My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon-Chapter 202 - 163: A Change in the Situation! What About the Deal We Made?

Fang Zhen stepped through the Light Gate.

He looked around at his surroundings. They were somewhat familiar.

The Light Gate had positioned him on a hillside near Ellick Town, from which he could see the town below.

The sky was still shrouded in dark clouds, obscuring the sun. Down in the town, he could make out the faint figures of people moving about.

When he saw Ellick Town's iconic Gothic clock tower, a wave of familiarity washed over him.

In this town were Curse Seal Master Gwendolyn; Gwendolyn's two disciples, Mark and the not-so-likable Nick; the twin siblings Lotte and Emily; and their uncle, William.

Besides them, there were the Abnormal Ghosts active outside the town, the Ghost-faced Spiders and vicious ghouls in the Ancient Castle Caverns, and Maticvia, who had betrayed the Curse Sealer's oath and their lover, falling to become a monster.

He felt these memories rush back, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

A moment later, Fang Zhen's consciousness returned to the present.

'According to the instance information, there's a mole in the Whig Society. There might be a traitor.'

'I need to root them out.'

He was full of fighting spirit, unafraid of petty dangers.

Twisting the throttle of his Jue Ying motorcycle, he sped toward Ellick Town.

Before long, Fang Zhen entered Ellick Town.

After entering the town, he didn't attract as much attention as he did on his first visit.

The townsfolk were still quite surprised to see the Jue Ying motorcycle, but since he had been here once before, some of them remembered him. A few of the bolder ones even waved from a distance or tipped their hats in greeting.

This struck Fang Zhen as odd.

'Since when was I so popular in Ellick Town?'

Puzzled, he rode his motorcycle toward Master Gwendolyn's courtyard.

The town's roads weren't complicated, and the town itself was small. Fang Zhen had a decent memory for directions and soon arrived near Master Gwendolyn's courtyard.

Before he could get close to the courtyard, he suddenly slowed down and came to an abrupt stop.

He saw Yorick, the town bailiff who accepted "favors," walking over with several patrol soldiers.

Fang Zhen frowned.

He was already in Ellick Town. As an outsider, it would be a bit strange not to greet the bailiff upon seeing him.

But he hadn't been here in a long time and didn't know what had changed. He hoped the bailiff wouldn't just draw his sword at the first disagreement.

Of course, he wasn't afraid of a town bailiff, he just didn't want any unnecessary trouble.

However, he soon noticed that Yorick, not far away, also seemed conflicted.

In that instant, Fang Zhen suddenly understood. Yorick was debating whether to pretend he hadn't seen him or to come over and say hello.

It wasn't just him who felt awkward; Yorick was awkward too.

Realizing this, he suddenly no longer felt awkward himself.

As the saying goes, if you don't feel awkward, the other person will.

With a smile, Fang Zhen waved his arm and greeted the bailiff.

Seeing him take the initiative, Yorick couldn't pretend not to have seen him. He gave an embarrassed smile, then turned and told the soldiers behind him to stay put as he walked over alone.

"Hello, Fang Zhen... sir." Yorick was extremely polite, even giving a reserved nod. He subconsciously went to take off his helmet to salute.

Fang Zhen found this even stranger.

'Yorick is an official in Ellick, and we barely know each other. Why is he being so formal?'

"Hello," he replied.

Seeing that Fang Zhen's attitude was friendly enough, Yorick relaxed a little. A curious look appeared on his face, and after a moment's hesitation, he couldn't hold back anymore.

Yorick leaned in and whispered, "Sir, did you really kill all the aberrations in the entire valley by yourself, including all the Abnormal Ghosts and Ghost-faced Spiders and whatnot? And that monster in the Ancient Castle Caverns?"

Hearing this, Fang Zhen immediately understood.

'So, word of that got out.'

No wonder Yorick was being so cautious and reserved.

Yorick was afraid of angering Fang Zhen and having this Ranger, whose Combat Power was off the charts, deliver some "righteous punishment."

"Yes, I did," Fang Zhen admitted directly, without offering any explanation.

Yorick sucked in a sharp breath, and the reverence on his face became several degrees more sincere and intense.

"You are truly valiant," Yorick exclaimed, his expression bordering on worship.

Fang Zhen smiled faintly.

In modern society, everyone says violence is bad, yet it has always been an important way to gain respect—perhaps even the most important way.

There's a crude but true saying: you study and learn so you can talk to idiots calmly, and you train and fight so idiots will talk to you calmly.

Fang Zhen didn't think anyone was an idiot, but it was clear that after he'd displayed his power, the entire world had become much friendlier toward him.

This was especially true in a world like the Curse Seal World, where survival was much harder. People's admiration for the strong was bone-deep, sometimes even transcending factional lines.

"Do I need to restrain myself in the town?" Fang Zhen asked Yorick.

"No, no, no! Actually, I have another matter I was hoping to ask of you," Yorick said.

Yorick glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then bashfully reached out and took Fang Zhen's hand.

Fang Zhen felt several hard, round objects pressed into his palm.

He looked up, questioning Yorick with his eyes.

Yorick looked extremely embarrassed. "I was ignorant before and took money from Mark a few times. I've been thinking about it, and it just doesn't feel right. Could you please do me a favor and return this to Mark?"

"Didn't he just give you one Silver Coin?" Fang Zhen said. "This is too much."

"Ahem, the extra is interest. Please, buy yourself and Master Gwendolyn a few drinks." Yorick's face flushed slightly. "I heard that quite a few high-ranking members of the Whig Society have come to Ellick. If the situation here really changes... I mean, if something were to happen, I hope you and Master Gwendolyn can be understanding."

"I'm just doing a job to support my family. I bear no ill will toward you or the Whig Society. If I've ever caused any offense, please forgive me. Please, forgive me."

Fang Zhen couldn't help but chuckle at this.

'This world is so pragmatic.' The last time he came, Mark was bribing Yorick. This time, Yorick was bribing him.

It was simple: the tables had turned.

The people from the Whig Society didn't seem to be very low-key. Fang Zhen had no doubt how Yorick knew their higher-ups had arrived. Gwendolyn had practically made his identity public in town before, and no one had ever questioned it.

This was mainly because public sentiment in the town leaned toward the Whig Society.

Besides, Count Ellick had been slumbering for many years and wasn't managing affairs anymore.

Seeing the Whig Society's people arrive, the ever-perceptive Yorick sensed that the situation was about to change.

He returned most of the Silver Coins to Yorick, keeping only one to give back to Mark.

Fang Zhen had his own ways of making money; he wasn't interested in profiting from such petty change.

Seeing this, Yorick grew even more uneasy.

"Relax. As long as you haven't harmed anyone, no one will come to harm you," Fang Zhen said. "One taken, one returned."

He clapped Yorick on the shoulder, started his Jue Ying motorcycle, and continued on his way.

Fang Zhen rode off into the distance.

Yorick watched the figure on the Jue Ying motorcycle disappear, then looked down at the Silver Coins in his hand. He let out a long breath and said with feeling, "Look at that. Just look at his character and principles. No wonder he's such a big shot."

"Captain, is he that strong? You were being so polite," a soldier asked, confused.

"I tell you you're inexperienced and you don't believe me. That man just now could wipe out ten of our patrol squads all by himself!" Yorick glared at his subordinate, scaring the greenhorn into shrinking back, not daring to speak.

A low rumble of thunder sounded in the sky.

Yorick looked up at the sky.

"The winds are changing," Yorick muttered.

Fang Zhen rode all the way to Gwendolyn's small courtyard.

Arriving at the door, he knocked using the code: two light taps, two heavy, one light, one heavy.

Before long, the black wooden door opened.

It was Mark who opened the door.

Upon seeing Fang Zhen, Mark couldn't suppress a cry of pleasant surprise, drawing the attention of everyone in the courtyard.

"It's Fang Zhen! Sir Fang Zhen is here!"

Fang Zhen smiled, seeing how excited Mark was.

"Long time no see," Fang Zhen said.

Beaming with joy, Mark said, "We've been waiting for you for a long time! The higher-ups in the Whig Society learned of your name and verified the power of the Secret Medicine Blood Burst. A lot of important people have come, and they want to meet you in person."

Mark stepped aside to let him in.

Fang Zhen walked in and, with a flick of his wrist, sent the Silver Coin humming through the air toward Mark.

Mark caught it instinctively, a puzzled look on his face.

"A bailiff who saw the light returned it to you," Fang Zhen said.

Carrying the Holy Garment case on his back, he walked into the courtyard.

Instantly, he felt several gazes fall upon him.

There were six people in the courtyard. Besides Gwendolyn, there was a small, thin old man in his fifties with a goatee, dressed in tight black clothes.

There was a burly man in his mid-forties, over 180 centimeters tall, with exposed arm muscles thicker than an average man's thigh.

There was a white-haired old man of about the same age as Gwendolyn, but not as muscular, looking rather wiry.

There was a Warrior in their late thirties carrying an exaggeratedly large broadsword, 150 centimeters long.

And there was a woman, also in her late thirties, with red hair, an exceptionally full and prominent bust, and a mature charm.

The gazes of these six people fell on Fang Zhen one after another, and then, a moment later, they all simultaneously focused on the giant metal Holy Garment case on his back.

Fang Zhen took in all their gazes.

He wasn't the least bit surprised by their reactions.

The Holy Garment case was quite large, and any discerning eye could see it was made of metal and had something inside.

He carried such a case on his back as if it were weightless. Anyone would give it a second look.

Especially these few in the courtyard—one look at their eyes told him they were all trained fighters. Only insiders would know the true value of being able to lift something heavy as if it were light.

However, the people in the courtyard might have been mistaken.

Fang Zhen's Holy Garment case wasn't being lifted as if it were light—it was genuinely light.

He showed no stage fright, striding confidently into the center of the courtyard and casually placing the Holy Garment case on the ground in one smooth motion.

Seeing the Holy Garment case land so effortlessly, the expressions in the eyes of the people in the courtyard shifted once again.

Gwendolyn was the first to rise from his stone stool and walk over.

"Knight Fang Zhen, you've arrived. Let me introduce you. These are all mid-to-high-ranking members of the Whig Society, as well as some very promising rising stars."

"Tos, the 'Night Diver'," said the old man in black with the goatee.

"Pat, 'Giant Stone'," the muscular man grunted.

"Jorent, 'Poison'," the white-haired old man stated.

"Karen, 'Greatsword'," said the Warrior with the massive blade. The red-haired woman added, "And Laura, 'Red Viper'."

Fang Zhen nodded after hearing the introductions.

'Their names are quite easy to remember. If I can't remember their names, I can just remember their epithets. The nicknames make their characteristics obvious.'

He looked at Gwendolyn and asked, "Master, what's your epithet?"

"Ahem, they just call me 'Master'," Gwendolyn said, looking a little embarrassed.

Fang Zhen chuckled. With his mystical language talent, he understood that besides its literal meaning, the epithet 'Master' also carried the connotation of 'a warm-hearted, highly respected, yet meddlesome and preachy teacher-like figure.'

"Master, you remember our agreement, right?" Fang Zhen said. "Two hundred Alchemy Pills in exchange for the Alchemy Armor, plus other alchemical products."

"Now, I've brought the armor and the Alchemy Pills. Where is your Alchemist?"

As he spoke, he opened the Holy Garment case.

Instantly, the full plate armor inside captured the gazes of everyone present.