After hearing Xia Fei’s words, Xia Guanghai nodded his head in agreement. “Indeed, you should do as you see fit. I doubt that the old coot will have qualms, either.”
*Whoosh*
Xia Guanghai flicked his wrist and tossed something to Xia Fei. Xia Fei caught it and saw that it was a token, engraved with a white flamingo on it. Encased in hard metal, there was complex electronics fitted inside.
“This is a communication device?” Xia Fei very quickly determined the use of this token given his knowledge of electronics.
“That’s right,” Xia Guanghai nodded. “That is the White Flamingo. From today onwards, you’re recognized as a core member of the Skywing Clan. If the old man have any instructions for you, he’ll make direct contact with you through that.”
With an envious glance, Xia Guanghai sighed. “Keep it safe. What you’re holding is a symbol, meaning that you’ll be in touch with the core secrets of the clan. Even I don’t have that thing.”
Xia Guanghai held quite a significant position in the clan as someone in charge of communications. Even he did not have the White Flamingo, which just went to show how important an item this was!
Since the grand ancestor had specially given this to Xia Fei, there must be a specific use to it.
Xia Fei was a little taken aback, as he carefully stored the White Flamingo into his bosom.
…
Xia Guanghai left as hurriedly as he arrived. Xia Fei and Oro discussed the matter pertaining to the Guardians, and the latter gave a suggestion after listening to the former. “Even if you didn’t suggest for me to investigate the Cosmic Gate, I was already planning to do just that. After all, that mysterious gate didn’t concern just the Skywings but also us, the Lionhearts.
“I meant to go and look all those years back, but I didn’t manage to do so because of my identity. Now that I’ve been reborn, I must of course head over there to fulfill my wish.”
Oro readily agreed. His temperament had changed after being reborn and was a lot more carefree compared to before.
Xia Fei nodded and took out the war armor, Monohorn Ogre, from his spatial ring.
“I don’t have any use for this suit of armor anymore, so this shall be a gift from me to you,” Xia Fei said. “Also, here’s your Three Lions Imperial Jade Ring; it’s quite the treasure.”
Oro pursed his lips. This was the first meeting they had and quite some time had passed since. Now that Xia Fei was much stronger than before, not only having attained Law Sage cultivation, even the equipment he had improved along with him.
A powerful piece of equipment like the Monohorn Ogre was no more than a spare suit of armor for Xia Fei now! That Sin Raksha he wore was exceptional, and even someone as knowledgeable and experienced as Oro was envious upon seeing him with it.
Not to mention Blood Crystal that had undergone a complete transformation or Peacock Blue after it fused with the Unparting Pine—all these various weapons and tools he possessed were peerless treasures!
Xia Fei seemed to be improving every aspect of his life, and while others improved at a walking pace, Xia Fei was doing so at a rate akin to flying—a mad sprint that left everyone in his dust!
Oro accepted Monohorn Ogre and the Three Lions Imperial Jade Ring as he picked out several handy weapons and equipment from Xia Fei’s reserves. Xia Fei would plunder and loot everywhere he went, so he had plenty of miscellaneous items on hand that even Oro was dazzled by the selection.
“Let’s go. We’re off to the Night Banquet,” Oro said.
“Night Banquet?” Xia Fei was surprised. “Do you wish to share a drink or two?”
Oro burst into laughter. “The Night Banquet isn’t some place we go for a drink; it’s a casino-cum-brothel, where the best ladies in the Law Realm can be found! Their clientele includes people from the two peak races, the Guardians, the Rebels, and even the major mercenary organizations found in the Exiled Grounds.
“Though it is my desire to join the Guardians, they’re still the ones who should be willing to accept me. People often bump into those from the Guardian or Rebel factions at the Night Banquet, so we may have a chance to do something there. Besides, don’t you have plenty of things you wish to dispose of from your inventory?”
Xia Fei was perplexed. “How could a brothel serve so many functions?”
…
*Whoosh~*
Xia Fei and Oro took The Gemini to a planet covered in cacti. This appeared to be a barren planet, yet it was bustling. There were spatial compasses constantly being activated, and all sorts of flying ships could be seen parked amid the sands.
The Gemini had already been retrofitted by Xia Fei to appear far less conspicuous. Oro and Xia Fei successfully landed on an empty berth and paid the docking fee as they began their journey through the desert.
The scorching heat was so great the air itself seemed to be on fire. Xia Fei followed Oro to an oasis in the middle of this desert; beyond the crescent-shaped watering hole, as well as the abundance of date palm trees, was a massive building, which had been constructed right next to the oasis.
This was when Radix, who had not spoken a word the entire time, addressed Xia Fei, “According to my information, the Night Banquet is among the most peaceful inns established in the Law Realm. The madam of this establishment, Hua Siniang, is one of the few female Law Gods in the Law realm and is not someone that shouldn’t be underestimated.
“The two peak races are bitter rivals, as are the Rebels and Guardians. Meanwhile, the convoluted powers of the Exiled Grounds have plenty of enemies as well, yet those are matters concerning the outside. The moment people set foot on this planet, they’ll all readily put aside their differences; even people harboring bitter hatred don’t dare to raise their weapons here, strictly abiding by the rules to get along with one another in peace. If not, the madam of this establishment won’t let them off.
“There are similar establishments by the borders of the two races, but trading at those places is often very risky, with people dying on the spot at the drop of the hat. Hua Siniang’s Night Banquet is much safer by comparison, and that’s why it’s also known as the Peaceful Inn. Actually, Night Banquet is huge; be it trading or entertainment, there’s no limit to what can be sought here.”
Xia Fei nodded. It turned out that the Night Banquet was a safe haven.
The entrance to the Night Banquet had plenty of traffic. Many pedestrians were walking to and fro in a hurry, with their faces sporting anxious or shocked looks. Xia Fei slightly frowned, as he could sense an unusual atmosphere coming from this crowd.
“Oro, something’s off here!” Xia Fei grabbed Oro and whispered.
Oro was startled. His original look of elation instantly dulled. After spending so many years all by himself, Oro had been planning to enjoy himself when he entered the place.
Oro carefully glanced at Xia Fei, though his appearance had been greatly disguised, Xia Fei’s gaze of suspicion did not make it seem like he was joking.
“What’s wrong?” Oro asked as his expression turned serious. He had seen Xia Fei’s acumen in action many times, which was why he trusted Xia Fei very much.
“Look over in the eleven, seven, and five o’clock directions. They’re all spies! Also, on the roof of the inn and by the crescent lake, there’s a sizable troop hidden!” Xia Fei whispered.
Oro looked in the aforementioned directions. Sure enough, there appeared to be plenty of people beyond the inn, but a good majority of them were spies!
They were mixed in the crowd, dressed up as clients seeking entertainment, but they were all armed to the teeth underneath their clothes! They were everywhere, their eyes betraying a glint of murderous intent as they mingled with the other patrons!
Out of the ten thousand gathered, a good eight thousand of them were spies! Only about two thousands were real clients, and the rest were warriors!
Oro and Xia Fei slowed down their pace. Upon realizing that something was off, even Oro’s suspicions were aroused and his footsteps became a lot heavier.
“Sure enough, the atmosphere in the Night Banquet Inn is off.” Oro leaned in to whisper this into Xia Fei’s ear. “What should we do?”
Xia Fei’s expression remained unfazed as he softly answered, “Something must be afoot since things are off. Let’s wait and see.”
This was when two Demon Race warriors hurriedly strolled past Xia Fei, with one of them anxiously saying, “Have you heard? The Dark Night Diary has appeared!”
The other nodded. “Of course, I did! I’ve rushed here precisely because of this matter. The atmosphere today is too strange; who knows if Hua Siniang can hold down the fort?”
“She should have no trouble regarding that. The Night Banquet Inn has been in operation for so many years; in terms of safety, would anyone really dare cause a scene with Hua Siniang here?”
“You can’t be too certain. With how things are, who here doesn’t desire ownership of the Dark Night Diary? I’m afraid that there’s going to be fighting, both open and in secret, over this.”
The conversation between the two had not been too loud, but Oro and Xia Fei very clearly heard the exchange. While Xia Fei was still puzzled, Oro’s eyes instantly turned red!
“So the Dark Night Diary has appeared!” Oro rasped, his body slightly shuddering from the excitement.
“The Dark Night Diary? What is that?” Xia Fei asked curiously.
Oro calmed himself before softly explaining, “The Law Realm covers over thirty billion lightyears’ worth of territory; beyond this area of control is the Dark lifeform territory, as well as the vast unknown. The Dark Night Diary is said to be an introductory guide to the space beyond the Law Realm!”
“Back then, a Law God expert, who went by the name of Xex Sin, from the God Race spent countless years exploring the beyond, and he recorded everything about the Dark lifeforms and the unknown space! This Dark Night Diary is the encyclopedia that Xex Sin recorded everything on!”
Xia Fei was stunned!
The universe beyond the Law realm was shrouded in mystery, and was essentially unknown. Now that the Cosmic Gate has become unstable, and Dark Lifeforms were on the move, it was the best time for this introductory guidebook of the Unknown Space to be put to good use!
“Do you know what’s the most inexplicable thing about the Dark Night Diary?” Oro asked mysteriously.
Xia Fei shook his head.
Oro’s voice was even lower than a whisper by now, “It’s said that Xex Sin happened to have become friends with the leader of the Dark lifeforms! He stayed in the territory of the Dark ones for thousands of years and subsequently studied everything about them!
“From the various classifications of Dark lifeforms, the composition of their military, and how their territories are divided down to their history, everything’s been recorded in that Dark Night Diary! Anyone who obtains it can gain a comprehensive understanding of the Dark lifeforms, thereby having a way to formulate a method to take on them!”
After a pause, Oro continued speaking. “Xex Sin had a good relationship with the Dark lifeform king, but he always worried about his people, so he secretly smuggled the Dark Night Diary back to the Law Realm, only to be blocked by a huge army the Dark lifeforms had sent to the border of the Law Realm! An intense fight between the two sides ensued!
“In order to obtain the Dark Night Diary, both sides mobilized all their forces! The God Race warred with the Demon Race; the Guardans fought against the Rebels! There’s also the army sent by the Dark lifeforms and the mercenary organizations from the Exiled Grounds mixed in!
“That battle ultimately became the fuse that lit a fullscale war, which lasted for thousands of years! Unfortunately, the Dark Night Diary was lost at the end, and no one managed to get their hands on it.”
Oro had very animatedly depicted the war with his words, and Xia Fei was left deep in thought, his eyebrows knitted tightly together.
“I believe that the Dark Night Diary can very well contain the secret of the Dark lifeforms. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have traveled all the way to the Law Realm, which is very far from their home ground, just to obtain that guidebook,” Xia Fei surmised.
“Precisely!” Oro said. “The legend goes that whoever owns the Dark Night Diary will learn the greatest secret of the Dark lifeforms! No wonder the atmosphere in Night Banquet Inn is so peculiar today. Turns out that the Dark Night Diary has reappeared!”
Oro and Xia Fei chatted as they made their way into the inn, and what greeted them was a grand hall with countless screens hanging high! On them was a black-colored metal encyclopedia with an accompanying description.
“‘The Dark Night Diary shall be auctioned off at midnight in the Hundred Flowers Chamber’!” Xia Fei read the words on the screen, his forehead creasing further.
“Looks like there’s going to be a storm at midnight tonight,” Xia Fei muttered to himself with a sigh.
