readbooksol Chapter 297 Huangpu Yun's Shock
Chapter 297 Huangpu Yun's Shock
Huangpu Yun's words came to an abrupt halt, because he suddenly noticed that the lizard-shaped pattern in the essence was unusually clear, which was Morgus's soul imprint.
Only the essence extracted by the true killer would retain such a complete soul imprint. This cannot be faked.
"You flatter me, City Lord," Lin Tian said calmly. "I am also a member of Luoxia City, and it is my duty to guard the defenses."
Huangpu Yun shook his head repeatedly:
"No, this is by no means an overstatement. Lin Tian, do you know? Killing Morgus is an achievement that deserves a prominent place in the Imperial Army's military record."
According to imperial law, slaying a high-ranking Abyss Lord grants the title of "Demon Slayer," along with a mansion in a level-three main city, a hundred acres of fertile land, and an annual stipend of ten thousand gold coins.
He walked to the table and solemnly placed Morgus's spirit in a specially made jade box. Then he took out a purple-gold token from the drawer. The front of the token was engraved with the words "Demon Slayer" and the back was the imperial emblem.
"This is the 'Demon Slayer Order'," Huangpu Yun handed the token to Lin Tian. "With this token, you can receive official preferential treatment in any city in the empire, enjoy a 30% discount on military supplies, and receive a monthly allowance of 800 gold coins from any city lord's mansion."
Lin Tian took the token; it felt heavy in his hand, clearly made of a special metal.
He hadn't expected killing Morgus to bring these additional benefits, but since they were offered, he wouldn't refuse.
Huangpu Yun saw Lin Tian accept the token and a relieved smile appeared on his face.
After returning to his desk, he took out an envelope sealed with sealing wax from the bottom drawer.
The sealing wax is deep red and bears the emblem of Luoxia City—a setting sun sinking into the mountains.
"This is the clue to the [Abyssal Demon Iron] I promised you," Huangpu Yun said, handing the envelope to Lin Tian with a hint of apology on his face.
"To be honest, my Sunset City is only a level three main city with limited resources. Apart from this clue and the Demon Slayer Order, I really can't offer you any decent reward. I hope you don't mind."
Lin Tian reached out and took the envelope. The envelope was slightly cool to the touch, and its material was unusual, clearly not ordinary paper.
"You flatter me, City Lord. I only need the clue to the [Abyssal Demon Iron]. As for anything else, I don't have any special needs."
Huangpu Yun nodded and said seriously:
"Keep this letter safe. Once you reach the second-tier main city, Star Moon City, find Master Sima Han at the address on the envelope and give him the letter. He will then give you a clue about the [Abyssal Demon Iron]."
Master Sima Han is one of the most renowned blacksmithing masters in the empire, having forged several legendary weapons for the royal family. The resources and intelligence he possesses far surpass those of someone like me, a mere third-level city lord.
"Sima Han..." Lin Tian murmured the name, memorizing it.
Huangpu Cloud continued to remind:
"Star Moon City is about three thousand kilometers away from Sunset City, and you have to cross the Misty Forest where monsters roam and the treacherous Broken Soul Mountain Range in between."
Even though you have a teleportation portal available, you still need to be careful on the way.
Things have been unsettled in various places lately, with frequent activity in the abyss and wild monsters becoming more ferocious than usual.
"Thank you for the reminder, City Lord." Lin Tian put the envelope into his backpack.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the main hall.
A messenger dressed in silver armor and with a long sword at his waist hurried in. His face was filled with undisguised excitement and shock. He even forgot basic etiquette and went straight to Huangpu Yun's side.
"Lord, urgent military intelligence!" The messenger lowered his voice, but it was still clearly audible in the quiet hall.
Huangpu Yun frowned: "What's the matter? Why are you in such a panic? Can't you see I'm receiving distinguished guests?"
The messenger then noticed Lin Tian standing to the side and quickly bowed in apology, but the excitement on his face remained undiminished.
"Lord, this matter is too astonishing; I am truly shocked. This is the latest intelligence that just arrived from the Abyss Fortress, delivered using the highest-level urgent communication talisman!"
As he spoke, the messenger presented a scroll bound with a red ribbon with both hands.
The red ribbon represents the highest level of emergency and is usually only used in extreme situations such as the fall of a city or the imminent arrival of a large army.
Huangpu Yun's expression hardened, and he quickly took the file and untied the ribbon.
The files were made of specially made animal skin paper, on which dense text was written using secret methods.
As Huangpu Yun read, his expression began to change drastically—first doubt, then surprise, then disbelief, and finally complete shock.
He suddenly raised his head, stared at Lin Tian with wide eyes, and his hand holding the dossier trembled slightly.
"Lin Tian..." Huangpu Yun's voice was a little dry, "This intelligence says...you not only killed Morgus, but also...you destroyed Dark Erosion City?"
Upon hearing this, the messenger standing nearby also looked at Lin Tian in shock.
As a messenger for the city lord's mansion, he had naturally read the intelligence reports, but seeing the protagonist in the reports with his own eyes was still a powerful experience.
Lin Tian nodded calmly: "Yes."
Huangpu Yun gasped, then pressed on, "What about the six high-ranking Abyss Lords of Darkeclipse City? And what about Kael'thas, the Lord of Darkeclipse City?"
"They've all been wiped out." Lin Tian's answer was concise and clear, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.
A deathly silence fell over the hall.
Huangpu Yun stared wide-eyed, his mouth slightly open, but no sound came out.
His brain seemed to stop working at that moment, and he could only stare blankly at Lin Tian, trying to find any trace of a joke on the other's calm face.
But Lin Tian's calm gaze told him that it was all true.
The messenger froze on the spot, his sword clattering to the ground without him even noticing.
As a seasoned communications officer, he had seen countless major military intelligence reports, but none had ever been as shocking as today's.
Destroying an abyss city? Killing seven high-level abyss lords, including the city lord? That's simply a fantasy!
Time ticked by, but Huangpu Yun was still unable to recover from the shock.
The contents of the intelligence report echoed repeatedly in his mind, the words striking his understanding like heavy hammer blows:
"...Dark Erosion City was reduced to ruins, its walls collapsed, and its palaces crumbled..."
"...Morgus, the Abyssal Rift Lizard, is confirmed dead; his essence has been extracted..."
"...The Enchantress Superses, the Mind Manipulator Sasolvar, the Shadow Assassin Shaheras, the Destroyer Gruul, the Master of Curses Mal'Ganis... all six high-ranking Abyss Lords have fallen..."
"...Lord Kael'thas of the Dark Eclipse has been confirmed dead..."
"...Based on the on-site investigation, the battle lasted no more than two hours, and most of the buildings were destroyed by the high-intensity energy impact..."