Shameless Warlock - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: The Me In December Is Repulsive

The event conducted at the nursing home today was the Thousand Awn Agency’s small-scaled introduction event.

Therefore, the people who came to participate in the introduction event were all registered members of the Thousand Awn Agency, but they weren’t all official members.

Before the Thousand Awn Agency officially came out into the open, these people were all invited here to find out more about the Thousand Awn Agency’s internal operations. This would allow them to decide of whether they should join the Thousand Awn Agency or not.

Zhang Yingluo made it very clear to Xu Nan that the difference in treatment for those who joined the Thousand Awn Agency and those who didn’t was very great.

In the government’s future plans, the registered members might possibly be asked to sign some agreements that would restrict their usage of abilities.

After all, the government had put in a lot of effort to ensure society’s public safety.

However, even after becoming an official member of the Thousand Awn Agency, some of them might receive some restrictions. After all, the Thousand Awn Agency would be representing the government in the future.

Of course, the amount of resources they would be receiving would also be greater.

No one knew what the direction of this world’s future, that had suddenly become so absurd, would head toward.

Many people were a little lost at the sudden appearance of supernatural abilities.

Walking along the path in the nursing home, Xu Nan saw that many people were in deep thought, holding onto all sorts of flyers.

There were many systems within the Thousand Awn Agency as well. It seemed that each system hoped to be able to recruit even more people when they officially appeared in public.

Xu Nan couldn’t help but wonder if the Thousand Awn Agency, after it changed its name, or the China Dragon Group would introduce new changes in this area.

As he thought about this, he arrived at block eight.

Due to the geographical location, block eight was comparatively more secluded compared to the other blocks. There were fewer people as well.

Other than Xu Nan, there were only three people around. Everyone was probing around outside and was all a little awkward. They had no idea where the entrance was.

Thankfully, a young man dressed in military uniform walked out not long later. “Is everyone here to find out about the arts and cultural troupe? Please follow me. Since you guys are registered, then you should know about the Thousand Awn Agency’s origin. Due to the military background, the internal systems also follow the troop’s style.

“The few sirs in our arts and cultural troupe are the old soldiers who were the first batch to enter the Alter World. They were supposed to head to the Alter World to explore the culture there and gather information, but they had other encounters and became job-holders.”

The young man gave a brief introduction and led them to the second floor that had an entrance that was similar to that of a theater. He pulled away the curtains and Xu Nan and the group entered in succession.

They were quite quiet on the entire journey.

On the theater’s stage, the lighting was dim. Four old soldiers who were dressed very smartly in their military uniforms sat upright on chairs, each holding onto musical instruments and wearing solemn expressions.

Xu Nan and the others were instantly overwhelmed by them!

“Everyone, please wait for a moment. The performance will begin when more people come later,” the young soldier explained.

Everyone took a seat. There were already some people waiting quietly in the dim theater.

Xu Nan picked a seat at the front and observed quietly. The old soldiers had quite reserved auras, and the oldest one of them seemed to be in his sixties or seventies. He wondered what the army had planned when they sent them to enter the Alter World back then.

Xu Nan looked at the old men’s firm and determined expressions, as well as their graying hair, and his nose started to feel sour.

Did these people think that they’d be able to come back alive when they went to the Alter World back then?

They were lucky to have become job-holders and came back alive successfully. What about their comrades?

When the Alter World was seething, citizens like himself were still sleeping sweetly in a peaceful era, while they had already entered a domain where they were fighting against the gods of the Alter World.

The musical instruments in their hands were what they had brought back after they had been through a life and death battle.

Wait a minute…

At the thought of this, Xu Nan was suddenly drowned in touching emotions!

He discovered that the musical instruments the four old soldiers were holding weren’t the traditional musical instruments in Puluo World!

The oldest soldier of them all was actually holding a suona!

The others were holding onto an erhu, pipa, and a kuaiban [1] respectively!

Alright. He could understand if it was suona, erhu, and pipa.

But what was it about the kuaiban?

Xu Nan suddenly had an ominous feeling.

…

After another while.

The soldier who was responsible for guiding people here made another three to four trips. The number of people in the theater slowly increased, and there were at least twenty people.

Some of them were wearing masks, some were wearing shades. There were also people wearing caps and pressing it down really low.

“It seemed that not everyone is as frank and open as I am!”

Xu Nan felt despise in his heart.

“There are a good number of people now. Let’s start.”

A charming voice rang out and everyone became more energetic. The four old soldiers on the stage didn’t move, and someone finally spoke up!

It was the old soldier holding the erhu.

“Seniors should take precedence. Let Old Liu give the youngsters a lesson first.”

The old soldier holding the erhu said to the oldest one of them.

The old man didn’t refuse and nodded. He raised up his suona and adjusted it slightly. At the next second, a passionate and high-spirited piece played out on the stage.

In a mere few seconds.

Xu Nan’s scalp turned numb.

What the old man was playing was clearly the traditional music piece “General’s Order”! It wasn’t a piece that he was expecting, any bard’s music piece in the Puluo World!

[You obtained the bards’ group buff effect: strength +1; constitution +1]

[You obtained spell effect: Dauntless (Within 15 minutes, you and your party will be dauntless and invincible.)]

[You obtained spell effect: Inexhaustible (Within 15 minutes, you’ll be inexhaustible, and the restriction on your stamina will be canceled.)]

[You obtained spell effect: Spirited Attack (Within 15 minutes, the chances of you dealing critical hits during close combat is doubled.]

…

Xu Nan was stunned.

A poorly done PowerPoint was flashed on the stage, giving a simple introduction of Old Liu’s abilities.

He was a third-stage bard!

He had come up with a way to integrate the ancient piece “General’s Order” and the Alter World’s spells. The effect was exemplary, and he became one of the leaders in the Thousand Awn Agency’s bards.

“Third-stage. This means that he is at level 10 or higher. The Thousand Awn Agency really does have a strong background.”

Xu Nan couldn’t help but exclaim. He was just a first-stage warlock. Before the government’s powerful background, he was really insignificant.

The General’s Order not only caused Xu Nan’s blood to seethe, but it also did the same for everyone else in the entire theater. Xu Nan saw that everyone who was wearing sunglasses or masks had taken them off.

All of them became very agitated.

Xu Nan suddenly felt that bards didn’t seem to be that trashy!

It was just that at this moment, the music on the stage changed.

No one had noticed when Old Liu had put down his suona and had started to rest.

In his place was the old soldier who was holding onto his erhu!

The erhu’s strings were strummed.

“The Moon Reflected on Second Spring”

Xu Nan suddenly shook—

[You received a bard’s group negative effect attack: willpower -2.]

[Within 20 minutes, you’ll be unable to perform spells.]

[Within 20 minutes, you won’t be able to run or even brisk walk.]

[Within 20 minutes…]

Xu Nan looked at the many negative effects, and his heart was beating very fast.

(Who the hell told me that bards are all trash?)

(Come out now. I promise that I won’t kill you!)

…

By the time Xu Nan came out from the theater in a daze, he had already been baptized by the four old soldiers’ “General’s Order”, “The Moon Reflected on Second Spring”, and “Ambush From All Sides”. The effects of the enhancement and negative spells were stacked onto his body, and he was hovering between a state of ecstasy and agony.

The other people weren’t in a better state either.

Of course, the old soldier who used a kuaiban at the end performed a lively cheerful and light-hearted performance, allowing everyone’s emotions to return to a slightly more normal state.

Each of these four old soldiers was a third-stage expert!

Xu Nan felt very emotional. Did this mean that the other job-holders in the Thousand Awn Agency were at such a terrifying level?

Senior Ah`Kun had mentioned that a second-stage bard had appeared in North America. But before people like Old Liu, that person was just trash!

Of course, Xu Nan didn’t forget his objective for coming to the nursing home either.

He started to find out the place that gave introductions for warlock job-holders.

After all, although he was putting on a front as a bard, he was a spellcaster.

At this moment, Zhang Yingluo rushed over in a hurry.

“How was it? Is the introduction for bards over? Were you overwhelmed?”

Xu Nan nodded. “They are very amazing.”

“Then do you want to join our Thousand Awn Agency, becoming an official member? Of course, you’ll still need to go through stringent tests to become an official member.”

Zhang Yingluo said very enthusiastically.

Xu Nan gave it some thought and eventually nodded. “I’ll join. But I won’t be joining as a bard. To speak the truth, I’m a warlock.”

Zhang Yingluo didn’t seem to be very surprised. “That works as well. We can just amend the form later on.”

“Come over with me to register first. Joining the Thousand Awn Agency, no, it’s called the China Dragon Group now… Joining us is also beneficial for you as well. After the new department is officially introduced to the public, the process to join would be at least two to three times more troublesome!”

Zhang Yingluo led Xu Nan into the deeper areas of the nursing home while introducing the Thousand Awn Agency’s internal situation to him.

The more Xu Nan listened, the more he felt that his decision was right.

Putting aside how the Thousand Awn Agency branches in other areas were performing, at least within the branches in the Jiangdong area, most of the leaders were job-holders at the third-stage or higher.

The job-holders who had awakened amongst the civilians were mostly still hovering around at the first-stage.

Xu Nan had just joined the Thousand Awn Agency when he obtained an important piece of news.

“The Thousand Awn Agency will have a big operation. An evil dragon has appeared in the Wuyang Lake! If the procedures are processed quickly, Junior Xu Nan, you’ll still have a chance to join us in battle!”

Zhang Yingluo put out her tongue cheekily.

This senior really did love to battle.

Xu Nan was just about to say something.

However, Zhang Yingluo suddenly changed the topic. “Oh, right, do you know what Lele has been up to recently? I haven’t been seeing her all this while. Her mother even asked me about it yesterday.”

Xu Nan was troubled, not knowing how he should reply.

At the same time, the monthly event on his mission card suddenly refreshed!

[This month’s bloodline awakening mission has started: Even if I’m alone, I must stand up against the entire world!]

[Mission description: The strong would definitely know about loneliness; reckless abuse and slander will only make you even stronger. Go on your path alone. You must learn provocation and retaliation! Every time your words and actions produce the effect of dealing additional damage to other people, you’ll automatically receive activity points. Special reminder, when the target is a job-holder, the number of activity points received will double.]

[Mission end date: December 31, 2019]

Xu Nan: “… System, have you been secretly reading novels on a certain website?”

This entrapping mission’s targeted group was much greater than couples!

This was wanting to get Xu Nan to go further and further down the path of verbally attacking people and committing crimes!

At the thought of how he might have to live in a way he didn’t hope to become in order to obtain activity points for the entire December, Xu Nan felt a little upset.

He found a random excuse to avoid talking about Qin Lele.

He then couldn’t help but post in his Wechat’s Moments

[The me in December might become very detestable.]

Very soon, it got its first thumbs up and reply.

[Song Xiaocheng: When did you have the delusion that you aren’t detestable? ]

…

[1] Bamboo clappers