Breaking the Masked Man

People can lose their memory, but their nature will not; the former is memory, while the latter is habit.

Compared to the Medusa Queen, the person before him was as kind as a blank sheet of paper. He even doubted that Butterfly had ever killed anyone, which was obviously ridiculous.

“She was too well protected before.”

Yao Yan strongly agreed with Hai Bodong's words.

Queen Medusa dotes on her younger sister, and it is this doting that has shaped Cai Die's current personality. This personality is clearly unsuitable for a world like the Dou Qi Continent, let alone for becoming the queen of the Snake People.

Hai Bodong was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "True protection should be to help her become a strong person; she has that talent."

"You seem to care about her a lot."

Yao Yan looked at Hai Bodong and said with some surprise, "Without the experiences in the original story, why is Hai Bodong still so concerned about Cai Die? She shouldn't be such a meddlesome person."

Hai Bodong's eyes showed a complicated expression, as if he was recalling the past. His voice was slightly low: "Her personality is very similar to my junior sister's, but I didn't protect her back then. I don't want you to make the same mistake again."

"I won't."

Yao Yan was taken aback for a moment, then understood what the other party meant. He became more serious and replied in a deep voice.

Hai Bodong closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. At this moment, he completely let go of some things from the past, and his expression immediately became much more relaxed. Even the bottleneck that had been stuck for a long time loosened a little. He had a premonition that he would be able to break through to the sixth-star Dou Huang level upon returning to the capital.

Sensing this, a faint smile appeared on his lips as he said, "Rock City is just ahead. It is one of the three cities of the Gama Empire located in the Tagor Desert. It has a special air transport service, which you can use to travel to other cities in the Gama Empire!"

Looking out, Yao Yan saw the outline of a human city gradually becoming clear on the distant horizon...

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 53 The Mittel Family

"The Gama Empire has three cities in the Tagor Desert, which serve as the border between the Gama Empire and each city is guarded by a high-level Battle King to prevent the Snake People from invading. For the Snake People, the Gama Empire is a more suitable place to live than the Tagor Desert, which is the key reason for the extremely poor relationship between the two sides."

Hai Bodong looked at the distant loess city and spoke slowly.

Yao Yan lowered his head to study the map in his hand. Upon hearing this, he said softly, "The struggle for survival and the struggle between races make it difficult to reconcile the relationship between the two sides. Unless one side can produce an absolute strongman, perhaps this situation can be changed... However, in the end, only one side will remain!"

He changed the subject, looked up at Hai Bodong, and asked with great curiosity, "If the Snake People and the Gama Empire were to go to war one day, would you participate?"

“I do not enjoy pointless killing, and the conflict between the Serpent People and the Gama Empire is none of my business.”

Hai Bodong shook his head and said calmly.

Yao Yan had not forgotten Hai Bodong's other identity. In addition to being one of the top ten strongest people in the Jia Ma Empire, he was also a mercenary who roamed the shadows. Just like this time when he came to the Tagor Desert to capture Cai Die, he would take on the mission as long as someone could afford the price.

He asked curiously, "What if the Jiama Empire offers a very high price?"

"I used to, but not anymore."

Hai Bodong gave Yao Yan a deep look, his gaze carrying a hidden meaning.

Yao Yan did not continue this foolish topic. As the angel investor in the original work, Hai Bodong had a very discerning eye. Since he knew about his relationship with the snake people, how could he make an enemy of the snake people for some petty gains?

As the two talked, the surrounding roads gradually became smoother, and more and more people appeared on the road.

Most of the men among these passersby were shirtless, their skin a dark, muscular tan, giving them a rather bold and uninhibited appearance. The women who occasionally passed by also had slightly dark skin, but it was a sexy bronze hue. These women were extremely uninhibited, mostly wearing tight-fitting leather outfits that barely covered their chests and a little bit below, while their slender waists were boldly exposed.

Long, slender, and taut thighs are also simply covered by short skirts or shorts.

While walking.

Her swaying waist, like a water snake, possessed a unique and captivating charm and allure.

Exotic charm, swaying to the top... Yao Yan commented in his heart, then looked at the city whose specific scale could already be seen. Above the city gate, two large pale red characters were carved on the city wall, which, from a distance, had a faint sense of bloodshed.

"Iwaicheng..."

Yao Yan murmured a sentence, then her gaze fell on the soldiers at the city gate. They were all dressed in heavy armor, holding long spears, and shouting at passersby to pay the city entrance tax. Their attitude was quite irritable, but it was understandable, since working in heavy armor under the hot sun was obviously not a good job.

As they approached the city gate, their waterwheel was naturally stopped by the soldiers. The leader stared at the waterwheel and shouted, "How many of you are pulling what?"

Hai Bodong didn't say anything, but indifferently took out a token from his storage ring and handed it over.

"Sir...please, sir!"

The moment the leading soldier saw the token, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He swallowed hard, quickly made way, and said respectfully with a fawning expression.

Under the curious gaze of passersby, the monster slowly pulled the waterwheel into the rock city.

Hai Bodong handed the token to Yao Yan and explained softly, "This was given to me by the royal family of the Gama Empire. You can take this token to any city in the Gama Empire to avoid some unnecessary trouble."

"Thank you."

Yao Yan did not refuse and reached out to take it.

Hai Bodong continued, "Does the young master intend to leave directly, or rest in the city for a few days?"

"I need to stay for a few days to resolve the issues with Cai Die. So, I'll need your help to protect her for the next few days. Also, I need you to help me find some medicinal herbs. In return, I can refine a peak-grade fifth-rank Qi-Boosting Pill for you. It can assist in cultivation, increase the chances of breakthrough, and even have some effect on Dou Huang. It's very suitable for your current condition."

Yao Yan looked at Hai Bodong and chuckled.

With his soul perception, it wasn't hard for him to detect Hai Bodong's restlessness in his fighting spirit, which was a sign that he was about to break through, but he was still lacking something. A fifth-grade Qi-Nourishing Pill would be enough to help him solve this problem and allow him to break through smoothly.

"no problem."

Hai Bodong was taken aback for a moment, but then readily agreed. He had almost forgotten that Yao Yan was a fifth-grade alchemist. It was mainly because Yao Yan looked so young that people easily overlooked his other identity.

A fifth-grade alchemist who is not even seventeen years old is something that people in the Jia Ma Empire would not even dare to dream of, let alone hear about.

The alchemists in the Gama Empire, even those who are known as geniuses, are mostly over twenty years old if they want to reach the fourth rank, let alone the fifth rank. The entire Alchemist Guild of the Gama Empire has only a handful of members, and they are all elderly people with gray hair.

Perhaps because the reward offered by Yao Yan was quite tempting, Hai Bodong drove the magical beasts a bit faster, and soon the group arrived at a bustling auction house.

Looking at the familiar auction house, Hai Bodong smiled faintly and introduced, "This is an auction house belonging to the Mittel family. There are such auction houses in major cities of the Gama Empire. If you need anything in the future, you can go there to buy it or auction some things... The Mittel family is one of the three major families of the Gama Empire. It has a long history and a strong foundation. I am currently serving as an elder in the family."

"It seems the Mittel family is quite willing to spend money to appoint you as an elder."

Upon hearing this, Yao Yan made a teasing remark.

Hai Bodong smiled and said nonchalantly, "That's one aspect. On the other hand, I am a close friend of Teng Shan, the current patriarch of the Mittel family."

As they were talking, someone at the auction house received the message, and a middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe ran out.

"Ebi!"

He respectfully bowed to Hai Bodong, then looked curiously at Yao Yan and asked respectfully, "And who is this young man?"

Hai Bodong has always been a loner and rarely brings anyone with him.

Before Yao Yan could speak, Hai Bodong introduced with a smile: "One of my distinguished guests... Don't let his youth fool you, he is a genuine fifth-grade alchemist."

He did not hide this information; appropriately revealing the value of the medicine was the only way to make others pay more attention to it.

"?!"

The middle-aged man's pupils contracted, and he couldn't help but look at Yao Yan again. Although the man was wearing a mask, he could still roughly guess his age, but this age didn't match that of a fifth-grade alchemist at all. He couldn't help but look at Hai Bodong again and asked in a low voice, "Elder Hai, his age..."

"Not yet seventeen."

Hai Bodong revealed a terrifying truth, and looking at the middle-aged man who was completely stunned, he smiled self-deprecatingly, realizing that he had been in the same situation before.

Yao Yan ignored their interaction, patted the bucket, and chuckled, "Come out, we've arrived."

"Oh~"

With a gentle female voice, the bucket lid was lifted, and Cai Die's slightly uneasy and nervous peach blossom eyes met Yao Yan's. She cautiously looked around, and when she found that there were many humans, she inexplicably wanted to shrink back, because all the humans were looking this way.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Yao Yan encouraged her softly, while extending his hand to her.

Cai Die took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and handed her hand to Yao Yan. With a push from her tail, she leaped out of the bucket with Yao Yan's help and was caught steadily in his princess carry. A dark blue, alluring snake tail came into everyone's view.

"Snake girl?!"

A few gasps of surprise rippled through the crowd, followed by whispers and speculations about whether Yao Yan had come to the auction house to bid on the snake woman. Some even had burning gazes on him.

Those burning gazes made Cai Die uneasy, and she instinctively hugged Yao Yan's neck tightly.

"fine."

Yao Yan offered a comforting word, then, holding Cai Die, gently lifted one foot and stomped it down. A terrifying force erupted from beneath his feet, causing the earth to tremble and a wave of energy to spread in all directions. A deafening roar engulfed everything.

A moment later, the entire street fell silent.

He looked at Hai Bodong and the middle-aged man, who were also stunned, and said softly, "Please arrange a guest room for me, preferably with an alchemy room."

After saying that, he carried the colorful butterfly towards the auction house, leaving a deep footprint on the originally solid stone slab.

Looking at the footprint, Hai Bodong's gaze sharpened. Watching Yao Yan's retreating figure, he muttered to himself, "Such strong physical strength, and such delicate control over that power... something's not right with this kid!"

He suddenly understood why Yao Yan dared to light a campfire in the Tagh Desert at night. The other party wasn't foolish; rather, he had absolute confidence in his own strength.

No wonder he's a genius from a prominent family...

Hai Bodong sighed inwardly, and immediately ordered the middle-aged steward to arrange accommodations and everything else needed for Yao Yan.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 54 The tail is slippery

As expected of a business family, the Mittel family was extremely efficient. Before long, the middle-aged steward had prepared a secluded room for Yao Yan, which also included a specially built alchemy room that could isolate him from all outside noise.

The middle-aged steward was extremely respectful, with an almost fawning smile on his face. He looked at Yao Yan, who was examining the room, and said, "If you have any other needs, please feel free to ask. As long as it is within my authority, I will do my best to fulfill them for you."