Apocalypse Forecast

In the ancient and elegant office, Qi Wen hung up the phone. He didn't sound as old as he did on the phone, just slightly aged. His hair was meticulously combed despite the streaks of white, and his suit was crisp. His features were stern, exuding a sense of authority.

He didn't show any displeasure at the moment, just rubbing his forehead with a slightly complicated expression.

The young man eating oranges behind the desk looked up casually and asked, "Dad, what did she say?"

Qi Wen remained calm. "She's young and doesn't know any better. She'll understand how good our family is in the future."

"So she's just ignorant?"

The young man sneered. "Dad's a useless waste, and she's a cripple. Does she really think she can become an inspector on her own? If it weren't for Grandpa's wishes, I wouldn't even bother with this defective product."

Bang!

Qi Wen's teacup shattered in front of him, hot water splashing everywhere and nearly startling him.

"Shut up, you waste! What are you thinking in that brain of yours? Can you understand Grandpa's intentions? Can you even participate in the affairs of the Savior Society? Are you afraid that I'll die before you, Qi Yuan?"

Qi Wen glared at him, his eyes wide open.

Qi Yuan was silent for a moment before retorting, "I'm just trying to help the family."

"Shut up! He Luo, come in here."

Qi Wen suddenly paused his cane, and a sturdy man walked in from the door.

"Take this wastrel home." Qi Wen said coldly. "Until the rumors die down, break whichever leg he dares to use to go outside!"

A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled.

"Dad, that's too much!" Qi Yuan protested. "Why is it that I'm treated like I've made some huge mistake just because I made some money? Weren't you the one who first got involved with them? What are you afraid of, Dad? That woman will eventually have to pour tea for you. Does she dare to offend us?"

Qi Wen was so angry that he didn't want to talk to him anymore and closed his eyes.

Soon, Qi Yuan was dragged away by his bodyguards, leaving only He Luo in the office, still calm and silent.

After a long time, Qi Wen rubbed his forehead and finally let out a sigh, returning to his usual calm demeanor.

"Is it something related to the Savior Society?" he asked.

"Wang Hai has been hiding in the suburbs these past few days, contacting someone." He Luo said. "Young Master was deceived by him and even put out a reward. Although I've cleared away the traces, the trouble caused by the Savior Society might implicate us."

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know. He wanted to see you this afternoon," He Luo paused and repeated Wang Hai's words. "He said he was carrying out the will of the baptized. According to your orders, I told him that the boss was recuperating and not seeing anyone. Then he left."

Qi Wen lowered his eyes.

"Very well," he said. "Very well."

In the silence, Qi Wen tapped his cane with his fingers, muttering to himself. "Why is there always so much trouble in this remote place of Xin Hai after all these years? We waited so long for the Huai family to fall, and then the Yin family came. Finally, when the Yin family left, the Savior Society began to entangle us in the shadows...""He squinted his eyes and whispered, 'One after another, they all want others to be their vanguard.'"

He Luo didn't speak.

Qi Wen didn't need anyone to answer.

As if calculating some difficult decision, his expression kept changing, sometimes gloomy, sometimes ferocious.

Until He Luo took a step forward, interrupted his thoughts, and despite his angry gaze, said softly, "Boss, make a decision."

"..."

Qi Wen looked coldly at his longtime subordinate, and after a long time, seemed to have finally made a decision and closed his eyes.

"What about the prostitute who was asking around?"

"He was taken care of yesterday, and the body was thrown into the sea." He Luo replied, "Our people have asked around, and it was his own private action, unrelated to the Astronomical Society."

Qi Wen's expression calmed down a bit, "Yin Qing, do you know about what happened back then?"

"That matter was handled very cleanly, without leaving any traces."

He Luo replied, "Afterwards, I used the Lost Soul Inducer on everyone involved. They would gradually lose their minds and forget everything. Even if she knew, she wouldn't have any evidence."

In the silence, not even the sound of breathing could be heard.

After a long time, Qi Wen raised his eyes.

"Then let's end it."

His expression was cold, "Cooperating with them back then was a mistake, or else it wouldn't have caused trouble until now. Tomorrow, no, tonight, go and clean up all the loose ends related to the Savior Society. Don't leave any evidence behind. Although the Qi family is small, it's not something any lunatic can come and mess with..."

"Okay."

He Luo nodded, "What about Yin Qing?"

"...We don't need to take action."

Qi Wen squinted his eyes, "The most urgent matter now is to get ourselves out of there, to withdraw... The New Sea is about to change, and I want to see how long she can survive in this hellhole."

.

.

In the evening, Huai Shi received a delivery.

To be precise, an unmarked car parked outside the Stone Museum, and after calling Huai Shi on the phone, left a box and drove away.

"Yesterday's delivery style is like this, guaranteed quality and speed, but don't expect too much in terms of service attitude."

Crow stood on the table, sliding his claws over a row of phones, constantly updating lists of various apps that Huai Shi couldn't recognize, with a variety of goods and chaotic settlement currencies.

There was a constant ding sound, like accepting an order for takeout.

After acquiring the necessary tools, she seemed to have been making various potions lately.

In name, she said she was working hard to supplement the family's expenses, but Huai Shi didn't know how much money she actually made. He only heard her complaining every day about not having enough to make ends meet.

Who would believe that...

When Huai Shi carried the box into the basement, he saw several crucibles bubbling on the table, constantly emitting various colored gases. If it weren't for the 100-watt light bulb overhead, he would have suspected that he had walked into a mad alchemist's laboratory.

"To be honest, it's only because we don't have the conditions that we have to resort to beakers and burners."

To this, Crow expressed disgust, "With the current budget, we can't even afford a decent centrifuge or solution crystallizer, let alone the layout of a clean room and a bunch of things like a cracking furnace..."

"说实话,也就是没条件才会这么土,只能靠烧瓶和烧杯。"

对此,乌鸦表示嫌弃:"目前的预算连一台好一点的离心机和溶液结晶器都买不起,更不要说无尘室的布置和裂解炉一大堆东西了……"

"说实话,也就是没条件才会这么土,只能靠烧瓶和烧杯。"

对此,乌鸦表示嫌弃:"目前的预算连一台好一点的离心机和溶液结晶器都买不起,更不要说无尘室的布置和裂解炉一大堆东西了……"After looking at her list of requirements, Huai Shi felt a headache. He wondered when alchemy had become so advanced.

"Are you kidding me? Can beakers and crucibles, which can only be used to fool around in middle school chemistry class, compare to millions or even billions of professional equipment?" Crow turned around and glanced at him. "The essence of alchemy is to burn money. If you don't spend money, how can you become stronger?"

"But I've spent so much and I don't feel any stronger!" Huai Shi complained.

"That means you haven't spent enough. Spend more! If you can't even afford a Ferrari, how can you say you've spent a lot of money?" Crow rolled its eyes and motioned for Huai Shi to put the things on the table.

At noon, it sold the loot that Huai Shi had risked his life to steal – several snake horns. The quality was apparently good, so they chose to exchange them for materials from the other side.

After inspecting everything, Crow nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. With these, you can gather the remaining materials for the potion and the main material needed for the holy mark."

"Is this all?" Huai Shi lowered his head and looked at the various strange things sealed in bottles in the box. Several bottles of different colored powders, a cluster of crystalline solids, several pieces of black iron ore, and various liquids that seemed to be extracted from plants... He couldn't understand what was going on.

"This is Rainbow Ash. In the past, the Norse people referred to the natural phenomenon of spatial transfer as the Rainbow Bridge. This is the natural material that remains after the phenomenon ends and is used as a blending agent for high-quality materials.

This is the Proof of the Silent One. It looks like a mineral, but it's actually a source material polymer. Only after a person has kept a certain secret for their entire life in accordance with their oath and trust can they have a chance to obtain this rare item after death. It can be said to be the crystallization of will and loyalty. It's as big as a thumb, so the secret must be very important.

As for the minerals, they're just common border iron and frost silver, and they're actually the cheapest.

All of these are essential materials for making holy marks." Crow explained, then looked at the sacrificial knife on the table. "But the main material is actually this thing."

The sacrificial knife trembled and emitted a mournful cry as it was stared at by Crow, as if it were afraid and constantly trying to escape from its sheath. However, when Crow stepped on it with its claws, it stopped moving.

It only whimpered, as if begging for mercy.

Although it was once a majestic blood-drinking demon sword, it now looked like a small white mouse waiting to be slaughtered in a laboratory.

Suddenly, Crow asked, "Huai Shi, do you remember what a holy mark is?"

"Um, I remember you said it's... a solidified miracle?"

"Yes, that's right. The essence of a holy mark is the name given to an intangible miracle after it is given a physical form."

Crow shrugged slightly. "Although these miracles often bring disasters. But those who expect to find happiness from the miracles found in hell must not be normal in the head, right? The reason why border relics are special is not only because of their functions and their existence in hell, but also because they are all products of abyssal miracles. It's not an exaggeration to call them alternative holy marks."

After hearing this, Huai Shi finally understood and couldn't help but roll his eyes. "So you're saying you're going to dismantle a car, take out the engine, and make me a little lamb, right?""It's almost like that, tearing down the east wall to repair the west wall." Crow waved its wings, seemingly full of confidence: "Don't worry, I didn't use too much.

I'll put together the remaining materials, and this knife should still be usable... right?"

Huai Shi didn't bother to say anything more.

He could only pray in his heart that the Holy Mark given to him later wouldn't be too bad. He didn't have high demands, as long as she didn't dismantle the basic functions and sell them as DLC.

It's okay to have pre-orders every now and then, but who could stand a gold collector's edition coming out later?

"By the way, what is that?"

Huai Shi pointed to the corner, the basin that showed a strange map, faintly discerning the terrain of the new sea. In a remote place, a light spot silently flickered.

"Oh, that."

Crow glanced at it and said meaningfully: "That's where Wang Hai is hiding now."