Star Odyssey

Chapter 3870: Spirit Treasure Guild

Lu Yin asked in confusion, “Spirit veils?”

“This,” Si Jiushi replied as he took something out of his cosmic ring.

Lu Yin glanced at it. Isn’t that just spiritual threads?

The Tianyuan Megaverse made containers from spiritual thread and used them to seal sourceboxes. Apparently, the Nine Odysseys Megaverse did the same.

It was no wonder why the Spirit Treasure Guild was able to collect so much information.

What was the most valuable thing in the West Domain? Many people would first think of the Skyveil Vein as the greatest legacy of the Skyveil Megaverse, and their second thought would be the spirit treasures themselves.

Spirit treasures were needed to set up a spirit treasure formation, and lockbreaking also required spirit treasures. Spirit treasures formed the foundation of everything here.

That was why most spirit treasures had ended up in the West Domain, and because of that, spiritual thread had become one of the most valuable commodities in the region. Along with the spread of spiritual thread, the Spirit Treasure Guild’s eyes had also spread across every corner of the West Domain, allowing them to gather more information than anyone else.

“Can your contact help me find Cheng Gong?” Lu Yin asked.

Si Jiushi hesitated briefly. “If even he can’t... I really can’t think of any other way to find him.”

Lu Yin stood up. “Then let’s go find your friend. Do you know where he is?”

“Unless something unusual happened, he should be in Spirit Treasure City, which is the Guild’s headquarters.”

The two men quickly left the city and headed for Spirit Treasure City.

At that same time, in a luxurious courtyard in the West Domain, Ling Kui was drenched with sweat as he lowered his communication device under the intense stare of a pair of eyes.

“Is... is that enough?”

“Continue.”

“Fine, just don’t hurt me. I can get you what you want. Oh, do you need more manpower? I would also like to join.”

“Shut up.”

A few days later, a fat old man was found dead in a city that floated above the yellow sands. His spirit seed had also been taken. He had been a sequence powerhouse, and he had been regarded as a powerful expert. He had had thousands of disciples who followed him, but not a single one knew how he had died.

Far away, in another city, more deaths occurred.

Blood spread beneath the yellow sands, and bloodstains appeared within various cities.

Everyone who died had a single thing in common: all of them had been preparing to perform a bit of lockbreaking when they had died.

Because of those preparations, they should have all been undisturbed, but they had all died gruesome deaths.

Spirit Treasure City was the second-largest city in the West Domain, only smaller than Skyveil City. While the yellow sand filled the sky and blocked out the stars, it was not enough to obscure the colossal construct.

Lu Yin and Si Jiushi had arrived in Spirit Treasure City two days earlier, but they had not been able to find Ling Kui yet.

Lu Yin had immediately released his consciousness to cover Spirit Treasure City, which had startled the Spirit Treasure Guild’s experts and left them on edge. They had repeatedly tried to track down the culprit, only to fail every time. Ultimately, they had been left with no choice but to swallow their anger.

The Spirit Treasure Guild’s attitude determined the entire city’s attitude.

For the two days since Lu Yin’s arrival, the city had become far more subdued than usual, and even the Spirit Treasure Guild’s regular business dealings had become unusually fair, much to everyone’s amazement.

“How strange... even the Guild doesn’t know where Ling Kui went,” Si Jiushi commented, his expression grim. Unless they could find Ling Kui, they would not be able to find Cheng Gong. Without that, Si Jiushi could see no hope of ever being able to escape from Lu Yin’s grasp.

Lu Yin glanced outside. Spirit Treasure City was a bustling place. If not for what lay beyond the city’s walls, no one would ever guess that this city was in the West Domain.

The city was lush with plants, and there were even little bridges and flowing water. It looked like it belonged in the East Domain.

“Aside from Ling Kui, there must be others in the Guild who sell information, right?”

“No. Ling Kui is the highest-ranking person who sells information. The people above him have no reason to get involved in selling information, as it’s not worth the risk. If anyone higher up is caught leaking information, the Guild’s reputation would be ruined. Ling Kui is positioned just right. He’s high enough to access sensitive information, but still low enough to be expendable if he’s exposed.

“Our Five-Palm Sect paid a steep price to even get access to Ling Kui. Honestly, unless you’re from one of the major factions, you’ll never even get access to him. There aren’t many in the entire West Domain who know that Ling Kui sells information.”

Lu Yin looked at Si Jiushi. “Skyveil City’s three great clans must know, right?”

Si Jiushi nodded. “They definitely have members who know, but all of them want to use Ling Kui to learn more about the other two, so everyone stays quiet. As long as they keep an eye on Ling Kui while warning him to not share anything too important, no one will make any trouble for him.”

“So, basically, everyone wants to profit from Ling Kui, which is why he’s been living quite comfortably,” Lu Yin remarked, “And that includes your Five-Palm Sect and the Spirit Coalition.”

Si Jiushi did not deny it. After all, any faction that was capable of being considered part of the Temporal Heavens needed to rely on at least a few underhanded tricks. The only difference was where each faction drew their own line. For the Five-Palm Sect, as long as they did not use the information that they obtained to harm others, they saw no problem with buying information illegally. After all, they usually used the information to avoid getting into trouble.

Si Jiushi looked at Lu Yin, and after carefully observing him, asked, “Senior, since Ling Kui isn’t here... why don’t we speak to one of his subordinates who also sells information?”

Lu Yin glanced at the fat man, looked out across Spirit Treasure City, and then slowly stated, “You can come out now.”

Si Jiushi froze, and then looked around. Who’s he talking to?

A moment later, a woman appeared nearby and walked toward them at a measured pace. Her eyes were locked onto Lu Yin, and they were filled with nervousness and wariness.

She was stunningly beautiful, her blue eyes were as clear as water, and her fair skin held the faintest blush. She was utterly captivating.

When Si Jiushi laid eyes on the woman, he cried out in shock, “Senior Ling Lan?”

The woman walked up to Lu Yin and slowly bowed. “The Spirit Treasure Guild’s Ling Lan greets you, Mr. Lu.”

Lu Yin clasped his hands behind his back as he studied the woman. “You’ve been looking for me.”

Ling Lan answered respectfully, “Since you are visiting Spirit Treasure City, Senior, my Guild should welcome you, Mr. Lu. If we have offended you in any way, please forgive us.”

“Don’t worry about it. Where is Ling Kui?” Lu Yin asked bluntly.

Behind him, Si Jiushi could only watch on in envy. This is what it’s like to be a true powerhouse! It’s all so effortless. That’s Ling Lan! The Spirit Treasure Guild’s number two, and a Dukkhan who stands above all of Spirit Treasure City. She’s both breathtakingly beautiful and incredibly strong, and she is even known as the wealthiest woman in the West Domain.

This was someone important enough that few ever had an opportunity to see her.

Even when Skyveil City’s three great clans had visited Spirit Treasure City, Ling Lan had never been so deferential to them.

But before Lu Yin? The woman was about as deferential as possible. Si Jiushi even thought, possibly maliciously, that if Mr. Lu demanded that she warm his bed, Ling Lan would likely agree.

How many people dreamed of such treatment?

Ling Lan asked with a hint of doubt, “Are you looking for Ling Kui, Mr. Lu?”

Lu Yin calmly met the woman’s gaze. Her blue eyes were strikingly beautiful, and there was a soul-stirring quality to them. She was not trying to be seductive, but it was all too easy to get lost in her eyes. Lu Yin was immediately reminded of Madam Nalan; both women had the same sort of beauty, breathtaking to their very core.

It was a kind of beauty that a girl like Lu Siyu could never compare to.

Lu Siyu, Ming Xiaolong, and even Qiunan Hongye were all beautiful, but they lacked the depth and grace that came from years of experience.

“Ling Kui left Spirit Treasure City half a year ago to oversee our operations in Senluo City,” Ling Lan said. “If you wish, I can call him back.”

Lu Yin did not look away. “You know why I’m looking for Ling Kui, don’t you?”

Ling Lan smiled faintly. “I do. What Ling Kui can do, theoretically, we can also do, though it will take some time. If you’re willing to wait, then we can help you, even without Ling Kui.”

“You’re willing to help me?”

“Of course.”

“I’m searching for someone with a powerful backing.”

“If it means helping you, Mr. Lu, then no price is too great for our Spirit Treasure Guild to pay.”

Lu Yin grew curious. “Why? I’m from the Tianyuan, not your Nine Odysseys Megaverse.”

Ling Lan blinked her blue eyes. “I could give you a hundred reasons to accept the Guild’s goodwill, but only one reason would encourage you to actually trust us.”

She paused. When she finally continued, she spoke slowly and much more softly than before. “The spirit veils... are running out.”

Si Jiushi went bug eyed. “What? The spirit veils are running out?”

Lu Yin understood. Spiritual thread was the foundation of the Spirit Treasure Guild’s entire existence. Without it, how could they possibly maintain their position in the West Domain? His strongest impression of spiritual thread had come from the Lockbreaking World in the Tianyuan’s Fifth Mainland. There had seemed to be an endless amount of spiritual thread there, and he had been truly shocked by the sight. From that moment on, he had never given the resource much thought.

“Haven’t you always been buying spirit veils back?” Si Jiushi asked, confused.

Ling Lan gave a bitter smile. “We will buy back spirit veils at eighty percent of the original price from anyone who bought them from the Spirit Treasure Guild, but that’s merely to keep them circulating and firmly under our control. Truthfully, spirit veils aren’t a profitable business for the chamber—we actually suffer a loss from that business. It’s our other businesses that allow us to earn a profit and compensate for those losses.

“Spirit veils have always been a way for the Spirit Treasure Guild to increase our clientele.

“However, spirit veils are consumable products, and over the course of countless years, only a tenth as many as when our company was founded still remain.”

Si Jiushi exhaled. Ninety percent are gone... no wonder.

No matter what methods the Guild employed, even if they were able to reclaim every spirit veil in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, there was bound to be a day when they ran out.

“The Guild has sent people to join the Nine Odysseys and search for spirit veils in other megaverses, but those efforts have had terrible luck. We’ve never found any at all, though we keep on searching. The truth is, the Spirit Nidus has spiritual threads, and plenty of them, but after the High Seraph defeated Ru Shi, too few people from our Nine Odysseys Megaverse are allowed to enter the Spirit Nidus. On top of that, the Skyward Gate’s Luo family demands payment for each passage through the Skyward Gate. If things continue on in this manner, the Guild may not survive.”

Lu Yin understood. “You want to use my connections to gain access to the Spirit Nidus, as well as the Tianyuan.”

Ling Lan bowed low. “Exactly. We would like to ask to use your connections. Of course, if you’re unwilling, the Spirit Treasure Guild will still spare no effort to help you. I can promise you, Mr. Lu, that our company holds no animosity towards the three megaverses. We are businessmen.”

When Lu Yin had broken through to the Origin realm, he had shaken the entire megaverse, and Ling Lan was the one who had witnessed the commotion. That was why she was certain that, so long as Lu Yin agreed, he was capable of helping them.

While others in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse might look down on the three megaverses, merchants were different. The resources available in those places were simply too abundant.

While Lu Yin was originally from the Tianyuan, his strength was sufficient for him to freely roam about the Spirit Nidus. It was likely that not even the High Seraph was able to stop Lu Yin. Also, while Lu Yin had destroyed the East Domain’s Autumnspring Slip, he had spared Luo Ning, earning deep gratitude from Luo Nanshan and the rest of the Luo family. That was another reason why Ling Lan hoped to cooperate with Lu Yin.

The Luo family guarded the Skyward Gate, which granted them considerable authority over who could pass through it.

Unless one obtained direct permission from a Greater Sancte, the Luo family could deny anyone passage.

The Spirit Treasure Guild was unable to gain the assistance of a Greater Sancte, which left them with no choice but to pay the Luo family a tremendous amount of resources. The gatekeepers’ appetite had been continuously growing, whereas the Guild was growing weaker. It was just a matter of time before they would no longer be able to meet the Luo family’s requirements.

Ling Lan had seen a way out of the predicament the moment that Lu Yin had appeared. Just a single word from him would be enough for even the Luo family to show some respect.