Star Odyssey

Chapter 3147: Negotiations

Lu Yin envied the connection between the siblings. “You two have such a great relationship.”

Jiang Qingyue continued to glare at Jiang Chen, who shamelessly mentioned, “If you become my brother-in-law, our relationship will improve even more.”

“Jiang Chen, if you want to die, just tell me.” Jiang Qingyue was genuinely angry.

Jiang Chen quickly apologized, and then he signaled to Lu Yin with his eyes.

Lu Yin had no desire to antagonize Jiang Qingyue anymore, so he quickly changed the topic. “I managed to survive because I met someone, and they sent me somewhere.

“That person was the Origin Progenitor, and he sent me to the Mirari Realm.”

Lu Yin had no desire to hide anything from Jiang Qingyue or Jiang Chen, and he had been similarly open and honest with Arch-Elder Zen and a few others. Aeternus already knew that the Origin Progenitor was alive and in the Immemorial Citadel, and they were also aware of the Mirari Realm’s existence. However, the Aeternals had not entered the Mirari Realm, though for their own reasons. This was likely similar to why the Origin Progenitor had not sent many humans to the Mirari Realm.

This information was not secret to everyone, and Lu Yin was also not concerned if it was leaked. He preferred to share his experiences with Jiang Qingyue and Jiang Chen.

The siblings were shocked. “The Origin Progenitor? Your Origin Universe’s Origin Progenitor?”

Lu Yin nodded, much to their shock. It appeared that they had never heard of the Mirari Realm before. “That’s right, the Origin Progenitor.”

“He’s still alive?” Jiang Chen was astonished.

Jiang Qingyue sternly reprimanded, "Don’t be rude!"

Jiang Chen quickly apologized, "I’m sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just..."

Lu Yin smiled. "It's fine. If it weren't for this recent incident, I wouldn't have known that the Origin Progenitor was still alive either. Now we know."

"The Origin Progenitor saved you? No wonder you’re still alive. Aside from him, I don’t think anyone else could have kept you alive," Jiang Qingyue said. The Origin Progenitor was a peerless powerhouse in everyone's mind, and he was an existence who was shrouded in mystery and greatly revered. Many people believed that the Origin Progenitor was superior to even True God.

People did not question why the Origin Progenitor had disappeared or if he was dead, but they automatically believed that, if he reappeared, he would be able to instantly eliminate the threat of the Aeternals.

This was a belief among humans, and it was even held by people outside of the Origin Universe, such as Jiang Qingyue and Jiang Chen.

"So, what exactly is this Mirari Realm?" Jiang Chen asked, curious.

Lu Yin replied, "It's hard to explain, but you can think of it as a place where time stands still."

"A place like that exists? Can we go there?" Jiang Chen's eyes lit up.

Lu Yin shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I wish I could return myself, but I can't. Not unless I meet the Origin Progenitor again."

"Where is the Origin Progenitor?" Jiang Chen pressed.

Jiang Qingyue quickly interrupted, "Don’t ask that!"

Jiang Chen realized that he had overstepped and let out an awkward laugh. Up to this moment, no one in the Sixverse Association had held any knowledge of the Origin Progenitor's survival, which meant that his whereabouts was a closely guarded secret.

However, Lu Yin did not hesitate to answer. "He’s at the Immemorial Citadel."

Jiang Chen and Jiang Qingyue exchanged glances, moved by Lu Yin's openness with them. They appreciated the information, even if it was not a huge surprise. If the Origin Progenitor was alive and hidden somewhere, then the Immemorial Citadel made the most sense.

They were deeply curious about the Origin Progenitor, the Mirari Realm, and the sudden increase in Lu Yin's strength, but they also knew not to press for too much information.

"Let's get back on topic. Why do you need my father to kick up a fuss in the First Scourge again? At least tell us the reason so that we can pass it along to him," Jiang Qingyue asked, refocusing on the task at hand.

Lu Yin's expression turned serious. "I can't disclose the details right now. This isn’t a matter of trust. Rather, there are times when revealing plans can cause them to fail. Fate plays a hand in the grand scheme of things, and there are people from this Origin Universe who can manipulate destiny. The Aeternals might have their own experts with the same abilities."

Jiang Qingyue nodded, accepting the explanation. She had asked for more information not because she did not trust Lu Yin, but rather so that she could relay more comprehensive information to her father. It was impossible for her to tell her father to storm into the First Scourge without any context at all. "Who from the Heavens Sect will be joining?"

Lu Yin gave several names, including Sovereign Dou Sheng. Whenever humanity attacked the First Scourge, that Sovereign liked to participate, mostly because it gave him the opportunity to search for any clues that Progenitor Ku may have left behind.

Lu Yin refused to believe that Progenitor Ku had pushed his way into the First Scourge and not left any sort of information behind.

Jiang Chen expressed his own concerns. "This isn't going to be like before. The first time my father stormed into the Scourge, the Aeternals were unprepared, which was why they had such a high chance of success. Even then, he went knowing that there was a possibility that he wouldn’t return. The last time, he invaded while your Sixverse Association was fighting multiple battles with Aeternus. You invaded the Second Scourge, and my father lured the Ancient Thunder Locust to the First Scourge, which was still a significant risk.

"If he does this again, I'm afraid that Aeternus will be ready for him. The Three Pillars and Six Skies have already gathered, and they could attack at any moment."

Lu Yin reassured the siblings. "Don't worry. While I can't tell you that I’ve managed to uncover all of Aeternus’s strength, I've learned enough. This time, there won't be any risk in attacking the First Scourge."

Jiang Chen’s eyebrows rose. If there was not going to be any risk in attacking the First Scourge, then that meant that the real danger would be elsewhere. This suggested that Lu Yin's true objective was not in the First Scourge.

"Do you want to face off against True God again? If you do, you might not end up as lucky as last time," Jiang Qingyue cautioned, suspecting Lu Yin’s intentions.

He confidently replied, "I'm not the same as I was before."

Jiang Qingyue nodded, "I'll share your message with my father, but it’s up to him whether or not he goes."

"Of course."

"In that case, we’ll head out now," Jiang Qingyue stated decisively. She understood just how important this matter was.

Just as the two were about to leave, Jiang Chen turned back to look at Lu Yin. "Uncle Kong has a high opinion of you, Lu Yin. When you have time, come visit us at Whitecloud City. My father wants to meet you."

Lu Yin answered earnestly, "I will definitely make it a point to visit Whitecloud City and meet the Lord of Lightning."

With that, all that Lu Yin needed to do now was wait for the Lord of Lightning's answer. While he waited, he decided to address the matter of the Merchant Exchange.

Madam Nalan arrived at the Heavens Sect to meet with Lu Yin for the first time since his return.

There had been many matters far more critical than the Merchant Exchange, so Lu Yin had not had time to deal with it before.

"Greetings, Dao Monarch," Madam Nalan greeted Lu Yin in a respectful tone.

Lu Yin nodded. "Have a seat."

Madam Nalan sat down casually, a hint of a smile on her lips as she looked at Lu Yin. "Does the Dao Monarch finally have time to deal with the Merchant Exchange?"

Lu Yin observed the woman. "Bi Teng already approached you, didn’t he?"

Madam Nalan smiled. "He has. I didn't meet with him, but I've spoken with Bi Lan several times."

"What did Merchant Exchange have to say?" Lu Yin asked.

"Compensation."

Lu Yin remained calm as he quietly waited for Madam Nalan to continue.

"Bi Lan shared Bi Teng's offer with me: all of the Merchant Exchange's star essence, both from the Origin Universe and the Cyclic Universe, as compensation," Madam Nalan stated.

Lu Yin smiled. "I want those star essence, but that’s not enough."

"I know, which is why I refused. Bi Lan came to see me four different times. We have a good relationship, but the terms that she offered aren’t acceptable for you," Madam Nalan explained.

Lu Yin looked at her. "What terms do you think I would accept?"

Madam Nalan smiled enticingly. "The Merchant Exchange."

Lu Yin arched a brow. "That's not going to be easy. Doing that would invite criticism."

"As long as someone with the Bi surname remains in charge, it won't matter," Madam Nalan said.

They exchanged knowing glances. Both of them perfectly understood the other.

After her meeting with Lu Yin, Madam Nalan sent a message to Bi Lan, asking the woman to visit the Heavens Sect.

After receiving the message, Bi Lan felt unusually uncomfortable. After firing Madam Nalan, Bi Lan had always been the one to take the initiative to start a conversation. This was the first time that Madam Nalan had reached out to Bi Lan, which suggested that it was not actually Madam Nalan who wanted to see Bi Lan, but rather Lu Yin, the Dao Monarch.

Every time Bi Lan met with Lu Yin, he seemed like a different person. The first time, she had been confident enough to speak to him directly, as his influence had been limited to the Origin Universe and had not yet permeated the Sixverse Association. But at this moment, Lu Yin’s influence was no longer limited to just the Sixverse Association; it even extended to other parallel universes.

Aside from the civilizations which had allied with Aeternus, was there any parallel universe that did not respect Dao Monarch Lu? How many of those civilizations qualified to catch his notice?

Bi Lan felt both nervous and confused as she arrived at the mountain behind the Heavens Sect. However, she did not see Lu Yin, but rather Madam Nalan.

"Where is Dao Monarch Lu?" Bi Lan asked.

Madam Nalan smiled. "Are you so eager to meet with our Dao Monarch? I suggest that you don’t get your hopes up. There are many people waiting to see our Dao Monarch, so you’ll have to wait your turn."

Bi Lan heaved a sigh of relief, even if she did feel rather helpless. "Don’t tease me! I thought Dao Monarch Lu wanted to speak with me."

Madam Nalan shook her head. "I wanted to meet with you this time. However, if this discussion doesn’t go well, I will have to ask the Dao Monarch to step in."

Bi Lan's expression changed, and she immediately grew much more serious. She walked closer to Madam Nalan and sat down across from the woman. "Go ahead. What price does my Merchant Exchange need to pay to appease Dao Monarch Lu’s anger?"

Madam Nalan answered bluntly, "I won't beat around the bush. There are two prices that need to be paid—one public, and one hidden."

"What do you mean?" Bi Lan's heart sank. Whatever price they paid publicly would not particularly matter, but the requirement of a private price was unexpected.

Madam Nalan continued as directly as ever. "State the terms you are willing to offer for compensation, but remember, this is not a negotiation."

Bi Lan nodded solemnly. "I understand. Right now, without impacting regular operations, my Merchant Exchange can mobilize a total of 170 trillion star essence."

Madam Nalan's pupils shrank. 170 trillion star essence? If she remembered correctly, the wealth that they had gathered from the four ruling powers had only amounted to 1 trillion star essence.

That had been all four ruling powers, the families which had ruled over the entire Perennial World, and yet their pooled assets had only totaled 1 trillion star essence.

While that certainly had not been the entirety of the four ruling powers' resources, it had represented a significant portion.

The Merchant Exchange was subservient to the Sixverse Association and to any other parallel universe, but through their business activities, they had managed to accumulate an astonishing amount of star essence.

170 trillion star essence was likely the total amount of star essence the four ruling powers had possessed combined.

“I already knew that the Merchant Exchange was wealthy, but this is beyond anything I had imagined.” Madam Nalan could not stop herself from being impressed. She had once been the richest widow in the Outerverse, leading one of the Outerverse’s four major conglomerates, but her total wealth from that time was insignificant in comparison to what the Merchant Exchange possessed.

Bi Lan could not stop herself from feeling proud. “No matter what, our master, Bi Rong, is someone who is qualified to sit and speak with the Great Sovereign, and he also has a friendship with Whitecloud City’s Lord of Lightning. He is famous far beyond the Sixverse Association, and not even the Aeternals dare to provoke him. With Bi Rong in charge, our business continues to thrive like no other. No one else can work or exchange currencies across as many different parallel universes as us.”