Chapter 531 – The Lord of Tianyuan City is Indeed Reliable!

“Oh, they’re here.”

Mu Yuan raised an eyebrow, unsurprised.

He had established outposts with stationed personnel in both the Gem Principality and Golden Principality—how could he not know what was happening in the neighboring Great Domain?

He had long considered the business opportunities there, but he couldn’t proactively seek them out himself. He had been contemplating creating an opportunity when manpower became more abundant in the near future, never expecting they would come knocking on his door themselves.

Moreover, it was two of the Six Grand Dukes—the Golden Grand Duke and Silver Moon Grand Duchess—who had arrived.

The Six Grand Dukes held the majority of authority in the West Coast Region of the Shenluo Great Domain.

“For two Grand Dukes to personally visit, it seems the situation in the Shenluo Great Domain is more urgent than imagined.”

Since they were anxious, Mu Yuan no longer felt pressed.

He instructed his assistant Moli, “Let our clients wait for now. Also, notify Daisy to return to the city.”

He located Daisy through the Mind Seed—she was currently in Boulder City. Fortunately, that was the case; otherwise, the girl wouldn’t have been able to return to Tianyuan City in such a short time. Lord Mu was a reasonable man who wouldn’t keep esteemed guests like the Golden Grand Duke waiting indefinitely.

Unlike the envoys from the Divine Radiance Empire, he had no conflicts with the forces of the neighboring Shenluo Great Domain—in fact, they had numerous cooperative exchanges.

He understood perfectly well why the Golden Grand Duke had come.

However, Daisy was constantly traveling outside. If there was ever a need to recall her, it truly wouldn’t be easy.

If only Daisy had high-tier Incarnation-type skills like Isloria, things would be much more convenient.

But she didn’t.

Mu Yuan pondered, “The previous attempt to influence Miracle’s evolution direction proved completely feasible. Next time, I should vigorously infuse more Miracle Power into Daisy to make her evolve a hardworking Incarnation labor skill.”

Daisy neither enjoyed nor excelled at combat. If she could truly evolve a similar Incarnation skill—well, it might just align perfectly with her preferences.

…

Tianyuan City, Foreign Guest Reception Building.

This building was constructed during Tianyuan Territory’s town-level development phase, part of the same construction period as the City Administration Building.

Even after expansion and renovations, its scale could hardly be described as magnificent.

After all, Tianyuan City had a short history, with most funds allocated to practical needs. Such facade buildings ranked lower in territorial development priorities.

Nevertheless, after renovations, the reception building’s interior possessed unique characteristics.

The most eye-catching features were the potted plants and decorative hangings displayed throughout the building.

“Isn’t this the Outstanding-grade plant ‘Nature’s Flora’? It assumes different forms and yields different products throughout the four seasons.”

“That wall hanging appears to be a plume from the Wind King’s Wings? And not an ordinary plume—it must be the treasure known as ‘Wind King’s Feather,’ produced only by the ruler of the Wind King’s Wings species. I’ve seen such a feather in a prominent figure’s collection room.”

“That ornament over there seems to be ‘Frost Dragon’s Scale’? Judging by the astonishing icy aura shimmering on its surface, this must be a King’s Scale.”

These decorations included trophies collected from legendary monsters, self-produced Materials, and treasures tributed from Nature’s Garden and Giant’s Ridge.Mu Yuan simply ordered the items to be displayed in the reception building, and just like that, the profound heritage of Tianyuan City was immediately showcased.

The Golden Grand Duke, Silver Moon Grand Duchess, and several other Lords were instantly captivated.

The interior of the building was completely unlike its ordinary exterior—was this what the Taixuan people often called “understated luxury with depth”?

But they were urgently seeking powerful reinforcements and had no mind to appreciate these precious collections at the moment.

“Where is the Tianyuan City Lord? Why hasn’t he come yet? How long are we supposed to wait here?”

A Lord muttered.

The Golden Grand Duke frowned. “Quiet.”

There were six Lords present in total, with the other four representing the Dukes they served. Dukes like the Gem Grand Duke, who hadn’t come in person, had sent their trusted aides along.

Naturally, since only the Golden Grand Duke and Silver Moon Grand Duchess had arrived for this trip, leadership naturally fell into their hands.

Especially the Golden Grand Duke.

He was the man who had been to Tianyuan City before!

Only he knew how much more magnificent Tianyuan City was compared to his last visit—it had grown by more than just a few folds.

Yes, Tianyuan City’s construction wasn’t yet grand enough; it still fell short of his Golden City. But what had Tianyuan City looked like just a few months ago? Its growth speed was absurdly rapid, covering in a few months what had taken them years or even over a decade.

Had the strength of Tianyuan City’s experts also seen a significant improvement?

The Golden Grand Duke recalled the Tianyuan Expert who had single-handedly suppressed the Sand Elemental Lord a few months ago.

Involuntarily, he felt a bit more confident.

He said, “We didn’t make an appointment. It’s normal for someone as busy as the Tianyuan City Lord to not have time immediately. Don’t forget, we’re the ones asking for a favor.”

About half an hour later, the Tianyuan City Lord pushed the door open and entered.

Following beside this young and extraordinary Lord seemed to be his right-hand men.

The person on the left had fluffy pink long hair, wore a magnificent star-blue mage robe, and sported a star-shaped earring. Most striking were her eyes—even if outsiders caught just a casual glimpse, it felt like facing the vast starry sky, making one feel small and inadequate.

It was like mortals gazing up at the stars, like subjects facing their sovereign.

Several Lords and generals couldn’t help but lower their heads.

The person on the right seemed to be of a demi-human race, with a fluffy tail, and also exuded an aura of nobility and friendliness.

Were these the Tianyuan City Lord’s right-hand men?

Truly noble and extraordinary.

The Tianyuan City Lord was really fortunate!

Mu Yuan invited everyone to sit and engaged in casual conversation about business cooperation and local customs.

They talked about everything except the situation in the Shenluo Great Domain.

The Golden Grand Duke and the others grew restless.

The Silver Moon Grand Duchess broke the silence, saying, “Respected Tianyuan City Lord, we’ve heard that your side undertakes external tasks such as territory defense cooperation and monster eradication. We have a clear purpose for this visit—we hope to hire several legendary experts from your city to assist us in exterminating monsters. For this, we can offer substantial rewards.”

She was the most anxious among them.

The Serpent Attendant had appeared within the territory of the Silver Moon Principality.

If she couldn’t secure strong reinforcements here in Tianyuan City, she would have to move on to the next place. But by then, she would likely have to pay a much higher price, possibly including some things she found hard to accept.

Tianyuan City was close to the West Coast of the Shenluo Great Domain, and the Tianyuan City Lord’s reputation seemed quite reliable.

Mu Yuan assumed a thoughtful expression and did not reply immediately.Isloria asked on his behalf, “We need to understand the situation in the Shenluo Great Domain in detail—the real situation.”

The Golden Grand Duke and the Silver Moon Grand Duchess exchanged a glance.

Before coming, they had already discussed this.

After a moment of consideration, the Silver Moon Grand Duchess began to explain slowly. She outlined the general situation of the Shenluo Great Domain, including the Serpent Attendant that appeared by the Silver Moon Lake, without—or perhaps not daring to—conceal anything.

“We can exclude the Serpent Attendant from the list of targets to be eliminated, as long as your legends can eradicate the other troublesome targets.”

She was referring to several monsters suspected to be at the Soul Realm or at the peak of the Heaven-Earth Realm with a scale of seven to eight thousand meters.

These were also the ones that their six principalities found difficult to deal with.

Even if they gathered the strongest experts from their six nations, they could only defeat these troublesome targets—killing them was nearly impossible.

If these major enemies could be eliminated, the situation in their West Coast Region would ease considerably.

Moreover, they were well aware that it was unrealistic to ask external forces to eliminate a world-class powerhouse like the Serpent Attendant.

The Tianyuan City Lord still did not speak, but the woman with starlit eyes said:

“The situation in our Ten Directions Island Region is also unstable. Moreover, our Lord recently responded to the Alliance’s establishment of the Sky Patrol Warzone, and most of the generals in the territory have entered the warzone to fight.”

Mu Yuan nodded slightly in coordination with Isloria, “We must prioritize dealing with the enemies within the Taixuan Territory.”

The Golden Grand Duke and the Silver Moon Grand Duchess looked somewhat displeased.

However, this response did not surprise them. On their way here, they had even faintly sensed the aura of legendary monsters.

It was just that the sliver of hope in their hearts had been shattered.

Wait—

The Golden Grand Duke suddenly noticed a key point: the Tianyuan City Lord had only said, “We must prioritize dealing with the enemies within the Taixuan Territory,” not “We have no capacity to spare.”

He had not explicitly refused.

In other words, the offer was simply insufficient.

Raise the price!

He gave the Silvermoon Duke a meaningful look.

As the leader of the principality, the Silvermoon Duke quickly caught on. “We can offer more rewards, as long as your side can eliminate these troublesome targets.”

The rewards they proposed were: materials worth 50,000 Soul Crystal Coins, ten-year operating rights for ten mines, ten-year usage rights for special training grounds, and twenty deeds to properties in the principalities’ capital cities.

In Mu Yuan’s view, this offer was already decent, though the ten-year mining rights were of little use.

“Not enough.”

Daisy said in the mental network’s three-person group chat, “This offer hasn’t reached their bottom line, and some of the terms can be adjusted. For instance, instead of deeds to properties in the capital cities, why not exchange them for established businesses, like hotels, bathhouses, or entertainment centers?”

“After all, if there’s no reinforcement and the Shenluo Great Domain remains in chaos, these businesses won’t be worth much anyway.”

That’s our Daisy—shrewd and ruthless.

Daisy said to Isloria, “Sister, it’s time for you to play the good cop.”

Isloria: “…”

The ruthless one is clearly you.

She said, “Lord, the situation in our Ten Directions Island Region is very unstable, with the Dragon’s Slumber Valley watching us closely. At a time like this, pulling out a group of strong experts carries significant risks.”

Mu Yuan feigned hesitation.Daisy spoke, “Our Lord has always said that the Gem Principality and the Golden Grand Duke are allies. When allies are in trouble, our Lord never hesitates to lend a hand. However, these days we are truly overwhelmed with tasks and stretched thin. Just recently, to strengthen our territory’s high-end combat power, our Lord arranged for two promising candidates to attempt a breakthrough. Unfortunately, time was tight, and breakthrough materials were insufficient, so they had no choice but to fail.”

Isloria played the tough role while Daisy played the gentle one. Before long, they had squeezed out the Silver Moon Grand Duchess’s bottom line.

It was clear that, given the Silver Moon Principality’s dire situation, the Silver Moon Grand Duchess had offered the most substantial bargaining chip.

“It seems this is the bottom line.”

The 50,000 Soul Crystals had increased to 70,000 Soul Crystals.

Moreover, it had to include at least 100 main materials for Legendary Realm breakthroughs.

Then,

Daisy said softly and weakly, “Our Lord never stands idly by when allies are in danger. As for the Serpent Attendant, it’s not impossible for us to eliminate them, even if it requires a great cost. I wonder what chips the other Lords…”What chips could they offer for eliminating a world-class powerhouse like the Serpent Attendant?”

…

Outside the eastern gate of Tianyuan City.

The Golden Grand Duke, the Silver Moon Grand Duchess, and the other Lords were still somewhat dazed.

They felt they had been fleeced, but had no proof.

“That Tianyuan City’s chief minister is too unreasonable. If not for that, we wouldn’t have had to pay such a high price.”

“But to be fair, the situation everywhere is tense right now, and the cost of hiring a powerhouse is naturally much higher than before. If it weren’t for Young Miss Daisy of Tianyuan City speaking kindly on our behalf and the Tianyuan City Lord’s willingness to support us, we might not have reached an agreement.”

“Still, the cost… Speaking of which, does Tianyuan City truly have the ability to kill the Serpent Attendant?”

“We’ve signed a Heaven-Earth Realm contract with the Tianyuan City Lord, and most of the payment will only be made after the target is eliminated. If Tianyuan City’s generals can truly slay that Great Serpent, then paying this price is worth it.”

They waited at the eastern gate.

They were waiting for Tianyuan City’s reinforcements to assemble before returning together to the Shenluo Great Domain.

“They’re here. The Tianyuan City Lord is indeed a man of his word. He said he would assemble them, and he did, without any delay.”

“I wonder what kind of reinforcements the Tianyuan City Lord will send?”

“It seems the blue-haired powerhouse isn’t among them.”

The Golden Grand Duke thought to himself.

He had subtly inquired earlier; Tianyuan City’s General Dolai was out on a campaign and didn’t have the time.

The Tianyuan City Lord would be sending other powerhouses.

Who were they?

Were they strong enough?

A Legendary Realm aura was approaching from afar, and the elemental energies of heaven and earth suddenly surged.

They sensed vast amounts of dark elemental particles converging toward a certain direction, while particles of other elements were being repelled away.

It was as if a king ruling over shadows was treading on clouds, drawing near.

They’re here!

Amid the surging black mist, an enormous dragon with icy-cold scales gleaming with a frigid light stood atop a dark cloud, slowly flying toward them.

“It’s a Frost Dragon!”

“No, this isn’t an ordinary Frost Dragon. It’s at least a Peak Heaven-Earth Realm dragon, one crowned with the dark element!”

“There are other Legendary Realm powerhouses on the dark cloud.Bone Two Three Four, leading twenty corpses.Soul Loss and Hundred Fierce led twenty Ghost Generals.

Azure Frost and Cold Frost also commanded ten Frost Lords, accompanying the troops.

The elegant vampire marquis Kibi served as both a combat specialist and diplomat.

They made no attempt to conceal their auras.

A full nine Legendary Realm pressures manifested within Golden Grand Duke’s perception.

Though their combined strength might not match a single Tianyuan Sky Patrol Squad, still…

The deathly Lord with fluttering cloak and eerie ghostfire;

The Ghost Generals resembling Immortal Masters, coldly fierce and savage;

The Frost Lords noble as ice princesses;

And the intimidating Frost Dragon radiating an invincible presence!

This lineup, this aura—absolutely made clients feel they were getting their money’s worth, even exceeding expectations!

The several Lords widened their eyes.

“The Frost Dragon King!”

“Nine Legendary Realm experts on expedition!”

“Who would have thought Tianyuan City Lord would be so generous, dispatching so many powerful experts! Our entire Grand Duchy only has nine Legendary Realm cultivators too!”

Expensive service fee? Not expensive at all!

Tianyuan City Lord truly is a reliable and substantial ally!

(End of Chapter)