Lu Yin's eyes glinted. He stepped forward and reached out his hand to touch the purple plant. It felt soft, indeed very comfortable, and even gave off a restorative sensation, carrying a faint, pure fragrance.
Undying Yushan looked at the plant and remarked with emotion, "The laws of nature and survival are cruel. This plant, when faced with a powerful being, retracts all of its sharp edges. No matter how the other party touches it, it will not attack. Even if all other creatures around it resist, it remains motionless. Therefore, on that planet, only this one plant survived, and it was brought before me."
"Before me, it will forever be just a plant for viewing, with no other purpose, even if it possesses the power of an Explorer realm expert."
Lu Yin narrowed his eyes. Undying Yushan was warning him.
"What business do you have with me?" Undying Yushan asked.
Lu Yin said respectfully, "During the trial on Earth, I accidentally overheard something. I learned of a certain coordinate. That place... might be hiding a Corpse King."
Undying Yushan was startled and looked at Lu Yin. "What did you say? You know the location of a Corpse King?"
Lu Yin replied, "I'm not certain, but it's possible. What I heard was very vague."
Undying Yushan's voice grew heavy. "The coordinates?"
Lu Yin shared the coordinates with Undying Yushan. The emperor immediately sent them out, then looked at Lu Yin and smiled. "Sit, rest for a while. There will be results soon."
Lu Yin nodded and sat down.
At the same time, Dolan Yushan and Duke Yushan also arrived, looking at the scene before them in shock. This King of Zishan didn't plead for Siken Maldo? Why wasn't their Father Emperor angry?
"Why are you two here as well?" Undying Yushan asked, surprised.
The two princes hurriedly paid their respects.
Undying Yushan nodded. "Since you're here, sit down together."
Although the two were puzzled, they didn't ask further questions and sat down calmly beside Lu Yin. Lu Yin nodded at them without exchanging words.
A palace maid brought refreshments.
Time passed quickly. Half an hour later, Undying Yushan's personal communicator chimed. He glanced at it, and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at Lu Yin with admiration. "Well done. A total of three Corpse Kings. You will be credited with the primary contribution."
Lu Yin quickly stood up. "It is because Uncle Emperor's army is invincible that they were able to capture the Corpse Kings so smoothly."
"Father Emperor, what Corpse Kings?" Dolan Yushan asked, confused.
Undying Yushan explained the matter to the two princes, who both looked at Lu Yin in astonishment.
The destructive power of the Neo-Human Alliance was immense; eliminating any escaped Corpse King was a great merit. That was why the escape of 27 Corpse Kings from Earth had shaken the empire, forcing Undying Yushan to use Siken Maldo as a scapegoat. Now, Lu Yin had provided the coordinates of three Corpse Kings, helping the empire to eliminate them. This was an absolute major contribution. Although it couldn't erase the matter of the 27 Corpse Kings, it helped the empire save a lot of face.
"Royal Brother, well done," Dolan Yushan praised.
Duke Yushan also sized Lu Yin up in surprise. He had thought Lu Yin was a fool, but it turned out he had some brains after all. No wonder he had managed to play those people for fools during the Earth trial and even defeated the newly awakened Nightking. A bit interesting.
Undying Yushan laughed heartily. "Little Yin, you have rendered a great service. If you have any request, just say it. As long as your Uncle Emperor can do it, I will not refuse."
Lu Yin stepped back a few paces again and bowed respectfully. "Uncle Emperor, during the Earth trial, General Siken Maldo saved my life. I implore Uncle Emperor to announce to the public that the one who provided the Corpse King coordinates was General Maldo."
The three of them fell silent.
Dolan Yushan and Duke Yushan exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with surprise. So it all came back to that, but instead of pleading, he was transferring the merit.
Undying Yushan's expression turned solemn, and he said nothing.
Lu Yin remained bowed, his gaze unwavering. Three Corpse Kings—he knew it was a great merit. Normally, capturing even one escaped Corpse King was already an incredible feat, as the Neo-Human Alliance was not an enemy the Great Yu Empire could face head-on. Therefore, this merit was immense, enough for him to seize some power. But he didn't. Siken Maldo represented not just himself, but also Zishan's old subordinates, as well as Lu Yin's own reputation for repaying debts of gratitude.
This last point was the most important. In an era where public opinion held great sway, a good reputation far surpassed a measure of power. He saw this very clearly.
With his current strength, even if he grasped some power, it would be a drop in the ocean. Lu Yin had never overestimated himself; he was just an ant in the Explorer realm. Just an Explorer—no one would care. So what if he was given military authority in the empire? No one would listen to him. What he needed now was foundation and reputation.
After a long while, Undying Yushan finally spoke. "Have you thought this through? Are you truly determined to do this?"
Lu Yin said firmly, "I ask for Your Majesty's consent."
Undying Yushan nodded. "Very well. However, this merit is not enough to absolve Siken Maldo of all his crimes. At most, it can save his life."
Lu Yin was grateful. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Undying Yushan nodded and gave Lu Yin a deep look, then turned and dismissed Dolan Yushan and Duke Yushan. He walked up to Lu Yin. "Answer me, are you saving Siken Maldo truly to repay his life-saving grace?"
Lu Yin looked directly into Undying Yushan's eyes and said sincerely, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Undying Yushan stared into Lu Yin's eyes for a moment, then broke into a smile. "You are truly like Undying Zishan. He, like you, always repaid his debts. You are worthy of the Zishan clan. Alright, I am tired. You may leave."
Lu Yin nodded and departed.
Undying Yushan watched Lu Yin's back, looked up at the sky with emotion, and murmured, "Your descendant is so much like you."
Before Lu Yin had even reached the Grand Star Gate, Undying Yushan's imperial decree was issued: 'Siken Maldo has rendered a service to atone for his crimes. He is pardoned from the death penalty. The evidence for treason is insufficient. He is to be temporarily detained for further investigation.'
Countless high-ranking officials and nobles throughout the Great Yu Empire received the order in shock.
Most did not understand what had happened. Only the nobles on the Capital Star knew that the King of Zishan had entered the palace.
Sika stared blankly at the decree on the light screen. "How is this possible? Service to atone for his crimes? What service? What did the King of Zishan do?"
Not only Sika, but many others were also baffled.
Outside the palace's Grand Star Gate, Bronson was equally astonished as he looked at the light screen. He had never interfered in Lu Yin's affairs, as his duty was to protect the King of Zishan's safety. Even so, when Lu Yin had wanted to enter the palace to plead for Siken Maldo, he had felt a measure of contempt. But at this moment, Bronson felt he needed to re-evaluate this King of Zishan. He had actually succeeded. It seemed this man was not all brawn and no brains, nor was he blindly arrogant.
"Boss, you're out!" Xu San said excitedly.
Lu Yin was displeased; it sounded like he had just been released from prison. "Bronson, do you know the address of the Vice Minister of Finance, Sika?"
Bronson was stunned. "I do."
"Take me there," Lu Yin said calmly.
Bronson nodded.
Boarding the flyer, Bronson set the route. Soon, the flyer shot into the sky-lanes of Planet Zhenwu.
This was Lu Yin's first time touring the imperial capital. It was much as he had imagined, full of a high-tech feel. Of course, there were also some classical buildings, and the green coverage was quite large, with greenery everywhere.
Flyers zipped past him, and occasionally, surprised gazes were cast in his direction.
His flyer was too eye-catching; it could be said to be the best of the best.
Not far away, a giant light screen showed a pure-looking young woman singing. The ground and the overpasses were packed with people.
In the sky, the three continental rings were clearly visible, with cloud layers as tangible as substance surrounding the world.
"Boss, look, so many beauties!" Xu San exclaimed, looking down.
Lu Yin wasn't interested. He had spent time in the Innerverse; the Great Yu Empire paled in comparison.
Up ahead, a flyer suddenly accelerated, made a sharp turn, and flew parallel to Lu Yin's. Through the glass, Lu Yin saw a beautiful woman give him a seductive look. "Hey handsome, want to race and see who's faster?" the woman challenged excitedly.
The corner of Lu Yin's mouth lifted. "Sure, let's add some stakes."
The woman's eyes lit up. "Name them."
"Five cubic meters of Star Crystals," Lu Yin said.
The woman's jaw dropped. "Are you crazy? Five cubic meters? Do you even have that much?"
Lu Yin said contemptuously, "If you can't afford the bet, don't play."
The woman snorted, veered away, and left immediately.
Xu San was regretful. "Such a beautiful woman, boss. You shouldn't have scared her away."
Lu Yin just smiled, unconcerned. With advanced technology, there were plenty of beauties. He didn't care unless they were on Bai Xue's level. But the price he had just quoted was indeed vicious. During the Earth trial, the strongest students in the academy had, on average, only one cubic meter of Star Crystals. Only the children of nobles like Las or Jenny Auna had a bit more; ordinary students didn't even have one.
That woman just now was just an ordinary student. Having a few Star Crystals on her would have been a lot. Five cubic meters had indeed scared her to death.