Star Odyssey

Chapter 786: Qiong Family's Banquet

“Shamrock Enterprises, Aurora Enterprises, the Dark Phoenix family, and even that fellow Wei Rong are here. This doesn’t seem right. What are they all doing here?” Qiong Xi'er asked.

Nana softly replied, “The Outerverse Lockbreaker Society was attacked on Sourcepeak Planet, and some pages of True Insight fell into the hands of some Lockbreaker called Deng Pu. They’re all here to capture him.”

Qiong Xi'er eyes flashed, and she immediately pulled up information detailing what had happened in the rest of the Outerverse during the time that Millions City had been isolated. After a while, she shifted her gaze. “True Insight—that’s definitely something good. However, whoever obtains it will be the unlucky one.”

“Young Master, don’t we also have a chance to get it?” Nana asked out of curiosity as her eyes went wide. Her eyes were bright, but they also contained a trace of grievance and helplessness. Overall, it was a very appealing look.

Qiong Xi'er kissed the girl again. “No. The Outerverse will eventually reconnect with the Innerverse, and the Lockbreaker Society is not some ordinary power. That old fogey, Geoffrey, is very hard to deal with, and as soon as the Neoverse Lockbreaker Society steps forward, even we will have to give in. Thus, whatever we gain from this situation can only be sold.”

“Such a pity. It was able to draw so many people here, so it must be incredibly valuable,” Nana lamented.

Qiong Xi'er laughed. “There’s nothing to regret, as only Boundless Advanced Lockbreakers can comprehend True Insight. This toy would be useless to us even if we did obtain it, so just let these people enjoy their dogfight.”

She paused for a moment and continued molesting Nana’s body as she muttered to herself, “They’ve all come to Millions City, but they can’t fight within the city. Even if there was a way to chase them all away, it would just offend too many people, which isn’t worth it. There has to be some other way.”

“Young Master, there are also some people from the Mavis Bank here,” Nana cried, as another name had appeared on the screen: Yuehua Mavis, who was from the Mavis Bank.

Qiong Xi'er’s expression changed, as she definitely could not allow these people to raise a commotion in the city.

Her gaze swept across every name on the list before finally stopping on Wei Rong’s name. Her brows involuntarily quirked up. With this fellow around, it would be impossible for the situation to remain peaceful no matter how badly she wanted to avoid a chaotic situation. This person could kill without drawing blood, and he was truly treacherous.

Below Wei Rong’s name was another: Great Eastern Alliance Leader Lu Yin.

She had just been reading about what had happened on Sourcepeak Planet, and Lu Yin’s name had appeared among the reading material, along with Wei Rong’s. If her guesses were correct, then that matter should be related to Wei Rong, as she understood him too well. However, the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society had ultimately relocated to Frostwave Weave, which was where Lu Yin was based. Either these two had cooperated or someone had actually gained the upper hand against Wei Rong.

The chances of them cooperating were not too great, as the Great Eastern Alliance’s existence posed a grave threat to Armament Weave. Thus, the two should have an antagonistic relationship.

It was not easy for someone to gain the upper hand against Wei Rong, and so, this prompted Qiong Xi'er to check Lu Yin’s previous achievements as well. She grew more astonished the more she read. This person had only cultivated for a bit more than seven years, but he was already able to kill Enlighters when the Outerverse was separated from the Innerverse. And after that, he had established the Great Eastern Alliance and even subdued Aegis. Each accomplishment after the next showed that this Lu Yin was not some simpleton.

Qiong Xi'er quickly developed an interest in this Lu Yin, especially after learning that he had even created a commotion after going to Ironblood Weave. It was rumored that the final defense of Ironblood Weave was also somehow related to this person. If he had gone there, then Lu Yin must have also met that blockhead, Wang Wen, and become acquaintances with him. Lu Yin had also run into Wei Rong, but Lu Yin had managed to come out on top. He was an interesting person.

“Help me keep an eye on this guy called Lu Yin,” Qiong Xi'er ordered.

Nana immediately murmured her acknowledgement and sent out the relevant instructions.

“Hold up.” Qiong Xi'er seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and her expression grew lively as her face took on an enchanting mien. “Go and tell the old man to host the Qiong's Banquet.”

Nana was astonished at this turn of events. “Yes, Young Master.”

The Nalan family had quite a few properties within Millions City, and they even had an enormous villa within the city limits.

Villa Mistress Lian resided within Millions City.

Lu Yin had originally thought that he would be able to easily find the Enlighter’s location through her rune lines, but he had been thinking too simply. At this moment, there were actually five Enlighters in Millions City, and one of them had rune lines that approached Elder Lohar’s. Even if that expert did not have a power level of 300,000, they were very, very close.

Being near a powerhouse of this level left Lu Yin feeling a bit suppressed.

This sort of powerhouse was someone who could easily deal with even Cai Jianqiang.

As dusk fell upon the city, Lu Yin led Yan Yan to Villa Mistress Lian’s residence, intending to pay a visit as a friend of the Nalan family.

Madam Nalan should have already given Villa Mistress Lian a heads-up about Lu Yin’s visit. action

Soon, Lu Yin was brought in by a servant while Yan Yan waited outside.

10,000 years ago, there had been a villa in the Outerverse known as Waterlotus Villa, and it had flourished for a period of time. It had even been able to produce an Enlighter and become the guiding power of an entire weave. However, it had been wiped out in the course of just one night with only the injured, cryopreserved master escaping. That master was this very Villa Mistress Lian.

iVilla Mistress Lian had been unsealed by the Nalan family, and she had been in their employment ever since.

Villa Mistress Lian had learned of Lu Yin’s visit beforehand, and she was rather curious about this youth who had abruptly risen up from nothing, to the point where he was already able to stand at the peak of the Outerverse. She had seen many geniuses, but none of them could rival this Lu Yin.

“Junior Lu Yin pays his respects to Villa Mistress Lian .” Lu Yin bowed respectfully when he arrived. This old woman’s rune lines even surpassed those of Lord Egret, and according to Lu Yin’s best estimate, her power level was approaching 300,000, which meant that she was one of the strongest people in the entire Millions City.

Villa Mistress Lian’s complexion showed her age, though her expression remained serene as she sized Lu Yin up and down before nodding. “Fuxue already contacted me, and she told me that you would pay me a visit. You arrived rather quickly.”

Madam Nalan’s given name was Liu Fuxue, though Lu Yin had almost forgotten about it. That entrancing fairy of a woman had such a pretty name, and it matched her image very well.

Lu Yin smiled. “Junior didn’t dare to make Senior wait for too long.”

Villa Mistress Lian smiled. “During the time that Tyrannical Weave was isolated, the Nalan family received no help from me. So, thanks are owed to Alliance Leader Lu.”

“Senior can call Junior Little Seven.” Lu Yin hurriedly tried to suck up to the woman.

Villa Mistress Lian did not reject his offer. “Little Seven? You’re ranked seventh in your family?”

“I just like the number seven. It has nothing to do with my family.” Lu Yin smiled.

Villa Mistress Lian nodded. “Is there any particular matter that prompted you to come look for me?”

Lu Yin answered, “I won’t conceal this matter from Senior. Junior wishes to find Deng Pu.”

Villa Mistress Lian laughed. “I’ve heard of this matter, and anyone would want to obtain True Insight, though Fuxue did not ask me to look for Deng Pu. You should know the reason why.”

“Millions City belongs to the Qiong family, and it wouldn’t be very respectful of Senior to search through their domain.”

“As long as you know. The Qiong family has wielded control of Millions City for many years, and during this time, many experts have coveted this place, but none have ever succeeded. Even those enormous powers from the Innerverse have threatened the Qiong family in the past, but none of them succeeded either. This is because there’s a strength hidden here that’s enough to even make Envoys feel apprehensive. Thus, I feel that it would be best for me to remind you: don’t cause a commotion here in Millions City. If you can compete for True Insight, then go for it, but if you can’t, then just let it go peacefully. Sometimes, being unable to obtain something is actually a blessing in disguise,” Villa Mistress Lian spoke emotionally, seemingly reminiscing about an old memory.

Lu Yin respectfully answered, “Junior has benefited from your advice. Actually, Junior does not hold too much hope in obtaining True Insight. Rather, I am actually more curious about Millions City, and I would like to ask Senior some questions.”

“What do you wish to know?” Villa Mistress Lian asked.

Lu Yin thought about what he had learned so far. “The Qiong family, as well as the other families that are able to influence Millions City.”

Villa Mistress Lian looked up into the sky as it grew darker. “The only families that can influence all of Millions City, apart from the Qiong family, are the Zhu family. Anyone with enough wealth is able to establish a residence in Millions City, even if that means that their ancestral grounds have to be relocated. But even after so many years, the only two families that have been here from the very start are the Qiong family and the Zhu family, while the rest are powers such as the Mavis Bank.

“Millions City is like a place where anyone can join in on the competition. Money is the only weapon available, and the Qiong family is the only clan that can completely control Millions City without using their money. The current head of the Qiong Family is Qiong Shanhai, who’s another Enlighter, and he also should not be provoked. In addition to him, the Zhu family also has their own Enlighter realm ancestor.”

Lu Yin felt like something was strange. “If it’s a matter of money, then shouldn’t many powers from the Innerverse be able to set themselves up in Millions City?”

Villa Mistress Lian laughed. “Who would be willing to lodge under another’s roof? They won’t come here unless they feel like they can gain control of Millions City. And since none of them think that they can, they will not waste too much energy on this place. In the end, for most people, this is just a place to make money and nothing more. This is not a paradise that can give rise to a powerhouse.”

Lu Yin chatted with Villa Mistress Lian for a little longer before he bade the old woman farewell. She had remained in Millions City for two years, and so, she had naturally developed a deep understanding of this place, and her experience allowed Lu Yin to learn more. He had come to understand that the Qiong family should not be provoked, and neither should the mysterious Zhu family.

He was especially interested in the Zhu family, as their ancestor was called Zhu Tiezhu, which was a peculiar name. Even after becoming an Enlighter, the man had made no move to change his name, which made Lu Yin admire this ancestor Zhu Tiezhu.

Right as he stepped out of Villa Mistress Lian’s residence, a middle-aged man who had been standing nearby bowed respectfully to Lu Yin. “City Master Qiong invites Alliance Leader Lu to join the Qiong's Banquet tomorrow night. Would Alliance Leader Lu please do us the honor of attending?” The man then offered Lu Yin a written invitation with both hands.

Lu Yin took it. “Many thanks.”

The middle-aged man bowed again before turning to leave.

Lu Yin opened the letter, only to discover there was not much written within it and that it largely reflected the middle-aged man’s words. It was signed by Qiong Shanhai.

The Qiong Family's Banquet? Lu Yin put the invitation away and looked around. Finally, he led Yan Yan to an unadorned hotel that overlooked a river.

There were mountains and water inside Millions City as well as a wide river that flowed through it. The hotel where Lu Yin had decided to stay was close to the riverside, and although it was not that luxurious, it was one of the most famous establishments within Millions City. Its claim to fame was the large number of important guests that it had hosted throughout the years. In particular, it was proud of the various scholars who had left inked treasures behind. It was even rumored that the Daynight clan’s leader, Nightking Dijiang, had visited this hotel before.

Not just anyone could enter the Riverside Hotel that overlooked the waterway. One needed to have at least a gold mark authentication before they qualified to eat a meal there, which was a symbol of status.

Yan Yan’s authenticated status was only at the blue mark, which meant that he was not allowed inside the hotel. Thus, Lu Yin reserved a room in a nearby hotel for the man to stay in.

Lu Yin’s Qiong mark allowed him to enjoy the hotel’s warm hospitality, and they specially arranged for him to be seated at the table closest to the river and his room on the third floor. The hotel had a total of five levels, and although the building was not very tall, it was filled with a dense history.

As he looked at the flowing river water and sipped his wine, Lu Yin felt a new sort of sensation.

Those who could enter this hotel were all wealthy people. Lu Yin observed his surroundings as he listened to the conversations taking place around him. He was able to obtain a great deal of useful information in a place like this.

“The Qiong's Banquet is about to be held again. Do you know what kind of people are being invited? I bet that the names will scare you.” A man spoke up in a slightly louder voice, and he proudly looked at everyone else sitting at his table before continuing. “My uncle is on duty at the City Master’s estate, and he’s the one who told me that this Qiong's Banquet is going to be one of the more extravagant ones in history. There will be at least six Enlighters, which include the City Master, Qiong Shanhai, Shamrock Enterprises’ Western Chairman Hoffman, Aurora Enterprises’ Blaze Engineer, the Nalan family’s Villa Mistress Lian, the Dark Phoenix family’s Sall Phoenix, and the Mavis Bank’s Yuehua Mavis.”