After reminding Nighteye to watch Zhuji, Qianye followed the group to the city lord’s mansion and entered the study.
The room was decorated in dark colors. The french windows added to the grandeur of the room, providing great views of the city and beyond. One could even see the rolling waves of the great river. In truth, the city lord’s mansion wasn’t that tall. The reason for the good scenery was still because the other buildings were too short.
There was a middle-aged man standing before the windows. He was clad in combat attire, but there were some luxurious details on his clothing that gave away his unique status. His martial fashion also served as a reminder that he wasn’t just a city lord but also the most powerful warrior in this city.
When Qianye walked into the study, the man turned around and sized Qianye up with his slender eyes. Then, a smile appeared on his lips. “Who would’ve thought Mr. Zhao would be so young. It truly fills me with shame to be struggling at the champion level at this age.”
Qianye bowed, saying, “City Lord Su flatters me.”
Upon detailed inspection, one could see that this city lord possessed gentle facial features and a short, meticulously-groomed beard. Although there wasn’t a single eye-catching object of luxury from head to toe, his every detail was perfectly organized down to his hair. Back at the empire, such an appearance was fit to appear in the imperial court.
Before this, Qianye knew nothing about the Port City Lord except for the fact that he was called Su Dingqian. Now after meeting him, he could sense that the man’s origin power aura was gentle and wandering about indefinitely. Just like water, it had no set shape but at the same time possessed the weight of the oceans.
Su Dingqian pointed to a chair with a smile. “Mr. Zhao, please have a seat.”
Qianye politely waited until Su Dingqian had taken his seat first before sitting down. “I wonder what the City Lord needs of me?”
Su Dingqian had been fairly cordial since their meeting and his smile was also very sincere. He looked truly delighted on the surface, but one could hardly know what these shrewd old men were actually thinking inside.
The man said, “Does Mr. Zhao know how to lead troops?”
This question was quite direct. Qianye pondered for a moment before saying, “Not very well.”
Qianye wasn’t trying to hide anything on purpose. Although he was once a member of the Red Scorpion Corps, he had never really led great armies into battle and neither was he proficient in plots and strategy.
Su Dingqian wasn’t disappointed. “That’s even better. To be honest with you, Port City is about to face unrest in the upcoming days. If you are willing to lend a hand to the city’s defense at such a time, I will definitely not mistreat you.”
Qianye didn’t reply immediately. “I wonder why the city lord treats me so well? I’m overwhelmed by the favor.”
Su Dingqian laughed out loud. “Look at me, how I’ve forgotten. Bloodyshirt also works for me in secret. He had nothing but praises for you when I met him last night. It got me thinking that I must see such a person immediately.”
Qianye had guessed that would be the case. A person like Bloodyshirt was likely related to the city lord’s mansion in secret and in public. He was actually the eyes and ears of the city lord. Otherwise, where would he get his hands on all those secrets? How could he be tolerated?
Qianye said calmly, “I thank the city lord for his favor. Since I’m living in Port City right now, it’s only right that I contribute to the place. But, what is this unrest about and who are the enemies? And what will I get out of this?”
Qianye’s questions are honest. Su Dingqian replied with a nod, “The unrest isn’t hard to guess. The three powers around us are starting to stir, getting ready for a big battle. And they definitely have bad intentions for choosing to fight near Port City. If a clear victor emerges, they only need to change direction and destroy us. Those bastards have been drooling over Port City and the resources related to the Earth Dragon.”
At this point, Su Dingqian clapped his hands, in response to which an attendant entered with a scarlet box. Su Dingqian opened the container and placed it in front of Qianye.
The base of the box was covered in red satin. Therein sat a translucent crystal with a wisp of faint smoke swirling about within. The smokey stream was fluctuating constantly, turning into a beetle at times and then back to smoke.
Every time it transformed into a beetle, Qianye would feel as though there was icy water dripping into his brain—his consciousness would clear up a little bit. Although he had no idea what its uses were, there was no doubt that this ice-sealed beetle was miraculous.
“City Lord Su, this is…”
“This is Port City’s most important product, Dreameater Bug. It will only appear from the depths of the earth during the Earth Dragon’s movement. Only champion-level experts could catch and seal them into a crystal. This kind of Dreameater Bug can replenish spiritual power and improve one’s aptitude. In my experience, there’s really no need to prove its miraculous spirit-replenishing effects, but eating a lot of it can indeed improve one’s natural endowments. So much so that, it might be helpful in crossing the divine champion realm.”
Qianye felt a rush of excitement.
He wasn’t really thinking about crossing the divine champion realm, but a replenishment in spirit power would be useful for Nighteye. There was no telling what kind of hidden sequelae remained after her spirit was sapped and torn. Naturally, the more treasures like the Dreameater Bug there were, the better.
Qianye made no attempt at hiding his intentions. Su Dingqian smiled upon seeing the other party’s interest. He closed the box properly and placed it in Qianye’s hands, saying, “Consider this Dreameater Bug a downpayment. We’ll pay you two more after the unrest has passed.”
With such a price, Qianye found it difficult to refuse. It would be worth it no matter how little the effects on Nighteye were.
However, Qianye was somewhat hesitant because he still didn’t know who the enemies were or how much he needed to contribute to claim the Dreameater Bug with a clear conscience. He wasn’t so naive as to think he would receive the treasure by staying in the city.
Su Dingqian said, “I don’t want to join this war, but now, it seems unavoidable. Our greatest enemy are the Moonlight Demons. Their leader has always been investigating the secrets of Port City and the Earth Dragon. Humph, how can I let them do as they wish?”
Qianye’s expression changed. “They want to investigate the Earth Dragon?”
After participating in the bloody battle and floating continent war in succession—and having come into contact with Sky Demon and the Void Colossus Chaos’ remains—Qianye had a good idea about true void colossi. Just from the range of this tremor, he was pretty sure that it was a void colossus. Such an existence could kill hordes of champions and viscounts just by flipping over, and probably wouldn’t even feel it.
Back then, Sky Demon’s Iron Curtain had covered almost half of the continent. In the end, the Queen of the Night and the Eternal Flame had to take action in person to push the creature back into the depths of the void.
No matter how strong the leader of the Moonlight Demons was, he couldn’t be stronger than a heavenly monarch or a great dark monarch; he probably wasn’t even a high-ranking divine champion. Wouldn’t he be committing suicide if he were to provoke a void colossus?
Seeing Qianye’s odd expression, Su Dingqian asked, “What is Mr. Zhao concerned about?”
Qianye spoke openly, “I feel that Moonlight Demons’ designs on the Earth Dragon is purely suicidal.”
Su Dingqian was of the same mind. He slapped his thighs and said, “That’s exactly the point! I’ve been in control of Port City for decades yet never had the guts to dig into the ground because I fear that Earth Dragon. But those people from the Moonlight Demons are a bunch of lunatics. We simply cannot measure them with common sense. It’s no surprise no matter what weird stuff they do.”
Seeing Qianye still hesitant, Su Dingqian said, “Mr. Zhao, if you contribute enough by killing three or more people of fame and rank, I’ll offer you this ‘Loyalty Formula’ which can help you during your ascension to the divine champion realm. However, you’ll have to swear on your origin power that you’ll never transfer it without my consent.”
These words surprised everyone in the room. Loyalty Formula was one of the arts that had propelled Su Dingqian to fame, only second to his primary cultivation, the “Vast Ocean Chapter”. Cultivating the former would give one a somewhat better chance at crossing the divine champion threshold. Even though it wasn’t a significant increase in one’s chances, it was still enough to make people go crazy. Many experts already had their own path of cultivation. It was impossible for them to scrap these arts and start over in the Vast Ocean Chapter, but the Loyalty Formula could be cultivated as a supplement.
Only Su Dingqian’s core aides would be granted the Loyalty Formula, and even then, it was only the first part. Despite that, a large number of experts were willing to work for the city lord for this opportunity. This was also one of the reasons Port City was able to exceed the three great powers.
Now that Su Dingqian was offering the formula directly, it went to show how much importance he attached to Qianye.
Qianye knew he could no longer refuse. As such, he said with a bow, “Then, I offer my thanks to the city lord.”
Seeing Qianye agree, Su Dingqian laughed loudly. “Great! Set up a banquet right away, we must get drunk tonight!”
However, the present situation was worrisome. There were army corps from various factions moving frequently outside the city. As such, under the discussion of all the generals, Su Dingqian decided to delay the banquet and hold it after the war. He sent people to pack and move Qianye’s belongings. Since the latter had decided to fight for Port City, it wasn’t appropriate for him to live in a hotel. Su Dingqian sent some men to clear out a courtyard in the noble district for Qianye to live in.
After Qianye had left, the lanky man who had brought him here couldn’t help but ask, “City Lord, aren’t you favoring this brat too much? I’m afraid our brothers might be dissatisfied. As I see it, a rank-twelve champion isn’t worth that much attention! Although he’s young and has great potential, you can’t be sure if he’s willing to work for you after he matures.”
Su Dingqian spoke slowly, “Heh, you’ve followed me for so long. When have you ever seen me misjudge someone? There’s probably more to this Mr. Zhao than his shocking potential.”
The lanky man asked a couple more questions, but Su Dingqian was no longer willing to argue. He waved his hand and said, “Go and work on the defenses! Remember my words, do not provoke Mr. Zhao. Whatever he requires, do your best to fulfill it.”
The lanky man wasn’t quite satisfied, but Su Dingqian’s prestige was unquestionable. He didn’t dare complain more about something the city lord had already decided upon.
Eventually, only Su Dingqian was left in the study. He watched Qianye’s receding figure through the french windows and broke into a laugh. “Since you even dare to kill the Wolf King’s son, let’s see if there’s anything you don’t dare to do.”