Douluo Continent, Huo Yuhao who returned from Sekiro

Chapter 634 The Naïve Hotel (8K)

The preliminary round of the Xishui Alliance was held at a high-end hotel in the city center. One of the reasons for choosing this location was its proximity to the Mingyue Hotel, which meant that participants wouldn't have to walk too far.

The Green Hotel, a hotel with a very distinctive name, is only a little over a kilometer away from the Mingyue Hotel and just two kilometers from the Sun and Moon Empire Palace. It is located in an absolutely prime location.

However, the hotel's name is often mispronounced, easily mistaken for an erotic hotel. That's how it got its name. This is a property of the Xishui Alliance, but whether the Xishui Alliance's headquarters are located here is unknown.

The Qingse Hotel may not appear as large as the Mingyue Hotel, with only five floors above ground, but those who know it well understand that its true strength lies underground.

At the hotel's main entrance stood four burly men, all over two meters tall, dressed in tight black outfits, coldly scrutinizing the passing crowds.

Before Huo Yuhao and his companion even got close, a burly man in black came forward and blocked their path with a wave of his hand.

"The hotel is closed to the public today. Please leave."

Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes slightly, the change in his gaze going unnoticed under the black mask. He simply took out an invitation from his pocket and handed it to the other party.

The burly man in black paused for a moment, and after reading the contents of the invitation, his expression softened noticeably.

Soul Masters hold a far higher status in the Sun Moon Empire than in other countries, and offending a Soul Master is by no means a wise choice.

Moreover, this old soul-sacrificing shop, which had already subtly integrated with various underground forces in Mingdu within just one year, was exactly the kind of place they wanted to contact. Otherwise, Nana wouldn't have been able to get such an invitation.

"So you are distinguished guests from the old Soul Offering Shop. Please come in, please come in. I am sorry for my poor eyesight."

The men in black bowed respectfully, and one of them immediately went into the hotel, apparently to report.

Huo Yuhao nodded silently in his heart. Just as he expected, even the old Soul Sacrifice Shop knew that there were shady forces entrenched in Mingdu. How could the other forces in the black market not know? It's more accurate to say that these people were supported by the Holy Spirit Cult.

The loose organization within the Holy Spirit Cult makes it easy for its leaders to quickly dismantle their rivals in various branches, thus avoiding the bloodshed that would follow their deaths.

However, this organizational structure is not without its problems.

Each elder is responsible for a different branch altar, and each branch altar has a large number of shady coworkers working for them. Moreover, they change their names frequently, so much so that the Holy Spirit Church itself often cannot quickly ascertain whether a certain force is truly theirs.

Take the Soul Sacrifice Shop for example. Although Long Xiaoyao had inquired with the elders about whose branch it was after its sudden rise to prominence, none of the elders could give a definite answer. However, the name "Soul Sacrifice Shop" sounded just too much like the name of an organization within the Holy Spirit Cult.

Moreover, judging from the fact that the other party is not concerned about the attention drawn by the speed of development and is recklessly collecting rare metals from the underworld, it seems that this is indeed a style of behavior that can only be adopted by those who are backed by the Holy Spirit Church.

The Holy Spirit Cult members were not without suspicion, but they were extremely cautious in their dealings with the Soul Sacrifice Shop. No one was ever seen in the shop, leaving only a storefront. When they went out to trade, they would have someone deliver the goods to the wilderness before the transaction was completed.

Such caution is even more pronounced than when a branch altar goes to acquire living people or wronged souls for cultivation. They are practically elusive, and many forces have tried to investigate the Soul Sacrifice Shop, only to find their subordinates nowhere to be found.

This reassured the Holy Spirit Cult members, as they had also checked the delivery location and found no trace of a battle, not even a soul. It seemed that the person in question was indeed a member of their Holy Spirit Cult!

Anyway, the old Soul Sacrifice Shop usually produces small batches of Soul Tools, which, although not large in scale, are technically sophisticated, which can be seen as a testament to its expertise in Soul Tool manufacturing.

Give them this invitation; we'll find out who they are once we see them.

In any case, the business of the Soul Sacrifice Shop is to acquire rare metals and resell them to who-knows-where. This doesn't overlap with the ways other major forces make money; on the contrary, it complements them. There's no reason for them to suppress the younger generation. As long as the Soul Sacrifice Shop itself is not problematic, then cooperation and mutual benefit are the best approach.

Following the man in black into the hotel, the interior was indeed quite unassuming, simply furnished, showing no signs of being the top-ranked underground force in Mingdu, or a crucial stronghold of the Xishui Alliance.

The entire hotel has a luxurious feel, with white porcelain decorations everywhere – white porcelain floors, white porcelain walls. All colors are predominantly white and red.

Not long after, a middle-aged man dressed in an elegant white robe came out from inside the Qingse Hotel and introduced the two men to the man in black.

As the middle-aged man introduced them, he humbly asked, "May I ask how you two are addressed?"

Huo Yuhao turned his head slightly to look at Wang Dong'er, then smiled slightly. His indistinct, androgynous voice rang out: "I am Hun Tiancan, and this is my junior sister Hun Dique. We heard there was a competition, so our master told us to come and watch, and win some things to take back. With your business, even our old Soul Sacrifice Shop can't get any materials."

The soul is crippled and the soul is missing!

The middle-aged man was deeply shocked. He could tell, of course, that this was not a pseudonym that had been made up on the spot.

Such an imposing name is clearly only qualified to be chosen by a successor of a major sect, just like Long Aotian of the Body Sect. Ordinary people would not dare to choose such an extremely arrogant name.

Moreover, the surname of that name, combined with the other party's signature androgynous voice, immediately made him think of something, and his expression became even more respectful.

"Distinguished guests, the competition has been going on for a while and will be over soon."

"You said you and your junior sister are here to compete. Would you be willing to demonstrate your skills in soul tools? In addition, our Xishui Alliance also has betting options here. You two can try your hand at it."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man clapped his hands, and a waiter appeared with both hands carrying a tray covered with silk. The middle-aged man lifted the silk, and there were ten stacks of chips with a face value of one hundred.

"Consider this a small token of our appreciation from the Evening Water Alliance to the Soul Sacrifice Shop."

"If you bet on the exact number of players who will advance, your winnings can be multiplied tenfold. You can also bet on a specific multiplier; the odds will vary depending on the bet."

Huo Yuhao simply chuckled and waved his hand in response.

Wang Dong'er's androgynous voice rang out: "This is a Gold Soul Coin card with a face value of 500,000. Take it along with the tokens from your Xi Shui Alliance. As for the betting amount..."

(End of this chapter)