Chapter 284: A Flow of Inspiration (EX)

On the night of the day when the blessing reappeared in the third sequence.

Fulatali quickly finished revising the manuscript, threw it to Dudu Otter, and roared, "For the last time!"

"You're plagiarizing even a draft of a conversation. I don't know what to say to you." Dudu Otter read it carefully. "I'll let you off this time. I'll take the manuscript. How will I get the royalties?"

"Cuizhi, after all, you can eat divine power crystals anywhere..."

The old octopus rolled up a bunch of green branches and lay listlessly on the table. Vander gave him a long look and handed him a cup of hot ginger tea: "Professor, you have worked hard."

"If it weren't for you, this evil disciple, who exposed my past, I wouldn't have to work so hard." Fulatali sighed.

"Oh, you were the one who said this in class. Taking the free mushrooms to fill your own pockets, I don't know who was the first to be dishonest."

Vander wasn't afraid of it at all, which was a reflection of the Twilight Library's teaching style. He poked the old octopus, "By the way, Professor, why did you come to the city-state to write a book? The treatment in our library isn't bad. We all copy and paste every day, and you're guaranteed to have plenty of food and drink."

"Haven't you heard of being too still to think about moving?" Fulatari blew his beard and glared. "What we demons value is freedom! For a bite of food, ah, a library for hundreds of years, how reasonable! We need poetry and distant places!"

"Then you have a very young mindset. The fish may be old, but the heart is not..."

Fulatali grabbed it with one tentacle and said with a sinister smile, "Don't just talk about me. Vander, let me ask you, how much of your graduation thesis do you remember?"

Upon hearing this, Fander smiled innocently: "To be honest, I've forgotten everything except the title."

"I knew you were such a bad boy! You have no guts at all, yet you still dare to travel out here. It's really embarrassing!" Fulatali cursed.

It fished out a small, gleaming silver key from its beard and tossed it to Vander: "When you have time, go to the library of Mansa Star Castle and look for your old references and get your housekeeping skills back. Remember this: people are willing to take you around out of kindness, but you have to have your own abilities when you go out. You can't get far relying on your mediocre hypnosis skills!"

Fander's eyes lit up: "The certificate of Jingsha Library? So generous, thank you~"

Vander hung the keys around his neck and slipped away happily. Fratelli drank his ginger tea in a bad mood, yelled a few times at the counter, and went out cursing.

Chu Hengkong waited for Fander to go upstairs to read, then asked Gulibo, "How long has Fulatali been in the city-state?"

"It's been quite a while..." Gulibo thought for a while, "It seems his first book was published decades ago."

·

Fratali's home is located on the most remote branch of the third vein. Its small house is almost close to the border of this leaf vein. From a distance, it seems as if it will fall from the sky and into the ocean with the slightest vibration.

Naturally, such a remote area had few residents, and even the municipal facilities were quite old. The streetlights flickered on and off, with gaps lasting for more than ten seconds. During those ten seconds, the surroundings were completely dark, like the silent maw of a monster.

Fratali groped his way into the house in the dark and turned on the lights. He sat down by the window, quietly gazing at the road that appeared and disappeared, his tentacles trembling with his thoughts.

Fate is such an unpredictable thing, Fratari thought. It had given up long ago, keeping the little key only because losing it might cause more trouble... for sentimental reasons like reminiscing about the past...

It quite likes the city-state of Jingsha, but it stays there only to avoid disaster. The city-state is about to become unstable, so it naturally wants to make a fortune quickly and find another way to hide in the paradise or the dustless land.

But "Vander" did appear. Although he knew nothing and was incredibly weak, it was undoubtedly "Vander"... and the man with the silver arm was his contractor...

Fratali let out a long breath and slumped down at the table.

"Twilight, my mission is accomplished," it whispered.

It did nothing. The moment the key left its body, the owner's concealment spell was invalidated. At this moment, it was exposed, and the person looking for it should be here soon.

The streetlights went out for 13 seconds. They came back on, and there was no one on the street. The second darkness was longer, 15 seconds. Still quiet. The next, only 3 seconds. And the next, 17 seconds of darkness.

When the darkness ended, three men stood in the light.

One of them was a hairy man wearing an old helmet. His wrists were scarlet claws, and his curly hair hid bloodshot eyes.

The fantasy demon "cold".

One of them was a man in a gray robe, holding a metal spear and carrying a bone cannon on his back. Tiny, sticky tentacles grew from under his hood.

The fantasy demon "oblivion".

The last person was a burly man holding two hammers. White flames burned in his eye sockets, and his bones tore through his flesh, forming an abnormal structure like a jet hole on his back.

The fantasy of the devil is "tyranny".

One Fantasy-level, two Illusions-level, the demonic possessions' gazes pierced the darkness, piercing the house. The pursuers had arrived, and it could no longer hide. The demonic possessions walked slowly toward the house, completely unconcerned about the old octopus's escape.

The lights went out again, and a hissing sound was heard in the darkness.

Someone is eating noodles.

He ate with such relish that even from the sound one could imagine the joy of his eating. He must have been a very hungry person, so hungry that he would hold the bowl and eat with reckless abandon, scraping the tips of his chopsticks against the bottom of the bowl, leaving not a drop of the soup or liquid behind.

The dim lights returned, and a tall man crouched beneath the streetlight, eating noodles. They were a homely stir-fried dish, topped with cabbage, a fried egg, tomatoes, and two large shrimp. The aroma of the red broth in the large bowl was fragrant. A bowl like this could satisfy any hungry person's cravings; no wonder he ate with such relish.

The tyrannical demon raised his hammers, but the man, still eating his noodles, seemed completely oblivious. A shorter man stood nearby, munching on a pancake with relish, a folding fan tucked into his waist.

"Eating while squatting is bad for the stomach," said Ji Qiufeng.

"You have to squat to eat noodles," the man began to drink the noodle soup, "it's boring to eat standing up!"

He wiped his greasy mouth with the back of his hand and stood up, holding the bowl of noodles. His sunglasses were covered with a layer of fog from the heat. The demon-possessed people's eyes were fixed on the dirty military coat behind him.

"It's so late, have you eaten yet?" Trick said, "There's no restaurant ahead. If we go any further, it would be considered trespassing."

The streetlight flickered for a moment, and in that moment of darkness, the Oblivion Demon shot out like a hawk. Its spear swept across the streetlight, engraving a spell that would cause oblivion. A colorless light shone from its barrel, and a powerful beam of energy shot straight towards the house at the end of the road!

Then the streetlights came back on, and the Forgotten Demon stiffened. It still maintained its forward stance, but was forced to kneel down. Trek was sitting on its back, using it as a handy chair.

Its cannon was nailed to the ground by a wooden cross gun. It was a level 5 relic weapon, but it was shattered in just one encounter!

Trick scooped up the pitiful amount of noodles in his bowl and smacked his lips. "I warned you..."

A cold glint flashed in the Grim Demon's eyes, and it seemed ready to fire, but its superior was even quicker. The Tyrannical Demon appeared behind Trek, its two hammers smashing down simultaneously, countless razor-sharp blood spikes bursting from them. He didn't care about Forgotten's life or death, determined to crush Trek and him together.

Its blood hammer struck directly, shattering the man's lower body into pieces. But the tyrannical demon felt a chill behind him, for Trek was leaning against his back, and what he shattered was his oblivion, which he had no time to react to!

"That's why young people these days just won't listen to advice. Uncle Trek, I'm a policeman. I represent justice." Trek raised his right leg high. "Why race against justice? Justice might be absent..."

"But I definitely won't be 'late'."

The tyrannical demon instantly retreated, flying 1,700 kilometers from the streetlight, directly above the bustling commercial district of the Third Meridian. But the first thing he saw after the relocation was Trek's smile. The kick struck him directly in the heart, sending the tyrannical demon flying backward like a rag!

The tyrannical demon slammed heavily against a wooden wall. This was impossible, as he had been struck from high in the air. Even if he had been sent flying backwards by the wound, he would have simply crashed into the clouds. But he did collide with the solid wall of a narrow, dingy little room, dangling from it with rusty chains.

He was kicked into... a cell!

Trek smiled and waved at the door, and then the heavy door closed silently, leaving only darkness to the tyrannical demon.

In this darkness, there will be no lights that occasionally turn on.

Beneath the streetlight, the cold demon turned without hesitation. Thousands of eyes glared fiercely beneath its long fur, emitting a light that clouded the air. However, it collided headfirst into a paper bag, a talisman painted on the back with sweet bean paste.

It was suddenly pulled out of the human body, became ethereal, and disappeared into the talisman paper like a phantom. The possessed man fell to the ground unconscious.

Ji Qiufeng shook the talisman and stuffed the remaining pancake into his mouth with one hand. Cui Ke appeared under the street light and frowned at the sight: "How sloppy~~~"

"Your words really make me feel complicated." Ji Qiufeng tossed the talisman to him. "It's about a 4-point combat power, which is the top of the fantasy level."

"Team Five has to write their report tomorrow," Trick gloated. "You're amazing! I've been searching for ages with no results, and within two days of trying your method, everyone's already scrambling to come up with something."

"Some people are born this way. Just leave them there and do nothing, and fate will find them." Ji Qiufeng said with a smile, "Don't you agree, Hengkong?"

A third shadow emerged from under the streetlight, and Chu Hengkong walked out in the dark, looking helpless.

"You're taking advantage of my fishing addiction."

"How can you call it fishing? You're really promoting your good qualities and contributing to maintaining public order in the city!" Trick clapped his shoulder vigorously. "You're so cautious at such a young age! You're much more reliable than your Uncle Ji was back then."

Old Octopus was the first old acquaintance of Vander Chu Hengkong had met, and he was also a veteran member of the Twilight Library. It was reasonable for him to have a proper chat with him. He hadn't expected to see such a scene just after catching up. The two veterans had already prepared for this, so he didn't need to do anything.

"Hengkong, leave this to us first." Ji Qiufeng said, "You and Fander are too close. It would be bad if you knew too much."

"Okay." Chu Hengkong nodded. "Where's Fen Ya?"

"I sent it for recuperation. It's now in the safest place in Jingsha." Ji Qiufeng thought for a moment, "Perhaps the safest place in Senluo Secret Realm."

Chu Hengkong didn't hesitate and turned away. Fate was already in his grasp. No matter what secrets Fan De and Fen Ya were hiding, knowing too much wouldn't benefit him. These matters weren't his to worry about. When his abilities improved, trouble would naturally come to him.

"What a kind heart!" Trick sighed. "Professor Fratelli, do you have anything to say?"

The old octopus walked out of the hut with a look of fearlessness on his face.

"Ask anything you're curious about. I'm under a curse, just like Finder, so I don't remember much. If you can't remember anything, you won't know even if you boil me."

"It'll be much easier if you cooperate like this." Trek walked up to it and suddenly asked, "Was the inspiration mushroom your own idea?"

"ah?"

Fulatali had been preparing for a long time, but unexpectedly, the question he wanted to ask was about this. He said blankly, "Yes, yes."

"Let me confirm again," Trek said word by word. "Is the Inspiration Mushroom a tool you developed independently? Has anyone else offered you any suggestive insights through hints or other means?"

"...No." Fratari was puzzled. "No matter how weak I am, I am still a demon. How could I not notice the induction on the spirit body... This is just inspiration drawn from the discussion of the creation tool, with a little selfish motive."

"I see." Trek nodded. "So, the second question is, while tracking down the inspiration mushrooms, my men lost track of a large order. I estimate the transaction volume was between 300 and 500 units."

"I still remember him... It must be a wealthy businessman who saw a business opportunity and bought a large number of samples for analysis," said Fratari. "The agent who came to buy mushrooms was very cautious, but from his accent, I think he's from Mansa Star Castle."

Trek nodded and stepped back. "Official business done, now onto personal work."

Ji Qiufeng stepped forward, waved his folding fan, and said with a smile: "Then please tell us about the 'Twilight Library'..."

(We will be on hiatus for two days tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, and will resume updating on Thursday.)

Everyone has finished the May Day holiday, and the author is also going to take a short vacation. I wish everyone a happy holiday~)

(End of this chapter)