Lu Yin smirked, "Do I need to know you?"
The middle-aged man shook his head in fear, "No, there's no need. Just tell me what to do, Senior."
Lu Yin was satisfied, "Are you trying to cause trouble for us?"
"Yes."
"You want to check our background?"
"Yes."
The middle-aged man was filled with regret at this moment. He had failed to find out anything and had left himself here. He had never imagined that such a terrifying powerhouse would appear in a mere merchant association.
While the competition for the Chamber of Commerce was lively, it wasn't enough to attract the attention of those terrifying powerhouses. This was just a matter of Yi Sangtian's subordinates and shouldn't have attracted those old freaks. Those old freaks should be wary of Yi Sangtian and shouldn't interfere.
He was curious about who this person was, but he didn't dare to ask.
"Where are you from?" Lu Yin asked.
The middle-aged man sighed and replied respectfully, "The Boat Region."
Old Tao suddenly understood, "No wonder I found your attacks familiar. So you're from the Boat Region. How's Barbarian Zhou?"
The middle-aged man looked at Old Tao in shock, "You know my father?"
"Barbarian Zhou?" Lu Yin was puzzled. Why did this name sound like it had been given by the Progenitor?
Old Tao explained, "Barbarian Zhou is now known as Zhou Ruo, but that's a name that was changed later. This old man was very pitiful when he was young and was from a branch of the Zhou family. For some reason, the direct descendants gave him the name Barbarian Zhou and called him Barbarian Zhou all the way until he reached adulthood. But after his rise, no one dared to call him that anymore."
"This old man is ruthless. He suppressed the direct descendants and took over the helm of the Boat Region with his own branch. It's been many years since anyone dared to call him Barbarian Zhou. We haven't seen each other in a long, long time."
Fantasy Chinese Network
The middle-aged man relaxed, "So you're an old friend. Junior Zhou Qian greets Senior."
Old Tao rolled his eyes, "Don't try to act like we're close. I'm just a servant."
Zhou Qian respectfully asked, "May I know Senior's name? Perhaps my father has mentioned it before."
Old Tao spread his hands, "I can't say."
Zhou Qian was puzzled and looked at Lu Yin.
"Boat Region? All the battleships come from there?" Lu Yin asked.
Old Tao respectfully replied, "Yes, the Boat Region specializes in making battleships."
Lu Yin sighed in admiration. "Each region is responsible for one matter. This efficiency is too high."
Zhou Qian's eyes narrowed when he heard Lu Yin's words. He knew who these people were; they were from the Dayu Villa.
Every cultivator knew about the Boat District, especially the strong ones. How could they not know about the Boat District? Many cultivators in the spiritualized universe would go on expeditions to the Universe of Consciousness, especially the strong ones. There were very few exceptions. They had all gone on expeditions to the Universe of Consciousness before. Since they had gone to the Universe of Consciousness, they must have ridden on the battleship, so they were not unfamiliar with the Boat District.
This person was so powerful, yet he did not understand the Boat Region. It was obvious that they were not from the spiritualized universe.
He tasted bitterness in his mouth, as he had actually bumped into the Dayu Villa. He also knew Old Tao's identity, which made him even more fearful of Lu Yin. He had guessed that this person was the young Third Master of the Dayu Villa, an invincible powerhouse.
He would rather not know the answer.
Lu Yin looked at Zhou Qian, "Zhou Yu, you want to fight for a spot in the Chamber of Commerce?"
Zhou Qian respectfully replied, "Yes, all this time, our Boat Region has been purchasing the materials needed to build the battleships through the Dispatch Chamber of Commerce or the main Chamber of Commerce. However, these materials have passed through the hands of several Chamber of Commerce.
Thus, we have to rely on favors and spots. We have no choice but to compete for them. "
Old Traitor Ye frowned, "The Boat Region's increased cost of materials is far less than the resources given to the main Chamber of Commerce every year. You guys are losing out even more."
Zhou Qian was helpless, "It's still better than changing the spots for some people."
"Spots?" Lu Yin did not understand.
Zhou Qian lowered his voice, "Every expedition to the Universe of Consciousness has a limited number of spots. Any cultivator who wants to walk the path of a powerhouse has to go through this hurdle. These cultivators have monstrous backgrounds, and the people behind them want them to gain experience but are unwilling to let them go. Otherwise, it would be normal for them to die in the Universe of Consciousness. Thus, many people have protectors.
"Sometimes, there are more protectors than the cultivators who go to the Universe of Consciousness for the first time. This is not allowed by Beyond Heaven, so they can only arrange for protectors to enter the Universe of Consciousness through certain methods. We have a way. The battleships were built by us, so we won't be discovered if we put more people in."
Lu Yin understood, "Isn't this better for the Boat Region?"
Zhou Qian bitterly replied, "We can gain many benefits, but once we're discovered, we'll be in trouble. There are many people who have their eyes on the Boat Region, and the Heaven's Craftsmen Realm has always wanted to replace us. There's also the Imperial Spirit Mountain, who has tried many times to snatch the right to build the battleships. My father's personality is unyielding, and he's already offended many people. In the end, there's only one way, which is to compete for a spot in the Chamber of Commerce and obtain the materials as soon as possible."
"Your first time competing?" Lu Yin asked.
Zhou Qian replied, "Yes, my first time."
"It doesn't seem like your first time." Lu Yin was skeptical.
Zhou Qian was speechless, and he glanced at the youth beside him, "This is a child. Him, me, this."
Needless to say, everyone understood that the kid was really flirting with Qingyun, and Zhou Qian had simply let him be.
Old Tao sighed, "This is indeed the barbarian's style. He doesn't know how to effectively compete for a spot in the Chamber of Commerce, so he uses the simplest and most direct method: snatch."
Lu Yin laughed, "The Imperial Spirit Mountain wants to snatch the right to build the battleships?
It's just building the battleships. "
At this point, he paused for a moment as he recalled that Zhou Yu could use his understanding of the battleships to squeeze in more people. This was probably what the Imperial Spirit Mountain wanted.
Not only did they target the consciousness universe, but they might also target the Tian Yuan Universe.
Just imagine, if the first invasion of the Tian Yuan Universe had not been limited to the three Sang Heavens, or if there had been more Sequence Law Realm powerhouses, or even more Primordial Realm powerhouses, or even one or two Bitter Adversity powerhouses, the direction of the war would have been different.
Zhou Yu's impression of the Tian Yuan Universe was the same as the other spiritualized cultivators, but the Imperial Spirit Mountain was different. They represented the will of Yu Sang Tian, and perhaps they had their own selfish motives as well.
Once the Imperial Spirit Mountain obtained the right to build the battleships, it would mean that the spiritualized cultivators would have a great influence in the war. This was not something that Lu Yin wanted to see, as he knew that the Imperial Spirit Mountain was the Little Spiritual Universe. No matter how small the universe was, it was hard to say how many powerhouses it had developed to this point.
Why had he kept Rumu?
He knew that Rumu came from the Imperial Spirit Mountain and that following him would not be a good thing, but he still kept her around. Similarly, having her by his side would not be a good thing for the Imperial Spirit Mountain.
Just as she had said, she could bring him to the Imperial Spirit Mountain. This was the biggest reason why she had stayed behind.
Lu Yin walked to the window, where another fierce battle had broken out outside. The competition for the Chamber of Commerce seemed to be an internal affair of Yi Sang Tian's Chamber of Commerce, but it was actually related to many powers in the spiritualized universe.
The atmosphere was quiet, and everyone knew that Lu Yin was thinking.
Zhou Qian did not understand what Lu Yin was thinking.
This was because his vision had determined that he could only see the spiritualized universe, but Lu Yin could clearly see the three universes. He looked at Yu Sang Tian, the powerhouse who had decided everything.
After a while, Zhou Yu and the others gradually regained consciousness. Zhou Qian gave them a look, telling them not to move, especially the young man who was his son. He was also afraid and did not dare to move, pretending to be unconscious.
"What price are you planning to pay to get a spot in the Chamber of Commerce?" Lu Yin asked.
The silence made him uncomfortable, but when Lu Yin spoke up, he felt better. "Eight billion spiritual seeds per year."
Old Sly Ye shook his head. "You're losing too much."
Zhou Qian was helpless. "There's no other way. We're losing out here, but there's less pressure elsewhere."
Old Tao sighed. "It's good to be rich. Problems that can be solved with money are not problems at all."
Lu Yin looked at Old Sly Ye. "What about you?"
Old Sly Ye was stunned. "Me?
No, it's the boss who makes the decision. "
They were not stupid, and there was no need to hide anything. Old Tao and the others knew that Zhou Qian would definitely be able to see through their identities.
Lu Yin looked at Old Tao.
Old Tao probed, "How about we also bid eight billion?"
"That's too little," Lu Yin said.
Old Tao and Old Sly Ye looked at each other. "Then how much does the boss want to bid?"
Lu Yin was certain. "I think this Chamber of Commerce quota is very interesting. If we get it, Zhou Yu will have priority in providing whatever materials he needs."
Zhou Qian was shocked. He did not understand what Lu Yin meant or why he was helping Zhou Yu, but he sighed in relief. No matter what the reason was, they had passed this hurdle today.
"Fifty billion," Lu Yin said calmly.
Everyone was shocked. Even the calm Qing Yun and Ru Mu were shocked. The young man who was pretending to be unconscious on the ground almost jumped up.
Fifty billion?
What kind of concept was that?
Zhou Yu's main business was making battleships, and they did not lack money. Even so, they had only bid eight billion. Twenty years would be 160 billion, which was a terrifying price. If they gave it away to the main Chamber of Commerce, they would directly bid fifty billion?
Was he crazy? Wasn't this giving away more money to the main Chamber of Commerce?
Even if they gave away all their earnings, it would not be enough even if they increased the price by several times.
Old Sly Ye was stunned. When they had won the competition, the Hundred Leaves Chamber of Commerce had only bid six billion.
Fifty billion was more than enough to sell off the Hundred Leaves Chamber of Commerce of that era.
"Boss, isn't this a little too much?" Old Sly Ye probed.
Ye Yaner blinked. Fifty billion was an exaggeration.
Lu Yin's back was to the others. "I want it to be foolproof. Just bid, don't worry about money."
Old Sly Ye looked at Old Tao.
Old Tao nodded. "Understood. Do as the boss says."
Zhou Qian and the rest retreated, and Old Tao and the rest left as well. Only Lu Yin was left in the room.
Lu Yin stared into the distance. Was fifty billion a lot?
Of course it was, but it did not matter. Fifty billion for Yi Sangtian's life was not much.
Lu Yin did not plan to pay a single cent. Since he was here, and Yi Sangtian was once one of the top experts in the world, he naturally wanted to compare notes. Comparing notes meant life and death. Fifty billion for his own life. No, not fifty billion, but a trillion. Twenty years, a total of a trillion for his own life.
If someone could solve a problem with money, he could solve it with his fists. If he did not have the ability, he would be called a scoundrel. If he had the ability, he would be called domineering.
Yi Sangtian organized the competition for the Chamber of Commerce every twenty years, and he did not give back the entry resources. He relied on this strength. Without this strength, where would he get the courage to not give back?
Everyone was the same.