Chapter 122 – The Giant, A New Specialization
Through Observation Haki, Zhou Ning could clearly sense the danger lurking inside!
Normally, he would never take such a risk—but the opportunity was too rare, and with the Vampire Zhou Ning template card in his possession, his safety was practically guaranteed.
There had to be a reason Harrison was stockpiling such large quantities of ordinary superpower potions. He needed to investigate this as soon as possible and find out what exactly the Church of the Cursed was up to.
If he still held back even now, what kind of transmigrator would that make him?
When Zhou Ning arrived at the entrance of the manor, he was stopped by two guards in black uniforms. The lead guard politely said, "Mr. Wright, your pass, please."
Fortunately, Zhou Ning had prepared ahead of time. He pulled out the pass he had taken earlier and showed it to them.
The lead guard nodded and stepped aside immediately.
After passing through another layer of inspection, he was greeted by a grand-looking main house. The danger Zhou Ning had sensed earlier was centered around the main house and its immediate surroundings.
Perhaps due to some kind of supernatural interference, the moment he stepped into the area, his Observation Haki went completely dark—it was like dropping a stone into the ocean. All he could sense was a looming threat.
Zhou Ning took a deep breath and pushed open the main house doors. Inside the lavishly decorated hall, he saw Harrison Rivers sitting on a sofa with two other men—one a slightly chubby middle-aged man, and the other a middle-aged gentleman in a black tailcoat.
Zhou Ning immediately recognized the chubby man. He was a fairly well-known Upper House senator and Navy Minister from the game—Todd Ruth—who frequently appeared in newspapers and was known as a close confidant of Charles VI.
The gentleman beside him looked to be in his forties or fifties, scholarly in appearance. Zhou Ning noticed a sapphire ring on his finger, which was likely an extraordinary item.
The moment Zhou Ning laid eyes on this gentleman, he realized the source of his earlier sense of danger… Just by seeing him, the muscles on Zhou Ning's back tensed instinctively, and he even had to resist the urge to flee.
This was Observation Haki's instinctive reaction to danger—it told him that this man was likely far more terrifying than Harrison Rivers.
Zhou Ning couldn't help but sigh inwardly. The world of the supernatural was seriously damn dangerous…
As Zhou Ning entered, Harrison Rivers immediately stood up and asked, "Wright, how's the acquisition of the ordinary superpower potions going? Professor Bislok has been pressing for progress."
"Bislok?" Zhou Ning exhaled lightly. Of course, he remembered this name—Professor Bislok, who appeared in Holwig Gai's journal, the man who murdered Charles VI.
Though he was a straightforward man, that didn't mean Zhou Ning couldn't lie. Without missing a beat, he replied, "I've found a seller, but he still needs time to produce the goods. We agreed on delivery in three days."
"Have him hurry up."
Harrison Rivers didn't question it and simply nodded. After a brief silence, the middle-aged gentleman stroked his sapphire ring and chuckled, "There's no need to rush. My alchemical experiments are still at a bottleneck. We're still exploring the essence of life, so mass-producing death isn't yet feasible."
"His Majesty the King will cooperate accordingly," said Navy Minister Todd Ruth gently, "but don't be too overt. You've already attracted the attention of the Church."
Even Charles VII was involved now? What exactly were they trying to accomplish?
As Zhou Ning listened in while analyzing their conversation, a chill crept through him. Judging by their words, it seemed like they were planning some kind of mass-death ritual to summon an evil god?
They continued to talk, but it was clear that the "Wright" Zhou Ning was impersonating wasn't part of their inner circle. Harrison Rivers gave him a look, signaling that he should leave.
Zhou Ning was still conflicted when a guard suddenly rushed in and whispered something to Harrison Rivers.
Due to the disruption of his Observation Haki, Zhou Ning couldn't hear a word and was dying of curiosity.
Harrison Rivers frowned, turned to Professor Bislok, and said:
"Professor Bislok, your big guy lost control again. He just killed two of my men."
"For the sake of truth and science, a few casualties are inevitable," Professor Bislok replied with a smile.
Big guy?
Their words immediately reminded Zhou Ning of a task he had received earlier—the one involving the giant. Its progress had been stuck at 39% and was still sitting quietly in his quest log.
[Quest Hint: Rumors speak of a giant appearing in Woodgate Park, East Darkland. Investigate and verify the truth behind this rumor. This will be a very difficult task—do not trust only your eyes.]
Could it be that the giant they mentioned was hidden somewhere in this manor?
Staying any longer would only invite suspicion. Somewhat reluctantly, Zhou Ning exited the main house and glanced at the guard who had just delivered the report. After leaving the room, the man didn't stop—he walked straight down a long corridor leading toward the back of the manor.
Should he follow?
Zhou Ning made a snap decision. Taking advantage of a blind spot in the guards' vision, he silently slipped into the corridor and followed behind. Hidden under the cover of night, he moved without a sound.
Thanks to his astonishing agility of over 80 points, Zhou Ning easily followed the black-clad guard deep into the manor. Although they encountered two groups of guards along the way, he evaded them without issue.
Ahead lay a wide, open area with barren land and a stream, backed by a hillside. In the middle of the wasteland sat a small lake.
Wait—Zhou Ning's eyes widened. In the center of the lake, a familiar head emerged—round-faced, bearded, looking very much like the image of Charles I printed on Veckta banknotes.
Most of his body was submerged in the lake, lying on his back, but even the visible portion revealed how massive he truly was. Easily… easily over fourteen meters tall.
In Zhou Ning's mind, Molly's voice clicked her tongue in amazement. "By the Goddess… they actually created a living supernatural creature."
"…Damn."
Even though he had suspected something, Zhou Ning still almost cursed out loud in disbelief. What were the chances? The Sunwatchers had searched for over two weeks with no results, and here he was—finding the giant purely by accident.
At that moment, a notification popped up on his system panel.
[You have completed the first stage of the chain quest: "The Giant's Trail." You gained 70,000 EXP and 1 Random Specialization.]
[The Giant's Trail (II) has been triggered.]
[Quest Requirement (1): Immediately report the giant's location to the Sunwatchers.]
As expected, the second part of the quest offered double the reward—150,000 EXP, clearly an A-rank mission. But the difficulty was equally insane. Just the info he'd learned tonight was already enough to make his scalp tingle.
In short, he felt a mix of caution and curiosity.
With about 10 minutes left before the shapeshifting potion wore off, Zhou Ning didn't linger. He chose to leave the manor immediately.
By the time he returned to the academy, it was already 2 a.m. Zhou Ning placed his umbrella back in the stand and returned to his room, lit the gas stove, and began to examine the night's spoils.
Before he left, he had only about 600 Vecktas to his name—completely broke.
But by the time he came back, he had gained a supernatural bullet, four talismans, superpower potions worth 8,000 Vecktas, and 1,600 Vecktas in cash.
Zhou Ning couldn't help but sigh—robbery really was the way to go.
There was also the random specialization reward. When Zhou Ning selected to claim it, the panel displayed:
[Randomly drawing specialization… Draw complete.]
[Please choose one of the following three abilities as your reward:]
[1. Reader (Advanced): Your reading speed increases by 40%, and your studies will be significantly more effective.]
[2. Ascetic Church Acolyte (Advanced): +30% resistance to abnormal mental states.]
[3. Deception (Advanced): You're skilled at hiding the truth. Your chances of successfully lying or bluffing increase by 30%.]
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