Chapter 48
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Chapter 48: Reality Check
What’s happening? Why is she suddenly performing such a deep bow?
Moreover, Dunn and Zhu Di remain unaffected, as if this gesture were perfectly normal to them.
Chaoyang glanced sidelong at Zhu Di, who subtly averted her gaze.
Why does she look uneasy?!
Wait, Chaoyang’s heart jolted, and he silently activated Spiritual eye’s Vision, focusing again on Jeanne.
A striking white light was gently emanating from Jeanne’s body!
This is… Wish Power!
However, upon closer inspection, it differed from the unclaimed Wish Power he had encountered before—those typically exhibited a pale gray-white hue, whereas this new white light leaned towards a rich milky shade, clear and substantial. Its boundaries were no longer diffuse like smoke but distinctly defined, indicating that this wish was no longer aimlessly directed…
It belongs to targeted Wish Power!
Jeanne is directing her prayer towards him!
This revelation left Chaoyang momentarily stunned. To outsiders, he was merely an obscure middle-aged detective, and even if slightly capable, his abilities should not exceed those of an average person. It seemed unlikely that anyone would place such unwavering trust in him.
Of course, this wasn’t the first peculiar occurrence since arriving in this world. For instance, under the Spiritual eye’s Vision, the thin threads of Wish Power above Dunn and Zhu Di continued intermittently providing him with wish points—approximately 3-4 points per day—despite the absence of any existing contracts between them.
Well, if there’s Wish Power to be gained, there’s no reason for Chaoyang to refuse. Although Jeanne’s offering wasn’t substantial, considering its unique form, Chaoyang decided Zhang Zhiyuan might have to endure some “temporary inconvenience.”
“The person you mentioned is no longer around.”
Jeanne paused, “No longer means…”
“Exactly as you’re thinking.” Chaoyang feigned a sorrowful sigh, then, without waiting for her reaction, added, “However, Zhang Zhiyuan has a brother named Zhang Qiang. He also received medical teachings from the same friend.”
“Q… Qiang?”
“Zhang Qiang,” Chaoyang corrected the nun’s pronunciation. “If Zhang Zhiyuan could assist you, I believe Zhang Qiang can as well.”
“Please let me meet him!” Jeanne said, without hesitation.
“Hmm, I’ll contact him. However, before that, we need to sign a contract.”
After mentally drafting the contract terms, Chaoyang transformed them into a scroll and presented it to the nun.
The contract would be considered fulfilled once Jeanne meets “Zhang Qiang” and receives the teachings of medical truths.
“No problem.” After carefully reviewing the contract, she placed her fingerprint seal on it.
“Very well, the contract is now established.” Chaoyang didn’t wish to delay further; after all, obtaining a fresh body sooner would allow him to expand the scale of Paradise games more quickly. He stood up, bidding farewell to the trio. “Until the next round… no, until I reach out to the person, let’s reconvene here again.”
***
After Chaoyang left, Zhu Di patted the nun’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Lord Chao will never disappoint you. Whatever he promises, he invariably delivers in the end.”
“Even if he is willing to help, it ultimately depends on whether that person’s friend is willing to speak about it,” Jeanne said, shaking her head. “You don’t realize how crucial these medical secrets are—I’ve never heard anywhere else about boiling water as a method to suppress curses, indicating it isn’t widely known.”
“It may be valuable for substantial monetary gain, but that’s not what paradise needs. I believe those who willingly follow Lord Chao are driven by their vision of Paradise within their hearts.”
“You… trust him that much?”
Zhu Di nodded firmly. “Because we have witnessed it firsthand.”
She had personally seen a group risk everything to rescue a stranger, engaging directly with the Northern City Police Department, unyielding even when outnumbered and trapped amidst flames. She had witnessed them launch a surprise attack on Wangshui Manor for the sake of their perceived justice, undeterred despite being heavily surrounded by Kui Qi’s guards.
They possessed not only courage but also formidable capabilities.
With such a group, the Lord of Paradise’s radiance would eventually reach every individual’s heart.
“Then I look forward to it.”
“Don’t forget our agreement either,” Zhu Di said with a smile.
“Yes… if he truly can fulfill our deepest desires, just as you say, then I too am willing to believe in his Lord,” Jeanne stated.
***
In Jiangcheng, at Yuebai Hotel.
With a soft ding, the elevator stopped at the 22nd floor.
As Zhang Zhiyuan stepped out of the elevator, he heard the melodious sound of a violin. Following the music through the corridor, he arrived at an elegantly decorated restaurant. The server at the entrance gestured to stop him and whispered apologetically, “I’m sorry, sir, this is a private club requiring an invitation for entry.”
“I’m Zhou Zhi’s friend,” he replied impatiently.
The server hastily checked the guest list and said, “Ah, Mr. Zhou’s friend, please come in.” With that, they pushed open the glass door, gesturing him inside.
Zhang Zhiyuan, without acknowledging the server, strode confidently into the restaurant. He knew that only influential figures from Jiangcheng frequented this place, with reservations made privately in advance. Thus, by mentioning a few regular patrons’ names, he could typically avoid any hindrance.
There weren’t many people in the main hall, which led directly to semi-private booths resembling private rooms. Zhang Zhiyuan quickly located his target in one such booth.
Inside, seven or eight individuals had gathered, mostly young and attractive women. Numerous opened bottles of wine sat on the table as they chatted boisterously while drinking, creating a lively atmosphere.
Zhang Zhiyuan walked straight up to the booth and clapped loudly by the table.
His sudden intrusion caught everyone off guard.
At this moment, Zhang Zhiyuan’s attire stood out among the young people inside the room—he wore a burgundy suit with pointed leather boots and large sunglasses on his nose, resembling a typical loan shark collector.
The host of the party, Zhou Zhi, frowned immediately upon seeing him. “Hey, who the f**k are you?”
Noticing Zhou Zhi didn’t recognize the man, two other men reacted swiftly; one jumped off the sofa to stand before Zhang Zhiyuan aggressively, while another raised his voice menacingly, “What, are you deaf? We’re asking you!”
Zhang Zhiyuan calmly removed his sunglasses, mimicked holding a gun toward Zhou Zhi, and said, “You should keep your aim steadier instead of lifting it too high after every shot.”
“Are you insane? What kind of bullshit is that?”
“Drag him out—”
“Shut up, all of you!” Zhou Zhi widened his eyes and abruptly stood up. “Bro… Zhang?”
“You mentioned wanting to meet up sometime when we had free time, so I came down to Jiangcheng to visit,” Zhang Zhiyuan said with a smile.
“Holy shit, I can’t believe you actually showed up! Ha ha ha…” He quickly pushed through the crowd, walked over, and put an arm around Zhang Zhiyuan’s shoulder. “Everyone, let me introduce my friend, Brother Zhang!”
Everyone exchanged glances momentarily.
Unbothered by their reactions, Zhou Zhi pulled Zhang Zhiyuan back onto the couch, and said, “Brother, anything you want tonight, just name it—I’m treating everyone!”
“Really?” Zhang Zhiyuan grinned widely. “Then don’t mind if I do.”
***
Four hours later.
In a state of drunkenness, they returned to the VIP suite. Zhou Zhi flopped onto the sofa, feeling content as he exclaimed, “Honestly, I haven’t been this happy in ages.”
“Really? It seemed like you had quite a few friends…” Zhang Zhiyuan kicked off his shoes and leaned back on the couch. “Just look at earlier, it was practically like stars circling around the moon.”
“Hah, those guys don’t count. You know very well what draws them here,” Zhou Zhi said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Unfortunately, they’ll never discover that places like Paradise exist in this world. Old brother, do you know… ever since returning, I’ve wanted every day to discuss Paradise with someone, almost driven to madness by it. But I ended up not uttering a single word about it. Can you guess why?”
“No one would believe you unless they experienced it themselves.”
“That’s right, no one would believe me!” Suddenly, Zhou Zhi sat upright, leaning forward to gaze intently at Zhang Zhiyuan, a peculiar emotion flickering in his eyes. “I knew you’d understand, because you’ve also seen Paradise—old brother, I have this strange feeling that Paradise divides people into two categories: those who have been there and those who haven’t. People like us… are no longer the same species as those frogs trapped at the bottom of the well!”
