Chapter 777: Lu's Grand Auction
Chapter 777: Lu’s Grand Auction
Lu Yin stared at Thousand Eyes. “Do you know who the Pirate King is?”
Thousand Eyes’ glare turned icy, and he shook his head. “I do not know.”
“Then how do you get in contact with him?” Lu Yin asked.
Thousand Eyes did not respond, and Lu Yin commented, “I usually contact him through Reuben.”1
Thousand Eyes’ eyes went incredibly wide, he stared at Lu Yin in disbelief. “You- You know Reuben?”
Lu Yin’s mouth curled up as he stood up. “Reuben, Da Chong, the unclean brothers, and Big Sis.”
“Kuma the third and Crutches.” Thousand Eyes mentioned another two people.
Lu Yin went on to rattle off a few more names, all of which were mercenaries under Big Sis who had escaped to the Outerverse with Lu Yin but had since returned to the Cosmic Sea.
Thousand Eyes was shocked. “Who are you? How do you know people from Leon’s Armada?”
Lu Yin laughed. “That’s because I’m a part of Leon’s Armada.”
Thousand Eyes’ mouth gaped open, as he could not believe his ears. The person in front of him was the leader of the Great Eastern Alliance as well as the Royal Regent of the Great Yu Empire. This was someone who wielded ultimate power and stood at the peak of the entire Outerverse. This young man had accomplished incredible achievements in Ironblood Weave and had saved the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society. He was so powerful that he had brought the top Outerverse assassin organization to its knees. This was someone who should be an upright, selfless, hardworking person who stood in the light, so just what was going on? Could this Lu Yin really be a pirate?
Wei Rong’s determination to exterminate the pirates of the eastern weaves could not shake Thousand Eyes, but Lu Yin revealing the truth of his identity had completely stunned the man.
How had things turned out like this?
Lu Yin was not at all worried that Thousand Eyes would leak the information concerning his identity to anyone else. First of all, no one would believe such a thing. Secondly, even if they did, there was no evidence that could prove that what Lu Yin had just said was true. And finally, Lu Yin had merely claimed to be part of Leon’s Armada, and he had never admitted to being a pirate.
Even though Leon’s Armada had been created by the Pirate King, Highsage Leon, his crew were not all pirates on the surface. Instead, they were known as one of the Four Pirate Crews of the Cosmic Sea. Even the Hall of Honor had to admit that even though everyone was aware that Highsage Leon was a pirate, no one could do anything to him. His status was that of the leader of one of the Four Pirate Crews, and his crew was a powerful presence in the Cosmic Sea.
If the Outerverse was not isolated at this moment, then Lu Yin would have been worried about the negative effects that could be brought about by him revealing his status. But given the current circumstances, there was nothing for him to worry about.
He was constantly frustrated by his lack of intelligence network, and relying on Amethyst Exchange’s channels was not a long term solution. And that wasn’t even mentioning the steep prices that their services cost.
Thousand Eyes’ greatest value lay in his information network. Revealing a bit of useless information, such as Lu Yin’s status, to test this man was worth it. Besides, if this man was really that loyal to the Pirate King, then he would be loyal to Lu Yin as well.
“Are you really from Leon’s Armada?” Thousand Eyes asked once again.
Lu Yin smiled slightly. “Of course.”
“Then do you know Big Sis’s secret?” Thousand Eyes asked.
Lu Yin was caught completely off guard. “You also know about Big Sis’s secret? That’s impossible! She would never tell anyone that apart from us.”
Thousand Eyes nodded his head. “That’s true. I don’t know.”
“Whether you believe me or not, you have to help me now. If I really am from Leon’s Armada, helping me would mean helping the Pirate King. If I am not from that place, then when the Outerverse reconnects with the rest of the universe, you can simply have Leon’s Armada finish me off. Also, if that happens, you won’t even have to worry about the Great Eastern Alliance—even the combined might of the Outerverse doesn’t stand a chance against the Pirate King. Think it through,” Lu Yin said.
Thousand Eyes thought about his current situation and felt that Lu Yin was right. Regardless, there was no other choice that he could make. “What do you want me to do?”
“Work against Wei Rong, but do not reveal your connection to me. As a part of the battle tonight, kill everyone who attacked us. Don’t spare anyone, not even the Hunter realm pirates,” Lu Yin said coldly. He was not a merciful man, and in any event, these people were all pirates and not good people.
Thousand Eyes did not hesitate after hearing his orders. “Killing those people is easy, but how am I supposed to fight against Wei Rong?”
“There’s no way for pirates to contend against the big weaves, so you can only use guerilla tactics to ensure that the pirates from the western weaves aren’t able to break through. When the time is right, I’ll ensure that you have an opportunity to launch a counter attack. As for my end of things, I’ll inform the commander of the Allied Forces to assist you in any way, so long as it’s done in a discreet fashion. However, I do hope that you won’t need help from the Allied Forces, as there is always the danger of being exposed,” Lu Yin said.
Thousand Eyes felt helpless. “It would have been very difficult for us to resolve the issue tonight without your assistance. Wei Rong is sure to conduct a thorough investigation.”
Lu Yin stared at Thousand Eyes, amused at the man. “For someone who knows about Uncle Reuben, I don’t believe that you would have had any trouble in disposing of those Hunters from the Shadowsword Sect or the Umbral Butterfly Tribe. I have faith that you can handle things on your side.” Once he was done speaking, Lu Yin stood up to leave, but before he walked out, he left behind five Ultra Flash Tearbombs. “These bombs are very useful and might be able to save lives. In the future, connect your intelligence network directly to King Zishan’s palace, and I’ll get the Second Imperial Squadron to partner up with you.” He left immediately after saying this.
“What do I get in return?” Thousand Eyes asked.
“I’ll leave a territory in Armament Weave for you.” Lu Yin waved a hand as he led Aden and the others away from Sheepshead Port.
A key indicator of how useful Thousand Eyes would be to him was his willingness in handing over his intelligence network. However, even if the pirate did hand over complete control of his network, Lu Yin still would not be able to completely trust the man. Trust required time to be established, and in the case of the bespectacled Mistchild, Lu Yin still didn’t trust her.
Lu Yin left Little Eight behind to accompany Thousand Eyes. This person could not be brought out in the open as that would only cause problems. Having him stay behind with the pirates was a good idea as well, as Little Eight’s presence would allow Lu Yin to keep an eye on the pirates.
Lu Yin did not even consider whether or not Little Eight was willing to stay behind. At this time, he still had to go to Bushtree Planet.
Bushtree Planet was located in Woori Weave, which was close to Darkmist Weave and not too far from Sheepshead Port either.
The natural treasures from Bushtree Planet that he had upgraded had all already been given to Smoker as payment, so Lu Yin needed to prepare a fresh batch.
There were a lot of natural treasures on Bushtree Planet, and Lu Yin spent close to ten thousand star essence upgrading 100 natural treasures to the point where they were capable of evading danger, which was enough to hire Smoker a dozen more times. Naturally, Lu Yin intended to use some of these natural treasures himself as well.
As far as he was concerned, Bushtree Planet was an absolute treasure trove. He repeatedly ordered for it to be carefully protected, and only after that did he lead Peach and the others back to the Great Yu Empire.
On this expedition to Neo-Vestige Sect, Lu Yin had witnessed the true might of the Outerverse, and this strength was much more powerful than just Elder Lohar. There were two other forces that were just as famous as Neo-Vestige Sect, which were the Dark Phoenix family and Millions City. The Outerverse was truly not simple.
Wei Rong had sent pirates to infiltrate the Great Eastern Alliance, which gave Lu Yin a sense of urgency. The man had acted immediately with acute foresight, which meant that Lu Yin had to act as well.
Relying solely on pirates was not enough. Wei Rong had already had the idea of using pirates, so Lu Yin had to think of something else.
Shortly after Lu Yin returned to King Zishan’s palace, Bei Qing requested a meeting with him.
With regards to Bei Qing, Lu Yin had only thought of the young man as a hostage whose presence in the Great Yu Empire would force Bei Hong to fully concentrate on aiding Ming Yan. Lu Yin had no special arrangements for the youth, and just like Yue Xianzi, An Shaohua, and the others, Bei Qing had essentially been let out to freely graze.
The reason why Bei Qing had requested a meeting with Lu Yin at this time was because Bei Qing was hoping that Lu Yin would allow him to transfer to another squadron of the Thirteen Imperial Squadrons. The First Squadron consisted of Lu Yin’s personal guards, and they never saw any action regardless of the circumstance and were thus extremely idle. Yue Xianzi and the others had grown so bored that they had chosen to visit the Yu Academy to teach the students there.
But before Lu Yin could say much to Bei Qing, Gavin requested an audience as well, and his face was full of dejection when he entered.
“Your Highness, the items that you handed to me for sale are extremely unsellable,” Gavin lamented.
Lu Yin was puzzled. “What items?”
“The items that you took from this palace’s warehouse,” Gavin answered.
Lu Yin then remembered what the Finance Minister’s complaint was about. In the past, Zhao Ran had been a thorn in his side, and he had also needed money. Thus, he had passed numerous items that he did not require over to Gavin and then instructed Gavin to sell them for either money or natural treasures. To date, Gavin had not found any buyers for the items.
“No one wants to buy them?” Lu Yin frowned.
Gavin forced out a pained smile. “The Mavis Bank was robbed, and the effects of that have spread to the other banks, even the bank that we established in the Great Yu Empire. Many people only want to keep ahold of their resources now, and no one dares to wastefully spend money. The items that you gave me to sell are all ancient paintings, calligraphies, and other such items meant for collectors. While these kinds of items may be in demand during times of peace, no one wants to buy them in such uncertain times.”
“Are there no buyers out there, or is it that you don’t know how to market these products?” Lu Yin asked bluntly.
Gavin sneered. It was not that he did not know how to sell these items, but rather that he was ashamed of selling them. To sell off these expensive gifts, Gavin could only attempt to sell them back to the same crowd who had offered the gifts in the first place. For people to buy back goods that they had sent as gifts was just absurd, and it was no different from telling everyone that King Zishan was broke. In the end, Gavin was simply too embarrassed to sell the items. As for Shamrock Enterprises, they simply did not have any natural treasures that they would trade.
To Lu Yin, while those items were useless, he felt that it would be a waste to throw them away. However, there was no way to exchange them for money right now, and they couldn’t even be recycled.
“Your Highness, I have an idea that would help you sell those items,” Bei Qing suddenly spoke up with an excited glint in his eyes.
Lu Yin and Gavin both looked at him, and Gavin was doubtful. Wasn’t this kid a hostage from Shenwu Continent?
“What is your idea?” Lu Yin asked.
Bei Qing explained, “Hold an auction. Sell premium goods together with these second-rate ones. Your Highness, I believe that you have a few natural treasures that have reached the point of evading danger. I suggest that you take out a few of them and put them up for sale. However, add a caveat that they cannot be purchased alone and that they must be bought along with the secondary items. For example, you can pair a natural treasure with a painting and sell them as a single set. Everyone wants more natural treasures, and people will willingly form long queues all the way from other weaves to get them. To obtain natural treasures, purchasing a few paintings would be a small price to pay, and they aren’t highly priced either. Thus, you should be able to sell them off quickly enough.”
Lu Yin’s eyes lit up, and he wondered why he had not thought of this himself. He often came into possession of items that he could not use himself. For example, there were some items that he had picked up at the Hall of Insight and also the things that Old Gu De had left behind. There were many items and objects that he did not need, and this way of disposing of them was a great idea.
“What rubbish! His Highness is the Royal Regent! How can he organize an auction?” Gavin admonished Bei Qing.
Lu Yin raised a hand and looked towards Bei Qing while flashing a smile at him. “Use your name to organize an auction. I’ll leave this matter to you. From now on, you will be in charge of all the items that I don’t need.”
Bei Qing was elated. “Thank you, Your Highness!” He had truly been bored out of his mind, so this project would give him something to do. Besides, it was also a project that he could use to elevate his own position, especially since he had heard many rumors claiming that the Royal Regent was a money grubber. If he was able to handle this auction well and earn Lu Yin some money, then he would definitely have a bright future ahead.
Lu Yin ordered Gavin to hand the remaining items over to Bei Qing, and he also told Gavin to wholeheartedly support Bei Qing with the auction. At the same time, he handed over a list of precious items, which were the items that would be sold in tandem with the unwanted items in order to guarantee sales. The main point to ensuring the auction’s success was to sell absolute treasures.
After some thought, Lu Yin put ten natural treasures that had reached the point of evading danger down on the list.
Ever since Smoker had assassinated a few top-ranked assassins and forced Aegis into begging for mercy, news had leaked out concerning the top assassin’s prices, as well as Lu Yin’s ability to hire him despite his exorbitant prices. Now, natural treasures were no longer restricted to improving one’s cultivation and healing illnesses. Smoker was the top assassin of the Outerverse, and anyone who could afford to hire him held control of the fate of others.
1 This was Uncle You Ling before. Was updated to avoid too many “You” characters.