Chapter 124: Mr. Zhou, Ready to Tip the Scales

Around midnight.

A convoy of off-road vehicles drove from the city to the university district on the outskirts of the Capital. After following the navigation for a short while, the vehicles finally came to a stop in front of a quaint, antique-style courtyard.

Inside one of the cars, Yan Duoduo glanced at Ren Ye and Tang Feng. “The person we’re meeting is called Mr. Zhu.¹ I’ve never interacted with him before, so don’t say too much. Just listen.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

The two nodded and followed Yan Duoduo out of the vehicle, while the rest of the Vigil Keepers remained inside.

The three approached the courtyard’s entrance, and Yan Duoduo rang the doorbell.

After a short wait, a young man in his mid-twenties, dressed in plain cloth garments, pushed open the door from the inside. “Are you Boss Yan from the Vigil Keepers?”

“Yes.” Yan Duoduo nodded.

“Please, come in.” The young man smiled warmly, stepping aside and gesturing for them to enter.

The trio stepped over the tall threshold and, under the young man’s guidance, walked toward a building in the center of the courtyard.

Following behind Yan Duoduo, Ren Ye walked on the blue stone slabs covering the ground, curiously observing his surroundings.

He noticed that this was a three-section siheyuan (traditional Chinese courtyard house) with architectural elements leaning toward the Huizhou style. However, everything—from the trees and plants to the bricks and tiles—had a fresh, new feel, as if the entire place had been newly constructed, lacking a true sense of historical charm.

After walking for about three minutes, they arrived at a brightly lit reception hall. The young man, dressed in a long robe, performed a traditional merchant’s bow. “Please wait a moment. Mr. Zhu will see you once he’s done with his work.”

Yan Duoduo nodded expressionlessly. “Alright.”

“Please have a seat.” The young man gestured toward a set of wooden chairs and a table in the lounge area before turning his head and calling out, “Little Feng, serve the guests some tea.”

After they sat down, the staff served them tea and refreshments, their hospitality notably polite.

…

Inside the steward’s office, bright lights illuminated the room.

A middle-aged man sat in a wooden chair, speaking on the phone.

A rare and exquisite dzi bead hung from his chest, while his right hand rolled a string of prayer beads emitting a faint fragrance. With his back to the main entrance, he spoke into his phone, “No, no, what you’re saying doesn’t matter. What I need is the detailed personnel allocation data for the Chaos Faction. Of the three thousand slots, how many are taken by solo players? How many by the Stray Dogs, the Plunderers’ Alliance, the Bell Society, and the Spiritual Cultivation Association? Have they already held a meeting? Who exactly attended? …I’m giving you six hours. If you can uncover at least half of this information, you keep your job. If you fall short, you’re out, and I’ll replace you. If you exceed expectations, I’ll allow you to participate in the guild’s commercial trade. That’s it.”

Ending the call, the middle-aged man immediately picked up a second ringing phone. “How’s it going? …Haha, the Bell Society offered such an outrageous price? Oh, so they’re representing all factions competing for this Star Gate? That means they must have held a meeting… Mhm, mhm. Don’t rush to agree just yet. There are five days left—let the information and resources circulate a bit longer.”

While Yan Duoduo and the others waited outside, the middle-aged man showed no urgency. After making calls for more than ten minutes and pondering something for a while, he finally called out, “Let the guests in.”

Moments later, Yan Duoduo, Ren Ye, and Tang Feng entered the steward’s office.

Ren Ye glanced at the middle-aged man and looked slightly surprised.

The man wore a high-quality black satin robe, along with a skullcap embedded with a rich green jade stone at the center.

Weighing at least 260 pounds, his plump face carried a perpetual smile, making him resemble a jovial Maitreya Buddha.

His right hand continuously rolled the prayer beads, while the dzi bead hung prominently on his chest. The entire setup made him look like an old-school merchant from ancient times. If not for the electronic devices on the table, he wouldn’t have had a single trace of modernity about him.

“So this is Mr. Zhu?” Tang Feng was momentarily stunned. “I thought… he was that Zhu² instead!”

Indeed, the man before them was none other than the famous Mr. Zhu of the Fraudulent Merchants Association—also the second disciple of the current president. He didn’t mind being called “Pig,” as the zodiac sign represented wealth in Chinese culture.

“Hello, Mr. Zhu.” Yan Duoduo stepped forward and extended his hand.

“Hello.” Mr. Zhu stood up, shaking Yan Duoduo’s hand as he greeted them in a soft voice, “Please, have a seat.”

After some brief pleasantries, they got down to business.

Seated on the host’s side, Mr. Zhu skillfully handled a tea set, his face full of smiles, yet he remained silent, waiting for the other party to speak first.

Yan Duoduo, maintaining a composed posture, spoke succinctly. “Mr. Zhu, our colleagues from the Ministry of Rites have likely been in contact with you before. You should already know the purpose of our visit, correct?”

“It’s like this, Boss Yan. Our organization has just established the trade principles for this Star Gate battle. Regarding information about the factions of Order and Chaos, we neither sell nor circulate it. This rule applies to both sides equally—very fair, don’t you think?”

Mr. Zhu’s plump face bloomed into a smile, resembling a chrysanthemum. “However, we can step in to facilitate protective intelligence acquisitions for you. Right now, many small organizations are already keeping an eye on both of your factions, and some have even obtained critical intel. As long as your offer is reasonable, we can help buy back any intelligence concerning the Vigil Keeper and seal it away—ensuring that it never reaches the Chaos Faction.”

“Information on Bell Society, the Spiritual Cultivation Association, and other Chaos Faction groups—price is not an issue,” Yan Duoduo stated bluntly. “We’ve allocated a generous budget for this, all payable in Stellar Essence.”

Mr. Zhu chuckled. “That opera singer, Old He, the second-tier player from Bell Society in Xiangjiang—he just left the outskirts of the Capital and headed northeast. My informants say he’s reaching out to independent players who have taken on missions related to the Great Qian Dynasty, trying to either unite them or directly recruit them into Bell Society. By 3 AM at the latest, I’ll have a full list of everyone he’s been in contact with…”

“Name your price.” Yan Duoduo responded.

Mr. Zhu looked at him, still smiling. “Not for sale. No matter how much you offer, I won’t sell it.”

Upon hearing this, both Ren Ye and Tang Feng instinctively thought the same thing.

How shameless!

If you weren’t going to sell it, why did you describe it in such detail?!

Mr. Zhu pushed a cup of tea toward the three of them, his posture completely relaxed as he addressed Yan Duoduo. “Principles are principles. In this Star Gate battle, the Fraudulent Merchants Association will never sell critical intelligence about the opposing factions to either side. This isn’t about money. To survive in this business, we must uphold our credibility and limits. Selling such information would undoubtedly trigger chaotic bloodshed in the real world, leading to widespread casualties.

“Think about it—if we sold Bell Society a key piece of intelligence, and they used it to ambush you, resulting in a massacre of Vigil Keeper members before they even made it through the gate… how would your officials react? You’d hunt us down and retaliate with everything you had. From a business standpoint, aside from a quick profit, there’s no long-term benefit whatsoever.”

Mr. Zhu’s tone was polished, his demeanor refined. “By telling you that I have information but won’t sell it, doesn’t that put you at ease?” His words perfectly encapsulated the wisdom—and cunning—of a merchant.

“How much do you know about the Vigil Keeper? How exactly do you plan on conducting a ‘protective’ intelligence acquisition?” Yan Duoduo asked.

Mr. Zhu paused for a moment before suddenly shifting his gaze to Ren Ye. “Heh. How much do I know? Not much, really. I only know… that this handsome young man right here is the single most important figure in this battle. He is none other than Prince Huai of Great Qian.”

Ren Ye froze in shock.

Mr. Zhu smiled at him warmly, speaking at a leisurely pace. “You should have left Qingliang Prefecture’s Star Gate around 8:10 PM. But instead of stopping at Shanghai’s Qingfu District unit, you took the last Southern Airlines flight straight to the Capital. You were traveling with three people—one being this gentleman here, and another named Xu Peng, a first-tier Vigil Keeper.

“The moment you boarded the plane, a small intelligence group from Freedom Faction began selling information on your movements. Meanwhile, a rogue player organization active in the Langde region received a massive bounty from the Spiritual Cultivation Association. They were offering an astronomical price… to have that rogue group attack a military installation and then use supernatural means to bring your plane down from the sky.”

Mr. Zhu’s words crashed down like thunder in Ren Ye’s mind, echoing relentlessly.

His intel was terrifyingly precise. The danger was so palpable that Ren Ye couldn’t help but imagine—if the plane really had fallen from the sky, what would have happened to him?

He probably wouldn’t have even left behind bone fragments…

Mr. Zhu turned his gaze to Yan Duoduo and spoke with layered meaning. “The Vigil Keeper’s response was swift as well. Those players who planned to attack the military installation? They vanished before they could even make a move. By now… I imagine they’re sitting in your prisons, aren’t they?”

Yan Duoduo was equally startled. He was beginning to realize just how dangerously capable the Fraudulent Merchants Association was when it came to intelligence.

“The core intelligence of both factions will never be traded within the Fraudulent Merchants Association,” Mr. Zhu reassured. “However, if you want to conduct protective intelligence acquisitions, we can assist. Once the situation has settled, we’ll disclose the intelligence, and you’ll pay accordingly. Of course… that depends on whether you trust me enough not to fabricate anything.”

He took a sip of tea, his expression never changing.

“I’ll have to submit a request for this,” Yan Duoduo said after a moment of thought. Then, he got straight to the point: “We also need a lot of divine artifacts. Here are the requirements:

First, they must be compatible with an ancient Star Gate setting so that they won’t be rejected for being too anachronistic.

Second, the artifacts should lean toward defense, complementing city fortifications and complex terrain—ideally suited for ancient warfare and preferably with group effects.

Third, the usage scope of these artifacts must be suitable for first-tier Star Gates.

Fourth, we’re willing to accept some markup for bulk purchases, but you cannot sell these same items to the Bell Society…”

“I can meet each of your individual demands, but when combined, they become quite difficult to fulfill.” Mr. Zhu paused for a moment. “Go back and wait for my reply. I need to reallocate resources.”

Yan Duoduo was slightly surprised. “You don’t have any samples on hand? I’d like to see them.”

“Not a single one,” Mr. Zhu shook his head.

A bad feeling crept into Yan Duoduo’s mind, but he didn’t press further. Instead, he stood up and said, “Alright, please contact us as soon as possible.”

“Of course, of course,” Mr. Zhu cupped his hands as he stood up. He glanced at Ren Ye and suddenly remarked, “Young man, you’re starting at a very high point. A lot of powerful people are moving on your behalf… Heh.”

“Is that so? Somehow, I don’t feel like that’s a good thing,” Ren Ye scratched his head.

“Haha, take care, all three of you.” Mr. Zhu made no move to see them out.

After a few polite words, the three of them left the small courtyard, their expressions grim.

As they reached the entrance, just as Ren Ye was about to get into the car, he spotted a young man not far away stepping out of a vehicle, carrying an urn in his hands. Moving swiftly, the man entered the courtyard.

“Let’s go,” Yan Duoduo called out.

Ren Ye inexplicably sensed a familiar aura coming from the urn, but he didn’t dwell on it and followed Yan Duoduo into the car.

On the way back.

Yan Duoduo stared out the window, deep in thought. Suddenly, he said, “The resource reserves of the Fraudulent Merchants Association are terrifying. But for Mr. Zhu to claim they have no divine artifacts suitable for the Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate… that doesn’t seem right. I suspect the association is leaning toward supporting the Chaos Faction. It’s even possible that their upper ranks have already made contact in secret.”

“I got the same feeling,” Tang Feng immediately added. “I could sense an intense desire from Mr. Zhu, along with a strong aversion toward us.”

“Same here,” Ren Ye said, frowning. “But honestly, I don’t quite get it. Why would they choose to work with the Chaos Faction instead of cooperating with the official organizations? What’s in it for them?”

“Balance,” Yan Duoduo pondered for a moment before answering. “If you obtain the Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate inheritance, you’ll become the sixth hidden-class player in China—a force with immeasurable potential. As a merchant organization that prioritizes profit above all, the Freedom Faction doesn’t want either side to become too powerful. Only with balance can their business thrive.”

“Jewish merchant mindset?” Ren Ye asked skeptically. “Would a single hidden class really be enough to disrupt the balance?”

“During the last Star Gate battle, the Freedom Faction saw the sudden emergence of a Scholar-system player—everyone called him ‘The Writer.’ That single person single-handedly turned the tide of the entire battle. Do you think the impact was significant?” Yan Duoduo countered.

Ren Ye fell silent.

“Hidden classes are too rare. To put it bluntly, if it weren’t for the Qingliang Prefecture Star Gate inheritance being almost certainly tied to a hidden class, do you think any higher-ups would have mobilized so many resources just for you? You have no idea how many Vigil Keepers are pulling all-nighters for you tonight,” Yan Duoduo said, clearly worried. “If the Fraudulent Merchants Association is siding with the Chaos Faction, then our disadvantage will be even greater. We’re already outnumbered five hundred to three thousand. If they supply the other side with a large number of divine artifacts, the challenges ahead will be even tougher for you.”

…

Inside the Traditional Courtyard.

Using a body prepared for him by the Fraudulent Merchants Association, Li Yan’s spirit emerged from the urn and re-entered a new host body.

Ten minutes later, after changing into a fresh set of clothes, he stepped into the dining hall.

Steam rose from a hotpot on the dining table. Mr. Zhu, sitting in the secondary seat, stood up and greeted him warmly.

“Welcome, senior, and thank you for your guidance.”