Chapter 624: News from Afar
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Before Hao Ren could even pull out his keys, the front door opened. It was Lily who had heard his footsteps and came to open the door. Like any ordinary husky, the lass here could hear whose footsteps it was from the street while she was lazing about.
"Mr. Landlord, where are my buns?" Lily looked at Hao Ren with anticipation before she circled him to look for the hidden buns. "I just got back from walking the cat, so where are my buns?"
Hao Ren finally realized why he felt like he had missed something out earlier: he had forgotten about Lily's buns!
"Umm... That..." He awkwardly looked at the starry-eyed werehusky. "Actually..."
Lily's face stiffened. "Did you forget them, Mr. Landlord?"
Hao Ren tapped his head as he quickly thought of a plan to stop Lily from biting him. He pulled out a pack of snacks from his Dimensional Pocket. "Old Zhao's closed for business today, so I got you a pack of chocolates."
After he passed the packet of chocolates to Lily, Hao Ren quickly went inside, leaving her as she stood by the door in a dumbfounded manner. It took a good few moments for the werehusky to react. "What the hell are you doing Mr. Landlord! I can't eat chocolate! I'll get diarrhea!"
Vivian was watching the telly as she heard the commotion by the front door. She turned to Nangong Wuyue and said, "Like I've said many times, Doggie will forever be Doggie..."
Hao Ren approached the sofa and patted Rollie to get her to move aside. He exhaled as he sat. "Is Y'zaks out with his daughter?"
Wuyue had a couple of rags on her tail as she was mopping the floor. "Oh, Auntie Zhao's fridge was broken, so Y'zaks brought Y'lisabet to repair it. Rollie, lift your tail up, I'm mopping."
"Y'lisabet knows how to repair refrigerators now?" Hao Ren said while he pulled Rollie's tail up. Awe was apparent on his face. "That brat's sure learning fast. I still remember back when she just came, she was poking around with her screwdriver. But... she's just out to repair the fridge, right? Why does Y'zaks have to follow?"
"The father is a worrywart. He's afraid that Old Zhao's place may have demon hunters hiding within it, so he went to keep an eye on her."
Hao Ren laughed out loud. "That's some imaginative thinking..."
Wuyue shrugged. "Probably the paranoia of a former king. There are daggers in the shadow after him, and his daughter's next in line. So,his logic isn't too far-fetched."
"Where's your brother?" Hao Ren looked around and found that Nangong Sanba was not at home. He was usually teaching Lil Pea how to read Letta runes at this time.
"He went to town." Nangong Wuyue used the tip of her tail to wipe the space underneath the sofa. "Remember the two demon hunters who were educated by our goddess? Brother went to speak to them, and get some information about the organization."
Hao Ren smiled once he heard that, and was pleased with his results. That organization was said to be the most difficult to breach, and in their long war against the otherworldlings, the organization had never been compromised; but now, there was a breach in their impregnable wall. Regardless of Nangong Sanba who was totally in league with them, or Zhao Xi and Liu Sheng who were cooperating discreetly (the two demon hunters stationed in the city were 'educated' by Raven 12345), or the wavering White Flame, there were gaps and breaches within the organization. While it may be small, it would certainly be a deciding factor when the time came.
Needless to say, Hao Ren would not be claiming the credit for everything. He knew that the shaking of the demon hunters' foundation was not due to outside forces, but the fact that their 'hunter's instinct' was fading away. No one knew what the cause was, but without a doubt, this was something inevitable with the passing of time. Even without Raven 12345's intervention, the demon hunters would sooner or later cease their hunt.
For him, it was to end the hunt sooner rather than later.
Lil Pea was bouncing about on the tea table as she bit into a small piece of wood, her hand still holding on to her 'toy crossbow'. The little rascal still could not control her hunger, but at least she knew that the crossbow was not to be eaten. She tapped Hao Ren with her tail to say hi before she lifted her crossbow and took aim at an apple not too far away. With a pull of the trigger, countless silver needles shot out towards the target. The little mermaid then scampered down the table to the floor.
Her tail was slippery and soaking wet...
Hao Ren laughed as he picked Lil Pea up from the floor and looked at his daughter happily performing her fireball and lightning tricks. The little sparks were pretty much harmless, yet the little one was enjoying herself. Hao Ren nodded, and felt that this was how life was supposed to be.
It was much better that running back and forth trying to save worlds.
However, Hao Ren was fated to never be able to relax for too long, as the MDT floated over. "I've gotten an all-channel broadcast for this universe. Something that I think is important."
"The local universe channel?" Hao Ren was stunned. He was so held up by his work that he had not been paying attention to the local channel for a good while. Only at times did he scroll through some hilarious pictures sent from other planets to ease his boredom. "What's the deal?"
"This is from Saint Suir IV. The local inspector managed to capture a vengeful spirit, and is looking for someone to help with the research."
Hao Ren unconciously tightened his grip and Lil Pea immediately popped out of his hand, while Nangong Wuyue stabbed her tail into the sofa in shock. By the time she recovered and pulled it out, a spring was still stuck on her tail. "...Mr. Landlord... I broke the sofa."
"No worries, I'll submit a claim later. MDT, show me the message."
The MDT floated before Hao Ren and projected the broadcast through its holographic display. " Non-Encrypted Report—Local Universe Channel. Origin Point: Saint Sur IV. All Spectrum Broadcast. The local inspector has captured a spiritual being three imperial days ago. Based on the information in the data vault, the being has been determined to be a vengeful spirit. The being is hostile, uncontrollable and cannot be communicated with. It is also very aggresive and is a high risk against all living beings. Seeking assistance from the local universe for any experienced inspectors or qualified civilian groups to anaylze the being's information structure. As per security rules, any interested party needs to have at least D-level clearance. Report over."
Hao Ren ruffled his hair. "Say... why didn't we do the same thing when we caught that spirit—look for help?"
The MDT shook. "You didn't mention it, and I felt that it was pretty pointless back then. A vengeful spirit is a very difficult being to capture and it's usually killed on sight. You're the first person to actually capture one and attempt to analyze it."
Hao Ren turned his head back and saw Nangong Wuyue looking at him anticipatingly. The spring was still stuck on her tail.
"Prepare to reply. D-level encryption."
A moment later, a response was relayed through Kuiper Station.
" D-level Encryption Report. The following content requires viewing authorization. Local Universe Channel. Origin point—The Milky Way-Kuiper Station. From Suharr Satelite Base to Saint Sur IV. The local inspector has managed to capture a vengeful spirit before and is experienced in its analysis. Most willing to help, please see attachment for more information. Report over."
The reply from Saint Sur IV came very quickly. The unknown inspector thanked Hao Ren and welcomed him to visit his place.
"Right, so let's go on another voyage. Let's see what we can find there. If we can find someone to help, we might be able to solve the mystery of the vengeful spirit that we've captured," Hao Ren muttered. "Say... is this the first time I'm meeting another inspector?"
"The very first. But most of the time inspectors don't meet at all." The MDT shook again. "They have their own area of responsibility, and without any urgent issues, they never call for a meeting."
"Do we need to prepare anything?" Hao Ren was rather excited about the upcoming visit, but also a little nervous. This was the first time since he had taken up the job that he would be meeting another civil servant from another district. He had to appear professional.
The MDT thought for a bit. "...Bring some souvenirs? I think the local stewed pork trotter is pretty good."
The moment Hao Ren heard that, he knew that he did not need to fret too much about preparations.