I'll also work hard to conquer the dungeon today.

Chapter 709, Section 2.6: The General Store

The towns of the Wonderland are always peaceful and serene. Unlike the bustling Fairy Tale Kingdom, it's more like a secluded paradise, self-sufficient and completely detached from the outside world. Sometimes, it's so deserted that it resembles a ghost town, devoid of any human presence.

Xin Bai walked on the clean stone path, but his mind was filled with the words of Dao Lin, Mu Ye Gui, and Ming Jin. In the end, all that remained was hatred. The thought of avenging his parents and clansmen occupied all his thoughts.

"Hey there, you stray kitten over there~ want to come in and have a can of cat food?"

The sudden sound made Xin Bai stop in his tracks. He turned his head slightly and saw a man sitting in a recliner, looking at him with a smile.

"Trying to sell? I'm not buying," Xin Bai said coldly.

"I just couldn't bear to see such a cute little kitten wandering the streets, how can you call that selling?" He chuckled and then added, "Besides, you seem to be at your wit's end. If you don't want to die, you'd better come in with me."

"I'm leaving." Xin Bai hesitated for a few seconds, but still chose to leave.

"Even if I suddenly die before achieving my goal, it doesn't matter?" the man said calmly, looking at Xin Bai.

Xin Bai stopped abruptly, turned to look at him, and said sharply, "What do you know!"

The man watched Xin Bai with his smile unchanged. He raised his thumb and pointed to the door behind him, asking, "Would you like to come in and have a look, guest?"

In the end, Xin Bai still chose to go inside.

Upon entering, one sees various oddly shaped gemstones displayed inside, but they are not placed in their proper places, appearing somewhat cluttered. The room's color scheme leans towards gray, with only a bunch of unopened red flower buds in a vase on the counter providing any splash of color.

The man ignored Xin Bai's question and walked past him to the counter. He took out a beautiful velvet gift box, only the size of a palm. He placed the box on the table but made no attempt to open it.

"Do you know why it's divided into the Royal City and the Six Kingdoms?" the man asked.

"How could I possibly know?" Xin Bai snorted coldly.

"This is because of the existence of the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust. Because their existence is incompatible, a separate territory is set aside to manage them. It is also for this reason that each kingdom has some special things that have been present in you from the day you registered as a resident of the kingdom."

The man looked down and fiddled with the gift box, explaining it to Xin Bai as he went about his business.

"What is it?" Xin Bai asked.

"The content is rather complex, and you wouldn't understand if I explained it too much. I'll just give a simple explanation: it's a negative emotion detection system. In the Mysterious Kingdom, this corresponds to a 'Corruption Value.' The higher your negative emotions, the higher your Corruption Value, and the more prone you are to uncontrollable energy. This energy is extremely violent, and a slight mishap could lead to your body exploding and dying. Cute little kitty, you're in danger!"

"Is the energy... very powerful?" Xin Bai asked, his tone carrying a hint of eagerness and joy that he himself was unaware of, like an adult walking in the desert on the verge of dying of thirst suddenly seeing an oasis in the distance.

"Of course, otherwise it wouldn't be an uncontrollable series. This kind of energy can make itself exert more than a hundred times its original strength, but because it is too fierce and violent, the number of beings that can convert it into their own power is extremely small. For example, it's like inflating a balloon. The balloon is already full of air. Inflating it is testing the balloon's limit. When it can no longer withstand the pressure, it will burst with a 'bang'."

The man gestured exaggeratedly while glancing sideways at Xin Bai's expression, his eyes darkening slightly before returning to normal.

"I haven't felt the energy you're talking about. Who knows if what you're saying is true?" Xin Bai shook his head, wary.

Even if you crave power, there's no need to be fooled by strange guys because of something you can't touch.

"Because you haven't reached the minimum required level of corruption." The man paused, then continued, "When your corruption level reaches 50, you will feel the first surge of energy, the second at 70, and the third at 90." "50..." Xin Bai pursed his thin lips and murmured.

The man looked down at Xin Bai, then a smile suddenly appeared on his lips as he asked, "So, would the adorable little kitten like to experience it beforehand?"

"Feelings?" Xin Bai frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

"Experiencing that power firsthand is far more real than what I've described, isn't it? But remember, this power is so strong and violent that it's extremely addictive, and you can easily be controlled by it if you're not careful. Little kitty, are you really capable of withstanding its will?" The man's expression turned serious when Xin Bai looked at him, but became unrestrained when his gaze shifted away.

"I..." Xin Bai hesitated, the warning from Ming Jin still lingering in his mind, but the hatred in his heart urged him to quickly agree to the man in front of him. This might be his only chance to quickly improve his strength, so why refuse? If he refused, there might not be a second chance.

The man who had been standing in front of him had disappeared without him noticing. He stood beside Xin Bai, leaning slightly to whisper seductively in his ear, "Don't you really want to experience it?"

His hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into fists involuntarily, but then relaxed in an instant.

"How do you feel?" Xin Bai asked.

After uttering those four words, he instinctively felt a sense of relief, as if a stone that had been hanging over his heart had finally been lifted, and he was completely free from his constraints.

After hearing Xin Bai's words, the man narrowed his eyes slightly, then chuckled and walked back to the counter, slowly opening the gift box.

Inside the gift box was a perfectly round white stone, ordinary and unremarkable, not much different from any small pebble you could pick up anywhere on the roadside. The only difference was that this stone had been polished.

"Just hold it close to your heart and feel its power," the man said slowly.

Xin Bai listened to the man's words, placed the stone against his chest, closed his eyes, and tried to sense the so-called power. The next second, a powerful and violent energy spread from his chest, rushing to his limbs and even every corner of his body. In that instant, his mind went blank, and only his wildly pounding heart and the powerful force told him that he was still alive, that he was very healthy and strong.

When Xin Bai came to his senses, he realized that his limbs were weak and he was mentally exhausted, as if he were experiencing the aftereffects of being cleansed by a powerful energy.

He moved his thin lips, his eyes filled with fervor as he looked at the stone.

So he asked the man for specific information about the Corruption Points and that energy, and finally left with the stone.

After Xin Bai left, the grocery store returned to its original silence.

Exaggerated and maniacal laughter filled the entire grocery store.

The man raised his fingernail and traced it across his earlobe, slowly tearing away an almost transparent membrane to reveal his true face.

His handsome face wore an elegant yet frivolous smile, but his azure eyes were filled with a chilling madness and twisted rage.

Her golden, tousled hair still shone as brightly as gold, and the red flower buds in the vase beside her slowly unfurled.

It was a bunch of vibrant autumn ivy, as red as fresh blood.

Surprise! It's an old friend of ours!
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(End of this chapter)