Fey Evolution Merchant (Web Novel)
chapter-3105

"Brother Lin, to be honest, I initially came here to compete for this prime blessed land. However, if you have decided to contend for it, Fortune Treasure Palace will withdraw from the competition. I am willing to mobilize all our resources to support you in securing this top grade blessed land.

"I've gathered extensive information about South Face City, which I will now share with you. Have you heard of a faction called Ancient Snake Gu Palace?"

Lin Yuan was surprised by Ling Muzhuo's statement. He hadn't expected Ling Muzhuo to give up his pursuit of this valuable land for his sake.

Previously, Lin Yuan didn't take Fortune Treasure Palace or Ling Muzhuo very seriously. He viewed the faction merely as a resource provider and thought Ling Muzhuo's friendship was based solely on his Creator resources.

However, Ling Muzhuo's offer made Lin Yuan reconsider his opinion. With Fortune Treasure Palace showing genuine support, Lin Yuan's attitude towards them would naturally improve.

When Ling Muzhuo mentioned the Ancient Snake Gu Palace, Autumn's expression changed.

Before Lin Yuan could respond to Ling Muzhuo, he heard Autumn's voice transmission. "Young Master, the Ancient Snake Gu Palace is a faction formed by the ten major snake species. They gathered all the poisonous insects in the world, making the palace exceptionally powerful.

"A few eras ago, the Ancient Snake Gu Palace caused significant catastrophes. Its foundation is comparable to that of Faerie Institution. If this top grade blessed land is connected to the Ancient Snake Gu Palace, the City Lord of South Face City is likely linked to them as well."

Lin Yuan initially intended to tell Ling Muzhuo that he wasn't familiar with the Ancient Snake Gu Palace. However, after Autumn's explanation, he spoke to Ling Muzhuo. "I have heard of the Ancient Snake Gu Palace, but I thought they had withdrawn from the world. Could it be that they have resurfaced in South Face City to compete for this prime blessed land?"

If Lin Yuan was unaware of the Ancient Snake Gu Palace, showing such a reaction was perfectly understandable. However, if Lin Yuan has heard of the Ancient Snake Gu Palace, he should know what it signified.

How could Lin Yuan show no surprise upon hearing about it? It did seem rather unusual. Could it be that the Ancient Snake Gu Palace still wasn't enough to pressure Lin Yuan?

Ling Muzhuo had decided to relinquish the competition for this top grade blessed land partly because of Lin Yuan and partly because of the appearance of the Ancient Snake Gu Palace. He dared not guarantee that the manpower he brought could defeat the Ancient Snake Gu Palace.

A faction that had been hidden for so many years suddenly reemerging undoubtedly had ulterior motives, and these motives were likely significant.

Ling Muzhuo reminded Lin Yuan, "The Ancient Snake Gu Palace is ruthless. If they set their sights on this top grade blessed land, there's a high chance that the factions in South Face City who are interested in fighting for it will be attacked by the Ancient Snake Gu Palace.

"The Ancient Snake Gu Palace is extremely skilled at controlling other lifeforms. Brother Lin, if we're involved, we're just as much prey to them. You mustn't let your guard down!

"In the past, our Fortune Treasure Palace had dealings with the Ancient Snake Gu Palace, and it's safe to say we were thoroughly deceived by them. There are several Snake Kings in the Ancient Snake Gu Palace, each of whom possesses strength far surpassing that of the Holy Spirit level."

Upon hearing Ling Muzhuo's reminder, Lin Yuan said, "I suspect that the City Lord of South Face City has something to do with the Ancient Snake Gu Palace."

Lin Yuan didn't shy away from Zhao Chen, who was sitting beside him. Instead, he directly addressed both of them, discussing the information he possessed.

Zhao Chen and Ling Muzhuo could be considered old acquaintances. While Zhao Chen held a noble status within Diverse City, outside the city, there was still a slight disparity in status between Zhao Chen and Ling Muzhuo.

Zhao Chen's family was active at the border between the East Universe and the South Universe, so Zhao Chen was quite knowledgeable about the situation at the border. However, he did not know much about factions like the Ancient Snake Gu Palace.

Lin Yuan and Ling Muzhuo's conversation sounded like thunder to Zhao Chen's ears, as if he were a duck listening to thunder. However, Zhao Chen was aware of Xie Lin. The latter actually came from a cruel and powerful hidden faction.

Zhao Chen listened attentively to Lin Yuan and Ling Muzhuo's conversation and quickly digested this information.

At that moment, he heard Ling Muzhuo say to him, "City Lord Zhao, the information you heard today is a secret to us. I hope you won't reveal this information. If this news is leaked, it will definitely bring you a lot of trouble."

Zhao Chen hurriedly said, "If Palace Master Ling hadn't mentioned this, I might have divulged the information. But now that I have your assurance, I won't disclose it, not even to my family. You can trust me on that!"

After instructing Zhao Chen, Ling Muzhuo lowered his head and asked Lin Yuan solemnly, "Brother Lin, why did you determine that Xie Lin is from the Ancient Snake Gu Palace?"

Although Xie Lin did have the bloodline of the snake species, it was somewhat arbitrary to make such a judgment just based on his bloodline. The Ancient Snake Gu Palace had been in seclusion, and Xie Lin had been serving as the City Lord of South Face City for many years.

Lin Yuan did not tell Ling Muzhuo and Zhao Chen that he had annihilated the star pirate group alliance composed of 50 snake-species feys. He only smiled mysteriously.

"I have my own method of judging. It won't be hard to verify what I've said. I anticipate that the City Lord of South Face City will soon seek to reach out and communicate with me."

Lin Yuan then said, "Brother Zhao, you're also a City Lord. Even though South Face City is a mega city at the border of two major universes and has a very strong martial force, this martial force is not solely confined to the hands of Xie Lin. Since Xie Lin dared to fight for this top grade blessed land, he must have some backing.

"When I meet with Xie Lin, I will further assess his identity. In the current chaotic situation, it's better to be patient than to act impulsively. We just need to quietly wait for the situation to unfold."

With that, Lin Yuan picked up the Three Treasures Tea and began to savor it.

Zhao Chen had been preoccupied with thoughts of the internal injuries his father had suffered, but he refrained from broaching the idea of trading for Grade 5 Creator resources with Lin Yuan at that moment.

If he really wanted to trade Grade 5 Creator resources, he would definitely have to wait until Lin Yuan was done fighting for this top grade blessed land.

Zhao Chen couldn't help but feel some regret for divulging the news about the opening of a top grade blessed land in South Face City. He feared that Lin Yuan might die in the pursuit of top grade blessed land.

If such a scenario were to happen, his father would not only fail to recover, but he would also lose a channel for trading Grade 5 Creator resources.

…

As Lin Yuan had predicted, shortly after Ling Muzhuo ended his conversation with Lin Yuan and left, Jia Mingda, the executive officer from the City Lord Manor, approached Ling Muzhuo. Jia Mingda politely expressed his desire for Ling Muzhuo to introduce Lin Yuan through the connections of Fortune Treasure Palace.

Ling Muzhuo looked at Jia Mingda with a scrutinizing gaze, recalling Lin Yuan's suspicion that Xie Lin might belong to the Ancient Snake Gu Palace.

Under normal circumstances, Ling Muzhuo wouldn't act as a middleman, bringing members of other factions directly to Lin Yuan. The complex relationships behind each faction made such a role inappropriate.

However, since Lin Yuan had already expressed his intention to contact Xie Lin and wanted to confirm his identity through direct contact, Ling Muzhuo was willing to help.

Smiling, Ling Muzhuo responded to Jia Mingda's request. "I remember seeing you at the trade fair earlier. Why didn't you join the alliance then? Now you need me to introduce you to Young Master Lin? If you had joined the alliance earlier, couldn't you have communicated with him directly?"

Jia Mingda replied awkwardly, "I am a subordinate of the City Lord. How could I casually join another person's alliance? If I did and incurred the displeasure of the City Lord, I wouldn't be able to bear the consequences. I hope Palace Master Ling won't tease me anymore!"

Feigning seriousness, Ling Muzhuo asked, "Our Fortune Treasure Palace has a branch in South Face City. Although our branch is often plundered there, it's thanks to City Lord Xie's care that our losses haven't escalated further.

"I'd like to know, is City Lord Xie truly interested in contending for this top grade blessed land? Our Fortune Treasure Palace is also here with the intention of competing for it."

Jia Mingda's tone was firm. "Palace Master Ling, our City Lord is determined to secure this top grade blessed land. It's essential for him to obtain it, and he doesn't wish to sour relations with you over this matter. I hope you won't make it difficult for him. If possible, you can even cooperate with our City Lord. If he obtains this top grade blessed land, he will definitely reward you handsomely!"

Ling Muzhuo observed Jia Mingda's confident expression and asked curiously, "In these years of development in South Face City, it seems Lord Xie has undoubtedly amassed considerable strength to even consider competing with the heroes arriving from all over. Fortune Treasure Palace lacks such boldness!

"Nevertheless, even if we fail to seize this top grade blessed land, we must still contend for the resources within. Regarding collaboration, I am quite intrigued by the extent of Xie Lin's influence. Fortune Treasure Palace doesn't ally with the feeble. If Xie Lin is confident in his strength, he can approach me."

Having already partnered with Lin Yuan, Ling Muzhuo was unlikely to cooperate with Xie Lin. His question was mainly intended as a probe.

After Ling Muzhuo made it clear that he was determined to fight for the resources in the top grade blessed land, Jia Mingda unexpectedly showed hostility toward him.

The fleeting hostility Ling Muzhuo sensed from Jia Mingda suggested one thing: Jia Mingda believed Xie Lin's power could rival that of Fortune Treasure Palace.

Ling Muzhuo couldn't understand where Jia Mingda's confidence came from, but subconscious emotional expressions like this were usually genuine and couldn't be faked. He began to trust Lin Yuan's words.

After a brief probing, Ling Muzhuo said, "Your City Lord is an honored guest of Fortune Treasure Palace. Coincidentally, so is Young Master Lin. There's no issue with introducing them. However, how does your City Lord plan to contact Young Master Lin?

"Lin Yuan is our esteemed guest at Fortune Treasure Palace. Poor hospitality on our part could jeopardize the relationship between Lin Yuan and Fortune Treasure Palace if I were to introduce him elsewhere."

Jia Mingda felt somewhat dissatisfied with Ling Muzhuo's attitude. As a member of the Ancient Snake Gu Palace, even as a subordinate, Jia Mingda harbored considerable pride.

"The City Lord has already arranged a banquet at the City Lord Manor. He wishes to invite Palace Master Ling and Young Master Lin. Could you please inform me of your intended time of attendance?"

Ling Muzhuo responded with a faint smile. "Heh, it seems City Lord Xie sees me merely as a tool to entertain Young Master Lin. It's the first time I've heard of a banquet arranged to entertain two distinguished guests."

Though Ling Muzhuo spoke politely, giving Xie Lin a lot of respect, he was actually extremely dissatisfied with Xie Lin.

Fortune Treasure Palace had suffered significant losses in South Face City over the years.

Not only were Fortune Treasure Palace's caravans frequently plundered, but two of the leaders sent to South Face City had died within 1,000 years. These leaders were vital assets painstakingly cultivated by Fortune Treasure Palace. Ling Muzhuo had personally asked Xie Lin about this matter, but Xie Lin had not provided a response, leaving Ling Muzhuo extremely dissatisfied.

Despite Ling Muzhuo's repeated belittling remarks, Jia Mingda clearly ignored them. Ling Muzhuo had decided to ask Xie Lin for an explanation in person when they met.

To avoid disrupting the main agenda, Ling Muzhuo chose not to further trouble Jia Mingda. Before Jia Mingda could speak, Ling Muzhuo said, "In two hours, I'll accompany Young Master Lin to the banquet. Ensure your City Lord hosts Young Master Lin well."

After saying that, Ling Muzhuo left to inform Lin Yuan of the situation.

…

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "I originally thought the City Lord of South Face City would ask to meet me alone. Since he's invited Brother Ling as well, it's perfect. When I test the City Lord later, you can observe and judge whether my suspicions are correct.

"I'm not here in South Face City just to compete for this top grade blessed land. Besides Autumn, there are others with me, including my subordinates in the City Lord Manor.

"Brother Ling, you might not know, but Xie Lin's alliance includes a large number of snake-species feys. These snake-species feys are obviously not all from external factions. If they were, why would they be gathered and controlled by the City Lord of South Face City? Xie Lin's connection to the Ancient Snake Gu Palace is almost certain in my eyes.

"After you left, Brother Zhao and I discussed further, and he also senses something suspicious about Xie Lin. If our meeting with Xie Lin confirms his link to the Ancient Snake Gu Palace, what are your plans, Brother Ling?"