Chapter 131: Wenman and the Demon Flower Seed

"Farewell to the most distinguished guest of Nazdak!"
"We look forward to your return!"

Black energy crystals, mingled with the jawbones of the shop assistants, paved the floor layer upon layer, raising the ground by a full two feet. The clerks' once impeccably professional smiles had been completely warped by this deluge of "pay-to-win" spending; as Luo Yong departed, their eyes were squeezed shut in delight, and their mouths hung agape.

Having reached a certain spending threshold, Luo Yong found himself with yet another storage ring. Inside were the 352 golden light orbs he had just "purchased," along with one silver orb and one bronze orb.

Leaving Sunset Town and retracing his steps, Luo Yong wandered about, but he couldn't find that fat slob, Pang Ding, anywhere—not even in the Warlock Canyon where they had first met. A guy like him was truly difficult to track down once he decided to hide.

However, Luo Yong had a way to draw him out.

The Ancient City Ruins.

A place that had been desolate for ages, overgrown with lush, wild weeds. Luo Yong made some minor preparations here, scattered a few gold coins, and spread rumors that this site held the secrets and legacy of a Necromancer.

Suddenly, gossip flew everywhere. It wasn't just the nearby encampments; the Hero Association, the Mage Guild, the Mercenary Guild, the Hunter Association, and various other factions all caught wind of it and dispatched mercenaries to investigate. Beyond that, many independent teams arrived as well.

The entire ruins were turned upside down by these people, to the point where even the field mice in their burrows were rooted out. In the end, they found nothing. Many left, cursing under their breath, while others, refusing to give up, continued their meticulous search.

Luo Yong, hidden in the shadows, was also searching carefully—but he didn't need to find Pang Ding. He only needed Pang Ding to see the Peerless Swordswoman standing not far from him, and the man would naturally come to him.

The heroic young woman, standing proudly with a longsword strapped to her back, drew countless gazes. Yet, who would ever suspect that she was actually a magic-powered automaton?

Luo Yong kept a certain distance from the Peerless Swordswoman, making it easier to contact Pang Ding once he approached.

"You're the one who spread the rumor? Just to find me?"

About a day later, a voice sounded from the gloom behind him, and Pang Ding’s spherical body wobbled into view.

"Let's go."

Luo Yong didn't waste words; he opened a portal and stepped through first.

"Where to? Did you finish grinding your levels? How are you still at level 15? And you still won't say what this is about!" Pang Ding grumbled incessantly, clearly reluctant, but he followed regardless.

A flicker of movement followed as the Peerless Swordswoman also entered the portal.

While walking toward the Stonehenge, Luo Yong showed Pang Ding the key to the Skeleton Secret Realm and explained the situation.

"What? That's it?"

Pang Ding frowned, looking displeased. "You dragged Master Pang all the way from... ahem... just for this? To help you lure monsters?!"

"What else?" Luo Yong replied matter-of-factly. "I can't count on you for anything else anyway. Besides, the Skeleton Secret Realm is a low-tier one; the monsters inside can't possibly exceed level 15. With your skills, you can steamroll them."

"What do you mean you can't count on me for anything else?!" Pang Ding tilted his head, narrowed his small eyes at Luo Yong, and said viciously.

"Then tell me, what can I count on you for?" Luo Yong asked with a straight face.

"I..." Pang Ding choked, stood there thinking for a moment, and said, "No! I'm not luring monsters. Find someone else. At worst, just leave the gate to the secret realm open and see which blind fool walks in. Wouldn't that just be... heh heh heh..."

"You really are as wicked as they say," Luo Yong sighed, shaking his head as if he had expected nothing less.

"Hmph, then go grind in the Demon Secret Realm yourself. Don't come looking for me until you're level 20!" Pang Ding declared.

"I wasn't planning on looking for you anyway! Once I hit level 20, I'll just..." Before Luo Yong could finish, Pang Ding grabbed his waistband once more.

*Cough.*

Actually, he wanted to grab Luo Yong by the collar, but his strength didn't allow it.

"You dare?! If you don't come to find me when you hit level 20, I'll stab all those female teammates of yours to death, one by one!" Pang Ding threatened with a fierce expression.

"If you dare touch a single hair on them..." Luo Yong reached out and grabbed Pang Ding by the collar, looking equally menacing, "I'll turn Belinda into an undead creature and let her sink into eternal darkness!"

"You!"

Pang Ding blinked, contemplated the consequences, and backed down.

"Fine, you win!"

He had realized that even if he killed Wendy and the others, Luo Yong could just revive them. But Belinda's resurrection depended entirely on Luo Yong. It was like having his fate held in someone else's grip; he had no choice but to submit.

"If Belinda can't be revived when the time comes, you'd better watch out!"

Pang Ding let go of Luo Yong and said with a dejected air, "Fine, I'll lure the monsters. Master Pang is a man of his word—I can bend and I can stretch. I'll endure it!"

"Actually, you don't have to lure monsters. I could just as easily grind in the Demon Secret Realm." As they approached the area near the Stonehenge, Luo Yong slowed his pace and pointed to the mercenaries guarding the site. "As long as you can draw them away so I can slip through the Stonehenge and enter the realm, that's enough."

"Oh?"

Pang Ding carefully assessed the situation in the distance, then looked at Luo Yong with surprise. "What kind of god-forsaken thing did you do? Did you insult someone's faith in public?"

"Of course not!"

Luo Yong waved his hand immediately, signaling he wouldn't do anything so stupidly offensive. He pointed to the stone statues that had been moved and were now under guard. "I just taught some blind fools a lesson."

"Human-shaped statues... Wow, you really are bold enough to do anything! Heh! Are you scared now?" Pang Ding said in a mocking tone, his small eyes blinking as he pondered something.

"I'm not scared; I just don't want to waste time," Luo Yong said coolly.

"What's the plan? Just charge in? Aside from insulting their faith, I don't want to provoke them either," Pang Ding asked.

"That's the spirit." Luo Yong gave Pang Ding a thumbs up and whispered, "Have you ever heard of 'Wenman'?"

"What Wenman? What kind of man? What man?" Pang Ding was completely bewildered by the triple-question.

"You are Wenman!"

Luo Yong hissed, suddenly pushed Pang Ding, and kicked him hard in the backside with all his might—otherwise, he might not have even budged.

"Damn it... you bastard!" Pang Ding cursed, but his body rolled uncontrollably, careening directly toward the group of mercenaries.

"Who's there? Stop!"

"If you don't stop, we'll..."

"Holy hell, it's a ball!"

The mercenaries were startled and looked over, only to see the "ball" rolling right up to them. Vaguely, they felt as if there might be a person wrapped inside it.

"Catch him! That's Rod Karl Misius! He's ranked on the bounty list..." Luo Yong shouted from afar, waving his spear as he chased after him.

"What?!"

"This ball... is that..."

"It's Rod Karl Misius!"

"Grab him! Take him to the Hero Association for the reward!"

A group of mercenaries swarmed over, chasing and surrounding Pang Ding, determined to capture him for the bounty.

"Luo—Zoro! You backstabbing rat!" Pang Ding yelled, parrying a thrusting spear with his sword. He spun like a top, zig-zagging in ways that defied logic, dodging the mercenaries' pursuit and breaking through their lines with a string of curses before speeding away.

Luo Yong took the opportunity to reach the Stonehenge, open the gate to the secret realm, and dash inside.

"Stop!"

A roar came from behind, but the gate had already closed, sealing everything off.

Luo Yong didn't hesitate; he summoned the Guardian of Holy Light and erected a domain of holy light. Then, he set up his cannon and Gatling guns, and amid a thunderous roar, began a new round of grinding.

With the magic automaton doing all the work, Luo Yong was quite idle. After touching several golden light orbs, the number of "Gatling Sisters" increased by a few. Among the countless golden orbs, Luo Yong discovered one that was a slightly different shade.

"Did they run out of paint after churning out so many golden ones?"

Luo Yong reached out to touch the orb, and an image of a flower appeared from within. It looked somewhat silly and cute. It didn't grow larger, nor did it take on a human form; it simply imprinted a mark on Luo Yong's wrist and then began to circle around him.

"This is a magic flower..."

Upon receiving the imprint, Luo Yong also gained information about it.

Name: Magic Flower Seed
Level: 0

There wasn't another word of information.

"Can this thing even fight? Or does it have another use?"

Luo Yong poked the flower gently. It seemed to emit a faint emotion—timid, yet wanting to express something. It had only a tiny root system, a short stalk, and a small bud, totaling only about a finger's length, and it looked terribly weak.

"Since it's a flower, it should probably be planted in the ground."

Luo Yong planted it in a patch of open ground nearby and observed it for a while, only to find that it didn't perk up; if anything, it looked even weaker.

"Does it need water? Or..."

As Luo Yong pondered, a faint telepathic message reached him. The magic flower seed was hungry. And it was fearful of the holy light.

"The info didn't mention this—it's a dark-element plant?"

Luo Yong dug it up, planted it outside the domain of holy light, and tried feeding it a magic crystal.