Chapter 123: Lin Huang’s Ambition [Midnight Update—Please Subscribe]

On September 2nd, the weather in Bold City was clear and bright.

At exactly ten o’clock in the morning, the magic crystal airship descended onto the central square of Bold City. For all the different routes, the docking point of the magic crystal airships in Bold City was always here.

Lin Huang and Yin Hangyi scanned their tickets and boarded the ship. Their rooms, however, were not on the same floor.

Lin Huang was on the sixth floor, while Yin Hangyi was on the eighth.

But the chubby one was never one to stay still. He couldn’t bear to stay in his own room; aside from sleeping, he spent most of his time in Lin Huang’s room.

“Fatty, have you ever thought about inheriting your father’s hotel and just living an ordinary life?” Lin Huang couldn’t help but ask one day.

“Being just an ordinary chef limits the ingredients I can handle. If I become a Gourmet Hunter, I can work with a wider variety of ingredients and create even more delicious dishes. That’s my pursuit of cuisine,” Fatty explained. “Besides, my father hopes I can go further along the path of gastronomy than he did, so he’s been fully supportive of me becoming a Gourmet Hunter.”

“And you? Why did you choose to become a Hunter?” Fatty asked in return.

“I don’t like putting my fate in someone else’s hands. Even the safe zones aren’t one hundred percent secure. Even those above C-tier with supernatural guardians can’t guarantee safety. Supernaturals are human too—they make mistakes, they can be defeated and die. I’d rather trust myself than rely on supernaturals. So I keep pushing myself to grow stronger, to better protect myself and those around me,” Lin Huang said, then fell silent.

“You don’t seem like someone who lacks security,” Fatty observed, having picked up some underlying issues from Lin Huang’s words.

Lin Huang smiled softly. Fatty’s assessment wasn’t wrong, but upon deeper reflection, there was an even deeper reason driving his desire to become stronger.

“It’s not just about security. I want to see just how vast this world really is. Before becoming supernatural, I’m confined to the safe zones. I want to visit other safe zones, see what the chaotic regions outside are like, and explore the unknown areas that haven’t been touched by humanity since the dawn of the New Era…”

“I really don’t know what’s going on in your head. I’d rather stay in the safe zones my whole life than venture into those chaotic places. As for those unexplored areas, let someone else go. They have nothing to do with me,” Fatty said, widening his eyes and waving his hands emphatically.

Lin Huang just shook his head with a smile. His words did sound ambitious—perhaps even too bold for most true supernaturals to admit aloud.

The magic crystal airship traveled for eleven days before finally reaching their destination: Mist Spirit City, outpost 7C29.

Mist Spirit City was over twelve hundred kilometers from Misty Gorge and was the closest human outpost to the gorge.

When the airship arrived, it was already past four in the afternoon on September 13th.

Lin Huang and Yin Hangyi disembarked together and checked into a hotel.

“There’s a Level 3 wild zone on the way to Misty Gorge. It’s not safe for just the two of us to go through. I’ll head to the Adventurers' Park and find a team to accompany us,” Fatty said as soon as they finished checking in, then hurried off.

Lin Huang said nothing. He could have easily had the Purple-Eyed White Eagle fly them there, but he chose not to expose his strength just yet.

Some of the silver and gold tier adventurers willing to take companions around did so not for money but because they had to complete escort missions periodically. This was a benefit the Adventurers' Park offered lower-level hunters, designed to leave a good impression and encourage newcomers to consider joining.

About ten minutes later, Fatty’s communication request came through.

Lin Huang answered, surprised. “What’s up?”

“I found a team ready to leave now. They’re rushing me—come to the east gate of the outpost and meet us!” Fatty urged anxiously before hanging up.

Lin Huang found it odd. Fatty had no reason to be in such a hurry; there were several adventurer teams heading to Misty Gorge weekly. Besides, if they left now, it would be dark by the time they arrived, meaning they’d have to stay overnight at least.

But judging by Fatty’s urgency, Lin Huang quickly left the hotel and rode the Azure Scale Wolf toward the outpost’s east gate.

From a distance, Lin Huang saw Fatty standing with three silver-tier adventurers.

Each of the three sat astride a mount, while Fatty was on foot, looking rather displeased.

“Fatty, what’s going on?” Lin Huang frowned slightly.

Upon hearing Lin Huang’s question, the others looked over.

“Moving so slowly, can we go now?” The leader, a lean, dark-skinned middle-aged man, glanced at Lin Huang, pulled his mount’s reins, and turned away.

The other two immediately followed.

The middle one appeared about the same age but was balding slightly.

The last one was younger, perhaps in his early thirties, with a small beard on his chin. He shouted at Fatty, “Since your friend has a mount, you don’t have to squeeze with us.”

With that, he too rode off.

Lin Huang pulled Fatty onto the Azure Scale Wolf and asked, frowning, “What exactly is going on?”

“Don’t ask, let’s go,” Fatty said with a helpless shake of his head.

Lin Huang patted the Azure Scale Wolf and set off after them.

The three silver-tier adventurers rode earth rhinos — Bronze-tier beasts commonly used as mounts. They weren’t fast but had great stamina.

It was clear these three were struggling financially; the earth rhino was much cheaper than the Azure Scale Wolf, which explained why they turned away upon seeing Lin Huang’s mount.

“You say you’re broke, yet you bought an Azure Scale Wolf for a mount!” After running some distance, Fatty’s expression eased a little as he patted Lin Huang and joked, “One of those mounts costs as much as a silver-tier weapon.”

Lin Huang didn’t bother explaining it was his summoned beast and casually replied, “Got lucky, bought it cheap.”

“How much?” Fatty asked, taking it seriously.

“A bronze-tier weapon,” Lin Huang answered reluctantly.

Not only Fatty but the three silver adventurers believed him.

Their faces darkened. Their earth rhinos had cost them two bronze-tier weapons each, while the Azure Scale Wolf was worth at least a silver-tier weapon. Lin Huang had supposedly gotten it for much less.

“Kid, I’ll give you two bronze-tier weapons for that Azure Scale Wolf. Sell it to me,” the bearded man hesitated before calling out.

“No sale,” Lin Huang refused outright. He didn’t notice the slight pained look on Fatty’s face behind him, as if he wanted to say something but held back.

A shadow crossed the bearded man’s eyes.

Though Lin Huang didn’t know the details, noting Fatty’s usually talkative nature had fallen silent, he guessed these three had problems, and Fatty was likely under some kind of pressure.

Flying mounts could have gotten them to Misty Gorge in just over an hour. Yet Fatty had found such a team with no flying mounts, extending their journey to over eight hours. Lin Huang’s mood was understandably sour. Suspecting trouble, he treated the trio coldly.

Fortunately, along the way, the three remained somewhat proper, killing all monsters blocking their path and storing every corpse in their space bags, even the Black Iron-tier beasts. Clearly, they were quite strapped for resources.

Fatty’s face grew darker seeing their behavior.

Lin Huang paid it little mind. The strongest among the three was the lean, dark-skinned man, a Silver Tier 2. The others were Silver Tier 1. Summoning a Black Coal, White, or Tyrant beast would easily handle them.

After more than six hours of riding, the leader suddenly slowed down.

“We’re approaching the Level 3 wild zone. We should dismount and proceed on foot to avoid attracting the monsters’ attention.”

Lin Huang found it ridiculous. They were treating passing through a Level 3 wild zone with extreme caution. Most Silver-tier experts wouldn’t fear the monsters there.

Seeing the others dismount, Fatty patted Lin Huang’s shoulder. “Dismount too.”

Lin Huang retracted the Azure Scale Wolf. While his mount was quieter than their earth rhinos, it was rude to ride while others walked.

“How much farther, about 300 kilometers? Are we walking all that way?” Lin Huang asked the leader.

Even running, 300 kilometers at their Black Iron-tier speed would take over seven hours.

“You can ride the Azure Scale Wolf ahead, but we won’t be responsible if you encounter any monsters,” the lean man said, glancing at Lin Huang.

“Lin Huang, forget it. It’s too dangerous to go alone,” Fatty urged.

Not wanting to make things difficult for Fatty, Lin Huang swallowed his frustration and said grimly, “Fine, let’s go.”

The group ran at nearly 50 kilometers per hour.

Lin Huang felt no hardship, but Fatty was gasping for breath after two hours.

“Fatty, if you can’t keep up, let the Azure Scale Wolf carry you,” Lin Huang suggested.

“I’m fine…” Fatty waved him off.

After three hours, Fatty was slowing down noticeably.

Lin Huang finally had the Azure Scale Wolf carry him, while he himself kept pace with the others, running fiercely. After running for three straight hours, he felt no fatigue—in fact, he was beginning to enjoy the exertion.

Another three hours passed before they crossed the Level 3 wild zone and reached the gorge’s entrance.

A light mist enveloped them all.

Fatty dismounted and smiled at the three silver-tier adventurers. “Thanks a lot.”

“Thanks? You haven’t paid yet—three life crystals,” the lean man said with a sinister smile, staring at Lin Huang and Fatty.

The other two blocked the path behind them, grinning wickedly.