After settling the compensation with Xiezhi, Wu Wang proceeded with the trade he had previously arranged under his【Yan Shuangying】 identity.

He sold off a portion of his【Contaminated Relics】. After all, he had no way to【Purify】or use them himself.

To Xiezhi’s surprise, Wu Wang chose to cash them out. The transaction was worth nearly ten million.

Wu Wang requested that the payment be held for now. He would notify Xiezhi when he needed it.

In truth, this was because Wu Wang wasn’t in the real world. Even if he used an unregistered account to receive the funds, he had no way to properly launder the money.

He trusted Xiezhi not to be the kind of petty person who would secretly investigate his identity and use it for blackmail. But he didn’t believe everyone in the Abnormal Affairs Bureau was like Xiezhi.

This transaction might have been directly with Xiezhi, but the Bureau’s higher-ups were surely pulling the strings from behind the scenes. Those men were watching the【Yan Shuangying】identity like hawks.

One must always be on guard.

Wu Wang needed to be physically present in the real world to receive this payment. Only then could he immediately run the money through black market channels, transferring it several times to sever any connection to himself.

As for why he traded for cash instead of other game items, there were two reasons.

First, he knew he would be able to get powerful items from other high-level players in three days. He didn’t believe for a second that the items the Abnormal Affairs Bureau would offer a【Rogue Player】could be better than what those players had promised the【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】.

Second, Wu Wang desperately needed the money.

He didn’t want his Second Sister to toil so hard anymore. Ever since the plane crash, Wu Wang had been in a state of extreme mental instability. On top of that, during his college years, his sister had shouldered all their family’s expenses alone.

Now that he had the power to change their lives, why would he let his sister continue to suffer?

Besides, if a special situation ever forced him to flee Mingyang City, the cost of arranging various escape routes would be immense.

Wu Wang was far too prudent.

Or rather, he was far too afraid. Afraid of losing everything he now had.

One or two backup plans were nowhere near enough to give him peace of mind. When it came to startup capital, the more, the better.

Xiezhi looked troubled.

“Speaking of which, I have a somewhat unreasonable request, and I’m not sure if it’s convenient to ask.”

He knew that questioning Yan Shuangying about the Instance might lead to demands for more compensation, or even a loss of trust. But he was here on a mission. Xiezhi wasn’t good at navigating complex social situations, so he figured he might as well be direct.

To his surprise, Wu Wang refused him flatly.

“If it’s an unreasonable request, then it’s not convenient.”

Seeing the awkward look on Xiezhi’s face, Wu Wang clapped him on the shoulder and sighed.

“Old Xie, I’d actually like to be friends with you, if you weren’t here on a mission.”

He paused, a hint of sympathy in his voice.

“You’re too good a person. This world is too harsh for you. Being a little more cunning would be better for both of us.”

Wu Wang knew, of course, that the Abnormal Affairs Bureau would be interested in him. He had also anticipated they would send Xiezhi, the agent he had the most contact with.

But there were some things he simply couldn’t tell them. It would damage their cooperative relationship.

After all, a【Rogue Player】and a person of the【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】were two completely different concepts.

The latter was an entity to be feared. The Abnormal Affairs Bureau, as an apparatus of the state, would never allow such a high-risk individual to operate so brazenly under their noses. They would stop at nothing to investigate him from top to bottom.

He would rather maintain his mystery and say nothing at all.

In this situation, with his superiors pressuring him and Wu Wang playing dumb, Xiezhi was the one caught in a difficult position. The guy had been through enough.

“But then again,” Wu Wang said with a sudden smile, “you did give me so many good things. I can’t let you go back empty-handed.”

Xiezhi looked at him, completely bewildered. He didn’t know what this man was going to say, but he had a very bad feeling about it.

Wu Wang opened the meeting room door and strode out, heading toward the【Spirit Calamity Plaza】.

“You can tell your superiors that I’m an appraiser. Consider that the intel you gathered on this trip.”

With that, he was gone from the room.

Xiezhi hurriedly followed, catching up to him on the bustling streets of the【Spirit Calamity Plaza】.

“Brother Yan, you’re an appraiser too? When did you register?”

“Now,” Wu Wang said, pointing to a large building not far away.

Xiezhi followed his finger, and his expression grew complicated.

It was an extremely special building. Its name was the【Hall of Justice】. It stood in the center of the plaza, surrounded by the tallest structures.

This was where all sorts of bounty quests in the Spirit Calamity Game were posted. Players could post their own bounties or bodyguard requests through the app, but those were private, one-on-one transactions. Any consequences were borne by the individuals themselves.

The quests inside this building, however, all came with an after-sale guarantee, though the handling fees and prices were much higher.

The reason was simple. This was a place jointly established by the【Three Great Organizations】; the Abnormal Affairs Bureau, the Tarot Society, and the Tower of Order.

Much like the adventurer’s guilds in isekai anime, this place periodically posted quests that could be completed for rewards. Players could also post their own needs and the prices they were willing to pay, provided they passed a review by staff from all three parties.

Why did the【Three Great Organizations】establish this place?

It was said that the【Director of the Abnormal Affairs Bureau】,【Qing Long】, had negotiated with the presidents and the【Tower Master】of the other two organizations to reach a consensus. The details of that negotiation remained unknown.

For most players, however, this was a blessing. Everyone was happy to have a mission platform that was reasonably fair.

The reason Wu Wang pointed to it was also simple. You could register as an appraiser there.

Only those recognized by the【Hall of Justice】were acknowledged by the player base as having the qualifications of an【Appraiser】.

Wu Wang had planned to come here from the start. Running into the “Wan Shitong” had just disrupted his rhythm. Since he had to stay in the【Spirit Calamity Plaza】for three days, he had to find something to do.

Becoming an【Appraiser】was an excellent choice. The more identities the【Yan Shuangying】account had, the better it could serve as a cover for his【Pending Death】account.

Xiezhi’s expression turned serious.

“Brother Yan, you’re not joking?”

If the other party really was an appraiser, the Abnormal Affairs Bureau might relax its investigation of him. His own pressure would be greatly reduced as well.

Among all of the domestic Spirit Calamity Players, there were probably no more than a hundred who held the title of【Appraiser】. Every organization treated them like treasures.

Currently, only about ten【Appraisers】were rogues who had yet to join an organization, and all the major powers were trying to recruit them.

After all,【Appraisers】were extremely sought-after, and their ability to build connections was off the charts. No one would go out of their way to offend one, especially a powerful and mysterious【Appraiser】like Wu Wang appeared to be.

From a certain perspective, even the Abnormal Affairs Bureau needed trustworthy【Appraisers】to help them.

“Of course I’m serious. I’m going to register right now,” Wu Wang said, his face perfectly straight. “And I’m absolutely certain I’ll pass.”

With that, his gaze flickered to his own right hand. On his wrist, a 【Red Vertical Pupil】blinked, observing its surroundings.

As players passed by, panels detailing their equipment constantly appeared before his eyes.

Isn’t this way better than some lousy【Appraisal Skill】?

This is the confidence the Abyss God has given me!

Never mind appraising sealed or contaminated equipment. If you put the【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】in front of the Abyss God, It could even tell me the color of its underwear!

Definitely grayish-white!

I was born for this!

At that thought, Wu Wang suddenly looked around warily.

The big boss can’t hear me roasting Her in my head, can she?

Damn it, the voyeuristic tendencies of these powerful beings are going to give me PTSD.