Chapter 126

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White Silver City, a private chamber.

“The Starry Sky Merchant Guild has shown virtually no sign of expansion these past few months. It’s truly baffling,” Li Xing said to Mr. Luo.

“All their energy has been drawn toward those evil-spirit mines—especially their guildmaster. She is a woman of immense wealth and status, yet spends every day there fighting a bunch of tedious evil spirits. In a world nearing apocalypse, courage and strength may come first, but a leader cannot rely on force alone, much less devote all her time to increasing her own power.” Mr. Luo shook his head. “If this continues, the Starry Sky Merchant Guild will pose no real threat.”

“How is our annual plan progressing?” Li Xing asked.

“Everything is proceeding smoothly. We expect commercial activity to rise by twenty percent this year. In exchange for repairing the roads and opening our cloud-mist flying cars to the public, we have incorporated more than twenty surrounding settlements into the White Silver Commercial Alliance and established a unified market.” Mr. Luo spoke earnestly.

“Alas, I used to have plenty of drive for this sort of work, but lately I can hardly summon the energy.” Li Xing nodded at first, then let out a sigh.

After spending several months with him, Mr. Luo naturally understood what was on the executive’s mind. It was nothing more than Lin Zhongqing’s remarkable rise, which had awakened other ambitions in him.

That was simply human nature. When someone who had once stood on equal footing with you—or even beneath you—suddenly rose to prominence, it was impossible not to feel disturbed.

People did not dwell on the differences between the two sides. They only thought that if the other person could do it, then they could do it too.

“The chairman rewards and punishes with perfect fairness. After the year-end assessment, I’m sure you’ll be promoted again, General Manager Li,” Mr. Luo consoled him.

He himself had no ambitions at present. He merely intended to eat well and wait for death, and naturally had no desire to stir up trouble. Apart from dealing with the Starry Sky Merchant Guild at the beginning and displaying a little of his talent, he had behaved impeccably ever since, careful not to offend anyone too deeply.

After all, he understood one truth very well: if you do not want anyone to know, the only way is never to do it.

“And what good would another promotion do? Could I possibly reach Lin Zhongqing’s level?” Li Xing said openly.

Mr. Luo drew in a sharp breath and glanced around. “General Manager, you mustn’t say such things. You should know that person may well be able to hear you.”

“Hmph. Don’t turn them into gods. They are nowhere near as powerful as you imagine. Right now, all their attention is fixed on suppressing Lin Zhongqing. They have no time to concern themselves with me.” Li Xing gave a cold laugh, then dropped another bombshell. “I have a piece of secret information. I believe you’ll be very interested, Mr. Luo.”

“Please, speak plainly.”

Though Mr. Luo said this, he had already decided that he would withdraw at the first opportunity. Over the past few months, he had accumulated quite a fortune. He had not even needed to covet anything; the gifts people had sent him in hopes of securing the two remaining managerial positions were enough to let him find a safe place and live out the rest of his life in comfort.

That was the advantage of living among the powerful. The resources that slipped casually through their fingers were enough to let an insignificant person enjoy a lifetime of ease.

Li Xing clearly intended to rebel, but what were the odds of success? Mr. Luo did not believe they were very high. Throughout history, rebellions had failed far more often than they had succeeded. It was merely that the successful were recorded, while the failures usually went unnamed.

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“I have an informant who claims to have seen Manager Xie Bo somewhere in the south. You may never have met him, but these past few months you must have heard his name mentioned countless times.” Li Xing spoke in an even tone.

In truth, from the moment he had begun speaking, he had already made up his mind. If this profoundly intelligent Mr. Luo could not be brought to his side, then he would not be leaving the chamber alive today.

“What? Wasn’t he already dead? You personally cremated his body and handled all the arrangements afterward.” Mr. Luo sprang to his feet.

In his heart, which had been as lifeless as cold ashes, something seemed to stir back to life—just as Xie Bo himself had apparently returned from the dead.

Li Xing smiled faintly. “Yes. That is precisely why I was so shocked. I have kept the matter secret all this time, though I suppose it cannot remain hidden forever.”

People were not dangerous when they had no desires. It was those with desires who could be controlled. His opponent might be extraordinarily intelligent, but so what?

Zhuge Liang had possessed enough wisdom, had he not? Yet he had still spent his entire life laboring for two generations of the Old Liu family. In the end, he exhausted himself to death and even sacrificed his loyal son, only to be repaid with a ruler who no longer cared for his homeland.

“However, you just said we should not deify them. Yet now it seems they possess the power to resurrect the dead. Isn’t that contradictory?” Mr. Luo immediately spotted the problem, and his spirits sank once more.

He could of course see the murderous intent hidden beneath Li Xing’s words, but he was confident he could maneuver around it.

“Oh, I meant that our particular one isn’t that powerful. Otherwise, it would have resurrected all the senior administrators who died. The truly powerful one is someone else. If you are willing to assist me with all your strength, I guarantee that I will fulfill the wish in your heart.” Li Xing made the promise without hesitation.

Although Mr. Luo knew these were nothing more than empty words, he still felt a force rising from deep within him.

Yes. With so many extraordinary things happening, who could say that resurrection was impossible?

He should not sink into despair. He had to strive forward. Even if he ultimately failed, he would still be able to face his wrongfully slain family in the world below.

The two men changed their tone and began discussing matters in secret.

“In that case, let me set a modest objective for you, General Manager Li.”

“Please elaborate.”

“Uncover the secret behind Lin Zhongqing’s sudden increase in strength. If she became powerful through the same means we did—by relying on those things—then find the power backing her and pledge ourselves to it. If that is not the case, and her strength comes from extraordinary natural talent, then we will pledge ourselves to her.”

“Mr. Luo, why not search for the mysterious figure who can resurrect Xie Bo?” Li Xing naturally wanted to uncover the secret of Lin Zhongqing’s newfound strength, and he had already discovered most of the reason.

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A handsome young man had descended from nowhere and appeared at her side. He was most likely the secret behind her transformation.

The trouble was that Lin Zhongqing guarded him too closely. They were together every day, inseparable. She would not allow anyone—male or female—to come within thirty feet of the young man.

That was why he needed Mr. Luo’s wisdom.

“No. Without sufficient power, we cannot approach someone of that caliber. Otherwise, we will gain nothing at all.” Mr. Luo shook his head.

“I see.” Li Xing nodded, then continued, “But how are we supposed to uncover Lin Zhongqing’s secret? We are enemies, after all.”

“No. We are allies,” Mr. Luo said confidently. “We are all human, and we all wish to remain human.”

“An appeal to the greater good?” Li Xing suddenly understood, and his admiration rose once more.

He had thought only of using every dark and underhanded means to scheme out her secret. It had never occurred to him to approach the matter from this angle, because he had never believed in anything resembling righteousness. He believed that human nature was inherently evil and selfish, that the strong should prevail over the weak, and that society ought to be ruled by an elite.

Yet with one casual sentence, Mr. Luo had given him and Lin Zhongqing common ground—and established the foundation for sharing the secret of power.

All the effort had truly been worthwhile.

Physical labor could be extracted through overwhelming coercion, but wisdom could be offered only by someone who was willing to contribute it.

“I have carefully analyzed this woman’s character. She likes people, not those filthy and hideous monsters. She wants to display her divinity before the masses. As long as we satisfy that desire, she will help us grow stronger,” Mr. Luo continued.

“Yes, I noticed that long ago. Her disgust toward puppet servants makes it clear. It isn’t that she is kindhearted or soft; she simply dislikes robots that cannot interact with her. They leave her with no sense of vanity.” Li Xing nodded. “Still, she isn’t stupid. She would never hand over her secret willingly.”

“I will draw up a detailed plan for you, General Manager Li. You needn’t concern yourself with that. Back when I was recruiting those elite administrators, I devised plenty of similar plans.” Mr. Luo smiled faintly.

“Then I shall look forward to it.”

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