My profession is too unique.

Chapter 72 A Bountiful Harvest: First Meeting with Xia Hanshi

It turns out that this city lord's ability to change his expression is just as fast as Old Sun's.

Su Chen was quite surprised. Was this because they had discovered my great potential and wanted to befriend me?
He narrowed his eyes; this wasn't something that could be easily let go of.

Yang Yan, standing nearby, chuckled; his reaction was quite quick.

There are degrees of severity in liquidation. Zhang Hongbo is not without backing, but if Su Chen fights him to the death, he will be in for a lot of trouble.

Zhang Hongbo ignored the three people's reactions, just smiled at Su Chen, and then added, "Don't be shy, just tell me what you need, and I'll do my best to help you as long as it's within my power."

“Since that’s the case…” Su Chen thought for a moment. Since the other party was already prepared to bleed money, he had no embarrassment and immediately said, “I want a copy of the information on the second-level advanced mental profession.”

Zhang Hongbo is clearly a high-level mentalist professional, that's for sure.

I thought the [Arcane Scholar] would only be able to transform in Yingfeng, but unexpectedly, the progress was much faster than that of the [Wind Hunter].

“You…” Zhang Hongbo’s brow twitched, and he couldn’t help but ask, “You’re already a second-tier mental professional, do you still need to?”

Yang Yan revealed a faint smile, a hint of something more.

“That’s exactly what I need,” Su Chen emphasized.

Seeing Su Chen's solemn reaction, Zhang Hongbo realized that Su Chen was deliberately making things difficult for him.

It's not a big deal if the information about his second-tier profession is leaked secretly, but with the people from the Inquisition here, it's out in the open, and he'll have to be held accountable.

But realizing this, he felt relieved. The more Su Chen retaliated, the less resentment he would feel.

“Alright…” He pretended to be hesitant to make Su Chen feel better. “Perfect, my second-tier profession is the advanced level of the mental side, called [Psychic Manipulator].

Zhang Hongbo recounted: "The job requirements are..."

Su Chen's expression changed slightly because a notification had popped up on the panel.

[A Tier 2 Advanced Job has been discovered – Telekinesis. You can take the job upon completing the requirements.]

[One of the job requirements: Endure for three hours in the "Temporal Trial".]

[Second requirement for employment: Master level in three F-level meditation techniques.]

[The arcane scholar, influenced by the power of the evil god, discovered the psychic manipulator and immediately rushed at him, but the psychic manipulator resisted fiercely...]

The [Arcane Scholar], tainted by the power of the Demon God, couldn't wait a moment longer and pounced on it immediately, but the result was still nowhere in sight.

They're both at the second-tier upper level, so they'll probably have to fight for a while.

Su Chen estimated that a transformation would occur soon, and based on his experience, the reaction would be quite significant. If the person was in so much pain that they clutched their head and howled, it would be a real problem.

“Write it down…” Yang Yan said calmly from the side, “Zhang Hongbo has leaked information about a second-tier upper-level profession without authorization.”

Gu Bing had already opened the virtual screen and made a deep note of it.

Zhang Hongbo didn't care. Looking at Su Chen's slightly changed expression, he wondered if she was regretting it.

For him, this profession was actually useless; he could sell it on the black market and still have to guard against being tracked down.

Su Chen's tone became more urgent, and he added, "I also need some second-tier mental potions to aid in mental meditation."

Zhang Hongbo's eyes flickered slightly. He hadn't expected that a second-tier profession useless to Su Chen could get rid of him. After a moment of contemplation, he said again:

"The Inspection Department doesn't have any Tier 2 meditation aids. How about this, I'll personally give you ten vials of Illusion Essence; the effects are pretty good."

"Ten tubes a week? That's barely acceptable..." Su Chen murmured to himself, glancing at the panel again.

Zhang Hongbo's face twitched. Ten vials a week? This kid really dares to dream! Because of the scarcity of spiritual items, the price of Illusion Essence in Nanfeng City far exceeds that of Mist Fiend Potion, with each vial reaching ten thousand gold.

He thought for a moment, and this time he really felt the pinch, so he forced a smile and said, "How about this, the weekly quota is the same as the quota for Mist Fiend Potion."

Su Chen glanced at the panel with unease, then hesitated and asked, "Is it also five servings a week?"

Isn't the Fog Fiend potion supposed to be three doses per week? Where did five doses come from?
Zhang Hongbo wasn't sure if the logistics staff had privately raised the standards for Su Chen, but pressing for answers now and taking the initiative to ease tensions would only make him seem petty.

Well… it’s better to cut it sooner rather than later, Zhang Hongbo consoled himself, his smile becoming even more forced: “Not bad, five portions each.”

“I suddenly remembered that there is no corresponding E-level meditation method yet…” Su Chen added.

Having already made the necessary sacrifices, meditation is nothing compared to that. Zhang Hongbo waved his hand and said, "I'll arrange it."

"Thank you, City Lord." Su Chen also showed the proper attitude, sincerely thanked him, and prepared to leave.

"I'll take you. Oh, and there's one more thing..."

Zhang Hongbo emerged from behind his desk, smiling as he walked forward. But before he could finish speaking, the office door suddenly slammed open with a "bang."

Several people looked over at the same time. Su Chen took a step back without making a sound. Who was so fierce as to dare to rush into the city lord's gate?

"Old Xia!" Zhang Hongbo's heart skipped a beat when he saw who it was.

Yang Yan and the other two were equally visibly surprised, and Gu Bing even gave Su Chen a subtle glance.

Zhang Hongbo seems quite wary? No, he's more like fearful!
Su Chen keenly realized this. The person who walked in through the door was an old man with silver hair and a slender figure. His face was covered with wrinkles, and it seemed that there was hardly any flesh left on his bones.

"Are you all here?" Xia Hanshi glanced at the four people, paused for a moment on Su Chen, then moved on, his tone indifferent: "What kind of conspiracy are you plotting?"

“Nothing much?” Zhang Hongbo spoke first, his face revealing nothing. “It’s just that I’ve called the two special envoys over to discuss some recent matters.”

Anxiety welled up inside him. The refugees, the Crimson Gold talent—he wondered what kind of trouble the judge would cause if he found out.

“Hmm.” Yang Yan agreed, but in his heart he was also thinking that this promising student had been taken in by Yuan Chenyang and was now under the jurisdiction of the Third Judge.

But once his talent is exposed, Elder Xia will inevitably try to take it away, and he will be ruined in the pursuit of that impossible career.

If I tell the truth myself, I won't be able to explain it to the third presiding judge. It's a problem...

Yang Yan quickly decided that if Elder Xia asked Su Chen about the situation, he should tell him the truth; if not, he should pretend he didn't know.

Each of the three had their own thoughts, but they all appeared calm on the surface.

Su Chen vaguely sensed that the atmosphere was a bit strange, but all he wanted to do now was leave as soon as possible; the [Arcane Scholar] was about to win.

Xia Hanshi looked around, then suddenly stared at Su Chen. His sinister gaze sent chills down one's spine. "Who is this kid?"

“Yuan Chenyang’s student, Su Chen, is the one who went undercover to retrieve the Sacred Word Stone,” Gu Bing spoke first, giving a brief introduction. “He is now the deputy section chief of the Supervision Department, with a bright future ahead of him.”

Upon hearing this, Xia Hanshi looked away and shook his head almost imperceptibly, "Such a young deputy section chief..."

Su Chen found the old man utterly inexplicable.

Gu Bing then said, "I'll take him downstairs."

Su Chen followed Gu Bing away, took the elevator, and only after they reached the bottom did she look up and whisper, "Doesn't the atmosphere feel strange?"

"Hmm." Su Chen nodded, then opened the panel again to take a look; there were still no results.

(End of this chapter)