Chapter 83: Even Rumors Are Worth Hearing

Paradise on Earth was once a luxurious cruise ship, capable of accommodating thousands, now abandoned and transformed. These days, it was permanently moored in the lake, anchored beside the water village.

Little Hei held a local residency permit, so she could accompany Lin Qingyun inside without paying a fee. Lin Qingyun, however, had to pay a ten-thousand entry fee or provide items of equivalent value. Of course, one could pay more, akin to acquiring a membership card—the sum would be credited toward future expenses within. This invisible threshold barred those who could not afford such extravagance; at the very least, a visit cost over ten thousand, even if one merely strolled around.

“Not bad, Little Hei, you’ve managed to latch onto a big client,” teased a woman collecting fees at the entrance, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

“I’m just running errands for the gentleman. Aunt Qin, you look more beautiful every day,” Little Hei replied, sweetness dripping from her words.

After a few hours in her company, Lin Qingyun had discovered that Little Hei’s bashful-child persona was nothing but a facade. She likely didn’t dare compete openly for clients for fear of reprisal from the local children, but it was also her way of screening whom she served.

“Sir, would you like to try your luck at the casino first, enjoy some entertainment, or perhaps relax at the bar? There are dozens of amusements here, and more than a dozen places to eat and drink…” Little Hei spoke, carefully watching Lin Qingyun’s subtle expressions.

“We’ll visit the casino first, then sample the cuisine. The rest can wait. By the way, how does one acquire information here—news, intelligence?” For Lin Qingyun, whether investigating the Demon Cult or seeking clues about his parents, his purpose could not be achieved through surface observations alone.

It must be said, once inside, the opulence surpassed even the most extravagant cruise ships of Earth in the pre-spiritual-revival era. Back then, cruise ships sailed the open seas, offering entertainment during their voyages. Now, with the oceans impassable, this stationary vessel had been renovated so extravagantly that its immense spaces were even more lavish.

In a place like Hanza, ordinary people were rare—most gambled with their lives for the promise of a full meal or cultivation resources. Yet, the more extreme the circumstances, the more unimaginable the luxury and high stakes.

“For general matters, you can ask me. I know most things. But if you need to buy or sell information, you should visit the Monster Hunters’ Hall. It’s a gathering place for monster hunters, teams, and mercenaries. Many functions are centralized there—missions, the latest prices are posted at all hours.”

“For example, the purchasing prices of various medicinal herbs and beasts, people seeking escorts, or those wanting to sell items—though most selling is mission-based, since there are plenty of shops and even two auction houses here…”

Lin Qingyun waved her off before she finished, “I’m not interested in that sort of news. I need something unusual—has any government force intervened here? Are there evil sects, like the Demon Cult, or any other special or peculiar developments?”

Little Hei’s eyelids twitched rapidly; she had already noticed that this man was unlike the typical, poison-hardened monster hunters.

“In truth, sir, someone like me—a small fry—couldn’t possibly know any real secrets. At best, I’ve heard some rumors here and there…”

“That’s fine, tell me what you’ve heard. Idle chatter is better than nothing.”

“In that case, let me share what I’ve picked up.” Little Hei spoke with caution. “Because Hanza is special, when it was first submerged, some say it was due to tectonic shifts and natural disasters, but the real cause was the battle of the Beast Kings.”

“Some say a Beast King fought a super-powerful figure; others say it was a civil war among the sea monsters. Over in Huaxia, their own superhumans intervened, suppressing the turmoil from hundreds of miles away. Not even the monstrous waves reached their border. But Hanza, caught between two countries, was transformed.”

“Afterward, the gathering areas formed, with various powers getting involved. They say ten were to be established, but three collapsed before they were finished and never reached scale.”

“Take Gathering Area Three: pills, weapons, food, amusements—each is controlled by different groups. If you have enough strength or backing, you could open your own, but the topmost circles are already claimed.”

“The upper echelons of Area Three are all backed by major powers—some control pills, some weapons and resources. Now that sea transport is gone and air travel is perilous, any power wanting to reach Hanza must go through Huaxia. Only the northern border with North Asia offers another channel. Otherwise, powers can only send agents to establish a foothold, but without control of the supply lines, they can’t grow large.”

Little Hei, shrewd and observant from a young age, remembered everything people said and analyzed it, sensitive to every number and subtle shift. Now, as Lin Qingyun requested, she shared all she’d gathered about the inner workings and intelligence of the club.

Lin Qingyun felt no hurry to indulge in amusements. Aside from a few special venues, he toured each place of interest. In this way, more than two hours slipped by, with Little Hei barely pausing for breath, recounting everything from social relations to the legends of notable figures.

She spoke of brutal rituals, massacres, and the hunts for evil cultists. Having grown up here, never able to leave, she’d been shielded from the worst—most horror stories came secondhand.

There was some communication between gathering areas, but only the strongest hunting teams and wealthiest merchants were capable of it.

Many here cultivated forbidden, cruel techniques—most were fugitives, hunted for crimes beyond forgiveness, or had fled here from elsewhere.

Over the years, a few had caused slaughters in the gathering areas, but all were swiftly hunted down and destroyed. As for killings and battles out in Hanza itself, no one cared.

By Little Hei’s reckoning, unless a hunting team had a stable territory and strong backing, it was rare for any to last more than five years.

As for lone hunters, few survived more than three years. Unless they made enough money and left, most met grisly ends. Life was a gamble here—one win, two wins, even three might be possible, but eventually, the house always won.

To become a monster hunter was almost always a doomed path.

As they said, every day alive here was a day lost, with no promise of tomorrow. Whether one was eaten by a beast, robbed and murdered, or fell victim to evil cultists, who could say?

From Little Hei’s account, the gathering areas were dominated by Huaxia’s forces; outsiders had little real power. Real “control” was corporate in nature—Huaxia no longer cared about this swampy wasteland.

To the scattered indigenous survivors of the two old nations, this was a forsaken land. With the spiritual revival, many places had been abandoned—Hanza was one of them.

While Lin Qingyun wandered through Paradise on Earth, listening to Little Hei’s many tales and rumors, elsewhere—

At the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Dragons Monster Hunting Team.

“We found him, big brother! That fellow’s been here all along. Damn it, those kids at the gate saw him, he’s been in several shops, and now he’s in Paradise on Earth. Our people haven’t returned yet, but I can still assemble a group. I have two at Ninth Level Heartstring, and four at Seventh or Eighth…”

Zhou Wantiger burst in, brimming with excitement.

“What are you counting for? Don’t tell me you mean to attack. With me here, you don’t have to throw your life away. For someone who’s surpassed the limits of Heartstring Level Nine, even if you brought all your men back for an ambush, the cost would be catastrophic. If I weren’t at Cloudrider level now, an ambush would be reasonable. But I am, so crushing him is easy—no need for your fuss.”

Zhou Wantiger was uncommonly calm. He wasn’t about to send his Heartstring-level men against someone who had single-handedly wiped out a whole elite squad.

“…” Zhou Wantiger had never considered this. Since Zhou Wanlong had advanced to the Cloudrider Realm in recent years, things had gone smoothly for them. They hunted others—no one had ever wiped out one of their teams.

“Be steady. Since you’ve found him, just keep him under surveillance. He’s in the gathering area; you can’t touch him yet. When the other vice-captains return, have them pick their best men and keep eyes on him everywhere. As soon as he leaves the gathering area, lock on to his location. I’ll finish him myself. I’ve stabilized my realm these two years and may soon break through to the second level. We emptied our coffers for my advancement, and cultivation at this stage consumes vast resources. That fellow killed Old Wang and the others—what they left behind, together with what’s on him, should be just what I need to break through again, maybe even reach the third level…”

Only then did Zhou Wanlong lay out his plan, fearing his brother might misunderstand. This time, he made everything clear.

Zhou Wantiger had only thought of revenge for the slaughter of their men, never considering the bigger picture. Now, after hearing his brother’s words, he understood. No wonder his brother wasn’t enraged—now that the truth was out, he felt less angry and more delighted.

This wasn’t an enemy—it was a bringer of fortune.

There were few Cloudriders in these parts, for the resources to sustain such cultivation were scarce. But if his brother reached the third level, their power would soar, and they would become a force to be reckoned with in Gathering Area Three.