“What the hell is going on?”

At the sight of this scene, the City Lord’s brows instantly furrowed hard. He turned and demanded an answer from the subordinate beside him.

The man’s face turned ugly for a moment, then he hurriedly said, “Please wait, City Lord. I’ll find out right away.”

No one had expected this to happen.

That bounty was supposed to be theirs.

To capture Nan Mengling and that mysterious boy, they had even put up something as costly as a breathing technique. With a price like that, they’d all thought catching those two was only a matter of time. Victory had already been in hand.

But what the hell was this now?

Those Shadow Syndicate members who worshiped money were grabbing official Patrol Division officers instead. And one after another, they were all rushing toward the Awakening Spire like they were about to start a rebellion.

“I found the reason, City Lord…”

The subordinate raised his head. His face was a little pale.

“Someone posted a new bounty inside the Shadow Syndicate. Capture one patrol officer, reward: ten million. Come protect Sword God Mountain’s young mistress Nan Mengling and her young master, reward: one million. Kill one Seventh Tier Patrol Division higher-up, reward: one breathing technique…”

As his words fell, even the usually unreadable City Lord showed shock. The corner of his eye twitched. He was speechless for a long while before finally saying,

“Who could possibly afford a move this insane? Forget putting a bounty on our Patrol Division. That alone takes monstrous guts. Just the reward money would mean moving tens of billions in cash, maybe over a hundred billion. And they even put up a breathing technique? Are the people in the Shadow Syndicate idiots? Even I couldn’t move that much money and profit at once. This is obviously bait. How could they believe it?”

The subordinate hesitated for a moment, then still said helplessly, “Because... at the Shadow Syndicate base, a hundred billion in cash has already been handed out as a deposit. And the highest-ranking Shadow Syndicate leader in City Four, that Eighth Tier esper, has already received a small incomplete portion of the breathing technique. It proved the other side really does have one to offer.”

The moment those words landed, the City Lord fell silent again. For a second, he was so angry he almost laughed.

“No wonder these people have gone this crazy. A mountain of a hundred billion in cash piled right in front of them. All they have to do is pay a small price, fill out the numbers as guards, and they get a million in cash. If a deal like that dropped from the sky, I’d take it too. I’d go all in too.”

He paused, then said,

“But still... who the hell has the guts to put a bounty on an official organization like ours?”

The subordinate looked toward Zhou Jiuyu at the main entrance below and said in a low voice, “Who else could it be?”

The City Lord sucked in a breath. Even he couldn’t make sense of it.

“Just whose young master is this? How can he burn money like this?”

The subordinate looked helpless.

“City Lord, you’re already one of the people standing at the peak of power in this world. Even your only son couldn’t bring out this kind of wealth. There probably isn’t any family in this world that would let their second generation throw around riches this terrifying…”

“Mysterious boy... he really is mysterious.” The City Lord shook his head. “I thought he’d be easy to deal with. Didn’t expect we’d run into a real hard target this time.”

But after that brief helpless shock, the subordinate’s expression returned to calm. He softly said,

“Still, with you here, City Lord, no matter how much wealth they have or how many schemes they play, before absolute power... they can’t resist at all.”

His face was full of absolute confidence in his lord’s strength.

In this current age of espers, where humanity had been divided among ninety-nine cities... anyone who could sit on the throne of a city lord, especially in a high-ranked city like this, had to be an incomparably powerful Ninth Tier esper.

A Ninth Tier powerhouse could slaughter a city alone, reshape the land itself, and withstand a nuclear bomb with their own body.

The City Lord alone was enough to suppress everyone in the entire city. No one could resist him.

So what if that boy was filthy rich?

In the end, it was just a ridiculous little game being played under the City Lord’s nose.

...

At this moment, beneath the Awakening Spire—

The Shadow Syndicate’s Eighth Tier powerhouse followed behind Zhou Jiuyu, standing by at all times and obediently acting as a guard. After all, money talks. And this one was the king of kings among big spenders.

The sight of more than a dozen cash trucks driving into the base and dumping piles of crimson banknotes into a small mountain had shocked him for life.

And this lord had even brought out a breathing technique.

What he didn’t know was that the breathing technique Zhou Jiuyu had given him was an incomplete version of an incomplete version.

It was a crippled fragment of a derivative of the original breathing technique... but even so, it still bluffed this Eighth Tier powerhouse completely.

“Come on, maid. I’ll take you to... awaken your power.”

Zhou Jiuyu stepped forward and entered the Awakening Spire.

He had also fully stepped into Patrol Division territory. The guards here were nothing like the trash patrol officers outside. The ones stationed here were all elites.

But he wasn’t panicking.

After all, the Shadow Syndicate mercenaries behind him weren’t pushovers either.

“Young Master Zhou, please wait. Let us clear a path for you first.”

That Eighth Tier powerhouse led several of the stronger Shadow Syndicate mercenaries and charged into the Awakening Spire ahead of him.

A burst of wind, fire, thunder, and lightning flashed inside. Then the Eighth Tier powerhouse walked back out, lightly wiped the blood from his cheek, and made an inviting gesture.

“Young Master Zhou, please.”

“Boss Tong really is reliable. Don’t worry. As long as you protect my maid until she successfully awakens, I’ll give you the other half of the breathing technique.”

“Young Master Zhou can rest easy too. With me here, no one in City Four can touch you now.”

Boss Tong smiled.

“Tong Che, when you say no one can... does that include me?”

But just as Boss Tong finished speaking, a middle-aged man in a long coat slowly walked out from the ritual platform where the awakening stone was placed. He wore a gentle smile.

And the instant that man appeared, the confidence on Tong Che’s face froze stiff.

“City Lord Shao, y-you... why did you come in person?” Tong Che’s tone instantly turned ingratiating, even more so than when he’d been flattering Zhou Jiuyu.

“If I came any later, would the position of City Lord of City Four be yours instead, Tong Che?” City Lord Shao said with a smiling face.

“Haha... I was joking just now, just joking. Of course City Lord Shao is the number one man in City Four. Since you’re here, I’m sure you can settle this perfectly. I’ll be going first, then. Won’t disturb you... I’ll visit your residence another day and apologize properly...”

Tong Che’s smile was stiff. After speaking, he turned to leave. He looked at Zhou Jiuyu with an apologetic expression, then left without the slightest hesitation, taking his men with him.

And after the Shadow Syndicate members saw the City Lord descend in person, they ran even faster than their boss did.

The dark mass of people crowding around the Awakening Spire just moments ago vanished in an instant. The streets turned cold and empty.

People always said they’d risk their lives for money. But when it really came to this, they still wanted to live.

Anyway, that hundred billion in cash and the incomplete breathing technique were already at the base. Once they were in the base, they were basically theirs. They just couldn’t squeeze any more profit out of Zhou Jiuyu now.

Still, a person couldn’t be too greedy. Better to quit while ahead.

This was the City Lord in person.

A Ninth Tier esper.

Why was he the City Lord?

Because he alone could slaughter the entire city.

“Young Master, they...”

Nan Mengling frowned at the sight of those people abandoning all contract spirit and running off on the spot.

“It’s fine. I never expected them to risk their lives for me. Getting us into this tower and letting us meet the final boss was already enough.”

Zhou Jiuyu shook his head and spoke softly. This had been within his expectations.

Anyway, that money and that incomplete-of-the-incomplete breathing technique didn’t count as real assets to him.

It was basically just a matter of breathing for a little while.

And now, inside the empty Awakening Spire, only three people remained: City Lord Shao, Zhou Jiuyu, and Nan Mengling.

“Alright. No outsiders are left now. Young Master Zhou, little Mengling, we can sit down and talk properly.” City Lord Shao sat down gently on the steps and even motioned for the two of them to sit as well. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Shao Xiuqi, the City Lord of City Four... You don’t need to be so wary of me.”

“Little Mengling, back before I awakened, your father and I were classmates. We were actually very good friends. Think about it. Did your father ever mention me?”

As his words fell, both Nan Mengling and Zhou Jiuyu froze.

What the hell kind of situation was this now?