Chapter 49: I am looking for a red tentacle thief, do you know him?
"What a witty and humorous young man. Though I have no idea what these Q-coins you speak of are, I am somewhat interested in trading for them. Do you know how to top up Q-coins?"
The gentleman penguin quickly adjusted its question-mark face and tapped the ground gently with its walking stick.
*Duang—*
Right out of the previously empty ground, a gift box appeared, tightly wrapped with colorful festive ribbons.
Wu Wang's expression finally shifted.
Stripping away those dazzling ribbons, this box in front of him looked somewhat familiar...
Atop the box was a large question mark.
*Pata—*
The gentleman penguin hopped onto the question-mark box.
With a flick of its cane against its top hat, it spoke with elegance: "Allow me to introduce myself. I am the sole designated president of the Myriad Treasures Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Myriad Treasures auctioneer who travels across realms—Tengxun Adolf."
Tengxun...
And you still claim you're not here to top up my Q-coins!
Before Wu Wang could fire back a retort at this Adolf fellow, the gentleman penguin's next sentence rendered him completely silent.
"I am currently tracking down a red tentacled thief across various realms."
"Taking advantage of my inattention, he stole two items and even drove my precious box into depression. Young man, if you have any relevant clues, you may trade with me. The reward is quite generous, you see."
Wu Wang: "..."
Who are you calling a thief!
That was a system-rewarded gacha draw quota for your daddy!
It's just that the method of drawing was slightly peculiar. For a scholar, can such an act be considered stealing?
Though he kept up a bold front in his heart, his gaze involuntarily lifted toward the sky, and he whistled an ambiguous tune.
"Haha, the sky is certainly blue today."
The gentleman penguin looked somewhat baffled.
It tilted its head to take a look.
The sky was blanketed in dark clouds.
Without dwelling on it excessively, however, it simply shrugged and asked, "Of course, that is beside the point. Let us discuss the transaction at hand first."
With that, the gentleman penguin used its cane to point first at Wu Xiaoyou's location, and then at the stone in Wu Wang's hand.
Squinting its already small eyes, it spoke in a low, magnetic voice: "I shall help you seal this parasite. In exchange, that stone belongs to me. I am rather curious about how it was formed."
Ah, so it was after the Abyss God again.
Wu Wang experienced a sudden realization.
Although the formation of the [Memory-Washing Stone] stemmed from the ultimate resentment of the fateful marriage saintesses, when all was said and done, they had been awakened by the aura of the Abyss God.
Therefore, this stone was undoubtedly much more than a simple condensation of resentment.
"I have a condition," Wu Wang said, likewise pointing at Wu Xiaoyou. "You cannot harm the original owner of this body. If you can manage that, I agree."
The gentleman penguin smiled faintly.
A yellow exclamation point materialized above the top hat on its head, and the question-mark box beneath its feet trembled slightly, as if it had just heard a colossal joke.
"My reputation resonates across the myriad realms, so you may rest a hundred percent assured. The little girl will be quite safe."
Wu Wang: "What kind of libido?"
The gentleman penguin: "?"
*Rumble—*
Just as the words fell, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed across the sky.
A bolt of lightning savagely cleaved down toward the gentleman penguin standing in the open space. Its might was so great that even the ground shattered, sending a shower of stone fragments flying and kicking up a billowing cloud of dust.
***
The Fateful Marriage Great Deity gave a slight nod.
Through a gaze devoid of pupils, a clear sense of disdain and fury could still be felt.
It had been looked down upon by a penguin!
The other party had even referred to it as a "parasite"!
Having occupied Wu Xiaoyou's vessel, the Fateful Marriage Great Deity naturally understood what a parasite was through her memories, and such an insulting title ignited its wrath.
"This is transaction time. Would you mind being a bit more polite?" The gentleman penguin's voice sounded once more.
The next second, a gale whipped up.
The dust kicked up by the lightning was swept away entirely.
It was still standing in place, leaning on its cane.
Not even a single thread of dust clung to its black suit, its posture remaining utterly gentlemanly and elegant.
Wu Wang had no idea how he managed to perceive elegance in the posture of a penguin.
"This is not the Nether Ghost Realm of the Yin Domain, and a parasite like you has no business appearing here. But since you've come, you needn't leave." The gentleman penguin's voice grew increasingly frigid.
*Swoosh—*
The [Memory-Washing Stone], which Wu Wang had hidden away using his shadow, suddenly materialized in the gentleman penguin's hand.
Then, with a gentle tap of its cane—
*Bang—*
The entire stone instantly shattered into a sky full of black dust, amidst which traces of resentment wailed faintly, occasionally flashing with a hint of crimson radiance like the embellishment of stars, instantly rendering the entire ancestral hall as dreamy as the depths of the cosmos.
Yet it rendered the scene for merely a second.
The next moment, all the dust enveloped Wu Xiaoyou's head, instantly wrapping her up tightly like a rice dumpling.
"Mhm... An interesting stone."
The gentleman penguin nodded slightly in affirmation.
The Fateful Marriage Great Deity experienced an emotion it had never felt before. Judging from Wu Xiaoyou's memories, this emotion was called—
Fear!
It discovered that its layouts across various locations were collapsing one by one, and all memories related to those places were vanishing entirely. Even the core power of its origin was continuously weakening, as if...
It was being stripped away by some kind of force!
Wu Wang, standing to the side, also wore a look of slight astonishment.
Because the moment the [Memory-Washing Stone] shattered into dust, its information flashed across his interface for a split second—
[Memory-Washing Stone • Altered (Legendary): Capable of selectively washing away all sources of power from a dungeon target]
[Category: Consumable Item]
Good grief, this unlucky penguin knocked an epic item into a legendary one with a single tap of its cane?
"No... Don't! What have you done!"
The Fateful Marriage Great Deity began to roar in impotent fury.
Its pathetic appearance reminded Wu Wang of the old village chief who had his head blown off by him with an AK not long ago.
The two of them were remarkably similar.
It wasn't that it knew it was wrong.
It simply knew it was finished.
"Parasites ought to be buried deep underground, don't you think? Only then does it match your identity." The gentleman penguin swung its cane casually, as carefree as if it were dancing.
With that, a dust-covered pig's head on the offering table floated up into the air.
A cluster of eerie, grayish-white gas emerged out of thin air from the back of Wu Xiaoyou's head, within which the roaring and reluctance of the Fateful Marriage Great Deity could still be faintly heard.
*Swoosh—*
The gas was forced into the pig's head, instantly staining it a grayish-white.
Simultaneously, the pig's head floated toward the front of the open clearing.
A floor tile crawled out by itself as if it had grown legs, revealing a deep pit that had appeared at its bottom out of nowhere, as if waiting for something to fill it.
*Clang—*
The pig's head dropped into the deep pit, and the floor tile covered it over once more.
Just as the gentleman penguin had said, the Fateful Marriage Great Deity was buried deep underground and sealed away. Who knew how many ages would pass before it saw the light of day again, and by then, how much of its so-called mighty power would remain?
"Young man, how is that?"
The gentleman penguin smiled and waved its cane toward Wu Xiaoyou's limp body on the ground.
She floated up and drifted before Wu Wang as well.
The dust on her clothes was conveniently cleaned away in the process.
"Are you sure she's completely fine?" Wu Wang remained somewhat unconvinced.
In response, the gentleman penguin raised an eyebrow and said:
"Rest assured, not a single strand of hair was lost. Pulling out the parasite merely affected her soul slightly. Once this little girl sleeps for a couple of hours and wakes up, all memories concerning this place will vanish. Aside from that, she has suffered no harm whatsoever."
"!"
Wu Wang's expression turned somewhat unnatural.
Could this be the reason why Second Sister in reality had never mentioned the Fateful Marriage Village to him at all?
Her memories had been erased right here at this moment!
Could this place truly be five years in the past?!
"I was merely passing by while tracking the red tentacled thief, and ventured in out of curiosity. Now that the transaction is complete, please forgive me for taking my leave a step ahead." The gentleman penguin gave a slight bow.
Wu Wang, however, called out to stop it.
"Hold on! Since you're interested in the Memory-Washing Stone, how about we make another transaction?"
"Might you be interested in this item?"
With that, his shadow fumbled around the old village chief's body for a moment, and then raised a white ring.
This object stored a small amount of the Abyss God's aura!
If the other party's true goal was indeed the Abyss God,
the trading value of this item was definitely sufficient!
The gentleman penguin glanced at it.
It tapped the ground lightly with its cane, shaking its head with a touch of regret as it said, "What a pity, I have no interest in this ring. If you truly wish to make a trade, it can at most be exchanged for some minor trifles."
Hearing those words, Wu Wang smiled.
Because his gaze had just landed on the top of the other's head.
There, it clearly read—
[He is determined to obtain the ring at all costs!]
Heh, who would have thought it was still a black-hearted penguin.
Trying to score a bargain at my expense?
Well, I'm sorry, but today you're bound to take a tumble!
When it comes to gouging people, I am a professional!