Lu Yin's eyes flashed as he stepped forward, reaching out to touch the purple plant. It was soft, indeed quite pleasant, and gave a sense of restoration, with a faint fragrance.
Undying Yushan looked at the plant and sighed, "The law of nature is cruel. This plant restrains all its aggressiveness in the face of the strong. No matter how it is touched, it won't attack, even if other surrounding creatures resist. As a result, this plant was the only one to survive on that planet and was brought before me."
"In my presence, it will always be an ornamental plant, with no other use, even though it possesses the strength of an Explorer."
Lu Yin squinted his eyes; Undying Yushan was warning him.
"Why have you come to see me?" Undying Yushan asked.
Lu Yin respectfully said, "During the Earth trial, I accidentally overheard some things and learned of a certain coordinate position. There might be Corpse Kings hidden there."
Undying Yushan was taken aback and looked at Lu Yin, "What did you say? You know the location of the Corpse Kings?"
Lu Yin replied, "I'm not sure, but there might be some. It was very vague."
Undying Yushan said in a deep voice, "The coordinates?"
Lu Yin gave the coordinates to Undying Yushan, who immediately sent them out. Then, looking at Lu Yin, he smiled, "Sit down and rest for a while. We'll have results soon."
Lu Yin nodded and sat down.
At the same time, Doran Yushan and Duke Yushan arrived, surprised at the scene before them. The Zishan King hadn't pleaded for Xiken Maldo? Why wasn't their father angry?
"Why are you two here as well?" Undying Yushan asked, puzzled.
The two quickly saluted.
Undying Yushan nodded, "Since you're here, sit down and wait."
They were curious but didn't ask further, calmly sitting beside Lu Yin.
Lu Yin nodded at them but didn't speak.
A maid brought refreshments.
Half an hour passed quickly. Undying Yushan's personal terminal rang. He looked at it, a smile appearing on his face as he looked appreciatively at Lu Yin, "Well done. There were three Corpse Kings. You deserve the primary credit."
Lu Yin quickly stood up, "It's thanks to Royal Uncle's invincible army that the Corpse Kings were successfully captured."
"Father, what Corpse Kings?" Doran Yushan asked, puzzled.
Undying Yushan explained the situation to the two, who looked at Lu Yin in surprise.
The New Human Alliance's destructiveness was immense. Destroying any escaped Corpse King was a major achievement, which was why the escape of twenty-seven Corpse Kings from Earth had shocked the Empire, forcing Undying Yushan to scapegoat Xiken Maldo. Now, Lu Yin providing the coordinates for three Corpse Kings and aiding the Empire in their extermination was a significant accomplishment. While it couldn't fully offset the escape of the twenty-seven Corpse Kings, it greatly improved their standing.
"Well done, Brother," Doran Yushan praised.
Duke Yushan also looked at Lu Yin in surprise. He had thought Lu Yin was a fool, but now he realized there was some intelligence there. No wonder he had manipulated those people during the Earth trial and even defeated the newly awakened Night King. Interesting.
Undying Yushan laughed heartily, "Little Yin, you've made a great contribution. If you have any requests, feel free to ask. As long as Royal Uncle can do it, I won't refuse."
Lu Yin respectfully took a few steps back and saluted, "Royal Uncle, during the Earth trial, General Xiken Maldo saved my life. I implore Royal Uncle to publicly announce that the coordinates of the Corpse Kings were provided by General Maldo."
The three fell silent.
Doran Yushan and Duke Yushan exchanged glances, surprised that the matter had come back to this. But instead of pleading for mercy, it was about transferring credit.
Undying Yushan's face turned serious, remaining silent.
Lu Yin stayed bent in his bow, his eyes flashing. He knew that the three Corpse Kings were a significant achievement. Capturing just one escaped Corpse King was already remarkable. The New Human Alliance wasn't something the Great Yu Empire could easily oppose, making this achievement substantial. It could allow him to gain some power, but he didn't want that. Xiken Maldo represented not only himself but also the old Zishan faction and Lu Yin's reputation for gratitude.
The last point was the most important. Gratitude was highly valued in this era of public opinion, and a good reputation far surpassed certain powers. He understood this clearly.
Given his current strength, even if he gained some power, it would be like a drop in the ocean. Lu Yin never overestimated himself; he was just a mere Explorer, nothing more. No one would pay attention to him. Even if he were given significant military power, it would be meaningless; no one would listen to him. What he needed now was a solid foundation and reputation.
After a while, Undying Yushan finally spoke, "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Lu Yin firmly replied, "Please, Your Majesty, grant this request."
Undying Yushan nodded, "Very well. However, this credit is not enough to absolve Xiken Maldo of his crime. At most, it can spare his life."
Lu Yin expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Undying Yushan nodded, giving Lu Yin a deep look before turning to Doran Yushan and Duke Yushan, "You two may leave." He walked up to Lu Yin, "Answer me honestly. Are you saving Xiken Maldo purely to repay his life-saving favor?"
Lu Yin looked directly into Undying Yushan's eyes and sincerely said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Undying Yushan stared into Lu Yin's eyes for a moment, then laughed, "You truly resemble Undying Zishan. Like you, he was known for his gratitude. You're indeed from the Zishan family. Alright, I'm tired. You may leave."
Lu Yin nodded and left.
Undying Yushan watched Lu Yin's departing figure, gazing up at the sky, "Your descendant really does resemble you."
Before Lu Yin reached the Grand Star Gate, Undying Yushan's decree was issued: "Xiken Maldo, for meritorious service while bearing his guilt, is pardoned from the death penalty. Insufficient evidence for treason; temporarily detained."
Countless high officials and nobles of the Great Yu Empire received the order, shocked.
Most were baffled, but only the nobles on the Imperial Capital Star knew that the Zishan King had visited the imperial palace.
Xika stared blankly at the decree on the screen, "How is this possible? Bearing guilt for meritorious service? What service? What did the Zishan King do?"
Not only Xika but many others were also puzzled.
Outside the Grand Star Gate of the imperial palace, Bronson was equally surprised as he looked at the screen. He had never pried into Lu Yin's affairs. His duty was to protect the Zishan King's safety. Even so, when Lu Yin had decided to enter the palace to plead for Xiken Maldo, Bronson had been disdainful. But now, he felt he needed to reassess the Zishan King. He had succeeded, showing he was not merely courageous but also shrewd and not blindly arrogant.
"Boss, you're out!" Xu San exclaimed excitedly.
Lu Yin frowned, "Don't make it sound like I was in prison. Bronson, do you know the address of Deputy Minister of Finance Xika?"
Bronson was taken aback, "Yes."
"Take me there," Lu Yin said calmly.
Bronson nodded.
They boarded a flying vehicle, and Bronson set the route. Soon, the vehicle soared onto the skyway of Zenyu Star.
This was Lu Yin's first tour of the capital, and it was as he had imagined—full of a sense of advanced technology, with some buildings being quite retro and abundant greenery everywhere.
Flying vehicles zoomed past them, and people occasionally cast surprised glances at Lu Yin.
His flying vehicle was too eye-catching, arguably the best.
Not far away, on a giant screen, a pure-looking girl was singing loudly, with people crowding the ground and the skybridge.
High above, the Third Ring Continent was clearly visible, surrounded by substantial clouds.
"Boss, look, so many beautiful women," Xu San exclaimed, looking down.
Lu Yin wasn't interested. Having stayed in the Inner Universe, the Great Yu Empire paled in comparison.
Ahead, a flying vehicle suddenly rushed in, making a sharp turn to align with Lu Yin's. Through the glass, Lu Yin saw a beautiful woman winking at him, "Handsome, let's race and see who's faster," the woman provocatively challenged.
Lu Yin's lips curved, "Sure, let's add a bet."
The woman's eyes lit up, "Go ahead."
"Five cubic star energy crystals," Lu Yin said.
The woman gaped, "Are you crazy? Five cubic? Do you even have that?"
Lu Yin scoffed, "If you can't afford to bet, don't play."
The woman huffed and turned away.
Xu San lamented, "Such a pretty woman. Boss, you shouldn't have scared her."
Lu Yin didn't mind and laughed. With advanced technology, there were plenty of beauties. He wasn't interested unless they were at Bai Xue's level. However, his asking price had indeed been too high. In the Earth trial, the strongest students had, on average, only one cubic star energy crystal. Only aristocratic children like Ras and Jenny Auna had more. Ordinary students didn't even have one cubic.
That girl just now is just an ordinary student. At most, she might have a few star energy crystals on her. Five cubic meters is indeed shocking for her.