Beastmaster of the Ages

”Princess Ying had originally refused the trade, as she didn’t have any grade-nine order fragments. However, when I said I would skip past her and reach out to the prime minister, she immediately said she would help connect me with him,” Eminent Jiguang said.

”So how’s it going now?” Tianming asked.

”I’ll wait for the prime minister to make his way here.” In other words, she didn’t know whether the trade would succeed yet.

”How powerful is that prime minister?”

”Probably about as strong as my second brother, though he’s quite a bit older. He’s probably an old fox.”

”Then you should be more careful.”

Eminent Jiguang smiled and nodded. ”Don’t worry. I made the transaction offer using my father’s name. Since there’s a stareye here at Antiquitas Mortis, they must want to maintain an amicable relationship with Myriadpath Valley. There’s no way he’ll be brave enough to touch me.”

”Does Myriadpath Valley have stareyes anywhere else in the Xenoabyss?”

”Of course, and quite a few at that. Otherwise they might just dare to steal my treasures and destroy the stareye. If we only have one stareye, we’d have no way to make it back.”

”There’s a few other nations similar to Antiquitas Mortis in the surroundings, right? Wouldn’t their power add up to be able to rival Myriadpath Valley?” Tianming didn’t think that Antiquitas Mortis alone would have two major-zenith foundationeers. House Suishen only had three.

”The problem with that is that those nations all have deep blood grudges with one another. That’s how Myriadpath Valley was able to seep through between the cracks. Don’t worry about it. Even if it doesn’t work out with Antiquitas Mortis, we’ll still be able to try some other nation in the Xenoabyss.” While there were people Eminent Jiguang would consider powerful in the Xenoabyss, their society as a whole felt like a rather primitive one. That was why she felt confident enough to deal with them, and that feeling was shared among most other members of Myriadpath Valley.

”Why’d you pick the prime minister and not the emperor?” Tianming asked.

”The emperor might be even more averse to depleting the coffers of his nation, but the prime minister, on the other hand.... You know how it is with those in second place. They always want to climb higher. This manna would be really useful to him.”

”I’ll wait for the good news, then.” Right as Tianming said that, the call got cut off. It was likely that the prime minister had arrived on the other end.

Tianming had to wait another hour before the transmission stone lit up again. Eminent Jiguang said, ”The prime minister can make the trade, but only on one condition.”

”What is it?” Tianming asked.

”He wants to meet the person who’s used so many order fragments.”

Tianming’s first thought was to wonder whether the prime minister had guessed the connection between order fragments and the xeno fatigue cure. But upon further thought, it didn’t seem likely. Zi Zhen had accepted the mantle as the one who cured xeno fatigue, so the prime minister probably wouldn’t suspect a myriadpath disciple to be the one.

”Apparently, they’re worried that the order fragments are being used to carry out some other kind of research, so they just want to confirm that it’ll be used like normal.”

Tianming nodded. ”Alright. Should I go there or will you come to me?”

Eminent Jiguang asked the person beside her and said, ”Stay there. I’ll come to you.”

Two weeks later, Eminent Jiguang arrived. Princess Ying and the prime minister didn’t come all the way to the stareye. Instead, they waited some distance away for Eminent Jiguang to fetch him.

”Don’t be nervous. The prime minister’s easy to talk to, and try as he might, he didn’t manage to hide how much he desires the ordered manna you have,” Eminent Jiguang said.

”That’s good.” Tianming followed her to the underground caverns of the capital. In the darkest corner shrouded by mist, an eight-colored snake head was visible.

”Greetings, Prime Minister,” Tianming said neutrally with a bow.

The gigantic snake head shrank and stretched toward Tianming, circling around him as it thoroughly inspected him. Then an eerie voice could be heard from the depths. ”You seem to have used quite a few order fragments, far more than even us imperials.... Other myriadpath disciples wouldn’t dare to use it the way you have and risk stunting their future growth.”

He seemed able to tell how many order fragments Tianming had assimilated. He should be able to ascertain that the grade-eight order fragment that Princess Ying had traded them was among them. There was no question that the order fragments had been used solely by Tianming and for nothing else.

Tianming respectfully said, ”Order fragments are miraculous treasures of the universe. I just happen to benefit a bit more from them.”

”Hahaha, most people wouldn’t say the same.” The prime minister closely inspected him once more and turned to Eminent Jiguang with a look of doubt. ”Why’s the disciple you’re spending so many resources on nurturing not one of the Three Exalted Houses?”

”Is that question necessary?” Eminent Jiguang said, somewhat displeased. She didn’t seem fazed by the antiquitean imperials at all.

”You’re right. It’s got nothing to do with us.” The snake head of the prime minister chuckled and belched a box out of its mouth in front of Tianming. He turned to Eminent Jiguang and said, ”Now hand over the goods.”

”Take a look first,” Eminent Jiguang told Tianming.

He opened the box and was quite surprised by what he saw. It was indeed a grade-nine order fragment, one of the very few in Antiquitas Mortis. He nodded back to her.

Eminent Jiguang didn’t want to linger now that they had gotten what they wanted. She handed the ordered manna to the prime minister and took Tianming with her. ”Prime Minister, we’ll come look for you again if we have something to trade next time.”

”You’re definitely welcome. Most welcome, in fact,” the snake head said, almost smiling. There was no need for them to have a friendly relationship, just one that was devoid of conflict for business to be conducted.

When Tianming and Eminent Jiguang left, another voice rang out as Princess Ying walked up to the prime minister. ”Prime Minister, why isn’t the one who assimilated all those order fragments a disciple of the Three Exalted Houses?”

”It’s simple. It’s the nature of Myriadpath Valley to look down on the likes of us. Even if they’re curious about the miraculous effects of order fragments, they’d never test it on one of their own, so they got a lab rat to try it first.”

”What do you think about that lab rat’s talent? Can he compare against our geniuses?”

”He’s used so many order fragments only to gain so little power. His talent is average and nothing to speak of,” the prime minister assessed.

”What a waste of grade-eight and -nine order fragments. Those people really have a few screws loose,” Princess Ying mocked. Then her expression shifted to a joyous one before she said, ”Congratulations, Prime Minister, for getting an amazing ordered manna!”

”Ssshhh, keep it quiet.”

”Understood!”