Star Odyssey

Lu Yin continued to stare at Ku Wei. “You may go to Frostwave Weave, but there’s a condition.”

“Sure.”

Lu Yin looked down at Ku Wei’s finger. “I want to learn the battle technique that you used against me during the Lockbreaker Competition. It should be called Finger Tap.” 

Ku Wei was stunned for a moment, but then he immediately refused. “No, Finger Tap is a technique that belongs solely to my Ku family, and it can’t be passed on to outsiders.” 

“Then forget about it. Allowing you into Frostwave Weave to look for the Yu family also carries risks for me. If the Yu family really does still exist, it’s difficult to say who the Great Yu Empire would listen to between me and them. I established the Great Eastern Alliance after a great deal of difficulty, and if I have to surrender it just because you unearth the Yu family, that would be unfair for me.” 

“I can promise to hand over the Yu family’s other items to you.”

“What are you relying on to make a promise like that? If the Yu family is actually as powerful as you claim and has that deep of a background, or as you claim, even old monsters, then do you even have the ability to hand their items over to me? What a joke! I can’t hope for something like that.” 

Ku Wei was rendered speechless, as he would not have mentioned all this if he had known how Lu Yin would have reacted. “Change your condition. I can’t teach you Finger Tap, or else the Ku family will definitely kill me when they find out.” 

Lu Yin suddenly raised his pike and pointed it at Ku Wei. “So you’re saying that there are members of the Ku family in the Outerverse.” 

Ku Wei hurriedly replied, “No, I meant after the Innerverse reconnects to the Outerverse!”

Lu Yin frowned. “You’ve been contradicting yourself from beginning to end. I don’t believe you. I was only 30% certain that there were Ku family experts in the Outerverse before, but now, I’m 90% certain. It looks like it’s better for you to just die.”

“How can I convince you that there’s nobody from the Ku family in the Outerverse?” Ku Wei was flustered.

Lu Yin smiled. “Teach me Finger Tap.”

Ku Wei stared at Lu Yin with a frustrated expression, looking as though he wanted to eat Lu Yin.

Lu Yin remained calm, and the tip of the pike felt ever sharper.

After a while, Ku Wei finally gave in. “So as long as I teach you Finger Tap, you’ll promise to let me enter Frostwave Weave, not to make things difficult for me, or tell the Hall of Honor about me, right?”

“Of course, I value mutual trust.” Lu Yin was delighted. He wanted to learn Finger Tap to help him with the Dream Finger since, right now, every time he used it, his finger would rupture. His finger could not endure the technique’s pressure, but learning Finger Tap should strengthen his finger quite a bit. 

Ku Wei had compromised, but Lu Yin still needed to determine if what Ku Wei had told him was true. The opportunity to enter Progenitor Chen’s mausoleum was extremely appealing, and since the Outerverse had been cut off from the Innerverse, Ku Wei would rather risk being punished by his family for sharing some of their core techniques than let go of a chance to enter the tomb. This showed Lu Yin that Ku Wei stood to gain far more than what he was offering. Even if it was just a chance at an opportunity, it was still worth it. Progenitor Chen's mausoleum was indeed worth paying almost any price, but it was too much of an illusion, like the moon’s reflection in a lake. There had to be a more substantial benefit if Ku Wei was willing to make such a deal. 

However, Lu Yin did not plan to continue questioning the other young man, as their deal was just like his one with Felynn. He had a great deal of time to pursue this further in the future. The Hall of Honor was still around, and he did not believe that Ku Wei would be able to overturn the sky. 

There would certainly be some obstacles that the Lockbreaker Society would have to clear before it could completely move to Frostwave Weave. Sourcepeak Weave would not easily allow it, and this matter had to be handled by Felynn. It was not difficult, but it did require time. 

Lu Yin had to return to the Great Yu Empire to arrange a location for the new Lockbreaker Society’s headquarters. The planet that he ultimately selected was known as Planet Hydrotink and was located near Zenyu Star. 

Following Lu Yin to the Great Yu Empire were the Serpent Queen, Xi Qi, Ku Wei, as well as Master Kai. Aden had been left behind to help protect the other Lockbreakers. 

Lu Yin had originally been worried that the Neohuman Alliance would send someone else to seize the box, but Felynn allayed his worries; the Hall of Honor had already intervened. The Lockbreaker Society was technically one of the Hall of Honor’s subsidiary organizations, though it had its own structure. The Hall of Honor would not intervene in the Lockbreaker Society’s domestic and external conflicts, which was why Wei Rong had dared to act against Sourcepeak Planet. However, the Hall of Honor would definitely protect that box. 

Lu Yin was very curious about what was inside the box that could move the Hall of Honor to directly protect it. 

It was not unexpected for Xi Qi and Ku Wei to follow him to Frostwave Weave, and Master Kai wanted to investigate Planet Hydrotink. However, it was strange that Serpent Queen was also following Lu Yin back to Frostwave Weave. She did not have a favorable impression of him, and she was also hostile towards Ku Wei. 

Lu Yin was now slightly suspicious that this woman might have also been sent by the Seven Courts!

“My hometown is in Frostwave Weave, so there’s nothing strange about me returning,” Serpent Queen said matter-of-factly. 

Lu Yin was stunned. “Your hometown is in Frostwave Weave? Aren’t you from the Innerverse?”

Serpent Queen duly replied, “I was born in Frostwave Weave, but Master took a liking to me when I was young and took me to the Innerverse.”

Lu Yin understood now, as this girl had experienced the same situation as Wendy Yushan. They both had outstanding natural talent.

Hiss!

The ancient, multi-colored python had shrunk itself to about the size of a palm and was currently curled up on Serpent Queen’s shoulder, where it continuously hissed at Lu Yin. It was pocket-sized, and whenever it noticed Lu Yin looking at it, the snake would immediately divert its gaze towards Xi Qi and the fish atop her head.

“What are you looking at? You’re just emergency rations! Be more aware of yourself,” the fish shouted arrogantly. 

The multi-colored snake raised its body to stare at the fish, and its hissing grew even more frequent. 

Serpent Queen helplessly reached up a hand to placate the beast. The stories of Xi Qi and her fish had long since spread throughout the Lockbreaker Society, and the fish was incredibly infamous for its vulgar mouth.

The multi-colored snake wriggled into Serpent Queen’s collar and did not emerge again.

Ku Wei saw the scene and felt envious of the python. “A man isn’t as good as a snake.”

Serpent Queen glared at him, as she still had not forgotten about the scoundrel’s behavior during the first stage of the Lockbreaker Competition, where he had actually robbed her. 

“Two-legged beast, if you are willing to become Lord Fish’s mount, Lord Fish will bestow that female two-legged beast upon you,” the fish shouted at Ku Wei as it swatted its tail all over. 

Serpent Queen became even more furious, and she glared at the fish one last time before turning to leave.

Ku Wei curled his lips up and looked at the fish. “Hang on, I’ll go and find a cat for you.”

“Seventh Bro, this monkey wants to find a cat as well,” the Ghost Monkey said.

Lu Yin was rendered speechless, and he turned his gaze to outer space instead.

The journey from Sourcepeak Planet to the Great Yu Empire was very smooth, and they didn’t run into many disturbances. Felynn had settled things with Sourcepeak Weave, and even if the various great powers of Sourcepeak Weave did not want the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society to move its headquarters, they could not stop it from happening. Not even Felynn could stop it, as Lu Yin had published the contents of several of the memory chips in his possession before heading back to Frostwave Weave as a way to demonstrate his willingness to make these lockbreaking records public. The files that he had shared were all of Perceptive Intermediate Lockbreakers, and they were way more appealing than the records of average Lockbreakers. 

Against the expectations of the crowd of Lockbreakers, nobody moved to stop them from heading to Frostwave Weave. 

When Lu Yin’s Aurora arrived at Zenyu Star’s space station, he immediately returned to King Zishan's palace while Xi Qi and the others went their own ways. 

Ku Wei had imparted Finger Tap technique to Lu Yin in the spacecraft, and Lu Yin had already practiced it for a few days. He felt that it would indeed be useful for raising his finger’s resilience. However, Ku Wei had not imparted the true Finger Tap to Lu Yin, as the technique lacked a core, little charm. The true might of Finger Tap was in its auspicious form that rendered its target unable to resist the changes in their emotions and desires. 

Of course, Lu Yin did not need that part, and Ku Wei would not share it with him either. Lu Yin only needed the Finger Tap’s finger-training method. 

Once Lu Yin returned to King Zishan's palace, he summoned Huan Sha, En Ya, and Gavin.

His harvest from the trip to Sourcepeak Planet had been great, but it had also been extremely exhausting. Lu Yin sat in the palace’s courtyard, and Zhao Ran appeared from behind to serve him a drink. “Your Highness.” 

Lu Yin nodded.

At this moment, Huan Sha arrived. “Greetings, Your Highness.”

Lu Yin replied, “How are the arrangements at Planet Hydrotink?”

“One week ago, Your Highness sent orders to convert Planet Hydrotink into the Outerverse Lockbreaker Society’s headquarters, and we have already completed our preparations. The transport and defense facilities around Planet Hydrotink are already in order, and they will be completed in no more than ten days,” Huan Sha answered. 

Lu Yin nodded. “Everything should follow the arrangements of Sourcepeak Planet, but there’s no need to make too many preparations. Planet Hydrotink was a tourist planet to begin with, and it has a naturally beautiful environment. Just maintaining its original appearance will be fine.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Has anything happened in the empire recently? How are the Four Ministries?”

“Nothing much has happened. The most notable event is that the Twelfth Squadron has purged quite a few departments that had various aristocratic heirs placed within them. Because of this matter, quite a few officials looked for the Imperial Cabinet and asked them to uphold justice, but they were suppressed by the cabinet. Also, the Ninth Squadron has investigated a bunch of officials, which has caused turmoil in many regions of the empire. The Four Ministries are currently settling these affairs.” 

Lu Yin nodded, as these types of small matters were no longer worth his attention. However, since Ban Jiu purged those aristocratic heirs, it seemed that something might be happening in the Technology Department. 

As for the Ninth Squadron, the Auna family had willingly embraced the role that he had given them. That was good, as he liked obedient people. 

Not long after Huan Sha left, En Ya arrived. “Your Highness, the Alliance Conference is about to start. Does Your Highness have anything special that we should take note of?”

Lu Yin replied, “During the Alliance Conference, the Lu Ministry of Defense has to guard the empire. I don’t want anything to happen that could possibly tarnish our prestige.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How’s the proposal for the Allied Forces coming along?” Lu Yin asked. This was something that he was concerned about. One of the main objectives in establishing the Great Eastern Alliance was to integrate the members’ resources, and the other was to integrate the member weaves’ military forces. The resource integration had already slowly begun, but one of the most important topics of discussion for this Alliance Conference was the integration of the various powers’ military might, which were the soldiers.

In this universe, everything could be glossed over except for military might. Even an enormous corporation like the Nalan family had been forced to stoop to relying on Lu Yin when they lost the protection of their Enlighters. This showed the importance of military strength. 

If the Great Eastern Alliance did not have a united military force,  then it would be the same as not having an alliance. 

When Lu Yin mentioned this, En Ya’s face turned solemn, and she handed Lu Yin a list that laid out the preliminary proposed system and candidates for the Allied Forces. 

Lu Yin glanced over it. “This is too simple.”

En Ya was caught in a difficult position. “Your Highness, the alliance has only just been established, and the wills of the various members have not united yet. Additionally, there are even certain eastern weaves that are still vigilant towards our Great Yu Empire. For now, we can only establish a preliminary allied force. It will still take some time before we can staff a larger military force, unless…”

Lu Yin looked up at her. “Unless some external pressure appears.”

En Ya agreed. “Yes.”

Lu Yin immediately thought of Wei Rong. Lu Yin had brought the entire Outerverse Lockbreaker Society to Frostwave Weave, and it would be strange if Wei Rong was not bothered by this. It was as if Lu Yin had managed to come out ahead by using a path that Wei Rong had blazed. At this time, Wei Rong might already be focusing his attention onto the Great Eastern Alliance. The Wei family’s Armament Weave was a part of the central region, and the establishment of the Great Eastern Alliance would definitely pose a threat to them, so Wei Rong would not disregard their united front. External pressure would appear soon—they merely didn’t know what form it would take. 

“Leave it as it is for now. We can’t allow powers like the Vastdearth Sect and Six-Fingered Tribe to remain wary of us.”

En Ya acknowledged her orders. “Your Highness, do you have a candidate in mind for the position of Commander of the Allied Forces?”