Having gathered the intel, Yu Xian looked at Feiliqi's belt.
With a slight crook of his finger, Feiliqi's belt flew straight into his hand. It was a storage belt, and the most valuable items inside were a sealing box and a small airship capable of navigating the Abyss.
A sealing box was a specialized item used to hold Forbidden Fruits. It could block the fruit's seductive pull on living beings while also shielding it from external scans. Essentially, any team coming here to search for Forbidden Fruits brought something of the sort along.
The small airship had been rented by Feiliqi from the Haolidu Company.
The vessel bore a triple brand from Haolidu Company. If anyone seized the ship from Feiliqi and flew it into Crescent Bay, they would immediately be tracked down by the company, and the rental fees would be billed to the usurper.
However, Yu Xian learned from Feiliqi's memories that the boss of Haolidu Company, Meili, was a Star Rank powerhouse. As such, the company had a rule: if the person who seized the vessel was also a Star Rank powerhouse, they were not required to return it.
Of course, if a Star Rank powerhouse deliberately caused trouble by specifically preying on customers who rented Haolidu vessels, the company wouldn't take it lying down either.
"Big Brother, did we strike it rich?" Little Nora popped its head out from around Yu Xian's neck. Seeing Yu Xian seal the storage belt inside a bubble and stow the bubble away into his storage ring, it asked with an eager look.
Yu Xian scoffed, "Hardly. In fact, it's quite the opposite. This bunch is broke as can be—every last one of them skipped out on their debts and ran here to lie low."
Saying that, he picked up a storage pouch from one of the corpses, opened it to retrieve a vial of potion, placed the pouch back on the body, and continued picking through the other corpses, gathering everything of value.
Once finished, he flicked a few drops of blood outward. In the blink of an eye, the dead—Feiliqi and the rest—revived one after another.
Feiliqi and his crew were dazed at first, but the moment their eyes fell upon Yu Xian, an innate understanding flashed through their minds: they had become Yu Xian's blood servants.
"Feiliqi greets the Master," Feiliqi said, dropping to his knees.
The others knelt as well, but before they could even speak, Yu Xian waved them away in disgust. "Get lost, get lost! Go find work and pay off your debts yourselves. Stop being an eyesore here."
"Yes, Master," Feiliqi and his companions answered with crestfallen expressions.
They scrambled to their feet and departed reluctantly, looking back from time to time in the hope that Yu Xian might let them stay. But Yu Xian had no intention of keeping them around as subordinates.
Their strength was merely at the Dragon Rank, not even reaching the God Rank (Heaven Rank). They were far too weak.
Once Feiliqi and the others had been chased away, Little Nora asked curiously, "Big Brother, they're so weak. Why did you bother reviving them?"
"Call it recycling trash," Yu Xian replied with a smile, looking toward the distant clash between the robot and the wizard.
Back then, if Edward hadn't died so thoroughly that not even a corpse remained, Yu Xian would have revived him too—forcing him to work like a beast of burden to slowly atone for his sins, rather than getting off easy with a quick death.
Oddly enough, while Yu Xian feared death intensely, he also viewed death as a form of release.
He had always believed that for heinous villains, killing them was doing them a favor.
Take Feiliqi and his crew: dying was easy for them, but their debts would be passed on to their families.
From their memories, Yu Xian had learned that their family members were decent, hardworking ordinary folks. That was why he had revived Feiliqi and the rest—to make them earn money and pay off their debts so the burden wouldn't fall upon their loved ones.
The order in Crescent Bay was a chaotic sort of order, and the consequences of defaulting on a debt were severe.
Unfortunately, Feiliqi and his men weren't particularly blessed with luck.
Following Yu Xian's orders, they walked for a distance before gathering to discuss how to return to Crescent Bay and find work to make money.
Yet before they could reach a decision, a burly man wearing a white ghost mask and a white martial arts uniform approached with slow, deliberate steps. The moment Feiliqi and his crew caught sight of him, their expressions changed.
"The Artificer... Ghost-Faced Man!"
Feiliqi slowly backed away while swiftly exchanging glances with the others.
After becoming Yu Xian's blood servants, their utmost priority was absolute loyalty to their master; even at the cost of their lives, they had to ensure his safety.
And the man before them posed an immense threat—he could not be allowed anywhere near Yu Xian.
Trading glances, the group immediately scattered and bolted. Beneath the mask, the Ghost-Faced Man's pupils instantly split into six, each tracking a different direction. He chuckled softly. "Excellent. A fine team. Your teamwork passes muster—you're worthy of becoming my new masks!"
The thick, heavy mask upon his face swiftly turned sharp and narrow. His physique transformed along with it, morphing from burly to slender and lithe. With a push off the balls of his feet, he appeared behind one of the fleeing men in an instant and plunged a ruthless hand through his back, ripping out his heart.
"Number one!"
Clutching the heart, green flames erupted all over his body, refining the organ into a mask in the span of a breath.
He pressed the mask to his face, where it merged seamlessly into the existing one. In the next breath, he vanished once more.
In merely a minute, Feiliqi was the only one left of the entire group.
Having sprinted some distance, Feiliqi sensed the Ghost-Faced Man right behind him. Knowing he couldn't outrun his pursuer, he stopped, spun around to face him, and summoned a massive battle-axe into his grip.
"Weakness in strength is no flaw. Courage, friendship, love, honesty... these beautiful sentiments are the true source of power. Wouldn't you agree?" the Ghost-Faced Man murmured, gazing at Feiliqi.
Feiliqi gritted his teeth. "The Barbarian Bull Tribe has only warriors who die in battle, never cowards who surrender! If you want a fight, come and get it!"
"As you wish!" the Ghost-Faced Man laughed with satisfaction.
In the next second, he appeared behind Feiliqi like a phantom. The sharp tip of his foot drove straight into Feiliqi's temple, sending him flying sideways. Snapping trunk after trunk, Feiliqi finally crashed into a rocky hill, smashing a massive crater into the stone before coming to a halt.
That single kick left him drawing his dying breaths, entirely unable to rise.
The Ghost-Faced Man appeared before Feiliqi, looking down at the dying warrior with a smile. "Warrior, let us fight merrily together from now on!"
With that, he leaned down and pierced Feiliqi's heart, his entire frame igniting with green flame.
Having turned Feiliqi and all the others into masks, the Ghost-Faced Man hummed a jaunty tune as he turned to leave, clearly in high spirits. As he strolled along, he gently caressed the mask on his face. The slender mask swiftly morphed into the shape of a bull's head, two horns sprouting from either side.
As the mask shifted, his physique transformed once more, gradually expanding into a burly, muscular build.
The title 'The Artificer' actually stemmed from how he could constantly change forms through his masks, his abilities shifting just as boundlessly.
Endowed with immense reserves of energy, even the weakest mask could unleash terrifying power when fueled by his vast reserves. Thus, he cared little about whether a target was strong or weak—he only cared whether they possessed qualities worthy of his pursuit.
This time, however, he had clearly miscalculated.
When he donned Feiliqi's mask, what he acquired wasn't courage, but unprovoked, absolute loyalty—and his heart was instantly flooded to the brim by this baseless devotion.
"Master, wait for me! I'm coming!"
The Ghost-Faced Man froze mid-stride, then wheeled around, raised both arms high, and sprinted at top speed toward Yu Xian.
Chapter 213