"sir, you can pick it up before you return to the abyss, and we will have the battery fully charged for you."


    tao yu entrusted the flying machine to the shop for maintenance and received quite enthusiastic service in return.


    aside from dispatching the flying machine, he also casually placed the cart titan’s yuan force items up for auction en route.


    according to the words of that old appraiser last time, the cart titan excelled in dexterity and endurance, and its adaptability in the abyss was very strong — its price might only be second to the incomplete transforming bomb titan.


    "let’s go, i really have the money to treat you to a meal this time."


    tao yu pulled wang goudan along; this time, he was treating him to a good meal...


    ...


    in the elegantly adorned hall, someone was playing a kind of harp, and the beautiful, light music was a complete contrast to the rock and heavy metal normally heard in the inner city; the nearby de?cor was dominated by simplicity and elegance.


    it had quite the artistic temperament.


    one could tell that the majority of customers here were also refined — they were the target audience for this establishment.


    however, there was no doubt that those who could spend hundreds of yuan force just to dine here were generally quite esteemed.


    tao yu and wang goudan were also very satisfied with their meal.


    spending money had its reasoning, and this was indeed a notch above the gourmet food prepared by cooking chips like the ones wang goudan used; the chef had handled the different ingredients in distinct ways according to their unique characteristics.


    a serving of an unknown yuan force creature’s liver wrapped in crispy bread was stuffed into the mouth, the bread absorbing the fat leaking from the liver, with each bite bringing a full-bodied organ sweetness that was rich but not greasy.


    "expensive does have its reasons," tao yu mused contentedly as he ate, and at that moment, the server brought over two bowls of thick, white soup on a trolley.


    the rich aroma of the fish soup was tempting, making one’s mouth water just by smelling it.


    "haha, i used to not afford such a nice place, but the taste is indeed good," said wang goudan as he reached for the soup bowl, stirred with a spoon, and prepared to have a taste, but in the next moment, tao yu had grabbed his wrist.


    "hey, you have your own serving, do you want both?" wang goudan looked curiously at tao yu.


    but tao yu didn’t speak; instead, he just frowned and stared at the fish soup.


    "hold on, there’s something wrong with the fish soup."


    tao yu’s words left wang goudan stunned, and the server who had wheeled the trolley over looked at tao yu with a confused and cautious expression, taking the initiative to speak,


    "do you have something to say, sir? if the taste isn’t to your liking i can speak to the kitchen staff."


    from her manner, she seemed to be concerned that tao yu was the type to find fault without cause.


    a meal costing several hundred yuan force wasn’t cheap!


    "it’s poisoned."


    tao yu didn’t try the soup and also released wang goudan’s hand, giving him quite a shock.


    he trusted tao yu completely and knew that he wouldn’t make a joke about this kind of thing at such a time.


    "what’s going on?"


    "i don’t know."


    tao yu had the reminders from his spirit perception and also, thanks to his deification auxiliary ability in herb recognition, could sense something off in the soup.


    the two who spoke up were not just blindly flattering tao yu; tao yu could vaguely sense that they were strong, either top-tier intermediate partners or on par with senior partners.


    for them, the notion of being poisoned in such a place probably demanded considerable concern.


    choosing this place for its delicacy and safety, only to encounter a poisoning incident?


    this had the manager inwardly complaining, fervently hoping the incident was a misunderstanding.


    but the simple action taken by tao yu earlier suggested that the issue wasn’t so straightforward.


    at the very least, such underhanded tactics as those used by competitors would not involve hiring such an adept expert, especially since the restaurant was under surveillance...


    but the next moment, he slightly changed color upon hearing the report from the surveillance room,


    "manager, the surveillance cameras are broken..."


    there was indeed a big problem!


    ...


    "it’s a wish-power poison named ’preserve’, the poison excels in being concealed—colorless, tasteless, pricey, and it doesn’t act immediately after entering the system but gradually erodes it, affecting even those with high poison resistance with altered physiologies..."


    the security team responsible for this area arrived, and the captain identified the type of poison on the spot.


    based on past experiences, he said, "you would likely have been ambushed on your way back from dining here. now that it’s been discovered, the trail might have gone cold. the technique was skilled; no traces were left. it’s probably the work of the thieves guild. according to past experience, someone might have placed a bounty on you. have you recently offended anyone?"


    it must be said, the security team had seen much and was quick to unravel the clues.


    they found the body of a waiter in a back alley trash bin. unless something unexpected happened, the culprit had assumed this identity and seized the opportunity to poison the victim.


    then, using the excuse of going to the washroom, they left directly.


    the process was extremely smooth, and it all happened very quickly.


    "who hasn’t offended someone? however, my dining here was spontaneous, and i didn’t notice anyone tracking or watching me on the way."


    tao yu mentioned casually.


    "if your excellency’s abilities can ensure that no one knows your movements, then this assassination could also be impromptu. your bounty might be quite public, killed and then directly collect the reward, similar to quests from a mission hall."


    good grief, the bearded captain of the security team was also extremely knowledgeable about the workings of the thieves guild—it made one wonder if he had any side jobs.


    "ha, you seem to know quite a bit. do you have the address of the thieves guild? i’d like to have a word with them."


    "such an illegal organization, we do not have the address for them either; otherwise, we would have eradicated it." enjoy new tales from empire


    even though he had inside knowledge of the thieves guild, the captain’s words were watertight.


    tao yu handed him some wish-power metal, which promptly changed the conversation,


    "however, we often receive reports that people seem keen on crawling into the sewers in district c17. still, the thieves guild is rather loosely organized, remaining uneradicated because there isn’t much of a core to it. once they seem dissolved after a big event, given some time, they always reemerge, like weeds..."


    tao yu’s expression subtly shifted upon hearing this.


    eradicated yet reemerging? was it others using the name of the thieves guild, or was there some other explanation...


    seemingly noticing the hint of confusion on tao yu’s face, the captain, who had taken the money, added another piece of information,


    "reportedly, just reportedly, the thieves guild may have originated from another city, its leaders mostly tough characters who have crossed the grey mist to arrive here. they often operate both overtly and covertly, even maintaining contact with other cities. if one site is eradicated, a reserve steps in, persistent as weeds..."