Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

Chapter 94: Acquiring a New Cataclysm Artifact!

Suddenly noticing Qiu Tu's intense gaze, Shen Lingshuang reflexively covered her chest, staring at him warily. "What are you doing?"

Having already had his fill of teasing, Qiu Tu's mind was elsewhere. He asked, "By the way, if I gave you the formula or ingredients for a potion, could you roughly determine its effects?"

Shen Lingshuang thought for a moment before cautiously replying, "I... can try."

With her affirmation, Qiu Tu closed his eyes and carefully recalled the formulas on the first page of the booklet he had seen in the memory fragment. After a moment, he opened his eyes and began listing the ingredients, "Fate Reversal Scales, Dry Seven, Broad White, Great Thistle..."

As Qiu Tu named each ingredient, Shen Lingshuang's frown deepened. By the time he finished, she whispered, "This seems to be... some kind of Cataclysm Potion. And it’s a potion that can only be made through a specific Cataclysm pathway."

Qiu Tu, puzzled by her words, asked, "What do you mean by a potion that can only be made through a specific Cataclysm pathway?"

Discussing potions made Shen Lingshuang more confident and haughty. She lifted her chin slightly as she explained, "Cataclysm Potions differ from regular potions. Although they follow the Star-Moon King-Minister ratio, the 'Moon' component doesn’t necessarily have to be a Cataclysm material—it can also be replaced by pathway power."

"In other words, the Cataclysm power of a Cataclysm Awakened can substitute for one of the ingredients, creating a potion specific to that pathway."

To put it simply, creating a standard Cataclysm Potion requires four types of ingredients/materials: Star, Moon, King, and Minister. The Star and Moon components are Cataclysm materials containing Cataclysm power, while the King and Minister components are ordinary herbs that serve to harmonize or enhance the potion.

However, some potion makers found Cataclysm materials too hard to obtain, so they used only the Star ingredient and replaced the Moon ingredient with the power of a Cataclysm Awakened. This created a unique potion specific to that pathway.

Understanding this, Qiu Tu couldn’t help but ask, "Can you tell which pathway this potion formula belongs to?"

Shen Lingshuang shook her head slightly and replied, "It's hard to say... but it's most likely a potion from the Mystery or Immortal pathways. The entire formula gives off a dark and twisted vibe."

Mystery? Qiu Tu suddenly thought of the Cataclysm Potion Rosemary Love Potion he had obtained the previous day. He remembered the potion's description, which stated that it was made by a Mystery pathway Cataclysm Awakened using materials like rosemary and succubus water.

At the time, he didn’t fully understand what that meant. Now, it seemed that this potion might also be a special type of Cataclysm Potion.

A shocking thought crossed Qiu Tu's mind: Could the Rosemary Love Potion he acquired have come from the man in the suit and mask?

After all, the description of the "Salvage Game" indicated that all the Cataclysm artifacts were salvaged from within the region he was in. This meant that the potion had to exist somewhere in New Realm City for him to obtain it.

And although New Realm City was large, it didn’t have many Cataclysm Awakened individuals. Considering that the masked man was refining potions related to the Mystery pathway, his guess might actually be correct!

As Qiu Tu analyzed the situation, Shen Lingshuang finished her own examination of the formula and uncertainly said, "Although I've never seen this potion before, based on the ingredients, it's most likely related to disguise, concealment, or transformation."

"For example, potions like Disguiser’s Potion, Albino Phantom Potion, Reverse Transformation Potion..."

Disguise, transformation?

Rosemary Love Potion?

"God"?

Putting all this information together, Qiu Tu couldn’t help but imagine some unsavory and sinister scenarios.

Could something really serious be about to happen in New Realm City?

After pondering for a while, Qiu Tu decided to keep this matter to himself for the time being. He and Shen Lingshuang then finished their breakfast.

Before leaving, Qiu Tu warned Shen Lingshuang not to wander around too much for the next couple of days, and then he headed off to work.

Today was the last working day of the week. Tomorrow would be the weekend, the day Qiu Tu had arranged to go to "Emerald Fortress" with Section Chief Huang to participate in the horse race. There were also eight days left until the deadline for the Yin Caimei case.

After leaving Old Lane Street and getting into his car, Qiu Tu didn’t drive off immediately. Instead, he reviewed the rewards from last night's second "Loyalty Game."

After closing the "Combat Game," Qiu Tu opened the "Salvage Game."

As he clicked, A Tai's pixelated figure appeared on the screen.

Compared to Eagle, who had been exhausted from the night of salvaging, A Tai’s pixel character looked much better—just sitting on the ground and yawning.

Qiu Tu carefully observed the screen and soon spotted a small jade seal.

He mentally clicked on the jade seal, and a prompt immediately popped up:

[Cataclysm Artifact Acquired: Seal of Ownership]

‘Seal of Ownership?’

‘What is this?’

Qiu Tu checked the description of the artifact.

[Cataclysm Artifact: Seal of Ownership]

[Artifact Description: A Cataclysm artifact made from an unknown material. When stamped on an object or living being, you will gain ownership of it for 72 hours.]

[Within 72 hours, if you wish to retrieve it, it will cross space and appear directly in front of you.]

[Note: Retrieving an object or being consumes a 'cost.' The 'cost' is determined by various factors such as the size, mass, rank of the object or being, and the distance between it and the user.]

After reading the artifact's description, Qiu Tu's eyes lit up.

Indeed... there is no such thing as a weak Cataclysm artifact.

Such a miraculous artifact immediately sparked countless ideas in Qiu Tu's mind. Whether it was for transporting items, stealing valuables, ambushing enemy organizations, or infiltrating secret locations with a group, this artifact could prove incredibly effective! The only concern was the unknown "cost" associated with its use.

If the cost was minimal, Qiu Tu felt it would be manageable; however, if it was too high, he would have to be more selective in how often he used it. With these thoughts in mind, Qiu Tu put away the Cataclysm artifact and drove towards the Investigation Department.

[8 Days Until the Conclusion of the Yin Caimei Case]

...

Upon arriving at the Investigation Department, Qiu Tu, carrying the materials he had obtained from Tian Xiaotian the night before, took the elevator to the 9th floor. When he reached the office of the investigation team, all his subordinates were already present, including Cao Dabiao and the seven or eight agents Qiu Tu had sent out.

Seeing Qiu Tu, everyone greeted him warmly. Cao Dabiao, always the quick one, noticed Qiu Tu carrying something and hurried over with a grin. "Sir, let me help you with that."

Qiu Tu didn’t refuse the offer and handed over Tian Xiaotian's backpack. "Why are you back? Did you make any progress on what I asked you to investigate?"

Cao Dabiao accepted the backpack with a modest smile. "Sir, it's all thanks to you. We spent the last two days networking and finally tracked down the brother of the sister of one of Deputy Chairman Tian's drivers. After a few attempts, we managed to arrange a meeting with the driver yesterday."

"We got him pretty drunk, and he spilled Deputy Chairman Tian's schedule from the past few days!"

Hearing this, Qiu Tu was surprised and praised him, "Impressive, Dabiao. You really have some skills. In such a short time, you managed to get close to Deputy Chairman Tian's driver and obtain insider information."

He patted Cao Dabiao heavily on the shoulder. "I knew I could count on you! Excellent work!"

Cao Dabiao couldn't help but show a rare moment of pride, clearly feeling accomplished for completing Qiu Tu's task in such a short time.

As they reached Qiu Tu's desk, Cao Dabiao set down the backpack and, out of curiosity, casually asked, "Sir, what's in this bag? It's quite heavy."

Qiu Tu chuckled, "Nothing much—just Deputy Chairman Tian's and Yin Caimei's travel records and gift logs from the past year."

Cao Dabiao: ????

He almost thought he had misheard. Stunned for a second, he asked, "What? Deputy Chairman Tian's and Yin Caimei's travel records and gift logs for the entire year?"

Qiu Tu nodded calmly, unzipping the backpack and handing the documents to Cao Dabiao. "Look through it and check if Deputy Chairman Tian's recent schedule matches what you got from the driver. If everything aligns, it means the driver was truthful, and that line should be maintained. We might get even more crucial information from him!"

Cao Dabiao responded with an absent-minded "oh" or two, not fully processing what Qiu Tu had just said. His mind was still reeling from the realization that his superior had managed to obtain an entire year's worth of detailed records with ease, whereas it had taken him and several others two grueling days just to get three days' worth of information.

He couldn't help but glance around at the other agents in the office. As expected, while those who had stayed behind had little reaction, the seven or eight who had been out with him were all just as dumbfounded as he was.

It was clear that they had been following the conversation and were equally floored by Qiu Tu's achievement.

[Cao Dabiao Loyalty +5]

[Ding Xiaoqi Loyalty +3]

[Li Liang Loyalty +3]

[...]

As Qiu Tu discreetly took note of the loyalty increases, he continued to organize the documents on his desk, a slight smile playing on his lips. It's important to praise subordinates appropriately, but it's also essential to remind them of the gap between them. Everyone has a "respect for strength" mentality, and only by making them aware of the difference between you and them will they be willing to follow you loyally.

Just as Qiu Tu was habitually boosting loyalty, the door to the temporary office suddenly swung open from the outside. An agent entered, saluted Qiu Tu, and respectfully said, "Chief Qiu, the Minister would like to see you. He said he wants to discuss the case with you."

Qiu Tu was momentarily taken aback. Discuss the case with him? Which case? The Yin Caimei case?

As he hesitated, something unexpected happened—the long-dormant [Crisis Countdown] began to change...

Author's Note