Chapter 289: Transaction

The Water and World Imperial Capital.

Inside a retro-style underground bar, in the most hidden room of the lowest level, Lin Qing looked at the bald man with black wings on his back, who was leaning lazily on a sofa not far away, and spoke in a calm voice: "You are Fu Kun?"

As he spoke, he did not completely conceal the pressure and life aura of his Void Master level.

The bald man with black wings on his back also did not expect a Void Master to appear; his face changed, and he hurriedly stood up, respectfully saying: "I am Fu Kun. I do not know who my lord is?"

There are only a few hundred Void Masters in the entire Water and World; he has felt the aura of almost every single one and memorized them all, yet the Void Master before him has a completely unfamiliar aura.

Is it a newly born one?

Or an outsider?

But regardless of the origin, he is not someone he can provoke.

"Fu Kun, I heard that within this Imperial Capital, your intelligence is the most accurate."

Lin Qing looked at the extremely respectful Fu Kun and said calmly: "Help me investigate a person; you set the price."

"Please speak," Fu Kun immediately said.

"His name is Lei Lin," Lin Qing said. "His life aura is unclear, but he should be under one hundred years old now, and his life level has not reached Void Life."

Fu Kun found this somewhat difficult and asked cautiously: "Are there any other characteristics? Such as appearance, birthplace, or racial traits?"

The Water and Civilization is also a mature Great World, with a population counted in tens of trillions; the number of Void Life is counted in hundreds of millions!

One can imagine how many duplicate names there are.

Especially at levels below Void Life, there are countless billions named 'Lei Lin', many of whom are not even in the intelligence records.

After all, those below Void Life live at most only a few hundred thousand years; intelligence needs constant updating, and his intelligence organization cannot possibly record the intelligence of all these people accurately.

With just this information, how can one find him?

"As for appearance..."

Lin Qing also knew it was hard to find someone with just this information; immediately, he moved his will, and an energy light shadow condensed into a figure, quickly becoming clear and realistic, transforming into a youth who looked like a lone wolf.

"Roughly looks like this, and is also a Primordial Human," Lin Qing said. "Furthermore, although he is in the Water and World, he should currently be in another dimension."

"Primordial Human?"

Fu Kun originally felt somewhat difficult, since Primordial Humans are a major category among the Human Race, so this screening condition is not very precise.

But after hearing "another dimension," he could not help but shiver, and hurriedly said: "That makes it much easier to investigate. The Water and World has only three sub-dimensions in total; besides the Central Plane where the Lord of Civilization resides, the other two are the Sols Great Prison and the Imperial City."

"Oh?" Lin Qing said. "He is not of the royal family, but he should have a grudge against the royal family."

"A grudge against the royal family?" Fu Kun could not help but feel his heart tighten.

"Do not think too much; you only need to gather intelligence, you do not need to do anything else," Lin Qing glanced at him and said. "Set the price however you like."

Fu Kun gritted his teeth, nodded, and said: "Yes, please rest assured, my lord."

"Go investigate," Lin Qing patted his shoulder, and a wisp of strange energy entered his body, lingering outside his soul; only then did he smile and say: "Do not try any tricks with me."

Fu Kun could clearly sense the terrifying power contained within that wisp of energy; he could not help but tremble inside, could only take a deep breath, and said in a deep voice: "Please rest assured, my lord."

Lin Qing hummed, and only then shifted away.

Snakes have their paths, rats have their paths.

He also knew some huge intelligence organizations, but those involved entire sea regions or even the entire Void Sea intelligence networks; for small figures within a world, it was actually better to find such a local intelligence organization.

Mainly because he only knew the target's general information; the life aura was at the Void Life level, and details from earlier periods were unclear.

Otherwise, investigating based on life aura would be much easier.

"Truly troublesome..."

Lin Qing strolled through the streets of the Water and World Imperial Capital, suppressing his aura, walking casually as if sightseeing. "The Lord of the Water and World has a deep relationship with the Starfall Civilization; I cannot reveal my identity, otherwise a direct transaction would be so much more convenient..."

Now there is no choice; he cannot reveal his identity.

Otherwise, once the Lord of the Water and World reports to that Yuan Emperor of the Starfall Civilization, it will be trouble; at the very least, they will not allow him to take the person away so easily.

If it triggers a great war prematurely, his current strength is not a match for a Yuan Emperor; he is still slightly inferior.

If it were just the Lord of the Water and World, even if the opponent wielded the power of the world, they could not harm him; at most, they would forcibly expel him from the Water and World.

"Regardless..."

Lin Qing narrowed his eyes. "Even if a great war breaks out, possibly attracting a Yuan Emperor, I must find Lei Lin and bring him back..."

During the time simulating the future, he only found a few disciples who met the requirements of the Limitless Heart; this Lei Lin is considered quite outstanding; with proper cultivation, he can fully reach the standard of a Second-Rate Disciple.

By then, he will be able to learn the Supreme Secret Technique of that 'City Lord Lan'.

Supreme Secret Techniques are created only by peak experts like the Light King after great effort; they are completely different from Origin-Level Secret Techniques, and their growth potential is extremely strong.

He had already experienced this in the simulated future, so he naturally knows exactly how much help such a Supreme Secret Technique provides him.

Unfortunately, such transcendental-level Secret Techniques require inheritance to begin cultivation; otherwise, even if one knows the cultivation method, one cannot succeed. Otherwise, he would have already advanced early or passed it to others in the Shanhai Realm.

Soon, half a month passed.

And on this day, Fu Kun sent a message, saying there was a result.

"Oh?"

Lin Qing looked at the intelligence Fu Kun handed over, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said: "A prisoner of the Sols Great Prison?"

"Yes, his life aura is on it," Fu Kun respectfully said. "However, the crimes committed by the youth you are looking for are quite serious; even though our Water and World has no death penalty, he is destined to be imprisoned until he dies of old age, or only be pardoned if a new Emperor ascends the throne."

"Oh? Only pardoned if a new Emperor ascends the throne?" Lin Qing smiled.

Fu Kun could not help but feel his heart tremble.

The Emperor of the Water and World is naturally the Lord of Civilization, must be a Void Master, and often has a lifespan of hundreds of millions of years.

Moreover, this current Emperor Your Majesty is a super expert roaming the Void Sea, and will only remain on the throne even longer!

Could this unknown great figure intend to attack Your Majesty the Emperor?

"Rest assured, I only wish to save a person."

Lin Qing casually flipped through the intelligence report, glanced at him with a half-smile, and said, "You actually think I have the audacity to kill the Lord of your Civilization? That is truly disrespectful."

He merely thought of the simulated future: the reason Lei Lin was able to leave the Water and Civilization later was probably because the Emperor of this generation of Water and Civilization died, a new Emperor ascended, and he was pardoned and granted freedom.

However, the Emperor of this generation of Water and Civilization also had a clone; unless the Three Ancestors acted, he could not be killed.

In the simulated future, it was also because the Lord of the Water and Civilization had an affair with Yuan Huang, this Yu Xingyuan Apostle, that the Progenitor of the Tianyuan Seat descended upon the Water World to personally suppress and kill the Lord of the Water and Civilization.

This was also the opportunity for Lei Lin to regain his freedom.

However, the Lord of the Water and Civilization always had a clone stationed in the Water World; he could not kill the other party.

To save someone, he could only use another method.

Lin Qing pondered for a moment and said, "What price is required to save someone from the Sols Great Prison?"

"Price?" Fu Kun couldn't help but say, "My lord, after all, he is a heavy criminal who assassinated royalty. Prisoners serving life sentences are all kept in the deep layers of the prison."

Lin Qing said in a calm voice, "As long as the price can be paid, anything is possible."

"This..." Fu Kun transmitted his voice cautiously, "Does my lord intend to storm the prison, or quietly take the person out and then lead them away?"

"Which method works?" Lin Qing asked with interest.

"My lord, I am somewhat familiar with the Sols Great Prison." Fu Kun transmitted his voice, "If we force our way in, it will definitely alert Your Majesty the Emperor. Looking across the entire Void Sea, I fear there are not many people who can force their way into the Sols Great Prison."

"That is true." Lin Qing nodded slightly.

Fu Kun thought for a moment before transmitting his voice, "If we are to save the person, my lord had best bribe the prison guards. Although that youth is a heavy criminal, his status is extremely low and his strength is weak; he is just an inconspicuous nobody, so it is still possible to release him through a transaction."

Lin Qing sized him up and said, "It sounds like you have done this before?"

Fu Kun's heart tightened; he forced a smile and transmitted his voice, "It is just that the commander of the Third Patrol Guard of the Sols Great Prison is my uncle."

"Oh?" Lin Qing said, "What level?"

"Peak of Void Beings, one of the top ten powerful figures beneath the Ruler of my Water World." Fu Kun said hurriedly.

Lin Qing nodded slightly and did not find it surprising.

The Sols Great Prison was, after all, a critical location; it was normal for a powerful figure of such caliber to serve as the commander of one of its patrol guards.

However, the Sols Great Prison certainly had more than one Void Ruler stationed there.

But for him now, aside from that Lord of the Water and Civilization, no one else was worth noticing.

"Then please ask your uncle for help."

Lin Qing smiled and looked at Fu Kun, saying, "How many Void Coins are needed to move your uncle?"

Fu Kun hesitated for a moment and said, "My uncle himself possesses the strength of the fifteenth layer of the Yu Xingyuan, created the Six-Phase Divine Technique, and owns a Six-Colored Divine Artifact. Even if it were several hundred billion Void Coins, he would not care; it must be a truly precious treasure, such as... a Five-Colored Divine Artifact?"

He might have realized he was speaking too exaggeratedly and quickly added, "Only a Six-Colored Divine Artifact is useful to my uncle. At the very least, one must accumulate multiple Five-Colored Divine Artifacts to exchange for a Six-Colored Divine Artifact, so..."

"Then let it be a Five-Colored Divine Artifact."

Lin Qing was too lazy to dwell on this loss and said casually, "Have your uncle sign the contract; I will naturally produce a Five-Colored Divine Artifact."

He also knew that for powerful figures at the peak of Void Beings, they often possessed Five-Colored Divine Artifacts.

A Four-Colored Divine Artifact could be auctioned for over ten trillion Void Coins; the preciousness of a Five-Colored Divine Artifact was even beyond measure by Void Coins.

But for him, it counted for nothing.

"You... agreed?" Fu Kun was stunned.

Facing a Void Ruler, he had prepared to lower the price; he never expected the other party to agree so casually.

This made him even more wary of this strange Void Ruler before him.

For many Void Rulers, a Five-Colored Divine Artifact was not something one could buy like cabbage; Void Rulers who could disregard a Five-Colored Divine Artifact were also very rare.

Fu Kun couldn't help but take a deep breath and said, "Rest assured, I will definitely handle this for you properly."

That night.

In the Second Universe Network, within Fu Kun's private sub-space.

"... Uncle, the specific situation is as I described. What do you think?" Fu Kun looked at the middle-aged man with golden hair and black wings before him with some unease.

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment and said, "A strange Void Ruler comes specifically to save a little fellow serving a life sentence?"

"Uncle." Fu Kun reminded him cautiously, "When I told this Ruler that asking for your help required a Five-Colored Divine Artifact, he agreed without hesitation; his background is probably extraordinary."

"Oh?" The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly. "A strange Void Ruler entering my Water World will inevitably alert Your Majesty the Emperor. If he had a connection with Your Majesty, there would be no need to seek help through you and me..."

He thought and said, "However, since he dares only to act secretly, he should also be afraid of angering Your Majesty, so there is no need to worry too much."

"Uncle means..." Fu Kun couldn't help but ask.

"Just an inconspicuous little fellow; if he dies, no one will notice." The middle-aged man said calmly, "Just disguise it as death and hand him over. It is such a good thing to obtain a Five-Colored Divine Artifact so easily; the more the better."

Fu Kun immediately nodded and said, "Yes."

"However..."

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment and said, "This strange Void Ruler might be under Your Majesty's watch as well. If Your Majesty discovers this, it will be a huge trouble; we must be prepared to make amends for our faults..."

"Uncle means?" Fu Kun couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing much; I just want to plant a Soul Seed on that youth." The middle-aged man said calmly, "If Your Majesty discovers this, I can use this to threaten that person and make amends for our faults."

"Threaten?" Fu Kun was stunned. "This... this is not good, is it? That person is, after all, a Void Ruler; if it implicates Uncle..."

"What do you know?"

The middle-aged man looked at him coldly. "Being in the Water World, Your Majesty is invincible. That foreign Void Ruler is obviously afraid of Your Majesty, which is why he acts so secretly. With Your Majesty present, we only need to revere Your Majesty."

"Yes..." Fu Kun could only nod, but he still felt somewhat uneasy in his heart.

Half a month later.

In the Imperial Capital, within the courtyard of a luxurious private manor.

"My lord, I have not failed your trust."

The middle-aged man bearing black wings on his back subtly sized up Lin Qing, handed him a Void Pearl containing a small inner space, and said with a smile, "This is the person you requested; please check him, my lord?"

After taking the Void Pearl, Lin Qing immediately felt the Boundless Heart within his body tremble slightly, sending a message, and confirmed it at once.

"That's correct." Lin Qing showed a faint smile. "Thank you once again, Commander Karen."

"No need to thank me." The middle-aged man laughed. "My lord, if you need anything in the future..."

Before he could finish his words—

At that very moment, a terrifying aura suddenly spread out. Amidst the surging convergence of endless World Force, a figure radiating an oppressive pressure as boundless as heaven and earth abruptly appeared in the sky above.

In an instant, space froze completely, and the terrifying aura shrouded the entire Imperial Capital.

"How bold you are!"

A handsome man with pale golden wings sprouting from his back coalesced into form, looking down with cold eyes.

(End of this chapter)