Book 3, Chapter 378: Secret Storage

Chen Chuan pinched some food and threw it into the pond. Ripples spread out. The golden carp moved their tails and swiftly swam over to gobble down the food.

“I’ve been told about pure essence. Due to the gap in the World Ring, quite a lot of it has spilled out, so the government had me and some other people go through a safety check,” Chen Chuan commented.

“It has?” Cao Guiqi asked in shock, only to shake his head immediately after. “They’ll soon close the gap.”

After throwing another handful of food, he handed the bag to Mr. Ding and took a piece of cloth from the butler to wipe his hands. “Come with me.”

He started walking away.

Chen Chuan walked with him to the pond drainage outlet. A winding river was right beyond the outlet with green willows at its bank. Before the dam was a moderately-sized, beautiful ornate boat.

Cao Guiqi got into the boat and walked to an elegant table. Then, he beckoned Chen Chuan to join him and sat down. The servant who had been waiting there immediately poured boiled water into teacups.

Mr. Ding followed them into the boat and ordered a servant to untie the thick mooring rope. The boatman at the back then picked up a thick, long pole and pushed against the bank, and the boat slowly left the bank.

It drifted with the current. After passing by a jutted islet, the river widened, and Chen Chuan saw it extending all the way to the lake in Motie Mountain. The willow trees by the banks were reflected on the water. A few egrets flew out from the forest and over the water.

“The organizations and factions have pure essence, so if you’re not part of them, you won’t be able to get stronger. After all, there are only so many ways and paths to grow. If you’re not part of the circle, they won’t give you pure essence,” Cao Guiqi said.

As the boat moved forward, the world passed by slowly. Cao Guiqi watched the far-off mountains cast in dusky blue, then at the shady areas provided by the trees, spread unevenly before them. “Honestly, the new era is much better than the old era. Back then, you wouldn’t have even reached the door leading to the path ahead.

“I don’t think you know this yet, but in the old era, if you weren’t part of the royal family, a family with official or military rank, or one of a handful of distinguished families, you’d need to offer up your marrow and blood as taxes. This was the case even for families who have served the royal family for generations.”

Chen Chuan pondered over that phrase. “Offer up my marrow and blood as taxes?”

“That’s exactly it. A warrior’s blood essence and bone marrow can be used to create medicine, refine elixirs, and feed animals. Their mutated tissue can also be used to create all sorts of weapons and items, so the royal family declared this to be a form of taxes.

“The royal family didn’t ask for blood essence and bone marrow just for that, though. They were collecting them to weaken the powerful families. Whenever the warriors paid their taxes, they got weaker and could no longer threaten the royal family and the many families with official and military ranks.

“They carried out this law pretty strictly in the beginning, but later on, it became relaxed. The powerful families got commoner martial artists and their trained warriors to pay the tax in their place while they gathered power in the shadows.

“Meanwhile, due to the many legacies left behind by the multiple eras of change, many organizations and factions created by commoner martial artists were thriving. They had quite a number of outstanding martial artists. After a long period of exploitation, they grew resentful, and after the Algae Sap Revolution, these organizations and factions became one of the main forces behind the downfall of the former royal family.

“When we entered the new era, the Great Shun Republic learned from this lesson and provided a way for commoner martial artists to get stronger. At the same time, they gathered all the resources spread all over the land during the eras of change. As technology improved and the global political situation changed, they monopolized all the training resources.

“Right now, if a martial artist wants to reach the Third Limit, they can rely on their own hard work to do so. But it’s practically impossible for them to go past it if they don’t attach themselves to a faction or organization.”

“What if I want to get stronger despite that? Do you have any suggestions for me?” Chen Chuan asked.

“I won’t comment on aligning yourself with the government or some company. With your current status, you’ll see the truth on your own, but if I were to suggest something, I’d say you should join a faction,” Cao Guiqi said.

“A faction, huh?” This was in line with what Chen Chuan had planned.

“The companies and governments aren’t the only members of the mega alliance. Some big factions joined it as well. They have their own forces of power within the companies and governments, and they share the same ideals. Since on paper they are part of the mega alliance, the governments and companies have to acknowledge that the resources the factions give to their members are in accordance with the law. They have to,” Cao Guiqi said and extended a hand.

Mr. Ding walked over and handed an item to Cao Guiqi, who then passed it to Chen Chuan. “If you can’t find any way forward, use this plate to find the Refined Training Faction. Perhaps they’ll help you get stronger.

“But if you have any other choice, I would advise not to look for them. This plate is just a key. I can’t guarantee that they’ll let you join. Even if they did, don’t believe everything they say. You should just get what you need from them.”

Chen Chuan took the beautiful wooden plate. It had a red tassel at the end and was quite heavy. He couldn’t see any words, but when he touched it, he could sense them on the surface. This wasn’t the time to figure out what they were, though. “Thank you, Senior Cao.”

“If they won’t give you what you want or you can’t join them, I’d suggest going with the government. Never join the companies,” Cao Guiqi warned grimly.

Chen Chuan nodded at that.

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Cao Guiqi picked up his teacup and took a sip before lamenting, “Pure essence hasn’t dwindled in amount after the World Ring sealed it off. It’s just that the number of ways to get it has grown smaller. Because of it, too many people have their roads cut off.”

“Have you forgotten about the secret stash, Young Master? Perhaps Lead Investigator Chen can try finding it,” Mr. Ding suddenly cut in.

Cao Guiqi mulled over it for a while before nodding. Then, he turned to Chen Chuan. “I suppose you should know what the secret stash is.”

After a brief pause, he continued, “The former royal family had gathered a lot of resources from all over the world, but they couldn’t use them all up and locked them in warehouses. Later on, when they retreated to the merged space, they took some of them.

“As you can tell, they didn’t have just one warehouse. They had many secret ones all over the country. Some of them were even located abroad. They were backup plans in case something happened.

“The royal family wasn’t alone in doing that. The feudal lords and empires abroad also had secret stashes. Even the royal families of the other dynasties did the same thing.

“There have been rumors of secret warehouses being found and the secret stashes being uncovered in the country and all over the world over the past few decades.

“Even in the old era, the royal family and organizations formed by the commoners searched for them. Now, the governments and companies still encourage people to search for them. If they find one and report it, they can legally keep a portion of their findings.”

“I think I’ve heard rumors of it,” Chen Chuan said after some thinking.

“You can hear rumors of secret stashes everywhere, and they’re all derived from rumors about the secret warehouses. Some organizations, groups, and even cults pay close attention to them. Whenever they get solid information, the governments and companies send their men to find them.

“If you’re lucky enough to find one, you should take a look inside. But many people keep an eye out for them. There might be defensive measures left behind by the people of the old era too. So, if you really do get the chance to go into one, be careful.”

Chen Chuan nodded.

They stopped talking about this then and enjoyed tea while admiring the scenery from the boat. When the sun started setting, the boat returned to the manor, and Chen Chuan left.

“I thought that you’d tell him about that secret stash,” Mr. Ding said after he came back from escorting Chen Chuan out.

Cao Guiqi shook his head. “I don’t know whether that place truly exists. The things inside it are also really dangerous. Besides, that thing might be there. There are too many issues with it. The governments and companies are also keeping a close eye on it. If I told him about it, I’d just be bringing harm to him.”

“I heard that he has been looking for that place for many years,” Mr. Ding commented.

“Let him. Even if he finds it, it doesn’t matter. The old era has already crumbled to dust and can’t be rebuilt. Whatever he tries will fall with a single shove.” He put his hands behind his back and stared at the dusky sky. “You saw it yourself, Mr. Ding. After the gap opened, the conqueror general and his cavalrymen came over, but a single person blocked them. Aside from keeping that man in place, they weren’t able to do anything else. Times have changed. These things should have been set aside a long time ago.”

***

After leaving Cao Guiqi’s manor, Chen Chuan contacted Wei Dong and Wu Han to ask them out for a meal. In a few days, Dawncall was going to wake up, and after he finished settling all his miscellaneous tasks, he was going back to Yangzhi City.

The moment Wu Han heard that Chen Chuan wanted to treat them to a meal, he introduced him to a restaurant he often went to. Apparently, the place was really lively, and the owner was a Yangzhi City local, so the taste of the food was guaranteed.

Once Chen Chuan heard that, he agreed to meet there.

The next day, he didn’t ask his security guards to follow him and drove to the restaurant alone. When he parked his car, he took a look at the restaurant.

A stream of information instantly appeared on his screen.

Ever since he was connected to Safe Shield, all the advertisements, even those from big companies like Green Satchel Pharmacy, were blocked. The moment Chen Chuan looked at someone, their detailed information would also appear before his eyes, including whether they had any criminal record and whether they had a bounty on their heads.

After entering the street, he saw that at least a third of the people had criminal records. Most of them were from the same gang too.

This was normal in Central City, which was why Chen Chuan didn’t bother himself with it. After opening the door and walking into the restaurant, he saw that Wu Han and Wei Dong were already there. They were sitting by the window and chatting. After seeing Chen Chuan, they waved at him.

He took a moment to observe them. Wei Dong was in the university itself, so Chen Chuan could see him from time to time.

But he hadn’t seen Wu Han for a few months; they had only contacted each other through their Realm Passes. After all that time, he was a little different. His skin was a little darker, and he had gotten himself something resembling a goatee, which made him look more mature. Once Chen Chuan walked over, Wei Dong and Wu Han greeted him, and he sat down.

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