Chapter 84: Where Are Our Mysterious Forces?

“The Hermit Union.” Following the crowd, Yue Fei approached the recruitment office with a slightly pale face. His complexion was poor, but it wasn’t surprising given that most survivors of the spiritual tide’s cold blast were left mentally drained. Nobody paid him any extra attention due to his murmurs and physical condition.

Previously, under Nader and others’ intentional praise, Yue Fei had unconsciously become arrogant and overly self-assured, reminiscent of his rebellious teenage years. However, after experiencing betrayal and fleeing, Yue Fei had grown much darker. He now took greater precautions than he ever did in Hanming Country, becoming more ruthless in his actions.

“Identification.”

At the bustling recruitment office, several tall, armed men wearing combat boots stood vigilantly around the area. Behind a large table, a middle-aged man glanced up at Yue Fei.

Yue Fei handed over a driver’s license.

After leaving the basement, Yue Fei had been constantly hiding. Just the previous night, he found a suitable ‘replacement’. It was another young man who had come to Margate Castle on his own, with few relatives or friends here.

After some deliberation, Yue Fei killed this young man and spent the entire night meticulously altering his appearance to match the victim exactly. As for the young man’s body, after disfiguring it, Yue Fei disposed of it in a secluded corner.

The spiritual tide claimed many lives, and now, restoring order was more crucial than rebuilding the city. The priority lay in deploying armed teams to search for bodies across the area. After simple documentation, the bodies were swiftly cremated en masse. During the chaos, numerous individuals also perished due to the disorder, making the exact count of additional corpses insignificant.

“Jasper, from Abama City, graduated from Princeton University, currently twenty-five years old?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, sign here. If your phone still works, fill in the number here as well, then go over there to collect some food.”

“Thank you, thank you.” Yue Fei bowed, expressing just the right amount of gratitude. Once done, he moved aside, and someone handed him a cup of hot cocoa and a sandwich.

Yue Fei was indeed famished; during the spiritual tide, Jasper’s household supplies had been nearly depleted. Although the tide had now receded, everyone knew Xuanlan Star had fundamentally changed, with more challenges ahead. Survivors were desperately hoarding food at home, unwilling to share it. With stores still closed, Yue Fei naturally couldn’t find any sustenance.

As he stuffed food into his mouth, his specially enhanced stomach rapidly broke down and absorbed nutrients, distributing energy throughout his body to accelerate its self-repairing capabilities. Simultaneously, Yue Fei pondered about the Hermit Union.

Ever since escaping from Hanming Country, he realized that his abilities required an organization to provide comprehensive data analysis based on his physiology, followed by tailored modifications. Ironically, his current powerful digestion and rapid absorption capabilities were developed after arriving in the Jindar Empire, utilizing the laboratories of wealthy patrons like Nader.

Joining an existing organization and potentially taking control seemed a better option than establishing his own, which had already failed and taught him a harsh lesson.

Despite the unpredictable nature of his gate symbol ability, being alone without support proved disadvantageous. If given another chance, it would likely only incite others’ greed instead.

That leaves only the former option.

During his time mingling in Margate Castle, Yue Fei couldn’t have remained uninformed about the Hermit Union’s activities.

Recently, Margate Castle has been vigorously hiring workers for rebuilding damaged structures everywhere. The emblem of the Hermit Union appears almost ubiquitously on these new constructions throughout Margate Castle. Additionally, armed personnel all bear the Hermit Union’s insignia. Every day, large numbers of people enter Margate Castle, particularly investors eager to embrace the Hermit Union’s influence.

Yue Fei discreetly gathered some information and learned that most of Otlan’s Ark was destroyed by a ‘City Giant’. However, this City Giant was driven away by the Hermit Union.

In contrast, the exceptionally cautious wealthy individuals easily abandoned Otlan. Those unable to fully commit elsewhere often hedged their bets, aiming to prevent their families from being wiped out during the impending second wave of the spiritual tide.

Unlike Nader’s superficial bravado, the Hermit Union is truly an ancient organization, allowing them to fearlessly handle deceitful scum like him.

After careful consideration, Yue Fei decided to align himself with the Hermit Union.

The Hermit Union also shows keen interest in research, dedicated to bringing extraordinary abilities to every ordinary person. Conveniently, Yue Fei’s infinite transformation ability aligns perfectly with the Hermit Union’s goals.

The Hermit Union had also announced that in one week, they would select nine individuals each from the Western and Southeast Alliances to join as new license holders.

It was rumored that the Hermit Union had a total of fifty-four license holders, each possessing paper cards with incredible abilities usable only by their designated holder. However, throughout a thousand years, these positions were never fully occupied, and simultaneously recruiting so many license holders at once was unprecedented.

According to speculation, it was the decision of the young Wild Card Holder, who against all opposition, pushed for this move. Perhaps due to his youth, he sought to make significant achievements.

“First, secure employment within the Hermit Union and strive to gain access to their research institute for further study. Ideally, aim to become a license holder if possible.” Despite being betrayed by Nader and others, Yue Fei remained cautious but not deterred entirely. Sometimes, taking risks is necessary.

At present,

Duan Wenxuan was unaware that Yue Fei had successfully passed recruitment and become an ordinary employee under the Hermit Union, eagerly preparing for the selection of new license holders in one week’s time.

Duan Wenxuan was conversing with Nader, who upon learning that ‘Yue Fei’ was merely a puppet now shattered into pieces, expressed his apologies.

“Mr. Bezos, this was indeed unforeseen for both of us. However, I am truly curious about Yue Fei’s transformation and Stand abilities. Therefore, I hope you can assist me by conducting a thorough search for him throughout the Jindar Empire.”

Nader readily agreed. Regardless of Duan Wenxuan’s request, he was already displeased with being outwitted by the young Yue Fei.

“Certainly… Mr. Duan… As you know, I have a daughter and a son, and during these times, their safety concerns me greatly. Please understand a father’s heart; I wish for them to work at the research institute. Would that be possible?”

In recent times, many individuals had sought to place their connections within the research institute. Unfortunately, despite the Hermit Union’s goal of empowering ordinary people, Winter and other license holders still belonged to the rare group who wielded extraordinary power at this stage.

Vena and her ilk, unconcerned and subconsciously believing they inhabited a different world from commoners, felt detached from society’s morals and interpersonal obligations. To them, such requests seemed akin to ants laughably trying to communicate with giants. When in good spirits, they might toss down a few breadcrumbs, but when displeased, they would crush the ants without hesitation.

In comparison, Duan Wenxuan was genuinely more amiable, although not just anyone could meet him. Nader had the opportunity to do so and seized it, advocating on behalf of his daughter and son.

“Winter is overseeing this matter. If they demonstrate exceptional abilities, I wouldn’t object to their employment at the research institute. Additionally, for the license holder selection event seven days from now, they can participate as well.”

Nader promptly responded, “Thank you very much, Mr. Duan.”

The interaction between Nader and Duan Wenxuan was merely a minor affair. The true significant development was the gradual restoration of global communications. Soon, various mysterious incidents occurring across different countries began to be widely known among all humans.

Facing the relentless enigmatic natural disasters, humanity appeared frail and helpless.

However, simultaneously, they discovered that some countries surprisingly harbored ancient mystical organizations rooted in history. These secretive groups suddenly found themselves thrust into the public eye, with enthusiasts swiftly compiling lists of each country’s corresponding ancient organizations along with their origins and cultural significance.

Hanming Country, vast in its territory, witnessed the emergence of ancient martial clans and members from the eight major jianghu sects. During the recent spiritual tide, parts of their military managed to withstand the cold, maintaining order in several key cities and keeping casualties to remarkably low numbers. This achievement was both rare and astonishing on a global scale.

All of this was possible because individuals from their ancient martial clans emerged, teaching inner strength techniques and martial arts knowledge to the military personnel. Harnessing inner strength proved highly effective against the unique coldness brought by the spiritual tide.

In the Li Kingdom, the Mountain God indeed exists. With its coastal location, mysterious sea spirits invaded, causing widespread loss of life. Ultimately, Prime Minister An Gaoyang made a decisive move, sacrificing lives to lure a large number of sea spirits towards Geshan City. The Mountain God of Geshan City then annihilated the majority of sea spirits, instilling fear and retreat in the remaining ones. Without that Mountain God, the entire Li Kingdom might have been overrun by sea spirits and likely would have faced destruction by now.

Now with the spiritual tide subsided, the whole Li Kingdom is fervently praising their Mountain God online. In modern times, people rarely hold beliefs, but that’s largely due to not experiencing true despair or witnessing divine miracles.

Currently, the Li Kingdom has virtually become a realm of devout faith. Even if some individuals privately doubt the Mountain God, they refrain from speaking ill of it publicly.

On the internet, there are dedicated groups in the Li Kingdom acting almost fanatically; anyone expressing disbelief in their Mountain God faces a barrage of criticism from these cohorts. Additionally, they are currently conducting a nationwide Mountain God Festival.

And then there was Suvalle, a small nation that few knew about. However, prior to the spiritual tide, its leader’s brutal actions leading to national devastation thrust it into the global spotlight. Later, with the onset of the spiritual tide, many believed the country was beyond saving.

But now, surprisingly, this tiny nation has risen again.

During the spiritual tide, it is said that the Universal Church’s holy knights journeyed to Suvalle’s sacred site—a church built in memory of Ah Yi Shahlir, the mother who bore the first Holy Spirit incarnated on Earth.

Shocked by the human tragedy unfolding in Suvalle, Holy Knight Hu Fu selected a new Pious One—Bella Yuz—and continuously dealt with the remnants of wandering spirits left behind after Suvalle’s leader had detonated a mysterious ruin. He also aided in rebuilding the sacred site and rescuing the surviving Suvalleans.

After the collapse of their government institutions, the people of Suvalle were essentially on the brink of losing their nation.

With the arrival of the holy knights, the remaining survivors wholeheartedly embraced the realm of the Universal Church, becoming devout followers.

Additionally, there was the Jindar Empire. It was rumored that their Ark suffered devastating blows from mysterious events. However, the Hermit Union, established during the era of the Golden Sun Empire, emerged unexpectedly. Not only did they safeguard Margate Castle, but they also managed to control a massive mystical creature for their service.

The emergence of various mystical forces raised concerns, but astute observers noticed with surprise that countries with established mystical influences suffered the least during the resurgence of mysticism and advanced most rapidly within it!

If this trend continued… nations without emerging mystical forces would become increasingly anxious.

Suddenly, “Where is our mystical influence?” became the most urgent question for those countries lacking such entities. Publicly, they voiced worries about whether these enigmatic organizations might prove harmful, but internally, each nation began diligently scouring their history and mythology, hoping to uncover their own hidden mystical powers. No one wanted to be left far behind as others surged ahead in this era of rapid advancement.