Chapter 99: Rejuvenating Door

If any force could exist as an intermediary to the five powerful races, it was most likely the remnants of the Arcana Race.

These unkillable ghosts of the Arcana Race wandered among the various races, their purpose unclear. They might just be trying to survive or they might be working towards the resurrection of their dreams. They roped in various host races and established bases of power all over the world, pulling the strings behind the scenes and creating chaos.

Unlike the relationship between the humans and the Arcana Race, the Ferocious Race embraced the remnants of the Arcana Race.

The Harvey Plains were quite desolate and devoid of resources, to the point that even provisions like food and weapons needed to be imported, and humans being expert craftsmen especially needed these resources. Of course, the Ferocious Race couldn’t go and purchase things themselves, so they could only do so through an intermediary. The remnants of the Arcana Race recognized this, making it difficult for the Ferocious Race to refuse their services. In addition, the Ferocious Race had been watchdogs for the Arcana Race in the past, as they were used to keep the other races in check. Even though they had been subject to torment as well, they were much better treated than the other races, and so they didn't have as much hatred and enmity.

Because of this, the remnants of the Arcana Race were more or less an open organization amongst the Ferocious Race.

Su Chen knew that this branch of the Arcana Race remnants were known as the Rejuvenating Door. They were closely related to the Immortal Temple of the human race, the Fate’s Hands of the Feathered Race, the Dazzling Society of the Spirit Race, and the Black Flame of the Sea Race

The Rejuvenating Door typically bought large quantities of resources and weapons from the humans, most of them obtained via the Immortal Temple. From this, they were also considered as a steady source of long-term revenue for the Immortal Temple.

When he heard all that Night Demon had to say, Su Chen immediately replied, “Let’s go talk about this somewhere else.”

Night Demon giggled and followed behind Su Chen.

They weaved back and forth until they finally arrived at a house. Upon pushing open the door, Su Chen found Shi Mingfeng sitting inside, waiting for them.

When he saw Su Chen, Shi Mingfeng chuckled. “My brother, how have you been lately?”

“You know exactly how I’ve been. What is there to say?” Su Chen didn’t waste time being polite and sat down. “Since you appeared here, you should have some information about my Instructor, right?”

The Ferocious Race couldn’t send any news through the Dreamrealm, but that didn’t mean that information couldn’t spread in real life.

The Immortal Temple had close ties with the Rejuvenating Door. If Shi Mingfeng didn’t have any insider information, he probably wouldn’t have appeared today.

Shi Minfeng replied, “I don’t have any information about Shi Kaihuang specifically, but I do have information about the Heavenly Might Battalion.”

“How are they?”

“They’re still alive, but they’re having a hard time. They got intercepted on their way back and were forced to split up. When I got wind of this, they were in the area of Wild Fox Mountain, but it’s hard to say where they are now. You know that given the situation, if they were to stay in one place for too long, they will be killed.”

“What can you offer me? And what do you want?” Su Chen asked straightforwardly

Shi Mingfeng sighed, “If you asked me what I wanted the most, it would be you, of course. The Hemolytic Totem, Primordial Blood Incarnation, and Soul Armaments all are worth less than you. What you are creating is not just individual Origin Skills but actually a path of limitless potential. You have already created three things along this road, and you are still so young. Most likely, you will achieve even greater things in the future. As such, you are the only thing valuable enough to ask for.”

“I’m not for sale,” Su Chen said.

“But you aren’t afraid of losing your life. The Blood and Iron Country is fraught with danger, and anything could kill you. It’s possible that you might die at any moment, so why are you so against selling yourself?”

“Everybody will eventually die. There are some things you can do about that and some things that you can’t. The Immortal Temple doesn’t have the best reputation, and there’s no point in trying to convince me to join your ranks.”

“Then do you think it’s better for you to cooperate with us like this?”

“At the very least, I have a choice and can refuse. When I cooperate with you, I don’t really mind if it’s for profits, and I’m also not against you dealing with people that I can’t stand. But I can always refuse or even resist any other actions you do then. If I were to join the Immortal Temple, I would probably lose my freedom. In my eyes, the Immortal Temple is like all organizations; there are both good and evil part of it. I won’t avoid you because of the evil parts, but I will oppose your evil actions. As such, if the Immortal Temple wants to do something evil, don’t come looking for me; otherwise, I might try to interfere. What’s the point in recruiting someone like me anyways? Even if I did join your ranks, I would still oppose you and slaughter my way out if you did something I didn’t like.”

Shi Mingfeng was dumbfounded when he heard this. After a long time, he finally nodded and said, “You’re absolutely right. I was the one who hadn’t thought things completely through. Any organization will inevitably do some shady things as they grow. It’s actually better if you don’t join us. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to avoid these scandals, and conflicts would likely arise. Things are quite good the way they are. Quite good.”

His repetition seemed to indicate that Su Chen’s words had convinced him.

Then, he said, “It seems like I only have one choice. Actually, I probably don’t have much of a choice at all. How about I tell you what I can offer you first? You are unfamiliar with both the people and the layout of the Blood and Iron Country. We can give you a packet of information regarding the Ferocious Race, including a very detailed map, the various tribes and where they are camped, and a list of social taboos. Of course, you will need to swear with the Unsworn Testimony Fruit that you will not spread any of this information.”

The Unsworn Testimony Fruit was a strange fruit. Any words spoken during a certain length of time after ingesting the fruit would be recorded down. If at any point in time a person went back on those words, the Unsworn Testimony Fruit would activate and cause the target’s body shape to become fatter and fatter.

The Unsworn Testimony Fruit wouldn’t kill a person, but it would change a person’s body shape, making them so obese that it would be hard for them to even move. The consequences were quite severe. Under most circumstances, making a swear under the influence of the Unsworn Testimony Fruit was very effective.

Su Chen nodded. “That’s not a problem. Anything else?”

“You can ask the Rejuvenating Door for any information about the Ferocious Race and the Heavenly Might Battalion, but you will need to buy it from them. They will set the price. They probably won’t ask for an excessive amount to give us face, but the specifics aren’t under our control.”

“Then what if I want to ask them for help on my expedition? Do I need to pay as well?”

“Yes. As long as you can afford it, they will do anything. In theory, it would even be possible to get them to fight the Ferocious Race.”

In terms of the organization’s intrinsic culture, the Rejuvenating Door and the Immortal Temple were quite similar. They were drawn in by dreams and motivated by profits.

Su Chen laughed coldly. “That would probably require an astronomical sum that no one could pay, right? For instance, a quadrillion top-tier Origin Stones?”

Shi Mingfeng laughed as well. “That might be enough to buy the whole Blood and Iron Country.”

Theory was just theory. No one would take it seriously.

But even so, Su Chen was satisfied.

He said, “You guys aren’t paying much of a price, as it’s just a map and some information. I still need to buy everything else on my own.”

“This is already a lot. The Rejuvenating Door was already extremely unwilling to hand over these things, as it’s a big risk for them. If it weren’t for the fact that I believe that you aren’t that kind of person, a single Unsworn Testimony Fruit wouldn’t be enough to disincentivize the lure of selling them to Long Sang Country.”

In this day and age, maps were quite valuable and could fetch high prices.

Su Chen thought for a moment, then replied, “I can hand over the Hemolytic Totem.”