Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 592: You Don't Believe the Truth Either, So This Is Hard for Me
By the time Steven walked out of the candy shop, the only person still accompanying him was Lin Yuhsia.
He had already obtained all the information he wanted.
The rest of the payment would have to wait until after the Zorah Magdaros situation was dealt with before he went back to collect from Wei Yenwu.
"So there are really only two of these things in all of Lungmen?" Steven mused as he casually played with the chess piece in his hand. "I thought there'd be more. Didn't they say there were almost two hundred fragments scattered around?"
Even though he already possessed the complete authority of a fallen god, that did not stop him from wanting to collect rare-looking powers like this.
Or rather, there were very few Minecraft players who didn't have collector tendencies.
If there was something that could be farmed, then they would never feel satisfied until they had gathered enough of it.
"So what now?" Lin Yuhsia asked as she quickened her pace and walked beside him instead of trailing behind. "You're going to search for more of those weird things?"
"Shouldn't you be focusing on dealing with that… what was it called? Zorah Magdaros?"
Steven himself had told her there was no need to act so formally around him, so why should she keep treating herself like some subordinate?
Besides, with how awful this guy's personality was, who knew what kind of nonsense he would come up with to bully her otherwise.
"First of all," Steven replied lazily, "if my guess is correct, the people from Yan who want to negotiate with me are already on their way."
"I need to wait until all the major factions make their positions clear before deciding how much to charge them."
"And besides…" he shrugged, utterly lacking any sense of urgency, "there's still plenty of time left. So why not deal with the current issues first?"
Lin Yuhsia genuinely could not understand how this man could stay so calm.
Meanwhile, Steven himself was even more confused about why everyone else seemed so anxious.
Truthfully, he had already come up with an absurdly simple solution for handling Zorah Magdaros.
If he actually decided to act, the whole thing would probably be resolved in just a few minutes.
"…I still don't understand," Lin Yuhsia said after hesitating for quite a while.
She knew perfectly well that, given her status, she really should not pry into matters like this.
But her curiosity ultimately won out.
"What exactly is happening that made Mr. Wei and my father so serious about it?"
"Even a King from the Royal Court treated you with that much respect…"
"This disaster you all refuse to talk about… what is it, exactly?"
"Is it a new catastrophe?"
"Oh? You really want to know?" Steven turned to her with a grin. "Aren't you worried that if you learn too much this time, I'll have to silence you permanently?"
This curious little mouse really was easy to bait.
It was like seeing cheese on a mousetrap.
Even knowing perfectly well it was a trap, she still could not resist poking at it.
"…Mm. I don't think you'd actually do that."
Lin Yuhsia pursed her lips before giving her honest evaluation of him.
"At worst, you'd probably just bully me again."
"…Honestly speaking, you're barely considered a decent person?"
That truly was her genuine opinion.
In her eyes, Steven definitely was not some irredeemably evil person.
That much had become obvious during their interactions so far.
Sure, his personality was strange.
Very strange.
But somehow, spending time around him gave people an inexplicable sense of ease and comfort.
"Nope. Don't hand me a good person card," Steven immediately rejected the label. "Besides, even if you know the truth, there's nothing you can do to change it."
"All it'll do is give you extra stress."
"But fine, I'll stop dodging the question and just tell you directly."
He spoke in a tone so casual it sounded like he was discussing the weather.
"Basically, near the Ursus border, a monster roughly half the size of Lungmen showed up."
"And it's about to die."
"But when it dies, it's going to trigger a gigantic explosion."
"And when that happens…" Steven spread his hands lazily.
"The people living on this land will naturally have to bear a few tiny consequences because of it."
Steven intentionally explained things in the simplest way possible so Lin Yuhsia could understand.
For him, the topic itself did not matter much.
As long as someone was around to chat with and relieve his boredom, that was enough.
"…Just hearing that is already enough to make someone despair."
Merely imagining the sheer size of the monster Steven described had already made Lin Yuhsia's expression stiffen uncontrollably.
And when he added that the thing would explode upon death, an apocalyptic scene immediately surfaced in her mind.
If Steven was not joking, then this was simply far too terrifying.
"But you can solve it?" she asked at last. "How exactly are you supposed to solve something like that?"
Even knowing that saying so openly implied distrust toward Steven, Lin Yuhsia still could not stop herself from voicing the question.
After all, this was what nearly everyone who knew the truth was secretly wondering.
"Hm?" Steven blinked. "It's quite simple, really."
"Since it's exploding because it's dying…" he said matter-of-factly, "then wouldn't it be enough to just heal it so it doesn't die anymore?"
Lin Yuhsia immediately rolled her eyes, now genuinely beginning to suspect this guy was messing with her again.
"I understand the logic," she muttered under her breath. "So why don't you just casually cure Oripathy while you're at it?"
She did not continue questioning him after that.
This concerned the fate of the entire world.
There was no way Steven would casually reveal the method to just anyone.
After all, she was not exactly some beloved confidante of his, what right did she have to know such secrets?
"…That actually can be cured," Steven replied with a shrug. "It's been possible for quite a while already."
"And honestly, compared to the plan I just mentioned, curing Oripathy is much easier."
But after seeing the deeply suspicious look in Lin Yuhsia's eyes, he simply gave up explaining further.
Everything he said was the truth.
She just refused to believe him.
And so, while the two continued chatting casually like ordinary friends, Steven finally arrived at the location Wei Yenwu had provided him—the place where another fragment belonging to Nian's unfortunate sibling was supposedly hidden.
Steven looked up at the somewhat shabby signboard overhead.
Lee's Detective Agency.
"…A detective agency?"
He honestly had not expected to find such a business in Yan.
Wasn't the detective profession usually more popular over in Higashi?
Or what, did Lungmen also have nonstop murder cases happening every day?
The moment Steven saw the words detective agency, he instinctively thought of a certain elementary-school grim reaper and silently complained to himself inwardly.
Then, curiosity piqued, he looked over the small storefront situated along the streets of Lungmen.
Surprisingly enough, business actually seemed rather lively.
And as he and Lin Yuhsia stepped into the front lobby of the agency, Steven quickly began to understand why.
Because judging from the Lungmen civilians constantly walking in and out while carrying lost cats, dogs, and stacks of missing-item notices, this so-called detective agency was clearly not doing much actual detective work.
If anything, it looked more like a neighborhood help center that specialized in dealing with miscellaneous everyday troubles.
Looking at the satisfied smiles on the faces of the departing civilians, Steven could at least tell that this agency's service quality was apparently excellent.
Unhurriedly, he walked toward the back of the line where people were queueing up to submit requests, then continued observing the modestly sized office with great interest.
Honestly, if he ever got bored in the future and wanted something entertaining to do with his free time, opening one of these himself did not sound half bad.
At the very least, he would probably get to enjoy gossip and drama every single day.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 689: Impossible to Refute[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-169789182?collection=55713[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-169789182?collection=55713
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-169789182?collection=55713