Age of Evolution#

Chapter 644: Chapter 646: The Little Sister from Earth Time

“Lao Si, you have to help me out this time. I’m really short on cash right now. Can you lend me 100 billion…. oh, forget it.”

“Miss Ji, what have you been up to lately? Haha! I’m still the same, can you lend me 80 billion… ah! Alright then.”

“Young Master Ma, why haven’t you come to the Imperial Palace to hang out with me lately? Are you interested….. What? You want to borrow money from me too? I don’t even have money for my next meal, and you want to borrow from me? No way!”

Liang Chen angrily hung up the Dimensional Universe call. Although he was the Imperial Grandson, none of his fair-weather friends could come up with such a huge amount of money.

Even if there were people with that much money, they might not give face to him, the Imperial Grandson. His face just wasn’t worth that much.

“Your Highness, the Imperial Grandson, here are the latest bounty notices from various regions. Please sign and approve.”

“Another bounty notice? I really don’t want to deal with this kind of errand. I don’t want to look at it.” Liang Chen leaned back in his chair, not looking at it.

“Your Highness, these bounty notices have been accumulating for nearly five years. There are almost a thousand fugitives, and the regions are quite anxious. Please take a look…”

“What kind of scum are these people being hunted?”

“Well, there are many kinds of criminals: murderers, arsonists, robbers… in short, all kinds. They are basically notorious criminals, the scourge of both Heaven and Earth. But local bounty hunting methods are slow, so the Empire is requested to help.”

Liang Chen rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache from the pile of bounty notices on the table.

But after all, he was in charge of these matters, so he couldn’t just ignore them.

An idea popped into his head, and he quickly made a decision.

“Here’s what you do. Reply to each region that we can issue the bounties, but it will cost 10 billion per person. Whoever pays the fee will get a bounty. If they don’t pay, just wait until I’m in the mood to look at it.”

“Your Highness, is that appropriate? Should we consult the Crown Princess first…?”

“You dare~! Is this matter so important that it warrants bothering my mother? Let me tell you, just do as I say. Otherwise, I’ll break your dog legs!”

The officials underneath him didn’t dare to speak any further. After all, he was the Imperial Grandson of the Empire, and killing them would be like killing ants. It was better not to provoke him.

The news trickled down, and some counties started sending money to Liang Chen.

Those who could get the Empire to issue bounties were undoubtedly heinous criminals. Although 10 billion was a considerable amount, it was worth spending. Whether the fugitives could be captured or not, at least it would make His Highness, the Imperial Grandson, happy.

Watching the occasional 10 billion deposits in his account, Liang Chen secretly rejoiced in his brilliant idea.

At the same time, he informed his subordinates who had sent him money to issue the bounties they had submitted.

Once he had accumulated 100 billion, he would immediately challenge Lin Zhen again. At this moment, the only thing on Liang Chen’s mind was to make a quick profit and take back all of Lin Zhen’s money!

********

“This Liang Chen, he even charges 10 billion for issuing a bounty notice. How black-hearted!”

In Xianle County, Lu Yang frowned as he read the notice from above.

Some people had already sent money to Liang Chen, but Lu Yang didn’t want to pay so quickly.

“With Gu Yunting dead and leaving a mess behind, we need money for everything. We’d better wait for things to stabilize here, make a profit, and then send money to His Highness the Imperial Grandson.”

********

After entering the city, Lin Zhen and Lin Feng sat down at an outdoor tavern near the city gate.

This kind of tavern was different from ordinary ones, built under a large tree whose shade was enclosed by a fence. The rustling leaves above and the delicious aroma of food and wine below created a wonderful atmosphere.

Separate rooms were surrounded by bamboo fences, allowing guests to catch a glimpse of the neighboring rooms. Lin Feng couldn’t take another step upon seeing this place, so he dragged Lin Zhen to have a meal.

“Waiter, get us ten bottles of the best wine for our boss! And ten of the best dishes! Our boss can really eat!” Lin Feng said loudly.

Lin Zhen gave him a sidelong glance. This kid was a prime example of someone who didn’t know what to do with sudden wealth.

“Alright~! Coming right up!”

The waiter was used to serving wealthy patrons, so he wasn’t surprised, and quickly served a table full of food and drinks for Lin Zhen and Lin Feng.

“Boss, you must be tired. Enjoy your food and drink, and I bet you can drink a whole bottle of wine.” As he said this, Lin Feng placed a bottle of wine in front of Lin Zhen, and arranged nine bottles on his side.

Lin Zhen didn’t mind Lin Feng’s pettiness as he surveyed the surroundings.

Upon arriving in Nan Liang, his plan was clear: get familiar with the situation, go to the Alchemist Guild to obtain the Sixth-grade Alchemist qualification, and cultivate in Nan Liang until he reached Star Domain Level 5. Then, he would immediately go to Da Qin to find Little Phoenix.

It would probably take him more than a decade to accomplish all these things. There were exactly twenty years left until his promised date with Little Phoenix, so he had enough time.

Looking at the bustling crowd of Nan Liang, Lin Zhen felt a little emotional.

Back on Earth, he thought there were many people of Earth, but compared to the vast population of the Original World, the 8 billion people on Earth would be a mere drop in the ocean if they were to be transported to Nan Liang’s capital.

Moreover, among the numerous countries in the Original World, Nan Liang was a relatively small one.

Lin Zhen didn’t know how Earth was doing now, but once the matters regarding Little Phoenix were settled, and he progressed to the power level of a World King, he would be able to buy a wormhole egg to return to the New World and bring his family over.

As Lin Zhen was contemplating, the voices of people talking in the room next to him could be heard.

“Steward Feng, please have a drink. I’ll toast this cup with you.”

The crisp voice sounded familiar to Lin Zhen’s ears.

Upon turning his head to look, he saw several people sitting together.

Seated at the main spot was a man wearing an Alchemist’s robe, with four gold stars on the chest. He was a steward. Two Level-9 Star Domain bodyguards sat on either side of him, giving off an air of grandeur.

On the other side sat three people. Two Star Domain men, one of which was Level 7 and the other proficient in martial arts, along with a woman in a pink dress who was toasting the Alchemist with her back to Lin Zhen.

Although Lin Zhen couldn’t see her face, he instantly recognized who she was.

Unexpectedly, she was a compatriot from Earth — Zhao Xiaoman!

Lin Zhen and Zhao Xiaoman hadn’t seen each other for almost 800 or 900 years. After Lin Zhen left for Heavenly Gate, he never saw her again. At that time, she was no longer on Earth, and Lin Zhen didn’t know where she had gone.

He hadn’t seen her at the Heavenly Gate either, as he was not there for long before being sealed for 700 years.

Zhao Xiaoman probably arrived in the Original World during the time Lin Zhen was sealed.

From behind, Lin Zhen could sense the star power fluctuation in Zhao Xiaoman. She had just scraped through the Star System Stage, making her a Level 1 Domain King.

This was quite normal. Although Lin Zhen’s cultivation was progressing rapidly now, he had been delayed for 700 years. It was quite normal for the talented Martial Artists of the past to have caught up with him now.

For example, Lin Zhen’s wives, Su Mingyue and An Ning, were probably World Kings by now, he guessed.

However, Lin Zhen did not immediately identify himself to Zhao Xiaoman. She seemed to be with friends, and it appeared that the little girl from the past now had a new life.

Elder Feng held the wine cup and glanced at Zhao Xiaoman for a while before letting out a chuckle and gulping it down.

The Level 5 Star Domain man beside Zhao Xiaoman said, “Little sister Xiaoman, this Steward Feng is a bigwig who knows many influential officials and powerful Martial Artists. His Cold Deicide elixir for neutralizing Dan poison and fire poison is famous for its extraordinary effects, and it’s usually hard to come by even when queuing to purchase.”

The Level 7 Star Domain man also added, “Yes, even though Steward Feng is only a steward, he holds a high position in the Alchemist’s guild. That’s because he not only excels at fire Alchemy but also cultivates ice power. This is very rare among Alchemists, so even the elders of the guild have to give him face.”

Zhao Xiaoman put down her wine cup, seemingly not quite used to the taste of the wine, then blinked her big eyes a few times, “You’re so amazing! How did you manage to cultivate both ice and fire? Steward Feng, how did you do it?”

Feng pinched his goatee, appearing somewhat reserved, and said, “Miss Xiaoman, that’s a rather abrupt question. These are the secrets that Alchemists do not share. If I told you, would I still have a livelihood?”

“Steward Feng, please don’t mind. Xiaoman just joined our team recently and is still inexperienced. If she offended you, please don’t take it to heart. Xiaoman, quickly toast Steward Feng. We need his elixirs to remove the Dan poison from our bodies,” said one of the Star Domain men.

Zhao Xiaoman hurriedly poured wine for Steward Feng, who frowned and did not move for a long while.

It took several apologies from the group, with Xiaoman eventually pinching her nose and drinking three times as much, before Steward Feng finally drank his wine.

Lin Zhen clearly saw Xiaoman’s two companions’ complexions were off. They were slightly green and pale, indicating signs of Dan poison in their bodies.

Many Martial Artists had this issue. In order to progress faster, they consumed large amounts of elixirs but lacked the ability to dispel Dan poison like Lin Zhen. Thus, the accumulation of poison in their bodies continually increased.

It was also expensive to buy medicine to dispel Dan poison, so they tried to save and suppress the poison in their bodies with a must-save-can-save mentality.

It was like those who smoked; smoking one or two cigarettes occasionally seemed harmless, but with an everyday mentality, their lungs would be filled with so much toxic smoke that it couldn’t be cleaned out.

These people were mainly concentrated among mid-to-low-level Martial Artists, like Xiaoman’s team, which was clearly an adventuring party. The two male members were adventurers.

They came to seek an elixir from Steward Feng, probably hoping for a backdoor discount. Yet, they let Xiaoman (*a girl) plead softly, thinking that perhaps women were better at speaking softly?

Lin Zhen felt rather uncomfortable watching this.

At this moment, one of the World Kings behind Steward Feng spoke up, “Steward Feng is currently researching a new type of elixir. Once he succeeds, he’ll be able to advance to a Fifth Grade Alchemist, equivalent to a guild elder.”

“Oh my! We’ve been so disrespectful! Elder Feng, please accept our congratulations! Xiaoman, hurry and toast Elder Feng!”

Zhao Xiaoman raised her head and looked somewhat unhappy, “Do I have to drink again? I really don’t want to.”

Steward Feng’s face darkened when he heard Xiaoman’s reluctance to drink, “If you all have no intention of being sincere, why invite me here? Farewell!”