The next morning, Zheng Mansion was converted into Wang's Residence. The City Lord worked quickly; he had probably arranged for artisans to carve the plaque overnight.

This wasn't particularly surprising. The Zheng Family was immensely wealthy, so naturally, the City Lord coveted their fortune. He had been reluctant to make a move due to the need to uphold propriety, but planting some informants was to be expected.

Therefore, when Wang Linchi took control of the Zheng Family's property, the City Lord was the first to learn of it.

Seeing this, Wang Linchi couldn't help but think that the City Lord was indeed astute. Of course, it was also possible that he understood the true circumstances of a Demon Suppressing Sorcerer because his own younger brother had become one.

Other factions were not as quick to learn about the Zheng Family's situation. However, the matter was peculiar, and no one was foolish enough to openly challenge Wang Linchi for a share of the spoils.

If someone could transform Zheng Mansion into Wang's Residence overnight and even have the City Lord arrange for the plaque to be delivered, it signified they were not to be trifled with.

"By the way, what's the deal with my surname? I thought the privacy system was supposed to be robust?" Wang Linchi directly questioned the Game System. How could these natives know his surname was Wang? Since entering the God-given World, he had never revealed his real name, whether inside or outside dungeons, to prevent any repercussions on his real life.

[Detection indicates no other Players are present in this instance, so there is no pathway for a privacy leak. The Identity Item defaults to a combination of your real surname and ID name for rationalization. If desired, you can modify this before entering an instance. The current identity has been implanted and cannot be changed.]

"So, you're saying you didn't remind me to change it because it wouldn't constitute a leak anyway?" Wang Linchi's eyes widened. Was the Game System slacking off without supervision, or had it reached a point where resources were insufficient to maintain such minor details?

Wang Linchi leaned towards the latter; the Game System indeed seemed to be having a tough time.

"Just remember to remind me to change it next time." Wang Linchi didn't dwell on the issue. The Game System was correct; it didn't really matter within the instance. Success would mean this Abyss Difficulty was erased, and failure would lead to a reset. As for the Game System knowing his identity, that was perfectly normal; without binding his identity, he wouldn't even be able to log in.

His words received no response from the Game System. It lacked such a function or service, and setting one up specifically for Wang Linchi was impossible. It wasn't a significant matter, so there was no point in wasting resources to provide Wang Linchi with such minor, ultimately unhelpful, assistance, especially since it couldn't induce any qualitative leap in his game character.

「 」

After a gust of wind, the Saint Master also returned.

Then, he handed an object to Wang Linchi.

The Saint Master had, of course, gone to silence the Zheng Family father and son. Those two were quite something; they had spent the entire night packing and only set off at the crack of dawn, likely timing their departure to meet Wang Linchi's deadline.

[Seven Jewelries Bracelet]

[Type: Quest Item]

[Stored in the item slot. Attacking demonized enemies inflicts a purification effect and blocks healing. Attacking demonized enemies possessing sinful Talents or Skills inflicts an annihilation effect. When subjected to sinful Talents or Skills, 50% chance to randomly convert them into 1 beneficial buff; duration and effect depend on the intensity and effect of said sinful Talent or Skill.]

"This thing... is it for dealing with the Ten Evil Demon?" Wang Linchi had never imagined that the key item would be in the possession of the Zheng Family father and son.

The Saint Master was able to retrieve it because, like Wang Linchi, he shared the game character's advantage of perceiving things differently. Other valuables like gold, silver, antiques, and paintings were ignored by the Saint Master because they lacked game attributes.

As the Saint Master's power grew, so did his intelligence. He couldn't just be all brawn and no brains, after all.

The true utility of the Seven Jewelries Bracelet lay in the annihilation effect of its second attribute. Although the restriction was significant, requiring demonized enemies who also possessed sinful Talents and Skills, few enemies met both conditions.

With the annihilation effect, the Ten Evil Demon's Immortal effect was rendered useless. It wouldn't matter if its health was locked; if the very foundation that sustained its ten sins was gone, how could it resurrect?

In other words, the annihilation effect was specifically designed to counter the Ten Evil Demon's sin-based health-locking method; it was ineffective against other forms of health-locking.

Quest Items are hard to find. You can't figure them out unless you get your hands on them, Wang Linchi thought, feeling somewhat helpless.

Actually, it was possible to obtain Quest Items without following the standard procedure, provided one could distinguish what constituted a Quest Item. This scenario was quite plausible. However, under normal circumstances, Quest Items didn't differ in appearance from ordinary items; only by handling them would their attributes be revealed.

Indeed, the Saint Master had found this Quest Item by examining items one by one.

In most cases, Quest Items were either the final rewards of a quest line or loot obtained from defeating side-story bosses. Otherwise, with no clues in such a vast dungeon, where would one even begin to search? Some clues were always necessary.

One could also just kill their way through without following the quest line, though finding the item afterward would be more troublesome.

This applied not only to Quest Items but also to Identity Items. Following the established procedure allowed Players to easily enhance their own strength while simultaneously weakening the enemy.

"Sir, all the valuables in the mansion have been inventoried. Please take a look," the former housekeeper of Zheng Mansion, now the housekeeper of Wang's Residence, cautiously handed over an account book.

Wang Linchi took it, flipped through a few pages, and then closed it again.

"This time, I'll assume the mansion's accounts are in order. If there's a problem next time, I'll break your legs. And if anyone under you messes up, you will break their legs."

"And if it happens a third time, I'll replace you. A three-legged toad might be hard to find, but there's no shortage of two-legged men on the streets." Wang Linchi couldn't be bothered with the details; it wasn't like he could take any of it with him anyway.

He decided to leave it at that for the time being and consider how to utilize the Zheng Family's wealth to further his advantage.

The saying "money makes the netherworld go round" held true, but only if that money could circulate between ordinary people and Transcendents. If it couldn't circulate, it was useless.

"Rest assured, sir, I will manage the affairs of the mansion to your satisfaction," the housekeeper immediately pledged his loyalty.

This reassurance eased the housekeeper's mind. The Zheng Family household was vast, so it was inevitable that some would skim a little off the top. Although this wouldn't be reflected in the official accounts, it could be uncovered if someone decided to investigate thoroughly.

Zheng Li and Zheng Lin had been aware of such practices but didn't care about these petty profits.

For instance, they wouldn't mind a cook taking some leftover food or pocketing a little money. After all, if such a person were bribed to tamper with their meals, the father and son could die on the spot.

Therefore, they were rarely harsh with their servants and had a reputation for being merciful.

Of course, when it was time to be stern and enforce discipline, they wouldn't be lenient. They knew the importance of balancing kindness with strictness; otherwise, if they truly let everything slide, the household would have long descended into chaos.

"Is there anything else?" Wang Linchi asked, casually tossing the account book back to the housekeeper.

"Yes, sir. The deeds for the land, properties, and such need to be transferred. What are your instructions...?" The housekeeper was asking Wang Linchi to make a decision.

He had indeed seized the Zheng Family's assets, but the process hadn't been lawful. The deeds and contracts still bore Zheng Li's name.

If any issues arose in the future, these documents could become a liability.

"That is indeed a problem. However, I don't have the time to go to the government office. Take these deeds there; they will surely assist you in making the changes," Wang Linchi replied promptly.

Transferring ownership technically required Zheng Li, as he was, after all, the owner.

But with sufficient power, this wasn't a major obstacle.

With the City Lord overseeing the government office, no review would be necessary; approval would be granted immediately.

"Regarding the City Lord, do you think we should inform him first? After all, this matter is somewhat... irregular," the housekeeper suggested delicately. Irregular? This isn't just irregular; it's a complete disregard for the law!

"Hmm, that could work. Before you go, take a detour to the City Master's Mansion and give him a heads-up. That should save us some trouble." Wang Linchi acknowledged his foresight, thinking, This fellow is quite capable to have considered even this.

It had to be said, a housekeeper capable of managing such a large Clan truly possessed a high degree of professionalism.

"Yes, sir. I will attend to it immediately." After receiving Wang Linchi's approval, the housekeeper felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Without the City Lord's backing, even if he went to the government office, processing the transfers would take time. The officials wouldn't dare refuse, but they would certainly dare to delay.

He might even have been extorted for a bribe. However, with the City Lord's arrangements, all these deeds could be settled within two hours at most.

After the housekeeper left, Wang Linchi rose, preparing to leave Wang's Residence. There was no need to linger. He planned to investigate the Ten Evil Demon sealed within the city and see if he could gather any useful intelligence.

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