The Magus Era

Warm water was delivered from the kitchen through an appropriative pipe, after which, the two bathrooms in the small building, where Chi Zhan’s office located in, both had large clouds of steam puffing out, while a unique floral aroma spread out. The aroma belonged to a special type of top-grade bath balm.

A few beautiful dark-kind girls walked into the bathrooms with shavers and scissors, and soon, slight noises of cutting hair could be heard from the two bathrooms.

Hartment, the chubby guy, made a trip to Liang Zhu City himself and purchased over a hundred sets of luxurious clothes from a surviving manor near the city at a rather high price. Also through those beautiful dark-kind maids, those brand-new luxurious clothes were sent into the two bathrooms.

A whole hour later, Ji Hao, who sat by the French window of Chi Zhan’s office, had already drunk up three pots of tea. But finally, he saw Di Luolang, Di Yantuo and the other powerful elders of Di Family. These elders had left their tiny cells, and had just taken their very first bath in the past few months, tidied their messy hair and beard and changed into luxurious clothes, which were designed in the special style of Yu Clan. After all this, those elders, who were dirty, wan and sallow, just like refugees before, instantly looked like n.o.bles again.

A group of major criminals, who would be executed in public in just a while, had actually taken a comfortable bath in the office of the prison manager and cleaned themselves perfectly. By now, these criminals were sitting right in the manager’s office, seriously running a negotiation meeting with the man who came to visit them!

Such a ridiculous thing, it could only happen in Yu Dynasty. Ji Hao ‘rented’ Chi Zhan’s office, and paid no more than two more blocks of Shouyang Mountain bronze for it.

According to their positions and powers, Di Luolang and the other elders stood in a straight line.

Di Yantuo, the acting family leader, carefully looked at Ji Hao from head to toe, then slowly, elegantly sat down in front of him. Naturally, he picked up a teacup, poured himself a savory cup of sugar tea and took a slight sip, satisfyingly letting out a long breath as he said, "Good tea. I didn’t think that I could taste the top-grade Black Mountain Crimson Cloud tea in Black Shark Castle Prison."

Ji Hao put down the teacup, grinned and said, "People who are willing to take bribes and bend the law can always get nice things that the others can’t."

While Di Yantuo looked at Ji Hao, Ji Hao had been observing him as well. He was a typical Yu Clan n.o.ble, tall and slim, but with broad shoulders, around fifty percent broader than the shoulders of ordinary Yu Clan people. This pair of shoulders naturally gave him a stateliness that the others didn’t have. His long and gray hair were perfectly brushed. On his chin was a three-inch long beard, seeming to be as hard as steel needles. Because of his gray beard, he looked determined, as if he would never bend. He had a standard, flawlessly handsome face of a Yu Clan n.o.ble. What caught Ji Hao’s attention was the pair of moorstone-like, cold and bland eyes that sank in the deeply hollowed eye sockets of Di Yantuo. His eyes represented his hard heart, which meant Di Yantuo wasn’t easy to get along. However, his pair of blood-red pupils were like two spots of lava, filled with crazily burning flame. With a single glance at those pupils, Ji Hao realized that Di Yantuo’s heart was filled with viciousness and grudges towards certain people and things.

This was a calm yet crazy, and especially powerful man.

The original leader of Di Family had unexpectedly fallen in Liang Zhu City. Under this critical and difficult situation, Di Yantuo was entrusted with the great responsibility, being pushed into the position of acting family leader. Even though Di Yantuo could not twist the fate of Di Family of being thrown into Black Shark Castle Prison, this still proved Yi Yantuo’s influence in the entire Di Family.

Di Yantuo was definitely not easy to get along, but he was forced by the external conditions. Therefore, Ji Hao had no worries. Di Yantuo would submit himself.

Narrowing his eyes, Ji Hao silently looked at Di Yantuo without saying anything.

On the wall, the accurate timer tool crafted exquisitely by Xiu Clan master craftsmen had been ticking. Along with the ticking hour pointer, the sunlight outside the French window seemed to be flipping and moving as well.

Outside the small building, nearly a thousand heavily armored Jia Clan warriors had been walking around, and the number of guards standing on the fence wall of the prison, was now ten times more than usual. Heavy and loud steps came from outside the fence wall. Warriors stationed in the four military campsites around the prison were deployed as well, in case these Di Family people might try to escape.

Visible waves of ripples rolled in the air. Occasionally, thin and dense electric bolts would burst from the air. This showed that all defensive divine towers of Black Shark Castle Prison were activated. If Di Yantuo and other Di Family people dared to escape, they would most likely be struck to death, or be chopped into meat paste.

Ji Hao remained silent, and neither did Di Yantuo say anything. Both of them held their teacups, drinking the nice smelling but awfully sugary tea, cup after a cup.

Yu Clan people loved sugar, even to a crazy degree. The tea was badly sweet, and the snacks on the table were way too sugary as well. Ji Hao never liked sweet food, but in order to maintain the pressure he had been giving to Di Yantuo, he could only stay calm and natural while pouring the terribly sweet tea into his own mouth.

Chi Zhan, wasn’t in the office, but every after a quarter of an hour, a dark-kind maid would bring in another hot pot of sugar tea.

A quarter of an hour, two-quarters of an hour, three-quarters of an hour…An hour, two hours, three hours…

Ji Hao remained silent, and so did Di Yantuo. Di Luolang and the other family elders all had their eyes narrowed and heads lowered, quietly looking at their own tiptoes.

In this office, every sentence, every single word they said, would be related to the lives of over a hundred thousand Di Family people, and to their future fates. Therefore, Di Yantuo and the other elder had to be extra careful and cautious.

On the fence wall of the prison, Chi Zhan sat on the tallest watch tower, narrowed his eyes while looking at the small building that was supposed to be his office. When stars sparkled all over the sky and the darkness of night enveloped the earth, even Chi Zhan couldn’t help but murmur, "What are they doing….They have blades put right on their necks right now…Do these Di Family people have any other choice?"

Hartment stood behind Chi Zhan, sighed and said, "No matter how, Di Family is a top-3 ranked, wealthy and large Blood Moon family. Even if they are going to sell themselves, they want to make a good price!"

"Hmm, there might be some other stories in this. This nameless Full Moon Lord…" Chi Zhan rubbed his own chin and mumbled with a m.u.f.fled voice. "Which Full Moon family is brave enough to s.h.i.+eld Di Family under the current situation? Di Family is indeed a fleshy piece of meat to eat, but aren’t they afraid of being choked to death?" Clicking his tongue, Chi Zhan continued.

Hartment fiddled with a Shouyang Mountain bronze block while chuckling, "Whatever, as long as we can earn our own profits, dear manager."

Chi Zhan chuckled as well while delightfully stroking those heavy bronze blocks held in his arms.

In the small building, Di Yantuo finally began talking. A blood-red layer of glow was released from his erect eye, that covered the entire building up to prevent any eavesdropping. Afterwards, he looked at Ji Hao and asked the question in a bold and bland voice with a flat tone.

"What promises can you give us?"

Ji Hao looked at Di Yantuo, smiled faintly and answered, "For now, the promise I can give you is…You can stay alive!"