Strongest Lord by Opening Blind Boxes

Chapter 233 - 203: Leaking a Heavenly Secret, S-Class Plot Character

The Huaguo Mountain Territory currently had only one Military Advisor: Hu Miaosuan.

However, this Military Advisor was unreliable. A real "Dog Head," he only ever gave terrible advice, so one had to do the opposite of what he said.

Soon enough, Wang Yi found Hu Miaosuan. The man was eating Hai Shen stir-fried noodles.

"Are you paying for those stir-fried noodles?"

Wang Yi asked abruptly.

Hu Miaosuan scrambled to his feet and bowed. "My Lord, you’ve arrived! Please, sit! I’m officially assigned to the First Dining Hall. I work here, so I don’t have to pay for the noodles! Have you eaten, my Lord? Would you care for a plate as well?"

Wang Yi shook his head. "No, thank you. I’ve already taken a Fasting Pill!"

"Goodness, you take Fasting Pills too! Those things go against the natural order. You really shouldn’t have too many!"

"Let’s talk business." At that, Wang Yi placed two "Holy Decrees" before Hu Miaosuan and said, "Take a look. Can we do these two ’deals’?"

"What deals?"

Hu Miaosuan unrolled the silk scrolls. His expression turned serious the moment he glanced at them. Once he had read through the contents of both scrolls, he stroked his beard and asked, "My Lord, you wish to hear my opinion?"

"Precisely!"

"Then I shall be so bold as to speak my mind!" Hu Miaosuan stroked his beard, feigning an air of wisdom. "First, let’s discuss the marriage bestowed by the Empress Dowager. Tsk, tsk. Princess Longyu... I’ve heard a thing or two about this Princess Longyu. She’s said to be a Natural Beauty, exceptionally lovely to look at. By the time she was sixteen, she was already hailed as the number one beauty in the world. Her fame may not have reached our little backwater, but it has spread far and wide, known even to the people of the Celestial Net Country. My Lord? My Lord? Are you listening, my Lord...?"

"I’m listening, I’m listening. Continue!"

Wang Yi snapped back to reality. He had just zoned out, instinctively calculating how much money he’d earned repairing cars today. ’This Hu Miaosuan’s power is something else,’ he thought.

Hu Miaosuan continued, "In my opinion, this marriage from the Empress Dowager is most likely a trap. Princess Longyu’s beauty is probably exaggerated. The moment you get entangled with her, you’ll be dragged into the disputes of the inner palace. It will cause no end of trouble. As the saying goes, it’s better to avoid trouble than to invite it. You should just refuse!"

"Mm-hmm..."

Wang Yi nodded. He had just finished his calculation: so far today, he had earned a total of 599 Gold Coins from repairing cars, and that wasn’t even counting what Lu Datong still owed him.

Hu Miaosuan went on, "And as for this Jade King title, what’s the point? Those Court officials are only granting you this title because they want you, my Lord, to go reinforce the Western Domain and fight against the Celestial Net. Hmph! They think an empty title is enough to trick you into shedding blood and sweat for them? How could we let them have their way? The Celestial Net Country is at war with the Golden Sparrow Country. What does that have to do with us? I say we should just ignore both of these secret decrees. Our Eggshell Village is focused on its city-building mission right now. We don’t have the energy to bother with them! Wouldn’t you agree, my Lord? My Lord?"

"Oh, right, right!" Wang Yi thought, his mind already on how he was going to earn at least One Thousand Gold Coins from repairing cars today.

He nodded and asked, "Where were we?"

"Oh, I was saying that we shouldn’t get involved in the Court’s business. We can just pretend we never received these."

"Good, I understand! Men, bring wine! Let’s get our Military Advisor drunk!"

At Wang Yi’s shout, Liu Cuihua and the other Dining Hall staff bustled about, quickly bringing over a large jar of wine.

The wine had just arrived from Eggshell Pier. It had been procured by the Fire Dragon Trading Team and transported back from Black Stone Mountain on the small train.

These days, many of the supplies in the First Dining Hall were procured by the Fire Dragon Trading Team. The transactions were settled with coin, and the ledgers were kept by the Foreign Affairs Department!

Hu Miaosuan loved wine more than life itself, but he had an incredibly low tolerance for it. Three cups were enough to get him completely plastered.

Once he was drunk, Wang Yi became all business. He began to question him repeatedly about the Jinque Country Court.

For the most part, Hu Miaosuan didn’t answer.

After a long moment, he suddenly shot upright. A golden light flashed in his eyes as he declared, "So, Princess Longyu... she’s actually an S-Class plot character..."

With that said, he collapsed face-first onto the table and didn’t move again.

’S-Class plot character? The Typhon World has plot characters?’

Wang Yi silently committed this to memory. He glanced at the utterly wasted Hu Miaosuan and called out, "Someone, help Military Advisor Hu back to his quarters. Make sure he gets some good rest!"

"Yes!"

A group of Dining Hall staff came forward and quickly carried Hu Miaosuan out.

’This Old Hu is an interesting character,’ Wang Yi mused. ’His official posting is in the Dining Hall. I wonder who arranged that.’

Wang Yi thought back on Hu Miaosuan’s words. He couldn’t recall all the details, but he was sure the gist was to ignore the two secret orders from the Court. ’Okay, so that’s his terrible advice,’ he thought. ’That means I should probably make contact with the Court. And when you factor in the secret I just learned—that Princess Longyu is tied to an S-Class plot mission—it seems I really should make a trip to the Golden Sparrow Country’s Capital City.’

’Oh, well. I can just treat it as a vacation, a chance to see the sights and customs of this Otherworld. But there’s no rush. I’ll deal with it after I’ve handled the Jinyuan Zhao Family.’

As Wang Yi mulled this over, he hailed a taxi and headed for the Exile Court.

A moment later, Wang Yi arrived on Yamero Star. He tapped his Starlight Bracelet, summoning the Bronze Vintage Car, then took it for a drive to explore.

A short while later, in an area with a Crystal Steel vein, Wang Yi saw a group of Beastman Laborers wearing Supreme Jerseys and playing football.

To his surprise, they were using the Super God Football as a weapon, kicking it with immense force to shatter clusters of Crystal Steel.

Once a cluster shattered, they would move in to gather the Crystal Steel ore.

’Huh. The Green Orcs Football Team... they look pretty tough. I bet they could absolutely demolish the Stone Football Team...’

Wang Yi found this incredibly strange. After a bit of investigation, he discovered that the sport of football, which had received a lukewarm reception in Eggshell Village, had exploded in popularity here on Yamero Star. The Super God Football field had practically become a second home for the Green-skinned Orcs, with matches being played constantly.

Wang Yi figured the reason for this was probably because of three individuals: Ye Qitian, Xue Shentian, and Li Mingli.

Those three weren’t mining at all; they were completely focused on their football team and having a blast.

When Wang Yi spotted them, their jerseys already had over a dozen small stars on them. They were out on the field, just showing off their skills.

The little stars were a mark of a fused Supreme Jersey. Fusing an additional jersey added another star.

’Those three... they’re Players, through and through. No matter where they are, they’re just here to play. They’re pretty lousy at being Lords, but their football skills aren’t half bad...’

Wang Yi rubbed his chin. ’At this rate,’ he thought, ’I wouldn’t be surprised if Ye Qitian and his crew actually manage to attain the Dao through football!’

’And I’m a real piece of work myself,’ he mused. ’Maybe I’ll end up attaining the Dao through driving a taxi.’

A philosophical question popped into Wang Yi’s head. ’Attaining the Dao through driving a taxi... with a playstyle this abstract, am I playing the game, or is the game playing me?’

「At this very moment.」

Inside the Dongsheng Prince Mansion, "King Dongsheng" sat ramrod straight before his desk. His expression was severe, his gaze sharp and spirited, and he projected an aura of majesty and authority unique to those in power.

Before him, a Eunuch was kneeling on the floor.

The Eunuch’s forehead was pressed to the floor, his body trembling uncontrollably. "Spare my life, Your Highness! Spare my life!" he stammered. "Whatever you ask, I will tell you everything I know! I’ll hold nothing back!"

The Eunuch didn’t dare lift his head.

He was a Chief Eunuch, here on a secret order from the Empress Dowager to conscript troops from King Dongsheng.

He had not come alone. Accompanying him were a Court official and a general from the Forbidden Army.

But both of them had just been cut down and killed!

The Eunuch was terrified. ’King Dongsheng is just as ruthless as the legends say,’ he thought, ’a man who kills without batting an eye. My orders were to conscript his troops... that’s practically a death sentence. How laughable. I actually thought that as an Imperial Envoy, even King Dongsheng would have to treat me with courtesy.’

"The Celestial Net Country launched a full-scale invasion of the Western Domain without a declaration of war. The Forbidden Army in Kyoto remains idle, yet you ask me, stationed in this remote land, to dispatch my troops? What kind of logic is that? Go back and tell the Empress Dowager I am no fool. If the Southern command doesn’t move and the Beimang command doesn’t move, then I, Dongsheng, won’t move either. Come talk to me again after the Forbidden Army has been annihilated!"

With that, King Dongsheng waved his hand. Guards immediately came forward, seized the Eunuch, and dragged him out of the Prince Mansion, tossing him outside the main gate.

Back in his study, "King Dongsheng" shook his head and muttered, "The Celestial Net Country is attacking the Western Domain... what’s that got to do with me? I’d be better off figuring out a way to send some benefits to Eggshell Village."

Soon, another order was issued from the Prince Mansion. A herald shouted, "The times are dire, and the Celestial Net Country has declared war! Conflict is imminent! His Highness the Prince has ordered that wasteland be reclaimed to stockpile grain! Relay this to the six shires and nineteen counties of the Eastern Domain: The Prince Mansion will provide 100,000 Gold, each Shire will provide 30,000 Gold, and each County Yamen will provide 10,000 Gold, for a total fund of 470,000 Gold dedicated to this reclamation. Within one month, a total of one hundred thousand able-bodied men must be dispatched, along with their families, to the Jade River Valley to begin cultivation. There shall be no delays!"

This command sent shockwaves through the Prince Mansion, but no one dared question King Dongsheng’s decision.

Shortly thereafter, couriers carrying official documents stamped with the Prince Mansion’s Great Seal mounted swift horses and rode off to deliver the orders to every shire and county.

「At the same time.」

In Jinyuan County, a fleet of thirty-three large ships departed from the docks, sailing down the Li River.

These thirty-three ships were the bedrock of the Zhao Family’s trading fleet. Now, loaded with the fruits of the family’s century-old foundation, they were leaving Jinyuan County, bound for Huaguo Mountain.

Those who knew the real story remained silent.

Those who didn’t speculated and gossiped.

Aboard the lead ship, inside a cabin, Great Benefactor Zhao looked at his daughter. "Daughter," he said, "are you truly set on leaving to pursue Cultivation?"

"Yes, Father." Zhao Mei smiled serenely and handed Great Benefactor Zhao half of a Jade Pendant. "I will be reborn in the Land of the Red Phoenix and the Rising Sun, while the Zhao Family’s salvation lies in the Huaguo Mountain Territory. After my rebirth, my name will still be Zhao Mei. You may remember me, Father, or you may not. This broken Jade Pendant will be the token by which we recognize each other!"

"So be it, so be it." Great Benefactor Zhao sighed. "We’ll do everything your way."

"Mm. You won’t be disappointed, Father. In the future, you will understand the difficult choices I’ve made for us."

Zhao Mei smiled, thinking to herself. ’Of the thirty-three ships, a full thirty are laden with supplies. That, plus four hundred thousand Gold Coins and all the game items I’ve saved up... if I give it all to Sun Wukong, it should be more than enough to secure a sanctuary for the Zhao Family.’

’As for me, I’ll reclassify into the special profession "Pill Dao Venerable." From then on, I’ll pursue a life of Cultivation, Alchemy, longevity, and being Undying.’

Zhao Mei took out the [Proof of Promotion to Supreme Pill Master]. She still had two worries. First, after she was reborn, would Sun Wukong be able to rescue her from Bright Pearl Island in time? Second, she didn’t know if he would be willing to use the [Proof of Promotion to Supreme Pill Master] on her.

"The Monkey King... he should be trustworthy, right...?"