Chapter 67: The Descent

Qian Ye looked into the eyes of the burly man and said, “I only have two gold coins but want two drinks. What should I do?”

The burly man’s grin turned from fierce to bloodthirsty as he replied, “Then you won’t get either your coins or the drinks back.”

Qian Ye chuckled, his eyes gradually growing sharp, and said, “Is that so?”

At that moment, the tattooed man behind the bar spoke in a strange, raspy voice, “Black Wolf, enough.”

A glint of ferocity flashed in the burly man’s eyes as he roared, “Why?!”

The tattooed man’s face darkened. “What, you dare not listen to me?”

“Yet they are clearly strangers,” Black Wolf glared fiercely at Qian Ye and Night Pupil. “Consider yourselves lucky, but after you finish your drink, you better leave quickly!”

Black Wolf’s repeated provocations had already tried Qian Ye’s patience. He spoke slowly, “With your puny strength, are you courting death?”

Black Wolf’s face turned bright red, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins as he stared murderously at Qian Ye, his bloodlust and madness fully on display.

However, a heavily tattooed hand landed on his shoulder, icy cold emanating from it, instantly covering Black Wolf in a layer of frost. The chill not only restrained his movements but also doused his rage.

The tattooed man pulled Black Wolf behind him, placing a tray on the table with two large mugs of what appeared to be ordinary beer.

“Everyone here calls me Blood Coat. As for my original name, even I have almost forgotten it. Young man, how should I address you? And who sent you here?”

“I am Zhao Ye, a nobody. I heard from Ding Shiheng that this is the most informed place in the entire Harbor City.”

Blood Coat said, “Ah, that vampire. It must have cost you a pretty penny to get information from him. Alright, what do you want to know?”

“The whereabouts of a person and the origin of a certain non-human being.”

Blood Coat smiled. “I’m good at finding people, but as for non-human beings, I’m no scholar. First, tell me, who are you looking for?”

“Xue Xingsan, the captain of the Xue family’s guards. I want to know where he is now.”

Upon hearing this name, some in the tavern paled, and Black Wolf’s eyes once again filled with murderous intent. But Blood Coat’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly said, “So, it’s someone from the Xue family. This will not come cheap.”

“How much?”

“Three thousand… Imperial gold coins.”

It was a staggering amount, especially for information. To put it bluntly, this price could easily hire a decent assassin to kill Xue Xingsan multiple times over.

“As expected, taking advantage of me being a stranger, trying to gouge me? Or perhaps, just hoping to make me give up?” Qian Ye thought to himself.

Blood Coat watched Qian Ye, a strange light in his eyes.

*Slap* Three blocks of high-purity black crystal were placed on the table. Qian Ye said, “I’ll take it.”

Almost everyone in the tavern, except for a few, stood up, their gazes fixated on the three black crystals, hot with desire. Some even cast their eyes to Qian Ye’s backpack, from where the black crystals were taken.

“Good, very straightforward!” Blood Coat laughed and reached for the black crystals. However, he couldn’t take them back because Qian Ye’s hand was pressing down on his wrist.

Blood Coat’s face changed several times, the totem patterns on his skin changing color, growing darker until they were almost purple. Everyone in the tavern knew that this was a sign of Blood Coat activating his power and special abilities. Yet, no matter how the totem patterns changed, his right hand remained immobile, unable to pull away from Qian Ye’s grip.

A layer of fine sweat appeared on Blood Coat’s forehead, his eyes filled with anger, fear, and confusion.

Suddenly, Qian Ye released his hand, allowing Blood Coat to retrieve the black crystals. He gave Qian Ye a deep look, slowly putting the crystals into his pocket, and said, “This is not the place to talk. Please follow me.”

Qian Ye and Night Pupil exchanged a glance and followed Blood Coat to the back. Black Wolf still glared at Qian Ye, but with more caution.

Qian Ye suddenly stopped, standing in front of Black Wolf, and said, “I don’t like your look.”

“So what?” Black Wolf growled, though much more subdued than before.

But in an instant, Black Wolf’s body bent double, his throat making strangled sounds as he slowly knelt before Qian Ye. Qian Ye withdrew his fist, slightly bending down to pat Black Wolf’s face, saying, “Next time, choose your target wisely before losing your mind!”

Black Wolf seemed stupefied, showing no reaction, and slowly collapsed to the floor, his body curled into a ball.

Qian Ye ignored him and caught up with Blood Coat, who hadn’t spared a glance for Black Wolf, as if he didn’t exist.

The tavern fell silent, even the whispering conspirators ceased their talk, sipping their drinks in gloomy silence.

Leading Qian Ye and Night Pupil into a small room, closing the door carefully, Blood Coat finally relaxed, his face showing a hint of apology. “I had no choice. This information is too sensitive. I must be cautious; I can’t let anyone overhear.”

Qian Ye nodded, while Night Pupil’s gaze swept over the corners of the ceiling and the trash bin. Each time her gaze shifted, Blood Coat’s face grew darker, finally prompting him to say, “Those are precautions against eavesdropping.”

“Seems like you have quite a few secrets here,” Qian Ye said blandly. The places Night Pupil looked at were all covered with prime force arrays, hidden skillfully. But such concealment naturally couldn’t escape the keen eyes of Qian Ye and Night Pupil.

Blood Coat took out a tattered notebook from a nearby cabinet, tearing out two pages and placing them on the table.

They were blank pages, but with a low command from Blood Coat, a faint red blood mist enveloped them, and words gradually appeared on the paper.

Qian Ye observed with interest. This method of recording and concealing information was quite ingenious and almost impossible to crack. Only the designated user’s bloodline could unlock the information. Of course, the cost was extremely high, as every material that could react with a specific bloodline was astronomically priced.

From these two pages alone, it was clear that Blood Coat’s asking price was not arbitrary but justified.

One page contained information about the Spider Emperor, the other about the Moonlight White Devil, detailing the movements of key figures and armies. This information was indeed top-secret, and there would be those willing to pay a fortune for it. But Qian Ye, clueless about the power struggles in the neutral lands, found it meaningless. Night Pupil, however, read it intently.

After Night Pupil finished, Qian Ye asked, “Is the information on these pages related to the person I’m looking for?”

Blood Coat replied, “Not directly, but there are indirect connections, or rather, a high probability. For example, the movement of the Spider Emperor’s Crystal Spider Army is clearly abnormal…”

At this, Night Pupil snorted derisively. “Crystal Spider? His ambition is quite grand.”

“What is the Crystal Spider?” Qian Ye was completely unaware.

“It’s a part of the Evernight Council’s Holy Seat, the supreme guardian of the Spider Demons, second only to his personal guard. That old spider fancies himself the ruler of the holy mountain.”

Blood Coat couldn’t help but look at Night Pupil, surprise in his eyes. This was a secret of significant level within the Evernight faction, something not even heard by those below a certain rank. But he knew quite a bit about the neutral land’s Spider Emperor and said, “He’s not ambitious, just a big talker. Giving himself fancy titles is one of his hobbies.”

The Spider Emperor’s characteristics were well-known, often becoming a topic of ridicule and laughter in the neutral lands, except for newcomers like Qian Ye. Nevertheless, despite these, the Spider Emperor’s power was formidable, with few rivals in the neutral lands, and his arrogance even surpassed that of the Wolf King. So, while people might mock him in private, very few dared to disrespect him openly.

“Does the movement of the Crystal Spider Army mean anything?” Qian Ye returned to the previous topic.

“Judging from the timing, this movement occurred before the mobilization of the Wolf King’s generals. In other words, while it seems the Wolf King is planning a surprise attack, the Spider Emperor has already prepared for war. Even if the Wolf King does nothing, the Spider Emperor will initiate the conflict.”

Qian Ye felt a chill. Whether in the Empire or the Evernight, the true elite were not to be underestimated. In the even more turbulent neutral lands, those who ruled were true warlords. A single misstep could mean being devoured, bones and all.

Qian Ye read the information on the paper again, memorizing the names of the strong figures, then picked up the information on the Moonlight White Devil, asking, “And what about these?”

Blood Coat pointed to the paper. “This assassin army is moving in the same direction as the Crystal Spiders. And this, the Defiling Berserker, is heading towards Harbor City. This is no coincidence; the Spider Emperor and the Moonlight White Devil have reached some kind of secret agreement.”

Considering Harbor City’s location, Qian Ye frowned. “So, this place is going to become a battlefield, right?”

“Not here, but nearby. And the Xue family’s merchant caravan, which appears to be transporting local goods, is actually supplying the Wolf King’s army with a batch of prime energy crystals. Xue Xingsan is the key figure in determining the caravan’s route and its defensive setup.”

Qian Ye finally understood. It seemed Xue Xingsan had been bought off, betraying the Xue family. Prime energy crystals were absolutely strategic, powering floating warships and large-scale war machines, and were essential cores for major prime force arrays. The interception of this caravan would be a severe blow to the Wolf King’s preparations, though Cui Yuanhai’s bad luck had dragged him into this conspiracy. Neither the Spider Emperor nor the Moonlight White Devil would hesitate to capture a weapon master capable of crafting seventh-grade firearms.