Chapter 1900: Terrible News
With Zu An’s current status, the amount of resources at his disposal far exceeded that of an ordinary person. Rather than painstakingly trying to gather Ki Fruits through the Rage system, it was easier to collect medicinal ingredients to refine pills. The effects of pills and Ki Fruits were actually extremely similar, after all.
Apart from that, just like Daji, after the sixth rank, not only Ki Fruits were needed to raise Mo Xi's cultivation; some special breakthrough materials were necessary as well. Mo Xi needed Rainbow Cloudstones, Thunderjade Raccoon Cores, Chinese Bellflowers, and Gemflame Stamens. Fortunately, there weren’t any ridiculously rare items. Previously, he had gathered some of them through the help of Hub of Freedom and the Fiendraces, but he had already used them up for Mo Xi’s promotion to seventh rank. He had to purchase the others separately.
He changed into his Golden Token Eleven outfit again and went to the Embroidery House. The Embroidery House was in charge of intelligence, so it was naturally much easier to gather things through them than to try to find items through his own strength.
Soon after, a chubby Silver Token Envoy reported to him. His name was Tang Hui, and he was in charge of managing the warehouse. Zu An couldn't help but give him a few looks. It seemed that in every world, the one in charge of the logistics warehouse always seemed to be robust and stout.
Tang Hui respectfully greeted Zu An.
“Reporting to Chief Commander. Chinese Bellflower and Gemflame Stamens are precious ingredients, but the Imperial Palace’s warehouse has an abundant amount of them. There is no lack of these ingredients.
“As for Rainbow Cloudstones and Thunderjade Raccoon Cores, we do not have any in the Imperial Palace. There should be a way to obtain Rainbow Cloudstones. The Yu clan enjoys market dominance over a third of the world’s gem and ki stone business. If they cannot find these kinds of special gems, it is even less likely for others to be able to do so.”
However, the Yu clan and the court had had a falling out, so it was difficult to ask them for assistance now.
“As for the Thunderjade Raccoon Cores, the original source comes from the Fiend races’ side. We would need to search for them through the Fiend races’ marketplace.”
Zu An had a strange expression. After all this trouble, it was all stuff within the family! Whether it was the Yu clan or the Fiend races, they both had deep ties with him. He said, “Help me collect the Chinese Bellflowers and Gemflame Stamens. I have my own ways of dealing with the Rainbow Cloudstones and Thunderjade Raccoon Cores, and will find my own way of getting them.”
“Understood!” Tang Hui replied, his expression full of admiration.
Chief Commander is so formidable! He has his own channels for getting these things.
“By the way, bring me some Sky Crane Root, Red Star Jade, and Purple Firmament Flower too,” Zu An added. These were the materials needed for the Ki Condensation Pill.
Tang Hui thought to himself that even though these items were precious, he would be able to find a way of getting them. He asked, “How much does Chief Commander want?”
“As much as you can get your hands on!” Zu An said seriously. He had to refine a large amount of Ki Condensation Pills, so he needed a ton of medicinal ingredients.
Tang Hui wiped away cold sweat and said, “Alright, this subordinate will make sure to complete this task well!”
A new boss came with new policies. Whether or not he would be able to keep the position of warehouse logistics manager would depend on whether he did his task well
No, I need to do it well no matter how hard it is!
There was naturally no need to worry about the matter of money. A lot of it could just be debt on the public purse. Which department dared to come up with excuses to withhold the things the Chief Commander wanted? He would teach them exactly how the characters ‘Embroidered Envoy’ were written!
…
When he left the Embroidery House, Zu An thought to himself that the feeling of being a leader really was great. All he needed to do was give an order, and then his subordinates would get it done properly. It was nothing like before, when he'd had to painstakingly look for everything himself.
Even so, he still had to look for the Rainbow Cloudstones and Thunderjade Raccoon Cores himself. Yu Yanluo was on the Fiend races' side, so it was the perfect time to contact the people there as well. His contact with the Fiend races over by the capital side had been Kong Nanwu, but after the major developments that took place, she had already gone back. Her maid Nan Xun had been left behind here as a mediator.
Nan Xun was referred to as a maid, but her status wasn’t so simple at all. She had previously been King Qi’s concubine on the surface, but she had also secretly collecting information as a courtesan queen in Scarlet Invitation. Furthermore, she seemed to have been Zhao Han’s spy. She really was living a life of espionage.
Zu An quickly left the Imperial Palace in his Embroidered Envoy uniform, and no one tried to stop him. He went straight for King Qi Manor. After what happened at Violet Mountain, King Qi Manor’s people had experienced a strict lockdown. Of course, people like Madam Qi had special identities, and King Qi’s crimes hadn't been set in stone yet, so the court couldn't just throw them into prison. They were temporarily being kept under house arrest within the manor.
Zu An had thought Nan Xun would be mixed in among them, but he found out that she had actually gone missing. She seemed to have realized that the situation was unfavorable and fled ahead of time. He thought a bit to himself, and after changing clothes, he then went to Scarlet Invitation.
…
Lovable laughter came from beauties all around Zu An. No wonder so many men came here to throw away money extravagantly! Scarlet Invitation’s women were really pretty, and the courtesans were even more beautiful. Who knew how many people were waiting for a chance to meet them?
However, that didn’t stop Zu An. He took out the keepsake he had been given was quickly led to a secluded courtyard by a maid.
As soon as he entered, a sweet fragrance rushed toward him and a voice exclaimed, “Young master finally came~”
Zu An leaned to the side to avoid that figure, and looked at her calmly. He had to admit that Nan Xun was indeed very beautiful. No wonder even King Qi had decided to make her one of his concubines after he saw her. She had even become the most mysterious and most charming courtesan queen in Scarlet Invitation.
“I thought that you were locked in King Qi Manor, but I didn’t find you there, so I came here,” Zu An said, sitting down casually.
Nan Xun broke out into a small run to pour tea for him at his side. She exclaimed with a cute and childish voice, “The young master cares so much about me! I’m so, so happy!”
“Enough. There's no need to use such tactics against me. I came because I have some business to discuss with you today,” Zu An said, then told her about the Rainbow Cloudstones and Thunderjade Raccoon Cores.
When she heard that they were talking about proper business, Nan Xun’s expression grew serious as well. She said, “Don;t worry, Regent. I'll definitely contact the Fiend races to help you collect these materials.”
“Much appreciated,” Zu An said, nodding slightly.
Nan Xun said with a pursed smile, “Oh my, you’re the Regent! Is there a reason to thank me? I’ve actually been longing for you to ask me to help you more.”
“In the end, you are a madam as well, so is there a need for such courtesy?” Zu An couldn't help but reply with a smile.
“It’s a pity that I’m not the Regent’s madam,” Nan Xun said softly. After giving Zu An a look, she quickly changed the topic. “Besides, I’m just one of King Qi’s concubines, one of the lesser ones too. There’s no status there to speak of anyway.” After some hesitation, she asked, “Can the young master help out King Qi Manor’s people if you can? After staying in the manor for so long, I’ve developed a bit of affection for many people there.”
Zu An was a bit surprised, but he still nodded, saying, “Alright.” He had to help people like Zhao Xiaodie, anyway.
“By the way, I’ve received news from the King Court, stating that the Second Prince’s war in the front lines doesn’t seem to be going well. He needs the King Court’s assistance,” Nan Xun said, suddenly remembering something.
Zu An was stunned. He asked, “Could it be that the Second Prince is stirring up trouble?”
After all, the Second Prince’s attempt at a coup after the Fiend Emperor died had failed because of him. The King Court had punished him by sending him to the northern border to fight against the sinister beings there.
The Second Prince was one of the Fiend races’ four great generals, someone who excelled at fighting wars. Furthermore, he had also brought his own elite troops with him. The seal had only been slightly damaged and hadn’t fully collapsed yet. The evil monsters that escaped shouldn’t have been something the Second Prince couldn’t handle. With his strength, it should have been enough to keep those monsters in check.
“I don't think that's the case. The information I received suggests that the Second Empress immediately sent a general to lead the King Court’s elites in delivering assistance,” Nan Xun replied. “Young master can feel at ease. With the King Court’s assistance, there should be no problems with the seal.”
Zu An voiced his confirmation, but he still felt a strange premonition inside.
After thinking about it, he took out the recording mirror the Second Empress had given him and put in some immortal-grade ki stones. He felt a bit heartbroken. This world was good in many other ways, but there was no social media messaging or phones. Contact across greater distances was incredibly inconvenient. Even though this recording mirror could achieve effects similar to a video call, its resource consumption was too excessive. Not even the wealthiest people could use them frequently. He wondered if he had to come up with a conversation tool himself; there were several similar items in the Baopu Sutra’s artifact refining section.
A ripple appeared on the mirror, and a wonderful figure appeared. She was a beautiful woman lying in bed, dressed in a silk nightgown that gently rested on her satiny skin. It made her waist look even finer and her chest more graceful.
“My Regent, I’ve tried to contact you several times before, but failed to reach you. I was getting a bit worried," she said. There was a natural sweetness to her voice that could drive people mad. Her perfect oval face was pure white like snow under the lantern’s illumination. Her eyes were charming and alluring, her moist lips carrying an enticing luster. Her experssion was full of joy from seeing her lover again, which made her look even more moving.
Nan Xun lowered her head and withdrew. She didn’t dare to continue listening to their conversation, or else she could be silenced. At the same time, she thought to herself, The Second Empress really is a woman among women! Even I feel a bit of an urge to take her into my arms to play with her, let alone a man.
She was already an outstanding beauty herself on the human side, but she was still lacking compared to the Second Empress. More importantly, it was the Second Empress' respected status and special bearing that were hard for her to match.
Zu An’s mood also couldn't help but improve when he saw that beautiful face. He said, “I was swept up into a secret dungeon before. That might be why the recording mirror couldn't connect.” There was naturally no way for the recording mirror to work when he was in a different world entirely, after all.
Then, he quickly asked about the Second Prince’s situation and voiced his suspicion that it could be a setup to empty out the King Court’s defenses.
Second Empress shook her head slightly. Her expression became serious as she replied, “Don’t worry. I'm not stupid. I have my own sources, and there was indeed an issue with the sealed land. The Second Prince has suffered casualties of more than half his troops. I sent the Peacock King and other elite troops to offer assistance, and we'll also gather strong men from the different races to offer assistance.”
Zu An was shocked. He asked, “The situation has already gotten that bad?”
The Second Empress voiced her confirmation. “The hole in the seal suddenly became much larger, allowing more and more monsters through. Fortunately, the seal still hasn’t completely ruptured, so as long as we can defeat the monsters that are coming out, we can reinforce the seal again.”
“Just what are those monsters? How strong are they?” Zu An asked, getting more and more worried.
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