NOVPUBChapter 726 -675: Trusting Our Own People
One day later, at the Great Song Star Port.
Lin Rui sat in a waterside pavilion within the Star Port Governor’s Mansion, his gaze unfocused and scattered.
He was pondering over a string of numbers in his mind.
Those numbers were the information Wang Tianwu had wrested from his grandfather’s mind with considerable effort.
Lin Rui truly didn’t expect that Fu Xuexian and Lin Cong would hide their critical information within Lin Jingxuan’s soul and also set up mind suggestions that required specific conditions to trigger Lin Jingxuan’s recollection of the matter.
The Longevity Association must have investigated Lin Jingxuan many times over, consistently monitoring Lin Jingxuan and Lin Da’s activities and communications.
But they probably didn’t expect this, did they?
Lin Jingxuan had always been deliberately distancing himself from their family. Not wanting to be implicated by his second son, he hadn’t seen Lin Rui since the incident with the Lin family.
This old man usually appeared as someone heavily focused on his career, pragmatic and driven by strong self-interest. He practiced prudence and avoided risk, carrying traits of conservatism and rigidity.
Lin Rui could never have guessed that this man would willingly allow Fu Xuexian to implant such dangerous information into his mind.
Even so, Lin Rui still hadn’t figured out what this sequence of numbers meant yet. He had compared it against safes, bank accounts, online databases, and still hadn’t found a match.
Wang Yinyue was already building a supercomputing model to decode the numbers for him.
Shaking his head, Lin Rui brought his focus back to the scene in front of him.
At the moment, Lu Hanyuan’s true form was seated beside Lin Hao, his expression solemn, while Ji Xueying guided a black-clad man—wearing a black robe, face covered, and draped in a black cloak—into the pavilion from outside.
The demon dragon Ma Tianlong lay idly outside the pavilion, using his barrier ability to create layer upon layer of water barriers that shielded the surrounding void.
Ma Tianlong’s dragon body had grown significantly since Luo Wangshu had gifted him to Lin Rui, now almost an entire circle larger, with exceedingly thick and metallically gleaming scales covering his body.
Over the past two months, life wasn’t bad for him.
Lin Hao had injected him with numerous doses of Heavenly Demon medicine, enhancing his body to a state of extreme resilience, and had also implanted two SSS+ water-element armaments. Not only did these further strengthen his barrier techniques to achieve a concept strength of thirty-eight percent, but they also amplified his power and Water Mist Technique to a high level.
Currently, Ma Tianlong was an Eight Realms Emperor Rank demon dragon, though he still lagged somewhat in martial arts and combat skills.
Nonetheless, thoughts of his many consorts in Luo Wangshu’s dragon stables, along with the two prospective candidates he was close to “securing,” left him feeling despondent.
This despondency eroded his willpower to the point that the small piece of “Purgatory Source Crystal” within his body became difficult to suppress. He had no choice but to request Lin Hao’s help to extract it.
Ma Tianlong genuinely felt that this crystal was becoming increasingly hazardous—the mutations it caused within him grew more uncontrollable with each occurrence. Extracting it was ultimately a good decision.
As the masked man stepped into the pavilion, Ma Tianlong lifted his nose to sniff, emitting a low “hmm” sound.
There was something peculiar about this individual—he carried a strong aura of Guang Ming, reminiscent of someone from the Demon Sect, possibly even a high-ranking member.
The masked man was none other than Shancai Divine Envoy Zhao Chongling, who had come to the Star Port seeking an audience with “Lin Hao.”
Upon entering, a brief pause crossed Zhao Chongling’s face. Why did he feel that the two individuals seated in this pavilion bore some familiarity?
The young man seated in the primary position gave him the strongest feeling of familiarity, likely due to Zhao Chongling’s frequent review of materials and images related to Lin Hao recently.
And the figure beside him—referred to as “Lu Hanyuan,” an Outer Heaven Demon—why did he seem somewhat familiar too?
Zhao Chongling quickly collected himself and bowed respectfully towards “Lin Hao”: “I am Zhao Chongling, Shancai Divine Envoy of the Divine Sect, here to pay respects to the National Guardian Marquis. I greatly appreciate your willingness to meet with me amidst your busy schedule.”
He knew that the individual before him was undeniably preoccupied, especially with the Great Song Star Port set to open tomorrow and dozens of influential figures, wealthy merchants, and powerful Outer Heaven Demons due to converge.
As the National Guardian Marquis, Lin Hao was exceptionally esteemed and had immense authority, yet there were certain people he had to meet and treat with respect despite his lofty standing.
“There’s no need for such formalities; please sit.”
Lin Rui smiled as he gestured faintly with his hand, using Astral Force to lift Zhao Chongling from his bow: “The trade plan that Zhao Divine Envoy previously discussed with Butler Lv—Butler Lv has informed me, and overall, I’m quite satisfied with it; there’s nothing in particular that requires revision.”
Previously, Lu Hanyuan had already met this envoy once, albeit under the identity of Lv Jingwei, the steward of the National Guardian Marquis Mansion, to negotiate trade terms with the Divine Sect.
Now, however, Lu Hanyuan was meeting him as Lin Rui’s trusted confidant.
Part of the reasoning was to avoid any appearance of impropriety, and the other part was practical—given Lin Hao’s current position and prestige, personally meeting Zhao Chongling for negotiations would diminish his standing. A brief meeting afterward was more than sufficient.
“Moreover, I quite like the gift you’ve presented.”
Lin Rui lifted his hand, summoning a radiantly golden, sun-shaped wheel-like Magic Artifact to his palm.
This artifact, called the “Sun Transformation Divine Wheel,” was a defensive artifact of the Ninth Realm Emperor Rank.
It could convert external forces into light-flame energy and dissipate them outward, reportedly capable of transforming a portion of concept divine power as well.
Notably, upon learning that Lin Hao possessed a Ninth Realm Super Emperor Rank shield known as the “Turtle End Shield,” the Light God Sect’s artifact refiner had even modified the “Sun Transformation Divine Wheel.”
Lin Rui could now embed the two artifacts together, allowing external forces that the Sun Transformation Divine Wheel couldn’t convert to be absorbed and diffused by the Turtle End Shield.
This greatly enhanced the defensive capabilities of the Sun Transformation Divine Wheel, making it several times stronger than the Phase Transfer Armor commonly fitted on Federation Model 9 Combat Robots and Model 9 Exoskeleton Armor.
——Though this gift for “Lin Hao” was personally selected by King Ming himself from the Light God Sect’s treasury and modified under his personal direction by the sect’s artifact masters, Lin Rui was nonetheless pleased and satisfied with it.
“But signing a Divine Contract is unnecessary.”
Lin Rui shook his head, thinking to himself—could anyone trust themselves less than he did?
——Today’s meeting was essentially himself negotiating with himself.
“As I understand it, even King Ming and the Invincible Dharma King cannot completely dictate the affairs within your Light God Sect. Within your sect’s Three Pillars, Five Envoys, and Seven Kings, there are many who act independently; this marquis has no intention of handing over leverage, so signing the Divine Contract is unnecessary.
As long as your sect adheres to Star Port regulations, pays taxes accordingly, and refrains from instigating rebellions within the Great Song’s territory, this marquis has no reason to sever his own source of revenue or invite unnecessary trouble. If your trade volume is substantial and the taxes collected are sufficient, then even if the Great Song Court or the Divine Palace raises concerns, this marquis can mediate on your behalf.”
Lin Rui was keenly aware of Earth Federation’s insatiable demand for Tianji Star’s resources!
Many biotechnologies for physical enhancement and life-extending anti-aging medicines produced by Earth Federation relied heavily on Tianji Star’s medicinal ingredients.
Nonetheless, due to their exorbitant costs, these advancements from Tianji Star remained inaccessible to most within the Earth Federation.
Even though the fourteen Base Cities of Earth Federation on Tianji Star were wartime frontlines where food scarcity was common and industrial synthesis was essential for survival, waves of illegal immigrants still braved the dangers to smuggle themselves there.
The first reason was the high income level in the Base Cities—several times, even dozens of times greater than Earth’s homeworld and other colonization stars—coupled with its sprawling metropolitan areas rarely seen elsewhere within Federation borders. The second was that it served as the birthplace of Biochemical Martial Arts, boasting top-tier biotechnology and electronic mechanical technologies capable of extending life, healing terminal illnesses, and curing rare diseases.
Additionally, the Earth Federation’s industry was profoundly reliant upon Tianji Star’s minerals.
Despite advances making Earth Federation’s spacefaring and warfare technology exponentially stronger compared to 800 years ago, much of this technology depended on materials from Tianji Star.
Thus, even if Tianji Star’s raw material output increased a hundredfold or thousandfold, Earth Federation would still absorb it all.
Light God Sect currently stood as the Federation’s largest supplier of basic materials; incorporating their trade into Star Port operations could increase tax revenues by at least forty percent and ensure future continuous growth.
The next step rested on the choices of the court and the Divine Palace—turning a blind eye and taking the money, or cutting ties with Light God Sect for the sake of eradicating the Demon Sect.
Zhao Chongling frowned slightly, his gaze tinged with disappointment.
However, he quickly adjusted his attitude.
This outcome wasn’t entirely unexpected—signing the Divine Contract meant handing a form of leverage over to their Light God Sect.
The Hidden Crown Prince of the Great Song would never commit such an unwise mistake.
As someone adept at negotiation and business, Zhao Chongling firmly believed shared interests were more dependable than a contractual document. Bowing slightly again, he said, “That aligns perfectly with our sect’s intentions! However, Marquis, aside from trade, I had discussed with Steward Lv the possibility of using your channels to bypass Earth Federation’s prohibition and purchase Heavenly Demon materials at standard prices—especially Heavenly Demon’s elixirs, armaments, and the like.”
Lin Rui smiled bitterly at the remark and solemnly replied, “Now this puts me in a difficult spot. As the Great Song’s Spy Catcher Bureau Commander, my duty is to oversee all matters involving Outer Heaven Demons. How could I consort with demons or possess such channels?”
After a brief pause, he continued, “Nonetheless, during my responsibilities over demon-related trade and Star Port opening efforts, I’ve encountered several trustworthy demon merchants. For instance, the gentleman beside me, Lu Hanyuan, serves as the trusted aide of the Forest Group’s chairman, Lin Rui, and as the CEO overseeing Forest Trading, Forest Freight, and shipbuilding enterprises. If your Light God Sect has demands, you could negotiate with him—I can vouch that the Forest Group he represents is a reliable commercial partner.”
Shancai Divine Envoy Zhao Chongling frowned deeply at this statement.
Lin Rui’s words implied Lu Hanyuan was merely his assistant, which irked Zhao Chongling. He had already tolerated dealing with Lin Rui’s steward during negotiations.
But as a key figure wielding military power capable of commanding millions of troops and thousands of Dragon Transformation Martial Artists, Lin Rui’s influence far outmatched that of the Divine Sect—what allowed him to relegate even financial discussions to his assistant?
At that precise moment, Lin Rui concealed a smile behind his folding fan and chuckled lightly, “Zhao Divine Envoy may not know, but just yesterday, in the Ninth Origin Realm of the Heavenly Demons, the Forest Group’s chairman Lin Rui used two Abyss Battle Dragons engineered through demon cloning technology to kill the ‘Financial Emperor’ Yi Duxing. Subsequently, Lin Rui was appointed as the demon president’s ‘Financial and Commercial Advisor.'”
Zhao Chongling’s pupils constricted violently, immediately exuding newfound respect for Lu Hanyuan.
He was familiar with Yi Duxing, the Financial Emperor. The individual ranked twelfth on the Tianji Star bounty list issued by the five god-palaces.
This was not due to any lack of strength but because Yi Duxing had ventured into Tianji Star less frequently in recent years.
An entity close to the Super Divine Envoy Level—a staggering achievement for Lin Rui to have slain him!
And what of these Abyss Battle Dragons mentioned? What possibly could that entail?
