Several days passed without anyone contacting Lu Yin. Finally, after ten days passed, he received an update from Qiong Xi'er: "The four ruling powers have agreed."
"Mhmm. Restore their wireless jincans," Lu Yin instructed.
"Their current priority isn’t the wireless jincans, but rather the cloud stone mines."
"In that case, sell them. This entire transaction was a one-time opportunity. Trying this again in the future will accomplish practically nothing. The Perennial World’s losses will be limited to monetary ones," Lu Yin said.
Qiong Xi'er said, "Financial losses won't have much of an effect on the four ruling powers, but you seem to consider this very important, Dao Chosen."
Lu Yin had been left with no choice. Even if he did not repair the Origin Progenitor's sword, he was still in dire need of funds. His die was absurdly expensive to use.
As he had once mentioned to Qiong Xi’er, the current situation was a scheme that could only be used once. Three years ago, Qiong Xi'er had suggested the idea, and Lu Yin had agreed, believing that it would likely be better than just taking the profits as they came in. Fortunately, the scheme had yielded substantial returns three years later.
With the plan being successful, fully restoring the Origin Progenitor's sword did not seem too far away. He only lacked another four trillion at most.
Lu Yin let out a sigh. The question was, where could he acquire such a sum?
As for the latest scheme, the four ruling powers did not appear to be too enraged by what Lu Yin had done.
"It's quite laughable to see Lu Xiaoxuan resorting to such methods for mere star essence," commented Xia Shenji.
Wang Fan added, "The rumors are certainly true. Lu Xiaoxuan holds star essence in exceptionally high regard."
"While it's true that all members of the Lu family consume massive amounts of resources to cultivate, it’s rare to see someone so unscrupulous," noted Progenitor Long.
Bai Wangyuan chimed in. "Since he likes it so much, let's give it to him. I'm quite curious to see just how much he can handle."
…
In a single stroke, Lu Yin had managed to obtain 2 trillion star essences from the four ruling powers. He had just 4 trillion more to go.
It might be possible to acquire this amount from the Fifth Mainland if he wished, but the consequences would be terrible. Even if it was possible to gather this amount, it would cause the Fifth Mainland’s entire economy to collapse.
Obtaining the remaining funds from the Fifth Mainland was not an option. Lu Yin looked around, realizing that the Perennial World was his only bet.
At that moment, Nong Yi approached. "What trouble are you creating for the four ruling powers this time? All of the wireless jincans have started malfunctioning."
Lu Yin silently stared at Nong Yi.
Nong Yi felt a chill crawl up his spine from Lu Yin's scrutiny.
"What does your Seed Garden lack?" Lu Yin suddenly inquired.
Perplexed, Nong Yi asked, "What do you mean?"
"What do you need? If the Fifth Mainland possesses it, we can negotiate a trade," Lu Yin elucidated.
Nong Yi exhaled deeply. "So you are truly in dire need of money."
At that moment, the man’s wireless jincan trembled, and Nong Yi answered the message. After a brief conversation, he ended the transmission and looked back at Lu Yin with a peculiar expression. "Why do you require such an exorbitant sum of money?"
"You know about that?"
"The wireless jincans that stopped working suddenly returned to normal. The four ruling powers purchased a significant number of cloud stone mines, and the rumors are claiming that everything was orchestrated by you. Are you truly that desperate for money?"
Lu Yin sighed, but then admitted it. "Very much so. In that case, how much can Seed Garden lend me?"
Shaking his head, the Progenitor replied, "My Seed Garden isn’t wealthy. At best, I can lend you a few billion star essence."
"You're that poor?" Lu Yin exclaimed involuntarily.
Nong Yi was clearly irritated by the comment. "Seed Garden has always been self-sufficient."
"Then where can I get more money?" Lu Yin inquired.
Nong Yi contemplated for a while. "Of all the families in the Perennial World, the Lu family always possessed the greatest wealth. The members of the Lu family consume a tremendous amount of resources for their cultivation, and as a result, the entire Perennial World offered tribute to the Lu family in the form of monetary wealth. They had the family’s treasury within their territory, and if you can find that, you should no longer need to worry about your finances."
Lu Yin's eyes blazed. "The family’s treasury?"
"The Lu Sanctum’s treasury was used exclusively for the Lu family’s cultivation resources. They allocated resources based on each individual's aptitude, tasks completed, and so on. Nobody knows the exact quantity of star essence in that treasury. I suppose that only a few of the Lu family's Progenitors were privy to that information," Nong Yi sighed.
Lu Yin eagerly asked, "Where can I find the Lu Sanctum’s treasury?"
Nong Yi shook his head. "I don't know. After the Lu family was exiled, the four ruling powers, our Nong family, the Liu family, and Specter Abyss all searched for it, but to no avail. Nevertheless, no one is too concerned, as the Lu Sanctum’s treasury mostly holds resources such as star essence, which isn’t vital to the four ruling powers. After more than a decade of fruitless searching, everyone gave up, and the matter has long since been forgotten."
Lu Yin felt a sense of disappointment.
"How much longer do you plan to remain a guest of my Seed Garden?" Nong Yi asked.
Lu Yin looked back towards Big Face Tree. "I'm going to keep listening to it. Perhaps I’ll gain some valuable insights."
Nong Yi responded, "That's fine with me. Our Nong family has always encouraged our descendants to listen to Big Face Tree. Our greatest hope is for it to help us gain insights into the ancient Heavens Sect era. Unfortunately, very few individuals possess the ability to fully comprehend its words."
"As long as you don't chase me away, I'll continue to stay for now," Lu Yin replied nonchalantly.
Nong Yi cautioned, "Don't push the four ruling powers too far with your schemes. It's better to hold back until you are absolutely certain that you can deal with them."
The four ruling powers would never let Lu Yin go. As for Lu Yin, he would not spare them either. Although the two had agreed to a temporary truce to avoid a major conflict, the day of their clash was inevitable.
Everyone was worried about this conflict.
No open conflict had broken out ever since the truce had been agreed to, but the two were constantly at odds and struggling against each other. Nong Yi did not want his Seed Garden to be entangled in the situation, and he sought to avoid the eventual confrontation as much as possible.
As Nong Yi left, Lu Yin watched the man’s retreating figure.
Some ideals could never be realized.
Unless Nong Yi himself died and his Nong family was scattered, it was futile to hope that Seed Garden could escape the upcoming conflict.