Chapter 628: The Ten Arbiters’ Authority

En Ya considered Lu Yin’s question, as there was indeed no need to wait. With the pressure that the Great Yu Empire was currently able to exert, if they coordinated with Elder Cheng Yan, then such a move could be interpreted as a probe. However there was one other concern. “Your Highness, should we begin with the closest weaves?”

“Do you mean Northcastle Weave?” Lu Yin asked.

“Lars Weave. The Vastdearth Weave is separated from us by a few weaves, so it’s a little too far for us to start there.”

Lu Yin thought about her suggestion. “Sure, start with Lars Weave.”

En Ya nodded and then left.

Forcing a weave to join Lu Yin’s alliance was not a simple matter; rather, it was a huge project. Lu Yin did not expect to succeed easily, and he intended to take his time while implementing his plans while also using the Hall of Honor’s name.

He already was borrowing the Hall of Honor’s reputation without any qualms, and his stance towards such matters had become even more unrestrained after learning about the Daosource Sect. Once Elder Lohar learned of this matter, his attitude towards Lu Yin would definitely change.

Should I tell Elder Lohar first? Lu Yin pondered.

He then thought that it might be a good idea to first verify the identity of the person named Xing Kai first! Lu Yin walked out of King Zishan's palace and headed towards the Fifth Princess’s residence.

“Xing Kai? Where did you hear that name?” Wendy Yushan looked at Lu Yin doubtfully.

Lu Yin casually replied, “I heard it randomly out of the blue. Who is he?”

Wendy Yushan replied, “The War King of the Ten Arbiters.”

“So it is the Ten Arbiters,” Lu Yin mumbled to himself. He had verified Xing Kai’s identity, which was further proof that his earlier conjectures were correct. The Ten Arbiters’ strength had surpassed so many others precisely because they had access to the Daosource Sect and had also made contact with the Sixth Mainland. They were the hope of this remnant part of the Fifth Mainland, as the Daosource Sect was both the start and end of cultivation.

After verifying this matter, Lu Yin’s expression grew even stranger.

One needed a futon to enter the ruins of the Fifth Mainland’s Daosource Sect. Conversely, this meant that no one could enter without a futon. So just who had he pilfered this futon from with his die?

That was a question that merited some research. It wouldn’t be much of a problem if the futon had come from someone of the Sixth Mainland, as many people in that place had them, but what if the futon had come from Lu Yin’s own universe? The person who Lu Yin interrogated had mentioned that very few people from the Fifth Mainland could go to the ruins of the Daosource Sect, which meant that there were only those few futons. Lu Yin had guessed that all of the Ten Arbiters were able to enter, and if only the Ten Arbiters could enter, then he might have taken the futon from one of them. And if that was the case, then didn’t that mean that only nine of them could enter now?

That would be rather interesting.

“Why did you ask about Xing Kai?” Wendy Yushan asked.

Lu Yin rubbed his nose. “I really did unintentionally hear his name. Right, could you tell me about this Arbiter War King?”

Wendy Yushan replied, “I’m not sure. Only a few people know about the Ten Arbiters’ matters, as they don’t even like to reveal their names.”

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed. They don’t even like to reveal their names. Could that be because of the Daosource Sect’s ruins and the Sixth Mainland? Since the Sixth Mainland was able to invade this universe, then they definitely had a way to enter the Fifth Mainland. Thus, it would seem reasonable to assume that the Ten Arbiters were worried about the Sixth Mainland entering this universe and vanquishing them, which would stop anyone from this universe being able to enter the Daosource Sect’s ruins any more. If that was the case, then it made sense why they would hide their names.

That would apply not only in this universe, but also in the Daosource Sect's ruins. That man had only known the name Xing Kai and nothing else about the Arbiter.

But that still did not make much sense. Since the Sixth Mainland knew that there were people from this universe entering the Daosource Sect's ruins, then they should be able to seek out the most elite powerhouses of this universe’s younger generation. There didn’t seem to be any reason why they had to know their names.

Or, were there still other reasons why the Arbiters hid their names?

“Regarding War King Xing Kai, public knowledge says that his physical body is terrifyingly powerful and that his hands are even larger than his head. His skull is square-shaped, and his ears are rather large as well. I’ve met him once, and he’s indeed rather strange. However, I didn’t interact with him. I’ve heard the White Knight say that, even as fellow Arbiters, they don’t wish to fight against Xing Kai in close combat. Rumor has it that he cannot be beaten to death,” Wendy Yushan explained.

That sounds rather similar to me, Lu Yin thought. “Have you heard of the Daosource Sect?”

“The Daosource Sect? I’ve never heard of it.” Wendy Yushan seemed to be completely clueless as to the name.

Lu Yin said, “Don’t worry about it.”

This universe had hidden the history of the Daosource Sect, the Fifth Mainland, and the Sixth Mainland very deeply, such that not even Wendy Yushan had heard anything about it.

After he left the Fifth Princess’s Residence, Lu Yin looked up at the three rings of mainlands surrounding the star. He had felt that this universe was incredibly vast, but in reality, it was very small. Everything that he could see and smell was a part of this Fifth Mainland, just like the three rings over his head at this moment. Commoners might not ever leave Zenyu Star during their entire lives even though the three rings of mainlands hung above their heads. Like them, Lu Yin had this universe floating above his head.

The secret history that he had accidentally learned left Lu Yin with a heavy heart. He had thought that, in this universe, he might be able to reach a level of power where he could rival the Ten Arbiters and then perhaps even increase the distance between himself and the others within the same realm. But at this moment, after roaming the ruins of the Daosource Sect, he had realized that there were even more elites out there like the Sixth Mainland’s Realmlings and the so-called Daosource Three Skies, who were definitely terrifyingly powerful.

Xing Kai had killed a Realmling, causing a sensation to sweep across the Sixth Mainland, which showed that the difference in strength between an Arbiter and a Realmling must not be too great. Otherwise, they would not have compared a Realmling to Xing Kai. Lu Yin did not know how many Realmlings the Sixth Mainland had, but clearly, the Daosource Three Skies stood above them, which indicated that they might even be powerful enough to overshadow the Ten Arbiters.

At the moment, Lu Yin wanted to observe the so-called Realmlings so that he could see what the gap between his own strength and theirs was.

Lu Yin definitely was not someone who was suitable to wield power, and since he himself had had this thought, naturally, so had many others in the Great Yu Empire.

When Undying Yushan ruled the empire, he had been a diligent and disciplined ruler, attending the morning meeting every day. It would be a compliment to say that Lu Yin was rather distracted and that he had no long-term perseverance towards attending the meetings.

During each meeting he attended, Lu Yin would sit at the right hand seat of the throne, flipping through his gadget with a thoroughly bored expression.

Garope was unsatisfied with the regent’s behavior, but he did not dare to bring it up. This had become the norm for the Royal Regent during the Imperial Cabinet’s sessions, and while Lu Yin’s attitude towards the empire could almost be called neglectful, it was still a fact that he had resolved problems that no one else was capable of handling. This was also without mentioning that the entire Great Yu Empire was under his protection at this moment.

“Your Highness, could this subject’s suggestion be adopted?” one minister asked respectfully.

Lu Yin grunted. “It’s a good suggestion. Present it to the Imperial Cabinet for approval.”

That minister grew fl.u.s.tered. “Your Highness, there are a thousand things that urgently need to be taken care of in the empire, and our most severe shortage is the desperate lack of talented manpower. Holding public tests is the best way to recruit talents, so I ask that Your Highness approve this.”

Lu Yin set his gadget down. “Public tests are indeed necessary, but not right now. However, I will give you a definite time frame: after the Great Eastern Alliance is established.”

That minister helplessly retreated.

This particular minister had no family backing him, and he had relied on his own capability to reach this position step by step, which also meant that he was completely disgusted by the thought of the empire’s authority being privately shared. He hoped that the empire would hold proper tests and adopt an impartial hiring policy. However, that didn’t seem quite possible at the moment.

Fortunately, at least the Royal Regent had not vetoed this suggestion. Thus, there was still a chance that this policy might be implemented in the future.

Lu Yin had long since wanted to hold impartial public tests as well, but not at this moment, and maybe not even after the Great Eastern Alliance was successfully established. As for his agreement just now, those tests would not be impartial, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Once the Great Eastern Alliance was established, all of the various benefits would have to be carefully calibrated, and at that time, Lu Yin would have to make some sacrifices of his own. He could only wait for the eventual day when the situation was completely stabilized, and only then would he be able to carry out impartial hirings.

As the person occupying the top position in the empire, Lu Yin also hoped to find some talented people without any connections who he could bring into the administration. However, he was not a deity. The Great Yu Empire could not revolve around him alone, and benefits would be absolutely worthless if they were not shared with the right parties.

There was no such thing as “absolute fairness” in the universe.

Hill Auna, Gavin, Garope, and the others coldly watched the exchange. The more precise their vision, the better they could grasp the Royal Regent’s mentality.

The meeting ended quickly, and Lu Yin left soon afterwards.

Hill Auna stopped Gavin. “Lord, I heard that you borrowed the Nalan family’s channels to arrange for quite a few people to be sent to the other weaves, especially members of the Eighth Squadron. I wonder if the Ninth Squadron might also be able to enjoy the privilege of participating in His Highness’s plans?”

Gavin’s expression changed slightly, and his sharp gaze focused on Hill Auna. “Lord Xier, as a member of the cabinet, you should know that there are some things that cannot be said nor intervened in. His Highness has already assigned duties to each person, and Lord Xier only needs to take excellent care of his own matters. The more rashly one oversteps his boundaries, the more likely it is that he will get burned.”

Gavin then rushed away at a quick pace.

Hill Auna’s expression changed. He was from the Auna family, and he naturally had to consider his family’s benefits. In recent times, regardless of if it was from a financial standpoint or the empire’s overall future strategy, there was nobody from the Auna family participating. This had caused the family to feel rather uneasy, and they were afraid of being cast aside. Although their patriarch had joined the Lu Office of Defense, it felt more like an appointment meant to merely pacify them.

The current Royal Regent was not some puny cultivator like before. If Lu Yin wanted the Auna family to vanish, then the Auna family would quickly cease to exist.

Their family would not patiently wait to be thrown aside, so they instead decided to proactively attempt to participate, or at the very least, to show their faces to the Royal Regent.

***

Frostwave Weave bordered two weaves to the west, which were Woori Weave and Lars Weave.

Lars Weave had not been unified yet, and there were still many fragmented powers in that weave, just like Frostwave Weave’s situation in the past. This was also the normal state for large weaves, as it was not easy to unite an entire weave.

There was no organization that could surpass the Six-Fingered Tribe within Lars Weave. This tribe was very strange, and each member of their tribe only had six fingers. However, they did not have three fingers on each hand; instead, their left hands had the normal five while their right hands only had a pinky finger. Their hands looked as if the other fingers had all been chopped off, but even the newborn infants had these features.

There were many strange clans in the universe, and so, the Six-Fingered Tribe’s strange trait did not arouse much curiosity.

At this moment, there was an intense dispute occurring in the Six-Fingered Tribe’s meeting.

“I won’t agree! If there’s an alliance, then there will naturally be a division between the strong and the weak. If the Great Yu Empire leads the way and establishes this alliance, then they will basically be uniting the strength of the surrounding weaves into a shield to protect themselves! If that happens, then they will be able to justifiably order our Lars Weave around. These motives are blatantly obvious for anyone to see.”

“I won’t agree either. The alliance contract clearly calls for the unification of resources, but which resources? Star crystals? Advanced weapon? Or cultivators? Each one of those things are resources. Also, where will these resources be stored once they are gathered together? They will clearly be taken into the domain of the Great Yu Empire, which means that this is a legitimate measure to weaken us.”

“That’s right! I won’t agree either.”

“I won’t agree.”

…

There were less than ten individuals who were qualified to participate In the Six-Fingered Tribe’s meeting, and the leader of the meeting was the Tribe Leader, Bach Shamus. He was not very old, and he looked to only be about thirty or forty years old, and he had not even held his position for a hundred years yet. He had been forcefully appointed to this position after his predecessor had been injured. At this time, he was not the person who wielded the greatest authority within the Six-Fingered Tribe. That was Luke Shamus, who was sitting to the Tribe Leader’s left.

The small group had discussed this matter for a while, and their opinions were unanimous. However, the final authority to decide still rested with Bach Shamus and Luke Shamus.

Bach Shamus looked at Luke Shamus, and softly said, “Everyone, don’t forget one detail: the leader of this alliance will be the Great Yu Empire, but the Hall of Honor is the one that wishes for this alliance.”