Chapter 126 - Chapter 126: Chapter 124, Take Good Care of Yourself_1

Chapter 126: Chapter 124, Take Good Care of Yourself_1

Upon hearing that the “Snake Badge Consortium” also ran retail businesses, Wu Heng wasn’t surprised.

Real estate is an important investment in any city.

And there was no way that the Snake Badge Consortium could have had a legitimate presence in the city without getting involved.

He himself had indeed been considering opening a business.

However, it seemed excessively troublesome to maintain connections with local merchants and to meddle with local gangs.

Collaboration with an organization like the consortium could avoid many complications.

The cost might be slightly higher than dealing privately.

But not by much, because in business, an excessive price wouldn’t make sense.

“Where are the locations?” Wu Heng asked further.

“One moment!” The woman turned around to give instructions to the employees outside.

Shortly, a map was brought to them.

The woman leaned forward, spread the map on the coffee table, highlighted a few spots on the map with her white fingertips, and said, “These are the locations of our shops. You can see which one suits you.”

The map was of Lundham City, including both the inner and outer city areas.

The outer city was divided into four regions: east, south, west, and north. Each area had their shops.

The number of shops wasn’t large, but there were plenty for him to choose from.

Wu Heng glanced over the map and asked, “How is the rent calculated?”

“Shops located on the main streets range from 2300 to 3500 silver coins, while those on the fringe streets are slightly cheaper, ranging from 1700 to 2000 coins.”

Wu Heng nodded; the price was only slightly higher than his expectation by a couple hundred silver coins.

But it was still within an acceptable range.

“How will guild related issues be dealt with?” Wu Heng glanced at the map once again.

“You don’t have to worry about that at all. Your shop will still belong to the Consortium. We have our own agreement with the local guild. No matter how chaotic it gets, they will not interfere with your normal operations,” the woman continued to explain.

Wu Heng nodded, satisfied with her explanation.

Moreover, this would be the fastest way to open a shop.

On second thoughts, he found this amusing.

Despite being a guild captain, he felt it was easier to deal with the Consortium.

As long as there was money, most problems weren’t problems at all.

Seeing his satisfaction, the woman directly said, “If you have made your decision now, we can start arranging for the cleanup of the shop.”

Wu Heng shook his head, “Not at the moment, we’ll see in a few days.”

“That’s fine, when you’re ready, I’ll help you choose an appropriate shop.”

Shortly, a clerk had completed the new acquisition order for skill books.

The emblem was returned to Wu Heng.

After a brief chat with the woman.

He left the Consortium and headed towards his residence.

Back at home.

He quickly had some instant noodles and snacks.

And went straight into his study.

Four Skeleton Ghost Hags were browsing through skill books.

Wu Heng picked up a book held by one of the hags and glanced at it.

It was the one he had been reading before.

Was it really that difficult?

Two or three days had passed, and they hadn’t unlocked any skills yet.

Could it be that they simply couldn’t learn it at all!

He was starting to have doubts.

According to the “Book of Necromancy”, summoned beings could learn necromancy spells.

There should have been some effect.

Could it be that the intelligence of the hags was too low and would require more time?

Unable to figure it out, he was helpless.

For now, they could continue with their study; it wasn’t as if they could be of any use right now anyway.

He returned the skill book to the hag, sat down at the desk, and took out the two skill books he had received today.

He started browsing through them, too.

“Disease Radiation” was a traditional necromancy spell, its principle being somewhat similar to the “Decay Ray” spell that he had previously studied.

It utilized necromancy to affect the physical condition of the target.

According to the game’s mechanics, this would place a negative buff on the opponent, reducing their physical attributes.

He quickly skimmed through the book, and as he turned over the last page.

A system notification immediately appeared.

[Skill Unlocked: Disease Radiation.]

He sure was fast.

If he progressed as slowly as the hags, taking several days to learn just one skill, he would probably have given up and focused on increasing the number of skeletons instead.

He continued with the second book.

“Life Extension Technique” was very rare in necromancy.

At least the “Book of Necromancy” had no record of this skill.

Necromagic drifted towards “undead attendant” and “disease”.

That is to say, it was more like a summoner in the game, who would summon skeletons or carrions for direct combat while the mage would cast spells with negative effects from behind.

The “Life Extension Technique” seemed more like a support/healthcare skill.

Necromancers were constantly in contact with corpses and spirits, and were accustomed to the end of life.

They seldom paid attention to the life and death of others.

Researching such an evidently aid-oriented skill was indeed rare.

[Skill Unlocked: Life Extension Technique.]

All the skills from the obtained skill books were unlocked.

“Unlocking skills isn’t that hard.”

Wu Heng placed the two skill books on the shelf behind him.

He continued to instruct the Skeleton Ghost Hag: “After learning the skill, pick another Skill Book from the shelf and learn from it.”

After saying that, he left the study and used the Boundary Door in the bedroom to head directly to the Zombie World.

…

His vision returned.

Wu Heng had already found himself in a cell within the prison.

According to the layout.

This was the warden’s room, which was quite spacious with a bedroom and living room.

It looks more like a small suite in a hotel.

Wu Heng led the skeleton out of the room and went straight downstairs.

Leaving the corridor, he saw Li Yahong standing nearby, gesturing and discussing something with Qiangzi and others.

Wu Heng walked over, “How is it going?”

After Qiangzi and the others greeted him, they went off to their tasks.

Li Yahong said directly: “Nothing to report, the survivors newly added to the prison have settled down. During the day, Qiangzi and the others fixed up the iron door and damaged wire mesh, so there are no problems.”

Wu Heng was quite satisfied with Li Yahong’s efficiency.

She was the type who, upon receiving a task today, would immediately get to work, showing results quickly.

“Hmm,” Wu Heng nodded.

“I charged the iPad, there are some movies inside, you can show them to ‘Xiao Xiao’, she always wanted to watch TV,” Li Yahong said directly.

Having spent enough time together, they were less fearful of each other now.

Sometimes, women are more exquisite, remembering things ‘Xiao Xiao’ always talked about.

“Where did you find it?”

“In the room where Chen Jinlong kept women, there are also a few mobile phones. They have power here, so they can play some built-in games.”

“Okay, I’ll thank you on behalf of Xiao Xiao,” Wu Heng said, taking over the iPad.

“No need to thank me, everything here belongs to you. We’ll have to rely on your protection in the future,” Li Yahong said, and then: “I’ll take you on a tour.”

“Let’s go!”

Li Yahong took him for a tour around the prison.

This place was indeed a good location, with a wide area and well-equipped facilities.

Especially the ‘Labor Reform Workshop’ which housed hundreds of sewing machines.

“What is this place used for?” Wu Heng asked.

“I heard that when the prison was operating, it had the prisoners working, making clothes. Now it’s become a warehouse,” Li Yahong explained.

The whole workshop was filled with odds and ends.

Given the current situation, there was no need to manufacture clothes.

The main essentials were food and supplies, if they needed clothes, they could simply scavenge from the shops.

After touring around, they returned back to the front of the building.

Wu Heng continued, “Fill up all the vehicles with gas, we’ll go back in a few days, and bring the remaining people and equipment over.”

“Okay!”

It wasn’t until late into the night that Wu Heng returned to his living quarters.

He set up a movie for ‘Xiao Xiao’, while he continued to practice his swordsmanship in the living room.

…

The next day, in the morning.

Wu Heng made a trip to the Association.

On his way to the lounge, a staff member shouted: “Captain Wu Heng, there’s mail for you.”

“Thank you,” Wu Heng received the two letters.

Without saying, he knew it was the letters from Black Stone Town that had arrived.

But, he had sent out three, he had no idea who didn’t reply.

He went straight to the lounge; there was no one inside, even Duke wasn’t there.

Wu Heng sat down and held up letters in his hand.

He picked up the first letter alone; the weight felt somewhat off. He cracked open the seal, turned it over in his hand, and a gold coin fell out.

Wu Heng frowned.

What was going on? They even sent money? Such a large sum.

He immediately picked up the letter and began to read it.

The handwriting was intricate and neat; it was done with a light touch. It’s a woman’s handwriting, with a strong background in penmanship.

Who could this be?!

Could I know someone who writes this well?

He continued reading.

“Captain Wu Heng:

We have received your letter, congratulations on your successful appointment as Captain.

Black Stone Town is all fine. The city’s security has begun to stabilize, and the workload isn’t as heavy as before.”

Wu Heng frowned; who was this speaking using official jargon?

Did they send it to the wrong person?

He kept reading.

“Not too long after you left, I personally visited the crowded area twice. There are two new security kiosks, so it isn’t as chaotic as before. The residents of the crowded area all believe that you have changed this place. It is said that they are collecting money to build a statue of you.

Fourth squad, reassembled its team members. Captain Autruck led them to capture a few misbehaving mercenaries, earning some bounty was not difficult, but earning merits was a bit of a challenge.

Yuli often misses you, write her a letter next time, she should be very happy.

Everything here is fine, don’t worry. In a few days, once things are more stable, I’ll bring Yuli over to see you.

Take care.”

Wu Heng, with wide eyes, was somewhat in disbelief.

Having seen the end, he’d guessed who had written him back. Black Stone Town official ‘Slyther’, a mature woman as attractive as a ripe peach.

Seemingly, he didn’t write to her.

Why is it written in reply though?

Wu Heng furrowed his brows and thought for a moment, quickly realizing that the letter he wrote to Yuli probably ended up in ‘Slyther’s’ hands.

Then, Wu Heng glanced at the gold coin that came in the envelope.

What was the deal with this money?

What does she mean by ‘take care’?