The middle-aged man’s expression turned odd after hearing the secret information, clearly skeptical of the duke’s words.

He shifted his gaze from the box, saying, “No one has completely explored the twenty-seven continents. That one at the very top, no one has even set foot upon. Where is that new world you speak of?”

The vampire grand-duke was calm in the face of skepticism. “Even I find it a bit hard to believe, but since my family lord has approved of such a price, he can’t be joking, can he? The price for such a jest would be too great.”

The middle-aged man nodded as he found the logic reasonable. He pointed at the origin blood, saying, “If this is the down payment, then what is the reward?”

The grand duke replied, “One of them would be a drop of Zhao Jundu’s azure blood.”

The middle-aged man was unmoved. “What use does it have?”

“You probably don’t know about this, but with Zhao Jundu’s current cultivation, we can refine three drops of azure blood at most. One of them will be used as a key to open the new world, one drop is reserved for my lord, and you’ll get the remainder.”

“Only three? Why not wait until his cultivation is higher?”

The grand duke sneered. “Who can subdue him once he becomes a divine champion? Do you have any special method to kill him?”

Stunned, the middle-aged man slowly nodded. A character like Zhao Jundu could challenge people of a higher-level even as a champion, and it wouldn’t be easy to kill him in a fair fight on the battlefield. Once he had broken through to the divine champion realm and obtained a couple of special powers, he would be like a falcon in the skies and a fish in the ocean. Even a great dark monarch would have to put in some effort to intercept and capture him.

The grand duke said, “Secondly, there’s only a short window to find the door to the new world. The opportunity would be lost once the origin tides have waned, and the next one will come only after a few centuries. There’s no telling if we’ll be able to find the new world at that time.”

“What will this drop of azure blood do for me?”

“Don’t you humans know ways to absorb origin crystals? Just do the same for it. Azure blood can increase your innate talents far beyond what an origin crystal can. You’re probably quite familiar with this method, aren’t you?”

His last sentence contained hidden implications. Naturally, he was mocking the internal conflict among humans, but the middle-aged man simply remained silent and pretended not to hear.

The grand duke said impatiently, “What’s there to think about? A drop of azure blood is equal to a third of Zhao Jundu’s bloodline power. With it, even a useless person can become a divine champion, and ordinary divine champions can become a high-ranking one. The only limitation is the heavenly monarch realm.”

The middle-aged man sighed. “Your race is indeed more knowledgeable regarding bloodlines.”

The grand duke said, “The second reward will be a drop of origin blood from a prince, and it will come from one of the twelve major clans.”

The middle-aged man nodded.

“As for the third…” The grand duke wrote two names on a piece of paper and passed it over.

The middle-aged man frowned. “Arachne and demonkin dukes, what’s special about them?”

The grand duke said with a smile, “These two are highly skilled in airship warfare. It seems your Palace Guard’s fleet was never able to gain an advantage over them.”

The middle-aged man said after some contemplation, “Indeed.”

The grand duke spoke while looking into his eyes, “I don’t care if you’re just a subordinate to the Minister of the Right or the minister himself. My lord also understands that the Minister of the Right toils for the human race and the Empire, so he wishes to gift these two fleets to you. Your situation on the void continent will shift dramatically after taking down these two fleets. If the Empire can’t win the war with that advantage, then you really can’t blame us for that.”

The middle-aged man was finally moved. “Your lord’s intentions are?”

“We’ll leak all information regarding the movement of these two fleets and also assign them to a convenient target at a suitable time.”

There was nothing left to wonder at this point. The middle-aged man’s expression shifted noticeably, and he remained silent for a good while.

The grand duke said, “Your race will lose a peerless genius, but forgive me for saying some ugly things. Our Evernight faction also produces such people every few years, but they are either cut down mid-way or lacking in support. There aren’t enough resources to allow every genius to grow to their maximum potential. Fighting for limited resources is also part of their ability.”

“Reasonable.”

“By the same logic, whether or not Zhao Jundu matures is still a variable. My lord is also making a steep investment for these two drops of azure blood. The price we have to pay is also quite significant. From a different perspective, your race will be trading a future expert for present benefits. If this deal succeeds, the human race will gain at least ten years of advantage in the war. Whether or not this deal is profitable depends on how much your race develops in this decade.”

The grand duke smiled meaningfully. “I heard the Minister of the Right is a genius in statecraft. It’s inexcusable if he can’t even make good use of an entire decade.”

The middle-aged man remained silent no matter what the other party said.

The grand duke said with a cold laugh, “Once the gateway to the new world opens, the Evernight Council will funnel all resources into pioneering the new land, a small void continent is nothing at that point. A large amount of resources and manpower have been reserved for breaking new ground. If we miss the opportunity to open the new world because we don’t have the azure blood, then all of these resources and manpower will be used against the human race. You can easily imagine the pros and cons of this decision!”

The middle-aged man looked up. “It’s a deal, but I want the two fleets first.”

The grand duke broke out in a laugh. “Your appetite is quite big, but we can agree to this condition in order to express our sincerity. We’ll deliver the intelligence report in a few days' time. This is a great contribution, you must make ample arrangements!”

“Naturally.”

“Then I will take my leave now.”

The middle-aged man said calmly, “The road is dangerous and you’re injured, be careful on the way. It’ll be interesting if you don’t get back to Evernight in one piece.”

The grand duke laughed. “Rest assured! There are a lot of people who want my life, but there are also a lot of people who don’t. I’ll be fine along the way.”

“That will be for the best. See the guest out.”

The grand duke was led to the horse-carriage that had brought the middle-aged man here, on which he left at a steady pace. Meanwhile, the middle-aged man picked up a piece of paper and listed over a dozen names. Upon closer inspection, one would see that they were all geniuses of the Empire, including Ji Tianqing, Li Kuanglan, and a few other unfamiliar names.

On top of the list was Zhao Jundu.

There were two names between Zhao Jundu and Ji Tianqing. One was Song Zining, and the other was unknown.

He first crossed off Zhao Jundu’s name and, after some thought, wrote a single “Li” to the side—just the surname.

After some hesitation, he wrote Qianye beside the “Li”. Looking at the name Qianye, he sighed lightly and erased half the words again.

The remainder of the list was easy as he drew here and there at a much quicker pace. By the time it was dusk, the paper was no longer recognizable.

He looked over the paper repeatedly. Then, he burned it on the candle-flame with a sigh.

The man walked out of the study and said, “Prepare the carriage, we return to the residence.”

Moments later, a horse-drawn carriage drove out of the courtyard and back to the Imperial Capital.

...

There was no peace in the palace deep at night.

Normally, Empress Li should’ve retired to her chambers at this time of the day. Today, however, she had arrived at the Phoenix Wood Palace, where she would normally meet outside guests.

Someone was already there when she arrived, and it was the middle-aged scholar who had just parted ways with the vampire duke.

Empress Li sat down and glanced at the scholar’s face. Slightly surprised, she said, “Minister of the Right, there’s no need to disguise yourself after coming here. It’s not like we’re strangers. Speaking of which, your ability in this field is fairly close to perfection. If I hadn’t known beforehand, I might not have seen through your camouflage.”

The Minister of the Right waved a hand over his face. His appearance changed swiftly, and even his body structure was somewhat different now. His temperament was calm, collected, and profound as he bowed in greeting. “Thank you for the praise.”

Empress Li said, “There will be a lot of gossip if those officials find out that you came to meet me in disguise.”

The Minister of the Right said with a laugh, “They will gossip even if I do things openly, so I’d rather give them some things to talk about. At the very least, I’ll know what they have to say about me at court. That’ll also save them the trouble of keeping an eye on me all day for material to make a fuss about.”

“Makes sense, but you didn’t come just for that, did you?”

“Of course not. I actually have something to report.”

Empress Li waved her hand gently, prompting the attendants to withdraw to the corridor. Then, a barrier of light descended to cover both the Empress and the minister. The scenery within also turned blurry. Those outside could see the two people inside, but they would not be able to hear a thing.

“You can speak now.”

The Minister of the Right said, “I came to ask a favor.”

“What about?”

“I heard the Empress has some plans for the Li family. What is the basis for it?”

Empress Li remained calm. “What do you think it is?”

The Minister of the Right replied, “I heard the Li family will soon produce a peerless genius, is there any truth to the rumors?”

Empress Li’s expression turned cold. “I guess only you would dare to ask such a question. Why do you want to know?”

The Minister of the Right smiled. “Judging from your expression, my guess is probably right. My thoughts are simple, I was never able to make up my mind regarding what you suggested before. But if your family will truly produce a pillar of the Empire, there’s no harm in lending my abilities to your cause.”

Empress Li’s hand trembled ever so slightly, but she quickly regained her calm. “Isn’t your decision a bit too sloppy?”

“I only want what’s best for the Empire and the human race. If the Li family produces a peerless genius, I will definitely assist them until they mature.”

Empress Li nodded briefly as she sipped her tea.