Chapter 174: Madam Nalan
Lu Yin was struck speechless. He had forgotten that, if too many materials or too rare of a material was used to upgrade the s.p.a.cecraft, then the s.p.a.cecraft would stop operating to complete its upgrade. There were no issues with most of the materials that he had tossed in, but that grey metal was definitely uncommon. After all, it had been locked away in a primordial treasure and was able to withstand the erosion of time.
The materials were now being converted and then integrated into the s.p.a.cecraft, but the problem was that he had no idea how long the s.p.a.cecraft would be out of commission for. Was he really going to just float in the middle of outer s.p.a.ce like this? That was obviously a very dangerous choice because all sorts of disasters could occur anywhere in the universe at any given point in time, such as black holes. Who knew what might appear? Something could even appear right in front of him right now…
The person who was nearest to his location was Zhuo Daynight. How could I let that woman save me? That would be too humiliating.
While Lu Yin was feeling extremely frustrated about his vulnerable situation, a luxurious s.p.a.cecraft appeared. He had concluded that it was luxurious because it was plated with an outer layer of rare metallic material called Polarium. This material was very recognizable as it was one of the key materials for creating cosmic armor, and it was very expensive.
Before one became an Explorer, it was nearly impossible to freely move about through outer s.p.a.ce with one’s own power. The only option was to wear a set of cosmic armor, which was very expensive in its own right. These armor sets were also generally considered unnecessary since most people at that level did not need to freely move about in outer s.p.a.ce. This was a key reason why few pieces of cosmic armor even existed, and only a large s.p.a.cecraft would carry them.
Polarium was not only a construction material, but also a key maintenance material. However, this was Lu Yin’s first time seeing it being used to plate the outside of a s.p.a.cecraft. And that wasn’t even mentioning the fact that the s.p.a.cecraft before him was ma.s.sive, which meant that an enormous amount of polarium must have been used.
As he watched the s.p.a.cecraft draw closer, Lu Yin quickly sent out a distress signal and included the fact that he was a student from Astral-10. Under most circ.u.mstances, unless they were mortal enemies, most people would choose to save him as helping him would increase their favorability in the eyes of the Astral Combat Academy.
Within the command center of the luxurious s.p.a.cecraft, an operator looked up. “There’s a distress call coming from a personal Aurora, one that can convert materials. He’s requesting entry.”
“Find out who he is,” the middle-aged pilot said quietly.
“He’s a student from Astral-10 by the name of Lu Yin.”
The middle-aged pilot was shocked, “A student from Astral-10? Ask him to give us a moment.” He then walked out of the command center.
On the top level of the s.p.a.cecraft, there was a lounge that had completely transparent walls. When inside the room, one would feel as if they were walking through s.p.a.ce itself. All sorts of projections flickered across the walls, imitating various celestial phenomena. Currently, the pilot was asking for approval to rescue Lu Yin to an individual in the lounge. Only the beautiful silhouette of a female’s back could be seen while her red lips took a sip of fruit juice. With an enchanting voice, she replied, “Very well, let him aboard.”
“Yes, Madam,” the pilot answered politely before making his exit.
Lu Yin had no idea that the luxurious s.p.a.cecraft that he had run into belonged to the Nalan family. The Nalan family was publicly acknowledged as the most wealthy family in the entire Outerverse with businesses in dozens of regions. If one said that the Mavis bank and Aurora Company were huge, powerful organisations that were renowned throughout the entire universe, then the Nalan family was a powerful organization renowned throughout the entire Outerverse. n.o.body knew the true extent of their wealth.
The Nalan family was a legendary family that had become an economic powerhouse in the Outerverse over the course of several millennia. However, while they seemed to be blessed by the G.o.d of wealth, their family members also seemed to be plagued by a terrifying curse. Over several millennia, the family’s descendents had continually died from this curse, their numbers steadily dwindling. The last survivor of the family had been the Nalan family head, Nalan Jun, who had unfortunately died on the day of his marriage. His bride had thus become the official head of the Nalan Family even though she had none of the family’s blood flowing in her veins.
That woman became Madam Nalan. Both beautiful and s.e.xy, she was regarded as the wealthiest widow in the Outerverse.
Lu Yin’s Aurora entered the luxurious s.p.a.cecraft while the pilot himself approached to welcome and escort Lu Yin to the reception room; Lu Yin was a student of Astral-10 and deserved a certain level of respect. Also, the Nalan family had never been arrogant and had always treated people with respect. This was an ironclad rule that the family always obeyed.
“Would you like something to eat, Mr. Lu? I can have my men to prepare something for you.” the middle-aged man asked with a smile. His tone was respectful, but not overly humble.
Lu Yin was very thankful. “Anything would be great. Thank you so much for letting me enter, sir. Otherwise, my s.p.a.cecraft would have been stuck there for who knows how long.”
The pilot grinned. “Unless you drastically upgrade it, an Aurora will take at most a full day to disa.s.semble all of the metal it’s been given. Your s.p.a.cecraft should be operational in one day as usual.”
Lu Yin immediately asked, “May I know who this s.p.a.cecraft belongs to? I will definitely repay you for all the help I’ve been given.”
The middle-aged pilot smiled. “It’s not a big deal so don’t mind it too much, Mr. Lu. We’re from the Nalan family.”
“The Nalan family?” Lu Yin’s eyes twinkled. He had heard of this family before as it was the wealthiest in the Outerverse, but it was quite a coincidence for him to accidentally run into them. “Once again, thank you, sir. I’ll remember this.”
Before long, the middle-aged pilot left and arranged for someone to bring Lu Yin some food and beverages. A large portion of the food was dishes that Lu Yin had only heard of and never seen; such as a caviar that emanated white rays and had a fresh scent to it. If he was not wrong, this was Endless Weave’s famous Woody White Fish Caviar. There was also a food that looked like dried beancurd but constantly flickering with multicolored light. It must have been made with the ingredient called the jumping bean, which had the ability to conceal itself. These beans were rather difficult to catch.
And the beverage in his cup had colored spots and gentle breezes wafting from it. Lu Yin had heard of this beverage before and knew that it came from the Innerverse. There were also ribs that flashed with golden light on the plate. Could this be meat from some gigantic astral beast?
The table was filled with food, but those few dishes were the only ones that Lu Yin was able to recognize. He didn’t know what the rest were, but he was certain that they were all exquisite delicacies. Every dish here cost over several dozen star crystals to make since the ingredients were all very rare.
After realizing the cost of each dish, Lu Yin faltered. These dishes combined were probably worth at least a few hundred star crystals. If it were converted to universal currency, then they’d cost tens of millions, which was shocking. Of course, the cost could not be calculated that simply, as universal currency was what ordinary people used. Cultivators rarely used universal currency as their medium of choice because the amount would be unnecessarily large. Usually, powerful organizations used star crystals as their preferred currency. For many, they were easily obtainable. The Nalan Family, for instance, was rumored to own quite a few star crystal mines, so it would be rare for them to ever use universal currency.
When Lu Yin saw a Mavis Bank for the first time, he had been in awe of how the bank hung universal currency up on the trees and let anyone pick up what the wind blew down. At that time, he had been shocked by how loose the Mavis Bank seemed to be with its money, but as he explored more of the universe, the scene no longer surprised him. This was because, in the eyes of the Mavis Bank, universal currency was nothing more than sc.r.a.ps of paper. That’s right, they were merely sc.r.a.ps of paper.
For this reason, only red and blue Mavis Bank crystal cards could carry universal currency. Cards that were black or any other color used star crystals, as most of the bank’s business was done with star crystals.
For huge organizations that primarily dealt in star crystals, universal currency was a hyperinflated currency—it was just another economic tool.
When greeted with a whole table of delicacies, Lu Yin did not hold back and began eating and drinking without caring for his image. Besides, it was all free. The Nalan family regularly ate meals of this standard.
Within the lounge on the top level, Madam Nalan had a smile on her face as she looked to the side. “What an interesting little guy. Have you determined what his background is yet?”
From behind her, a young girl walked over and politely said, “Yes. Lu Yin is from the Frostwave Weave’s Great Yu Empire and holds the t.i.tle of King Zishan. He pa.s.sed the entrance exam there and entered Astral-10. He is currently the leader there.”
“The leader?” Madam Nalan was shocked by this last piece of news and looked at the young man on the screen again. “It’s only been about half a year since he joined Astral-10, right? In less than a year he’s already become the leader. What’s his background before that like?”
The girl shook her head. “We have yet to find anything there. There’s no information from before he entered the Great Yu Empire.”
Madam Nalan was surprised. “Keep searching.”
“There’s something else, Madam. He’s a one star Junior Lockbreaker. It took him less than a month to go from being initially verified to successfully completing his first Lockbreaking.”
Madam Nalan turned around, her eyes shining like the stars. A smile appeared on her beautiful face as she remarked, “He’s a genius and a Lockbreaker with contributions already. It looks like I’ll need to get to know our little guest a little better.”
…………………….
Lu Yin had no idea that, the moment he got on this s.p.a.cecraft, his ident.i.ty had undergone a thorough investigation, and that even his ident.i.ty as a Lockbreaker had been uncovered. The Nalan family had their fingers in all kinds of industries, and the workers under the family consisted not only of businessmen, but also of quite a few regional organizations, empires, a.s.sa.s.sination squads, mercenaries, and even Lockbreakers. Uncovering everything on Lu Yin was a walk in the park for them.
Not long after, Lu Yin finished his meal, finally full. He had polished off all of the food and was a little embarra.s.sed about it, but it didn’t matter as he would be leaving in a day anyway.
After enjoying a good meal, he decided that it was a good idea to move around a little. Lu Yin left the room and headed towards the hallway. After thinking it over for a moment, he took out the Giant Emperor’s third eye; it was a white, half-moon shaped crystal. He inspected it closely. Zhuo Daynight and Puyu had both wanted it, so what should he do with it? Old Cai had suddenly ordered him to rush to the Umbral b.u.t.terfly Weave for it, so it had to be valuable.
He gripped the third eye as he continued inspecting it. While he wasn’t able to unravel its usage, Lu Yin quickly realized that he was able to see the entire universe a little clearer. It was as if a film had somehow been lifted from his eyes. It didn’t extend forever, but things were somehow just clearer. He was suddenly inspired and gathered some surging star energy on his palm and allowed the third eye to absorb it. In the blink of an eye, everything he saw became much, much clearer, to the point where he could see the ambient star energy of the universe.
Lu Yin’s eyes widened like saucers. Is this for real? I can actually see the ambient star energy! He was usually only able to see this sight when he activated his Cosmic Art, but now, he was now able to do so with the aid of the Giant Emperor’s third eye. This was amazing!
At this very moment, Madam Nalan rounded the corner of the hallway. Lu Yin turned to look at her, his eyes still shining.
The moment he saw Madam Nalan, he was stupefied. The woman had a maturity to her that was impossible to replicate. And yet, her appearance also had a refreshing quality to it. The stark contrast caused Lu Yin’s mind to feel numb. However, he also saw a grey layer covering Madam Nalan’s body.
Lu Yin quickly retracted his star energy and stored the third eye away, causing his vision to return to normal. It felt like the light was now brighter, and Madam Nalan’s appearance was even clearer to him now.
It had to be said that this woman was very alluring to young men of Lu Yin’s age. It wasn’t just her external appearance—just her elegance alone outshone most girls. Even Bai Xue’s beauty was nothing compared to the tantalizing maturity of the woman in front of him. She was like a peach: delicious, juicy, and any man would want to take a bite.
“Greetings, Madam Nalan.” Lu Yin was stupefied for a short moment, but he quickly regained his senses and offered his greetings.
The woman smiled, “How did you know that I’m Madam Nalan, Mr. Lu?”
Lu Yin smiled. “With your bearing, I don’t know who else in this universe who would be suited to be called Madam Nalan.”
Madam Nalan burst into laughter as she stared right at Lu Yin with bright eyes. She wore no make-up, but her face was still incredibly seductive. She did not strike any poses, but anyone would think she was enchanting at all times. The gaps in her clothing revealed teasing glimpses of her beautiful and fair skin, and she had an intoxicating aroma that intensified in Lu Yin’s brain as she approached him step by step. This woman was definitely a tease.
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