From the distant wind came the sound of wailing—screams and howls mingled with wild laughter and cheering.
Beneath the blazing sun, dust danced and fluttered. Inside the frontline base, along the newly widened main thoroughfare, people surged to and fro like a bustling market.
At its liveliest, it was even more boisterous and extravagant than any regular marketplace.
However, the faces on the street exhibited a clear polarization. People either scowled sourly as if their mothers had just died, or beamed with manic joy as if they had just murdered someone else's...
Losing everything and escaping by the skin of one's teeth versus reaping a colossal harvest and returning in triumph.
Sometimes, the contrast was just that stark.
There were even those lying on stretchers, clinging to their last breath, who could still let out hearty laughs.
Because the unlucky bastards who couldn't make it back alive had long since died in the wilderness...
Within just a few short days of the attack, the frontline base had staged a rapid resurgence, its bustling vitality far outstripping previous days. The original outer perimeter had expanded outward several times over. Flooded by an influx of outsiders, it had grown to resemble a small city.
Situated right beside the Kingdom of the Woods, shielded by the Law of Tianyuan for peaceful rest, and supplied by merchant associations from all factions, it naturally possessed an inherent advantage in drawing population. As the Federation and the Empire gradually eased their inward blockade from the outside, it had practically become the gateway to the Kingdom of the Woods.
The vast majority of Celestial Chosen who had journeyed across great distances would rest here before entering the Kingdom of the Woods, restocking supplies and expendables to ensure thorough preparation.
Likewise, for the vast majority of Celestial Chosen withdrawing from the Kingdom of the Woods, their first port of call remained the nearest frontline base. Only here could they resupply at the fastest speed while claiming bounties and offloading loot, liquidating their gains to the maximum extent.
Bustle and clamor were only natural.
And raking in immense profits was, of course, just as deserved!
As the owner of the largest, sturdiest, and earliest established workshop in the entire frontline base, Ji Jue now found that he didn't need to do a thing. As long as he sat behind the counter pulling a sour face, a steady stream of people would rush forward, wearing flattering smiles to deliver money into his hands.
In the span of mere days, the faces on the street were like chives—harvested batch after batch, dying in crops only for fresh crops to sprout.
Every single stalk of chives bore a cordial look that said, *I have plenty of money, please fleece me as you please.* It was truly delightful.
"Oho, quite a harvest."
When Yan Fei called Ji Jue downstairs, he saw the customer waiting behind the table along with a massive bundle of goods. Many of the items were smeared with blood, not even washed off.
No one bothered with superficial courtesies. Did anyone go to the Kingdom of the Woods to accumulate good karma and perform charitable deeds?
Where people killed, people died; when people died, they naturally left behind inheritances. Through constant turnover, valuable items accumulated onto specific individuals like heavy metals concentrating up an ecological food chain.
Not only that, there were dedicated scavenger crews scouring the outer fringes to sell these items to secondhand dealers.
Over twenty alchemical creations, old and new, of varying styles and eras. There were even two Blessed creations. In the past, this would have counted as a massive order, but nowadays, it was merely ordinary.
Ji Jue sat down, not even looking closely, holding his teacup as he asked, "Appraisal or salvage?"
"Please take a look first, sir."
The emaciated Swarm chosen spoke in a raspy voice. His bald head was covered in tattoos, his thick beard a bushy reddish-brown, and he radiated the aura of someone who had slaughtered without restraint. Yet at this moment, he squeezed out a smile uglier than weeping, lowering his stance.
Ji Jue didn't bother being polite either. His fingers swept across the laid-out creations: "Trash, trash, trash, mediocre goods... Hmm? This one isn't bad... Right, seen them all. Not bad. If bundled together, they can fetch a decent price."
The Swarm chosen's eyes lit up. "How much?"
Ji Jue raised five fingers and told him, "Fifty thousand."
"...That low?"
The Swarm chosen was momentarily taken aback, disbelief written across his face. His brow furrowed. "Mr. Ji, we've dealt with each other quite a few times. You can't fleece me like this, can you?"
"What I mean is, since your face is familiar, you give me these goods for free, and then you pay me fifty thousand Federation currency."
Ji Jue took a sip of tea, screwed the cap back on, set the cup down by his hand, and said unhurriedly, "Then, I'll tell you why I dare charge you fifty thousand.
"If you think I have the spare time to jerk you around, just pretend I never said it. Or you're welcome to look elsewhere."
"..."
The Swarm chosen's expression shifted subtly, veins throbbing on his forehead. Clearly, he was barely restraining his urge to blow his top, but in the end, he didn't dare make a scene.
After all, compared to other workshops where smiling hypocrites mercilessly slashed prices to the bone and bought treasures for scrap value, Ji Jue laid his cards plainly on the table, explicitly informing him of the low-price salvage while paying a tier below the association's guideline price. Whether you gained or lost was made crystal clear. He was already the best option.
Besides, when making a living out in the world, one needed to know how to read the room. Even if one had a death wish, why turn hostile against a master craftsman right inside his workshop?
After agonizing for a good while, he gritted his teeth, pulled out a credit card, and swiped it through the POS terminal.
"Since you've put it that way, sir... please enlighten me."
With that, Ji Jue reached into the pile of miscellaneous items and pulled out an antique-looking bracelet. Clenching his fist, he gave it a slight vibration. An ear-piercing shriek immediately erupted from between his fingers, and a dense plume of vicious, deeply ingrained black, impure spiritual essence transformed into a wisp of dark smoke, slowly wafting up from between his knuckles.
When he opened his fingers again, the blood-red gemstone on the bracelet looked as if a layer of haze had been brushed away, glowing bright and vivid.
Injecting a tiny hint of spiritual essence into it caused subtle, rhythmic pulses to ripple outward, making the Swarm chosen's eyes go wide.
Then, he saw Ji Jue toss the bracelet over.
"There. Now you can use it."
Scrambling to catch it, he examined it closely in disbelief.
Tentatively, he asked, "Do you take this here?"
"Aside from the skill put into planting a trap, everything else is utter garbage. It's not even worth remelting."
Ji Jue yawned. "Buying it back at intact price only to scrap it is too much of a loss. Let me see... If you have no use for it yourself, take it next door. Sell it to him for four million nine hundred and ten thousand. Not a single ten-thousand less. Just tell him I said so."
"Deal!"
The Swarm chosen broke into a broad grin, without a shred of doubt. "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Ji! You're truly generous, Mr. Ji!"
He departed with endless profuse thanks.
Anyone who had spent even two days in the frontline base knew Mr. Ji's eyes were like a ruler. If he said it was four million nine hundred and ten thousand, then that was exactly what it was—not a single coin less!
A short while later, mumbled complaints faintly drifted over from next door. Clearly, the neighbor felt he had taken a loss after spending a fortune on the purchase.
Pity they shut their doors and lowered their voices, not daring to swear too loudly...
Otherwise, Ji Jue could have taken the chance to exchange some 'professional experience' with his peer.
Before the seller even stepped out the door, the table full of alchemical creations had already tumbled into the bin at Ji Jue's feet, turning into snow-white ash. Under the Dissociation Art, every last piece was thoroughly broken down.
The feedback he received made Ji Jue's brows arch slightly.
The White Nation's goods were pure indeed!
Although many were crudely crafted wares, quite a few were relics passed down from ancient times in this region. The essences they contained and the craft techniques involved gave Ji Jue an eye-opening revelation.
Pity the quantity was still a bit too small to truly savor the depth.
If he consumed a few more, he might just attain an intuitive grasp of some of the techniques within.
Ji Jue glanced down at his wristwatch. At the eight o'clock mark on the dial, the gold covering the numeral was already more than half full.
He had simply been swamped with work lately. Otherwise, he could have already begun preparing for the Regeneration rank's Blessing.
Heaven's Vigor and All Things Self-Transform—he had no leads on either.
In the current White Nation, there was no opportunity to advance step by step through steady persistence. And though Ji Jue's attainments in alchemy were advancing by leaps and bounds, he had yet to reach the seamless perfection of unifying all four divisions into one.
Having finally caught Shehri's slip-up through faint clues, Ji Jue couldn't possibly set aside the Kingdom of the Woods before him to slowly grind levels on the side.
"Feels like there are so many things to deal with, Isis."
Ji Jue sighed, twirling a pure white flower in his hand. Its delicate, lightweight petals were nearly translucent under the sunlight, giving off a faint glow. Unlike the desolate, withered landscape of the wilderness, it was fresh and brimming with moisture.
Pity it carried no scent at all when sniffed.
"Say, how about we try spraying some perfume on you?" Ji Jue suggested.
The branch in his hand trembled slightly, silently sprouting two thorns that pricked into his fingertip.
"Sir, although your predilections might be considered standard among artisans, are they not perhaps excessively perverse by normal human standards?"
Isis inquired coolly, "Furthermore, having gripped me for so long, could you please put me down?"
"Hey, I just wasn't paying attention! An accident, an honest accident!"
Ji Jue offered an awkward smile, loosened his grip, and inserted the white flower branch into a nearby vase. Then, he whipped out his phone and began staging photos.
"..."
Isis fell silent, unwilling to speak any further.
The flower bud closed up, contracting.
Refusing to cooperate.
His idea of continuing to show off on his social feed fell through.
A shame. He could show Old Lou later. If Old Lou knew that Ji Jue had acquired another Masterwork using the materials he provided, who knew how thrilled he'd be!
Indeed, this seemingly delicate and fragile flower branch was Isis's true form as a Matrix Relic, the shape closest to her present nature.
Who could have imagined that such an ostensibly frail white blossom had almost completely drained the earth veins of Punabantu, leaving behind only a sliver of health?
Although it was a far cry from the terrifying creation in the Tower of Myriad Transformations' past simulations—the one that had blanketed the entire material world, enveloping all and annihilating all—given enough time, it was not impossible to restore even a fraction of its former glory.
Now, however, having become a Matrix Relic, Isis had embarked on a completely different path from before. What she might become in the future was something even Ji Jue couldn't predict.
With his current abilities, merely relying on the transformations of Three-Phase Alchemy to cleverly step across the threshold into the Masterwork realm was already no small feat. Never mind like his teacher, who casually carried around two fully perfected Matrix Relics at the Celestial-Human tier just to detonate them for fun...
Hard. Far too hard.
One had to understand that while a Masterwork might not be a Matrix Relic, a completed Matrix Relic was undeniably the Masterwork among Masterworks!
No matter the faction, the existence of a Matrix Relic served as that faction's paramount core, the exemplar and foundation guiding all successors, and even its ultimate trump card. When necessary, it was also the killer move used to sustain the faction and eliminate rivals.
The difficulty of achieving one went without saying.
Timing, capital, talent, attainments, and luck—not a single one could be lacking... Among them, the Blessing itself was actually the least critical factor.
Purely from the perspective of alchemy, a creation capable of supporting and accommodating twelve Blessings was already countless times more precious than twelve Blessings themselves.
To say nothing of the gradual adjustments and nurturing, the repeated additions of Blessings, and the continuous expansion of upper limits. With every step upward, the difficulty saw an exponential spike.
The resources and effort required to forge a complete Matrix Relic were even more troublesome and staggering than achieving Celestial-Human status.
That Ji Jue had been able to leap past Beckoning and Transformation in a single bound to bring her to her current state was not only because Isis's spirituality was inherently sufficient, but also because he had reaped the benefits of Non-Offensive and Fluid Alchemy.
As a soul born from the purification of Fluid Alchemy, Isis herself was a Spirit of Creation brought into being by Fluid Alchemy. Her compatibility was practically flawless, and wielding Non-Offensive was a match made in heaven. Even so, she had required the stabilization and spiritual endowment of Ascendance Grease and the Foundation of Equilibrium, vast resources poured into her, and nurturing through an entire earth vein to achieve this state.
It was only Ji Jue; any other craftsman would have gone bankrupt and still failed to scrounge together even half of it.
Having reaped the benefits, trouble naturally followed.
First of all, the Embers lineage could not be advanced simply by piling on resources and materials. For the Swarm or White Stag, one could just kill, kill, kill, fight, fight, fight, and call it a day. But Embers required professional qualifications, resumés, and appraised achievements!
The truly precious and rare Blessings of Embers were essentially empirical in nature; only when a craftsman reached the required standard would they be granted as icing on the cake, serving as an official commendation. If Isis herself failed to meet the standards, then even if Ji Jue forcibly implanted the Embers three-piece set, it could neither be activated nor resonated with.
Furthermore, among the many types of matrices, Non-Offensive was the most notoriously difficult compound variety!
Although, in theory, most people who underwent Autonomous Awakening possessed affinities with multiple Supreme Goods despite not receiving a direct visitation from a Supreme Good, the crux lay elsewhere: no matter how many Supreme Goods one held strong affinity with, every Celestial Chosen could obtain a fixed total of only twelve Blessings before the Celestial-Human tier...
Never mind twelve; most people couldn't even figure out five or six Blessings in their entire lives. Twelve within a single domain was already enough to drive someone to death, let alone juggling different domains.
Thus, the vast majority of matrices pointed exclusively to the Supreme Good of their respective domain. Even if one possessed multiple affinities, cross-domain compatibility would never be considered unless absolutely unavoidable.
First and foremost, inheritance was the biggest hurdle.
The more requirements there were, the fewer suitable inheritors existed, and the harder it became to achieve.
Since ancient times, countless lineages had been passed down, among which unreasonably overpowered ones abounded, yet the proportion of compound matrices among them was pathetically minuscule.
There was no helping it: before Celestial-Human, mastery trumped breadth!
Playing around with flashy acrobatics was undeniably magnificent if executed well, but if you bungled it, there was a far more fitting name for such a person...
A clown.
The greatest strength of a compound matrix, besides its flexibility and wide operational scope, was that its true power only emerged after reaching Celestial-Human!
When a Celestial-Human was no longer confined to a single domain of Supreme Good and began expanding into other fields to complete themselves and advance further, having pre-established leverage points from before Celestial-Human made completing theories of Origin or Doomsday vastly simpler and easier than starting from scratch.
Yet by the same token, this was Non-Offensive's greatest flaw.
Celestial-Human?
To ordinary people, that was far too distant!
Were peerless prodigies and uncut gems simply everywhere in this world? Never mind the domains of Sages and Dragons; for ordinary folk, even touching the Exaltation rank in their lifetime was already a blessing worthy of burning high incense.
At this moment, the surging tide of people on the street before Ji Jue was undoubtedly clear proof.
If everyone had Celestial-Human in sight, why would so many people throw themselves into the pit one after another upon hearing about the power within the Kingdom of the Woods?
As long as one survived today, who gave a damn about the future?
Time was short, opportunities rare; grab whatever mouthful you could swallow!
The rest could wait until after the feast!
One could only say that Shehri's move of exposing the Kingdom of the Woods was utterly ruthless, striking straight at the vital weakness of every wild Celestial Chosen. Even if the Federation and the Empire wished to suppress the news, it was futile.
The desire for ascension was shared by all.
Robbing a person's livelihood was akin to murdering their parents; how much worse was it to stand as a roadblock on their path of Heaven's Mandate?
They could only guide the momentum to their advantage, utilizing the massive influx of Celestial Chosen to place targeted bounties on the Restoration Front's leadership, while the Wilderness Market placed bounties on all transformed wolves.
A temporary fix that treated only the symptoms.
Yet as long as the Kingdom of the Woods remained, the situation would only deteriorate.
The more the Celestial Chosen meddled, the more chaotic it would become.
What was even more sickening was that if you didn't kill them, the Kingdom of the Woods would slowly transform; if you did kill them, it was even better, as every slaughter and plunder was itself an offering, providing nourishment for the third Wolf Abomination.
Blocked on both ends.
In just a few short days, behind this veneer of prosperity, the pustules had already begun spreading. Amidst the joyous gluttony, the third Wolf Abomination was steadily growing.
After all this time, the White Stag and Tianyuan should be making a move, right?
Leaving the White Nation to perish on its own was one thing, but if they truly let Shehri blow up the cesspool and splatter filth all over the material world, then trying to play it cool would only make them look like utter fools.
Since last night, large-scale troop movements had never ceased. Right up to the present, while the base's outer ring was bustling and clamorous, the inner ring grew increasingly solemn, cold, and silent.
Ji Jue held his teacup, quietly waiting.
Right on cue, a knock sounded on the door.
Ji Jue looked up and saw an old man who looked like he was merely out for a stroll. Hunched over with his hands clasped behind his back, he wandered around after entering, clicking his tongue in admiration as though he had never seen the world before.
Yet it caused Ji Jue to snap to attention, his eyes going wide.
Until the man finally turned back and flashed a toothy grin at Ji Jue.
The Director of the Tacheng Operations Division of the Security Bureau, Desolate Ruins Celestial-Human—Lin Shouyi!
"Keeping busy?"
"Director Lin."
Ji Jue greeted him respectfully, "Please, take a seat. I'll have someone prepare tea right away..."
"No need. Can't get used to it. I'm mainly here on business."
Lin Shouyi waved his hand lazily, glancing out at the bustling scene outside. "The Security Bureau plans to launch an operation soon. When the time comes, a formal vanguard unit will push inside to ascertain the situation, aiming to drive another stake into the Kingdom of the Woods. What do you think?"
"..."
Ji Jue pondered for a moment, preparing to deliver a serious, formal speech praising Tianyuan. But catching Lin Shouyi's half-smiling expression, he ultimately skipped the boilerplate rhetoric, merely sighing:
"Starting to fish, are we?"
"Can't rule out that intention. So, there won't be any Celestial-Human accompanying the team. Survival is up in the air, and the outcome might not be pretty. It's not a pleasant job, and it certainly doesn't compare to the comfort of sitting here waiting for people to hand you money."
Lin Shouyi said frankly, "We're currently short a craftsman, and I'm partial to you."
Without beating around the bush, the meaning was made clear to the point where all that was missing was asking outright whether he would go. The reason he hadn't asked directly was to give Ji Jue a graceful way out.
As long as Ji Jue claimed that business was too busy, his condition was poor, or he couldn't get away, they would part ways amicably.
Yet why would he part ways amicably?
To Lin Shouyi, the Security Bureau's dangerous operation required a craftsman, so he came asking for help.
To Ji Jue, however, this was a legitimate ticket to charge into the Kingdom of the Woods, fully equipped with a luxurious bodyguard lineup... and on top of that, they were paying him!
"It's my bounden duty, Director Lin! We're all on the same side, why be so distant?"
Ji Jue beamed, nodding without hesitation. After reiterating the camaraderie between both sides, he showed not the slightest embarrassment, boldly pushing his advantage: "Still, regarding compensation, you'll have to make sure I earn a little extra, right?"
"..."
Lin Shouyi fell silent for an instant, his gaze turning distinctly bizarre.
To put it bluntly, it was like the look Ji Jue gave Yan Fei's collection of failed number theory homework—a mix of sorrow over mud failing to stick to a wall, and sheer bewilderment at how someone could fail to grasp something so obvious.
"Do you want the Security Bureau's travel allowance? I can give you double."
Lin Shouyi let out a meaningful sigh. "I'm just a broke-ass director. Even if I emptied my pockets, how much could I pull out? And you're a craftsman—no matter how big your appetite, how much can a few measly dishes satisfy? I really wonder how the hell you even became a military industrial representative."
Ji Jue froze, then suddenly saw the light.
He vaguely caught his drift.
Which was precisely why he found it unbelievable...
Could someone really use such an unhinged tactic?
Wait, wasn't this hurting the Federation a bit...?
"If you're going to dig into pockets, dig into the big ones. How much melon and dates can an individual pull out? Petty squabbles are beneath the stage.
"When all is said and done, what do you count as?
"If an asking price is to be named, let the Ring of Taiyi name it—that's what a lion's opening roar looks like!"
Lin Shouyi leaned against the counter. Finding Ji Jue agreeable to his eyes, he simply gave him personal coaching: "If you're going to stir up trouble, go big.
"I see that you've been doing swimmingly in the Ring of Taiyi. Go have your Artisans Association formalize your status, then tell that little vixen Lyu Yingyue to negotiate with the military. Right now is the prime time to jack up the price on the spot. Why the hell are you fretting on the Federation's behalf...? Are you trying to save money just to add another dish to that bastard Fan's table?"
"Wait, that works too?"
Ji Jue was stunned. "Can that actually fly?"
"The military might even thank you! You profit, the Security Bureau profits, Lyu Yingyue profits, Haichao profits, and the association profits! Along this entire chain, every single person profits!"
Lin Shouyi clapped him on the shoulder and bared his teeth in a grin. "That's Tianyuan for you, kid!"
*No, aren't you clearly Desolate Ruins...?*
Ji Jue hesitated, left entirely speechless.
Then, without a second thought, he picked up the phone.
"Hello? Warden Lyu, here's the situation..."
Half an hour later, news arrived from Lyu Yingyue's side. An hour later, Gustav's secretary called back. Two hours later, the association's official assignment had already come down.
Amidst the continuous pings of payment notifications, the representative from the Ring of Taiyi's association—the Golden Ribbon Artisan dispatched by the association, Ji Jue—made his grand entrance.
"Sigh... sigh, sigh, sigh... sigh... How could I possibly accept this?"
Looking at the warehouse doors slowly grinding open before him, Ji Jue put on a face of bitter reluctance, helplessly pulling eight oversized, reinforced woven storage bags from his pockets and shaking them open with crisp efficiency.
"You people are really killing me here!"
Chapter 627