National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

To Chu He’s astonishment, he hadn’t noticed it at all at first.

This was because the cloud in the sky wasn’t giving off any unusual aura, appearing to be nothing more than an ordinary cloud.

As he walked, Chu He began to notice something was off.

Ever since he’d returned from the Great Jing Empire, the cloud had been locked onto him.

With every step Chu He took, the cloud moved along right behind him. It was hard not to notice.

’There’s definitely something wrong with this cloud!’

"’This Black Continent Grassland is truly dangerous.

It’s filled with extraordinary auras everywhere. The Evil Spirits here are far more terrifying than those in the Demon Caves of some ordinary Empires.’"

Chu He averted his gaze from the cloud in the sky.

However, since the cloud hadn’t made a move against him, Chu He couldn’t be bothered with it.

After all, the Black Continent Grassland was teeming with so many Evil Spirits; he couldn’t possibly deal with every single one.

What truly caught Chu He’s attention was the clamor coming from up ahead.

Up ahead, a wide variety of cars were parked. The aroma of food wafted through the air, accompanied by the hawking of vendors—sounds one would only expect to hear in a human city.

"A case of natural mineral water, twenty-four bottles, for just three hundred thousand! Limited quantity!"

"Freshly grilled hot dogs, ten thousand each! Get ’em before they’re gone!"

"A variety of exquisite stir-fries, prepared by a five-star chef! Eat your fill for only eight hundred and eighty thousand!"

Even Chu He was a little dumbfounded hearing these calls.

They were already deep in the Black Continent Grassland, a place where one could witness all sorts of bizarre scenes that defied common sense.

Chu He had heard of scenes like this before.

Some groups of Martial Artists had absolutely no interest in the resources from these strange phenomena. They were more interested in doing business and making money.

So, they would often come to dangerous places like this, bringing cheap goods from human cities to sell at prices unimaginable to the average person.

Most Martial Artists still needed to eat and drink every day.

Now, deep inside the Black Continent Grassland, the supplies carried by many Martial Artists were all but depleted.

Besides, the food that experienced Martial Artists carried was anything but delicious.

After all, when venturing deep into a place like the Black Continent Grassland, there was no telling if they’d be able to get out in ten days or half a month.

Thus, the provisions they carried were meant solely for survival.

Now, seeing all this freshly made food, many Martial Artists started pulling out their money to buy some. The prices were outrageous, but it was worth it to satisfy their cravings.

Martial Artists who frequented dangerous areas weren’t short on cash. After all, what was the point of earning money if not to enjoy it?

Of course, a small minority of Martial Artists were unwilling to spend their money on such things.

For instance, a case of twenty-four bottles of mineral water cost an astounding three hundred thousand.

Back in the safety of a human city, how much mineral water could you buy with three hundred thousand?

Chu He’s gaze shifted to a building at the very front, shrouded in a gloomy haze.

He focused his Primordial Spirit Power into his eyes, allowing his vision to extend to an incredible distance.

Chu He saw it clearly: there was a plaque above the building.

The writing on it had long since faded and gave off an ancient air, but it was still barely legible.

The building was a welfare institute. This one was called the Rainbow Welfare Institute.

’Could all these people be here for this welfare institute? Does this mean the intelligence the woman in leather had isn’t top-secret after all?’

Chu He watched as more and more Martial Artists gathered around.

A weaselly-faced man sidled up to Chu He and asked mysteriously, "Hey buddy, judging by your features, you must be from around the Great Xia Empire, Great Jing Empire, or Xingzhou Empire, right?

Need some intel?

Don’t get me wrong, I mean no harm.

Everyone who comes here is after this Rainbow Welfare Institute.

No one knows what year this place was built, but it’s definitely not normal.

I can give you one piece of intel for free: this Rainbow Welfare Institute can subtly influence a person’s mind. And that includes you.

The moment you set foot on this land and laid eyes on the institute up ahead, you were already under its influence."

Chu He’s face was hidden by a mask, and he wore a black baseball cap on his head.

He’d found them in a backpack he’d picked up on the road.

He figured the backpack’s owner had either met with an accident and fled in a panic, not having time to grab it...

...or they’d already been killed by something.

But Chu He didn’t care. He simply took the items and started using them.

After all, running into someone who recognized him would just cause unnecessary trouble.

"First, tell me which Empire you’re from.

Because the bit of free intel I’m about to give you is related to that.

If you don’t tell me, I can’t really explain it properly."

The weaselly-faced man said.

"Great Xia Empire," Chu He replied.

"Then the name of the institute you see up ahead must be written in the script of your Great Xia Empire, am I right?" the weaselly-faced man said with a grin.

"Isn’t it?"

Chu He was puzzled. The welfare institute was clearly using the script of the Great Xia Empire, so why would it appear deep in the Black Continent Grassland?

"I’m from the White Elephant Empire.

To me, the name of the institute up ahead is in the script of the White Elephant Empire.

This is part of the Rainbow Welfare Institute’s influence, and only a trivial part at that—at least, that’s how it seems for now."

The weaselly-faced man said, "If you don’t believe me, you can go ask the others.

Whether they’re from the Lighthouse Empire, the Great Jing Empire, the Xingzhou Empire, or any other Empire, they’re guaranteed to see the script they grew up learning.

Luckily, the name of the institute itself doesn’t change. It’s still called the Rainbow Welfare Institute."

As the weaselly-faced man spoke, Chu He used his Primordial Spirit Power to observe the man’s mental fluctuations.

In the face of Chu He’s powerful Primordial Spirit Power, a person’s mental fluctuations were impossible to hide.

In other words, the weaselly-faced man wasn’t lying.

But Chu He had no idea when he himself had actually fallen under its influence.

"You all got here so early. Why haven’t you gone in to take a look?"

Chu He noticed that many Martial Artists had already gathered around, but most of them were just keeping their distance from the Rainbow Welfare Institute, hesitating and milling about.

"We’re waiting for the other Empires’ forces, of course.

It’ll be safer for the rest of us to go in after their people have acted as the vanguard."

The weaselly-faced man said, "I see you’re by yourself. Want to team up in a bit? My name is Galava."

"You can just call me Xiaochu."

Chu He thought teaming up with an info-broker wasn’t a bad idea. At the very least, he’d be better informed than most.

"Look! The people from my White Elephant Empire are here! And they sent the elites this time!"

Galava suddenly grew excited, his face filled with pride.