NOVEL NEXT chapter 3 - The Organization “Earth Serpent”
“Boss, how much for that knife?” Qiansha pointed at the highest blade displayed on the counter.
“900.” The shopkeeper stepped on a stool and brought the blade down from above. The handle was edged with pure silver, and a gemstone was embedded beneath. Xiantian picked it up, examined the blade closely, and asked, “Boss, we want something sharp.”
“This one is the sharpest in my shop.” The shopkeeper counted the bills on the table as he spoke.
“Try chopping something with it. We want to see its performance,” Qiansha said.
The shopkeeper paused, then raised the long blade and struck a nearby stone. The stone shattered instantly, and the ground cracked open.
“How is it? Buying or not?” the boss asked, wiping the blade with a cloth.
Qiansha glanced at Xiantian. “Pick another one with similar sharpness. I’ll pay for both.”
“Where did you get so much money?” Xiantian asked.
“That night… I sold everything in my house, even the house itself…” Qiansha muttered. Just then, two men squeezed past them and said, “Boss, let me see that blade.”
Qiansha followed the man’s pointing finger — it was an ordinary-looking knife. The boss brought it over, and the man examined it before speaking:
“Kid, I still recommend you buy one like this.”
“What? Why?” Qiansha asked, staring at the knife.
“This one may not look impressive, but it’s sharper than the one you picked. Boss, I’ll take two of these.” The man slapped cash on the counter.
“Really? Then maybe I should…” Qiansha thought, but before he finished, the man pointed the blade at him.
“What’s the matter?” Xiantian asked, eyeing the man. He wore a straw hat, draped himself in animal skin, and had a long blade at his waist.
“Here. I’m giving these to you two.”
Qiansha froze, then took the blade, running his fingers along its edge. Xiantian looked at the one in his own hand.
At those words, both Qiansha and Xiantian instantly tensed.
“You… you know what we’re planning?” Qiansha whispered.
“Isn’t it to ‘Defy Heaven’?” The man spoke in code. Qiansha and Xiantian repeated it under their breath and grew more anxious.
“What exactly is this organization of yours?” Qiansha pressed.
The man only chuckled and walked out of the marketplace. “If you want to know, follow me.”
“Hey, Qiansha… they’re not working for the gods, are they?” Xiantian whispered.
“No. I can sense they’re mortals. And if they knew our goal and still didn’t kill us on the spot, it likely means they’re in this fight too.” Qiansha’s reply made Xiantian understand immediately.
“Here we are.” The man stopped in a narrow alley. With chalk from the ground, he drew a magic circle on the wall, then pressed his palms together. The chalk marks shone with golden light.
“Go in.”
The two men bowed their heads and stepped inside. Qiansha peeked in first, then gasped — behind the wall lay a vast chamber, fully furnished and dimly lit. A large conference table sat in the center, with scraps of leftover food scattered on top.
“This place has two floors. Our members are below—” The man in the hat was interrupted when someone walked in through another door.
“Pharos, and these two are…?”
“Ah, just some helpers I found outside.” Pharos smiled, leaned close, and whispered into the man’s ear:
“That skinny kid has divine power like the gods.”
“Oh? Come, come, young man. Hungry?” The man grinned, walking forward, while Pharos and his followers entered the inner room.
“You’re not from around here, are you? How did you get here?” the man asked, setting down a plate of apples.
“We walked all the way from Xing Village,” Qiansha answered.
“Oh… help yourselves.”
Qiansha and Xiantian picked up apples and began eating.
“May I ask… who is your leader?” Qiansha inquired.
“Our leader has no name, only a codename: ‘White Wolf.’ Yesterday he and a few others left to hunt a beast and haven’t returned yet. My name is Lin Qi. I heard you possess divine power?”
“My father was a god, but my mother wasn’t. So I am mortal.” Qiansha explained.
“Oh, I see. Then why do you want to join Local Serpent?” Lin Qi asked.
“Mortals are weak in power and treated like cattle by the gods. We joined because Pharos said Local Serpent is an organization fighting against them.” Qiansha said.
“Correct. The gods may wield great power, but they live in luxury now, unconcerned with us. For us, that is an opportunity. Their strength won’t change, but their combat skill is steadily declining. What we fear most are the gods who were created purely for battle.”
Lin Qi glanced at a world map. Qiansha followed his gaze and was stunned — the gods’ territory was more than twice the size of the mortals’ region, something he had never known.
“What do you need us to do?” Xiantian asked.
Lin Qi looked at them intently and said slowly:
“I need you to raise your combat strength. Otherwise, you’ll never be able to fight against [N O V E L I G H T] the gods.”
Qiansha stared back in shock. Though Lin Qi was mortal, his strength had already reached top-tier S-rank. He and Xiantian, however, were only at top-tier B-rank.
Any high-level being capable of wielding elemental power was ranked, from D all the way to God-tier. The upper echelon of the gods themselves had first designated those far beyond S-rank as “God-tier.” Since the gods carried divine power within, their ratings were naturally higher, and they had far more God-tier individuals than humans.
“If you want to grow stronger, the best way is to slay monsters and beasts. Right now, we cannot start open conflict — we don’t yet have people capable of confronting the higher gods.”
As Lin Qi spoke, he cast a spell. A crack appeared in the wall, glowing with radiant light.
“What is that place?” Qiansha asked.
“The Divine Domain. It was once a place where countless mortals advanced their rank. It’s filled with monsters. If you encounter something overwhelmingly strong, smash this stone on the ground.” Lin Qi handed him a stone.
“Alright…” Qiansha glanced at Xiantian. Xiantian nodded. Together, they pried open the glowing crack and stepped inside.