"Snake! Keep searching! Expand the search area, you must find this robber!" Ul's face was so dark it was almost dripping with water. If they couldn't catch the thief, not only would his career be over, but he would also likely be burdened with huge debts. After all, they had a contract with the museum!
Another hour has passed...
Despite the experienced guards at Borankl, and despite their thorough search, they found nothing. Ur was furious and puzzled: how had the thieves managed to move so many artifacts in such a short time? And how had they done it? (Recently, there has been significant encoding issues, which motivates us to update faster. Please exit reading mode if you'd like. Thank you.)
Chapter 51
Left with no other option, Ur assembled his team and led them to the hall. The museum curator, Clay, was already waiting there. Clay's once-fair face was now ashen, as if he were terminally ill, his eyes bloodshot. Seeing Ur lead his guards into the hall, Clay stared at Ur with his bloodshot eyes, his voice seeming to rise from the depths of hell.
"Ur, how many artifacts were lost in total?"
Ul broke out in a cold sweat. He knew exactly how ruthless Clay could be. If this matter couldn't be investigated, then he would face more than just debt problems.
"Director Clay, in total, 42,511 items are missing. In addition, the remaining artifacts have suffered varying degrees of damage."
"Pfft!" Clay spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale, though his eyes remained bloodshot. Clay pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, a cruel sneer on his face: "Ul, if you don't catch the thief, you know the consequences..." With that, he turned to leave.
"Wait, wait a minute." Perhaps due to the immense pressure, a sudden inspiration flashed through Ur's mind.
Clay stopped, but didn't turn around: "Speak."
"I...I suspect this matter is related to the Dragon Kingdom!"
Kree suddenly turned around, staring intently at Ul: "Reason?"
“Director Clay, I discovered that the missing artifacts are all from China, while artifacts from other countries were not lost at all. This is enough to show that this operation is related to China, and even to the Chinese government!”
Nodding thoughtfully, Clay looked up at Ul after a moment and said, "I will negotiate this matter, but the possibility of repayment is very small, so you will still face huge debts!" He sneered and turned to leave.
Ur's face flushed red and then turned pale, before he plopped down on the ground. He understood that his fate was perhaps already sealed.
...
Ma Xiaoniu placed the artifacts into the bronze palace inside the Chaos Pearl. There were more than 40,000 artifacts, plus the boxes that contained them, which took up a huge area. Fortunately, the bronze palace was large enough, otherwise it really wouldn't have been able to hold them all.
Standing inside the bronze palace, surrounded by cultural relics and national treasures, Ma Xiaoniu felt a surge of joy. Perhaps he could visit other museums? He'd heard that a certain beautiful country had even more Chinese artifacts?
Within the Chaos Orb, Ma Xiaoniu is the supreme god. With a thought, he imprinted the demon's logo on each artifact's box. Then, he returned to Earth, teleported to the HL Province Museum, placed the Ghost-Faced Bronze Vessel inside, and then teleported back to the Divine Beast Valley.
It was already past eight o'clock at night. There was no moon tonight, and it was pitch black inside the Divine Beast Valley. When they arrived at the lakeside, they lit a fire, and the firelight illuminated the surroundings. Only then did Ma Xiaoniu see the huge body of the white tiger. At this moment, the white tiger was lying on the grass by the lake, fast asleep. Even when it heard Ma Xiaoniu's noise, it only opened its eyelids slightly and continued to bury its head in sleep.
Sitting by the campfire, Ma Xiaoniu was thoroughly enjoying himself. He especially loved the atmosphere—quiet yet full of life. Of course, some moonlight would have been even better. After midnight tonight, it would be another draw. What skill would he get this time? Although he now possessed the Chaos Orb, he was still just a mortal on Earth, so he valued the system's reward abilities highly. However, the abilities he'd received lately hadn't been very powerful; he hoped he'd draw a really strong one this time!
By the firelight, Ma Xiaoniu saw the fallen jujube tree lying to one side. His home was gone, but in Ma Xiaoniu's eyes, the jujube tree was like family. However, the jujube tree looked rather wilted now; after all, so much time had passed. He needed to find a way to plant it, but the tree was too big and too heavy. How could he prop it up? Ma Xiaoniu scratched his head, but suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the white tiger fast asleep beside him. His eyes lit up. Damn, why not use such good free labor? With the white tiger's size, lifting a jujube tree shouldn't be a problem, right?
As for digging the hole, considering the jujube tree's roots cover an acre or two, the hole can't be too small, right? Digging it by myself is definitely not an option; it would take forever! Ma Xiaoniu then thought of Zhuque, recalling the scene of that rooster scratching the soil with its claws, and couldn't help but smile. What a great digging rooster! How could we not use it?
Time quickly passed midnight. This time, Ma Xiaoniu's new ability was called the Yin-Yang Eyes.
The ability to see ghosts—take it with you, and it will take you to the underworld for a spontaneous trip!
Mission—Kill at least five people, go, kid!
Sure enough, the mission difficulty increased, from killing one person to five. And this was only level two! What if there were levels three, four, five, six? Even level nine? Who knows if they'd destroy planets at will? Thankfully, he obtained the Chaos Pearl. For now, the Chaos Pearl was his lifesaver; otherwise, he would surely face annihilation. Ma Xiaoniu couldn't help but feel a surge of relief. It seemed his luck was still pretty good!
The ability to see ghosts seems pretty good. Ma Xiaoniu remembers several posts on the Demon Forum about haunted homes, but his previous abilities weren't enough, so he'd put them aside. Now he could give it a try. However, it seems the ability to see ghosts only works in the underworld, so how can he kill them? That's a problem! Perhaps he could create some items inside the Chaos Orb that could kill ghosts? But he wonders if items created inside the Chaos Orb can be brought to Earth? If so, wouldn't he be able to have whatever he wanted in the future?
Ma Xiaoniu's eyes lit up, and without hesitation, he entered the bronze palace of the Chaos Pearl and sat cross-legged on the carpet. "Besides its ability to eliminate ghosts and monsters," he thought, "what should the item look like?" After much thought, Ma Xiaoniu decided on a whip. After all, there was a God-Slaying Whip in Earth's mythology, which sounded incredibly powerful. Having decided on the weapon's design, Ma Xiaoniu visualized it, and a whip shimmering with golden stars appeared out of thin air before him. This whip, made of an unknown material, was over two meters long, entirely black, and shimmered with golden stars.
Grasping the whip handle, its smooth, warm texture felt like it was made of jade. Upon closer inspection, a mysterious power emanated from within the whip, intensely hot and blazing, like a small, constantly glowing sun, or a flash of lightning. It was believed that any ghost or monster struck by this whip would be utterly annihilated!
Ma Xiaoniu smiled, and with a thought, returned to the campfire in Divine Beast Valley. However, his expression immediately froze. Looking at the whip in his hand, it was still the same whip in appearance, but the golden light on it had disappeared. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that although the energy within the whip was still there, it had become extremely weak. If it was like a small sun before, it could now only be described as a small flame.
Why the hell has it become so weak? What's the logic behind this? Does it mean the things inside the Chaos Pearl can't be brought to Earth? No, if they couldn't be taken out, the whip should have disappeared, but it clearly hasn't. This means the things inside the Chaos Pearl can be taken out, only the mysterious power attached to the whip is almost completely dissipated. This indicates that things can be taken out, but only ordinary items. Anything containing mysterious power will lose or weaken that power once taken out. Ma Xiaoniu was a supreme god inside the Chaos Pearl; anything he created inside would undoubtedly be an invincible weapon. Even so, after being brought to Earth, only a trace of its mysterious power remained. If it were other divine objects from within the pearl, they would probably become ordinary things after being taken out!
Well, it's alright, after all, there's still a trace of mysterious power in the whip, which should be enough. Actually, Ma Xiaoniu thought about it carefully and realized he was right. If he could take out and use whatever was inside the Chaos Pearl at will, wouldn't he be almost like a supreme god on Earth? Besides, Earth's universe and the Chaos Pearl are two different worlds, so it's normal for them to have some limitations on each other.
Let's call you the Soul-Destroying Whip. It's a very imposing name, but its function is a bit dry... Ma Xiaoniu chuckled awkwardly, coiled the whip up and put it in his backpack, then crawled into the cave to sleep.
...
The next morning, Ma Xiaoniu got up, washed up, and then opened his laptop to log into the Demon Forum and open the submission area.
"Help! My livestock have died mysteriously, their blood has been drained."
"Help! I'm being harassed by Japanese people in my fishing grounds in the East China Sea."
"Help! My husband is cheating on me."
"Help! My child isn't studying properly and is being rebellious."
"Help! I've been scammed out of money."
"Help! What should I do if I'm not doing well in my studies?"
"Help! I've been sexually assaulted by my boss."
"Seeking help, my land has been forcibly seized."
"Help! Strange events are happening repeatedly in the village."
"Help! My son is missing!"
...
Every time Ma Xiaoniu saw this, he felt a sense of powerlessness. So many people needed help every day, and he was all alone. Even with his supernatural abilities, he always felt helpless. It seemed it was time to include establishing a sect in his plans. With the Chaos Pearl, he could at least create some special items to pass on to his disciples. Although these special items would be limited like the Soul-Destroying Whip, at least a trace of their function would remain, which should be enough for now.
I then checked the comments section.