Monarch of Evernight - Chapter 1104

Chapter 1104

Chapter 1104: Profits and Profits

The middle-aged man’s expression turned odd after hearing the secret information, clearly skeptical of the duke’s words .

He shifted his gaze from the box, saying, “No one has completely explored the twenty-seven continents . That one at the very top, no one has even set foot upon . Where is that new world you speak of?”

The vampire grand-duke was calm in the face of skepticism . “Even I find it a bit hard to believe, but since my family lord has approved of such a price, he can’t be joking, can he? The price for such a jest would be too great . ”

The middle-aged man nodded as he found the logic reasonable . He pointed at the origin blood, saying, “If this is the down payment, then what is the reward?”

The grand duke replied, “One of them would be a drop of Zhao Jundu’s azure blood . ”

The middle-aged man was unmoved . “What use does it have?”

“You probably don’t know about this, but with Zhao Jundu’s current cultivation, we can refine three drops of azure blood at most . One of them will be used as a key to open the new world, one drop is reserved for my lord, and you’ll get the remainder . ”

“Only three? Why not wait until his cultivation is higher?”

The grand duke sneered . “Who can subdue him once he becomes a divine champion? Do you have any special method to kill him?”

Stunned, the middle-aged man slowly nodded . A character like Zhao Jundu could challenge people of a higher-level even as a champion, and it wouldn’t be easy to kill him in a fair fight on the battlefield . Once he had broken through to the divine champion realm and obtained a couple of special powers, he would be like a falcon in the skies and a fish in the ocean . Even a great dark monarch would have to put in some effort to intercept and capture him .

The grand duke said, “Secondly, there’s only a short window to find the door to the new world . The opportunity would be lost once the origin tides have waned, and the next one will come only after a few centuries . There’s no telling if we’ll be able to find the new world at that time . ”

“What will this drop of azure blood do for me?”

“Don’t you humans know ways to absorb origin crystals? Just do the same for it . Azure blood can increase your innate talents far beyond what an origin crystal can . You’re probably quite familiar with this method, aren’t you?”

His last sentence contained hidden implications . Naturally, he was mocking the internal conflict among humans, but the middle-aged man simply remained silent and pretended not to hear .

The grand duke said impatiently, “What’s there to think about? A drop of azure blood is equal to a third of Zhao Jundu’s bloodline power . With it, even a useless person can become a divine champion, and ordinary divine champions can become a high-ranking one . The only limitation is the heavenly monarch realm . ”

The middle-aged man sighed . “Your race is indeed more knowledgeable regarding bloodlines . ”

The grand duke said, “The second reward will be a drop of origin blood from a prince, and it will come from one of the twelve major clans . ”

The middle-aged man nodded .

“As for the third…” The grand duke wrote two names on a piece of paper and passed it over .

The middle-aged man frowned . “Arachne and demonkin dukes, what’s special about them?”

The grand duke said with a smile, “These two are highly skilled in airship warfare . It seems your Palace Guard’s fleet was never able to gain an advantage over them . ”

The middle-aged man said after some contemplation, “Indeed . ”

The grand duke spoke while looking into his eyes, “I don’t care if you’re just a subordinate to the Minister of the Right or the minister himself . My lord also understands that the Minister of the Right toils for the human race and the Empire, so he wishes to gift these two fleets to you . Your situation on the void continent will shift dramatically after taking down these two fleets . If the Empire can’t win the war with that advantage, then you really can’t blame us for that . ”

The middle-aged man was finally moved . “Your lord’s intentions are?”

“We’ll leak all information regarding the movement of these two fleets and also assign them to a convenient target at a suitable time . ”

There was nothing left to wonder at this point . The middle-aged man’s expression shifted noticeably, and he remained silent for a good while .

The grand duke said, “Your race will lose a peerless genius, but forgive me for saying some ugly things . Our Evernight faction also produces such people every few years, but they are either cut down mid-way or lacking in support . There aren’t enough resources to allow every genius to grow to their maximum potential . Fighting for limited resources is also part of their ability . ”

“Reasonable . ”

“By the same logic, whether or not Zhao Jundu matures is still a variable . My lord is also making a steep investment for these two drops of azure blood . The price we have to pay is also quite significant . From a different perspective, your race will be trading a future expert for present benefits . If this deal succeeds, the human race will gain at least ten years of advantage in the war . Whether or not this deal is profitable depends on how much your race develops in this decade . ”

The grand duke smiled meaningfully . “I heard the Minister of the Right is a genius in statecraft . It’s inexcusable if he can’t even make good use of an entire decade . ”

The middle-aged man remained silent no matter what the other party said .

The grand duke said with a cold laugh, “Once the gateway to the new world opens, the Evernight Council will funnel all resources into pioneering the new land, a small void continent is nothing at that point . A large amount of resources and manpower have been reserved for breaking new ground . If we miss the opportunity to open the new world because we don’t have the azure blood, then all of these resources and manpower will be used against the human race . You can easily imagine the pros and cons of this decision!”

The middle-aged man looked up . “It’s a deal, but I want the two fleets first . ”

The grand duke broke out in a laugh . “Your appetite is quite big, but we can agree to this condition in order to express our sincerity . We’ll deliver the intelligence report in a few days' time . This is a great contribution, you must make ample arrangements!”

“Naturally . ”

“Then I will take my leave now . ”

The middle-aged man said calmly, “The road is dangerous and you’re injured, be careful on the way . It’ll be interesting if you don’t get back to Evernight in one piece . ”

The grand duke laughed . “Rest assured! There are a lot of people who want my life, but there are also a lot of people who don’t . I’ll be fine along the way . ”

“That will be for the best . See the guest out . ”

The grand duke was led to the horse-carriage that had brought the middle-aged man here, on which he left at a steady pace . Meanwhile, the middle-aged man picked up a piece of paper and listed over a dozen names . Upon closer inspection, one would see that they were all geniuses of the Empire, including Ji Tianqing, Li Kuanglan, and a few other unfamiliar names .

On top of the list was Zhao Jundu .

There were two names between Zhao Jundu and Ji Tianqing . One was Song Zining, and the other was unknown .

He first crossed off Zhao Jundu’s name and, after some thought, wrote a single “Li” to the side—just the surname .

After some hesitation, he wrote Qianye beside the “Li” . Looking at the name Qianye, he sighed lightly and erased half the words again .

The remainder of the list was easy as he drew here and there at a much quicker pace . By the time it was dusk, the paper was no longer recognizable .

He looked over the paper repeatedly . Then, he burned it on the candle-flame with a sigh .

The man walked out of the study and said, “Prepare the carriage, we return to the residence . ”

Moments later, a horse-drawn carriage drove out of the courtyard and back to the Imperial Capital .

. . .

There was no peace in the palace deep at night .

Normally, Empress Li should’ve retired to her chambers at this time of the day . Today, however, she had arrived at the Phoenix Wood Palace, where she would normally meet outside guests .

Someone was already there when she arrived, and it was the middle-aged scholar who had just parted ways with the vampire duke .

Empress Li sat down and glanced at the scholar’s face . Slightly surprised, she said, “Minister of the Right, there’s no need to disguise yourself after coming here . It’s not like we’re strangers . Speaking of which, your ability in this field is fairly close to perfection . If I hadn’t known beforehand, I might not have seen through your camouflage . ”

The Minister of the Right waved a hand over his face . His appearance changed swiftly, and even his body structure was somewhat different now . His temperament was calm, collected, and profound as he bowed in greeting . “Thank you for the praise . ”

Empress Li said, “There will be a lot of gossip if those officials find out that you came to meet me in disguise . ”

The Minister of the Right said with a laugh, “They will gossip even if I do things openly, so I’d rather give them some things to talk about . At the very least, I’ll know what they have to say about me at court . That’ll also save them the trouble of keeping an eye on me all day for material to make a fuss about . ”

“Makes sense, but you didn’t come just for that, did you?”

“Of course not . I actually have something to report . ”

Empress Li waved her hand gently, prompting the attendants to withdraw to the corridor . Then, a barrier of light descended to cover both the Empress and the minister . The scenery within also turned blurry . Those outside could see the two people inside, but they would not be able to hear a thing .

“You can speak now . ”

The Minister of the Right said, “I came to ask a favor . ”

“What about?”

“I heard the Empress has some plans for the Li family . What is the basis for it?”

Empress Li remained calm . “What do you think it is?”

The Minister of the Right replied, “I heard the Li family will soon produce a peerless genius, is there any truth to the rumors?”

Empress Li’s expression turned cold . “I guess only you would dare to ask such a question . Why do you want to know?”

The Minister of the Right smiled . “Judging from your expression, my guess is probably right . My thoughts are simple, I was never able to make up my mind regarding what you suggested before . But if your family will truly produce a pillar of the Empire, there’s no harm in lending my abilities to your cause . ”

Empress Li’s hand trembled ever so slightly, but she quickly regained her calm . “Isn’t your decision a bit too sloppy?”

“I only want what’s best for the Empire and the human race . If the Li family produces a peerless genius, I will definitely assist them until they mature . ”

Empress Li nodded briefly as she sipped her tea .