CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 55: CAUGHT A BIG FISH, BARZINI!

Just then, Kerparos walked over to Logan and whispered: "Master, there’s no reason to stay in this Blood Cultivation Realm anymore. Let’s cover our tracks and leave."

Hearing that, Logan quietly shook his head. "Not yet. There’s one thing I haven’t finished."

He turned his gaze to the Black Ant queen’s body, making her flinch.

Logan told Kerparos the intel: the Black Ant queen could breed A-rank, 1 star offspring.

Kerparos was shocked at first, but soon calmed down. "Master, where are you going to find a thousand different kinds of monsters for it to eat? This Blood Cultivation Realm probably doesn’t have that many species."

Logan grinned. "True, not inside the realm. But outside? Plenty."

Hearing that, Kerparos suddenly had a bad feeling. "Master, you’re not planning to target the Tattalia family, are you?"

Logan shrugged, totally unfazed. "If they dare rob commoner familiar tamers, they’d better be ready to be robbed by commoner familiar tamers."

Three days later, Logan followed the rules, turned in a map and a dead Giant Fire Centipede egg, took the 100,000 federal credits as a reward, and left the Blood Cultivation Realm.

The moment he stepped out of the portal, a bunch of vendors surrounded him.

Same old routine—they started asking about his haul.

"Buddy, come on, show us what you risked your life to find!"

"Yeah, yeah—got any ore? Spiritual herbs? If you’ve got monster corpses or hatchlings, even better!"

Seeing how eager they were, Logan found it funny.

There was no way the Tattalia family would let random vendors snatch resources.

Most likely, they’d been hired by the Tattalia family to fish for intel.

With that in mind, Logan deliberately took off his backpack, revealing a whole bag of monster [soul crystals].

Seeing the pile of glittering monster [soul crystals] in the bag, the vendors’ faces twisted in shock.

They took a deep breath, blinked hard, then carefully reached out and picked one up to look at it.

"My god, they’re real soul crystals!"

"When a monster dies, the soul crystal usually breaks with it. This many intact ones—so rare!"

"Buddy, where did you find all these soul crystals?"

"Yeah, yeah, tell us. We love explorer stories. You must’ve found a treasure!"

Seeing they’d taken the bait, Logan made up a story on the spot.

He told them there was an abandoned cave in Blood Cultivation Realm No. 10086.

Not long ago, there was a war to the death between monster clans there.

Thousands of Master-rank monsters fought each other and all died, and Logan just happened to pick up the spoils.

After hearing this, the vendors completely lost their cool. Their eyes went red, itching to go score some loot too.

An old man moved first, grabbing Logan’s wrist tight, breathing hard. "Brother, this intel is worth a lot. Come with us to meet the Tattalia family. We’ll split the benefits."

Another vendor revealed Master-rank power too, pressing a big hand on Logan’s shoulder to stop him from running. "Buddy, don’t even think about escaping. You’ve seen how ruthless the Tattalia family is with runners."

Hearing that, Logan put on a scared look and nodded sensibly. "Don’t worry, I know the rule—everyone who sees it gets a cut. I’ll go with you to meet the Tattalia family’s leader."

Seeing that Logan didn’t resist and even cooperated, the vendors all let out a sigh of relief.

They took Logan to the Tattalia family’s camp and went straight into the main tent.

In the center, a young man with the same hairstyle as Victor saw Logan and the vendors and stood up. "My friends, let me guess what good stuff you brought this time..."

As he spoke, he moved behind them and, with a wave, yanked the vendors’ backpacks off.

With a clatter, a pile of random junk spilled out of their bags.

He glanced at the items on the ground, and his friendly smile turned cold. "So you don’t treat me, Barzini, like a friend!"

Before Barzini finished, a mottled giant python dozens of meters long shot out from the back of the tent and wrapped up Logan and the vendors.

The vendors struggled, panicking and begging for mercy.

Blended in with them, Logan also put on a terrified face.

Just then, Barzini noticed a faint glow coming from Logan’s backpack.

He drew the sword at his waist and flicked off Logan’s shoulder straps, spilling a heap of monster [soul crystals] onto the ground.

The dim tent was instantly lit by their glow, and the glare made everyone squint.

"Hss..."

Seeing the soul crystals all over the floor, Barzini sucked in a sharp breath.

With a loud clang, Barzini’s sword dropped to the ground.

He didn’t bother to pick it up. He ordered the mottled giant python to release Logan and the vendors right away.

"Misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding! You’re my best friends!" Barzini said as he told his servants to set up a feast.

Watching him change faces in just a few minutes, Logan knew this guy was ruthless.

So he stayed quiet and let the vendors take the credit, telling Barzini what happened in the Blood Cultivation Realm.

"What? You found a battlefield left by thousands of Master-rank monsters fighting?" Barzini slapped his thigh hard. "No time to waste. Take me there now!"

With that, he kicked the feast aside, grabbed his sword, and walked out of the tent.

One vendor tried to pick up a [soul crystal] in the corner, but Barzini turned and, with one slash, cut off his arm.

"I said take me to the battlefield—now! Right now!" His face, excited a moment ago, turned cold again. "Don’t make me say it twice, my friends!"

The other vendors jumped to their feet and ran ahead, afraid for their lives.

The man with the severed arm gritted his teeth, walking while gulping down a life potion, his face looking terrible.

Moving with them, Logan gave Barzini a quiet look, then asked in a low voice, "This lord has a high status in the Tattalia family, right?"

A vendor glanced back first to make sure Barzini wasn’t watching, then whispered, "Lord Barzini is from the main family line. Victor Tattalia, who’s really hot right now, is his nephew."

After hearing about that connection, Logan gave a quiet nod.

Now he kind of understood why people found Victor so annoying.

Compared to Barzini, Victor was basically a good kid.

Which was fine—soon he wouldn’t need to hold back.

Thinking this over, Logan soon returned to the gate of the Blood Cultivation Realm.

The soldiers guarding the entrance saw Logan and the vendors trying to go in and raised their guns at once. "Don’t move! No pass, no entry!"

With that shout, the soldiers around them also raised their guns and aimed at Logan and the others.

Walking behind them, Barzini saw someone blocking him and his face darkened. "Open your damn eyes! I’m the one in charge of the Tattalia family camp!"

As he spoke, a blue-green familiar space opened behind him, and the mottled giant python, dozens of meters long, burst out.

With one Dragon Tail Whip, the mottled giant python lashed out and sent the soldiers at the Blood Cultivation Realm entrance flying. They were knocked out of action.

"Useless! I’m sparing your lives. Next time, have some sense!" Barzini didn’t even look at them. He followed Logan and the vendors into the Blood Cultivation Realm.

The captain of the exploration team saw Barzini come in and greeted him right away.

But Barzini had no patience for small talk. After a few casual words, he pointed at the people behind him. "Have any of them explored this Blood Cultivation Realm?"

The vendors shrank back when they saw Barzini checking their identities with the captain.

They were only here thanks to Logan, so they all stepped aside and gave the spot to him.

Seeing this, the captain smiled at Logan. "Old Jesse, did you find something good inside Entrance 108?"

Hearing the captain call Logan by name, Barzini shoved him to the ground. "None of your business. Don’t ask. Understand?"

Shamed in public, the captain swallowed his anger and gave a sullen nod. "Got it. Do as you please. I’ll get back to work."

Once the captain left, Barzini turned and gave the vendors a cold look. "You’ve got some nerve, lying to me."

His voice was icy. The mottled giant python had already wrapped around the vendors’ legs without a sound.

In the next instant, Barzini drew his sword and slashed across their necks.

Logan watched them fall, his face blank.

Seeing this, Barzini raised a brow and gave Logan an approving look. "Old Jesse, I like how calm you are. Take me to that battlefield, and I might take you as my slave."

"That would be my honor." Logan bent slightly and gave a noble salute.

Enjoying the respect, Barzini showed Logan a warm smile for the first time. "Move. I can’t wait."

Logan looked at Barzini’s back and walked into Entrance 108 with him.

At the same time, he sneered to himself: "I can’t wait either."

...