Chapter 271: You Do Not Wish

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In a way, Elder Xue’s punishment ends up helping him. It gives Liu Jin an excuse not to leave the Apothecary until he has decided on his next move. It also allows him to reconnect with people like Khong Hu and Gan Nanfeng, though the latter now treats him with a little too much awe for his comfort. Thankfully, Khong Hu’s attitude remains largely unchanged, but that might just be because the disciple is always exceedingly proper in all things.

Regardless, Liu Jin cannot stay in the safety of the Apothecary forever.

Lord Feng Gui should be the first person Liu Jin visits, but Liu Jin is not sure that is the correct move. If he seeks his favor too eagerly, it will waste the leverage that Lord Feng Shang has given him.

Instead, Liu Jin merely files a request for an audience. If that takes time to be processed, it’s not really his fault. If anything, it is a sign of respect that Liu Jin bothered to go through the proper channels instead of appearing at Lord Feng Gui’s doorstep and demanding to be heard. Lady Ling will be much harder to mollify, but Liu Jin wants to put off meeting her for as long as possible.

For now, his goal is the Division of Exploration.

Though Liu Jin has been a member of the Eternal Flame Clan for a long time, it is his first time visiting it. The main building is cylindrical in shape and only about three stories tall. Around it are large statues of fierce dogs, immovable guardians protecting the treasures within.

The inside is full of explosions.

The building shakes every five seconds or so. People are running all over the place, some of them on fire and yelling in languages that Liu Jin has never heard. Fan Bingbing assures him that this is all normal. Some of the relics they study are very volatile, but there is no reason to worry. Even when a rock monster that Liu Jin is pretty sure is some sort of ancient statue come to life rampages past them, Fan Bingbing’s countenance remains unchanged.

It is only when they reach the top floor that her expression falters.

“Are you sure you wish to continue?” she asks him.

“If I were to turn back now, I’d be throwing away all the work Sister Fan put into arranging this meeting.” Liu Jin smiles. “Besides, I am the one who wanted this.”

Fan Bingbing gives him a small, nearly imperceptible nod.

“Very well. In that case, I wish Brother Jin the best. Elder Ju is a great man, but he can be very trying.”

Liu Jin returns her nod before going ahead. The door to Elder Ju’s office is made of stone full of ancient carvings and encrusted with gems that glow with power. Each one seems to be powering a different mechanism. Most likely, the door used to be part of a ruin before being moved here.

It opens before Liu Jin can study it further.

As soon as Liu Jin crosses the threshold, his eyes and nose begin to sting from all the dust inside. All the illumination in the room is provided by the colored flames in the ceiling. If there are any windows anywhere, Liu Jin cannot see them. The walls are lined with dozens of bookshelves. There are so many of them they’re even stacked on top of each other. Curiously, most of the bookshelves are empty. The books, scrolls, and documents that should be stored in them are instead scattered all over the floor like a rabid carpet.

In the center of the room, seated on a desk balanced on a mountain of old books, is Elder Ju.

Though there is no way he could have missed Liu Jin’s Qi, the Elder does not acknowledge him. He only has eyes for the scroll in his hands. He keeps whispering to himself and taking notes. After several minutes pass, Liu Jin clears his throat, but the man still does not pay attention to him.

“Elder Ju-”

Liu Jin is unable to go further. Elder Ju’s aura spreads out like the very dust that covers his office and falls over Liu Jin. It gets in his eyes, in his ears, and in his mouth. He cannot move. He can barely breathe.

Elder Ju’s ink brush keeps writing in silence.

Nearly an hour passes and Liu Jin can do nothing. Were it not for the complete lack of hostility in the man’s aura, Liu Jin would have already tried to break free. However, there is no need to escalate things just yet.

The Elder might actually grow angry if he destroys his office.

“Sorry,” Elder Ju says after another half an hour has passed. He releases Liu Jin from the force of his aura. “I was struck by a wave of inspiration after opening the door for you. I couldn’t allow you to interrupt me, or I’d have been set back weeks. Maybe months. That would have been terrible.”

“I… see…”

The worst part is that Liu Jin does see. He knows what it feels like when one is taken over by a burst of genius. When that happens, there is no choice but to carry that inspiration to its natural endpoint lest one lose it forever.

Of course, Liu Jin has never immobilized someone for it.

“You can sit down…” Elder Ju looks around and finds no chair. If there are any in the room, they are probably buried under a pile of books. “…Somewhere. Probably the floor.”

Liu Jin looks at the dusty books under his feet.

“I prefer to stand, Elder Ju.”

“Of course, of course,” the man mutters distractedly as he finally puts down his notes. He stretches his arms over his head, craning his neck from side to side until a pop rings out. When his arms come down, the look on his face has changed. “What can I do for you, Emperor Qing?”

It strikes Liu Jin that Elder Ju looks incredibly young for his position. A casual observer would think he is only older than Liu Jin by a few years instead of a few centuries. The effect is enhanced by the relaxed aura around the man.

“I want your support,” Liu Jin says. Fan Bingbing had advised him to be blunt. “The Eternal Flame Clan will eventually discuss my background, my status as Emperor, and my ties to the Divine Frozen Palace. I want to be sure I can count on Elder Ju’s help when that happens.”

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“That’s a big request,” Elder Ju says. He makes a show of thinking it over, leaning back against the mountain of books behind him. “What will you offer me for it?”

“Sister Fan Bingbing should have mentioned it already,” Liu Jin replies. “You supported Lord Feng Gui because your Division has been held back. My Storm Dragon Empire contains several areas that could be of interest to Elder Ju. Support me, and I will facilitate Elder Ju’s access to them.”

“You offer me something I’ll already have,” Elder Ju points out. “Like you said, it’s the reason I supported Lord Feng Gui. Without that damned Feng Shang to interfere, there is nothing holding back my Division anymore.”

“Lord Feng Gui will have to weigh your interests against those of an entire Empire,” Liu Jin counters. “Someone will have to leave dissatisfied.”

“Ah.” Elder Ju smiles. “This is not a bribe. It’s a threat.”

“It can be both,” Liu Jin says. “I do not doubt Lord Feng Gui will eventually give Elder Ju what he wishes, but it might take far longer than you’d prefer. Why waste that time? Besides, I do not come empty-handed.”

Liu Jin takes out a piece of parchment and offers it to Elder Ju. It floats out of his grip and into the Elder’s waiting hand.

“Those are just some of the areas in the Storm Dragon Empire I thought would interest your Division,” Liu Jin says. “The records kept inside the Storm Dragon Palace are very informative. Having access to them would greatly speed up your Division’s job.”

“Interesting.” Elder Ju’s eyes move over the parchment. “You’d really sell access to your country’s past to me?”

“My country has been mismanaged for decades. Many things have been lost. Others have degraded,” Liu Jin replies, narrowing his eyes. “Even if I wanted to, it would be impossible to put too many resources into investigating the ruins. The Division of Exploration has no such problem. We stand to benefit each other.”

“Hmph, you have guts, Emperor Qing. I respect that,” Elder Ju says. “Though some would say trying to extort an Emperor in his domain is a little too reckless.”

“I would agree with those people,” Liu Jin replied. “However, I find myself in similar situations so wearily often that I might have lost sight of proper common sense.”