Back in the Astral Combat Academy, Han Chong had been Astral-2's leader and the Shura Realm's Realm Master. He'd enjoyed limitless glory, but now, he was just a cultivator who had just broken through to become a Cruiser.
Han Chong's death had only reminded Lu Yin of his time in the Astral Combat Academy, but he didn't think too much about it since it was the Wen family's business.
"Don't worry, I'll have Wen Shisui leave with you as soon as possible," Lu Yin said.
Wen Sansi and Wen Yuyao felt helpless. If Lu Yin didn't state any conditions, then they wouldn't be able to take him away.
"Then we'll have to trouble you, Alliance Leader Lu." Wen Yao was a little uncomfortable. This was the first time an expert from the Wen family like him had to thank someone else for raising conditions.
As he watched the two leave, Lu Yin suddenly realized that Kayze had disappeared. He should have been at the door all this time.
Lu Yin spread out his domain, and he quickly found traces of Kayze. He was currently conversing with an extremely ugly man.
"I won't go back," Kayze whispered stubbornly.
"You're a member of the Dire Barbarian Clan. When the Innerverse and Outerverse were separated, you were forced to guard the door for Lu Yin. It's been a few years since the Innerverse and Outerverse recovered, and we've looked for you many times. Why won't you return to the clan? You were a member of the Dire Barbarian Clan in the past, present, and future. Do you really want to be Lu Yin's guard for the rest of your life?"
Kayze replied, "I've had enough of the Dire Barbarian Clan. I was a completely different person there, and I'm living quite comfortably now. What's wrong with being a guard? I like this kind of life."
"We don't even know where the Great Eastern Alliance is. You can't even guard the door."
"That's none of your business."
"You!" The man was furious. He wanted to forcefully take Kayze away, but he didn't dare to do so because this was Zenyu Star. Otherwise, he would have taken Kayze away not long after the Innerverse and Outerverse had recovered. The Great Eastern Alliance also had experts, and there were more and more of them now. The man didn't dare to draw attention to himself.
"Leave. Don't come looking for me again," Kayze said before turning to leave.
The man was unwilling to give up. "Kayze, with your abilities, you won't be treated any worse than Aeli when you return. He's the leader, while you're an elder, you'll be able to decide the future of the Dire Barbarian Clan..
Kayze didn't say anything and quietly left.
Lu Yin retracted his domain. This was not the first time that the Dire Barbarian Clan had come looking for Kayze. When Lu Yin had first met Kayze, he was already comparable to a powerhouse in the top eighty of the Top 100 Rankings, and he was second only to Avery in the Dire Barbarian Clan. The Dire Barbarian Clan would not let go of such a genius so easily.
Kayze quietly returned to the entrance of King Zishan's palace and stood there out of habit. He had been doing this for almost ten years.
"Do you lack resources for cultivation?" Lu Yin's voice rang out from behind Kayze.
Kayze was shocked and hurriedly bowed. "Your Highness."
Lu Yin asked again, "Do you lack resources?"
Kayze shook his head. "No."
Lu Yin looked in the direction of the man from the Dire Barbarian Clan. "Why didn't you return to the Dire Barbarian Clan?"
Kayze's face paled, as he had not expected Lu Yin to know. "This subordinate wants to follow Your Highness even further. The Dire Barbarian Clan is too small."
Lu Yin was astonished, as this was the truth. The Dire Barbarian Clan was just an ant in front of the current Great Eastern Alliance. Although Kayze was guarding the entrance to King Zishan's palace, his status was still very high. After all, he was guarding Lu Yin's palace, and no one dared to underestimate him.
"Although the Great Eastern Alliance has unified the Outerverse, it still lacks the support of the Innerverse's great clans. If you're willing, the Dire Barbarian Clan can join as soldiers, and they'll need to be at least Explorers," Lu Yin said before returning to the palace.
Although the Dire Barbarian Clan could not compare to the current Great Eastern Alliance, they could still provide a few Explorers. Lu Yin was not satisfied with an army of less than ten thousand Explorers, and he wanted more.
Kayze understood that Lu Yin wanted him to persuade the Dire Barbarian Clan to submit, which would be troublesome. Although the Dire Barbarian Clan was not one of the eight great flowzones, they were not weak either. How could they easily submit to the Great Eastern Alliance?
"There's no rush. I'll give you enough resources to defeat Avery," Lu Yin's voice rang out from the palace. Kayze was excited, as defeating Avery was his dream. Could it really be realized?
"Yes, Your Highness," Kayze hurriedly replied.
Two days later, Lu Yin met with Leng Yan. This woman had once worked for the Iltol Corporation, and the mission that Iltol Corporation had assigned to Astral-10 had been the first mission that Lu Yin had accepted. After that, she had joined the Daystar Line, which had an office on the busiest street on Zenyu Star.
Lu Yin had met her several times, and each time they met, her status was different. This time, Leng Yan was representing the Giant Financial Group.
The Daystar Line originally belonged to the Giant Financial Group, and it was also a part of the mainland's shipping network. Most of the Innerverse's shipping routes came from the Daystar Line.
The biggest difference between the Innerverse and the Outerverse was that the Outerverse's business tycoons had their own autonomy and were able to protect themselves well. The Innerverse's tycoons, on the other hand, had to serve the various great powers. Even a huge corporation like the Giant Financial Group had to pay a huge amount of resources to the eight great flowzones, and they also did not allow too many powerhouses to join them.
It had to be said that this was a tragedy for the Innerverse's tycoons.
The Giant Financial Group's situation had only improved after cooperating with the Great Eastern Alliance, and their safety was now under the Great Eastern Alliance's care.
"Leng Yan greets the Alliance Leader."
Lu Yin gestured for her to enter. "Qiong Xi 'er is in charge of the mainland's shipping line, so I shouldn't be looking for you. However, one of the nine directors of the Hall of Honor, Cong Yingdu, has been causing trouble for the mainland's shipping line. Do you know why?"
Leng Yan did not understand. "I don't know." She represented the Daystar Line and had joined the mainland's shipping line, so she was naturally considered Lu Yin's subordinate.
Lu Yin lowered his voice. "Cong Yingdu's ancestor participated in the plan to destroy the Giant Tribe, and he's a very radical representative. He believes that the Giant Financial Group has Giant Technology and was formed by the Giant Tribe."
Leng Yan's expression changed, but she did not deny it. She remained silent.
Lu Yin's eyes flashed. "Is it really the Giant Tribe?"
Leng Yan replied, "The Giant Financial Group was indeed formed by the Giant Tribe from the ruins of Giant Technology. Many years ago, Giant Technology existed in the universe, and it was at its peak of glory. This caused some people to become apprehensive, especially the directors of the Hall of Honor. They believed that the further Giant Technology developed, the more it would threaten the status of the human race. Thus, the nine directors decided to destroy Giant Technology. However, they only destroyed Giant Technology, not the entire Giant Tribe.
"The giants are also a branch of the human race. Cong Ying's ancestors must have wanted to destroy the giants, but they didn't succeed. The nine directors decided to destroy the giants, but they didn't do anything to the giants. The Giant Financial Group was founded because of the giants' technology," said Lin Feng.
"This isn't a secret, and all of the major powers of the Eight Great Flowzones know about it. They also know where the Giant Tribe exists in the universe, but they don't interfere too much."
Lu Yin tapped a finger on the table. "To what extent has the Giant Financial Group's technology reached?"
Leng Yan replied, "It's far from comparable to the Giant Technology of the past. The current Giant Financial Group's development is mainly for the common people, which is why the major powers don't care."
Lu Yin looked at her. "You're also a human. There are monsters among the Giant Tribe that eat raw meat and drink blood."
Leng Yan looked at Lu Yin and pursed her lips. "Does Your Highness hate the Giant Tribe?"
Lu Yin thought about it. "I've never seen a Giant Tribe that is friendly to humans." The giants on the giant planet in the Outerverse's Umbral Butterfly Weave and the giants in Progenitor Chen's tomb all ate raw meat and drank blood.
Leng Yan continued, "If Your Highness is willing, you can visit the Giant Financial Group for an inspection. The Giant Tribe will welcome Your Highness. If Your Highness feels that these giants are unsafe, you can cancel your cooperation with the Giant Financial Group. However, before that, please do not listen to others. There are good people among the Giant Tribe."
Lu Yin waved a hand and dismissed Leng Yan.
There were many branches of the Giant Tribe, and there were powerful battle giants as well as technological giants. Since they could create technology, it meant that they were extremely intelligent. Lu Yin believed that the Giant Financial Group had survived until now without any problems, but there had to be someone watching over them.
Cong Ying's ancestors had been prejudiced against the Giant Tribe, but that did not mean that the board members who had made the decision to destroy the Giant Technology Group were prejudiced as well. There had to be some reason that had led them to destroy the Giant Technology Group. Right, there was also Progenitor Chen.
One of Progenitor Chen's nine clones was from the Giant Tribe, and he had been hunted down by the Daosource Sect because of this. The Daosource Sect also had different opinions about the Giant Tribe, but since Progenitor Chen had chosen the Giant Tribe, it meant that he did not have any prejudice against them.
There were both good and bad people among the Giant Tribe, but no matter what, Lu Yin had to be on guard against them.
Who should he ask to keep an eye on them?
Lu Yin felt a headache coming on, and he wanted to contact Wei Rong or Qiongxi 'er to ask for their opinions.
At that moment, Kayze's voice rang out. "Your Highness, Ku Wei requests an audience."
Lu Yin raised his brows. "Let him in."
"Master, it's great to see you! Master, take me with you wherever you go! I don't want to be separated from you!" Ku Wei looked at Lu Yin, and his bootlicking attitude immediately surfaced.
Lu Yin sized up Ku Wei, and Ku Wei wanted to continue flattering him, but Lu Yin's gaze made his hair stand on end. He blinked. "Master?"
Lu Yin smiled. "Ku Wei, why have you come to Zenyu Star? Is Fennel Flowzone alright?"
Ku Wei felt that there was something wrong with Lu Yin's gaze. "No, nothing's wrong."
"Oh." Lu Yin stared at Ku Wei again. "How about I give you a mission?
If you complete it well, your future will be bright. "
Ku Wei gulped, and for some reason, he felt a little flustered. "Please tell me, Master."
"Go to the Giant Financial Group and keep an eye on the Giants," Lu Yin said calmly.
Lu Yin's tone was calm, but it sounded like a raging storm to Ku Wei. Keep an eye on the Giants?
Keep an eye on the Giants?
What did that mean?
Why did he want Ku Wei to keep an eye on the Giants?
Did he know something?
Did he know that Ku Wei could become a Giant?
Otherwise, why would he want Ku Wei to keep an eye on him?
Ku Wei stared blankly at Lu Yin, trying to figure out something from his expression.
Lu Yin's expression was calm, and he looked up. Eh?
What kind of expression was that?
It was as if he had seen a ghost.