The Abyssal Garden: No Room for the Idle
Chapter 402 - 261: The Invitation to The Most Evil World!_2

However.

This being said.

Bai Yilin's heart lightened considerably, "I understand, I'll join."

"Then congratulations, you've become an intern member of The Hustlers Sect," Su Qi paused, "Of course, before you officially join, please pay a fee of 2000 Spirit Coins as an initiation fee. Also, don't initiate any matches for now. Let's enter as a team tomorrow."

Bai Yilin: "..."

He now somewhat understood the meaning of paying to work.

And Su Qi still had several messages to deal with.

The first was a message from Old Mo.

"Bad."

"Su, your fight in the dueling ground was recorded by that guy called Silver Hand."

"It has now spread throughout Paradise, and you'll need to be careful in the days ahead."

Su Qi had anticipated this, but it didn't matter to him.

The fight recorded by Silver Hand... was just the initial auto-attacks, the ensuing bursts were not recorded at all.

The messages from others like Left Hand and Sword White Clothes mentioned a place codenamed "The Most Evil World," and it seemed they wanted to make an appointment to team up with him before that.

"What does this mean? I've never heard of The Most Evil World before, but it looks like something has happened, something of great value, leading many players to flock to it."

"And these guys seem to think I won't want to miss it."

Su Qi replied to each message with "The number you have dialed cannot be reached; please try again later," which was quite a polite way to postpone their requests.

Then.

Su Qi also came to understand what this "The Most Evil World" meant.

It was an email message.

[Paradise's Newest S-Rank Event: The Most Evil World Invitation]

[Brief: This is a world that has drawn numerous powers into the fray, called forth by the Abyss. It's also turned into an extremely dangerous place of death due to the Descent of a terrifying entity, yet at the same time, it is quietly presenting massive opportunities.]

[The event will start in two months according to the Present World's timeline, Paradise time will vary, please make all the necessary preparations]

"The Most Evil World, huh? Quite a bold name, and... it's the call of the Abyss," Su Qi muttered: "Looks like something has happened that I'm unaware of."

It had been said before, the passage of time in the Present World and Paradise was different. Everything in the Present World moved quickly; only two or three days might have passed for me.

While there, months may have gone by.

Xu Linqiu seemed to realize that Su Qi was currently at leisure and quickly made a call to contact him.

"Good news."

"How so?"

"Your situation has improved. The Most Evil World has drawn away some of the attention that was originally on you. As long as you don't cause any major incidents, you won't face a situation where, if exposed, everyone comes after you."

"Really? This Most Evil World is that attractive, can you tell me what happened?" Su Qi's curiosity piqued.

"If I say this name, you'll understand," Xu Linqiu exhaled:

"Despicable Person."

-----------------

The next day.

In Paradise's Sequence City.

"Boss! Have you... really decided?" Butterfly sighed softly: "To join The Hustlers, an organization without even a proper name?"

Giant Axe hesitated: "Actually, there are quite a few organizations interested in inviting you, boss."

But Bai Yilin shook his head: "Those organizations... even if I join, I'd just be a puppet and a tool. They won't provide any valuable resources."

The three had been companions on a journey once. Giant Axe and Butterfly belonged to different clubs but were unable to offer help.

"Then..." Butterfly: "What did Su Buxian offer you, boss?"

Bai Yilin paused: "He charged me a fee of two thousand Spirit Coins."

Giant Axe and Butterfly: "????"

"That's a bit too much!"

"What kind of organization is this!"

"He's playing you! Boss!"

"Your choice was too hasty."

Bai Yilin looked at the agitated pair and calmly said: "I may be adept at calculation, but... this time I want to trust my intuition, so don't try to persuade me."

It was his choice.

Even if The Hustlers was just a small group with nothing to its name, he was willing to take on the consequences.

It was nothing more than a new beginning.

At that moment... before the arranged meeting time with Su Buxian, someone pushed open the door and walked into the tavern where they were seated.

"He has arrived." Bai Yilin looked towards the figure, as the person he was waiting for here was approaching.

"Long time no see, Brother Bai." The person greeted with a hint of a smile, "I didn't expect you to refuse my invitation. Have you found another option?"

Butterfly and Giant Axe looked at the emblem in front of the other person, a look of surprise on their faces: "Sequence City..."

Having the emblem of Sequence City meant the other person was from the hub organization, an inside member.

"So, even such a powerful organization has invited you, boss!"

Butterfly's eyes widened as she looked toward Bai Yilin, "And you actually refused!"

The person pulled out a chair and sat down next to Bai Yilin, offering a smile and a greeting to the two.

"Hello there."

Butterfly and Giant Axe trembled slightly, "Hello."

The person's demeanor was that of a superior, and their presence was unfathomably profound; they likely held a very high position within Sequence Hub.

"Here's the thing..." The person ordered a drink and gently laughed, "I really wished he could enter Sequence City. Perhaps you can help persuade your boss."

"This might be the last chance for a rise."

The two were inwardly shaken but did not speak.

The person wasn't addressing them specifically, but more importantly, there seemed to be a tone of condescension in their words.

Bai Yilin spoke softly, "Sorry, I've already joined another organization."

The person narrowed their eyes slightly, "Which one?"

"The Hustlers."

The person paused for a moment, expecting it to be a large organization they had heard of, but a quick search in their mind yielded no results.

"It seems you have given up on yourself."

They nodded slightly and sipped their drink. They had access to a wealth of information; if they hadn't heard of it, it meant the organization wasn't valuable enough to appear in their database.

Bai Yilin did not retort but slowly lifted his cup, "Thank you for the invitation but, unfortunately..."

The other calmly smiled and did not speak another word, but finished their drink, stood up, and lightly said, "Take care."

After the person left the tavern,

Butterfly and Giant Axe finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Boss, who was that person..."

"Sequence City... The person in charge of the First Star Ring," Bai Yilin calmly stated.

"The First Star Ring?"

"Put simply... It's the place where real rising stars are taught various experiences, accompanied by Daoist Guardians. Its members are all composed of the fallen geniuses of the past."

Both were visibly shocked.

"Such is the case... But with your potential, you would never agree to something like that."

"Is that so."

Bai Yilin showed a trace of self-mockery. His pride was no longer what it used to be; it had been worn down. If not for Su Buxian emerging halfway through, he might have truly considered such a path,

Becoming just one of the many participants in a race.

However,

Having already promised to join The Hustlers, even after he searched for information and found that The Hustlers Club was established before the ranking battles, with very few members, no funds, experience, or background...

And the club had not even paid the maintenance fee yet. His two thousand Spirit Coins seemed to just fill the gap,

Returning the status from "In Debt" to "Operational."

To be honest, Bai Yilin felt a bit silent after seeing all this.

As if he had entered a deep pit.

But there was nothing he could do; he would not change a promise made. That was his principle, no matter how low The Hustlers Sect might be, he would give it his all.

[Su Buxian is inviting you to join The Hustlers Club]

After bidding farewell to the two, Bai Yilin confirmed his choice; after all, Su Buxian wanted to hold a Hustlers assembly.

Swoosh!

His body was being teleported into a room... with only a conference table.

"Hi..."

And in the room sat only a young man who greeted him with a smile.

"My name is Xiao Baitong, welcome to The Hustlers Club."

"My name is Bai Yilin..." Bai Yilin nodded calmly, sizing up the other person and the place. He did not know the details about The Hustlers Sect, having just paid off the debt, but noticing the many empty spots, he asked,

"Have the others from The Hustlers Sect not arrived yet?"

Xiao Baitong had a peculiar look, somewhat frozen, "Sorry, didn't Brother Su tell you? As for The Hustlers Sect... apart from Brother Su, there's only me."

"Oh no."

He paused for a moment, "And now with you, that makes two."

Bai Yilin: "???"