Star Odyssey

Chapter 2769: Bi Rong

Bi Lan chuckled. "Your people are quite interesting, Dao Monarch Lu."

The incident with the tea greatly relaxed the atmosphere. Lu Yin stopped hesitating, and he simply asked, "Since you are asking to do business with me, then it’s important to understand who I will be working with. Ms. Bi Lan, who does the Merchant Exchange represent?"

Bi Lan had expected this question from Lu Yin. Countless people in the Sixverse Association wanted to know the answer to this question as well, but very few people could receive the knowledge.

"How much do you know about the Sixverse Association, Dao Monarch Lu?" Bi Lan replied with a question of her own.

Lu Yin shook his head. "Very little. If that passage hadn't opened, I wouldn't have any access to the Sixverse Association at all."

Bi Lan nodded. "In addition to the six member universes, the Sixverse Association also consists of the sixty two parallel universes that form the Endless Frontier. All together, they form the Sixverse Association.”

"The Sixverse Association also represents the known portion of the megaverse, but the Sixverse Association is far from the entirety of reality. No one knows how many parallel universes might exist, as more are always being found. There might even be parallel universes as small as one’s hand, yet still be a universe.”

"In addition to the Sixverse Association, there are other parallel universes that have not joined the Sixverse Association, or are unwilling to join the Sixverse Association, despite also fighting against Aeternus. The master of my Merchant Exchange represents one of those universes, and his name is Bi Rong."

Lu Yin’s fingers twitched. While he still appeared calm on the surface, internally, he was a mess.

Bi Rong? Lu Yin had heard that name before, from Corpse God.

When Lu Yin had been chased across the Starfall Sea by Corpse God, he had used the corpse that he had acquired in Burial Garden to block one of Corpse God's attacks. When Corpse God had seen that corpse, he had said two words. “Bi Rong.”

It was at that moment that Lu Yin learned that the name of the corpse was Bi Rong.

Did that corpse belong to the master of the Merchant Exchange?

Bi Rong and Bi Lan were rather similar names. Could they be from the same family or the same universe?

Lu Yin rubbed his cosmic ring as he quietly listened to Bi Lan's explanation.

The woman did not notice anything unusual about Lu Yin’s behavior as she continued explaining. "This is no secret, and yet it also is. Many people will never know about this, unlike Dao Monarch Lu. You are the Dao Monarch of the Origin Universe’s Heavens Sect, and you command several peak powerhouses. Anyone who is qualified to speak to the Sixverse Association as a whole is qualified to know this.”

"This is also why I previously mentioned that the Merchant Exchange will not participate in any conflicts that may take place between the Sixverse Association and the Origin Universe. We exist outside the Sixverse Association and are not a part of it. We do not obey the Great Sovereign’s orders, as we are under the command of Lord Bi Rong."

Lu Yin stared at Bi Lan. "Is Bi Rong able to ignore the Great Sovereign’s orders?"

Bi Lan replied, "The Merchant Exchange does not need to obey the orders of the Great Sovereign."

Lu Yin's eyes flashed. "Miss Bi Lan, you should already be aware of what happened in my universe a short while ago. The Three Monarchs Universe wanted to act tyrannically and take over my Heavens Sect, which nearly started a war. The Great Sovereign ordered me to serve on the Endless Frontier to compensate for my crime. As far as I’m concerned, a powerhouse who can disobey the Great Sovereign deserves respect. Can you tell me more about Senior Bi Rong?"

Bi Lan smiled happily. "Respecting Lord Bi Rong means respecting all of us, as well as respecting the Merchant Exchange. If you wish to know more, Dao Monarch Lu, then I’d be more than happy to tell you."

"Thank you."

Bi Lan grew solemn, yet also excited and filled with longing as she proceeded to share what she knew about Bi Rong.

Lu Yin listened while rubbing his cosmic ring. This felt very strange to him.

Truthfully, Bi Lan did not know very much. Bi Rong was too far above her, so everything that Bi Lan knew had been heard from others. Still, she knew enough to give Lu Yin a general understanding of Bi Rong.

In her recounting, he was a strong man who had entered the Endless Frontier and fought his way out after being attacked by the Seven Skygods and without receiving any assistance. This was the man’s greatest achievement, and it was also what qualified him to ignore the Great Sovereign’s orders.

Only by accomplishing such a feat could one ignore the Great Sovereign, and this was why Bi Rong’s Merchant Exchange could conduct business in the Sixverse Association while not being a part of the alliance.

Bi Lan spoke for a long time, though that one story was all that Lu Yin really took note of.

He was well aware of the Endless Frontier’s horror, and what’s more, he also understood just how terrifyingly powerful the Seven Skygods were.

Just how powerful did one need to be to escape from the Endless Frontier and survive being attacked by the Seven Skygods?

At the very least, Lu Yin could not imagine Old Mo doing such a thing, and Old Mo was already powerful enough to put the entire Heavens Sect on edge. Lu Yin had told Leng Qing to remain in the Heavens Sect because he was afraid that Old Mo would visit the Origin Universe to kill Lu Yin.

Old Mo should not be at the same level as the Seven Skygods. The strength of the Seven Skygods was readily evident.

Bi Rong had been an incredible powerhouse who was capable of challenging the Seven Skygods, which undoubtedly placed him at the same level as Great Elder Shan Gu and Lord Xu. It was no wonder why Bi Rong had not obeyed the orders of the Great Sovereign.

Lu Yin believed that all the rulers of the Sixverse Association’s member universes, with the exception of Luo Shan, were at least somewhat respected by the Great Sovereign. Shan Gu, Lord Xu, and Lord Wei all possessed unfathomable strength, and Bi Rong should have been at about that same level.

It seemed that he truly was a peak powerhouse who was not part of the Sixverse Association. That made two such people that Lu Yin knew of. Bi Rong had been one, and the other was Jiang Chen and Jiang Qingyue's father, the Lord of Lightning. Even Dragonturtle, who was a peak powerhouse himself, referred to the Lord of Lighting as his master. Neither man was someone whom the Aeternals were willing to overly offend.

"Where is Senior Bi Rong now?" Lu Yin asked as he stared at Bi Lan.

It was at this time that Zhao Ran returned, carrying some fresh tea.

Bi Lan stared blankly. She had assumed that she would receive the same tea as before, so why had it changed? This tea also looked bizarre, and it appeared to have currents of air drifting about it. How had this tea been made?

She had the courage to drink the previous tea, but could she summon that courage again?

Bi Lan regretted asking for a second cup of tea. She should have kept her mouth shut.

Zhao Ran stared at the woman with high expectations. This woman is so cute! She actually asked for more tea. Zhao Ran had not received such a request in many years. "Sister, how does it taste?"

Bi Lan was left speechless; was this girl trying to provoke her?

Lu Yin spoke up, "Zhao Ran, please return for now."

Zhao Ran blinked. "But I want to know what this sister thinks of the tea’s taste."

Lu Yin looked over at Bi Lan.

She took a deep breath, forced a smile, lifted her cup, and took a sip.

Zhao Ran’s eyes opened very wide.

Lu Yin was also quite curious, as Zhao Ran never made the same tea twice. Even after all this time, Lu Yin still struggled to appreciate her brewing at times.

"It’s good tea," Bi Lan complimented as she looked at Zhao Ran with bright eyes.

Zhao Ran was delighted. "Thank you!"

With that, she happily left.

Bi Lan let out a breath as she watched Zhao Ran leave. She looked back down at the cup of tea and felt a new flicker of fear; the steam from the tea had actually formed a spider.

"Miss Bi Lan."

Bi Lan was startled by Lu Yin’s words, and she pushed her cup of tea away, blushing as she looked up at Lu Yin. "Please speak, Dao Monarch Lu."

Lu Yin stared at Bi Lan. "Where is Senior Bi Rong now? I would like to pay him a visit."

Bi Lan smiled. "My lord has gone into seclusion, so I will have to leave you disappointed, Dao Monarch Lu."

"Seclusion?" Lu Yin stared at Bi Lan, trying to see if she was lying to him. The woman’s body language was clear to him.

Bi Lan was completely relaxed as she looked back at Lu Yin without flinching. "Yes, Lord Bi Rong has been in seclusion for a very long time, but it is normal for such powerhouses to remain in seclusion for tens of thousands or even millions of years at a time before they emerge."

That was all the woman said, but her excitement was very obvious.

Lu Yin felt that Bi Lan was not lying to him. Did she not know that Bi Rong was already dead? The Aeternals definitely knew.

If Bi Lan did not know about Bi Rong’s death, then it meant that most of the Merchant Exchange’s people did not know either. In that case, who was the one currently in charge of the Merchant Exchange?

Lu Yin went ahead and asked, and Bi Lan replied, "Lord Bi Teng, who is Lord Bi Rong’s servant. There is no problem with Lord Bi Teng running the Merchant Exchange, as even though he is Lord Bi Rong’s servant, Lord Bi Teng is also a peak powerhouse."

Lu Yin nodded. He had no more questions.

The servant ran the Merchant Exchange, but the true master was already dead. In that case, who did the Merchant Exchange truly belong to?

Lu Yin looked down at his cosmic ring. The Merchant Exchange controlled a terrifying amount of wealth. Their 1% commission was also terrifying to consider, as it represented 1% of all of the resources traded between parallel universes going back countless years. It was an unimaginable level of wealth.

While many people did not use the Merchant Exchange, those who did would always trade an exorbitant amount of resources. Lu Yin had not forgotten that the Merchant Exchange’s representatives were known as walking wallets.

He was very eager to discover just how much wealth the Merchant Exchange possessed.

"We’ve spoken for quite some time now, Dao Monarch Lu. Can we discuss the exchange rate?" Bi Lan said. She was quite happy with Lu Yin's behavior. If a person respected Bi Rong, they would also respect the Merchant Exchange.

Lu Yin replied, "I’ll have someone negotiate the exact terms with you, as this is not my area of expertise at all."

Bi Lan nodded. "Of course."

Lu Yin stared at Bi Lan. "I do have one small favor that I wonder if Miss Bi Lan could help me with."

Bi Lan became confused. "Help you? Dao Monarch Lu, my Merchant Exchange will not participate in any conflict with the Sixverse Association, nor will we provide any form of assistance. We will not offer any information, so I really can't help you with anything."

Lu Yin smiled. "I’m not asking about anything like that. I am simply hoping that someone from the Origin Universe could be allowed to join the Merchant Exchange."

Bi Lan was taken aback. "You want your people to join the Merchant Exchange?"

Lu Yin nodded.

Bi Lan considered the request. "That’s not impossible. My Merchant Exchange has recruited some people from the Sixverse Association. After all, it is much better to conduct business with certain parallel universes when they are dealing with their own. However, everyone needs to be assessed before they are allowed to join."

Lu Yin stood up and let out a long breath. "There’s no secret that such assessments only apply to certain people. You should understand that some people can fail those assessments and still be allowed to join."

Bi Lan did not put on any show of offense. She simply rose to her feet and said, "Very well, Dao Monarch Lu. I can allow your people to join the Merchant Exchange. However, our people are required to follow our rules. Once someone joins the Merchant Exchange, they are no longer allowed to get involved in any conflict, regardless of whether the Origin Universe is involved in said conflict. This applies equally to people from the Sixverse Association and the Origin Universe."

"That won’t be a problem," Lu Yin agreed without hesitation.

Bi Lan continued, "One more thing. The Merchant Exchange’s rules dictate that men oversee men and women oversee women. This means that I can only let women join the Merchant Exchange."

"Why is that?" Lu Yin asked in confusion.

Bi Lan explained, "Emotions are a basic characteristic of human nature and can be either a strength or a weakness. No one can guarantee that no feelings will develop between men and women, and that can affect business. This rule was established to avoid such complications."

A smile spread across Lu Yin’s face. "It’s a good rule. What is the quota?"

Bi Lan was startled. "Quota?"

"Of course. How many of my people can you allow to join the Merchant Exchange?" Lu Yin asked casually.

Bi Lan responded with a bitter smile. "It appears that Dao Monarch Lu does not intend to recommend just one person, but my own ability is rather limited. At most, I can only bring one person into the Merchant Exchange. This is another one of our rules."

Lu Yin looked away. "Second Nightking!"

"Dao Monarch." The Second Nightking stepped out and bowed.

"Bring Madam Nalan here."

The Second Nightking acknowledged his orders and left.