Chapter 171: 171 has started to take action_1
The folk versions of the stories varied greatly, and the origins of the Divine Beasts weren’t always consistent either.
There were diverse interpretations of what each Divine Beast did and what they signified.
Wen Jiang only needed to integrate the content; whether or not cards could actually be made from it would be left to the Empire’s own ingenuity and fortune.
Her rank hadn’t reached S Rank, so she couldn’t help make SSR cards.
She’d made quite a few A-Rank Cards, and her Spiritual Energy was steadily increasing. However, there were no signs of promotion yet. It seemed it was still too early for that.
Yan Moling felt happiness come too abruptly, even more dizzying than when Wen Jiang spoke of revealing the mythological civilization to the public.
However, she acutely realized the importance of this matter. The military also had many members of the Nobility, and if they found out, it could lead to significant events.
She took a deep breath and said seriously, "No problem, give me a week. I need to report to my superiors. It will probably take them a long time to compile the list. You can go about your business for now. But you’re in a competition; do you have time for this?"
Wen Jiang: "I’m quite idle if I’m not making cards."
"..."
Yan Moling deeply understood what "death by comparison" truly meant. Without seeking further agitation, she hung up and immediately got to work on the matter.
Zero Egg had grown numb by now but still couldn’t help feeling a deep, sorrowful anger. "You’re still seven cards short on your mission!"
"Two cards," Wen Jiang said. "Once all four Heavenly Kings compete, along with Su Daji, I can register their information with the Empire’s card department. I can release the card information then. Besides Mount Flower, no one else can get them, so that should count as mission completion."
Zero Egg asked doubtfully, "What if it doesn’t acknowledge that?"
By ’it,’ Zero Egg was referring to the hidden task’s judging system, most likely the Heart of the World.
Wen Jiang: "If it doesn’t recognize it, that just means your System is trash."
Zero Egg: "..."
It fell silent for a moment before piping up again, "Hey, I’m so lonely. Didn’t you say it would be lively after you arrived in Card City? Now you just stay in the hotel all day, watching TV dramas when you’re not competing. Where’s the excitement in that?"
Just as its voice faded, the doorbell rang.
Zero Egg: "..."
Wen Jiang narrowed her eyes.
The smart butler announced a visitor, and a cleaner’s voice came from outside, "Hello, Miss Wen, it’s time for cleaning."
A cleaner came daily, and it was usually around this time.
Indeed, only the cleaner was outside. All management personnel from the Mount Flower Association staying at this hotel had to submit a list to the Association. This ensured that all staff members were recognized, preventing any slip-ups.
The cleaners rotated shifts daily, and none of them knew whose room they would be cleaning until they received their assignment for the day.
Wen Jiang opened the door. The cleaner came in, nodding naturally at Wen Jiang. She seemed perfectly normal, but when she opened a bottle of blue cleaning liquid, Wen Jiang’s nose twitched.
As a Cultivator, she could immediately differentiate any discrepancies in scent or other memorable details.
Someone had tampered with this bottle. It appeared colorless and odorless, but an ordinary person wouldn’t detect such a subtle change in scent. Wen Jiang had accurately memorized the scent and other characteristics of these cleaning supplies from previous occasions.
Now, she could detect any change in its scent.
"Wait a minute."
Wen Jiang suddenly spoke up. The cleaner turned her head in confusion, "Hmm? Miss Wen, is there a specific area you’d like me to clean first?"
Wen Jiang tilted her chin up. "Do you get these tools from the storage room every day?"
"Yes," the cleaner responded instinctively, then added, "Don’t worry, Miss Wen. We use only major international brands, and our procurement department manager personally oversees purchases daily. We log everything we take."
Wen Jiang glanced over and said directly, "Pour a cup of this liquid out for me, seal it, and give it to me. My room doesn’t need cleaning today."
The cleaner immediately became uneasy. "Miss Wen, did I do something wrong?"
Wen Jiang chuckled and shook her head. "It has nothing to do with you, don’t be scared. It’s just that this stuff has been tampered with."
The cleaner’s face went pale. "What? But I’ve already used it in the room next to yours."
She couldn’t believe there was something wrong with the cleaning liquid, and her legs nearly gave out from fear.
Indeed, she was unaware. In such matters, the fewer people who knew, the better. The perpetrator had acted stealthily and must have been lying low in the hotel for some time before finding an opportunity.
Upon hearing Wen Jiang say the liquid was compromised, Zero Egg immediately hacked into the hotel’s system to retrieve all personnel information for the cleaning department. Zero Egg had already checked this once when they first arrived; everyone employed by the hotel had at least a six-month work record. Wen Jiang had only become famous a few months ago. Therefore, if someone intended to harm her, they couldn’t have known to plant an agent so far in advance. It was most likely that someone had been bribed.
Zero Egg had learned its lesson. If its host said there was a problem, it wouldn’t question Wen Jiang’s words anymore.
Looking at the cleaner, who was trembling with fear, Wen Jiang called Hua Zhuo and got straight to the point. "They’ve made their move, tampering with the cleaning supplies. Someone inside the hotel has been bought."
Given the hotel’s tight surveillance, it would be impossible for someone to clumsily sneak in unnoticed.
In modern society, not many Assassins possessed the ability to evade everyone’s attention and tamper with a bottle of cleaning solution.
The perpetrator must have calculated that this particular bottle of cleaning liquid would definitely be used in Wen Jiang’s room. Wen Jiang quickly zeroed in on the culprit. "It’s a hotel guest."
Zero Egg cried out, "GAH?!"
This twist was so abrupt!
When Hua Zhuo answered the call, the first thing she heard was Wen Jiang’s statement. She immediately dispatched people to Wen Jiang’s floor.
Wen Jiang asked the cleaner which rooms she had just serviced, then headed straight towards them.
She merely walked past these rooms, taking no direct action.
In the hotel wing where Wen Jiang was staying, everyone was from the Mount Flower Association. This held true until she stopped at the doorway of one particular room.
She pressed the doorbell.
Inside, any movement came to a sudden halt.
After a moment, a woman’s voice asked uncertainly, "Who is it?"
She opened the door and, upon seeing Wen Jiang, looked surprised. "Miss Wen?"
Wen Jiang raised an eyebrow as she peered inside.
It was a simple suite. On the couch, a shirtless man with a good physique was visible.
The man sat there nonchalantly. Given the slight flush on the woman’s face, it was hard not to imagine what they had been up to.
Wen Jiang remembered her: this was one of the accompanying assistants, Shi Qi’s assistant, Huo Lin.
Wen Jiang leaned against the doorframe, a playful smile touching her lips. "Your boyfriend?"
"Yeah," Huo Lin answered shyly, a trace of embarrassment in her voice. "I reported it to the Association before."
Huo Lin’s boyfriend had been with her for two years. They were very affectionate, and his identity was beyond question, so the Association hadn’t interfered much when he decided to accompany her to Card City.