Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 172 Landauer's New Proposal

After successfully proving the concept of "incomplete countermeasure", Luo Xiu let the "Nightmare Wolf" Fenrir temporarily stay in the depths of his soul to maintain the continuous operation of the incomplete "Prisoner of the Thinker".

The order he gave to Fenrir was to keep a close eye on any divinations that might be carried out next by the other "fallen prophet", and at the same time, to closely follow their spiritual movements.

After completing a series of follow-up arrangements, the short afternoon passed quickly and time came to evening.

Luo Xiu was performing routine skill training while also paying attention to the movement of the "Silver Sundial Compass" in his hand.

The mercury with spirituality condensed into a needle, pointing firmly in a certain direction without deflection.

As midnight approached, Luo Xiu suddenly felt that the silver sundial compass beside him had some reaction.

The mercury sundial that was imbued with spirituality began to vibrate unnaturally, with the mercury at the tip vibrating most violently and beginning to shift to the side.

"'Black Fang' has begun to take action..." Luo Xiu thought to himself, then put away the compass and lay back on the bed.

The civet cat that Index transformed into was curled up on the windowsill, with half of its head sticking out to look out the window.

When Luo Xiu goes to sleep at night, Index will be on guard to monitor any possible danger.

Luo Xiu knew that in the huge main city of Songyuan City, "danger" might be lurking in various hidden corners.

And "black teeth" is just one of the relatively "mild" dangers among them.

……

The next day, early morning.

Luo Xiu woke up and looked at the cat Index curled up on the windowsill.

"Intis..." Luo Xiu called softly. The white double-tailed cat turned around and gently jumped off the windowsill.

"…No intruders were found."

After a burst of green mist, Intis changed back into human form and reported to her master.

"I understand." Luo Xiu nodded, then he got up from the bed, grabbed the thick velvet coat on the frame beside him, and put it on himself.

"You stay here, Intis. I'll go out and do something."

Ross said to Index as he walked to the door and turned the handle.

……

After leaving the Wolf Hunting Tavern, Luo Xiu walked alone on the street towards the Attorney General's Office branch in Wind Chime Square.

Today was the day that the Supreme "Arbitrator" Randall and Luo Xiu had agreed to list the new "subsidy" terms.

After walking out of the neighborhood where the Wolf Hunter Tavern was located, he walked along the street for about ten minutes and arrived at the main street of "Wind Chime Square". After walking through several alleys, Luo Xiu arrived at the gate of the Attorney General's Office where Randall was.

The waiter on duty saw Luo Xiu and recognized him as the guest who visited last time, so he entertained him warmly.

"Lord Landor is still in a meeting. Please wait."

The waiter said respectfully, "The Lord has asked us to tell you that he will come to see you after he finishes the meeting."

A meeting... Luo Xiu's eyes flickered slightly, and he inexplicably recalled the scene of the regular meeting of corporate slaves in his previous life.

He could probably guess what the main focus of the recent discussions among the Supremes was.

A plague of unknown origin swept in fiercely from the border of the empire; in many places, grains began to rot inexplicably, and many originally fertile fields became dry, with cracks like scars... These "phenomena" have occurred one after another recently, which has caused headaches for the rulers of the [Supreme].

"Okay." Luo Xiu responded with a smile.

Following the waiter's guidance, he came to the guest room of the Law Office and sat down on a blue leather sofa, waiting leisurely for Randall to come find him after finishing the meeting.

"Excuse me, would you like something to drink?"

The waiter asked politely, "We have premium black tea from the Kunt Mountains in the south, and coffee from the northern part of Kuma Territory. Of course, we also have fine red wine from the Shande Winery in Songyuan City."

"Black tea, thank you."

Luo Xiu instructed the waiter, "Add another piece of rock sugar."

……

After waiting for about a quarter of an hour, footsteps were finally heard outside the guest room.

Luo Xiu took a sip of the black tea in the cup and looked out the door.

"Grand Arbitrator" Randall finally ended the meeting and came to the door of the guest room.

He was wearing a rather formal arbitrator's robe, holding a shorthand notebook with a red and black cover, and walked in with quick steps, appearing to be in a hurry.

"Lord Landor is here, so I will leave first."

“I wish you a wonderful morning.”

When the waiter saw the arrival of the "Great Arbitrator" Randall, he bowed slightly to both Luo Xiu and Randall, then left the guest room and gently closed the door for them.

"...I was delayed for quite some time because of something. Sorry to have kept you waiting."

Randall looked up, glanced at Luo Xiu, and spoke first.

"Just now, the Lord summoned all the central officials of Songyuan City to a round table meeting to discuss the plague that broke out in the neighboring Kuma Territory..."

"This is not good news, really. God in heaven, we still don't know what caused that unprecedented plague!"

Randall changed the subject, and his golden eyes looked at Luo Xiu and asked:

"I heard that your 'Holy Court' is also investigating these anomalies and the real reasons behind them."

"Any results?"

"..."

"I don't know." Luo Xiu spread his hands and said helplessly.

"However, I heard that the scholars in the Sage's Tower seem to have made some progress in their research on this."

Luo Xiu slightly modified what he heard from Gonzalo and told Randall, "They seem to have developed some kind of alchemical preparation, which has now entered the closed experiment stage. It is said that the preparation can effectively suppress the infectiousness of the plague, and their scholars are trying to solve the side effects of the preparation."

"...You mean the 'Tower of Sages'?"

Randall was a little surprised, but he quickly hid his surprise.

"They have developed a suppressive agent so quickly... However, if it is the followers of the group of "Intelligence", it is indeed very likely... This is a good thing. Yes, this is a good thing."

Randall spoke quickly, half in response and half to himself.

It's normal to be fast... Who asked a kind-hearted time traveler to invest in this in advance... Luo Xiu felt a little proud, but he still kept a calm and gentle smile on his face and said:
"Well, let's get back to business, Mr. Landauer."

"Before, you agreed with me for two days, today is the day."

"..."

Luo Xiu did not mention the words "subsidy" or "compensation", but Randall understood.

He looked at Luo Xiu calmly, and a gleam of light suddenly flashed in his golden pupils.

Right behind Randall, the air began to twist unnaturally, and the spirit of the "Arbitrator" emerged from nowhere, holding a few pages of thin golden paper in his hands.

"This is our new 'subsidy' proposal."

Randall raised his hand, took the golden paper from the 'spiritual body', and handed it to Luo Xiu.

"Take a look." Landauer said expressionlessly.

Luo Xiu nodded, took the paper from Randall, and flipped through it. After discussing with his staff, the Supreme Arbitrator Randall found that the terms of this subsidy were indeed enriched and covered a wider range of areas.

Luo Xiu browsed through them one by one. He skipped over many items on "privileges" and quickly saw the content related to material subsidies.

【…】

[——Choose 3 pieces of ‘Master’ extraordinary equipment and 10 pieces of ‘Rare’ extraordinary equipment;]

[——200 bottles of primary life potion, 50 bottles of intermediate life potion, 20 bottles of advanced life potion;]

[——10 copies of Intermediate Curse Appraisal Books, 3 copies of Intermediate Curse Removal Books;]

【…】

[——30 third-level spiritual crystals, 10 fourth-level spiritual crystals;]

[——100 Nolan platinum coins;]

【…】

Various categories of subsidy items came into view, making Luo Xiu a little dizzy for a moment.

These things, plus the one hundred platinum coins that Randall was prepared to pay, had a total value of more than twenty thousand gold coins, more than ten times the "gift" of two thousand gold coins that Randall had proposed before!
This is a huge investment... Luo Xiu thought. After quickly reading the contents above, Luo Xiu placed the paper lightly on the table, looked at Randall, and said in a satisfied tone:

"can."

"I have fully felt your sincerity, and on behalf of the church, I thank you for your sincere devotion."

"..." Randall's mouth twitched slightly.

Luo Xiu noticed that Randall was clenching his fists, as if he wanted to hit someone, but his strict training as a [Supreme] noble made him suppress his instinctive impulse.

It can be seen that he is in pain... Luo Xiu thought happily in his heart, while on the outside he remained calm and humble, waiting for Randall to make a new reaction.

"Just...accept this proposal."

Randall gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and felt his mind return to normal, so he continued:

"Regarding these subsidies, I would like to send them to the Sina City Church through two channels."

"Please go ahead." Luo Xiu nodded, as if listening.

"First of all, since you are here as the 'Holy Inquisitor' of the church, we would like to deliver some valuable, higher-level and extraordinary items that are easy to carry or store secretly to you directly," said Randall.

"Secondly, for those relatively common but substantial regular support and subsidies, I will have ordinary soldiers form a transport team to deliver them to the Sina City Church."

"Okay." Luo Xiu nodded in agreement.

For Luo Xiu, this is also the best and most convenient result.

He was about to engage in open or covert battles with the "Black Teeth" under the executioner. He had plenty of consumables for him to squander, which would increase his confidence.

"Well, you can leave now with the 'Secret Notes of Law', Luo Xiu."

After Luo Xiu expressed his approval, Randall finally breathed a sigh of relief, and a sense of satisfaction arose spontaneously at having solved the problem.

But Landauer was not in a good mood at the moment. The heavy bleeding made him feel gloomy inside.

"Take this secret note and go to the 'Precepts Treasure House' in the Bakar District. Someone will help you with the rest of the process."

"Okay." Luo Xiu nodded, "That's no problem."

Luo Xiu immediately stood up, stretched out his right hand to Randall, and said with a smile: "This is a pleasant exchange. May the Holy Light always bathe you, Supreme Arbitrator."

No... this is not pleasant... Randall had a gloomy face, but still stretched out his hand and shook hands with Luo Xiu tightly.

"……goodbye."

Randall uttered the last two words almost through gritted teeth.

……

noon.

Songyuan City, the main area of ​​Bakar.

This is a neighborhood named after the family of Marquis "Vizia Bakar", the lord of Songyuan. It is the most central neighborhood in the entire main city of Songyuan and the ruling core and political lifeline of the entire Songyuan territory.

The main building of the "Hall of Justice" in Songyuan City, the "Round Table Hall", is located here. It was designated as a restricted area by the lord's mansion and heavily guarded.

In his previous life, Luo Xiu once sneaked in and saw the scene inside the "Round Table Hall" with his own eyes.

It was an extremely magnificent palace, with a structure similar to that of an ancient Greek synagogue. Its core was a deep red round table, and surrounding the table, climbing upwards, were circles of "concentric circles" of seats. The [Supreme] people were seated in order from high to low, from inside to outside, according to their specific powers and ranks.

The specific function of the "Round Table Hall" is to hold routine "Supreme Meetings" or gather all the Supremes to make "Emergency Resolutions". The important meeting that Randall attended before was held in the "Round Table Hall".

After leaving the Law Office branch in Randall, Luo Xiu arrived at the main district of Bakar.

His destination, the "Cunjie Treasure House", is located on one side of the Round Table Hall. Using the Round Table Hall as a reference landmark, it is easy to find the specific location of the "Cunjie Treasure House".

The "Treasure House for Preserving Rings", like the "Holy Storage Hall" of the Glorious Church, is the main building used by the Supreme People to store important items.

Luo Xiu raised his head and looked at the vague, magnificent corner of the "Round Table Hall" in the distance that towered above the houses on both sides, calculating its position in his mind.

After turning two more corners and walking straight along the main street for a while, they would arrive at the "Ring Storage Treasure House"... Luo Xiu thought.

While on the road, Luo Xiu vaguely felt that the silver sundial compass he carried with him was vibrating unnaturally and emitting a slight heat.

This means that the second group of "Black Fangs" has sneaked into Songyuan City and is getting closer to their position.

Luo Xiu then quickened his pace.

……

A few minutes later, Luo Xiu arrived at the street where the "Ring Storage Treasure House" was located.

After showing Randall's token to the guard and being allowed to pass, Luo Xiu arrived at the gate of the "Ring Storage Treasury".

The one on duty at the "Storage of Rings" was a "Law Enforcer" with the second level of the [Supreme] destiny. He raised his head and looked at Luo Xiu, but did not sense the same [Supreme] aura from the other party, so he gave him a puzzled look.

"Who are you?" the law enforcer asked, "This is a sacred place, please leave immediately."

"I am here to collect the supplies approved by Lord Arbitrator Landor."

Luo Xiu said this, and he showed the law enforcer the "Secret Notes of Law" given by Randall.

The law enforcer took the secret note with doubt. He then raised his left hand, placed his finger between his brows, and said in a "command":

"——【The law tells me the truth】."

Following his "imperial decree", the surface of the secret law paper suddenly began to glow with layers of deep red luster.

Luo Xiu felt the breath of "voyeurism", but the source of the peeping was not strong, and was even weak compared to himself. It should be coming from the "law enforcer" in front of him.

He did not intend to spy on Luo Xiu, that was just the overflow of his spirituality. His attention was now completely focused on the "Secret Law Notes".

After a moment, the "Secret Notes of Law" was completely stained with crimson, and the gold on its surface gradually faded to a dull dark brown.

Finally, after the law enforcer had checked all the secret notes, he raised his head and said:
"The 'Secret Notes of the Law' are fine. As Lord Landor ordered, I will collect them for you right now."

"It may take some time to get everything sorted. We ask for your understanding and patience."

After saying this, the law enforcer walked towards the "Treasure House of Rings", and his figure soon disappeared through the door.

……

(End of this chapter)