GDK 826: Rising Star
Although Han Jin possessed Goldstone Enterprise, as the wealthiest of the Five Elite Zombies, Han Jin was not particularly great in strength. Goldstone Enterprise, as an energy crystal trading company, also did not possess a particularly powerful military unit. On the last trip to Ethereal City, Han Jin had carried many rare and precious rocks from another Dominion.
The information about their journey was somehow leaked. While his caravan was crossing the outskirts of the Fringe, they were attacked by a group of raiders. Not only that Han Jin had lost all the precious rocks he carried, but all of the shop workers that traveled with him were also killed.
If it wasn’t for the fact that there was a mountainous region nearby and his shop workers sacrificed their lives to hold back the raiders for him to escape, Han Jin might have perished.
Using his magical innate power, Han Jin paved a tunnel through the mountains and lost himself from the raiders. He then managed to return to Ethereal City by himself. The rare minerals which he gathered from other Dominions were gone. He was the only survivor of the attack.
After the gold-nugget like pelleted medicine entered Han Jin’s stomach, a miraculous yuan energy gently spread around his body. Strands of yuan energies filled his limbs and bones, slowly healing his damaged organs and veins…
While traveling to Ethereal City, Han Shuo had been collecting all kinds of rare, magical medicinal ingredients and used them to refine certain medicines useful for the Five Elite Zombies to replenish the yuan energies they exhausted.
While the yuan energy was dissolving in Han Jin’s body and slowly nourishing his body, Han Shuo, using his demonic yuan, carefully nursed his injuries. Han Jin’s pale white face finally had a shade of redness.
Half an hour into the treatment, Han Jin started coughing violently and puked out a puddle of filthy, foul-smelling blood. He suddenly seemed to have gotten much better. Then, he forced a smile and said to the worried Han Shuo, “Don’t worry, Father. I’m alright now!”
Han Shuo did not reply but continued to probe Han Jin’s body condition using his consciousness. Then, after a long while, Han Shuo heaved a light breath and seemed a little tired as he said, “Your injuries are severe. Luckily I have been carrying medicines of the five elemental yuans and some rejuvenation pills. Otherwise, the injuries will surely leave a permanent effect!”
“Hehe, I knew that Father will be here, therefore I rushed to the City at all costs,” said Han Jin weakly in a smile. He took a lot of effort to sit up against the wall and refused Han Shuo’s assistance.
“Do you know who did it?” asked Han Shuo as his eyes suddenly turned chillingly cold.
“I remember their faces and I can recognize them when I see them. But I’m not familiar with the Fringe and I do not know their identities,” said Han Jin. He then closed his eyes to recall the battle and described the faces of every attacker to Han Shuo.
Like Han Jin, Han Shuo did not have much understanding about characters living in the Fringe and he also could not identify the attackers. “Here is a hundred Metal Yuan Revitalizing Pills. Take five of it every day without interruption until you have finished the whole bottle. Focus on healing your injuries, we will talk after you have recovered,” Han Shuo instructed Metal Elite Zombie after he took out a large bottle of golden and shiny pelleted medicines.
“Thank you, Father. I knew I would be alright,” replied Han Jin smilingly as he kept away the bottle of medicine.
Han Shuo then went forward to carry Han Jin and said, “Come to Celestial Pearl Pharmacy with me, it’s safer there. Also, you should meet Little Earth and Little Fire.”
“Wait, I need to leave some instructions,” said Han Jin before he called for Myles who had been waiting right outside the door. He gave Myles a bunch of instructions, including not to let other branches know that he was injured and to pay some attention to the situation over in the Fringe to see if, by any chance, that any of his workers survived.
***
In a remote valley near the northwest of the Fringe, a boorish and burly looking man was fiercely conquering a coquettish woman on top of a tree trunk. There was a group of godhunters sitting near them but they turned a blind eye to the activity as though nothing was happening. They were either concentrated on cultivating, studying scrolls in their hands, or wiping clean their divine weapons.
Then, moments after a rapid increase in the rhythm’s amplitude and frequency, the burly chap let out a long, loud howl of great satisfaction. He then casually pushed the half-conscious woman aside, wrapped his lower body in a piece of hide, and lied comfortably on an enormous stone chair. He gazed at the quiet and cool moon hanging at the zenith with his sleepy, half-open eyes as though he was waiting for something.
Half-an-hour later, an ice-cold looking teenager noiselessly appeared at the valley. He was slowly stepping towards that burly chap at the center of the valley.
Fierce lights erupted from the eyes of all the godhunters in the valley as soon as they sensed an outsider was approaching. The divine weapons in their hands started to glow as brightly as the ferociousness in their eyes. They were ready to pounce on the comer and shred him into pieces.
However, when they discovered that the person was a teenager, one of his eyes was light-purple, and had seven strange bone spurs sticking from his back, the hostility on their faces immediately vanished and was replaced with respect. They automatically part away, clearing a path for the teenager into the valley.
“Hi, my friend. I heard that you have recently annihilated the Leo Family! What a great contribution you have made for us godhunters. So, what’s up? Are you here for business?” said the burly guy as he looked at Han Hao in a polite face. He was eating fruits while sitting relaxingly on the large chair at the center of the valley.
“Polo, I have come to ask you for a favor,” said Han Hao in a cold voice before he threw a big bag of black crystal coins under Polo’s feet. “That’s three hundred thousand black crystal coins. I need you to ask Baum, the Ethereal City City Lord, the location of a space highgod divine body that belonged to someone called McKinley. If you figured out its location, I will give you another two hundred thousand black crystal coins. And if you can somehow get me the soulless divine body, I will give you another five hundred thousand black crystal coins on top of everything.”
Polo, who had been lying lazily, suddenly opened his eyes wide and sat up straight. He looked up and down at Han Hao several times before he asked, “Do you know who McKinley is? And his relationship with Baum?”
“I do,” replied Han Hao as he nodded. His purple eye gave off a flash as he said, “I heard that you have lived in the Space Dominion for a while. Surely, you’d know about the story between Baum and McKinley. I also know that you have business dealings with Baum all these while. Those are the reasons I came to you,”
“If you are looking for McKinley’s divine body, it must mean you that have his divine soul. I don’t know how you got his soul, but if McKinley gets his body back, it will definitely cause Baum a lot of trouble. Baum is an important trading partner for me. To damage the trade relationship for a mere one million black crystal coins, that doesn’t sound like a profitable deal!” said Polo in a peal of gentle laughter. Then, he squinted his eyes slightly as he said to Han Hao, “Two million black crystal coins. I will get you McKinley’s body, even if it means offending Baum! What say you?”
Han Hao nodded and replied, “Very well. I will hand you the rest of the money when you have the divine body.”
“No problem! I know that you are a trustable person!” said Polo before he started laughing heartily. He added cordially, “That Baum cannot be considered a true godhunter. That sanctimonious hypocrite with his Ethereal City will never be as close as we are!”
“Keep me updated. I’ll be in Ethereal City,” replied Han Hao succinctly. He did not waste words with Polo but indifferently turned on his heels and left the valley.
Soon after Han Hao left, a godhunter with early-stage highgod strength went to Polo with his brows bunched. He asked in a puzzled manner, “Chief, is it worth offending Baum for a mere two million black crystal coins? I have heard a little about the feud between McKinley and Baum. Once he gets his body back, he will most certainly go for Baum. Then, when Baum dies, our businesses with Ethereal City would be over. The gains just won’t make up for the losses!”
“Did you see just how young Han Hao is? It took him just fifty years to become one of the leading figures in the Alliance. The troop he leads had annihilated many family clans that sought to destroy us godhunters. His popularity and influence are still strongly trending upwards in the Alliance. This youngster has a great future ahead of him! During these years, Han Hao has never failed in any of his endeavors. Now that he wants to get Baum, Baum most likely will not make it. We might as well make some profits off his downfall!” explained Polo like a master schemer.
“But, can he defeat Baum?” asked the godhunter.
“Hehe, recently I’ve received some interesting news, saying that Baum was nearly defeated by a youngster named Bryan. That youngster named Bryan has two sons named Han Huo and Han Tu. Think about it – Han Huo, Han Tu, Han Hao – doesn’t that sound a little more than coincidence?” replied Polo in a grave face as he sat upright.
“My Lord, you mean, Han Hao is related to that Bryan?!”
“Not sure, but it seems very likely! If this is true, there is no way that Baum won’t be dead! Hehe, before he dies, I might as well trade Han Hao a favor. And in doing so, I might even get two million black crystal coins. I say there cannot be a more wonderful trade than this!” said Polo as he laughed heartily. Then, he instructed the godhunter, “Take the three hundred thousand black crystal coins to Baum, tell him I need to borrow McKinley’s divine body for a few days. Given our relationship and the number of crystal coins, Baum will definitely hand over the soulless body willingly. Hehe, McKinley has disappeared for so long. Who would have thought that he would return?”
“Understood, my Lord!” the godhunter immediately got up to execute the task given to him. But he suddenly paused as a thought came to his mind, “My Lord, Han Hao is in Ethereal City. After I got McKinley’s divine body, should I contact him and directly pass it to him?”
“No, you must not. Ethereal City is filled with energy towers that Baum deployed. He must have placed a tracer in McKinley’s divine body. Do not take that risk. Just leave a message for Han Hao to do the trade here. And remember to carry that divine body carefully. It’s worth two million black crystal coins!” instructed Polo.
“Yes. Rest assured, my Lord. It will be executed cleanly!” pledged the person solemnly.