Star Gate

Chapter 738: There is No Fear of Lack of Bites When There Are Enough Lice (II)

“There is no point in continuously hiding myself or my identity,” Yun Yao sighed. “I might’ve been found out a long time ago, particularly with this trip to Skystar City. Perhaps my death will be a good thing. At least this will mean that no one will be able to access the Yun ruins when I am no longer of this world...”

She laughed as she spoke nonsense and took out something from her pockets. It was a round, crystalline ball that appeared to be a larger version of a marble. She tossed it at Li Hao. “This is the key to opening the ruins. It’s an object filled with mental strength that acts as a hook. Only through this can the research center be accessed. I haven’t known who to give it to. Perhaps giving it to the leader will help it have an effect...”

Yun Yao chuckled softly. “I rather feel free after handing it over! I only hope that leader doesn’t lose himself in resurrecting someone like my father did. There’s no meaning to that!”

“You’re giving it to me, Sis Yun?” Li Hao looked solemnly at her.

“If someone has their eyes on Yuqi and Yuming, they probably have already discovered me. It’s not safe in my hands. You’re stronger, leader, so you keep it!” Yun Yao demonstrated quite an open mind. Though regretful, a smile appeared on her face shortly thereafter. “I can’t just turn a blind eye to Yuqi being alive. I do need to reestablish our relationship. As opposed to skulking around in the shadows, I might as well be out in the open! There’s also less of a burden on my shoulders after giving everything to leader.”

Liu Long wanted to say something, but ultimately kept quiet. Perhaps giving the key to Li Hao was indeed a good decision.

“This is a hot potato!” Li Hao laughed ruefully. This wasn’t a treasure, it was a bomb! So this Lu Zhen Research Center was looking into immortality! He’d thought it was simple technological research, but the truth was far from what he thought. This Lu Zhen really experimented with everything!

How would the nine ministries and royal family not raise the greatest fuss when they found out? Who could withstand such temptation? There was no possible fate for the Yuns other than compete extermination!

“That’s right, it’s a hot potato.” Yun Yao smiled. “That’s why I’m giving it to the powerful leader. Otherwise, with members of the family still alive, we can just study it ourselves.”

She smiled sweetly; Li Hao laughed at himself. That was right. Well, wasn’t this nice. Another major development had been dropped on his head as soon as he came back! As he thought things over, he felt that this Lu Zhen Research Center wouldn’t help him much. Neither was he interested in resurrecting anyone. Ah, no. How about those in Battle Heaven? Could they still be revived?

Li Hao sank into deep thought. Was it good or bad that this technology had appeared? It was difficult to say.

Lu Zhen...

Perhaps he really should browse old information or ask around. Would the little tree in the storage ring know this person? Could a person really be resurrected, or were they referring to another sort of concept?

“Chief, why don’t you take Sis Yun for a walk and chat with Yuqi? I’d like to think about some things!”

Liu Long didn’t say anything; he looked at Yun Yao. The young woman seemed to have put down a certain burden as a smile appeared on her normally withdrawn expression.

“I’m going to see Yuqi. That lass still doesn’t believe I’m her aunt!” She left with Liu Long.

Li Hao’s mind filtered through the storage ring, reaching a mini tree that was dozing off in the ring. It instantly awoke when it sensed Li Hao’s mind. “Do you want to trade for Water of Life?”

“......” Li Hao watched it wordlessly. Was that the only thought in its mind? “No.”

“Oh.” The little tree immediately sagged with disinterest.

“Senior Tree.” A smiling Li Hao communicated through mental ripples. “Is there anyone called Lu Zhen in your memories?”

“Who?”

“Lu Zhen!”

“Lu Zhen...” The little tree thought it over. “Yes! He... was not well known, but was very important in the New Martial era. He advanced the development of the age and built the cultivation system used in the early years. He entered a secret zone later on and spent time with an emperor for three years. He has a close relationship with that emperor...”

“Emperor?”

“The master of the palace that I protect!”

Li Hao raised a mental eyebrow. So the relationship ran that deep?

“Could he resurrect people?”

“Resurrect?”

“Could he resurrect ancients that died?”

“What do you mean by die? If it’s pure and complete death, then no one apart from the Human King or an emperor can revive them. But if it is just the death of the physical body while mental strength remains, then that can be brought back.”

So it really was possible!

“Was Lu Zhen an expert in this field?”

“Yes, he could be considered thus. He was a renowned subject matter expert when it came to pharmacology, mineralogy, energy, and the mind. He learned from a premier emperor skilled in forging items when he reached a later point in life and was eventually in charge of research and development for military armaments. It was said that he was the director of weaponry in his peak and oversaw development of all military arms in New Martial...”

Li Hao sucked in a sharp breath. This was a very important character!

“So the armor employed by Battle Heaven and the others might have something to do with him?”

“Yes, and this was only foundational research. It must have deep ties to the weaponry department. I don’t know about the particulars because my father was only a tree outside the palace gates. He simply heard it mentioned in passing.”

So the Yun family had managed to grasp this personage’s research center. Whether it was Lu Zhen’s headquarters, a personal research station, or a branch, all of it represented sophisticated technology. In some ways, it was also martial dao related technology.

Just look at the titles this guy had! He was an expert in pharmacology, energy, mental strength, and was even connected to the Human King and ancient emperors. Li Hao scratched his head. The Yun family background was growing ever more complicated. Whoever took over this matter did so to their misfortune!

“Do you want to resurrect some ancient powerhouses?” The little tree hesitated before its mental ripples continued, “You better not! A great extinction once occurred before New Martial and numerous powerhouses survived in mental form. Many of them were resurrected later on, but most of their personalities had shifted from who they’d been.

“The Human King eventually ended up killing most of them. When someone dies while their mind lives on, it is the equivalent of being locked in a dark room for endless years if their mental strength isn’t strong enough. They went mad long before they were resurrected! Only those that retained their own consciousness within the confines of an operational city, like the inhabitants of Battle Heaven, had a chance of retaining their original selves. Otherwise, it’s just creating trouble for oneself!

“The Human King once said that it was better to rely on oneself than others. No matter how ancient martial dao was, whether it was myth or legend, all of it needed to be shattered! New Martial accepts only New Martial powerhouses. Those who do not forsake all else and join New Martial will be treated as heretics!”

Li Hao clucked his tongue, this was incredible charisma! Did the Human King realize that he included himself in that kind of saying? He hadn’t been a New Martial native either!

“Mm, I understand now. Thank you for your time, senior!” Li Hao withdrew from the storage ring; the little tree also fell silent.

Lu Zhen... resurrection... Was the human nursing the same kind of aspirations? Any people or items persisting in this land from the ancient civilization should not contain premier powerhouses. If they did, they were traitors. When the Human King set out on his campaign, all premier powerhouses followed his banner. Unless one truly had a particularly important mission, the only ones to not follow their king were deserters.

Soldiers such as Director General Wang weren’t part of the premier echelon. Those such as General Pagoda were required to stay and maintain operations for a city of tens of millions. That was an important protective mission that was reason enough to stay.

These thoughts ran through the little tree’s mind as it sank into silence once more.

......

“This is too complicated and too much of a hassle!” Li Hao’s head ached, but he quickly smiled again. None of this mattered for now, everything came down to his personal strength. He had a lot of troubles plaguing him these days, one more did not matter. The most pressing issue was not this one either. “Deputy Zhou, come in for a bit!”

The deputy padded in like a ghost, not making a sound with his footsteps.

“What instructions do you have?”

“Just a couple that I need you to help me with,” Li Hao laughed. “First, establish the Skystar Martial Academy. Second, build a communication system that belongs to me alone, not part of Silver Moon. Third, handle everything that Deputy Zhou mentioned to me before. I also need Deputy Zhou to gain a full picture of the relationship between the east, north, City of Supernaturals, and nine ministries.”

Deputy Zhou simply stared at Li Hao. Who do you think I am?

The young man continued laughing and tossed out a storage ring. “Here are two hundred drops of Water of Life. With great ability comes great responsibility. I really don’t have the energy to spare for these matters, so I’ll have to trouble you!”

Deputy Zhou swept a glance through the ring and nodded moments later. “I’ll take care of it!”

He didn’t refuse the assignments as he’d finally gotten his pay! The kid had hung onto the promised Water of Life for so long that he thought Li Hao was going to go back on his word. Now that he’d delivered, it was right and proper that Deputy Zhou put in some work. Two hundred drops was a hefty investment!

Li Hao grinned widely.

“I can take care of these things for you, but there’s one thing that you must handle yourself,” Deputy Zhou said after a while.

“What is it?”

“The Night Watchers!” he intoned. “If you want to claim the Night Watchers for yourself, you must secure Yao Si’s agreement. You can’t just force him through sheer strength either. Yao Si was able to pull up the Night Watchers at a time when there were others stronger or more forceful than him. Why is it that, despite five years of Yellow Dragon’s machinations, the agency remains in his hands? I am also not at liberty to participate in this lest he misunderstands.”

Yao Si?

“So Deputy Zhou thinks... there is a need to bring the Night Watchers under my control?”

“Absolutely!” the deputy quickly responded. “There are ninety-nine major branches of the Night Watchers, plus headquarters. That makes for at least one hundred thousand supernaturals! Although they don’t all answer to Yao Si, at least one third are willing to take orders from him. this is a formidable force, and the strongest among the ordinary people aside from the government and nobles.

“As for the three great organizations, there are too many evil sorts among them. Most of the Night Watchers abide by the law and are on the side of good. That’s why they joined the agency.

“Have you forgotten the origins of the Night Watchers? Most of them are middle to lower classes. Their families paid an enormous price to send someone into the agency. Only someone from the middle class would do so. Would a noble in the true sense of the word send their people there?"