Chapter 410: Value
Chapter 410: Value
“Is that so?”
“I happen to have lived long enough myself. I’ve been wanting to die for a while now...”
The old man named William shook his head as he spoke.
After saying this, he raised the bottle in his hand again and took a swig. Turning his head to look at Loren standing in the doorway, a smile brimming with memories spread across his face, and his gaze lingered for a moment on Loren’s chest.
“Little Loren, you’ve grown so big. I’ve been selling those plastic white flowers all this time, waiting for you to come back again.”
“When I saw you on the interstellar news, I kept wondering when you would return...”
“You owe that kind little one an explanation. Go ahead and raise some hell!!”
“Let those indescribable hatreds perish in flames and destruction!!!”
“Hahahahaha...”
The old man named William’s laughter was filled with boundless madness and excitement!Standing at the doorway, Loren silently watched the old man not far away. Ignoring the provocation embedded in the man’s words, he spoke with extreme calmness:
“Three white irises. How much?”
Hearing Loren’s calm question, William let out a deeply ironic chuckle.
“Heh!”
“Still three Federation coins!”
With that, he set down his wine bottle, rose from the old wooden dining table, and nimbly stepped around the piles of “obstacles” on the floor, heading toward a corner of the room.
When he reached the corner, he bent down and rummaged through a large cardboard box.
After a long moment.
The bearded old man straightened his back, turned around, and walked back toward Loren, holding three white plastic irises in both hands...
The white irises in Old William’s hands were the same model as the plastic white flower pinned to Loren’s chest.
Loren calmly took the flowers the old man handed over and tucked them into his chest.
Then, a faintly glowing Spirit Stone materialized in Loren’s hand, and he handed it over.
“No change.”
After saying this, Loren turned and walked away calmly.
The bearded old man weighed the Spirit Stone in his hand, lifted his head to watch Loren’s retreating figure, and a somewhat manic smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Go on, Loren!!”
“You, who’s already become a major figure!”
“Let those high-and-mighty lords see just how dangerous a guy from our slums can be!!”
“Hahahahaha!!”
Hearing the crazed laughter behind him, Loren’s pace didn’t falter. In fact, he gave a slight shake of his head.
Boss William, I never thought you’d still be so extreme after all these years...
After silently criticizing that somewhat extreme old man in his heart, Loren activated his legendary ability—Puppet of Fate—directed at the source of that crazed laughter behind him.
The very next instant.
Countless ethereal golden threads descended from the void!
These golden threads, visible only to Loren, silently shrouded the chaotic, run-down shop behind him!
Then, one ethereal golden thread separated from the void and stealthily wound itself around the mad old man’s arm...
“Live. Until you can see that day arrive. As a witness.”
As he walked away, Loren murmured in his heart and issued a small command.
After doing this, he withdrew his legendary ability and continued walking toward a direction he remembered...
In his vast spiritual perception, the other party’s time was running out; the life force within his body was already very faint.
And that single ethereal golden thread would allow the bearded old man, with the help of “Fortune,” to live peacefully and contentedly until that day came.
If that day never came.
Then, regrettably, the bearded old man would continue to live peacefully and contentedly forever...
A rule-based psychic’s legendary ability is equivalent to some indescribable “Miracle.” In the Star Realm, this is hardly a secret.
This was a small gift from a “grocery store customer.”
A token of thanks to this old man for still keeping that grocery store open and for not raising the price of his goods in all these years.
After all, in the current Federation, that was a rather rare quality...
----------
Federal Calendar 7709, January 1st, deep in the night.
Dusk Star Domain, Resource Planet 17.
Clear Mine City, Lower District.
A slum that was considered remote even by the Lower District’s standards.
On this planet, even slums had their good and bad sides.
Different geographic locations determined the difficulty of accessing living necessities.
Loren walked calmly through the backward streets. The stale scent in the air brought back a bit of a childhood feeling.
His steps became a little lighter.
“Master, I am moved by your mercy.” A voice sounded in his mind.
Hearing this, Loren paused in his steps.
He stopped, quietly gazed up at the stars twinkling in the night sky, and spoke softly in a voice only he could hear:
“Raven.”
“The undercurrent of Destiny is control and manipulation.”
“But don’t forget the gentleness and favor of Destiny.”
As his words fell, Loren smiled faintly and lightly tipped his hat in salute to the endless starry sky above.
The stars in the sky brightened by another degree.
The frequency of their twinkling seemed to become a little more lively.
“Master! Our spiritual power! It’s surging again!!!”
“Oh my god! So much!”
“This is insane!!!”
Raven’s voice shouted in astonishment within his mind.
Loren shook his head with a smile, withdrew his gaze from the starry sky, and spoke with a very affectionate tone:
“Shh! Keep quiet, my dear stupid bird.”
After the exclamations in his mind gradually faded away.
That tall figure, clad in a fitted black coat, wearing an elegant hat, with a white iris pinned to his chest, continued walking deeper into the slums...
His steps were brisk, his silhouette straight and upright.
20 minutes later.
Loren, having just experienced a massive surge in his spiritual power, arrived at a dilapidated cemetery.
The cemetery in the slums was a spontaneous establishment by the residents.
At first, someone had simply found a remote, spacious spot to bury someone close to them.
Later, more and more people were buried in such places.
Over time, it became what people called a “graveyard.”
A place where these people, who struggled just to survive, could place their grief.
A spontaneously established cemetery like this was sacred, cold, and utterly worthless.
In a Federation where Necromancers were strictly prohibited, slum graveyards like this one were everywhere.
No one was interested in this place.
In truth, if it had any value at all, such a large cemetery wouldn’t have been allowed to exist.
The people of the slums knew very well how to exploit any scrap of value.
novelden