Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!

Chapter 1331: Chapter 994: Spirit Stone, Gourd, and Beauty_3

He was just about to get up and do it himself when he remembered the layers of Restrictions on Trapped Snake Island; if his movements were discovered, it would be a huge hassle.

He could only force himself to be patient, having his subordinate teleport up to his Immortal Ship, where he fished a purple-gold gourd out of his Storage Bag and quietly gave a few instructions.

With the Divine Artifact in hand, the subordinate happily ran back to Trapped Snake Island, squatted in ambush for half a day, and finally caught an opportunity where Miss Hu Jiu was alone.

Holding the gourd, he hid in a corner and softly called her name. The little fox didn’t suspect a thing and answered, "Hm? Who’s calling me?"

The next second she only felt her head spin and the world go dark.

"Truly worthy of being a Divine Artifact, it worked just like that!" The subordinate was hugging the gourd, about to go back and claim credit, when a bold thought suddenly crashed into his mind: "The Divine Artifact is in my hand, the beauty is in my arms—why should I hand both Supreme Treasures back?

If I don’t take advantage of having money, a Divine Artifact, and a beauty right now to grease the soles of my feet and run for it, then I must have a hole in my brain that leaks rainwater!"

Previously, after receiving instructions from the Sixth Elder, his greed had flared and he’d asked the Four Guardians for several million Spirit Stones.

The gifts he never delivered were all still on him and could be resold, and the Spirit Stones he’d embezzled were all in his Storage Bag. Now he’d scored the Divine Artifact purple-gold gourd and Miss Hu Jiu—if he didn’t run now, when would he?!

Afraid his Merit Token would expose his movements, he immediately headed to a firm that specialized in storing valuables, spent five hundred Spirit Stones to rent a little compartment that blocked prying senses, and locked the Merit Token and Communication Stone inside.

He calculated in his heart: he’d only successfully passed Tribulation Crossing half a year ago, so he had plenty of Lifespan to burn.

He’d first spend a few hundred years living it up with the beauty and a few million in wealth; later, in some other world under a new name, he’d seek out the Leisure Sect and join as a new disciple. He refused to believe that old man could ever find him!

At the very moment Miss Hu Jiu was sucked into the purple-gold gourd, far away in Cloud City, Yuan Man sensed it, opened her eyes, and blurted, "A Divine Artifact?!"

Though it was only a binding and didn’t cause direct harm, the Stone Brocade Peach planted on the little fox was still triggered. However, before it could sprout and bear fruit to protect its host, it was suppressed by the Divine Artifact purple-gold gourd. Yuan Man sensed this through the mother tree and instantly grew anxious.

No matter how powerful it was, Stone Brocade Peach was just a mere Spirit Plant; how could it possibly stand up to a Divine Artifact?

She immediately sent a message to Hu Zhile and Hou Ze to ask what was going on and set a rendezvous with them on Trapped Snake Island.

Upon hearing that Miss Hu Jiu had gone missing, almost all the members of the little courtyard gathered.

"It’s all my fault. I promised I wouldn’t let her be alone. I thought that with Yi Dali by Miss Hu Jiu’s side, nothing big would happen, so I let my guard down!" Hou Ze berated himself in frustration, and the Golden-haired Little Monkey crouched on his shoulder with its head drooping as well;

Yi Dali was so anxious he kept rubbing his hands. "This is on me. A shipment happened to arrive from Sand Hill City, and I rushed off to tally and transport it, so I just left Miss Hu Jiu alone at the shop entrance..."

Before he could finish, Hu Zhile immediately caught the key point. "You’re saying that when my little sister vanished, she was right at the shop entrance?"

"Yeah. When I left, she was sitting here flipping through a booklet. When she heard a shipment from Sand Hill City had arrived, Miss Hu Jiu even reminded me to have them bring back the rare items from the sea she’d picked out for City Lord Ming.

It was only a dozen breaths or so later that I realized she was alone, so I thought I’d come back and call her over to inspect the goods with me. But she was already gone. I thought she’d gone into the firm and was just looking for her when you all showed up."

"To snatch someone away without a sound in such a short span of time—since City Lord Yuan sensed it was a Divine Artifact, it should be somewhat similar to the Seven-Layered Exquisite Pagoda." Bai Yunqi looked at Hou Ze. "Have you heard of anything like that appearing on Trapped Snake Island?"

Ling Di wagged his tail, looking around here and there, then lowered his head to sniff about. "Divine Artifacts aren’t ordinary. Even a very brief use should leave some trace. I’ll sniff around nearby and see if I can find a clue."

"Should we inform sir about this?" Yun Mo, unable to help in other ways, quietly suggested.

Qing Niao snorted. "If my brother has to personally handle every single matter, what are we even here for? Besides, even if we call him over, we still need clues to work with. Let’s find some first. Miss Hu, you send your little sister more messages and see if she can reply."

"I’m going to find the workshop chief!" The more Hou Ze thought about it, the angrier he got, and he strode off. "A living, breathing person snatched off Trapped Snake Island just like that—shouldn’t the Demon Realm Alliance管管? We’ve never missed a single payment we owe them; they’d better give us an explanation!"