Star Odyssey

Chapter 1834: Crisis

Lu Yin was at a complete loss for words. Arch-Elder Zen seemed to be avoiding him, Lu Yin’s senior brother, the Chief Justice, was studying the black crystals that he had found, and finally, the First Protector had gone into seclusion!

"Is he really in seclusion?" Lu Yin pressed.

Li was freaking out by this point. "The First Protector really did tell us that he is in seclusion! I would not dare to lie to you, Alliance Leader Lu!"

There was nothing that Lu Yin could do, so he left. Everyone was in seclusion!

Lu Yin decided to make a trip to the Lockbreakers World to see if President Xiu Ming was also in seclusion.

Finally, Lu Yin had a bit of luck. Xiu Ming, Lockbreaker Society’s president, was not in seclusion, so Lu Yin was able to meet with the old man. When he did, Lu Yin also met Aurora Enterprises’ Director Zhi.

"Alliance Leader Lu, it’s been a long time." Director Zhi smiled politely as he greeted Lu Yin.

Lu Yin was taken aback at the man’s presence. "Why is Director Zhi here?"

Director Zhi smiled. "I needed to ask the president here about some things, though I did not expect to meet you here."

Lu Yin smiled. "It’s quite a coincidence. I also have some things to discuss with the president."

"In that case, I’ll leave first, as I’ve already addressed everything I needed to discuss." Director Zhi turned to bow to Xiu Ming. "This junior will take his leave."

Xiu Ming nodded.

After Director Zhi left, Lu Yin turned to face Xiu Ming. "President, have you ever seen a humanoid sourcebox before?"

Xiu Ming's expression instantly changed. "You know about humanoid sourceboxes?"

Lu Yin nodded and then pulled out a number of humanoid sourceboxes from his cosmic ring. Xiu Ming was surprised by the sight, and he checked them all one by one. "Where did all of these come from?"

"Burial Garden," Lu Yin replied.

Xiu Ming was amazed. "It really is true that that place holds countless inheritances. It even had humanoid sourceboxes, and so many of them at that!"

"President Xiu, just what are humanoid sourceboxes?" Lu Yin was curious.

Xiu Ming stared at Lu Yin for a moment. "Did Xiao Shi tell you not to open one if you came across one?"

Lu Yin nodded. "He told me that more than just once."

Xiu Ming solemnly explained, "I actually don't know what these humanoid sourceboxes are, as they are simply too old, and the Hall of Honor has no records about them. The few mentions of them that can be found are unclear. For example, the Mavis family is old enough to know of such things, but their records are incomplete, and they have gone through various changes.

"From the Mavis family’s records, the only thing that can be conclusively determined is that humanoid sourceboxes have some connection to the Fourth Mainland."

"The Fourth Mainland?" Lu Yin was confused.

Xiu Ming continued, "The Fourth Mainland is from the ancient era. It seems that these humanoid sourceboxes may have come from that place before it was destroyed."

"You haven’t unlocked one, President?" Lu Yin was surprised at what he was being told. He had visited the Mavis family and asked them various questions, but apparently, he should have also asked about humanoid sourceboxes.

Xiu Ming took out another humanoid sourcebox from his own cosmic ring. It was practically identical to the one that Lu Yin had brought out. "The information the Mavis family shared with us stated the same thing that Xiao Shi said: do not open them. Because of that, I have held off from unlocking one, though I once wanted to do so. Humanoid sourceboxes are quite curious, but there are historical warnings about them. Ignoring such historical records can bring about catastrophes, so I have stopped myself from opening this sourcebox. In fact, if you had not brought this matter up to me, I most likely would have forgotten all about it."

Even Xiu Ming was extremely hesitant to unlock a humanoid sourcebox, and Lu Yin felt that the string tied to the series of humanoid sourceboxes was likely something terrible. He had no idea which idiot had found them and pulled them out. "President, I’d like to give you all of these sourceboxes that are tied together with the string."

Xiu Ming’s eyebrows climbed high. "To me?"

Lu Yin offered, "A donation to the Lockbreakers Society."

Xiu Ming laughed. "Do you want to trade them for something of equal value that my Lockbreakers Society has?"

Lu Yin grew embarrassed, but still answered, "Would that be okay?"

Xiu Ming laughed and shook his head. "Everyone in this universe says that Alliance Leader Lu loves wealth, and it turns out to be true! I’ll give you enough star essence for you to be quite happy."

Lu Yin's expression remained pure and unruffled. "This junior isn’t a greedy person. There’s no need to offer any star essence."

Xiu Ming was taken aback. "You don't want star essence?"

He felt that he must have heard wrong. Lu Yin was someone who loved money; was there anyone in the entire universe who did not know about this? Had something changed?

Lu Yin continued in a serious tone, "This junior is focused on my cultivation, so how could I lust after for money? Those are nothing but rumors spread by those who hate me. President Xiu, you shouldn’t believe such things."

"In that case, would you prefer to receive a sourcebox of the same grade?" Xiu Ming was no longer confident in what to offer Lu Yin.

Lu Yin awkwardly asked, "Is there anything else? Like, maybe a page of True Insight or something?"

Xiu Ming was left speechless. "You want to trade a bunch of useless humanoid sourceboxes for some pages of True Insight? You’re overestimating the value of these things."

Lu Yin grew even more embarrassed.

"While you did indeed return a page of True Insight to us in the past, and we rewarded you for that, several of the thirty-six pages of True Insight are still missing. So, it’s impossible to lend out any of the pages for you to research and study," Xiu Ming stated.

Lu Yin reflexively touched his ring, which still held five pages of True Insight. Unfortunately, all of those sourcebox arrays were too difficult for him to comprehend.

After everything was said and done, Lu Yin managed to walk away with some rare materials in exchange for the humanoid sourceboxes that he had turned over to the Lockbreakers Society. Lu Yin had no idea what any of the materials were used for, and judging from Xiu Ming’s reaction, the old man was similarly ignorant. Regardless, Lu Yin just took what he was offered, despite feeling like he had suffered a loss.

Still, it was not important, as hanging on to the humanoid sourceboxes would do nothing at all for Lu Yin. In the end, it was better to hand all of them over to Xiu Ming.

When it came to lockbreaking, Lu Yin was far, far away from being able to compare to someone like Xiu Ming.

After leaving the Lockbreakers World without running into the Chi Shi Duo, Lu Yin ran into Director Zhi just outside the hidden world. Apparently, the man had been waiting for Lu Yin.

"Alliance Leader Lu, the last time we parted ways, we agreed to cooperate, and yet we have never done so." Director Zhi spoke politely, but he was clearly hoping to get some rare materials from Lu Yin.

Lu Yin had always been conscientious of Aurora Enterprises, as he was still waiting for their microarray technology to be successfully developed. "It’s been quite a while since then, but if Director Zhi needs some rare materials, I have quite a bit with me right now."

Director Zhi's eyes lit up. "This is wonderful! Do you happen to have some time now, Alliance Leader Lu? Why don’t you come visit my Aurora Fortress for a bit?"

Microarray technology still had not been fully developed yet, and Lu Yin was not sure that he would be able to hide a meeting with Wan Gong if he did visit Aurora Fortress. Thus, he had no desire to make the trip. "Now isn’t the best time. I really need to get back to the Innerverse. With Burial Garden open, every open gate poses a grave danger. I’m sure you understand, Director Zhi."

Director Zhi felt that this was a pity. "That's truly too bad. When do you intend to return to the Innerverse?"

"Right now."

"Then let's walk to the exit together, as we’re headed in the same direction."

"That would be great. I was actually hoping to ask Director Zhi a few questions about the Neoverse."

…

Normally, the Hall of Honor’s overseers were not allowed to leave Mt. Microcosms. Throughout the ages, the overseers had been people with a great deal of influence but little personal power. It was nearly impossible to guarantee their safety if they left Mt. Microcosms. This was also why Mr. You had been escorted by Li when he had gone to visit Venom Flowzone.

However, Lu Yin was different. He had broken the council’s conventions, which was something that left Nan Yuan grinding his teeth.

Lu Yin and Director Zhi made their way to the Honor Zone’s entrance, chatting as they moved along. Most of the time, Lu Yin asked about the Neoverse, while Director Zhi expressed a great deal of interest in the Great Eastern Alliance.

Soon, half a month passed, and they were quickly approaching the entrance to the Honor Zone and were about to go their separate ways. Lu Yin was headed towards the west and the Cosmic Sect, while Director Zhi was headed towards Aurora Fortress in the northern region of the Neoverse.

Before parting ways, Lu Yin suddenly asked, "What are Director Zhi’s thoughts concerning the Cosmic Sect?"

Director Zhi felt a bit confused by the question. "Why this question? The Cosmic Sect is an absolute monster here in the Neoverse, but they are a far way away from my Aurora Fortress. Honestly, I don't know much about them."

"I was just curious." Lu Yin did not give much of an explanation.

However, he fell into deep thought as he watched Director Zhi leave. Wan Gong had told Lu Yin some time ago that there was someone in Aurora Enterprises who had connections to the Cosmic Sect. This detail had stood out to Lu Yin, and when San Liang had been in contact with Wan Gong, he had also been secretly investigating any possible connections between the two organizations, but he had failed to find a common thread.

Lu Yin had only mentioned the Cosmic Sect to Director Zhi as a casual test, but the man’s reaction had been perfectly normal.

Was it just a coincidence? Or had Wan Gong been wrong?

After leaving the Honor Zone, Lu Yin plotted a course for the Cosmic Sect in the western region of the Neoverse.

As he traveled, his gadget suddenly beeped, and when Lu Yin looked down, he saw it was a call from First Edition City.

"Do you recognize this person?" A voice came through as a picture of a human appeared on the display.

Lu Yin glanced at the picture, and he instantly grew pale. Was that Bai Laogui?

"Where is he?" Lu Yin asked anxiously.

"He was at Sky Creation Academy more than half a month ago, but he has since disappeared."

Both Bai Laogui and Wang Si had been trapped in a spatial layer in the Technocracy by the Master Brain’s materialized thoughts. If Bai Laogui had broken free, then Wang Si clearly had as well. "Was he alone?"

"Yes."

Lu Yin's heart dropped. Bai Laogui had shown himself at Sky Creation Academy before disappearing, which meant he had most likely returned to the Perennial World. In that case, where was Wang Si?

"You didn't miss anyone?" Lu Yin confirmed.

"Absolutely not. He was the only person to appear at Sky Creation Academy. You asked us to monitor the place, and he was someone powerful and unknown. So, we reported this matter to you."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Lu Yin's voice dropped low as frustration appeared across his face. Bai Laogui had been at Sky Creation Academy more than a month ago, which meant that Wang Si could have been causing trouble for more than fifteen days! While traveling from one domain to another was difficult, it was not a huge challenge to a Semi-Progenitor.

"We've been trying to reach you, but we haven’t been able to get through until just now."

Lu Yin then realized that, more than half a month ago, he had been traveling from the Mavis family to Mt. Microcosms. It was impossible to use a gadget freely in the Honor Zone, so First Edition City had not been able to get through to Lu Yin until this very moment.

"I understand. Keep an eye on Sky Creation Academy," Lu Yin said solemnly.

After hanging up, Lu Yin resumed his course. He had no idea where Wang Si was headed at the moment. But given the Perennial World’s attitude towards Lu Yin, the old woman had most likely not returned to the Perennial World, but was instead trying to hunt Lu Yin down.

In the past, Lu Yin had not been particularly worried. Even if Wang Si was a Semi-Progenitor, she was not powerful enough to determine Lu Yin’s location. However, things had changed after Lu Yin had become an overseer. His whereabouts were being somewhat monitored, and the fact that he had left Mt. Microcosms was widely known. If Wang Si was hunting Lu Yin, it was impossible for her not to know that he had left the Honor Zone, and it was possible that she was already traveling towards him.

Lu Yin had no confidence that he would not be attacked by Wang Si on his way to the Cosmic Sect, and if that happened, Elder Gong would most likely not have the chance to rescue Lu Yin. This was not a risk that Lu Yin was comfortable taking, and after calculating the distance he still needed to travel, the only safe option was to return to Mt. Microcosms for the time being.

As soon as he turned around, Lu Yin tried to call Arch-Elder Zen again, but he was still unable to get in touch with the old man. Instead, Lu Yin called Yuan Qiong. Recently, he had come across a few Semi-Progenitors, and he needed to find someone who could keep him safe at any time. The best options were either Kui Luo or Gong Gong. It was impossible for Arch-Elder Zen or Highsage Grandmaster to stay close to Lu Yin to keep him safe.

"What's the matter?" Yuan Qiong spoke the moment the call connected.

Just as Lu Yin was about to answer, his ship exploded. Before he had a chance to even react, he felt a pressure that suppressed the entire area, and he lost consciousness. A figure emerged from the void, grabbed Lu Yin, and left.