Naming Technique of the Night

Chapter 576 364. The Goddess of the Fire Pit

Qing Chen had impulsively hitched a ride, never expecting to end up connected to Qin Yiyiʼs family.

He was a bit perplexed; why would a group of wild people with ulterior motives suddenly inquire about the Qin family?

At that moment, the seven Wilderness Hunters approached three pickup trucks, two of whom had pale faces and coughed from time to time.

Seated in the car as per his agreement with Sun Chu Ci and others, Qing Chen did not get out.

Yet he saw the seven Wilderness Hunters vaguely arranging themselves into a triangular spearhead formation; if a conflict were to arise, the hunters on both flanks could draw their guns at any moment, bringing all three pickup trucks into their firing range.

”A Qin family Wilderness Hunter?” asked Sun Chu Ci suddenly, he pondered carefully before replying, ”We donʼt really interact with the Wilderness Hunters from city number 18, as we all take different routes, so I havenʼt heard about them. Whatʼs up, why are you asking about them?”

The Wilderness Hunter smiled indifferently, ”Itʼs nothing, just a casual question. Itʼs fine if you donʼt know them.”

Sun Chu Ci felt that something was off. He could tell that the other side was not simply asking casually.

The Wilderness Hunter, noticing his suspicion, explained, ”Thereʼs a rumor in the wilderness that a girl from their family suddenly became a Goddess at the Fire Pit, so I was just asking a bit more.”

Qing Chen was stunned in the car.

He knew that Qin Yiyi had gone to the Southwest Snow Mountain, and he knew that she wanted to gain power from the Fire Pit.

But what he didnʼt know was that the present Qin Yiyi was no longer the little girl who always kept an apple in her bag but had become the Goddess of the Fire Pit.

Qing Chen had heard of the Godʼs Child, but it was his first time hearing about a Goddess.

It seemed that Sun Chu Ci was in the same boat, ”Goddess? Isnʼt there only the Godʼs Child?”

In the Federation, tales of the Fire Pit Godʼs Child were often circulated. It was said that their coming-of-age ritual involved hunting significant figures of the Federation or powerful beasts from the Taboo Land, without which the Godʼs Child was not considered truly mature, nor could they lead a Hunting Team of their own.

Only after completing the coming-of-age ritual could the Godʼs Child hold their own power and followers.

So Qing Chen wondered, would Qin Yiyi have to go through such a ceremony? Probably.

He recalled what Qin Yiyi had told him before, that she was the same age as him, 17 years old.

Her birthday was on June 1st, which meant that in half a yearʼs time, the girl would also have to undertake her own coming-of-age ritual.

At that moment, the Wilderness Hunter, grinning with a mouthful of yellow teeth, laughingly explained, ”Itʼs true that Goddesses are rarer, maybe one appears every hundred years or so, while Godʼs Children might emerge several times in ten years. But these things are uncontrollable, it all depends on the will of the God.”

”God?” Sun Chu Ci asked, puzzled.

”Yes, in the Fire Pit, God knows if someone will become a Godʼs Child or Goddess as clearly as if looking in a mirror,” the Wilderness Hunter explained with a smile, ”Becoming a Godʼs Child or Goddess, one immediately gains power. Many people in the wilds want to go on a pilgrimage to the Fire Pit for that very power. Itʼs said that on the day the Goddess appeared, the flames in the Fire Pit were exceptionally fierce, and the Goddess, having just received the power bestowed by God, far surpassed those Godʼs Children. There are rumors that the Grand Elder even gave his own ceremonial knife to the Goddess, and some say she might become the next Grand Elder.”

Listening to the other partyʼs explanation, Qing Chen suddenly realized that the power of all the Fire Pit people did not come from cultivation, but was ʼbestowedʼ by the ʼGodʼ.

And this ʼGodʼ seemed to have its own consciousness, choosing who would become a Godʼs Child or Goddess.

However, these Wilderness Hunters probably had never been to the Fire Pit, and everything they knew was hearsay.

In fact, that night at the Fire Pit was even more lively than the Wilderness Hunters described.

The grand flames burned for a full four hours, with all the Fire Pit people dancing and singing around the bonfire, and the girl with the golden-brown skin was like the twilight on the verge of midsummer night.

Sitting in the car, Qing Chen understood why the Wilderness Hunters asked Sun Chu Ci if they knew the Qin family.

On one hand, it was because the family of the Fire Pit Goddess was still in the Federation, and if the Federation were to learn of it, they would undoubtedly take control of the Qin family people. Therefore, itʼs likely that the Fire Pit had already sent someone to the Central Plains searching for the Qin family.

On the other hand, the Qin family people were Wilderness Hunters, and so were Sun Chu Ci and his group. If it turned out that they knew each other and got along well, this group of Wilderness Hunters might just take the opportunity to establish a connection with the Qin family.

Being the first to find the Qin family might grant them the chance to enter the Fire Pit.

So, once it was confirmed that Sun Chu Ci and his team did not know the Qin family, they were likely ready to make their move.

But then they heard the Wilderness Hunter say, ”The falcon is in our vehicle. You should send three people with us to retrieve it. By the way, we didnʼt just bring the falcon; we also brought some game we caught. Itʼs really delicious, you can eat it yourselves, or take it back to the city and give it to the officials at the immigration bureau if you like. Consider it a free gift from us for the several times weʼve cooperated.”

Saying this, he turned to head back to his own vehicle.

The Wilderness Hunters were quite amiable, even bringing thoughtful gifts.

However, just as he turned around, Qing Chen suddenly spoke up from the car, ”Why donʼt you bring the falcon here? Itʼs just in a cage, right? Just carry the cage over.”

The Wilderness Hunters turned back in astonishment, looking towards Qing Chen in the car. They asked Sun Chu Ci, ”Whoʼs this young brother? How come we have never seen him before?”

Sun Chu Ci hurriedly explained, ”This is the new member of our Wilderness Hunting Team.”

If Qing Chen were to be considered an outsider, the Wilderness people might demand his execution, so Sun Chu Ci told a lie.

The leading Hunter smiled at Qing Chen, ”Young brother is quite cautious, but weʼve cooperated with your captain more than once or twice, donʼt we have that trust?”

Tuan Zi glanced back at Qing Chen and quickly signaled him not to speak.

However, Sun Chu Ci caught on and went along with Qing Chenʼs cue, ”Brother Zhang, please bring the hawks over here for the trade.”

The leading Wilderness manʼs smile faded, and he squinted slightly, ”What, you donʼt trust us? If thatʼs the case, letʼs not do business together anymore! Our deal was fine before this little brother showed up, how come he gets to call the shots just after arriving? In this Wilderness Hunting Team of yours, who actually makes the decisions?”

The Wilderness manʼs words, designed to sow discord among the team, made even the other young men in Sun Chu Ciʼs team feel something was not right.

This Qing Xiaotu was obviously someone they picked up along the way, so why was he suddenly taking charge?

It seemed that ever since they hadnʼt even stopped the car, Qing Xiaotu had been influencing their decisions?

Some young men looked at Qing Chen with displeasure, wanting him to shut up and not speak. This business deal was crucial for them, and it could not go awry.

Every time Wilderness Hunters went out of the city, they had to pay the immigration bureau. This time, they hadnʼt even managed to earn back the money for the tolls, fuel, vehicle wear and tear, and city rent.

If they went back empty-handed, how would they live?

Previously, everyone could travel between the Inner and Outer Worlds in just seven days, and if they were really starving, they could endure it by just drinking water.

But now, crossing took 30 days. Who could endure that?

If they returned to City No. 10 without money to live on, they might have to sell their guns and cars to survive.

Moreover, they would no longer be able to gather the ʼmembership feeʼ for the immigration bureau, and going out to hunt would be as hard as climbing to heaven.

Qing Chen looked at those young men, but he didnʼt take the impatient looks to heart at all.

At that moment, Sun Chu Ci firmly said, ”Brother Zhang, please bring over the hawks, otherwise letʼs call off the trade.”

Qing Chen nodded to himself, thinking that itʼs no wonder this group of college students could survive in the wilderness – they had such a calm and rational captain.

He wondered which university this Sun Chu Ci was from; such a person would be well-suited to become an asset to the daytime.

Qing Chen was well aware that after arriving in City No. 10, he would have to make a trip to Zheng City in the Outer World sooner or later, as he needed to deal with the Time Traveler of Zheng City.

However, before that, he had to get a clear understanding of the situation with Zheng Cityʼs Time Traveler so he could target his approach effectively.

By now, the faces of the Wilderness people had darkened, and one of them said coldly, ”Weʼll bring the hawks over now, but after this, letʼs not do business anymore. I see how you Wilderness Hunters who canʼt hunt your own prey survive in this Wilderness. Weʼll also tell other Wilderness people that you are not trustworthy Hunters.”

It was too difficult for a group of college students who traversed to the Inner World to learn the hunting skills that people from Qin Cheng had mastered over more than a decade in just two months.

So, after becoming Wilderness Hunters, what Sun Chu Ci and his team did was trade between the Wilderness people and the Federation.

If the Wilderness people stopped trading with them, life would probably become very difficult.

But Sun Chu Ci remained unmoved, ”Please go and get the hawks.”

The seven Wilderness people returned to their vehicle. Seeing they were far enough, Sun Chu Ci suddenly turned to Tuan Zi, ”Give your automatic rifle to Qing Xiaotu.”

Tuan Zi: ”Huh?”

”Trust me, give it to him,” Sun Chu Ci said and then turned to Qing Chen, ”Youʼre not just any ordinary examinee, right? But nowʼs not the time to talk about it, thank you for the heads up, and please help out in a bit.”

Reluctantly, Tuan Zi handed over the automatic rifle to Qing Chen in the car.

But as soon as Qing Chen took it, he noticed something wrong: ”Why are there only five bullets in the magazine?”

Sun Chu Ci froze on the spot. It seemed the young man was even more terrifying than he had imagined, for he had just weighed the gun and already knew how many bullets it contained!

After thinking for a moment, Sun Chu Ci handed over his own weapon, ”Use mine. Theyʼre not very familiar with firearms, and since bullets are so expensive on the black market, their guns donʼt have full magazines; theyʼre afraid of wasting them.”

In the hands of those not skilled with guns, the deterrent was greater than the actual use. Qing Chen understood why Sun Chu Ci acted this way and also understood that this Wilderness Hunting Teamʼs situation might not be as good as it seemed.

The next moment, the Wilderness people, with two cages covered with black cloth, turned and walked back.

Everyoneʼs right hand was pressed on their waist.