The Hunter Guild's Trial

Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, suppressing the burning parchedness in his throat. Glaring coldly at the gray-haired woman, he said, "Rein in your charm. Your behavior is making me feel hostility!" As he spoke, transparent whirlpools surfaced in his eyes as he activated a skill of the Dream domain. If Catherine continued her charm, he would use Dream Leap to escape. Of course, this was all just for show; it wouldn't matter even if this clone died. Bizarre, kaleidoscopic dreams emerged one after another. *Uh, during working hours, there are actually this many people dozing off nearby?* Looking at the chaotic tangle of dreams, Zhang Yuanqing was briefly taken aback, but he immediately cast distracting thoughts aside and stared intently at the gray-haired woman. The gray-haired woman's eyes rippled with allure as she glanced down at his tented trousers. With a sweet, radiant smile, she said, "It seems you aren't an evil class of the Lust type." She promptly withdrew her charm, and her heart-stirring magnetism instantly dissipated. *Phew, she has some tolerance for me and didn't force the issue. If I were the Lust type, would she have just bedded me into submission?* Zhang Yuanqing breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Maintaining his aloof and defiant demeanor, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "You know my class?" The gray-haired woman smiled without answering, introducing herself instead. "Catherine Lu, Vice President of the Hunter Guild, Level 7. As for my class, I don't think an introduction is necessary." Zhang Yuanqing said indifferently, "Get straight to the point." Catherine pulled a phone from her pocket, opened a video, and held it out to him. Zhang Yuanqing didn't take it. Glancing down, he saw surveillance footage from Meisheng Bank, showing the bald Jia Feizhang retrieving the fan-shaped bronze piece. Catherine took back the phone, gazing at him with light-gray, beautiful eyes. "The two Stargazers you killed last night were our people. You're a smart man, so I shouldn't need to explain further." Zhang Yuanqing put on an expression of sudden realization before quickly reverting to a grim, cold look. "So the notification on the app backend was just to lure me here?" He tensed his body just enough to slip into a combat-ready stance. "Don't be so nervous. The app's notification wasn't a lie. Tongtian Jiaozhu, you have already been placed on our candidate list." Catherine leaned lazily against the back of her chair. "Tongtian Jiaozhu: Level 5 Illusionist, rogue practitioner. Killed several government officials in succession, possesses a fanatical sense of justice, holds a deep hatred for corrupt officials, suspected of having suffered unjust treatment, wanted by official authorities since August of this year, whereabouts unknown ever since." "You investigated me?" Cooperating with the act, Zhang Yuanqing displayed a subtle sequence of micro-expressions: dilated pupils of shock, forced composure, and surging killing intent. Catherine smiled. "Since it's an evaluation, of course we have to uncover your background. We will continue to verify your identity until we are certain there are no problems." Pausing briefly, she cut straight to the chase: "The Hunter Guild is an absolutely neutral organization. We nurture Orderly classes as well as evil classes. Our philosophy is that there is no absolute good or evil in this world, only eternal interests. "Therefore, we select candidates from among the hunters who have clean backgrounds and boundless potential to foster. Your level is high enough, and your mission completion ability is outstanding. So congratulations, you've made it onto our guild's evaluation list." Zhang Yuanqing gave a cold laugh. "Is the next step handing over what was in the bank's safe deposit box?" Catherine said, "Don't be in such a rush. Let me finish. Once you're on the evaluation list, you will enjoy the following four benefits. First, the restrictions on your task permissions are lifted; you can freely take any mission on the bounty board. Second, we will provide you with dungeon guides for the Dream Master stage. Third, the entire bounty reward is yours—the Hunter Guild will no longer take a cut. Fourth, if you encounter any difficulties, you can come to me; I am your direct superior." With that, she gave a dazzling smile. "As for the fifth, that's a personal perk from me. If you have needs in that department, you're welcome to find me anytime." *The fifth is entirely unnecessary. If I actually slept with you, the bronze piece would be yours, and so would I...* Zhang Yuanqing said in a deep voice, "Sounds decent. Now talk about the safe deposit box. I imagine that's the real reason you contacted me." "The item in the safe deposit box is indeed our objective. If you are willing to sell it to us, the Hunter Guild will certainly offer a price that satisfies you," Catherine said. "Not for sale!" Zhang Yuanqing refused bluntly. Catherine was not at all surprised. Smiling, she said, "We have infinite patience for promising talents. First, you must answer one question for me: what is that item?" Zhang Yuanqing said, "A fan-shaped bronze piece. It's incomplete." *Incomplete...* Catherine nodded. "The Hunter Guild is determined to obtain that item. After careful consideration by the upper echelon, we have decided to share the treasure with you. However, you must find a second bronze piece within ten days. This is the organization's test for you. If you succeed, you will officially pass the evaluation and become an internal member. If you fail, you must surrender the bronze piece, and the organization will purchase it at a fair price." With that, she opened her inventory and pulled out an animal-hide contract. "Now, you must sign a contract with us." *If I sign the contract, I have to find a second bronze piece within ten days and successfully infiltrate their ranks. If I fail, I'll have to sell the bronze piece to the Hunter Guild... But I have zero leads on the subsequent pieces! The odds of finding a second piece in ten days are far too low. How can I sign this?* *Yet if I don't sign, I probably won't be walking out of the Hunter Guild...* Thinking this, Zhang Yuanqing stubbornly retorted, "And what if I refuse to sell?" Catherine smiled bewitchingly. "Take a guess!" *** Chinatown, the townhouse. *Find Tongtian Jiaozhu?* Zhang Yuanqing was startled at first, but then realization dawned on him. After discovering that the two Stargazers had been hunted down, the Anti-Black-and-White Alliance had probably deduced that the enemies who stole the treasure had been intercepted by someone else. Thus, they would definitely try to track down the interceptor to test whether Tongtian Jiaozhu knew about the Pope's relic. He had no other choice. *The Anti-Black-and-White Alliance knows a bit about the Pope's relic. I can try to glean information from them. Hey, that means I can accept the Hunter Guild's trial! Being a double agent really comes with plenty of perks...* Zhang Yuanqing feigned deep contemplation. "Tongtian Jiaozhu, a bounty hunter... Finding someone is no problem; finding people is what I do best. But you two must tell me the reason. I won't accept a task without knowing what I'm getting into." Tao Siming pondered for a few seconds before saying, "We cannot tell you the reason. What you'll be doing isn't a dangerous task either. You just need to pin down his location; you don't need to worry about the rest." Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "Pin down his location? If he's guarded by a Dominator-level expert, wouldn't I be walking into my own grave? If he himself is a Dominator, it's even more suicidal. You expect me to find someone without telling me any information whatsoever?" Saying that, he stood up as if preparing to walk out. "I'm sorry, but I can't agree to this." "Wait!" Deng Jingguo spoke up. The Thunder Mage, who seemed hot-tempered but was actually fair-minded, said: "Telling you is fine too. Remember those two Stargazers from last night? They're dead, and the one who killed them was Tongtian Jiaozhu. We suspect he lay in wait and ambushed them. "To see spirits and pull off a clean, decisive double kill means Tongtian Jiaozhu is likely a Night Walker or an Illusionist. As for his level, at least Level 5." *That's not the information I want. What I want to know is the origin of the bronze piece...* Zhang Yuanqing put on a look of understanding and asked, "Since you didn't intervene last night, you must have been pinned down by Dominator-level experts. In that case, you should tell me even more: what organization did those two Stargazers belong to, and what were they after? Because they're also searching for Tongtian Jiaozhu. "If I don't know the caliber of the forces behind the scenes, I might misjudge the situation and land myself in danger." Hearing this, Deng Jingguo raised his brows. "Your thinking is very clear. I have even more confidence in you now." He continued, "Jia Feizhang was my half-brother. Those two Stargazers snatched an ancestral heirloom of mine. As for the organization behind them, I don't know." Zhang Yuanqing thought for a few seconds. "I need detailed information on that item to deduce the background of the organization behind them." Deng Jingguo said in a heavy voice, "My ancestor was Huo Zhengkui, the founder of what was once Chinatown's largest gang. A century ago, he traveled through Europe for several years and became acquainted with the Pope of the Holy See. At the time, the Holy See was the most powerful Orderly organization in the world. "Later, the Holy See was destroyed in an upheaval, and on his deathbed, the Pope entrusted an item to him. From the looks of it now, the organization that destroyed the Holy See has likely come knocking." *Deng Jingguo really doesn't know much. Those who know keep secrets tightly locked away, while those who don't treat it like legend or unofficial history and speak without reservation...* Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "I understand. I'll take the job! But on one condition: during the investigation, I'll need the Anti-Black-and-White Alliance's assistance, and I hope you won't refuse." The two Dominators visibly relaxed and nodded. Deng Jingguo added: "Just do what you can. Don't force it." Asking this Carefree Sword Immortal for help was merely trying their luck. After all, different professions had their specialties, and when it came to tracking people and investigating cases, Scouts were professionals. As for the item, Deng Jingguo wasn't obsessed with obtaining it at all costs. Whether it was the Holy See or the Pope's relic, it was all too distant from him. Before Jia Feizhang was killed, he hadn't even known about any of this. Even now, his knowledge of the Holy See's destruction and the Pope's relic was superficial at best. Zhang Yuanqing said, "Then let's talk about the reward." *** At the Hunter Guild. After pondering for a long while, Zhang Yuanqing said indifferently: "I accept! But I need an extension on the deadline, because I will be entering a dungeon within a week. How about this: within half a month, I will find the second bronze piece. "In addition, you need to give me some intel regarding the bronze piece. Otherwise, looking for a needle in a haystack will be impossible." As a double agent, he naturally had to obtain as much intelligence as possible. Catherine curled her lips. "No problem! It will be synchronized to your phone shortly. Now then, let's sign the contract." After signing the contract, Zhang Yuanqing scanned the dreams again, deliberately showing off his skill by executing Dream Leap right in front of Catherine to depart the Hunter Guild. *** Leaving the townhouse, Zhang Yuanqing stared at his phone, checking the information sent by his clone regarding what the Hunter Guild had revealed. The Hunter Guild's explanation of the bronze piece was that it was suspected to be a relic of the Pope, with its complete form being a circular bronze disk. They had also mentioned the Holy See's existence in passing, keeping things ambiguous. It gave off the impression that the Hunter Guild was merely "searching for a legendary treasure." It seemed that until "Tongtian Jiaozhu" passed the evaluation, they would not expose any information about themselves. "A bunch of nonsense, basically telling me nothing," Zhang Yuanqing muttered in dissatisfaction. "Now the only lead is Huo Zhengkui. Hmm, the founder of Chinatown's largest Chinese gang... I'll have Asano Ryo check. Heaven's Punishment's database definitely has records on someone like that." With that in mind, he dialed Asano Ryo's mobile number. The phone rang twice and quickly connected. In a soft, gentle voice, Asano Ryo said, "I'm working. If it's important, reply by text." She spoke in Japanese and hung up right after. Zhang Yuanqing memorized the words, opened a translation app, and translated the meaning of the sentence. *Mm, someone's beside her so it's inconvenient to answer? There's a Dominator in the office area, so she doesn't dare go to the restroom to make a call?* Zhang Yuanqing composed a text message: "Help me look up Huo Zhengkui." Over ten minutes later, Asano Ryo sent over a biography of Huo Zhengkui's life.