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墨書 Inktalez
Lu Chen split into two streams of Imperial Aura, dragging Chen Qilin along like Ye Nanzhai had done, and soon returned to the place where he had encountered Sun Zizhao and the others.
At this moment, Sun Zizhao and his group had dismounted and were quietly waiting in place. Upon seeing Lu Chen arrive, they all turned their heads to look and stood up in unison.
Of course, at this time, Lu Chen was wearing Ye Nanzhai's guise, so everyone regarded him as Ye Nanzhai himself, the Supreme Leader of the Red Robe Sect, the old evil demon in the eyes of outsiders, the bandit leader.
After exchanging glances with Sun Zizhao and the others, Lu Chen was not yet ready to reveal his true Dharmakaya; he needed to maintain his disguise for a while longer. Aside from Princess Zhulan, Old Mu, and Lian Dashuang, who had somewhat peculiar expressions, it seemed that no one else noticed any flaws.
Since this location was close to the front lines of the Defender of the Realm and the Demon King Dynasty's Su Family, Lu Chen instructed everyone to retreat towards the outskirts of Wind Blinder Archipelago while discussing matters as they walked.
"Are these people your friends?" Chen Qilin asked Lu Chen after seeing Sun Zizhao and the others.
"Indeed. Does Mr. Chen know them?" Lu Chen inquired.
Chen Qilin sneered and said, "Hahaha, even the Great Zhou Fortune Prince is here. Master Ye truly has great skills to be able to win over even the current emperor's own son."
Great Zhou Fortune King Huangfu Qi chuckled dryly at this but then recited a couplet: "Only in this mountain do I dwell; deep clouds obscure my way. We are all born from the same root; why must we hasten to harm each other?"
When Great Zhou Fortune King recited these two lines of poetry, the atmosphere immediately became tense.
These brief lines subtly hinted at the situation within the Great Zhou Imperial Palace. Essentially, it suggested that Prince Fu found himself caught in such a whirlpool within the palace that he could hardly extricate himself. The phrase "deep clouds" actually implied a deep water metaphor—so deep that he did not even realize what kind of dangerous environment he was currently in or how many people wished to deal with him.
Furthermore, "We are all born from the same root; why must we hasten to harm each other?" was written by a prince who had seized Imperial Authority in ancient times.
The gist was that he and his brothers were all sons of their father, sharing the same clan and lineage—brothers born from the same root—so why should they kill each other?
Great Zhou Fortune King indeed felt sorrowful; having just left the palace not long ago, his wings had been clipped and his trusted aides betrayed. If it weren't for Lu Chen, Princess Zhulan, and Tu Youdong's protection, he would have lost his life long ago. Using these two lines of poetry to describe himself was quite fitting.
At this point in the conversation, it wasn't just Huangfu Qi who felt distressed; nearby, Princess Zhulan also wore an extremely strange expression as she secretly clenched her delicate fists.
"Who is this person? I don't seem to know them," Chen Qilin said, pointing at Sun Zizhao.
Sun Zizhao smiled shyly and cupped his hands, saying, "My surname is Sun, and my name is Zi Zhao. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Chen."
Sun Zizhao greeted Chen Qilin with a bow, appearing confident and unrestrained. He only introduced himself by name and did not disclose his family background.
Sun Zizhao was also a broad-minded individual. He understood that on his path to achieving imperial power, he would need the assistance of capable individuals like Chen Qilin. Especially since this person was brought by Ye Nanzhai, he was someone worth paying attention to.
Suddenly, Chen Qilin noticed Princess Zhulan nearby and immediately grinned, his eyes sparkling with interest as he displayed a look of desire.
Princess Zhulan snorted coldly, her pretty face filled with disgust. She quickly changed her position, eager to distance herself from Chen Qilin.
Lu Chen patted Chen Qilin on the shoulder and cleared his throat. Chen Qilin shrank his neck and instantly became more subdued.
After a moment, Chen Qilin gathered his courage and said, "Master Ye, I've met your friend. Is there something we need to discuss? We might as well speak openly."
"I called Mr. Chen over to discuss matters regarding the Source Stone," Lu Chen said as he shook off his Purple Gold Cloak and spoke slowly.
"Master Ye, you're making quite the joke. Do you really think you can covet that Source Stone from the sea? Although Prince Fu Huangfu Qi is a prince, I know a bit about his strength. I still don't understand why Prince Fu is still alive when news of your demise has been spreading wildly outside."
Chen Qilin often mingled among the Defenders of the Realm and had access to first-hand information from various sources. He assumed Lu Chen brought him here just to meet Prince Fu.
In fact, Chen Qilin was even wondering if Lu Chen wanted him to assist Huangfu Qi in seizing the Great Zhou Throne.
Lu Chen first discussed the Source Stone matter with Sun Zizhao and others because he wanted to hear Sun Zizhao's opinion. After all, Sun Zizhao was destined to become a Sovereign; he should have some strategies in mind and be able to weigh pros and cons. Otherwise, he wouldn't be worth Lu Chen's full dedication.
Additionally, Lu Chen wanted to see just how powerful the Sun Family was. By posing this question to him, he would observe how Sun Zizhao made his decision.
Unexpectedly, as soon as Lu Chen finished speaking, Sun Zizhao immediately agreed without any hesitation, showing no signs of consideration. Seeing this, Lu Chen felt a surge of joy and satisfaction; Sun Zizhao was decisive in his actions and understood the principle of reciprocity, which was exactly what Lu Chen had hoped for in a wise ruler.
Next, they needed to discuss how to acquire the Source Stone. Currently, apart from gaining Sun Zizhao's approval, no other conditions had been met regarding manpower, craftsmen, finances, and so on.
The most crucial factor was money; having money meant having everything!
At this moment, Chen Qilin was being "looked after" by Old Mu and Lian Dashuang, while Lu Chen, Prince Fu Huangfu Qi, Sun Zizhao, and Princess Zhulan were present to discuss matters. The most vocal among them were Lu Chen and Sun Zizhao, while Prince Fu and Princess Zhulan quietly listened.
"I checked the inventory of silver at the Red Robe Sect; there are only about two to three hundred thousand taels, which is still too little—barely enough to fill a gap."
Lu Chen had reviewed the accounts of the Red Robe Sect and confirmed that there was indeed some money, but it was insufficient.
Additionally, in his Empty Mountain Cave, he had a small amount of Gold and Silver Jewelry that could be exchanged for around seventy to eighty thousand taels of silver. Those Gold and Silver Jewelry pieces were left to him by Prince Fu Huangfu Qi.
Sun Zizhao waved his hand and said, "Master Ye, let's not consider the Cult's internal funds; we cannot use them since the Cult also needs to maintain its operations. We cannot function without money."
Sun Zizhao directly rejected Lu Chen's proposal. After a moment of silence, he continued, "My Sun Family has been engaged in business around the East Sea for a hundred years and has amassed considerable wealth. However, if I report this matter up the chain, I will definitely face some objections from certain family elders. Unfortunately, our previous dynasty's Treasury was looted by a group of mysterious Steppe People, and a large amount of wealth has gone missing; it has become a treasure that no one has been able to trace."
The Sun Family that Sun Zizhao belonged to was composed of many branches and not just one lineage. The elderly members within were the true decision-makers; all major expenditures and transactions required their approval.
For matters like acquiring the Source Stone—where returns could not be expected in the short term or might even be impossible—they would never agree.
"Allow me to reconsider this matter. If Mr. Chen is willing to agree, I can initially use my private funds to cover about two million taels. Additionally, from the last campaign against Giant Barbarian Island and the Qi Kingdom's maritime outpost, we have approximately twenty million taels of silver. In my residence at Fishing Sun, I have some antiques that could also be worth around one million taels. In total, that would amount to twenty-three million taels, which should be sufficient for initial preparations."
Sun Zizhao analyzed while shaking his fan with a furrowed brow.
How much money would be needed to obtain the Source Stone? It was currently impossible to budget accurately; estimating it would be akin to using real gold and silver to fill the sea.
Lu Chen was taken aback, as Sun Zizhao was, after all, a descendant of the imperial family, wealthy enough to have two million taels in private savings. The antiques and collectibles in his residence were worth another million taels, making Lu Chen, who only had a few boxes of Gold and Silver Jewelry and thought he was quite rich, feel inadequate.
Huangfu Qi suddenly spoke up beside him, "Brother Zizhao, I came out in such a rush this time that not only did I fail to help you, but I also caused quite a bit of trouble." Huangfu Qi's expression showed some guilt.
"Brother Nine, you don't need to say that," Sun Zizhao replied lightly, not taking it to heart.
Huangfu Qi was the ninth son of the current Great Zhou Emperor. It was common for him to be referred to simply as Nine or Huangfu Jiu, indicating their close relationship.
Huangfu Qi was also someone who had seen the world; he had once been a legitimate prince and likely had more than just two million taels in private savings—perhaps even more—but now all of that had turned into a mirage.
"With money, we can start recruiting craftsmen to build ships. However, opening up the waterways might not be so simple," Sun Zizhao suddenly grew worried. The journey from Central Plains to the eastern seas spanned eight hundred miles entirely by water. Along the way, they would have to pass through Giant Barbarian Island and Yuanrong Immortal Island. Connecting personnel across these areas would not be an easy task.
Everyone fell silent for a moment. Princess Zhulan, who had been quiet until now, spoke up tentatively: "I might be able to provide some assistance in opening up the waterways."
Upon hearing this, Sun Zizhao's face lit up with excitement as he said, "That's right! How could I forget about Princess Zhulan? Yushan Kingdom is also coastal. The Naval Minister Adolf commands the entire Navy of Yushan Kingdom with over a hundred thousand troops under his command. If he is responsible for opening up the waterways, it should not be a problem."
Adolf was the name of a person who served as the Naval Minister of Yushan Kingdom, overseeing all maritime defense responsibilities. His position and authority were equivalent to that of a high-ranking official in the Great Zhou Court.
If they could set sail directly from Yushan Kingdom's port and head eastward while taking a southern route, they might even avoid passing through the territories of Giant Barbarian Island and Yuanrong Immortal Island altogether, reaching the location of Chen Qilin directly.
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