“Some in the cult even say that in terms of raw power, the Shang King at that time was on a completely different level, practically invincible in that era!”
“Alright, alright. If you're interested in this stuff, I'll tell you more when we have time.”
“Let's look at the painting first. Your perception is very keen, so maybe you'll spot something we missed.”
Yin Yang gave a nod of agreement, walked over to the mural, and said:
“If I actually find something, will my clearance level be upgraded?”
“Of course.”
Upon hearing this, Yin Yang pulled over a stool and sat right in front of the mural to examine it.
“Am I allowed to copy it?”
“Yes, but you can't share it with outsiders.”
“Do you have a pen and paper?”
“We do.”
Mr. Ma agreed and turned to find pen and paper for Yin Yang, while Yin Yang silently activated his Perception and Communion techniques.
Dead water.
A pool of stagnant water.
The mural before him did not respond in the slightest, like a transcendent item that had been completely drained.
Should I take a risk and try?
Yin Yang weighed the pros and cons in his mind.
He wanted to try using 【Spirit-Bestow】 to see if he could awaken something.
But if a painting that had already been declared "dead" suddenly "revived" after he touched it, it would draw too much attention. He had to consider whether the risk was worth it.
Just as he was pondering this, his expression suddenly froze. He realized the mural before him was losing its color!
“Mr. Ma!”
“Huh?”
“Come here quickly!”
Hearing this, Mr. Ma ran over without hesitation and asked:
“What did you find?”
“No, the painting is fading!”
“What?!”
At this, even the shop owner came sprinting over. The two of them hurriedly looked at the mural, only to see the black shadow of the Shang King visibly fading before their eyes.
The two of them looked horrified, and Yin Yang was completely bewildered as he said:
“Mr. Ma, what's going on?”
“I... I don't know! This is bad, we need to report this to the higher-ups immediately!”
As he spoke, he ran toward the elevator. Yin Yang got up to follow him, leaving only the shop owner staring at the mural, lost in thought.
Yin Yang followed Mr. Ma into the elevator and asked:
“Mr. Ma, didn't you say it's just an ordinary painting now? Why are you so nervous?”
“Just because it's ordinary now doesn't mean it was ordinary before!”
“Any anomaly with an item of this caliber must be reported!”
At this point, he sighed.
“Besides, since this happened right in front of us, we'll have to undergo an investigation too.”
“Ah?”
“Don't worry, the cult's investigations are relatively humane.”
While they were talking, the elevator reached the ground floor.
Mr. Ma immediately pulled out his phone to make a call, while Yin Yang stood aside, deep in thought.
That was clearly just an ordinary painting with absolutely no spiritual fluctuations. Why would it suddenly fade?
There will be an investigation by the True Knowledge Society in a bit. They possess so much knowledge and might have some bizarre methods up their sleeves. I need to prepare myself early.
While Yin Yang was lost in thought, Mr. Ma hung up the phone.
“Phew, let's wait a bit. Someone from above is coming.”
“So fast?”
“Did you forget? The higher-ups already sent people to investigate Wannian Platform. We're just on their way.”
Yin Yang nodded. Mr. Ma poured him a cup of coffee, and the two of them waited while sipping their drinks.
Less than half an hour later, two elderly men dressed in suits walked in.
Mr. Ma hurriedly bowed in respect.
“Mr. Gong!”
The leading elder nodded and smiled when he looked at Yin Yang.
“Are you Liu Yang, the one who discovered the secret of Wannian Platform?”
“Yes, Mr. Gong.”
Yin Yang stood up as well.
Mr. Gong smiled and said:
“Very good. Our True Knowledge Society needs observant young people like you.”
“Let's go take a look together.”
Mr. Ma hurriedly pressed the elevator button. It was obvious that Mr. Gong held a very high position in the True Knowledge Society.
After the group arrived in the basement, the shop owner also rushed forward to bow in respect.
“Mr. Gong.”
“Mm.”
Mr. Gong acknowledged him and walked over to look at the mural. The shadow of the Shang King had completely vanished, leaving only the black dragon and the landscape below in the painting.
What was even more absurd was that the black dragon was also gradually growing dimmer.
“See, sir? This is what happened.”
“When did you notice this?”
“We noticed it right when I brought Liu Yang to see it.”
Mr. Gong walked up to the mural and touched it gently. In the next moment, cracks began to web across the mural.
“Sigh. All things have their time. We shouldn't have moved it here.”
Hearing this, Mr. Ma breathed a small sigh of relief.
Mr. Gong's subtext was clear: he didn't blame them; the mural had simply reached its limit.
With a casual wave of Mr. Gong's hand, the mural in front of them vanished into thin air.
“Since the mural is ruined, there's no longer any reward to speak of from it.”
“Liu Yang, what kind of knowledge do you wish to learn? I can offer you a different reward based on your interests.”
Yin Yang's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
“The history of the Shang and Zhou eras.”
“Let me think.”
Mr. Gong closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before saying:
“Well, the cult actually discovered some history of the Zhou Era not long ago. If you're interested, I can have it sent to you.”
“I'm definitely interested!”
“Then we have a deal.”
Mr. Gong smiled and took his leave with an easy grace.
Only after the other party got into the elevator did Yin Yang ask:
“He just left like that? Who's going to investigate us?”
“The investigation is already over.”
“Huh?”
Yin Yang looked at Mr. Ma in confusion, only to hear him laugh.
“That was Mr. Gong. If there were any issues with us, he would have taken us out already.”
“Since he left, it means we're in the clear.”
Yin Yang asked in surprise:
“Is he very strong?”
“Strong doesn't even begin to cover it!”
...
Back at the cafe, Yin Yang continued reading his books, inwardly lamenting that he had got his hopes up for nothing.
He had originally thought that by relying on his Perception and Communion techniques, he might discover something major.
At the very least, he could have used Spirit-Bestow to give the mural spirituality, so it would seek him out in secret.
Who would have thought that the mural would fade right before his eyes, and then get completely packed up and taken away by that Mr. Gong, ruining his plans entirely?
Fortunately, Mr. Gong was decent enough to swap his reward for something else.
As dusk fell, Yin Yang, who had been reading all day, collapsed onto his bed to sleep. His consciousness instinctively entered his divine kingdom to check on the progress of the heroic spirits.
However, the moment he stepped inside, he realized the divine kingdom had changed!
First of all, the divine kingdom was significantly larger.
Secondly, there was no dragon in the sky the last time he was here!
Yes, a dragon!
Yin Yang stared at the black dragon in utter bewilderment. The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. Then, it suddenly hit him—wasn't this the black dragon from 【The Shang King's Celestial Patrol】?
He turned his head to look at the square, only to see that the three black shadows and the countless heroic spirits were all keeping a wide distance, leaving the very center completely vacant.
And there, a black shadow stood silently, like a statue.
Yin Yang's lips twitched...
Rate on N.U.
