A week had passed since the monster incident.
Li Xiuman had also undergone a week of investigation and interrogation by Count Wit.
Ultimately, the truth was posted on the public bulletin board by Count Wit.
An evil god had tempted Viscount Fantes into corruption, turning the Viscount into a believer of the evil god.
To facilitate the advent of the evil god, a vessel for the evil god's power had been created.
In the end, this resulted in a tragedy that claimed 287 lives and injured over a thousand people.
Property and land damage accumulated to over 300,000 gold coins.
Meanwhile, Li Xiuman became the protagonist and hero of this entire affair.
He had keenly detected Viscount Fantes's conspiracy in advance and dispatched an operative to infiltrate Fantes's side and disrupt his plans.
Right after the incident occurred, he immediately risked his life to awaken Viscount Fantes, who had been controlled by the evil god.
But by then, Viscount Fantes's days were already numbered. Having realized his grave error, he was too ashamed to go on living.
Thus, he revealed the method to weaken the monster to Xiuman Pound Li.
The hero, Xiuman, swiftly rushed to the scene. Turning the tide single-handedly, he defeated the monster, saving White Bear City from the brink of destruction.
This was the truth presented by Count Wit.
Li Xiuman quite liked this truth.
It made him sound full of wisdom, courage, and power.
In terms of character development for the protagonist, the story had managed to capture some of his true charm.
However, this story—pui, truth—was ultimately concocted by nobles.
So, its main intent was still to restore the dignity and nobility of the aristocracy.
Take Fantes's motives, for example. He hadn't been seduced by some evil god at all.
He simply wanted to kick Count Wit's ass.
Yet, he was sanitized in the story, portrayed as merely being misled by an evil god, and supposedly regaining his “sanity” at the end to give him the method to defeat the monster.
And then, too ashamed to keep living, he kicked the bucket.
Damn, what total bullshit.
These nobles would go to any length to maintain the nobility and dignity of their bloodlines to compose such a farce.
They had absolutely no shame.
The actual truth was that he had demonstrated remarkable wisdom and courage, charging alone into Fantes's ambush.
In the end, he had wisely pried the secret to defeating the monster out of the despicable Fantes.
Then, he had shown his mercy.
And spared the despicable Fantes.
Who would have thought that the despicable Fantes would abandon all honor and launch a sneak attack against him—an individual who was merciful, wise, and overflowing with courage and power.
Utilizing his own wisdom and power, he had overcome the sneak attack.
Fantes ended up reaping what he sowed and died.
Now, that was the real truth!
Yet, these nobles had absolutely no respect for the truth, presenting such a story instead.
As expected, not a single noble was any good.
Having finished reading the story on the bulletin board, Li Xiuman muttered.
The truth is always held in the hands of the few.
In his letter to Ilu, he absolutely had to write down the real truth. He could not allow Ilu, who was far away in the north, to be blinded by the fairy tales of these nobles.
Li Xiuman left the bulletin board behind.
During this past week, Li Xiuman had not set foot in the dungeon, yet his level had successfully risen to Level 29 as he wished.
After all, even though Li Xiuman himself wasn't actively gaining experience...
...his adorable Kin and the White Bone Dungeon were generating a continuous stream of experience for him.
This experience, combined with the experience from defeating the monster earlier, successfully raised Li Xiuman's level by another tier.
On top of that, defeating the monster had rewarded him with a chest and an Evil God Power Crystal.
The magic items obtained from the chest were of a far higher quality than those found in Viscount Fantes's treasury.
[Evil God Statue] An unknown statue that appears to depict some evil god. Bursting with twisted, dark power. Praying to it might elicit a response, though what that response might be is entirely unknown.
[Special Effects] 1. Prayer: Pray to the evil god. It might resolve the difficulties before you, but there is also a chance you will plummet into an even more dangerous situation.
2. Sacrifice: Present a sufficiently devout sacrifice to the evil god. This increases the probability of a positive outcome when praying.
3. Blessing: Carrying this grants the blessing of the evil god, infusing your attacks with a corrosive effect and enabling the magic: Corrosive Airflow.
4. Malicious God: An evil god is an evil god, after all. Do not expect it to constantly grant you benefits. There is a chance it will inflict blindness on the bearer.
The statue of the evil god was about the size of an action figure.
Due to depicting an evil god, the statue was highly abstract.
It was pitted, pitch-black in texture, posed in a bizarre stance, and looked exceptionally “spirited.”
Its quality was indeed top-tier.
It was just that the statue was constantly looking for ways to screw over its bearer, which wasn't very well-behaved of it.
Therefore, Li Xiuman sealed it inside his storage space, with no intention of carrying it on him.
Following the incident where the Cursed Gold Coin ran rampant, Li Xiuman had successfully discovered a hidden feature of his storage space.
The storage space seemed capable of sealing the effects and curses of magic items.
Perhaps as the [Storage] skill leveled up, this sealing effect would continue to improve.
When that time came, he would no longer have to fear the Cursed Gold Coin running wild or any backlash from the evil god statue.
If a coin ever went out of control, he would throw it straight into solitary confinement to reflect on its behavior.
You're just a measly gold coin. As long as you let me pick up money, we can get along perfectly fine.
But if you make me lose money, I'll find some spare time to melt you right down!
Aside from the evil god statue...
...there was also another item: the Evil God Power Crystal.
It was a diamond-shaped, pitch-black crystal that exuded an extremely ominous aura.
Holding it directly with a hand would corrode bone and equipment.
However, it couldn't corrode the Rib Sword.
It was likely because the Rib Sword was protected by the rotting Power of Death, rendering it immune to this corrosive evil god power.
As for Crystal Orchid...
Li Xiuman couldn't bear to test it on her. It would be terrible if it left a scar on the Second Princess.
The Second Princess was so beautiful; if a scar were left on her flawless, pristine body, how could she face anyone in the future?
The Rib Sword, on the other hand, didn't matter. If it had to be tested, it had to be tested.
Walking down the path...
...he once again passed by the White Feather Merchant Association.
The White Feather Merchant Association building was fully completed. Magnificent and gilded, its white doors and pillars complemented each other, radiating an incredibly grand atmosphere.
The association's white feather logo looked highly impressive.
However, Li Xiuman found the logo somewhat familiar.
A single, slanted feather.
It looked a bit like the emblem of the Blood Bone Organization created by his vampires—a single red femur slanted in the opposite direction.
Still, it was probably just a coincidence.
Today also happened to be the official opening day of the White Feather Merchant Association.
Because during the previous crisis, the people of the White Feather Merchant Association had stepped up immediately to evacuate residents and rescue refugees.
They had garnered an immense amount of goodwill in the hearts of White Bear City's residents.
Consequently, today's grand opening was exceptionally bustling.
Numerous adventurers were eagerly recommending themselves, seeking to establish partnerships with the White Feather Merchant Association.
Quite a few merchants also wanted to purchase goods from them.
Upon inspection, these merchants discovered that the association was indeed highly capable; their inventory was abundant across various categories, and the quality of their goods was exceptionally reliable.
Thus, they decided to establish long-term partnerships.
This allowed the White Feather Merchant Association to rake in massive profits in no time.
Watching all this, Li Xiuman felt a little disgruntled.
Although he didn't know who the owner of the White Feather Merchant Association was, seeing them make money so easily left him highly unsatisfied.
It was practically pure opportunism!
He had to find a way to track down this merchant association's owner and borrow some money.
Rate on N.U.
