Before leaving, Lin Fang stopped by to pick up an item. The man handed him a crystal with a warning. "Kid, this nature lamp may only be silver tier, but its effect is as good as any gold tier item. You have to take good care of it. Absolutely do not let it get contaminated by death energy."
Lin Fang smiled gratefully as he took the item. "Of course. Thank you, senior."
He then found a deserted spot, sneaking around and looking left and right to make sure no one was there. Hiding behind a bush, he thought to himself, So they said the nature lamp can't be polluted by death energy.
He sat down, staring at the levitating crystal as an incredibly bold idea started to form in his mind. For some reason he felt a strange urge to give it a shot.
Without another word he began channelling his dark magic. A stream of purple energy instantly shot forward, coiling around the crystal that glowed with a natural green light. A massive burst of undead energy erupted. A ghostly skull materialised behind Lin Fang, and the nature lamp instantly morphed into a lantern made of bone.
Lin Fang stared in shock at the result. Did this thing just switch from the nature system directly to the undead system?
All of a sudden a blast of green light shot out from the bone lantern. Lin Fang quickly rolled forward, snatching the item out of the air. He stood up, dusted himself off, and sighed in relief. He figured the item must be spiritually aware, allowing him to use nature magic to change it back to its original form. Otherwise he would have had a lot of explaining to do.
At the farm on the city outskirts, inside the greenhouse, a shirtless Lin Fang hoisted the nature lamp, installing it at the highest point. Stepping outside, he admired his handiwork. The massive lamp radiated a brilliant light. Under its glow the vegetable plants shot up, growing to an extraordinary size in just moments.
Lin Fang was completely and utterly stunned. The power of this nature lamp was terrifying. Its very first use had triggered such an insane burst of growth.
As he put his shirt back on, his resolve hardened. There had to be even more powerful items like this at the Extraordinary Academy. It seemed he had to complete the promotion quest for the upper house, and fast.
With his mind made up, Lin Fang set off, his body cloaked in a powerful aura. Just as he departed, one of his undead soldiers noticed the item he had hung up earlier, a spark of curiosity in its eyes. It carefully took the lamp down.
At the same time, Lin Fang arrived at the mission location, the outer ring of an abandoned watchtower. Standing before the dilapidated tower, he confirmed that this was the right place. He scanned the area, noting to himself that this was a search mission with low visibility. It was best to be cautious.
Suddenly he spotted fresh footprints on the ground. Someone had been here, and it was very recently. He crouched down, warily looking around. Who else would be out here?
An instinct told him to look up toward the top of the tower.
Inside, two of Ha Lu's goons were rummaging around. One of them said urgently, "Hurry up. The young master said we have to grab the item before that Lin Fang guy gets here and makes his mission fail."
The other one yelled, "Haha, I found it."
The first guy quickly shushed him. "Keep it down. That Lin Fang guy could show up any second."
The one who found the item just scoffed. "What's there to be afraid of if he shows up? We just use a little fire magic and burn this thing to a crisp."
With that he tossed the book he had found over the railing, muttering smugly, "With the item destroyed, his mission can't be completed."
But the book stopped dead in its free fall, caught by the steady hand of Lin Fang. He looked up at the two idiots on the floor above and smirked. "Oh. So I guess I should be thanking you two."
The two henchmen froze in pure terror. One of them immediately turned on his buddy. "Damn it. This is all your fault."
The other one refused to take the blame, roaring as he shoved his partner. Then they both charged down, intending to attack Lin Fang.
Lin Fang simply raised his hand calmly. From the ground, countless razor-sharp leaves shot up like daggers. They quickly wrapped around the two goons, tying them up and hoisting them upside down in the air.
Lin Fang stood with his arms crossed, his voice ice cold. "I believe you two owe me an explanation." He looked up, a gentle yet threatening smile on his face. "Don't you?"
The scene faded, shifting to the farm at sunset, signalling a long night ahead for the two saboteurs.
After the interrogation, Lin Fang clenched his fist, growling out a single name. "Ha Lu."
He strode down the path, his mind racing. So it was him. At this rate his secret would be exposed. He had to think of a plan.
His face suddenly filled with shock as he took in the scene before him. Something truly unexpected was happening at his farm. The soldier from before was now wearing a helmet, holding a signal flag beneath the nature lamp while directing operations. Under its command, an army of bears and other small creatures was diligently ploughing fields and planting seeds in perfect rhythm.
Lin Fang scratched his head in confusion, wondering what was going on, then burst out laughing as he realised he had a fully automated farming system.
Meanwhile, in Ha Lu's room, a subordinate was bowing his head while giving a report. "Young master, we sent people to the watchtower. We couldn't find the two of them, but their magic signature was there. They're most likely dead."
Slam. Ha Lu furiously smashed his fist into the wall, roaring at his subordinate. "Useless. All of you are useless. You can't handle one simple thing."
He gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot with rage. "And you, Lin Fang."
He took a long drag from his cigarette, his expression absolutely ruthless. "You dare kill my men?"
He turned to the trembling subordinate and barked an order. "Contact the Shadowers. Name the highest price. I want Lin Fang's head."
Lin Fang. It had to be you who killed Du Ta. It had to be.