With so many underlings, Su Fu certainly wouldn’t let them sit idle.
There was strength in numbers, and now, for once, she had the numbers.
Soon, the group responded enthusiastically: [Boss, don’t worry! We’re already taking missions!]
[As expected of Boss—already figured out all this info right at the start!]
[No kidding, I just learned the map’s name, but Boss is already leading the way~]
[Feels like we’ve got this in the bag. The championship is ours!]
[We’re on it! Leave it to us!]
[……]
Her subordinates were on fire, which satisfied Su Fu greatly.
Next, she started another group: [Ark Construction Team].
[@Yi Congling This floating Ark’s biggest strength is mobility, but we also need to maintain full firepower and stay far ahead—no freebies.]
[@George Aim to get into Heavenly Workshop, build cannons and defenses! Let’s fully arm the Ark and give it a whole new look.]
[George: Hehe, don’t worry~ It’s my specialty!]
[Yi Congling: Wherever we go, not a blade of grass will grow. I can’t wait to see the other maps’ faces when they see us—what a shock that’ll be, hahaha!]
Su Fu imagined the scene: a gigantic Ark descending from the clouds, opening fire before anyone could react—quite the sight indeed.
[@Theresa See if you can get into the Patrol Guard. Taking missions for Immortal Tokens is one thing, but the key is seizing control of this department.]
[They’re the Ark’s law enforcement—control them, and you control the Ark’s order.]
[Theresa: Relax, I’ve got this.]
[@everyone, move out!]
With her team deployed, Su Fu herself produced a coin—Forbidden Object 018 from the Heaven pantheon: Mammon Coin.
This coin always pointed to the holder’s deepest desire, but would gradually intensify that craving to the point of distortion.
For an ordinary person, it was a perilous Forbidden Object—one could lose all reason.
But for Su Fu, with Chesia the Serpent of Temptation at her side, such temptation was just a paper tiger.
Chesia, as the embodiment of temptation itself, could easily negate the coin’s side effects, and even turn them into an asset.
“Well then, let’s see what it points to?” Su Fu placed the coin on her fingertip and flicked it lightly.
The coin spun into the air, twirling several times before coming to a halt—
In an instant, it projected a three-dimensional scene.
In the scene was an opulent pavilion.
A short, portly man in fine silks stood behind the counter, sorting through ornate boxes, chuckling contentedly as he tallied the goods.
Chesia recognized him and said, “Eh? That’s Jin Chan, the Cloudsea Chamber of Commerce Manager.”
Su Fu raised an eyebrow, ‘So this person had what I desired most?’
She brought up the task list, searching for a mission related to Manager Jin Chan.
[Investigate the missing “Xuanhe Spirit Balm” sacrificial offering. The balm is used in the Ark’s Sea God rituals, calming sea beasts to ensure safe passage.]
[But the prepared balm vanished just the other day. Manager Jin Chan suspects theft.]
Su Fu mused, ‘Manager Jin Chan sure has been losing a lot of stuff lately—time to go see him.’
She pushed open the cabin door and stepped into the Ark’s corridor.
Lanterns hung on either side, their gentle light illuminating the way.
Looking out, Su Fu was struck by the vastness inside—the Ark was even larger than she’d imagined, layers upon layers vanishing into the distance.
It was like a floating city in the clouds.
After a moment of awe, she walked through the corridor and arrived at a spacious square lined with shops and stalls.
Some sold rare treasures, some medicinal pills, others were teahouses or taverns of all sorts.
In the center was a large pond with a school of colorful carp.
Patrol Guards marched through the square in formation, keeping order.
According to Chesia, Manager Jin Chan’s shop was on the second deck’s Immortal Market, named Celestial Gathering Pavilion.
She headed straight for the second deck, finding the higher up she went, the more bustling it became.
Flying boats zipped overhead.
In reality, the Ark had far more departments than what she’d shared with the group.
According to Chesia’s observations, the highest level supposedly housed some kind of being but it hadn’t dared listen in, certain it would be discovered if it tried because up there, there were immortals.
‘Immortals?’
Su Fu lowered her eyes and thought, ‘So, they’d copied some deity from the Chinese pantheon?’
“Oh right,” Chesia suddenly remembered, “that Manager Jin Chan loves money above all, silver-tongued, seems easy to talk to, but actually sharp as a tack.”
“To get him to talk, it won’t be easy. How can you know what he’s hiding?”
Su Fu: “…..”
‘Isn’t it obvious? The Mammon Coin points to what I want most, so it’s either money or Immortal Tokens.’
But aloud, she said, “That’s why I have you, right? You’re the Serpent of Temptation.”
Upon hearing that, Chesia straightened up with pride, “Of course! As long as it’s a being with desires, none can escape me.”
Winding through the bustling crowd, Su Fu finally arrived at Celestial Gathering Pavilion.
It was a three-story building with an old-fashioned charm, but its signboard was huge and flashy, flanked by giant golden toad statues on either side of the entrance.
Clearly a symbol of wealth and good fortune.
Outside, magical projections of various artifacts and treasures flashed, drawing the eyes of passersby.
Su Fu pushed open the door and entered—the interior was far more spacious than it appeared from outside, with shelves upon shelves stacked high with rare and wondrous items.
In the center stood a massive counter, with Cloudsea Chamber of Commerce Manager Jin Chan behind it, surrounded by several people.
Chesia let out a surprised sound, “That’s them. They’re the ones who said they wanted to steal the Immortal Order you obtained.”
Su Fu glanced over, the information she’d studied before the exam surfacing in her mind.
The one on the left, dressed in a silver-white robe, was Monica from the Ring of Radiance, with a head of golden curls and an air of arrogance.
On the right stood a tall, muscular man with hair as red as fire and a physique carved with muscles—Yang Lie, a renowned fighter from the Eternal Gate.
As for the man in the middle, thin and draped in a gray robe with a strange aura, that was Zhao You, the secret arts specialist of the Ring of Radiance.
‘Monica, Yang Lie, Zhao You…’
Su Fu quietly drew nearer, listening as Manager Jin Chan explained the task.
“So, the sacrificial offering was placed in that brocade box. I just turned around to get the ledger, and when I came back, the box was empty.” He spoke with a face full of worry, “This time’s offering is a Water Spirit Pearl, extremely rare.”
“If you can find it, I’ll give you a generous reward—five Immortal Tokens!”
Su Fu’s heart stirred, ‘So this old toad issued quite a few quests about missing offerings? Hers was Xuanhe Spirit Balm, theirs was the Water Spirit Pearl, and the others probably had different targets too.’
Looks like he’s using the crowd as a strategy, letting everyone compete, and in the end, whoever completes it gets the reward.
Truly, there’s no such thing as a scheming merchant without tricks.
Calculating as ever.
Just then, those people noticed Su Fu.
“Rest assured, Manager Jin,” Yang Lie recovered and patted his chest, promising, “We’ll take this quest. Within three days, we’ll make sure the item’s in your hands.”
Having said this, they turned to leave, heading straight toward Su Fu.
Monica raised an eyebrow, Yang Lie grinned widely, and Zhao You just glanced coldly.
Su Fu looked at them once, then withdrew her gaze.
Her thoughts: ‘The more Immortal Tokens I earn, the better my odds.’
After all, thieves will be stolen from in turn.
But just as those people brushed past Su Fu, Zhao You’s fingers twitched, as if flicking something onto her.
It was a faint glimmer, nearly impossible to detect, but Su Fu paused slightly.
Monica and the others realized they’d been caught and quickened their pace to leave.
Su Fu didn’t chase after them.
The thing hadn’t landed on her—it had already been swallowed in one gulp by Chesia and instantly digested.
Chesia smacked its lips, savoring the taste, “Looks like a tracking marker. Quite a clever little gadget.”
Su Fu: “…..”
“You’ve got a habit of eating random things now?”
“He threw it and I just couldn’t resist.”
Su Fu: “……”
“Good dog.”
Chesia protested.
Su Fu glanced in the direction they’d left.
Now wasn’t the time to deal with them—better to fatten them up before the slaughter, she had plenty of experience with that by now.
But Su Fu was puzzled by the odd movement of her Mammon Coin; it seemed eager to follow those people.
“Is it trying to tell me they have something I want?”
If that’s the case, Su Fu told Chesia, “Keep an eye on them, see what they do next, and report to me.”
“……”
Su Fu walked up to Manager Jin Chan, her mind somewhat distracted.
‘Just now, which pantheon were those people from again? Greek, was it?’
Manager Jin Chan, acting like an NPC, greeted her with a broad smile: “Honored guest, what would you like? My shop has everything you could imagine—if you can think of it, I’ve got it. As long as you can pay the price.”
Su Fu: “!!!”
‘The Mammon Coin really understood her!’
Meanwhile, Monica and the others hurriedly left the Celestial Gathering Pavilion, glancing back from time to time.
Only when they were sure no one followed did they slip into a secluded alley.
At the far end was an abandoned little garden, overgrown with weeds, a broken stone pavilion standing lonely at the center.
“All right, stop running,” Monica leaned against a pillar of the pavilion, gasping for breath.
“Zhao You, you were too careless—she almost caught you!” Yang Lie said, still shaken.
“Who would’ve thought she was that sharp?” Zhao You frowned.
“But she probably didn’t realize it was us, just assumed it was some little mishap. Otherwise, she’d have come after us already.”
Monica nodded, “True. Fluctuations or divine power surges happen on the Immortal Vessel all the time, so interference is normal.”
“But Su Fu really is hard to handle.”
They exchanged glances.
Suddenly, Yang Lie’s eyes lit up, “How about we contact Achilles? Get him to give us another trump card?”
The group was instantly tempted.
After all, Achilles hated Su Fu to the core.
“Let’s do it.”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
With a sly grin, Yang Lie took out a golden disc, and after opening it, a projection gradually formed atop it.
It was Achilles.
He frowned, “Why are you contacting me now? Don’t tell me you’ve succeeded?”
Though he hoped for such good news, clearly it was impossible.
‘Su Fu, that woman, how could these fools possibly succeed against her so easily?’