Read at: https://blogspot-translatedstories.blogspot.com/?m=1
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Yuan Chu entered the market behind Huo Yin. Hundreds of people had already gathered here, bustling with activity and alive with noise. Simple, makeshift signboards stood in front of each stall, showcasing the goods available, mostly food, clothing, vehicles, and various daily necessities.
Operating his wheelchair, Huo Yin moved through the market in silence, his dark eyes casually sweeping over the passing crowd.
Compared to how he had looked a dozen days ago, he was almost unrecognizable, his dark brown hair was medium-length and unkempt, his chin stubbled with a rough beard, and his overall appearance desolate and crippled.
Characters like him, who clearly didn't look long for this world, drew virtually no attention.
Which was precisely what Huo Yin wanted.
Having endured Ji Ming's betrayal, he could no longer easily trust anyone. As for his former teammates, there was no telling how many had defected to other factions just like Ji Ming. He intended to conceal his identity for the time being and slowly build up his strength.
Huo Yin observed the surroundings for a moment before wheeling himself toward a stall selling vehicles.
Parked there were several cars of different models, varying in age and featuring bizarre, peculiar designs. Six or seven people stood grouped around them, seemingly inspecting their performance.
Yuan Chu's gaze swept past these people and landed on a chubby young man huddled alone in a corner. A faint light flickered momentarily in her eyes before she lowered her gaze, quietly following Huo Yin to the stall.
"Is this a hovercar? Why does it look so strange?"
"Looks don't matter, what counts is performance! The performance is top-notch, and it only costs 25 Enhanced Source Cores."
"25? Buddy, don't try to pull a fast one on me. A second-hand, home-assembled car like this costs 25 Source Cores?"
"This is already the lowest price possible. You guys can test drive it first to see if you're satisfied."
"Who's gonna go up and test it?"
"It's way too ugly. I don't even want to step inside."
The group traded criticisms, their disdain plain for all to see, completely ignoring the vendor's darkening expression.
Huo Yin inspected the vehicles. Their appearances were indeed hard to describe, resembling metal toys haphazardly pieced together from materials of various colors. It was truly difficult to believe they possessed good performance.
Just then, Huo Yin felt someone approaching. Turning his head, he saw a chubby young man crouching beside him, apparently studying his wheelchair.
"Such a simple structure, made of such ordinary materials... yet crafted with such exquisite precision?"
Admiring wonder filled his eyes as he looked up and asked, "Who made this wheelchair?"
Huo Yin: "...Is there a problem?"
"Using scrap materials to their absolute limit, with a flawless design and exact dimensions, this is unmistakably the work of an experienced machinery expert!" The chubby youth declared with complete certainty.
Huo Yin glanced at Yuan Chu: So this crude, hand-crafted wheelchair made from local materials was actually that impressive?
Yuan Chu was no machinery expert, but she possessed eyes akin to measuring tapes, capable of precisely measuring everything in the world.
"And you are?" Huo Yin asked.
"Oh, my name is Jiang Pengfei. I'm currently the Machinist for Flash Thunder." The chubby youth rubbed the back of his head before glancing timidly at a crew-cut man nearby who was hawking goods.
"You built those cars?"
"...Yes."
"They're very... unique."
Jiang Pengfei lowered his head in embarrassment.
He had originally been a toy designer. After arriving on Creation Star, he awakened a Machinery superpower, making him exceptionally sensitive to physical structures and operating principles. Still young at heart, he couldn't help but incorporate elements he personally liked whenever he built machinery.
The types of Source Cores on Creation Star were wildly varied, but they generally fell into four major categories: Enhancement, Intelligence, Spirit, and Propagation.
Machinery specialization belonged to the Intelligence category. Aside from the Enhancement type, Source Cores of other categories were relatively rare. Machinists typically chose to align themselves with a team, providing relevant products to earn Source Cores for upgrading.
Huo Yin's Elemental superpower belonged to the Propagation category, which encompassed all natural forces that influenced the growth, repair, and continuation of all things.
"Dapeng! Get your ass over here!" A furious roar echoed from behind, scaring the chubby youth so badly he flinched.
Not a single car had been sold, the deal had clearly fallen through. The crew-cut man darted forward in a flash, rushing up to the chubby youth and kicking him to the ground.
"Ah!" Jiang Pengfei tumbled several times before slamming into a wall, crying out in pain before slumping onto the ground, refusing to get up.
"Don't play dead with me!" The crew-cut man was just about to teach him another lesson when he felt his movement stiffen, bound momentarily by an unknown force. Though it lasted for only a split second, it shook him to his core.
"I'd like to test drive a car." Huo Yin spoke up.
The crew-cut man looked at his legs, then at Yuan Chu standing beside him, naturally assuming she was the one who would test drive it.
"Sure, test whichever one you want."
Huo Yin selected a mid-sized car capable of seating six people, with ample storage space as well.
"Aren't you going to test drive it?" Seeing that Yuan Chu hadn't moved for a while, the crew-cut man couldn't help asking.
"I already am." Huo Yin answered.
The crew-cut man turned abruptly, only to see one of the hovercars start up on its own. Its doors opened and closed several times before it flew a few loops around the crowd, executing a series of nimble evasive maneuvers. Finally, it returned to its original parking spot and landed smoothly.
A flicker of astonishment flashed in the crew-cut man's eyes. He realized that Huo Yin was an Elemental Evolver with top-tier control, a true master.
Putting away his slight disdain, he asked, "What do you think of this car, sir?"
"Not bad. How much?"
"25 Enhanced Source Cores."
"1 Spiritual Source Core and 10 Enhanced Source Cores."
The crew-cut man pondered for a moment before agreeing. Compared to Enhanced Source Cores, which were easy to come by, a Spiritual Source Core was undoubtedly far more valuable.
The two parties swiftly completed the transaction without much small talk.
"Stop slacking around here and get back to work!" The crew-cut man hoisted the chubby youth, who was still playing dead, by his collar and shoved him roughly to the side.
Jiang Pengfei crept away in silence like a timid bride.
Huo Yin's brows knitted slightly as he brought Yuan Chu onto the new car.
Yuan Chu watched the chubby youth's departing back, her thoughts unreadable.
"Machinists have a hard time surviving on their own, they have no choice but to rely on other factions." Huo Yin offered by way of explanation.
"Although his situation looks pretty grim, at least he can stay alive."
"Mm." Yuan Chu withdrew her gaze. The reason she paid attention to this chubby youth was that in the near future, he would become a major asset to Huo Yin.
A Child of Luck could not only strengthen themselves, but also attract extraordinary talents and recruit peculiar geniuses, even underachieving weaklings could be carried to victory alongside them. Provided, of course, that they could survive the trials imposed by the Heavenly Dao.
"Let's go buy some food and supplies." Huo Yin drove the hovercar, going on a spending spree along the way.
The prices for everyday supplies were not high, and sometimes items could be exchanged using weapons or other equipment.
In one go, Huo Yin purchased eight sets of combat gear and casual wear for different seasons. Yuan Chu selected eight matching sets of the exact same combat gear and casual wear.
When buying undergarments, Huo Yin chose plain black across the board, Yuan Chu chose plain black as well.
Huo Yin: ...
Without batting an eye, he slipped a few undergarments with different patterns into her pile, and she accepted them in silence.
So, she wanted me to pick for her?
Huo Yin glanced at her with a nuanced expression.
For the rest of the shopping trip, he asked no further questions and simply bought double sets for everything. The entire errand took just half an hour, decisive and efficient.
The two rested at the market for a day, changed into matching combat suits, and set off on the road early the next morning.
The hovercar had been driving for over half an hour when Yuan Chu, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them and gazed quietly ahead.
Huo Yin glanced at her, silently raising his guard. Perhaps even Yuan Chu herself hadn't realized that while she deliberately kept a low profile, her premonition of danger stemmed entirely from instinct. Once he became familiar with her, Huo Yin could easily catch her subtle shifts in demeanor.
Huo Yin quietly channeled his superpower, scouting the surroundings.
A moment later, his gaze sharpened. A few hundred meters ahead, he detected hidden energy fluctuations belonging to roughly six or seven people.
Huo Yin wasn't surprised. A weak, vulnerable combination like theirs, a lone invalid and a frail companion, was the prime target for scoundrels looking to commit murder and robbery. Killing a single mutated beast yielded only one Source Core, but killing an Evolver could yield dozens of cores with various attributes.
Huo Yin narrowed his eyes and accelerated, sharply veering off course right before stepping into the trap. Simultaneously, he unleashed his superpower, catching the hidden attackers completely off guard before fleeing without hesitation.
"Fuck!" Frustrated curses erupted one after another, followed by several streaks of light giving chase close behind.
Huo Yin didn't push the car to maximum speed. Instead, he kept the pursuers trailing behind at a steady, unhurried pace, much like flying a kite.
One look at the direction Huo Yin was traveling was enough for Yuan Chu to divine his plan. There was an unwritten rule among Evolvers: Fighting was strictly forbidden inside the markets.
As they drew closer to the market, the pursuers behind them were forced to slow down, preparing to abandon the ambush.
However, seeing that they had given up the chase, Huo Yin stopped fleeing as well. Turning his vehicle around, he locked onto a single target and launched a fierce, sudden strike.
Caught off guard, the target was nearly wiped out on the spot, fuming with rage so intense that smoke practically billowed from their ears. Without a word, they charged forward to attack.
Having landed a successful hit, Huo Yin refused to get dragged into a prolonged fight, driving the hovercar right back toward the market.
"Dole, come back! Stop chasing!"
Hearing his companion's warning, Dole calmed down slightly and was about to break off. But then he saw the hovercar fly right back, tossing a fireball straight at his face.
Motherfucker, even a saint has his limits! To hell with reason!
Dole drove his hovercar, giving chase like a madman. Seeing this, his companions had no choice but to follow close behind.
Dole was a Spiritual Evolver who unleashed a wave of spiritual interference at Huo Yin's group without hesitation. The full-force output of a Tier 6 Spiritual Evolver was something even a peak-condition Huo Yin might not emerge from unscathed, let alone now, when he had only recovered twenty to thirty percent of his strength.
Yet an attack of this magnitude failed to affect him in the slightest, because standing by his side was a bug-like existence.
After establishing a connection with the Child of Luck, Yuan Chu could not use her powers at will. However, as long as the Child of Luck was nearby, she possessed an Absolute Domain with a two-meter radius. It not only shielded them from the Heavenly Dao's surveillance, but also blocked spiritual attacks.
Of course, against super-tier powerhouses above Tier 15, the Absolute Domain could not be used, as a clash of that magnitude would disturb the very laws of this world.
Huo Yin had been completely oblivious to this at first.
But by the time Dole launched his attack, the group was already close to the market. The full-force spiritual interference rippled across everyone within a radius of several hundred meters, inevitably causing a major commotion.
Several hovercars plunged from the sky, numerous Evolvers clutched their heads in screaming agony, and people demonstrating weapons suffered major accidents... The scene instantly descended into total chaos.
Huo Yin, who was meant to be the main target, remained completely unbothered, standing out like a sore thumb. But his reactions were lightning-fast, he immediately faked a loss of vehicle control, quickly slipping his hovercar into the sea of other vehicles.
By the time Dole and his crew arrived, they were greeted by a massive crowd of battered, disheveled, and beyond-furious Evolvers...
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I am intrigued!
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