"By the way, Patriarch Xueshan, I don't know much about the Thirteen Squadrons' missions. Can you tell me more about the Ninth Squadron's duties?" Lu Yin asked curiously.
This question caused Xueshan Auna to panic, and he felt as if a disaster was about to befall him. He couldn't help but stand up. "Your Highness, did Rocky do something wrong?"
Lu Yin pressed a hand down and smiled. "Patriarch, you're worrying too much. I'm just asking. Of course, I have some ideas."
Xueshan Auna was apprehensive. "When His Majesty Undying Yushan established the Thirteen Squadrons, it was to control the thirteen filaments and prevent the feudal officials from becoming ambitious. However, after His Majesty's death, the empire's territory expanded, and the Four Ministries appeared. The Thirteen Squadrons gradually moved to Zenyu Star. Strictly speaking, they don't have any real missions."
Lu Yin nodded. "It seems like we should assign specific duties to the Thirteen Squadrons. What do you think, Patriarch?"
Xueshan Auna hurriedly replied, "I'm ignorant."
Even the Four Ministries did not have the authority to interfere in this matter, so he naturally did not dare to speak rashly and overstep his boundaries.
Lu Yin smiled. "The Second Squadron is already developing intelligence, and the Twelfth Squadron is dedicated to scientific research. The other squadrons don't have any specific duties for now. As for the Ninth Squadron, what do you think of the corrupt officials?"
Xueshan Auna's eyes flickered, and he was momentarily stunned. He couldn't figure out whether this was a good or bad idea.
The corrupt officials represented great authority, but Lu Yin did not seem like someone who would be willing to hand over such authority to others. What did that mean?
"Patriarch Xueshan, I've decided to assign the Ninth Squadron to investigate corrupt officials and clean up the empire's bureaucracy. What do you think?" Lu Yin asked again, his voice much louder this time.
Xueshan Auna still did not understand, but he still replied, "We'll follow Your Highness' arrangements."
Lu Yin nodded in satisfaction. Rocky Auna was still an Auna family member, and without Xueshan Auna's approval, even if he forcefully made the arrangements, it would not be very effective. Of course, he could make Xueshan Auna submit, but that was not the reason he had called him here. He wanted Xueshan Auna to truly submit and be willing to take a bullet for him.
"I have a list of names here. Take a look at it, Patriarch Xueshan. If you agree, then let Captain Rock do the work." Lu Yin tossed the list of names that Gavin had given him to Xueshan Auna. Most of the names had been removed from the list, as they still needed to rely on these merchants to restore the empire's economy.
Xueshan Auna glanced over, and he suddenly understood everything. Lu Yin wanted to deal with some people, but he would not do anything himself. Instead, he would let the Auna family take the initiative, which was equivalent to placing the Auna family on the opposing side of the court.
This was basically pushing the Auna family into the fire pit.
He subconsciously wanted to refuse, but when he saw Lu Yin's grim expression, Xueshan Auna did not refuse. He had no other choice. The Auna family's connections in the Empire were deeply intertwined, which was why Lu Yin was worried about them. Only by standing against the court officials would Lu Yin be able to feel at ease and use them again. With the Auna family's many years of connections, they were the most suitable for such a task.
When Xueshan Auna thought about how quiet the Auna family had been recently and the rumors circulating outside, he resolutely agreed. "I understand. Please don't worry, Your Highness. I know what to do."
Lu Yin was satisfied. "Rest assured, Patriarch Xueshan. This king will not let the Auna family's efforts go to waste. As long as the Auna family does not make any mistakes in their principles, the Ninth Imperial Squadron will always bear the surname Auna."
Xueshan Auna was delighted, as this was exactly what he wanted. The Thirteen Imperial Squadrons were a powerful organization, and as long as the Auna family was still around, the Auna family would not fall.
After leaving King Zishan's palace, Xueshan Auna took a deep breath. From this night onwards, the old Auna family would cease to exist, and a new one would be born.
After Xueshan Auna left, Lu Yin contacted Madam Nalan.
The Madam Nalan that appeared on the screen looked a little tired. Her expression was languid, and she exuded a hint of charm. She had never needed to feign seduction, and her charm was already astonishing. Otherwise, Lu Yin would not have called her a fairy. But at this moment, her charm was magnified tenfold, and Lu Yin felt his mouth go dry.
"Is there something, Your Highness?" She smiled at Lu Yin and licked her red lips.
Lu Yin coughed dryly. "Nothing much. I just wanted to ask if your family's cooperation with the empire has been going smoothly."
She blinked. "My apologies, Your Highness. You'll have to ask Lord Gavin about this. I've already handed over the cooperation with the Great Yu Empire to my subordinates, so I'm not too sure."
Lu Yin nodded. "So that's how it is. I saw the Nalan family's symbol all over Zenyu Star, and I thought that you were the one who gave the order. Speaking of which, your family's symbol is quite nice."
She smiled. "Of course. After all, it's been passed down for many years." Then, she suddenly thought of something. "Your Highness, will you be going to Sourcepeak Planet?"
"Sourcepeak Planet?" Lu Yin was stunned. "Are you talking about the Sourcepeak Planet where the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society's headquarters is located?"
"Of course," said Madam Nalan.
"Why Sourcepeak Planet?" Lu Yin asked.
She was puzzled. "Did Your Highness not receive news that the Lockbreaker Competition is about to begin?"
Lu Yin shook his head. "What Lockbreaker Competition?"
She explained, "Every ten years, the Innerverse and Outerverse hold a Lockbreaker Competition. On one hand, it's to raise the status of Lockbreakers in the hearts of ordinary people, and on the other hand, it's to unearth talents. Your Highness didn't receive the notice?"
Lu Yin checked his gadget and shook his head.
"That's strange." She was puzzled.
"Sorry to disturb you so late at night. Rest well," Lu Yin said before ending the call. He wanted to check on the Lockbreaker Competition.
Her smile faded, and she activated her gadget. Soon, a middle-aged man appeared on her screen and bowed respectfully to her.
Madam Nalan's face fell. "The Nalan family's symbol is everywhere on Zenyu Star?"
The middle-aged man nodded. "Yes, Master."
"Who told you to do this?" She barked.
The middle-aged man was puzzled. "Master, I didn't do this on purpose. There are simply too many projects to cooperate with, and there are also many merchants. When the family cooperates with them, they have to display their symbols, which is why Zenyu Star is filled with our family's symbols."
She frowned. "Too many projects?
What kind of projects? "
Like Lu Yin, she was a hands-off boss who left most of the work to her subordinates. The Nalan family had existed for many, many years, and they had their own system. She did not need to interfere, and she only needed to set the direction.
She had originally thought that the overall cooperation would mostly involve technology, resources, military, and other projects. At most, there would be transportation, but she had not expected that there would also be cooperation on clothing, food, and even snacks. It was no wonder why Zenyu Star was filled with the Nalan family's symbols.
Lu Yin had spoken casually, but Madam Nalan had been in the business world for many years, so she could easily sense his dissatisfaction.
"Slow down the cooperation process. There might be some changes in the Great Yu Empire during this period," she said. She understood Lu Yin well, and since he had not told her directly, it meant that that person would start from within the Great Yu Empire. It seemed that a significant portion of the cooperation did not represent the Great Yu Empire's interests, but rather the interests of certain people.
"Master, what do you mean?" The middle-aged man did not understand.
Madam Nalan replied, "We'll see what the Great Yu Empire's attitude will be."
"Yes, Master."
"Also, tell the family to maintain a better attitude in the Great Yu Empire. Don't forget that we need Lu Yin's help. Without him, our family would have already been devoured by an Enlighter," Madam Nalan said sternly.
The middle-aged man hurriedly complied. "I'll pass down the order immediately."
Lu Yin had only mentioned it to Madam Nalan, and with her intelligence, it was easy for her to understand. He was currently paying attention to the Lockbreaker Competition, and even though he was a Four Stars Discerning Junior Lockbreaker, he had not received any notice.
Fortunately, he knew other Lockbreakers, and if he did not have enough information, he could contact them through the Lockbreaker network.
Right, the Lockbreaker network should have some relevant information. He logged in to take a look, and sure enough, there was clearly information about the Lockbreaker Competition. The competition would take place in twenty-six days, and the location would be on Sourcepeak Planet. The specific rules were not clear, and the prize was True Insight.
This was the first time Lu Yin had heard of True Insight. He checked the network, but there was no such thing. He then used eleven Honor Points to search for more information.
True Insight was a Lockbreaker's supreme treasure, and there was no specific information about what was recorded on the network. There was only one sentence that stated that this treasure could only be used by Boundless Advanced Lockbreakers.
Its value could be said to be priceless, and it even surpassed the Secret Sidestep and lockbreaking tools.
There was an example recorded on the network where someone had tried to exchange a secret technique for True Insight, but they had been rejected by the Lockbreaker Society's headquarters.
This example fully demonstrated the value of True Insight, and it was not any less valuable than a secret technique.
Secret techniques could only be created by Progenitors, and they had the ability to turn something rotten into something magical. Lu Yin had grasped the Yu Secret Art, and he could feel the benefits that secret techniques could bring to his body. If a secret technique could not be exchanged for True Insight, then one could imagine how valuable it was.
The prize for the Outerverse Lockbreaker Competition naturally could not be the complete True Insight. There were thirty-six pages to True Insight, and the complete copy was stored in the Lockbreaker Society's headquarters in the Neoverse. However, the prize for the competition was only three pages.
Although there were only three pages, it was still enough to attract the attention of countless experts. In the decennial Lockbreaker Competition, the champion would be able to obtain three pages of True Insight that could be sold for an astronomical price.
Lu Yin looked at it for half an hour and then sighed. The Lockbreaker Competition's entry requirements were One Star Discerning Junior Lockbreakers. As a Four Star Discerning Junior Lockbreaker, he should have been notified a long time ago. However, no one had notified him until now. Could they have forgotten about him?
After thinking about it, Lu Yin contacted Xi Qi. The two had interacted before in Ironblood Weave.
He tried for a long time, but there was no response from Xi Qi. Perhaps it was too late, so Lu Yin put down his gadget and silently recited the Stonewall Scriptures.
The next morning, Lu Yin tried to contact Xi Qi again, but he still could not reach her. Instead, he received a call from Hai Qiqi.
"True Insight?
Why are you asking about this? "
Hai Qiqi asked. She had come to urge Lu Yin to deal with Old Gu De, but before she could say anything, Lu Yin's question came.
"The Lockbreaker Competition is about to start, and I want to participate."