Chapter 202: The Charlatan

"Hmm, you're right to trust this adepti. Your chance to change your destiny comes only once. Tell me, what would you like me to divine for you?"

The middle-aged man, stroking his beard with a self-satisfied expression, asked the young man wearing the headband.

"Okay, okay! If possible, could the great lord half-adepti tell me how I can become wealthy?" The young man nodded eagerly, his excitement palpable.

The rest of the onlookers, including Paimon, watched with great curiosity, waiting to see what the self-proclaimed Half-Adepti would say.

"It's a simple matter." The middle-aged man with the square hat nodded, indicating no problem. He then began to scrutinize the young man with the headband.

After about ten seconds, he smiled and said, "Using the art of 'face reading,' I have already observed your destiny and discovered where your opportunity lies."

"Please speak, Lord Half Adeptus!"

The young man's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Alright, I won't keep you in suspense," the self-proclaimed half-adepti began thoughtfully. "As everyone knows, our Lord Emperor is not only the Geo Archon but also holds titles such as the Warrior God and the God of History, etc. One of his titles is the God of Wealth.

"As the God of Wealth, he naturally possesses the art of treasure hunting. Although your opportunity would not have manifested in your fate, this Half Adeptus, as a true disciple of the Lord Emperor, has decided to use his treasure-hunting art to reveal your fortune!"

"Please do!" The young man nodded fervently.

The self-proclaimed adepti rummaged through his stall and pulled out a yellowed piece of paper. He then began to draw what looked like a talisman, each stroke precise and solemn, creating an air of authenticity.

It didn't take long.

A talisman with black characters on a yellow background was completed. He flicked it directly towards the young man.

As it struck the young man, the talisman suddenly burst into flames on its own in mid-air with a "whoosh," burning out completely, leaving a few ashes that fell precisely onto the young man.

"This, this, this is the Void Ignition Talisman! It's the legendary technique of the Adeptis!" exclaimed a chubby man excitedly, standing a few seats to the right of Nolan and the others.

"What? This is the technique of the Adeptis!"

The crowd buzzed with excitement. The use of talismans seemed to align perfectly with their imaginations of an adeptus practitioner's methods.

"Ah, I can feel it! I'm going to make a fortune! Haha, I'm going to be rich!"

The young man, upon the talisman's ashes landing on him, suddenly appeared to have an epiphany and began to dance around in joy.

Not long after, the young man calmed down, took a deep breath, and said to the self-proclaimed adepti:

"Thank you so much, Lord Half Adeptus. Just now, I had a vision in my mind of a treasure worth at least ten million Mora. Is this my opportunity? It's unbelievable!"

"That's right. Opportunity waits for no one. Go quickly and retrieve it. Let everyone see that this adepti is not a fraud," the middle-aged man said with a relaxed wave of his hand.

"Alright, alright. By the way, how much do I owe you for this fortune-telling, Lord Half Adeptus?" The young man, seemingly not overwhelmed by the thought of a treasure worth millions, appeared genuinely grateful.

"Mora is but a mundane item of little use to an immortal like me. However, to maintain the spirit of gratitude among people, I will symbolically charge a fee of one hundred thousand Mora," the middle-aged man said, one hand tucked behind his gray robe and the other stroking his beard.

"What? You help me find a treasure worth ten million and only charge one hundred thousand? That's incredibly generous!" the young man exclaimed in surprise.

He then cheerfully handed over a bag of Mora to the self-proclaimed adepti and rushed off, seemingly eager to find his fortune.

"Wow, could they be any more awkward?" Nolan muttered.

Admiring their audacity to scam under the name of the Geo Archon, Nolan also acknowledged their courage. If the Archon ever found out, they'd surely taste the wrath of "Planet Befall."

However, perhaps it was this very audacity that made people, especially the elderly, believe in them.

"Could he really be an adepti? And how did he use those talismans?" Paimon exclaimed in surprise.

"I didn't sense any elemental energy fluctuation. It was probably done with gunpowder or something similar, maybe like the principle behind fire-quenching arrows," Lumine said, arms crossed under her chest, a thoughtful expression on her fair face.

Though she couldn't quite figure out the exact mechanism.

""Alright, who's next to seek guidance from this Great Half Adeptus? To preserve the sanctity of the techniques bestowed upon me by the Lord Emperor, there are limited slots per day. If you want your fortune told, hurry up while there's still time!"

The middle-aged man with the gray hat scanned the growing crowd. "Who wants to be next?" he asked.

"Me! Great Adeptus, let me go first!" The round-faced man with a big belly stepped forward eagerly. "I want to know where my fortune lies!"

"This is not difficult," the middle-aged man replied, repeating the same steps as before. The round-faced man ran off excitedly, convinced of his fortune. With two examples now, the remaining onlookers seemed more intrigued but still hesitant.

Many of them, being older, had few desires left, and the fee of 100,000 Mora was a significant amount for them.

Then, a richly dressed and handsome young boy suddenly spoke up, "Lord Half Adeptus, I want to learn your adepti techniques, and I'm willing to pay any amount of Mora!"

'Heh heh, finally, someone falls for it,' the middle-aged man thought as he looked at the boy, feeling relieved.

Yes, the previous two were his accomplices. All the divination and adepti techniques were fake.

If anyone else wanted to try, the price of a hundred thousand Mora was enough to deter them. All these efforts were specifically aimed at this young boy.

Zhao Bing, the son of the leader of the "Five Blade Gate"!

He had never been interested in martial arts since childhood but loved cultivating immortality. But where could a mortal learn the art of immortality?

The leader of the "Five Blade Gate," Zhao Kuo, doted on his son greatly and publicly sought methods of cultivating immortality, promising rich rewards!

This caused a stir among many martial artists, creating a craze for seeking immortality in Liyue.

As for why the "Five Blade Gate" had such great influence?

Of course, it was because they operated transport in Stone Gate, a vital transportation hub between the two nations, making them the most prosperous private transport service provider.

According to estimates by the informed, the "Five Blades Gate" controlled at least ten percent of the transport market in Stone Gate.

There was even a trend of expanding outward.

This meant they were very, very wealthy. Promising a rich reward was certainly not an empty promise, but finding the art of immortality was not easy, and months had passed without any progress.

During these days, Qiu Shicai and his two companions had been searching in the deep forests for the art of immortality. Apart from finding nothing, they had no income.

It was a complete waste of several months!

How could they endure this? They found the "Five Blades Gate" and demanded payment for the months they had spent searching for the art of immortality, not asking for much, just three million Mora.

But obviously, the "Five Blades Gate" refused.

(End of Chapter)

// Note: Villains are not born—they are made.

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