Chapter Seventy: Extortion

Hearing what Zhou Tian said, everyone present was momentarily stunned.

Although using spatial equipment was indeed convenient, it always left behind faint traces of spatial ripples. Normally, these disturbances wouldn’t attract much attention, but anyone with some strength who paid close attention would definitely notice them. Yet Zhou Tian had never used spatial equipment at all. From the very beginning, he had directly converted those magic cores into spiritual energy and stored them in the system store. The method was similar, but it was certainly not spatial manipulation. So, after Zhou Tian collected the magic cores, naturally no spatial ripples were left behind.

When they saw Zhou Tian make those magic cores vanish, everyone simply assumed he had used spatial equipment. No one ever considered that Zhou Tian had used some other means to make them disappear. It wasn’t that they were careless; it was simply that no one had ever possessed such a power before Zhou Tian. Naturally, they couldn’t have imagined such a possibility.

Among them, the one most displeased by this turn of events was, of course, the cardinal in red. After all, the matter at hand was neither trivial nor grave. While it was best to prevent the magic cores from exploding, should an explosion occur without causing casualties, it wouldn’t be as serious as some clerics claimed. It was more a matter of face. Using a middling incident like this to give Zhou Tian, who had embarrassed him, some trouble had seemed like an excellent choice. Yet he hadn’t expected that what he considered a difficult problem was resolved by Zhou Tian with such ease. As he grieved over the loss of his magic cores, he also regretted having given Zhou Tian a chance to shine. At this point, the cardinal in red must have been beside himself with frustration.

In contrast, Zhou Tian felt a sense of unfinished satisfaction.

Although the number of magic cores Zhou Tian had acquired in Huangshi City was no less than this latest haul, one was the result of his own risky efforts, while the other was a windfall thrust upon him by others. Psychologically, there was a special delight in seeing an adversary embarrassed and gaining great benefit at the same time. This feeling far surpassed the satisfaction of his own previous gains.

“I’ve completed the task, Lord Cardinal. Do you have any other magic cores that need to be dealt with? If these aren’t handled quickly, an explosion would be disastrous. So if you have more, why not let me take care of them all? Same conditions as before—give me an equivalent number of normal magic cores, and I’ll destroy all the tampered ones for you.”

Hearing this, the cardinal in red looked as though he’d swallowed something foul. His face turned crimson, and after shooting Zhou Tian a furious glare, he simply refused to respond any further.

Perhaps it was Zhou Tian’s display that made him wary of provoking Zhou Tian again. After settling the main matters, the cardinal in red finally spoke to Zhou Tian: “Everything has been more or less taken care of. We’ll handle the remaining wrap-up. As members of a combat squad, you and your team have more important things to do. I won’t keep you here any longer.”

He was clearly trying to send them away.

Upon hearing the cardinal’s words, everyone present couldn’t help but exchange strange glances.

Since the founding of the church, there had never been such insubordination. Normally, in cases of unequal rank, it was always the subordinates who suffered losses. Yet Zhou Tian had set a precedent—his status was several grades below that of the cardinal, but with his shameless audacity and mysterious power, he had forced the cardinal to suffer several hidden setbacks. In fact, Zhou Tian’s forceful performance had made the cardinal so wary that he didn’t dare keep Zhou Tian near him any longer. This turn of events was astonishing to all who witnessed it.

Zhou Tian himself, however, seemed unconcerned. As someone who had entered the church halfway through life, he could tell from the others’ reactions that his behavior was quite rare within the Order of Radiance, but it still wasn’t enough to make him dwell on it.

On the contrary, after hearing the cardinal’s words, Zhou Tian felt a bit annoyed.

Huangshi City was such a good place! On a whim, Zhou Tian could go into the city and snatch a few magic cores. When things got tense, he could spar verbally with the cardinal, both irritating his opponent and reaping great rewards. Although he could profit from other missions after returning to the church, it would be hard to find such easy opportunities again.

So, after hearing the cardinal’s words, Zhou Tian was naturally reluctant to leave.

Feigning ignorance of the underlying meaning, he boldly waved his hand and declared, “It’s fine. There are plenty of other combat squads in the church; our presence makes no difference. Since the matter isn’t completely resolved, I think we’d better stay.”

“You little scoundrel, don’t think your actions have gone unnoticed. If not for the Pope’s instructions, I’d have sent you straight to the Inquisition. Don’t push your luck! When I tell you to leave, you had better get lost. Stay here any longer, and I won’t be so polite!”

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded in Zhou Tian’s ear. He was momentarily startled, but soon realized the cardinal had discreetly sent him a message.

From this, Zhou Tian understood why, after so many infractions, the cardinal hadn’t truly tried to punish him. Reassured, Zhou Tian became even more unwilling to leave easily.

After all, with the Pope as his backer, who in the Order of Radiance could touch him?

So, under the cardinal’s furious glare, Zhou Tian silently mouthed the words “magic core.”

Extortion! Yes, Zhou Tian intended to squeeze another benefit from the cardinal before leaving. Since he’d already offended this man, another slight made little difference. If he couldn’t get another easy profit, he might as well blame his “losses” on the cardinal.

Of course, Zhou Tian hadn’t spared a thought for the cardinal’s feelings. Since assuming his post, the cardinal had only ever been the one demanding favors from others, never the other way around. Not only had Zhou Tian repeatedly embarrassed him, now he dared to extort him as well. The cardinal was so enraged he nearly spat blood.

“You brat, don’t go too far. Believe me, I could kill you where you stand!”

“I don’t believe it!” Zhou Tian certainly didn’t. He knew exactly how much his actions provoked the cardinal. If the man truly meant him harm, he wouldn’t have waited until now. Since he had endured Zhou Tian’s offenses before, he would continue to tolerate them.

As expected, Zhou Tian’s gamble paid off.

Although the cardinal’s face darkened further—almost as black as the bottom of a pot—he never took action against Zhou Tian. After a long hesitation, he quietly tossed Zhou Tian a spatial ring and cursed under his breath, “You little bastard, I’ve given you what you want. Now get out of here!”

“Alright, alright, I’m leaving right away!” Having extorted the man, Zhou Tian didn’t mind a few insults. After making a few exaggerated mouth movements, he changed his tone and said, “Ahem! Though I’d have preferred to stay and see things through, Lord Cardinal is correct. As a combatant, my duty is to eliminate the demons plaguing the continent, not to handle the aftermath. So, everyone, I’ll leave the matters of Huangshi City in your hands. My squad will take our leave now.”

With that, he called out to Vivian and the others and hurriedly left.