Damn it! Let’s smash the darkness together!
Chapter 184 - 16: The Death of Gu Pan (First update, 5K words, please subscribe)

Chapter 184: Chapter 16: The Death of Gu Pan (First update, 5K words, please subscribe)

New Calendar Year 18, November 20th in the afternoon.

Outside the Gu Family Sword Master Hall, two people were waiting.

Dressed in a tight-fitting white shirt and black silk hip-hugging skirt, Gu Yue Ming talked incessantly:

"Panpan, have you really made up your mind? Your inheritance from the Sword Tomb is of superior quality, and only if you pour all the inheritance resources you can get into it, is there a chance you can fetch a Blue Quality talisman."

"But the Promotion Drive you re-applied for has already cost a lot, and now you’ve withdrawn over two million in advance; your inheritance is basically already spent, and Auntie has limited abilities. Despite her utmost efforts, she’s only secured you a green talisman of class A medium rank. It’s still not too late to change your mind, if you convert all this money into..."

"Ah, tell me honestly, who is this money for? Can’t you ask them to wait a bit more?

"Mom Yue Ming..."

Gu Pan, who had been silent, lifted her head and interrupted the elder who had raised her, saying, "I’ve made up my mind, please say no more."

"You..."

Gu Yue Ming looked at her strong-willed niece and sighed, "Alright, fine."

Seeing the atmosphere was too stifling, she attempted to lighten the mood:

"Oh, the enrollment certificate you asked for, the Supervision Bureau has already stamped it, it just lacks the student’s seal. What’s his name? Is he your sweetheart? When will you introduce him to Mom? I’ll give you some advice, see how far your relationship with the opposite sex has developed?"

In her hands, she held a few brochures like formal contracts, "Promotion Network Grantee Supplemental Agreement: Enrollment Certificate."

The document was almost twenty pages long, with seven copies in total, five of which were from various departments of the Supervision Bureau, and the other two were for the teacher and the student.

The document listed many things, but most of those were just for appearance.

The real authority came from the stamps of the Astronomy Association; only with them would the officials recognize it.

Hearing her rhetorical question, Gu Pan hesitated for a moment, a tall, reliable, yet somewhat detestable figure flashed through her mind.

Thinking of yesterday on the Wasteland, as if it were right in front of her...

Gu Pan closed her eyes and couldn’t help wrinkling her nose, she said solemnly, "She’s a woman."

"Is that so? I can tell you’re lying; you’ve always been like this, your eyes dart around when you lie."

"!!!" Gu Pan took a deep breath, seeing she was seen through, she responded, "What if it’s a man? We are close friends who’ve shared life and death, we all have the same goal, there’s no romantic love between us.

"For him, no matter the difficulties, his sole desire is to become stronger; for me, I also dedicate my life to the glory of our ancestors. Please, never bring up those words you said earlier."

Gu Yue Ming playfully blinked, "Oh, oh, oh, so it seems like the purest relationship between a man and a woman?"

Gu Pan nodded emphatically, "Exactly! How could I speak frivolously in front of our ancestors?"

"Giggle," Gu Yue Ming chuckled, covering her mouth with her hands, her eyes brimming with amusement, pondering something.

At that moment.

The doors of the Sword Master Hall creaked open.

Family Head Gu Shi Qian, accompanied by several elders, stepped out.

It wasn’t long before the Great Elder, Gu Shiyong, with an expressionless face, announced almost as if he were decreeing a decree,

"New Sword Master Gu Pan, blessed by generations of ancestors, received a Superior inheritance from the Sword Tomb, and after deliberation by the Family Elders Council, it was ultimately decided to grant a Superior talisman! To carry on the ancestral heritage."

The Great Elder, Gu Shiyong, glanced at the Family Head, and after seeing his nod, he handed over a strange talisman sparkling with Blue Court Jade Warmth to Gu Pan.

"Ah? It’s actually a Blue Quality talisman." Gu Yue Ming was surprised and looked at the Great Elder thoughtfully, without interrupting.

The item was the size of a palm, made of neither metal nor wood, resembling a gem, heavy and serene like water, with mysterious glyphs moving around its exterior.

And inside was crystal clear, yet blank, giving a sense that something was missing from within, that needed filling to be perfected.

The flowing inscriptions on it were barely visible, reading "Heavenly Official blessing, disaster star receives talisman!"

This item was one of the highest secrets kept by the Astronomy Association, known as "talisman."

A talisman can be seen as a semi-finished product of a Curse Seal, one of the main materials in making a Curse Seal.

Though just semi-finished, for outsiders, the difficulty of obtaining this semi-finished item was even greater than acquiring the finished product; the Astronomy Association controlled it more strictly, rarely allowing it to leak.

Ordinary people couldn’t get their hands on it.

In the entire DB83 area, those who could obtain a talisman were rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

The Gu Family, being one of the leaders of the Hunter Three Association and having a special relationship with the ruins [Sword Tomb], received special favor from the Astronomy Association, which is why they could acquire this item.

The Gu Family had requested this, using many connections to arrange it.

Because the items inherited from their Sword Tomb had special effects.

And other unrelated passers-by?

Want a talisman?

Haha, joking, it’s absolutely impossible.

Unless they pay more!

"Thanks to the ancestors, thanks to the Family Head!"

Gu Pan bowed to the ancestors’ plaques and then took the items, feeling slightly excited in her heart.

Next, she was to enter the Sword Master Hall to select a cultivation chamber to begin containing her First-tier Curse Seal.

She had been prepared for this; the success rate was relatively high, hence, she took a deep breath, bowed to her aunt saying, "Mom Yue Ming, I’m going," and then walked into the Hall under the latter’s hopeful gaze.

Grantees, after several screenings, normally could advance successfully, but it certainly took time, sometimes a few days, sometimes up to a week.