Chapter 309 The Light Chaser

"Hehehe... Kogg, my old friend? What a rare guest! If I count the time, it must have been thousands of years since I last heard your voice, right? What, you've finally decided to come looking for me?" The will emitted bursts of laughter, carrying a composure of someone who had long held a superior position.

Kogg suppressed the pain from the rapid depletion of the Thousand Soul Gold Crystals and tried to keep his mental fluctuations stable: "'Light Chaser,' it's not that I don't want to contact you, it's just that the price of trading with you... is too heavy. My resources can't withstand a few more setbacks."

"Hahaha!" the Will of the Light chased laughed. "The cost and the reward are always proportional, my friend! You are just too cautious!"

"Take my advice: in this endless void, opportunities are often accompanied by risks. Go out and explore more, take more risks! Anyway, with me here, whatever information you need, I can get it for you, enough to help you avoid most dangers and maximize your gains!"

"No, I think it's best to be cautious in the endless void..."

"Don't be afraid, I'm here!"

Kogg sneered inwardly.

It's easy to say, but if we really do as they say and frequently rely on external information to take risks, then most of the resources we've worked so hard to accumulate will probably end up in this guy's pocket.

Wouldn't that make me a puppet working for him and bearing all the risks?

He, Kog, is not the kind of fool who likes to rely on others to become the ruler of a world.

Despite thinking this in his heart, Koger showed no emotion on the surface and simply remained silent.

Seeing that Kogg had no reaction, the Light Chaser grew somewhat bored and cut to the chase: "Alright, let's get down to business. What information do you want after going to such lengths to contact me?"

Kogg immediately said, "I need specific information about a world, an unknown civilization that suddenly appeared near my territory... I wonder what price I'll have to pay?"

"Specific information about a world?" The will of the Light Chaser seemed to ponder for a moment. "That depends on which world it is. Although our world records information about many powerful worlds and ancient civilizations, the void is infinite, and there are always areas beyond our reach."

"If it's just some insignificant, tiny world, we might not even notice it. Tell me the name of the world you want to inquire about so I can assess its value and provide a quote."

It paused, then added, "In addition, when providing the names of worlds or civilizations, it is best to use the names they 'claim themselves' to improve the accuracy of the search and avoid confusion."

Kogg stared at the golden crystal in the center of the magic circle, which was shrinking at a visible rate and whose color was beginning to dim. His heart ached so much that his whole body almost convulsed.

It dared not delay any longer and quickly transmitted the compiled information: "They call themselves—'wizards'."

It packaged and sent over some blurry images recorded at the front, energy spectrum characteristics, and a few deciphered language fragments.

"wizard?"

The will of the Light Chaser received the message, remained silent for a moment, seemingly searching a vast database, and then responded with a hint of uncertainty:

"This name... doesn't seem to match any known records of powerful civilizations. It sounds like a newly emerging world, or a name given to itself by some remote indigenous civilization. There is no direct information in the database at the moment."

“This…” Koger’s tone became stiff, clearly quite dissatisfied with the result.

“However…” the Light Chaser changed the subject, “Since you paid the ‘Thousand Soul Crystal’ to activate communication, we will naturally provide services. I can use my authority to conduct a targeted prediction and information gathering for you, but this will take time. I will contact you again after some time, and then I will inform you of the final price you need to pay.”

Before Kogg could ask any further questions, the overwhelming will that had descended receded like a tide.

The suffocating pressure inside the secret room suddenly disappeared, and the light of the magic circle quickly dimmed.

Click...

A soft cracking sound rang out.

In the center of the magic circle, the once brilliant golden crystal had completely lost its luster, and its surface was covered with cracks.

It eventually disintegrated into a small clump of dull gray powder, like ashes from a fire that had been burned out.

Kogg stared at the pile of powder, his massive body swaying weakly.

The condensation of billions of advanced souls... just like that, gone!

All they got in return was a promise to "wait for further notice".

"On the bright side, the fact that even the Light Chaser doesn't have any concrete information means that this wizarding civilization isn't well-known. It must be a weak civilization..."

Despite trying to comfort himself, Kogg still felt a pang of heartache.

"I hope... your intelligence is worth the price." It hissed in a low voice, filled with endless heartache and a trace of unease, and slowly withdrew from the secret chamber.

...

...

On the other side of the endless void, there lies a mysterious kingdom shrouded in eternal radiance.

A being composed of pure energy and the light of order—the "Light Chaser"—withdrew its projected will.

It "looked" at the remaining Thousand Soul Gold Crystal, which was still priceless despite being partially consumed, floating in front of it, and a pleasant ripple spread across the surface of the light cluster.

"What a generous nouveau riche... Just by communicating and delaying a bit, he can get so much 'deposit'. Small places have their advantages too." It thought to itself with satisfaction.

After all, in a larger world, it would be easy to see that he was stealing food.

"So, how long should we wait before replying to that clump of slime?"

It began to calculate precisely: "Responding too quickly makes it seem like the information came too easily, so I can't ask for too much later... Responding too slowly, although it can whet my appetite, seems to damage my reputation for efficient response... Hmm, I need to find the right time."

While weighing the maximization of benefits, it almost subconsciously activated the innate talent of its race.

With the name "Wizard" provided by Kogg, and those images and energy signatures, its perception, like invisible tentacles, quietly probed into the torrent of information related to these things in the dark.

They were trying to glean some clues beforehand, hoping to gain leverage in the subsequent "offering".

However, just as its perception touched the edge of a vague concept...

A calm, indifferent message, yet seemingly containing the weight of the entire void, was directly and forcefully imprinted on the very core of its soul without warning:

"Oh? Interesting. You actually dare to probe us? Let me see..."

Upon hearing this, the radiance of the light chaser suddenly froze.

(Bonus chapter today, there will be another chapter later!)

(End of this chapter)