Chapter 339: Ninglan Qiuyu’s Calculation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 339: Ninglan Qiuyu’s Calculation
“Yes… a seed.”
Ninglan Qiuyun’s voice emerged slowly, confirming Ninglan Qiuyu’s suspicion.
Before this seed, Ninglan Qiuyu instinctively stepped forward. He reached out, wanting to gently cradle the white crystal object that looked like a work of art. Beside him, Ninglan Qiuyun did not stop him, allowing Qiuyu to approach.
The moment Qiuyu’s fingers hooked into the hollow carvings of the white crystal, the world changed. The seed, which had seemed inert, suddenly burst with vitality. Golden radiance erupted from it, the shimmering power so intense that Qiuyu could barely keep his eyes open.
In that moment, he felt as if the white crystal in his hands had become one with him, perfectly attuned to his being. He could feel a rhythmic pulse emanating from the seed.
Squinting in disbelief, he watched as a blood-red thread wove the golden power into chains, which then lunged forward and pierced straight through his chest.
His mind finally cleared as a wave of intense regret washed over him. But before the emotion could fully take hold, a large hand slammed onto his shoulder.
“Ah—!”
Qiuyu let out a low, terrified growl as if waking from a nightmare, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
He looked down at his chest—it was perfectly intact. He looked back at the seed; there were no golden chains, no red threads.
It had all felt like a hallucination.
“Just now…”
“A mere illusion. From this day forward, you are the City Lord of Ninglan New City.”
“What is this thing? Tell me! You brought me here for no reason, and just because I touched this thing, you say I’m the City Lord? What do you mean by that?!” Qiuyu’s emotions finally boiled over. A moment ago, he had truly believed he was going to die!
“Exactly what I said. Once, I was like you; I didn’t understand what this represented. I simply followed my father’s instructions. Whenever I was lost or my will wavered, I would come here and meditate. Many problems would resolve themselves.”
“You can think of it as a Transcendent Item. No one knows who created it, and no scholar understands its transcendent principles. But those faint, golden threads… perhaps they are what the Dream Demons call ‘Luck.’”
“Golden… threads? Luck!” Qiuyu was baffled. But as he caught the seed in his peripheral vision, he saw the golden power condensing into a thread, already coiled around his wrist.
Terrified, he yanked his right hand back. When he looked again, there was nothing there.
A chill ran down Qiuyu’s spine. What kind of eerie object was this? Why did such a thing exist beneath Ninglan Township Castle?
He realized that for the first time, he didn’t understand his father, nor did he understand Ninglan New City. How had things come to this?
But when he turned his gaze back to his father, the man’s once-burly, stalwart frame had become gaunt. Even though Qiuyun had already looked thinner when they first met today, Qiuyu hadn’t paid it much mind. Now, he couldn't ignore it—the change had happened in the blink of an eye!
“You!”
“So… that was the resolve he held when he passed the position of City Lord down to me…” Qiuyun sighed. His voice was now as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. A moment later, he collapsed straight to the floor.
And so, the City Lord who had dedicated his life to Ninglan New City fell.
Qiuyu didn't even instinctively reach out to catch him.
The surroundings seemed to freeze in a dead silence.
“The old man is dead?”
A seductive, feminine voice echoed through the cramped secret room.
A figure then separated from Qiuyu’s body, her form manifesting from the dreamscape.
“He’s dead. Help me figure out what this thing is,” Qiuyu said flatly. He knelt to check the man’s breathing, then instinctively backed away from the white crystal and the seed.
“This? Hehe… just a Transcendent Item,” the Dream Demon explained casually. However, a flash of surprise and delight flickered deep in her eyes, though she masked it well.
“A Transcendent Item? What does that mean? Is it dangerous to me?” Qiuyu asked, frowning.
“I don’t know much about Transcendent Items myself. I only know that most of them are irreplaceable miracles.”
“Irreplaceable miracles? So it’s very valuable?” A sharp glint appeared in Qiuyu’s eyes.
“Extremely valuable. But you need to be alive to use it. What’s the matter? A moment ago, you looked disgusted by it, but now your eyes are glowing at the mention of its value?”
“Need to be alive to use it? So it really is a sinister thing…”
Hearing her description, Qiuyu calmed down. He didn't entirely trust her words; he knew he wasn't her master. Every action and choice he made was a gamble against her.
“Yes. Most Transcendent Items have bizarre abilities, but using them requires a price. The weaker you are, the greater the price. Do you want to try?”
“Tsk…” Qiuyu clicked his tongue, frowning. He wasn't about to use himself as a guinea pig. His life was more precious than anything!
“Don’t be so repulsed. Didn’t you already use it just now? It seems to have already established some sort of connection with you.”
“What? That old man plotted against me even in death?” Qiuyu’s expression of disgust deepened as he looked at the fallen figure on the floor.
“Do you know what the price for this… Transcendent Item is?”
“You want to know? Then beg me~” The Dream Demon looked as if she would tell him only if he humbled himself, but she was met only with Qiuyu’s cold indifference.
“Beg you? There’s no need for that.”
“Fine, fine~ Honestly, you have no sense of romance. It’s just a price, isn’t it? Someone has already paid it for you, haven’t they?” As the Dream Demon spoke, she glanced at the body on the floor.
“I see. Since the price has been paid, what is its effect?”
“Who knows? I’m no expert on these things. But I suggest you get rid of it if you can. Who’s to say… its purpose isn't to turn you into a sacrificial consumable to sustain Ninglan New City?”
“You should know that every City Lord of Ninglan New City, except for the first generation, has been short-lived. If you don’t want to follow in your father’s footsteps and drop dead in your prime, well, you know~”
“I don’t need you to remind me.”
Qiuyu closed his eyes and opened them again. He felt like his hallucinations were getting worse; he saw the golden threads wrapping around him again, but when he looked closely, they vanished.
This had to be the influence of this so-called Transcendent Item. He had to leave.
The further away, the better!
“Oh? You’re just going to leave such a good thing locked in here?” the Dream Demon asked curiously as she watched Qiuyu exit and lock the door behind him.
“What, did you want me to carry it around with me?”
“Fair point. Still, you’ve gained quite a lot from this trip. I didn't expect your so-called father to support you this much. He almost wiped out every Dream Demon we planted in Ninglan Township Castle at the very end. A terrifying man, truly.”
“They’re all gone?”
“Yes~ It’s quite a headache. If we rely solely on the remaining Dream Demons to ambush those Outsiders, we might not achieve the results you’re looking for.”
“I know what you’re getting at. But how is the task I gave you coming along? I had Ninglan Qiuyue move most of the combat power from the Underground District to the surface. Don’t tell me you can’t even take down a hollowed-out Underground District.”
“Relax. After your dear sister showed me the way, the rest of the Dream Demons have already headed down. Don’t say we aren’t pulling our weight.”
“I hope you don’t screw this up.”
Qiuyu snorted coldly and turned to leave. He needed to prepare for what came next.
Now that the previous City Lord was confirmed dead, he had to begin arranging the transfer of power, as well as his inauguration speech to explain the situation to the citizens.
But before that, he needed to subjugate one more place.
The Underground District.
Now that he was the true City Lord, how could he allow the Underground District to remain an autonomous entity?
He had to seize control of the Underground District as quickly as possible to deal with the impending Beast Tide crisis.
And not just the Beast Tide—he also had to thoroughly eliminate the Outsiders. The Outsiders were a common enemy for both him and the Dream Demons. Even though the Outsiders had been helpful in this rebellion, they were still Outsiders. They were at the root of everything that had happened. He wasn't the type to hesitate to discard a tool once it had served its purpose.
Right now, he just had to wait for the people in the Underground District to send a distress signal to the surface. Then, he could lead his people to "liberate" the Underground District in an official capacity. From then on, the Underground District would no longer be isolated from the surface.
The Underground District’s sense of existence was incredibly low; some people lived their entire lives in Ninglan New City without ever knowing it existed.
When Qiuyu first heard of the Underground District, he couldn't believe that his father, the City Lord, would sometimes speak so politely to others. His father was the lord of a city!
He would never forget the attitude of those in charge of the Underground District, those scholars… What made them think they were superior?
He had been to the Underground District himself. His own eyes told him those people were no different from anyone else, except they possessed high-end Transcendent Arts and unrivaled combat power. They held the lifeblood of Ninglan New City in their hands!
Now that he was City Lord, how could he allow such combat power to be controlled by others?
Never!
Once he had made up his mind, he wouldn't show a shred of mercy. At this point, the methods didn't matter; only the final result—who ended up with the benefits—was real.
Once he reached the Underground District, he would use the Anchor he possessed, along with the Soul Essence collected from the battles along the way, to summon Dream Demons and have them fight underground.
Conveniently, even if the battle caused massive collateral damage, it wouldn't affect the surface of Ninglan New City. He could then use the excuse of helping the Underground District rebuild to completely reshuffle its leadership, making it easier to control.
As he emerged from the underground walkway, he encountered panicked members of the City Guard. After all, they had just occupied Ninglan Township Castle, only for their leader to vanish. That was a major incident.
“Alright, inform the others. I’m fine. Did anything else happen while I was gone?” Qiuyu said, following the City Guard back to take command.
“Yes, Miss Ninglan Qiuyue came looking for you again. She seemed very urgent.”
“Urgent?” Qiuyu feigned confusion. “Did she say anything?”
“We aren't sure. Miss Qiuyue doesn't discuss such matters with small fry like us.”
“Where is she? I’ll go find her.” Qiuyu made a show of heading off to find his sister.
When he found Ninglan Qiuyue, she was indeed in a state of extreme anxiety.
“Ninglan Qiuyue, I heard something happened.”
“The Underground District! Something happened in the Underground District! The Dream Demons have invaded!” Qiuyue said urgently the moment she saw him.
“What? Are you sure? You mean the Dream Demons retreated to the Underground District?”
“I’m not sure. Communication between the Underground District and the surface has been cut off.” Qiuyue was frantic. She didn't have many contacts in the Underground District; the only person she was close to was the Captain of the Ground Patrol, but he had been brought to the surface.
With communications down—likely the work of the Dream Demons—and the energy tide approaching outside, the surging Ley Line energy would severely obstruct wireless signals. They were completely in the dark about what was happening below.
“Then we shall mobilize the army to reinforce the Underground District.”
“Eh?” This time, it was Qiuyue’s turn to be surprised. She hadn't expected Qiuyu to make such a decisive move. She had been prepared to take the Ground Patrol back alone; after all, she was the one who had brought them up, and she felt responsible for what was happening below.
“You’re surprised?”
“I thought you’d care more about the City Lord’s seat.”
“Is that all I am in your eyes?”
“Of course.”
“Hehe… the Underground District is also a part of Ninglan New City. As the new City Lord, it is my duty to help them in their time of need.”
“I doubt that’s what you’re really thinking…” Qiuyue muttered under her breath.
“So what? Does it matter what I think? What matters is that the Underground District needs reinforcements right now, doesn't it? I’ll mobilize the City Guard and the Resistance. I see you’ve been getting along well with those Outsiders; I’ll leave them to you. We’ll need their cooperation to purge the Dream Demons, after all.”
“I hope you aren't planning any stunts.”
Qiuyu watched his sister walk away, unable to suppress the joy in his heart. By shifting all conflict and friction to the Underground District, even the worst-case scenario wouldn't threaten his rule.
As for the Outsiders, once the few powerful individuals were dealt with, the remaining weaklings would be dependent on his protection. Cleaning up those small fry would be easy.
Ideally, the Dream Demons and the Outsiders would destroy each other. He held the Anchor for the Dream Demons' teleportation; without that key item and the sacrifice of Soul Essence, the Dream Demons couldn't replenish their numbers. To him, the Dream Demons were actually the easiest to handle.
The entire Underground District would become a closed arena. Even if that was the worst outcome, it would just require the City Defense Force to survive the Beast Tide. There was significant risk, of course—the Beyonder Equipment Qiuyue had brought up didn't meet the standard military requirements for a normal defense against a Beast Tide.
But… as long as Ninglan New City survived this crisis, it would enter a brand-new era.
An era controlled by him. The mere thought of it made him tremble with excitement!