Tribulation of Myriad Races

Before long, Su Yu arrived at the main hall.

Facing the crowd who was looking at him like he was an exotic animal, he indifferently bowed and said, “Student Su Yu greets and thanks the prefect for his grace.”

“Be at ease.” Zhu Tiandao smiled and said, “We were talking about you earlier. Now that you’re here, tell me. Do you wish to join an academy or start researching independently?”

“This student is willing to join the Great Ming Cultural Research Academy.”

Zhu Tiandao nodded, “That is understandable. As for the Source Soul Research Center you wish to reopen, prepare a list of what you need and hand it over to Old Hou. You have Great Ming’s support.”

“Thank you, Prefect.”

Zhu Tiandao said, “Feel free to ask for what you need. Additionally, your application for a promotion to a junior researcher has been approved. From now on, you’re a true cultural researcher.”

Su Yu expressed his gratitude yet again.

Zhu Tiandao continued, “You’re still young, so Great Ming is in no rush to ask for anything from you. Focus on your studies. Research should be your secondary objective. As for the struggle between the single and multiple character factions, it won’t affect the situation within Great Ming. You will have our protection as long as you remain in Great Ming. But our protection will not extend past Great Ming.”

Zhu Tiandao solemnly said, “There are single character faction experts here as well. Let me reiterate that I do not wish to see the things that have been happening in Great Xia to happen here as well.”

“Oh.”

“Fine.”

“Sure.”

“Alright, I’ll stop beating Old Hu up.”

“Old Hu still owes me thirty thousand merit points. Why don’t you pay up for him, Su Yu? I don’t want to be seen as a bully when I try to collect on the debt.”

“…”

Su Yu was stunned. What?

Zhu Tiandao coughed awkwardly and said, “Hu Xiansheng is the head of Great Ming Cultural Research Academy’s Multiple Character Faculty, a seventh-stage Mountainsea. He’s in seclusion so he’s not here today. He has a small debt, but don’t worry about it.

Small debt? Su Yu decided to shut his mouth. He had a bad feeling about this. He had just arrived, but someone was already asking him to pay the debt of Faculty Head Hu? What was the meaning of that?

The same old man who had spoken earlier smiled at Su Yu and said, “According to our rules, you will be assigned to the Multiple Character Faculty after joining the academy. There is no such faculty in Great Xia anymore, but it’s not the same here. But your faculty is bad at production, combat, and research. They also owe us a small debt of around 200,000 merit points in total.”

“Student Su Yu, if you intend to strengthen the multiple character faction, the best way of doing so is to pay their debts. Old Hu isn’t absent because he’s in seclusion. He’s merely hiding from us because he doesn’t have the money to pay the debt. The multiple character faction can’t keep running from this, right?”

“…”

Su Yu was completely speechless. So Faculty Head Hu wasn’t absent because of his cultivation. Rather, it was because of his debt?

Holy shit! A debt of 200,000 merit points?

He had just settled a debt of 300,000 merit points for Great Xia’s multiple character faction. Why was this happening again? Did they think he could produce money from thin air?

Suddenly, a burly man walked up to Su Yu and loudly said, “Money is nothing. Previously, Old Hu used the entire Multiple Character Faculty as collateral to get a loan for me. The loan is due in three months. I will be collecting on the debt soon. I reckon the Multiple Character Faculty might not even exist anymore after that. Su Yu, you should become a factionless student instead.”

“…”

Su Yu stared at Zhu Tiandao blankly. Was that…really allowed?

Zhu Tiandao coughed awkwardly and said, “That…is their personal affair. The Zhu Family does not get involved in something like this. I can’t say anything if the faculty head himself decides to use the faculty as the collateral. But that research center of his is pretty nice. It’s a part of the faculty. How about this? Instead of funding a new research center for you, the Zhu Family will pay Old Hu’s debt for you. The ownership of Old Hu’s research center will fall under you. That will become the new Source Soul Research Center. Trust me, that’s quite a nice research center.”

Old He was none other than the burly man. Instead of funding him a new research center, the Zhu Family would pay the debt for him instead. As for that fancy research center of his faculty head, he could take it.

Su Yu was still stunned. Was this a dream? What was he doing? He was in the main hall of Prefect Zhu, the ruler of Great Ming. This prefect was telling him that his faculty head had pawned off his faculty. The faculty was no more. If he wanted to have a faculty to join, he had to first settle the debt.

Faculty head?

Hu Xiansheng?

Su Yu asked with stupefaction, “Will Faculty Head Hu agree to let me have the research center?”

The burly man nonchalantly said, “I can hand you the debt receipt. If he refuses to give you the research center, just take the entire faculty from him and become the faculty head yourself. Isn’t that even better?”

“Me? Becoming the faculty head?”

Su Yu was dumbfounded.

What the fuck was this?

“Sure you can.” Zhu Tiandao grinned and said, “But…you shouldn’t. Cough, cough. Let me remind you that if you become the faculty head, you will need to provide for everyone in the faculty. And you know very well how expensive it gets to run the multiple character faction.”

There was no helping that. Su Yu understood very just how expensive cultivation was for those in the multiple character faction. There was a reason for these people to be so poor. It must have been hard for Old Hu.

In truth, he had set up a high-end research center precisely because he needed to produce some results and provide for the faculty. Alas, he failed miserably in his investment and ended up laden with debt.

A refined old man nearby smiled and said, “Student Su, when you join the academy, remember to wear some worn-out clothes. Make yourself look as poor as possible. Old Hu has gone mad from poverty. He has been borrowing money from everyone. If you look rich enough, he might end up targeting you as well.”

Everyone in the room seemed to agree with that. One of them said, “He lost everything. After spending so much money to set up his high-end research center, he ended up producing some worthless results. Great Spatial Transportation Formation my ass. That fellow has gone crazy. He spent millions of merit points for that research of his, but he ended up failing and losing everything. Everyone in the multiple character faction is starving because of him. I reckon they are going to leave the faction soon.”

“…”

Su Yu was shocked.

Holy shit!

What?

Great Spatial Transportation Formation?

Wasn’t that basically a teleportation formation?

Su Yu had heard about this formation, but it was something that not even Invincibles could produce. And this was the subject Great Ming’s multiple character faction had decided to research? Were they mad?

No wonder they were in so much debt! This investment had been a lost cause from the very beginning! Su Yu was starting to get a headache. That seemed to be the case with Great Xia’s multiple character faction as well. Before this, Hong Tan had spent decades researching ability blood essence and drove themselves to poverty.

And things were even worse in Great Ming. They were losing so much money that the faculty head had pawned off the entire faculty. And Great Ming had actually allowed that to happen!

Was everyone here crazy?

If Zhou Mingren dared to do the same with his Character Faculty, he would probably be greeted with Xia Family’s blade immediately.

“Let me…think about it.”

Su Yu needed some time for himself. He needed to maintain a factionless status for now. For some reason, the multiple character faction here seemed like a massive trap.

Zhu Tiandao coughed and said, “It’s fine. You can make your decision after thinking about it. It’s still the holiday season so you can take your time. By the way, after the new semester starts, Great Ming will allocate thirty thousand merit points to the Multiple Character Faculty…”

But immediately after, an old man said, “Prefect, just send the money to our Beast Taming Faculty. Old Hu pawned the next semester’s fund allocation to me. So you can directly transfer the fund to me.”

“…”

Zhu Tiandao helplessly said, “Sure. Just talk about it with Old Zhou.”

Zhu Tiandao looked at Su Yu helplessly. The multiple character faction was definitely not suppressed in Great Ming. But…their leader was a madman. And he was pretty useless. Even the fund allocation for the next semester had been pawned off by him. This kid should most definitely think carefully before deciding on a faculty to join.