The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary

"Now, we can have a proper talk. But first… You have successfully completed your mission." Yun congratulated as she drank her Black Ivory Coffee at the bar island counter when Jin returned to the Shop Level One instance after hailing a cab for Qiu Yue. Yun also placed a cup of Black Ivory Coffee in front of Jin as he sat beside her.

"You must have many questions in your mind. Speak freely." Yun told him, but it was easier said than done for Jin. There were so many questions on his mind that he did not even know what to ask first. While he was spending his time with Qiu Yue, he was also trying to sort through the questions, and his mind was ever wandering. If Qiu Yue's focus had not been on the new Red Panda Pet that she was holding, she would have noticed how very distracted Jin was.

"I… want to know more about this revival of bloodline issue. And why did you want me to become a dungeon supplier? Did you lie to me when you said that I needed to be the number one dungeon supplier? Was it only a means to an end?" Jin drank his coffee as he gathered the courage to ask this burning question on his mind.

"I believe Zeru has told you about the Twelve Zodiacs' fight against the Banned Emperor?" Yun questioned him, and Jin nodded his head.

"He did not give you the full story." Yun took another sip of coffee before she swung her barstool to face Jin.

"From the wisdom of our forefathers that coexisted with the System, this story may seem like an exaggeration from our part, but it is nonetheless the truth. The Twelve Zodiacs were nothing compared to our Panda Clan when they were plotting against the Banned Emperor." Yun started her story, and Jin listened to it intently.

"The Panda Clan that aided the rebellion owned stores, similar to what you were doing right now. We were the ones that provided sanctuary for the twelve other cultivators along with their clanmates to meet with the Jade Prince. We were the ones who provided them with training, weapons, armour and intelligence on the Banned Emperor's movement. After all, the Panda Clan operated bars, weaponsmiths, restaurants and had access to many other establishments. We have been a conglomerate, that secretly raised funds against the Banned Emperor's ruling." Yun explained.

"During the battle against the Banned Emperor, we supported them with resources such as potions, restrictive barriers and food for the twelve cultivators to fight against the Banned Emperor for twelve days and nights. That was not all… Remember how the Jade Prince did not arrive until the twelfth night? When the Banned Emperor was occupied with the Zodiac cultivators, the Jade Prince, along with his subjects, raided the palace and performed the coup d'état. Of course, we were the ones who coordinated the entire operation and supplied the manpower with the necessary items."

"Eventually, when the rebellion ended, the Jade Prince was crowned as Emperor and rewarded the twelve cultivators and their clans by appointing them as the Royal Zodiacs." That was when Yun paused for a moment.

"But not us." Yun shook her head.

"He knew that he owed the greatest debt to the Panda Clan. In fact, without the Panda Conglomerate, the rebellion he planned for would have never seen the light of day, nor come to fruition, having been crushed in its infancy. He was grateful, but at the same time wary. Concerned that if they were capable of bringing down the Banned Emperor, they could also usurp the newly crowned Jade Emperor."

"The Jade Emperor had other plans… He summoned all of the Panda Clan Elders to convene for a secret meeting in the royal palace after the coronation. He asked them to come alone, without their other clan members, with the excuse of that meeting being too important to be leaked."

"Before continuing, have you heard the legend, that whenever an Emperor was crowned, they would have a wish that could be granted by the heavens and hell?" Yun asked as she took a breather by drinking another sip of coffee. "Yes, it has been passed down in later generations, considered folklore along with the Jade Emperor and the Zodiacs…" Jin replied.

"As you can imagine, it is more than just a legend. The Jade Emperor shared his honest thoughts with the Panda Clan Elders. He expressed his gratitude to them for helping him throughout the entire course of rebellion." Yun interrupted and continued her explanation.

"Of course, the Panda Clan Elders lowered their heads and said that they would serve the Emperor that kind of bullshit swearing-in ceremony stuff. But the Jade Emperor was still not at ease, so he decided to use the one wish the Heavens granted him on the Panda Clan."

"He declared that by the heaven's decree the Panda Clan would be granted the title Zeroth of the Royal Zodiacs, meaning that it would come first before the Twelve Zodiacs. The Panda Clan was no doubt delighted and honoured when they heard that they earned such a favour from the Jade Emperor. They believed that the reason they were not invited to the coronation ceremony was that the Jade Emperor wished to employ their services in secret, something similar to shadow agents."

"But at that moment when the Jade Emperor announced the title, he had one condition. He would only allow one Panda Family in the clan to survive. He reasoned that the rest would be 'absorbed' and become the 'Will of the Heavens' to subsequently aid the one and only Panda Clan Elder."

"The Panda Clan Elders were in a dilemma, and some had the suspicion that the Jade Emperor just needed an excuse to remove them entirely. No one knew what this 'Will of Heavens' was and they requested that they needed some time to discuss in private. The Jade Emperor allowed it and left them to their own devices."

"However, he was already executing his plan as he walked out of the room," Yun said with a little bitterness.

"All of the Panda Elders in that room were forcibly removed through the Jade Emperor's wish. The twelve Royal Zodiacs clans proceeded to kill the remaining prominent panda clan members and labelled them as part of the retainer families of the Banned Emperor."

"What the Jade Emperor did not know was that the Panda Clan Elders were shrewd enough to keep an Elder out of his sight at all times, even before the rebellion started. They figured that the Jade Emperor might turn out to be a threat to them when he requested for that secret meeting and needed to keep a high potential elder out of the loop to protect their clan roots and revive it if needed. As history has shown, their foresight was proved correct."

"So unknown to the Jade Emperor, the wish that he had made solely to kill off the entire Panda Clan came true. Either because of his wish, or maybe as a compromise to appease the Panda Clan Elders. Whatever the case, the so called 'Will of the Heavens' became the System, and the last remaining Panda Clan Elder inherited it." Yun stopped for a moment to drink her coffee.

"Utilising the knowledge of the Panda Clan, the System became a business oriented entity that empowered the subsequent generations of the remaining Panda Clan members. However, only one single member was able to wield such powers. Even within the remaining Panda Clan Elder's family, there was internal strife once they found out the true powers of the System and everyone fought against their clan members and siblings, to become the successor. It was only in recent generations that it became more of an inheritance thing."

"Wait, so doesn't that mean that there are other Panda Clan members out there?" Jin questioned.

"Yes but you alone are a direct descendant. Additionally, your bloodline is the purest of them all. The Panda Bloodline that flows in the others is thin, resulting in them holding different cultivations, a different surname, being from a different family. Yet, the System refuses to tell me who they are and if there are others who inherited the System." Yun replied.

"Wait, did you not say that I am the only one that inherited it?" Jin was slightly confused.

"Well, that is only half true. You have inherited the Main System. There are other Sub-Systems out there, meaning other Panda Clan remnants, who were considered worthy by the System have been granted minor System abilities to aid them in their journey to revive the Panda Clan bloodline." Yun clarified.

"So…" Jin realised something.

"Yes, if the System determines that you are ultimately not worthy of its time and resources, it might migrate out of you and proceed to other inheritors if necessary. I don't wish to unsettle you, but in the long history of the Panda Clan remnants it would not be the first time that was to happen." Yun said bluntly.