"The Prophet Order doesn't allow that method of purchase. You can only use their communication channels to transmit information, which prevents data leaks," Lan Hao said, shaking his head.
Su Chen was a bit confused at first, but after asking a few more questions, he finally understood.
The Dust Sea was not as he had imaginedāit had not yet achieved ubiquitous instant communication.
Between different regions, communication could only be established through massive transmission arrays.
For example, their group could connect with most parts of the Dust Sea by utilizing the transmission equipment at the Equilibrium Nexus.
However, once they left the Equilibrium Nexus, they would lose the ability to communicate entirely.
Because they relied on the Equilibrium Nexus's network, the Nexus could intercept their data streams if it was willing to pay the price.
Of course, if such interception were discovered, it would invite severe retaliation.
As an intelligence-peddling organization, the Prophet Society naturally refused to let their intel be intercepted.
They only transmitted information through their own specially encrypted channels.
In a place like the Equilibrium Nexus, buyers could only make purchases in person.
A major reason why instant communication was impossible was due to the clusters of Nether Mist scattered throughout the Dust Sea.
Hearing this, Su Chen could only sigh. "The influence of the Nether Mist truly is everywhere."
Not long after the two of them left, Lin Yue was standing in front of Su Chen's room. She had just learned from the guards at the door that he had gone out with Lan Hao.
Her expression immediately darkened with uncertainty. 'Did that guy Lan Hao discover something unusual about Su Chen too?'
She had already harbored vague suspicions earlier due to Lan Hao's sudden shift in attitude, and now she was almost certain of it.
'That old fox Lan Hai is cunning. He must have secretly advised Lan Hao,' Lin Yue gritted her teeth inwardly. She had been trying to contact her father, Lin Langtian, but couldn't get through.
Her other uncles had mentioned that Lin Langtian was already on his way as their liaison and was currently unable to communicate.
"Lin Yue..." Wan Chen walked out of his room, his eyes brimming with suspicion.
"What is it?" Lin Yue asked with a hint of impatience. Unable to contact her father, she was unsure how she should treat Su Chen now.
Su Chen wasn't as ordinary as he seemed on the surface. This information gap would definitely bring some sort of advantage.
However, she had no idea how to utilize it yet. For now, her only plan was to try and get a bit closer to him.
"What exactly is going on between you and Su Chen?" Wan Chen took a few steps forward and asked. "And Lan Hao too. Why is he suddenly so friendly with him?"
Wan Chen felt deeply unsettled by the fact that there were secrets swirling around in the dark that he was entirely excluded from.
"This..." Lin Yue snapped back to reality, the expression on her face suddenly tightening as she stated flatly, "What does it have to do with you.
"
"What exactly are you guys trying to do?" Wan Chen frowned. With a hint of provocation, he asked coldly, "What malicious plans do you have for Su Chen?"
"Malicious plans?" Lin Yue's voice pitched up before lowering again. She sneered, "That's right, I'm just harboring bad intentions. I just can't accept that he became the Chosen One, so I'm planning to mess with him properly."
Last time she had been completely dominated by Su Chen, and she had initially thought about letting Wan Chen experience the same thing. But now, she didn't want him to know at all.
After saying this, she walked away without giving Wan Chen a chance to respond.
Hearing her words did nothing to alleviate Wan Chen's doubts; instead, they grew even heavier.
Watching Lin Yue's retreating back, Wan Chen became increasingly certain that something unknown to him was taking place in the shadows, his mind racing with possibilities.
'Exactly when did...'
His brows furrowed tightly, his gaze narrowing as he suddenly recalled something.
Shortly after they had set off, Lin Yue had come to find him once, mentioning some training projection of Su Chen's. He hadn't been interested at the time and had even reprimanded her.
Thinking back carefully now, Lin Yue's reaction back then had been a bit off.
'A training projection... what could be so unusual about it?' He had a vague intuition that Lin Yue's strange change in behavior stemmed from this.
"This is the Prophet Society's territory?"
Su Chen stepped off the aircraft and looked at the white building with a pointed roof in front of him. A pale golden horizontal eye was carved onto its metallic doors. Su Chen looked around. "There are quite a lot of people coming and going here."
Everyone's life force was exceptionally tyrannical, radiating without restraint and displaying their immense power.
A few of them even made Su Chen feel a sense of dread. They were likely Class Rank 6 or even Rank 7 professionals.
"With so many people, we'll probably have to wait in line," Lan Hao muttered, feeling inevitably annoyed.
The two of them walked forward. With their young faces and an aura entirely different from the usual explorers, they immediately drew the attention of quite a few people.
Some merely glanced and looked away, but others narrowed their eyes, their gazes locking onto Su Chen. They stopped in their tracks, looking uncertain and suspicious, as if they had discovered something.
After the two of them entered the doors.
A few guys exchanged glances, seemingly trying to verify their suspicions with each other.
After a long while, someone finally asked hesitantly, "Is that him?"
"It seems so. He looks exactly like him."
"It really is him..."
"Who?" A few guys who were originally about to leave paused, revealing inquisitive expressions.
Among them was a burly man with a head of crimson hair and furrowed brows. The aura he emitted was the strongest among the group gathered at the door. He locked his eyes onto a thin, scrawny figure and asked coldly, "What riddles are you speaking in?"
The scrawny figure shuddered under his stare and hastily replied, "Boss Tiger, you don't know? That's the newest Star Seed born from the Bronze FactionāSu Chen."
"A Star Seed?"
The burly man's brow twitched, his suspicion growing. "Don't lie to me. Would a Star Seed of the Bronze Faction really show up in a place like this?"
"How could I dare lie to you?" The monkey-like man waved his hands repeatedly. "He only recently became a Chosen One, and he's just a native from a barren planet. With a Dual Dark Jade Talent, he was probably just brought out of the Nether Mist by the Bronze Faction."
"His luck is practically boundless."
As he said this, his tone was laced with heavy envy.
"A native? With a Dual Dark Jade Talent?" The burly man felt like he was listening to a fantasy tale. Such a talent could become a Star Seed?
But immediately after, he realized something wasn't right. He narrowed his eyes, his voice icy. "News like this should be a closely guarded secret. How do you know about it so clearly?"
"What secret? Everyone knows about it already. The bounty on 'Dark Blossom' changes daily, and it's already reached over two billion star coins."
"It's already three billion," someone nearby corrected. "Hiss..." The burly man gasped sharply upon hearing this, a trace of fiery greed flashing through his eyes. This amount was more than enough for him to live the rest of his life in absolute luxury.
But a chill quickly ran through his heart. 'I'd have to be alive to spend it, though.'
The interior layout of the Prophet Society was quite unique. The first-floor hall was extremely vast, lined with rows of metallic rooms.
Long lines stretched out in front of the doors. As soon as Su Chen and Lan Hao entered, someone approached them.
"Please wait a moment, you two. There are still..." The attendant, wearing a white robe embroidered with a Prophet's Eye, swept his gaze over Lan Hao and landed on Su Chen. Before he could finish his sentence, his expression subtly shifted.
After a brief pause, his tone changed abruptly. "Please follow me, you two."
Lan Hao, who was frowning and observing their surroundings, was slightly taken aback. "We don't need to line up?" he asked in astonishment.
"You must be joking," the attendant leading the way smiled. "With a Star Seed of the Bronze Faction gracing us with his presence, there is naturally no need to wait in line."
Lan Hao's face stiffened. The jealousy and sense of imbalance he had been suppressing surged up once more. He exhaled slowly to push it back down, barely maintaining his composure.
The Lan Family held some status within the Bronze Faction, and as the son of the family head, he was somewhat known. However, it wasn't as if everyone recognized him, let alone people outside the Bronze Faction.
Although the Prophet Society didn't revere absolute strength, they prided themselves on treating all customers fairly after peddling intelligence for so many years.
He had never experienced this kind of special treatment before.
The attendant led the two of them up to the second floor, drawing the attention of many. Some with sharp eyes had already recognized Su Chen, revealing looks of surprise and contemplation.
The second floor was largely the same as the first, though the metallic rooms were much larger.
He guided them into one of the rooms. The furnishings were simple, consisting only of a silver table. The attendant walked behind the table and asked, "May I ask what information you two wish to purchase?"
Lan Hao scoffed coldly, finally finding a bit of presence. He asked in a deep voice, "Shouldn't we be communicating directly with the Prophet's Eye? Why is an attendant asking us?"
The attendant explained, "It's like this: if it is Level 4 information or below, we can offer it to Lord Su Chen completely free of charge. Therefore..."
Lan Hao choked on his words, feeling completely stifled.
'There's actually such a perk...' Su Chen was quite surprised. He didn't hold back and stated the items Qing Cang had requested.
"The Prophet's Current Commentary..." The attendant nodded in understanding. "That is unclassified information. Please wait a moment..."
He pressed his palm onto the silver metallic table in front of them. The center of the table split open, projecting a silver-blue light that outlined the shape of a Prophet's Eye.
The attendant first looked at Su Chen's arm and muttered thoughtfully, "Hmm... your information reception device is a bit outdated, but it should still be able to receive the transmission."
Immediately after, a stream of blue data flowed from the Prophet's Eye and entered Su Chen's wristband.
Su Chen raised an eyebrow and opened his wristband to check. Sure enough, he had received a file. It was a list of text information, and he quickly scanned it: [The Vast Sea Emperor's birthday approaches; the Royal Court will soon commence a fifteen-day celebration.]
The Dust Sea was truly too massive. The events that occurred every day were as numerous as hairs on an ox. Without a channel to compile them, it was impossible to stay informed.
"What other information do you sell here?" Su Chen couldn't help but feel intrigued.
"We sell everything..." the attendant recommended with a smile. "However, you will probably need the latest Star Seed Roster."
"There's such a thing?" Su Chen was surprised. "Give me a copy then. Hmm... does it cost money?"
"I will provide you with a Star Seed Roster at a Level 4 information density, completely free of charge," the attendant said as he reached his hand into the Prophet's Eye. Another data stream transmitted into Su Chen's wristband, seeming slightly brighter than the previous one.
Su Chen opened it, and his wristband projected a chartāthe Star Seed Roster. There was a line of small text at the very end: (Note: The rankings are not based on combat strength).
'They even added a disclaimer,' Su Chen muttered. He glanced at the list and was surprised to find that the very first name was his.
[Su Chen: Native resident of the barren planet Crimson Thunder, Dual Dark Jade Talent, Class Rank 4. Possesses astonishing mental fortitude, once successfully withstanding the corruption of a Treacherous God's power (Unconfirmed).
In the Royal Court Year 13524, he became the Chosen One of the Crimson Flame Lightning Resonating Exalt.]
'That's quite detailed. Ni Chuan definitely leaked this,' Su Chen thought to himself.
Su Chen continued to scan downwards.
[Han Xingliu: Third son of the Vast Sea Emperor of the Royal Court, Single Divine Dawn Talent. In the Royal Court Year 13510, he became the Acknowledged of the Netherflame God-Slaughtering Sovereign, accompanied by the manifestation of three dragon shadows.
The following year, he personally led the Imperial Guard, exterminating thirteen Star Pirate factions and defeating another Chosen One who had attained three dragon shadows.
Another year later, he swept through the Yinping Trench, slaying over ten thousand enemies.
In the Royal Court Year 13515, he defeated yet another Acknowledged with three dragon shadows. On the Royal Court's home planet, weapons descended from the heavens and fierce metal formed into a dragon, officially establishing him as the true Acknowledged of the Netherflame God-Slaughtering Sovereign.]
Su Chen didn't even finish reading it all. There were hundreds of words written expansively, detailing everything from his background and talent to his achievements and the supernatural phenomena that occurred when he gained recognition. It was incredibly thorough.
After reading Han Xingliu's introduction, Su Chen looked back at his own measly two lines of text.
The only recorded achievement he had was even marked as 'Unconfirmed'.
He felt somewhat speechless. Shaking his head inwardly, he looked up and asked, "If another Star Seed were standing here, would the first name on the list change to theirs?"
"This is merely a roster, not a leaderboard. It is not ranked by strength," the attendant explained with a smile.
"Then do you have leaderboards?" Su Chen asked curiously.
"Not among the Star Seeds," the attendant shook his head.
"If not among the Star Seeds, does that mean there are leaderboards for other things?"
"Indeed." The attendant nodded. "We have the Potential Leaderboard, which records those with the highest publicly known talents in the Dust Sea, the 9th Rank Class Leaderboard, the Morning Star Leaderboard, the Holy Class Leaderboard, and so on..."
"You even dare to rank the strength of Morning Star experts?" Su Chen was astonished.
"Compared to the Star Seeds, the power scaling at the Morning Star realm is actually much more straightforward," the attendant explained.
'This Prophet Society is truly something else,' Su Chen marveled inwardly. At the same time, a strong sense of curiosity arose in him regarding the Holy Class Leaderboard.
Unfortunately, the Holy Class Leaderboard was considered Level 2 information and required payment. Su Chen currently possessed zero of the Dust Sea's universal currency.
He looked at Lan Hao.
Feeling speechless inwardly, Lan Hao explained, "That thing is a scam. It's just a bunch of speculative names, their estimated power, time of appearance, and combat records. As for the relevant class requirements, there isn't a single word about them."
'So it's just pure gossip,' Su Chen mused. Yet, his curiosity remained. "What's the number one Holy Class?"
"I think it's..." Lan Hao frowned as he recalled, "The Royal Court's God-Defying Battleaxe..."
'The Royal Court again...' Su Chen pondered silently. He also came to a realization.
Aside from time-sensitive information, the rest of this intelligence was likely already recorded within the Bronze Faction.
The biggest flaw of intel and information was how easily it could be replicated. For an organization as massive as the Bronze Faction, buying a single copy was enough.
Thinking of this, Su Chen's interest in the place immediately diminished. He bid farewell and left.
Coming down from the second floor, Su Chen noticed numerous gazes directed at them. He turned his head and asked, "Do you know what talent the top person on the Potential Leaderboard has?"
"Dual Divine Dawn." Lan Hao naturally knew; he had been curious about it as well.
Su Chen quietly drew in a sharp breath. 'Above Mystic Purple is Star Amber, and above that is Divine Dawn. And it's a f*cking Dual Divine Dawn? Is that even human?'
"However, he isn't a Chosen One," Lan Hao added.
"Oh?" Su Chen couldn't help but feel surprised. Lan Hao glanced at him and said quietly, "There are a hundred people listed on the Potential Leaderboard, and even the 100th place has at least a Star Amber talent. Yet, out of those hundred, only twelve overlap with the Star Seed Roster."
Hearing this, Su Chen fell silent. 'Those remaining 88 people probably want to eat those Star Seeds alive.'