soul tools."
As he spoke, Lin Xiao glanced at her sideways. "You don't need to worry about the Extreme North either. Although the space there is thin, you've been in the Extreme North for so long without any issues. A short absence like this won't cause any accidents."
The Snow Empress let out a soft sigh but still nodded.
Ever since meeting that deity in the Holy Spirit Cult, Lin Xiao had hidden very little from her regarding the souls he controlled. He had also told the Snow Empress about the spatial anomaly in the Extreme North.
The Snow Empress was worried and wanted to return to the Extreme North to take a look.
For the moment, Lin Xiao had nothing pressing to do. Although he had received much experience from Electrolux regarding attempts at becoming a god, his cultivation had not yet reached the stage where he needed to focus entirely on contemplating such matters.
Moreover, with the large-scale search for Evil Soul Masters across the Sun Moon Empire, and him being unfamiliar with the three great empires, he had nowhere to settle for the time being. It was better to first head to the remote and sparsely populated Extreme North to take refuge and cultivate there for a while.
As for the task assigned by that deity…
Completely ignoring it was obviously impossible.
Lin Xiao knew full well that the deity probably kept frequent watch over events on the Douluo Continent. Though his gaze might not always be on him, having received that prior assignment, the deity might glance over at any moment.
For now, he was far from having the strength to oppose a deity.
However, exactly how to handle it was something he could think over carefully. What the deity asked him to do might not be entirely without benefit to himself.
While Lin Xiao was deep in thought, a sudden commotion erupted at the dock.
"It's her!"
"Quick, catch her!"
"Apprehending a wanted criminal, everyone, clear the way!"
The soldiers' loud shouts carried from afar; almost half of Dongyang City could hear them. Lin Xiao quickly noticed the change at the dock. Looking up, he saw people instinctively retreating to the sides of the road. A squad of soldiers had already set up soul cannons and were pursuing relentlessly.
Ahead of them, a cloaked figure was fleeing rapidly forward. Though not using a soul tool, her speed was in no way slow.
"The target is an Evil Soul Master, proceed with caution!"
"Once she reaches open ground, open fire immediately!"
Commands rang out from the squad. Many people in the shops on both sides had already taken cover, afraid of being caught in the crossfire, though some bolder ones peeked out slightly, wanting to see what the fleeing Evil Soul Master looked like.
A few soul mentors with some strength even considered helping the army capture the escaping Evil Soul Master.
Unfortunately, the Evil Soul Master was extremely fast. As she ran, she left behind afterimages; people only saw a cloak fluttering slightly before her figure vanished.
"Huff—huff—"
On the street, Nana dared not pause her steps, constantly weaving through the narrow gaps between buildings.
Listening to the increasing footsteps around her, several times she reached into her bosom toward her storage soul tool, as if about to draw two short blades in the next moment.
But each time, before she could touch the storage soul tool, her hand brushed against a token.
She had touched that token countless times; its feel was all too familiar.
"Mom…"
She murmured in her heart, and in the end, she did not draw her weapon.
Glancing around, she judged the direction and dashed toward the East Yang City gate.
"Attention, she's heading out of the city!"
"Block… no, let her leave the city!"
"Yes, sir!"
Though unclear on the captain's order, the soldiers swiftly adjusted their formation, gradually forcing Nana toward the city outskirts.
And the instant Nana, cloaked in black, rushed out of Dongyang City, the soul cannons atop the city wall suddenly blazed with dazzling light.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are 40 early chapters available on Patreon
[email protected]/facficmax10--------(@→a)