Chapter 122: Rejoining the Fatty

"Let me tell you, but you must not tell anyone else. Although the Ugly Puppet's Life Seed substitute doesn't look like much, once you promote to Transcendent, this talent can evolve into a life-saving secret technique. I think when you choose your Bronze-level Life Seed later, you should pick this one. I heard this from a friend of mine in the aristocracy; the information is absolutely reliable!" The fatty lowered his voice specifically as he said this.

Lin Huang, however, was speechless. If he went to the Mist Canyon with the fatty, once he promoted to the Bronze level, the fatty would surely sense it, and then he wouldn't be able to hide his combat strength growth rate.

"Forget it, I'll just have to wait for him to promote first, lure him away, and then I'll stay behind to promote myself..." Lin Huang made up his mind.

"I went through a lot of trouble to get this information, and I'm only telling you this secret because I treat you like a brother. How about it? Am I loyal or what?" the fatty continued to ramble.

"Alright, I'll go with you in a few days. I happen to have some business nearby anyway. Once we get there, I'll help you finish your business first. Once you're done, you can leave first, and I'll come back after I finish my own errands," Lin Huang agreed.

"It's a deal, then. Send me your identity information, and I'll book the ship to Baqi City for next week. We'll meet in Baqi City a day early." The fatty felt that since he was asking Lin Huang for help, he should cover the fare.

"No need. There's only one ship per week, so we won't get mixed up. I'll book it myself. Even if it weren't for your business, I would be heading that way in a few days anyway," Lin Huang declined the fatty's offer.

"Then I'll treat you to a meal when we get there." The fatty still felt a bit bad.

"Sure, see you next week." Lin Huang hung up the call quickly. If he kept talking, who knows how much longer that chatterbox would keep him on the line.

"Brother, who was that fat guy just now?" Lin Xin came downstairs to pick up a delivery, saw Lin Huang on a video call, and poked her head into his room.

"A friend. He invited me to go to the Mist Canyon next week." Lin Huang had been planning to tell her anyway, so he stood up and walked toward her.

"Is it very far?" Lin Xin found the name unfamiliar.

"It will take about twenty days for the round trip," Lin Huang said as he stood in front of her, nodding. "He needs to promote to Bronze level and wants me to help him out. I happen to have some business there too."

"Oh..." Lin Xin looked a little disappointed.

"I'll transfer you some living expenses. I probably won't be back until the end of September. Don't worry about saving money; buy what you need and spend what you must." Lin Huang transferred one million credits to Lin Xin immediately.

"One million?!" Lin Xin was shocked by the transfer. "That's too much!"

"It's not much. I'm a Hunter now; a single Black Iron-level monster carcass can sell for tens of thousands, and a Bronze-level one can fetch hundreds of thousands. A quick trip to the wild, and I can earn a million in minutes." As a Hunter, Lin Huang no longer thought in terms of credits, but in Life Crystals. One million credits was only worth about ten years' worth of Life Crystals.

"Is being a Hunter that profitable?!" Although Lin Xin knew being a Hunter was a lucrative profession, she hadn't had a clear concept of it. Hearing Lin Huang say this, she finally understood why Hunters were so wealthy. "I want to be a Hunter when I grow up!"

"What kind of Hunter? You just focus on your studies. Once you get into a higher academy and graduate, you'll definitely do better than I am now." Lin Huang reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Oh." Lin Xin could hear the expectation in his voice. She suddenly remembered something. "I'm going back to my room to practice shooting!"

"Go ahead. Make sure to rest when you're supposed to. Work-life balance is the key to higher efficiency," Lin Huang reminded her.

"Got it!" Lin Xin shouted back, already thumping her way up the stairs.

Three days passed quickly. Lin Xin's summer vacation ended, and she officially became a member of the graduation class at the Reserve Hunter Academy.

Lin Huang followed the plan and set off for Baqi City the day before the ship was scheduled to depart.

He booked a hotel near the central plaza and finished checking in before calling Yin Hangyi's number. "I've arrived. Where are you?"

"I got here yesterday!" the fatty's voice sounded lazy. "I just finished a nap and was about to call you to see when you'd arrive. Come to my hotel; I booked a suite and there's an extra room."

"I've already booked a hotel and just finished checking in." Lin Huang declined the offer. He didn't want to share a room with that chatterbox; he'd be talked to death.

"So fast? Which hotel are you staying at?" the fatty asked.

"I'm at the Yunman Hotel. How about you?" Lin Huang had stayed there before.

"Hey, what a coincidence! I'm at the Yunman Hotel too!" the fatty shouted.

"It's not a coincidence. There are only three hotels near the central plaza that Hunters frequent. It's not strange for us to be at the same one," Lin Huang replied, unfazed.

"What floor are you on?" the fatty asked.

"Seventeenth floor. What do you want?"

"To visit, of course! I'm on the 29th floor. Wait for me, I'm taking the lift down now!" The fatty hung up, then asked, "What's your room number?"

"1721..." Lin Huang knew that with the fatty's personality, if he didn't give the number, the guy would definitely knock on every door.

After hanging up, it wasn't long before the doorbell rang.

As soon as he entered, the fatty tried to give Lin Huang a bear hug, but Lin Huang dodged it.

"Nice footwork," the fatty noted, then realized he couldn't perceive Lin Huang's aura intensity. "What is your current combat strength?"

"Black Iron, tier two," Lin Huang lied.

"So fast?!" The fatty had assumed Lin Huang had just broken through to the Black Iron level and would need more time to reach tier two.

"Good talent, nothing I can do about it," Lin Huang bragged.

"What Life Power are you cultivating?" the fatty asked curiously.

"The Soldier's Tactics." Lin Huang felt there was nothing to hide there.

"The Soldier's Tactics is very expensive. Didn't you say you were poor?" The fatty remembered Lin Huang couldn't even afford a portable tent before.

"A reward from the Union Government after the last beast tide. Didn't cost a cent," Lin Huang explained with a smile.

"Wow, what a deal!" The fatty thought for a moment and shook his head. "But the Soldier's Tactics is useless for me. My talent is average; practicing it is far less effective than other high-grade Life Powers. You're different. With your talent, if you reach the sixth level, it'll be comparable to a top-tier Life Power."

"That's exactly why I chose it—because of its high potential," Lin Huang agreed, not about to tell the fatty he had already reached the eighth level.

The two chatted for a while before the fatty stood up to leave. "I'm heading back to my room. I'll come down after five, and we'll have dinner. My treat!"

After seeing the fatty off, it was already past two in the afternoon. Lin Huang watched the news for a bit and browsed through monster information for the Mist Canyon. Soon, it was after five, and the fatty came down to call him for dinner.

"What do you want to eat? Fatty is paying today!" the fatty said generously.

"Anything is fine, as long as it's good," Lin Huang said, having low requirements.

"Since you don't care about the class of the restaurant, I'll take you to that one," the fatty gestured. "Follow me!"

After walking for ten minutes, they arrived at a hotel called "Ke Lai." Lin Huang had heard of this chain; it was quite large, with its headquarters in Baqi City.

Lin Huang followed the fatty inside and noticed the staff seemed to recognize him, treating him with great respect. He realized the fatty was a regular.

They entered a luxury private room, and Lin Huang drank tea while the fatty ordered.

After sitting for a while, Lin Huang stood up. "I'm going to the restroom."

On the way, he saw a man in a chef's uniform coming out of the restroom. The man was chubby and looked seventy or eighty percent like the fatty, though taller and broader, likely in his forties. Lin Huang was surprised.

When he returned, he couldn't help but ask, "Fatty, is the chef here a relative of yours?"

"Why do you ask?" the fatty looked up.

Lin Huang recounted seeing the middle-aged chef.

"You saw my dad? I thought he wasn't here today. Looks like you're in for a treat!" the fatty said proudly.

"That chef is your father?" Lin Huang hadn't expected the fatty's background to be like this.

"My dad is a chef, and also the owner of this hotel," the fatty explained.

"I see." Lin Huang had been slightly puzzled, as even a high-paid chef couldn't easily afford to support the fatty's promotion to Black Iron level. But as the owner of a hotel chain, it made sense.

"Wait here, I'll go to the kitchen and have my dad cook a few signature dishes. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!" The fatty appreciated his father's culinary skills.

Lin Huang had tasted the fatty's cooking before and it was quite good, likely learned from his father. He was looking forward to tasting the real deal.

The fatty left and returned about ten minutes later, smiling at Lin Huang. "My dad had business in Baqi City today, and he stopped by to check on the store. He saw it was busy and put on his uniform to help out. I didn't expect you to run into him."

"Even though this is my dad's place, I have to pay when I eat here, full price, no discounts. That's his rule. But today, since he heard you were coming, he waived the bill."

Lin Huang felt a bit embarrassed. "That doesn't seem right, breaking the rules..."

"It didn't break the rules. He said it was waived, but he actually paid the full price himself. I know his character," the fatty explained.

They sat for a while longer until the food was served. The portions were small—three dishes and a soup—simple and home-style.

But Lin Huang could see the care put into them.

Even the chatterbox fatty went quiet.

They ate slowly, and every bite was memorable. Lin Huang had only tasted such food when he lived in Anding.

The fatty's father was just an ordinary person, yet his dedication to his craft was truly admirable.

After the meal, the father did not appear again, but it didn't matter. The food had already conveyed his message.

Lin Huang understood: this was a banquet of gratitude for taking care of his son.

"Don't worry, I'll bring the fatty back safely," Lin Huang murmured, a faint smile on his lips.