Chapter 59: Peak Second Order Great Perfection Half-step Third Order Treasure Armor
Outside South Wind City, within the ruins outpost, Yuan Chenyang’s face was grim, the crimson iron long blade in his hand emanating a chilling fire.
The surroundings were a mess, with large pits spewing smoke everywhere, metal wreckage scattered about, interspersed with anguished cries.
Logistics personnel shuttled across the battlefield, searching for the injured and collecting bodies.
“Another high-tier ruin, it should hide quite a few good things. I wonder if it’s a blessing or a curse.” Yuan Chenyang put away his long blade and looked at the massive metal wreckage in the distance, with a lot of overturned machinery nearby.
An exploration guard from Logistics was approaching, reporting in a low voice, “Minister Yuan, there’s news from South Wind for you.”
Yuan Chenyang’s brow twitched slightly. He went to the outpost and retrieved the message. It was from Sun Tai, sent through official communication channels, and was very brief:
“Minister, Su Chen has been promoted to Second Order Profession. Please rest assured, everything is well.”
“Second Order?” Yuan Chenyang’s eyes lit up, his bald head seeming to shine even brighter. Calculating the time, he couldn’t help but frown, “More than a month faster than I expected. This kid doesn’t eat or drink, does he?”
“Sigh…” he sighed. How much hardship must he have endured in the past to become so resilient?
“…A minimum of a Third Order ruin, possibly even Fourth Order, or even Fifth Order…” a voice suddenly came from behind,
Who!?
Yuan Chenyang’s pupils contracted, his body reacting faster than his brain. He turned to attack, but when he saw who it was, his face changed drastically, and he hastily withdrew his strike.
“…Xia, Old Xia, why, why are you here?” Yuan Chenyang’s scalp tingled as he looked at the hunched old man with white whiskers before him, his eye sockets deep and his gaze sinister, sending chills down one’s spine.
“Can’t I come?” the hunched old man asked indifferently.
“No, that’s not what I meant.” Yuan Chenyang shook his head frantically, inwardly cursing Ying Feng’s group for sending this killing star.
“Are you cursing me again?”
Yuan Chenyang’s heart skipped a beat, and he was met with the old man’s sinister gaze, sending a shiver down his spine.
“No, no…” he quickly shook his head.
Xia Hanshi said lightly, “…South Wind City is quite lucky. Half a year ago, they discovered a Third Order ruin and unearthed a profession with spatial characteristics. I wonder what’s inside.”
“Thanks to you, old sir.” Yuan Chenyang said cautiously.
“You reported to Xing Feng that you have something to submit?” Xia Hanshi said indifferently.
Yuan Chenyang’s expression shifted. Of course, he did, but not to hand over to this person.
Xia Hanshi’s tone was indifferent, “Your teacher was supposed to come this time, but because you lost the Holy Word Stone, I was afraid he would cover for you, so I fought with him. He didn’t win.”
“…It’s… a First Order Top-tier Profession.” Yuan Chenyang said with utter helplessness.
“Oh?” Xia Hanshi’s interest was instantly piqued, and he extended his withered palm.
“I…” Yuan Chenyang’s face tightened.
“Do you think I’ll swallow your merit?” Xia Hanshi’s tone was cold.
Yuan Chenyang bowed his head in resignation, accessed the encrypted information, and displayed it to this killing star.
“…Running time accumulated over five years… Basic Training Method, Master Level… Extreme breakthroughs twenty times… Body-oriented… with the shadow of Strongman and Swift Walker… Interesting…”
Xia Hanshi stroked his chin and asked, “What is the upper-tier profession?”
Yuan Chenyang explained, “The upper-tier profession is currently unclear, but the First Order Profession is very compatible and should suit many upper-tier professions.”
Xia Hanshi nodded, then looked straight at Yuan Chenyang, “Where did it come from?”
“I learned of it by chance.” Yuan Chenyang gritted his teeth, his scalp tingling. If this guy found out about Su Chen’s Crimson Gold Mental Talent, and that he was a refugee, he would definitely be taken away by force.
But this was not a good thing. He had heard of Xia Hanshi’s reputation. In pursuit of certain goals, he had broken many promising talents.
In his opinion, Su Chen should first eliminate his refugee status, then enter the Court of Justice, and proceed step by step. That was the right way.
“Hahaha…” Xia Hanshi suddenly burst into laughter.
Old Yuan felt the surroundings grow colder, and a sheen of water appeared on his bald head.
“This counts as merit for you.”
The pressure suddenly dissipated, and the light words came.
Yuan Chenyang breathed a sigh of relief and heard the other party ask, “What’s the situation in South Wind City?”
Bringing up the main topic, Yuan Chenyang collected his thoughts and quickly narrated, from the loss of the Holy Word Stone, to the discovery of Heituo Followers, and then the empty shell of the Strange Artifact.
Of course, he glossed over the parts involving Su Chen, speaking vaguely.
“An empty Strange Artifact, interesting…” A cold glint flashed in Xia Hanshi’s eyes, “Any leads?”
Yuan Chenyang hesitated slightly and said hesitantly, “The Director of Internal Affairs, Zhou Xian, his son was the carrier for transporting the Holy Word Stone.”
“What was found out?” Xia Hanshi asked nonchalantly.
“Uh, it’s just suspicion. There’s no evidence yet…” Yuan Chenyang shook his head.
Xia Hanshi frowned, and Xia Hanshi sneered, “You high-ranking officials are all in cahoots. Evidence? Arrest him and chop off his limbs, and you’ll have evidence.”
Although Yuan Chenyang had thought of this, hearing it now still made his heart clench. He quickly said, “He also came from the Court of Justice.”
Xia Hanshi said nonchalantly, “I don’t care where he came from.”
Then, his tone shifted, “By the way, the Holy Word Stone was recovered because you sent in an undercover agent?”
Yuan Chenyang went cold all over and calmly said, “Yes, it was one of my students. I arranged it a long time ago.”
Xia Hanshi just nodded, a strong wind suddenly rose, and he himself was swept into the sky, “Is that so? Since that’s the case, you’d best stay here honestly.”
………
Logistics and Internal Affairs were closely connected, and the two section chiefs had a good relationship.
Sun Fatty, bringing Su Chen, went to the Logistics Department with familiarity. Many people greeted him along the way, and he responded with a smile to everyone.
“This must be the Minister’s student.” In the office of the Logistics Section Chief, Qian Hui invited them to sit and poured two cups of tea.
The other party was a thin middle-aged man with a gentle smile on his face, “You don’t usually come to sit.”
“Brother Sun often mentions you, saying you’re the big manager of the Inspection Department. I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time,” Su Chen replied politely, and the smile on the other party’s face grew even wider.
“Has the City Lord’s order come down yet?” Sun Fatty took a sip of tea, a look of disdain on his face, “Old Qian, I heard you asked someone to get some ‘Azure Cloud Drop’ from Iron Cloud. Are you not going to share it?”
“Nonsense.” Qian Hui waved his hand, not giving Sun Fatty a chance to continue, “The City Lord’s order has already come down. I’m just waiting here.”
“Here are the details for the Second Order weapons.” Qian Hui took a thin piece of paper from his desk and handed it over.
Su Chen did not take it; instead, Sun Fatty snatched it away. He didn’t mind.
On the way, Old Sun had said that he would handle this matter and would give him a satisfactory answer.
“Just these…” Sun Fatty scanned the list with disdain, “Flame Condensing Sword… Ice Shaping Spear… they’re all ancient relics.”
“That’s because not just anyone is qualified to have them,” Qian Hui said with annoyance. “It’s not like you’re picking, hurry up and give the list to Brother Su.”
Sun Fatty still held it in his hand and chuckled, “I remember the Research Department sent over a Prototype Armor some time ago.”
Qian Hui’s eyebrows twitched fiercely. Pretending to be nonchalant, he said, “There was such a thing. The Research Department developed a new type of armor.”
“They asked if we could place an order, but the cost was too high, so I rejected it.”
“Was that Prototype Armor also a Second Order weapon?” Sun Fatty stared at him intently.
“…It was built to the standards of a Second Order weapon, but the cost of the Prototype Armor far exceeds the standard.” Qian Hui couldn’t help but emphasize, “And I’ve already sent it back.”
Sun Fatty said with a smile, “Did you forget who came to find Brother Su that night?”
Qian Hui was momentarily bewildered, then his expression became somewhat stiff.
Sun Fatty continued, “Do you want to let Brother Su call Jiang He and ask if the item was sent back or not?”
Su Chen was speechless; the gossip spread too quickly.
Qian Hui said helplessly, “Old Sun, don’t make things difficult for me. We also spent money on that Prototype Armor.”
“Sigh…” Sun Fatty ignored him and looked at Su Chen with a troubled expression, “Brother, go back and tell the City Lord that you can’t take office because Logistics is holding it up.”
“When Minister Yuan returns, please put in a good word for me. I’ve done my best.”
Qian Hui felt a surge of anger. It was the City Lord again, and Yuan Chenyang.
“Fine, fine, fine!” he gritted his teeth, “Here, here!”
“Wouldn’t it have been better to do this earlier?” Sun Fatty leaned back, crossed his legs, and sipped his tea with a smile.
“Brother Su, wait here for a moment.” Although he had been thoroughly annoyed by Old Sun, Qian Hui still managed a smile when he looked at Su Chen.
“Thank you for the trouble.” Su Chen was still very polite. After the other party left, he asked in a low voice, “What is that Prototype Armor?”
“I heard it’s technology from Ying Feng’s side, but the cost is very high, and we can’t afford it. The Research Department created a prototype, but after Logistics evaluated it, they scrapped it.” Sun Fatty explained in a low voice, “Among weapons, defensive ones are the most precious.”
“With the same materials, perhaps two long swords or four daggers could be made. Many people were eyeing that Prototype Armor, but Qian Hui adamantly refused to let it go.”
“If you didn’t have the City Lord and the Minister vouching for you, he probably wouldn’t have let it go.”
Su Chen nodded in realization, not expecting to be used as bait this time to have such a benefit.
After waiting for a moment, Qian Hui returned carrying two metal boxes, one large and one small. Through the gap in the door, Su Chen could see many Logistics Department members looking over with surprise.
More accurately, they were looking at the long, black metal box.
Entering the room, Qian Hui’s displeased expression eased slightly. He reluctantly threw the box onto the table, pressed the passwords on both sides, and with a click, wisps of white mist escaped.
A closely fitted armor woven from dense green scales appeared, layered on top of each other.
“…It’s made from Second Order Green Scaled Lion scales, enhanced with Mystic Arts Engraving and semi-nanotechnology…” Qian Hui stroked the armor, his heart bleeding, “Its name is Green Scaled Armor.”
Sun Fatty’s eyes also widened, and he nudged Su Chen, “Try it on…”
Su Chen looked around. Qian Hui seemed to have resigned himself to it, waving his hand, “No need to take off your clothes, come here.”
He asked Su Chen to extend his finger and place it on the surface of the armor.
【Green Scaled Armor（Second Order）: A designed prototype armor, utilizing a complex manufacturing process, nearly exceeding its tier.】
The stacked scales rippled up and down like water.
As if guided by an invisible force, they slipped into Su Chen’s sleeve and then gradually spread over his entire body, forming an inner layer of armor that clung to his skin.
Upon lifting his clothes, the green scale armor had covered his entire chest, rising and falling like breathing. The scales were still moving between each other, as if adapting to his physique.
But Su Chen felt no discomfort, not even a cold sensation; it was very warm.
“Is this really Second Order?” Su Chen couldn’t help but be surprised.
Qian Hui explained, “This is a Prototype Armor. Many things were mixed in its creation. If it were to be mass-produced, many materials and processes would inevitably be reduced.”
“But as it is, it should theoretically be between Second and Third Order.”
“Peak Second Order, Great Perfection, Half-Step Third Order…” Su Chen stroked the scales on his chest, a sense of security arising within him.
If combined with the 【Mystic Tool Enhancement】 ability, and attaching the 【Wind Barrier】 to it, the defensive power would likely increase by another level.
However, he could currently only control one Mystic Tool, so to achieve such a combination, he would have to see if the 【Mystic Tool Master】 could increase the control quantity after promotion.
