The King of Black Fog

Having listened to Yang Qinglan's words, Li Changzhou nodded and said, "Let's first head to the subway and spend the game coins we earned this time."

"Mm."

The two looked towards the rooftop where Liu Xi cried her heart out buried in Li Qianxia's embrace.

"Qian Xia really has an incredible power," Yang Qinglan observed the scene.

"It's because she is sincere to everyone. Sincere people are always more trustworthy, something we could never achieve."

"Speak for yourself, don't include me, I am very sincere."

"What's this 'you and I'? Isn't it 'us'?"

"No," Miss Yang, with a pursed smile, had a gentler beauty amidst her gem-like elegance.

"Not at the moment," Li Changzhou laughed.

This time, Yang Qinglan did not deny it.

Soon, Li Qianxia came down with Liu Xi.

"Brother, let's send Liu Xi to Italy, let Yafeiluna take care of her. You can live in... Liu Xi, would you like to go to Naples? Or Rome is fine, Venice or Sicily too!"

"Florence and Milan are also good for settling down." Towards others, Yang Qinglan's expression and voice were very calm, even cold, but her willingness to speak thus already showed her pity for Liu Xi.

"I like Florence and Milan," said Li Changzhou.

Li Qianxia whispered to Liu Xi, "My brother is her lapdog."

Just as Li Changzhou was about to explode, Yang Qinglan said, "It's 'running dog.'"

"...To correct that, it's 'skirt-running dog.'"

Liu Xi looked back and forth between them, one exquisitely beautiful like a snow lotus, the other handsome and refined, standing together much like the male and female protagonists she envisioned in novels.

"Isn't it 'foot-running dog'?" Li Qianxia feigned curiosity.

"I've been licking boots for so long, I've already entered the door. Now, I've even climbed to the fringe of Miss Yang's skirt, her number one favored subject. Right, Miss Yang?"

"Mm, yes," Miss Yang nodded with a smile.

Li Changzhou immediately took on an arrogant air, flaunting his status.

The corners of Liu Xi's mouth twitched into a smile. Li Qianxia glanced at her and felt slightly more at ease.

After chatting for a while, Yang Qinglan took out her phone and selected a scenic photo of Naples.

Li Changzhou activated "Photo Transmission."

The transparent vortex grew from small to large, finally stabilizing at about a meter in diameter.

Every color on their bodies gleamed luminously, quickly turning into an oil painting that was sucked into the vortex.

◇

It was 10 AM in Xia City, 4 AM in Naples, with an outdoor temperature of 9°C.

Liu Xi looked around in surprise at the foreign scenery, while Li Qianxia softly shared everything she knew about Italy.

Li Changzhou called Yafeiluna, informing her of their current location.

After hanging up, he asked the three, "Shall we go straight to brunch?"

"It's breakfast," Li Qianxia corrected. "Do we have Euros?"

"Wait for Yafeiluna, let her pay. The key question is if you guys want to go eat?" Li Changzhou said.

"Do you want to eat?" Li Qianxia asked Liu Xi.

"I... I'll follow you guys," Liu Xi answered quietly.

She'd hardly been outside, her life limited to her hometown and Ming City, where she only visited specific malls and snack streets.

"Then let's wait for Yafeiluna, and have her arrange a feast for us."

"She's here," Yang Qinglan noted, watching a car approach rapidly.

Li Changzhou was a bit surprised.

The location Yang Qinglan picked was not far from Yafeiluna's residence, but it was 4 AM, and Yafeiluna managed to arrive in such a short span.

The car stopped. Yafeiluna's hair was disheveled and her clothes hastily put on.

"My lord!" Yafeiluna greeted Li Changzhou.

"Thank you," Li Changzhou nodded. "Have the meal prepared to the standard of lunch."

"Yes."

At the glittering hotel, Li Qianxia and Liu Xi dined alone to avoid making Liu Xi uncomfortable, while Li Changzhou and Yang Qinglan didn't join them.

The two were with Yafeiluna in the neighboring conference room.

"That woman who came with us, take good care of her. Give her a small apartment, some money, and if she wants to work, arrange a job for her."

"Yes."

"The payoff does not need to be hefty—pay for the work done."

"Understood."

After passing on instructions, Li Changzhou said, "Bring me the latest elixirs and identity cards."

Yafeiluna had them prepared already and immediately brought them out: "Lord, here are the recently accumulated identity cards and herbs."

In total, there were thirty-seven identity cards and twenty-one herbs.

It was not just because plants reaching their full potential increased, nor merely because she had taken over two more Mafia factions, increasing manpower. More importantly, as Li Changzhou's strength surged rapidly, Yafeiluna's role as a "Mafia Mistress" grew increasingly powerful.

With her current power, she could easily overpower most second-rank players in Italy.

Twenty gray-mist subordinates were almost unstoppable across Italy.

But precisely because she had grown so strong so quickly, she was even more loyal to Li Changzhou, as this itself signified that Li Changzhou had grown even stronger over a short period.

Li Changzhou waved his hand, storing the herbs in the "Honey Pot World" and then handed the identity cards to Yang Qinglan.

Yang Qinglan examined them one by one.

"How many full values do you have now?" he asked Yafeiluna.

"'Agility' and 'Perception' are full, 'Physical Strength' is just 1 point short, 'Strength' is 2 points short," Yafeiluna answered respectfully.

Having gray-mist subordinates, she prioritized 'Agility' and 'Perception.'

"Later, I'll give you twelve elixir pills, three for each attribute. Boost yourself to full value on all four categories first, and use the rest to reward those who have done good work."

"Yes!" Faced with such a divine boon, Yafeiluna felt just a trace of heat in her heart.

As the game's only rule-breaking player, she was never surprised by anything Li Changzhou could offer.

She had never thought her luck could be this good.

At the beginning of the game, she had occasionally felt dissatisfied with her instincts.

Utterly reliant on others, who would want to live like this unless absolutely necessary?

But now, following a lord who was unmatched in the First Stage and bound by no taboos in the Second Stage, the strength she possessed far surpassed that of ninety-nine percent of the players in the game—perhaps even more.

In this age when everyone was insecure, was being a powerful and influential lover not thousands of times more comfortable than struggling on one's own?

The key was that she would never be abandoned as a lover.

One reason was that she did not rely on beauty or her body; second, her strength could always keep up with her lord, and she could always serve him.

Yafeiluna had only one thought now, whatever the 'master' needed, if she could find it, she would give it all to him, to keep him at the apex of all players.

On this count, she yearned even more than Li Qianxia for Li Changzhou to become the final winner of the game.

There was no one more loyal than her.

For these reasons, Li Changzhou also placed a certain degree of trust in Yafeiluna; if there really was an emergency, he would save her once.

"After you break the limits, assemble enough suitable manpower before heading to the subway station, and pay extra attention to visualization techniques or similar things in the instance," he instructed.

"Yes," Yafeiluna nodded.

Idle and bored, Li Changzhou was about to ask Yafeiluna about her recent actions when Yang Qinglan's snowy white face suddenly leaned over.

"This," she whispered.

A delicate fragrance assaulted his nostrils, slightly disorienting Li Changzhou.

In her hands, she held two identity cards, pointing to the two skills on them.

[Name: Shadow Cat]

[Type: Skill]

[Quality: C]

[Special Effect: Shadow transforms into a black cat, capable of gathering intelligence]

[Minimum Use Conditions: Intelligence 3, Charm 3]

[Introduction: The number of Shadow Cats equals the points of Charm; they can only operate within shadows unless exposed to sunlight or stepped on, and they can exist indefinitely]

[Note: It is said that a person with this skill was once thought to be dead because they had no shadow]

A rare and decent intelligence-gathering skill.

The second was an instinct, very powerful, named "Instantaneous."

[Name: Instantaneous]

[Type: Skill]

[Quality: B+]

[Special Effect: Instant Teleportation]

[Minimum Use Conditions: Intelligence 6, Charm 6]

[Introduction: Capable of teleporting anywhere within a ten-meter radius, consuming 1 point of energy per 0.1 meters]

[Note: People with low charm might be shunned by the space during a teleport, resulting in only partially completing the teleport]

"Which one do you want?" Li Changzhou asked with a smile.

"Qian Xia has always wanted to switch skills, right? Give them both to her," Yang Qinglan replied.

Li Changzhou thought for a moment, "Teleportation for her, Shadow Cat for you?"

"Okay, since I'm prettier than her, it's a reasonable arrangement," Yang Qinglan nodded.

Li Changzhou couldn't help but laugh twice. He turned to Yafeiluna, "You also pick some skills you like from these identity cards."

Wrong, Yafeiluna realized she was still wrong.

Having obtained twelve elixir pills at once, she thought she wouldn't get excited about anything Li Changzhou offered, but now—

"You are my eternal shepherd!" she sincerely declared.

Who else could grant skills and be invincible other than the master?

Li Changzhou must be an incarnation of the master, just as Jesus was over two thousand years ago.

Yafeiluna also picked two skills.

Li Changzhou was not afraid of Yafeiluna becoming too strong on her own, independent of the role of 'Mafia Mistress.'

Her identity card was with him, and just by shifting his thoughts, all her skills could vanish.

"What do you feel now?" he asked Yafeiluna after granting the skills.

His white card had risen to level 4, but he still couldn't control the black mist.

"It feels—" Yafeiluna recalled carefully, "a bit easier."

"Take it slowly then," Yang Qinglan observed Li Changzhou's slight disappointment and encouraged, "There's no rush."

"Everything slowly, huh," he retorted.

Yang Qinglan knew what he was referring to and chuckled with pursed lips.

After dawn, they didn't go back but played in Italy for two days.

Before leaving, Liu Xi had become great friends with Li Qianxia, sharing everything.

"Yafeiluna, since Xi doesn't speak Italian, find her a translator," Li Qianxia requested of Yafeiluna.

"Better to learn it yourself," Li Changzhou said, "It's better to rely on yourself than on others. Liu Xi, you can leave anytime if you don't want to live here, but wherever you go, I hope you can live on the principle of 'eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.'"

"Mm." Liu Xi nodded quickly.

After hesitating, she added in a low voice, "....Thank you."

Li Changzhou nodded slightly. He wanted to say, 'Let bygones be bygones, live well from now on,' but he decided against it.

The vortex expanded, and the 'Photo Transmission' unfolded; Li Qianxia and Liu Xi waved to each other.

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye!"