"This will be a little difficult for me to decipher. I can only take it to the tranquil peaks," said Dean Zhu Lao as he sighed.
Yang Qing's pupils froze once he heard that name…how could he not when it was the dream target for every cultivator who joins the Order and sees the dump they are given as abodes.
The tranquil peaks were the only area that could be considered a cultivator's dream abode. It was the home of those who had reached the soul formation realm and unlike the valleys, they called home the tranquil peaks were true mountain peaks, shrouded in fog piercing the skies above.
Its grandness couldn't be hidden as one could feel its majesty even all the way from the junction that led to the different valleys. Standing solitary drawing awe, envy, and longing to all who saw it.
One could even argue those peaks were among the motivating factors behind the incessant pursuit of dao by the employees of the Order.
In Yang Qing's case, he was even more determined now. After experiencing the rich and blessed of the dark valley he couldn't help but wonder how much better the peaks would be in comparison.
This sentiment wasn't shared by him alone as Mao Yunru and Yu Huifang were clenching their fists with longing. Not only them but even some of the senior palace stage guests present had the same look.
The domain experts present didn't mock them for their fascination as they too wanted to scale those peaks too though their target was much higher as even within the Tranquil peaks there was another place that stood out among them, the Eagle's refuge.
It housed the chancellor, the supreme inquisitor who was the head of all the inquisitors in the whole Order, the warden of the Requiem prison, the three vice presidents, and a few other big shots whose identities are usually hidden unless you reach the required standards to know about them.
…..
"Little Qing this gift of yours warrants recognition and commendation, especially due to its special nature as an artifact from the blue fairies. The secrets it hides may bring enormous benefits to the Order as a whole.
I will speak to the administration and mention your contribution. They should be able to come up with an appropriate reward. If you have anything in particular you want, you can tell me and I will push for it with them. Though with the scale of this achievement, I doubt there would be even a need for me to do so," amiably said Dean Zhu Lao.
"Well, I'd appreciate anything the Order offers though if I was to ask for anything in particular it would be..," just as Yang Qing was about to complete his statement he was interrupted.
"You will not be getting quadruple leave days, triple leave days, or double leave days if that is what you are after. Give it up little Qing and choose something else," said Lei Weiyuan who had appeared out of nowhere and next to him was the Chief Librarian.
Yang Qing almost choked on his words as he turned his head Lei Weiyuan's way with an 'i knew it' look.
"He always appears when he is not needed that damn geezer and little Qing, who is little Qing? maybe I should start calling him old foggy Lei. Yes, I will do just that starting now in front of all these seniors.
This will teach you to mind your business OLD FOGGY LEI," Yang Qing valiantly thought as he steeled himself.
This was the moment. He has endured Lei Weiyuan for too long. He needed to make his last stand of defiance before he moved to the palace courts. Rioter Yang Qing was about to make an appearance one last time before he retires.
"Many thanks, supervisor Lei Weiyuan for your care. I am always in awe of the care you show to us juniors so that we don't take the wrong step. While I may have had some minor issues in the past I'm happy to say I have mended my ways and grown and it is in no small part thanks to you," Yang Qing even paused briefly to offer a deep bow of thanks.
"I will be using the opportunity graciously given to me by Dean Zhu Lao to gain permission for entry into the 7th floor of the main library at the Institute.
The information I've been bombarded with today has highlighted how very little I know of the world around me and I intend to remedy this by increasing my pool of knowledge no matter how small," Yang Qing solemnly said.
His statement was a mix of sarcasm, hidden jabs, fawning, and truth. It was the truth he had learned his ways. Rioter Yang Qing would do nothing but get him in trouble with fines and deductions he could not afford. His courtroom office and the 13 middle-grade spirit stones that he had left were proof of that.
Shamelessness, fawning, and taking every advantage to score things for free was his true path now.
He had been battling his foe Lei Weiyuan for several years now, and while he may have lost every single battle he had learned a few things or two such as anticipating his moves.
While getting an extension on his leave days would have been the best outcome he had a feeling Lei Weiyuan would intervene in some way, shape, or form like always. He, therefore, decided on something else. Ever since it was mentioned that the clay tablet of his that was an unusual glutton for spiritual qi was a remnant artifact of the ancients, he figured a reward would be in the works for giving out something like that.
There has been precedent of something like this happening all the time after all. Donating something that ends up being a treasure always resulted in generous rewards from the Order.
From that moment forth, he had been thinking about what he would want. The majority of his choices were tied to the treasury vault. He could either ask for something for himself or for his team to help speed up their breakthroughs to the palace realm so he wouldn't have to bear the workload alone.
He had even considered redeeming the reward to gain the services of the formation hall and have the arrays in his abode upgraded along with a few things but all of that changed when he remembered the Chief librarian was present along with a few big shots.
One of his mantras along with 'do little for more' was 'get the very best deal you can even if you have to grovel especially if it involves something you wouldn't be able to get'. That mantra has served him well especially when it came to getting free meals.