Star Odyssey

Chapter 719: Hostage

Bei Hong was the final person to visit King Zishan's palace, along with his son Bei Qing, as Lu Yin had summoned them together.

“Subject Bei Hong greets my lord.”

“Bei Qing greets my lord.”

Lu Yin raised a hand. “There’s no need for that. Please, sit.”

Bei Hong bowed once again before sitting down nearby. Bei Qing stood behind his father, and he occasionally glanced at Lu Yin, as he had heard that they had met before.

Zhao Ran brewed another pot of tea, and she eyed Bei Hong curiously. There had been many visitors today, and fortunately, she had prepared enough teawater. She even had enough for a few more pots of tea.

“How long has Lord Bei known the Reverent King for?” Lu Yin casually asked.

Bei Hong replied in a respectful tone, “This subject came to know of the Reverent King at a young age, and we even participated in the court examination at the same time.”

Lu Yin was astonished. “The Reverent King also took the court examination?”

Bei Hong smiled. “Yes, the Reverent King’s literary skills are brilliant and worthy of respect, though he did not pass the exam.”

“It looks like Lord Bei has quite a close relationship with the Reverent King,” Lu Yin commented.

Bei Hong adjusted his expression. “The Reverent King has bided his time for many years, and so has this subject. No matter if it was openly or secretly, this subject did not have any interactions with the Reverent King, and I have also never said anything good about the Reverent King. If this subject had not done so, this subject would not have lived to this day.”

“It sounds like the Reverent King has been recruiting the troops that have surrendered, and it also sounds like Lord Bei has made great contributions,” Lu Yin said.

Bei Hong looked at the floor and did not reply, as he naturally had nothing to say about this comment. He did not know what Lu Yin meant by his words, and he was uncertain about what sort of person the Royal Regent was. Every time the Reverent King mentioned this person, he had warned Bei Hong to be cautious.

Lu Yin looked at Bei Qing, and his lips curled up. “It looks like your son, Bei Qing, has finally recognized me.”

Bei Hong turned around.

Bei Qing’s heart skipped a beat. He quickly bowed and respectfully answered, “Back when the Demon Hunters Society was chasing after the rebel, Elder Hammer, there was a bit of misunderstanding between us and Your Highness. Please forgive me.”

Lu Yin laughed. “Back then, it was indeed suspicious that I was there, so there’s no reason to blame you. You guys were even injured by me. How are you doing now?”

“I’m fine. Thank you, my Lord, for your concern,” Bei Qing replied.

Lu Yin looked back at Bei Hong. “What position does Lord Bei currently hold in the Shenwu Empire?”

Bei Hong replied, “This subject is still the Minister of Defense.”

Lu Yin nodded as he looked into Bei Hong’s eyes. “That means that, in the future, Princess Ming Yan will also need to rely on Lord Bei, correct?”

Bei Hong replied, “The princess is exceptionally intelligent, and this subject will do his best to support her.”

Lu Yin withdrew his gaze, as Bei Hong was not the slightest bit surprised to hear that Ming Yan would be the one to succeed the throne. It seemed that Ming Zhaoshu truly trusted this person if he had told him about such a detail. “Lord Bei, you should know about my relationship with Ming Yan. Be it for public or personal reasons, I do not wish for Shenwu Continent to turn into a mess. I hope that you will do your utmost to assist Ming Yan, and I will naturally reward you in the future. After this Alliance Conference, please allow your son, Bei Qing, to remain here, and I will open up a future for him.”

Bei Hong was surprised, “My lord, this-”

At the same time, Bei Qing stepped forward and loudly said, “Thank you, my lord, for showing me such care. Bei Qing is willing to work for my lord.”

Bei Hong turned back to glare at Bei Qing, about to say something.

However, Lu Yin smiled and spoke first. “Good! Seasoned officials may be more steady, but they always lack vitality, so I like to make use of young people when possible. As long as Lord Bei Qing has the ability, I will definitely not treat you unfairly.”

Bei Qing excitedly acknowledged Lu Yin’s offer. Ever since he had left Shenwu Continent and experienced the commotion and mysteries of the wider universe, he had wanted to remain behind, and this was his opportunity to do so.

Bei Hong sighed and deeply bowed to Lu Yin. “Sorry to cause you trouble, my lord.”

Lu Yin smiled and nodded as two men soon departed.

Ming Yan needed capable people to assist her when she inevitably rose to power in Shenwu Continent. Since Ming Zhaoshu trusted Bei Hong so much, it showed that the man was capable, so Lu Yin had to be able to control the man. Lu Yin was not Ming Zhaoshu, and he would not trust someone without a good reason. Thus, Bei Qing had to remain behind.

Of course, Bei Qing himself was not incompetent, and he had completely changed since Lu Yin had first met him. After all, Bei Qing had been able to join the Demon Hunters Society and hunt down the surviving remnant sect members. This proved that he had changed; in Lu Yin’s eyes, he could see that Bei Qing had passion and a goal, and Lu Yin liked working with such people. Only with passion would someone have motivation.

When they returned to the State House, Bei Hong scolded Bei Qing. “Do you know what you just did? Do you know how dangerous it is to follow Lu Yin? That person is very scheming, and he has offended too many powerful people with his ruthless methods. It’s extremely dangerous to follow him.”

“Then why are there so many people following him?” Bei Qing retorted.

Bei Hong opened his mouth, but he could not think of anything to say, as that was indeed the truth.

“Father, Lu Yin has been able to gain total control of the Great Yu Empire, and he has even established the Great Eastern Alliance. These feats are proof of his own ability. The actual methods are not that important, as you yourself once told me. Following him will at least be safer than roaming about alone. Anyways, I don’t want to return to Shenwu Continent again,” Bei Qing said.

Bei Hong had been beaten.

“Also, you’ve seen what the situation is like tonight. Do we even have any room to negotiate?” Bei Qing asked.

Bei Hong sighed. “Since you wish to follow him, then be careful. Make sure that you think twice before doing anything. You must be even more cautious against Lu Yin than against the Reverent King.”

“I know, Father. Right, what did His Highness’s words mean earlier? Assist Ming Yan? Could it be that the Shenwu Empire will be handed down to Ming Yan? That’s impossible. His Majesty is still young, and he will definitely have a son,” Bei Qing asked.

Bei Hong glared at his son. “Mind your own business, and stop asking so many questions.”

Bei Hong instantly regretted responding to Lu Yin so quickly, for if he had pretended to be ignorant with his stance towards Ming Yan, then his son would not have been pulled into staying in the Great Yu Empire. Bei Hong realized that he had been trapped by Lu Yin. The Royal Regent might be young, but he was very smart.

After spending one full day receiving all of the important people from the various weaves, there was no longer any need for Lu Yin to summon the people from the remaining powers, especially since those people were not qualified to meet him alone.

It was now time for him to go to Planet Hydrotink and meet with Felynn and the others, as he could not just leave the Lockbreakers alone by themselves. He had to hand over some of the memory chips to Felynn, and more importantly, Lu Yin wanted to investigate and pry around for information concerning the primeval surnames.

The primeval surnames had always been a minor issue until one of the Ten Arbiters had taken out a paper with a list of people surnamed Lu and banished them all, his actions unable to be protested by anyone. The status of anyone with a primeval surname was miserable in this universe, and the Lockbreaker Society had even expressly stated that it would not accept anyone with a primeval surname that had an illegal status. This led Lu Yin to think that he could perhaps find out something from that source.

On Planet Hydrotink, Felynn was busy tidying up the current list of Lockbreakers when her gadget beeped. She glanced at it: Lu Yin had arrived.

Before long, Lu Yin arrived on Planet Hydrotink. This planet had lush, green vegetation, wide seas, and fresh air everywhere. It had always been a popular tourist destination, though that was before it became the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society’s headquarters. Its status had changed vastly, going from an ordinary tourist planet to one of the most influential planets throughout the Outerverse.

The cost of living on the planet had not originally been very high, but the cost had multiplied several times in a single day, and they still showed no signs of stopping. Countless merchants had flocked to the planet, and if not for the temporary restriction blocking outsiders from entering, then the planet may have very well burst at the seams.

Even with the restrictions preventing outsiders from coming in, there were still numerous spacecraft crowded above the planet. On the nearby planets, many people had established a local base or residence. It was almost as if this place had become a second Zenyu Star, though its reputation might even surpass that of Zenyu Star.

Lu Yin towered high in the sky, floating above a sea, and he was able to see that the rune lines at the bottom of the sea were not small in number. These rune lines belonged to a Limiteer realm marine creature. Planet Hydrotink had some Limiteer realm beasts, which were relatively dangerous for the natives, but they were basically harmless to any Lockbreaker.

Felynn soon appeared and approached Lu Yin. “I thought that you would only come after the Alliance Conference concluded.”

Lu Yin smiled. “The Lockbreaker Society has just arrived, so I have to pay a visit as your host, and I’m also here to give you some things in passing.” He then passed Felynn a cosmic ring. “There are some memory chips in there that contain the lockbreaking experience of several Lockbreakers, gathered over their entire lives. This is the condition that I promised you.”

Felynn accepted the ring, as she knew that these memory chips had come from the Hall of Insight. However, because they had not been able to protect the Hall of Insight, others had reaped the benefits.

“Senior Li’s lockbreaking experience must be shared, as this was also one of the agreed upon conditions. I hope that you haven’t forgotten,” Lu Yin said.

Felynn remained silent for a while before speaking. “What do you need the Lockbreaker Society to do for you?”

“I haven’t thought it through yet, but we’ll speak again, since you guys have already helped me a great deal,” Lu Yin said. He then looked at Felynn “There’s something that I’m very curious about, and I hope that you can shed some light on it for me.”

Felynn nodded. “Go ahead.”

Lu Yin thought for a moment before speaking very seriously. “Why does the universe reject those with primeval surnames?”

Felynn was surprised that Lu Yin would ask such a question, but then she thought about it and remembered that this person’s surname was Lu. He was precisely one such bearer of the primeval surnames. “I don't know.”

Lu Yin stared straight into Felynn’s eyes.

Felynn did not shrink back, and she looked right back into Lu Yin’s eyes as she seriously answered, “This is actually a rule that’s been passed down since ancient times. All people with primeval surnames must obtain a legal status, or else they will be excommunicated and killed. No organization under the Hall of Honor will accept anyone with an illegal primeval surname into their ranks, and violators will be killed without question. In fact, this rule was not set by the Lockbreaker Society, but rather by the Hall of Honor itself.”

Lu Yin’s eyes flickered. “The Hall of Honor?”

Felynn nodded. “Even President Geoffrey might not be able to answer this question of yours, as too much time has passed and too many powerful sects have disappeared from this universe since ancient times. Every powerful sect has documented records that orders them to reject those with primeval surnames, and no matter how old they are, they all have these records. It’s as if, when humans were first born, this rule was already encoded within our genes, being passed down to the present day since then. Nobody can give an explicit reason for why this rule must be upheld, but everyone knows that this is something they must do.

“And truthfully, nobody can accurately pinpoint which family names belong to the primeval surnames. The ones we are aware of are Lu, Liu, Wang, Xia, and Bai, but nobody knows the rest.”

“Does the Lockbreaker Society have any records about this?” Lu Yin asked.

Felynn replied, “I’ve already mentioned that every powerful organization will have these records, though none of the documents describe the reasons behind these rules. However, our society’s ancient documents have disappeared along with the Hall of Insight.”

Lu Yin felt a pang of pity strike him and sighed. Why were those with primeval surnames rejected like this? Did they not belong to this part of the universe?

In the end, it seemed like he had to access Jupiter to learn more. However, with his current strength, he would not be able to break through Jupiter’s defense.

“Wei Rong will not let you off,” Felynn suddenly said.

Lu Yin looked at her and felt amused at her comment. “You want to cause discord?”

Felynn shifted her gaze away. “You are even more clear on Wei Rong’s character than me. He used the society’s internal conflicts to destroy Sourcepeak Planet and then took in a bunch of Lockbreakers. But despite his meticulous planning, your harvest was even greater than his, and you even used the path that he paved. He will not let that go, and furthermore, the Great Eastern Alliance borders Armament Weave, so he definitely will not feel at ease leaving you alone.”

Lu Yin looked Felynn up and down. “You’ve become more shrewd.”

Felynn frowned, but she did not respond. She was aware that she had been too naive in the past. She had thought that Wei Rong would help her become president of the society and had sincerely believed that he had merely wanted to gain her goodwill.

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