Chapter 2770: True Danger

Chapter 2770: True Danger

"Can you really only accept one person?" Lu Yin asked while staring at Bi Lan.

The woman shrugged. "If they don’t take our assessment, then one is already quite good, and I am only allowed that much because of my surname."

Lu Yin understood. With the same surname as Bi Rong’s, Bi Lan’s status in the Merchant Exchange should not be simple.

"Please just wait for a bit. The person I’ve called might take a bit to arrive."

...

Far away in the Outerverse, Madam Nalan stretched as she looked out of a massive spacecraft as Millions City shrank and fell away as the vessel departed.

The woman was wearing a light robe made of silk gauze that showcased her figure. She was charming and beautiful, but unfortunately, there was no one present to appreciate such beauty.

She picked up a book, laid down, and proceeded to quietly read.

It was a book that she had acquired from Millions City, and it was the city’s current best seller—actually, it was the top seller in the entire Fifth Mainland. The title was "The Legendary Dao Monarch." It was a compilation of Lu Yin’s history and various achievements. Nearly everyone in the entire Fifth Mainland owned a copy.

While reading, Madam Nalan grew drowsy. As she was starting to nod off, an old woman spoke from outside the door of the room. "Madam, the transaction has started."

Madam Nalan hummed. "Let them proceed."

"Understood." The old woman retreated.

Currently, there were many things that Madam Nalan no longer needed to worry about. No one in the Fifth Mainland dared to make trouble for the Nalan family. Everyone knew about how the Nalan family had repeatedly helped Lu Yin shortly after he first started cultivating. With Lu Yin’s support, Madam Nalan was allowed free entry to the Heavens Sect. When it came to conducting business with the Nalan family, everyone was willing to suffer a financial loss in order to win their favor. This happened no matter whom the Nalan family conducted business with.

Additionally, there was no one who required Madam Nalan’s personal appearance during negotiations.

Investing in Lu Yin had been the best decision that the Nalan family had ever made, and that one decision had ensured their prosperity for thousands of years to come.

The old woman suddenly returned to Madam Nalan’s quarters. "Madam, the Second Nightking wishes to speak with you."

Madam Nalan was startled. "The Second Nightking?"

She quickly changed her clothes and stepped out of her room. It was impossible for the Second Nightking to be visiting of his own accord, and there was only one person in the entire universe who used the Second Nightking as an errand boy.

"Greetings, Madam." Even the Second Nightking was extremely polite to Madam Nalan. He understood that this woman was one of the few people whom Lu Yin genuinely cared about. Despite their few interactions, Madam Nalan was very important to Lu Yin.

The woman gave the Second Nightking a slight smile. "Senior, what brings you here?"

"I’m here at the Dao Monarch’s orders. He requests your presence in the Heavens Sect, Madam."

...

Bi Lan stayed on the mountain on her own. Lu Yin had left, as he could not constantly entertain Bi Lan.

Instead, the person that Bi Lan met the most was Zhao Ran.

Wanting to learn more about Lu Yin, Bi Lan tried to get information from Zhao Ran. Lu Yin was the ruler of the Origin Universe, and the foundation of business was not the goods or services being exchanged, but rather the interactions between people.

In order to get information from Zhao Ran, Bi Lan kept praising Zhao Ran's teas, and she had drunk five cups in a row. Given Zhao Ran's unique ability, every one of the teas was terrifying to look upon, yet surprisingly delicious. Bi Lan had no idea what to say about such a thing.

Finally, after finishing her sixth cup of tea and hearing Zhao Ran affectionately refer to her as “sister,” Bi Lan felt that it was time to proceed. "Sister Zhao Ran, how old is Dao Monarch Lu this year?"

Zhao Ran became confused. "Who is Dao Monarch Lu?"

Bi Lan was startled by the question, and she stared at Zhao Ran. Was this child playing a joke?

"The man who was just here."

"Oh, you mean His Highness? I don't know."

"This is an emblem of my Merchant Exchange, and you will even be able to use it to one day travel between parallel universes. As long as you have that, very, very few people will be able to harm you, including people as strong as Progenitors," Bi Lan explained.

Madam Nalan put the eye away.

"I'll give you a day to prepare yourself. Return here to me tomorrow. Upon joining the Merchant Exchange, you will no longer have any personal status—you will represent the Merchant Exchange, and the Merchant Exchange will protect you. You are not allowed to participate in any conflicts that do not involve the Merchant Exchange, not unless you receive explicit permission," Bi Lan warned. She then entered the void and left.

She did not leave the Origin Universe, but rather simply moved outside of the Heavens Sect while she waited a day to take Madam Nalan away.

Madam Nalan remained sitting where she was, holding her chin in a hand while staring off into the distance. She looked like a beautiful statue.

Lu Yin arrived and took a seat across from the woman.

"Truthfully, I don't want to leave. I'm quite happy with my current life," Madam Nalan slowly said. She did not look at Lu Yin and instead continued to gaze into the distance.

Lu Yin smiled. "Just do this for me as a favor. I need someone in the Merchant Exchange."

"For what purpose?"

Lu Yin thought for a while. "I haven't figured that out just yet. I simply thought of this suddenly, but I’ll think about it and I’ll get in touch with you when I figure it out."

Madam Nalan sighed and dropped her hand. She turned to look at Lu Yin, giving him a charming smile that distracted most people. "Business people chase after profits. I'll help you, but what can you offer me?"

"That depends on what you want."

Madam Nalan chuckled, and her eyes twinkled. Lu Yin could see his reflection in those eyes. "What if I said that it’s you that I want?"

Lu Yin was taken aback, but he quickly responded with a bitter smile. "Do you really need to play this game every time we see each other? Be careful, or else you might burn yourself."

Madam Nalan laughed, the sound so enchanting that the flowers on the nearby branches seemed to tremble. "I really want to see what the dignified Dao Monarch Lu looks like when he loses control."

Lu Yin shook his head. "Join the Merchant Exchange without worrying about anything. They’ll show you another world, and only there will you be able to see more of reality."

Madam Nalan rolled her eyes. "There is always danger when discovering the truth of things."

"If you are in danger, I will save you."

"With everything you have?"

"You can say that."

Madam Nalan rose to her feet and gave Lu Yin a coy wink. "Suddenly, I feel much more confident. Thank you, Dao Monarch Lu. Investing in you has truly given me the most profitable returns.

"I would like to return to my ship to settle a few family matters."

"The Second Nightking will see you off," Lu Yin ordered.

The Second Nightking appeared and led Madam Nalan away in a very respectful manner.

Lu Yin exhaled. Every time he spoke with that temptress, he was left exhausted. She had apparently convinced herself.

She really was too charming and clever.

After successfully getting Madam Nalan into the Merchant Exchange, Lu Yin’s next task was to see that the exchange rates were negotiated between Bi Lan and Qiong Xier. Lu Yin would not personally participate, as he had no idea what that would even entail.

For the moment, the Origin Universe’s star essence held little value to the members of the Sixverse Association.

While the Cyclic Universe also used star crystals and star essence, theirs was subtly different from the Origin Universe’s. It was unlikely that people would request the Merchant Exchange to exchange for the Origin universe’s resources, but this negotiation was a necessary beginning to things.

Four months had passed since Xuan Qi had gone into seclusion. Lu Yin had assumed that he would have taken years to return from the Endless Frontier, but fortunately, he had succeeded much faster than expected, which meant that he still had some free time.

Lu Yin took a step, making his way towards the Perennial World. There was someone whom he needed to see.

...