Chapter 156: Chapter 156

After hanging the laundry, Loren looked up at the sky outside.

It was already nighttime.

The moon hung high in the starry sky, its clear, bright moonlight bathing the entire Main City.

Faced with such a beautiful scene, Loren sighed.

"Tomorrow, I'll have to wear damp clothes again..."

Returning to the bedroom in the lounge, Loren lay down on the large bed. He didn't take out his portable computer to mess with the Security Bureau, but instead calmly closed his eyes and entered a state of light sleep.

He needed to adjust his condition, staying ready at all times for a battle dangerous enough.

Loren understood the weight of the commission he had accepted. Commissions worth over a million Spirit Stones were rare, especially the kind where payment was made upfront.

Judging from the fact that Marcus Rhine could attract several Legendary Tier Superhumans, the trouble he was in was definitely no small matter.

Even if the little one knew nothing, kidnapping her to threaten her father was a pretty good option.

And the Interstellar Hunter Association happened to be a semi-public place. Anyone who was a Superhuman and had a letter of recommendation could become an Interstellar Hunter.

The Association's attitude towards these Superhumans who joined with ulterior motives was one of tacit approval.

Interstellar Hunters were free. No matter your purpose for joining, the Interstellar Hunter Association welcomed you.

This also resulted in the Interstellar Hunter Association's bases not holding many secrets.

Loren also knew that many factions had already learned that Marcus Rhine's daughter was inside this war castle.

His task was to intercept anyone who tried to sneak into the Interstellar Hunter Association and take the little one away.

Due to the special nature of the Interstellar Hunter Association, no one was willing to openly attack an Association base.

Investigating the situation inside the Interstellar Hunter Association was one thing, but openly attacking an Association base meant you would face true terror.

This was a massive organization whose intelligence capabilities were no weaker than the Security Bureau's, yet whose true strength remained unknown.

Even the Federation at the peak of its power back in the day was unwilling to make an enemy of the entire Interstellar Hunter Association.

Instead, they chose to have that Chief of the Interstellar Hunter Association join the Federation's highest authority—the Federation Council.

No one knew exactly how many powerful individuals existed within the entire Interstellar Hunter Association.

Take Loren's Demigod Tier friend from the Empire, for example. Even such an external powerhouse spent his days frequenting the Interstellar Hunter Association forums.

So what about other external powerhouses? How many more were there? No one could answer that question.

Coupled with the terrifying number of Interstellar Hunters, the fate of any organization tangled up with what was practically an endless swarm of Hunters was self-evident...

Most Superhumans within the Federation possessed a hunter's license.

If a commission to protect the Interstellar Hunter Association were issued, the consequences would be terrifying.

Even someone like Loren wouldn't mind taking on such a low-paying commission. If the Interstellar Hunter Association fell, he'd lose a lot of his fun...

The reason Loren was so vigilant was that, although the Interstellar Hunter Association was special and no one dared attack it openly, there was a small loophole.

Actions like that Chief of the Star Traveler Society sneaking in, causing no destruction, and just quietly taking one person away were permissible.

This was the fundamental reason Marcus Rhine commissioned Loren again.

Leveraging the special nature of the Interstellar Hunter Association could block most of the trouble for the little one staying in the lounge.

Then, leveraging Loren's identity and power—this ruthless individual who took down a Titan-class Mecha, this guy with a 3 billion Federation coin bounty on the black market—could block the rest of the trouble for his daughter.

Not to mention, Loren also had an overly ambiguous relationship with the Security Bureau.

In the eyes of other Superhuman organizations within the Federation, Loren was a dangerous guy who had accepted two commissions from the Security Bureau.

One commission destroyed three major old noble families, and the other commission was to act on behalf of the Security Bureau in judging a star-domain-level councilor.

This level of cooperation was enough to give rise to certain associations.

There were even some rumors on the black market claiming this crazy Interstellar Hunter was also a God's Favored One originating from the Nature Sect.

And from the radical faction of the Nature Sect, which was not common within the Federation.

This was also why Marcus Rhine felt reassured enough to leave after commissioning Loren.

This was an Interstellar Hunter with a not-so-great reputation, a complex stance and identity, yet possessing considerable strength and reliable credibility.

Loren lay with his eyes closed in light sleep, quietly waiting on the bed for uninvited guests.

Beside him, Raven seemed completely engrossed in playing with the portable computer under its claws, but in reality, its spiritual energy was enveloping the two connected lounges.

The man and the raven had long been prepared for battle.

Protecting the little one for half a month was no short amount of time.

Perhaps some would be too afraid of the Interstellar Hunter Association to come. Perhaps some would be too afraid of Loren's complex background and bizarre strength to come.

But one couldn't rule out the possibility that some were just that crazy.

After all, within the Federation, such individuals were far from rare.

Even Loren himself carried that label.

Federal Calendar 7708, October 20th, early morning.

Last night, Lounge 104 was unexpectedly undisturbed.

A seemingly uneventful night had passed.

The door to Loren's lounge was knocked on.

Loren quickly opened his eyes and turned to look at Raven beside him.

Raven, whose spiritual energy enveloped the two lounges, knew the one knocking was the person it and its master were protecting.

"Master, Ayla Morningstar is here to see you."

Hearing this, Loren got straight out of bed, walked to the lounge door, and opened it.

"Big Brother, I'm feeling a bit bored staying here. Can you accompany me to buy a portable computer?"

Ayla Morningstar looked at Loren with an expectant expression.

Loren stared at the little one's somewhat tired face, his brow furrowing.

"You didn't sleep all night?"

"Couldn't sleep..." the little one answered weakly.

"Alright, wait for me a moment." Loren sighed, turned, and walked to the balcony, putting on that still-damp black coat.

Raven also landed on Loren's shoulder at the right moment and proactively entered its possession state.

Due to the complexity of this commission, Raven decided to maintain a combat-ready state with its master most of the time, especially when going out.

Leaving his lounge, Loren took the little one's hand, walked through the corridor, and headed down the stairs towards the castle's first-floor hall.

The marketplace wasn't in the main body of this castle, but in an auxiliary building next to it.

Although the marketplace was within this castle's outer walls, because this ancient castle wasn't very large, the marketplace was built beside the castle and was relatively independent.

To get to the marketplace, one had to leave this main castle and go to the adjacent auxiliary building, which was also part of the Interstellar Hunter Association's base.