99: Chapter 99 Inside and Outside the Door: Two Kinds of Waiting

When the visiting card was delivered to the Lords Mansion, Lu Changyuan was in the hall speaking with Manager Wei.

Manager Wei had arrived before dawn. It was the same inconspicuous gray-hulled fast boat, and he wore the same gray cloth long gown with cuffs worn white at the edges.

He had come this time to collect the first batch of goods for the three-month trial supply—as written in the contract, the initial delivery was eighty-seven small bottles, with subsequent monthly increases at their discretion.

Chen Mo moved the goods onto the long table in the hall. The eighty-seven small bottles were all tightly sealed with sealing spirit wax, each with a small slip of paper attached to the bottle, detailing the batch number and production date.

Beside them was a stack of raw material source records and mixture ratio records—this was something Manager Wei had specifically requested before leaving last time: to transcribe every batch's raw material sources, changes in ratio, and liquid output volume to attach to the cargo list.

"Transparency is the best defense," Manager Wei said while flipping through the mixture ratio records.

Lu Changyuan watched him flip through a few pages and suddenly spoke.

"Manager Wei. Is the Zhenhai Fortress recently investigating the procurement lines?"

Manager Wei's hand paused. He looked up, observed Lu Changyuan's expression, and then closed the mixture ratio records.

"Where did Deputy Envoy Lu hear that?"

"A guess. When you came last time, you asked three questions—whether the formula could be locked, whether raw materials could be sustained, and whether there was enough manpower. This time, you specifically asked me to attach the raw material source records." Lu Changyuan poured Manager Wei a cup of tea. "Has someone been investigated?"

Manager Wei picked up the teacup but didn't drink. He remained silent for a few moments.

"There are a few firms. They used connections to secure supply contracts but couldn't deliver the goods—either they had no stock, or the goods didn't match the specifications. The Command Headquarters is already investigating." He set the teacup on the table. "Deputy Envoy Lu, your goods are fine. But someone will find a way to make you have a problem."

"Jubao Pavilion?"

Manager Wei neither confirmed nor denied it. He only said, "You need to be clear about the source of the purification liquid formula. If someone reports that the source of the formula is unclear, the Zhenhai Fortress, according to regulations, must first suspend the contract and then investigate. During the investigation, goods cannot be delivered, and any payment for goods already delivered must be frozen. Even if it is cleared in the end, the time lost in between will be your loss."

Lu Changyuan nodded.

"So, the raw material source records must be kept complete. Every change in mixture ratio must be filed. Where the raw materials come from—thunder bamboo byproducts, old sand, wood shavings—every step must be traceable." He turned to look at Chen Mo. "Elder Chen, from now on, for every batch of goods that leaves the factory, all three things—raw material sources, mixture ratio records, and liquid output volume—must be transcribed and attached to the cargo list. Nothing can be missing."

"Understood." Chen Mo was already taking notes.

Manager Wei packed up the goods and the acceptance form, then stood up.

"Deputy Envoy Lu. The three-month trial supply—I have taken the first month's goods. Before the end of the month, this batch will be distributed to three outpost camps for trial use. If there is any feedback—good or bad—I will inform you immediately."

"Thank you for your trouble."

Manager Wei walked to the door, suddenly remembered something, turned back, and added, "Deputy Commander Tie asked me to pass on a message—the calculation for the next batch of battle damage compensation for Xuangui Island has been sent to the Command Headquarters. It went up in the same document batch as your goods."

Lu Changyuan nodded.

He understood the weight of these words. Being in the same document batch meant that the purification liquid line and the battle achievement supply line were now tied together. From now on, every batch of purification liquid shipped would be part of the official process. If Jubao Pavilion wanted to report them, they would have to think about this layer of protection first.

By the time Manager Wei left the Lords Mansion with the goods and the acceptance form, the sun had already risen to the height of the mast.

The guard at the gate seized the opportunity to step forward and handed in Governor Xue Zhen's visiting card.

"Lord. East Sea Governor Xue Zhen requests an audience. He has been waiting at the Outer Port for nearly two hours."

Lu Changyuan took the visiting card and glanced at it. The Governor's official seal, the official title was clear, and the handwriting was neat.

"Let him wait a while longer."

"Yes."

Lu Changyuan turned and went back into the hall. He did not summon Governor Xue Zhen immediately—not because he was putting on airs. When the visiting card arrived, Manager Wei was still inside; the priority of a military procurement representative inspecting goods was higher than a local official's private visit. Now that Manager Wei had left, he still had one thing to confirm first: whether any step had been missed in the stack of raw material source records that Chen Mo had submitted.

"Elder Chen. Let's go through the traceability chain from beginning to end."

Chen Mo opened the record book and listed them one by one: "Old sand—the old sand replaced from the roots of the devil-cleansing thunder bamboo, with the replacement date and quantity marked for every batch. Thunder-struck wood shavings—wood shavings that naturally peeled off after the thunder bamboo was struck by lightning triggered by thunder-patterned talisman paper, which can be verified by Ye Zhe's daily records. Fine outer skin—the second layer of skin that naturally sheds from the bamboo joints of the thunder bamboo; the collection date, weight, and collector are all registered. purification powder—regularly allocated from the Zhenhai Military Warehouse, with an allocation order number."

"That is enough." Lu Changyuan closed the record book. "The traceability chain is complete. We need not fear anyone investigating."

He handed the record book to Chen Mo and then said to the guard at the door, "Please invite Governor Xue in."

Below the steps outside the Lords Mansion.

Governor Xue Zhen had been standing there for nearly two hours. His Golden Core Late Stage cultivation prevented him from breaking a sweat from the sun, but he did not use his spiritual power to shade himself either. He just stood below the steps, one hand gripping his nephew's collar, the other hanging by his side. Three boxes of gifts were neatly stacked at his feet—spirit tea, spirit ginseng, and ice silk.

The door finally opened.

The guard walked out and made a gesture of invitation.

Governor Xue Zhen straightened the collar of his official robe and walked up the steps, carrying Xue Mingyuan. His pace was not fast, and every step was steady. When they reached the door, he released Xue Mingyuan's collar and whispered, "After we go in, unless I tell you to speak, you are not allowed to make a sound."

Xue Mingyuan nodded vigorously.

Inside the hall, Lu Changyuan sat in the main seat. On the table were two items—one was the copy of the contract left by Manager Wei, and the other was the old Sealed Fleet list from Xu Sanlan. Chen Mo stood to the side, still holding the traceability record book from earlier.

Governor Xue Zhen walked in. He first cupped his hands in a salute, his posture neither humble nor overbearing.

"Lord Lu. East Sea Governor Xue Zhen—I apologize for the uninvited visit."

"Governor Xue, please sit."

Governor Xue Zhen sat down. Xue Mingyuan stood behind him, his head bowed so low that his chin almost touched his chest.

"Lord Lu." The first sentence Governor Xue Zhen spoke made Lu Changyuan look at him twice. "I, Xue, have not come to discuss an apology. I have come to discuss a business deal that will be beneficial to both sides."

He placed his hands on the table, his five fingers naturally spread open.

"Regarding the matter at the Cold Dragon Abyss, my son was at fault first. There is no denying that. But the letters that Lord Lu obtained at the Cold Dragon Abyss—" he paused, "the secret seal on them, Lord Lu should have already recognized its origin."

Lu Changyuan did not respond. He was waiting.

Governor Xue Zhen continued.

"That secret seal is the mark of the Yongtai Firm. The Yongtai Firm ostensibly operates in spirit ore transport and has been registered in the East Sea jurisdiction for seventeen years. But in reality—" he took a neatly folded old file from his sleeve and placed it on the table, "this firm had dealings with a batch of old Sealed Fleet ships over a decade ago. Those transaction records have been sealed in the Governors Office's old archives for many years."

Lu Changyuan took the old file. The paper was yellowed but well-preserved. The first page contained the registration information of the Yongtai Firm—the firm's name, registration date, business scope, and the names of all past owners. The following pages were tax records and material transport manifests from the last seventeen years.

"Governor Xue. This file—"

"I can let Lord Lu see it," Governor Xue Zhen said, "but it is not for free."

"Conditions?"

"First. Do not report the matter of the Cold Dragon Abyss to the Zhenhai Command Headquarters. Please show mercy regarding the records of my son's activities here." Governor Xue Zhen's tone was very flat. "Second. In exchange, the East Sea Governors Office formally recognizes Blue Moon Island's actual jurisdiction over the Cold Dragon Abyss and the surrounding thirty miles of sea. There is a micro spirit mine on the outskirts of the Cold Dragon Abyss; the mining rights will also be transferred to Blue Moon Island."

He paused for a moment.

"Additionally. The complete old files of the Yongtai Firm—including all transport records and partner lists from the past seventeen years—I can retrieve them from the old archives under the name of 'assisting in the investigation of an old case.' And let Lord Lu see them."

Lu Changyuan looked at the old file on the table. He picked up the first page—the Yongtai Firm's registration information—and read it from beginning to end.

"Let the old case follow the normal channels." He put down the old file. "Governor Xue, retrieve the files first. I will also verify the testimonies I have on hand. Once both sides have clarified things, we can discuss the next step."

"Agreed."

"Additionally—" Lu Changyuan held up one finger, "please keep the Cold Gale Fog Zone on the outskirts of the Cold Dragon Abyss free for navigation. Blue Moon Island will not set up defenses there."

Governor Xue Zhen nodded. Then he added, "I hope Blue Moon Island will not block the shipping lanes outside the fog zone either."

"As long as they don't get within thirty miles of the Abyss Mouth, don't measure the water depth, and don't fire spiritual cannons," Lu Changyuan said, "they are free to sail anywhere else."

"Deal."

Governor Xue Zhen stood up. Behind him, Xue Mingyuan kept his head lowered; his two legs were still there—not broken. But in front of him, Governor Xue Zhen took a jade token from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

"My son's three years of Cultivation resources. Spirit Pills, Spirit Medicine, and the monthly Spirit Stone allowance—all canceled. For these three years, he will go to the mining area to dig for ore to earn his own expenses."

Xue Mingyuan's face turned pale instantly. But he glanced at his uncle and dared not make a sound.

"Lord Lu. Sorry for the intrusion."

Governor Xue Zhen cupped his hands, gripped Xue Mingyuan's collar, and turned to walk out the door.

The three boxes of gifts remained on the table—spirit tea, spirit ginseng, and ice silk. Lu Changyuan did not refuse them. Not accepting a visitor's gift would instead appear ungracious.

Chen Mo had been standing to the side for a long time; only after Governor Xue Zhen had walked away did he speak.

"This Governor—"

"A smart man." Lu Changyuan picked up the old file of the Yongtai Firm from the table and flipped to the last page. "He knows what things are worth."

Su Qingli walked in from outside the door. She had been listening in the next room the whole time. She walked to the table, picked up the old file that Governor Xue Zhen had left behind, and flipped through two pages.

"Yongtai Firm. Seventeen years of old files." She put down the file, picked up a pen, wrote a line in the ledger, and then looked up at Lu Changyuan. "This clue is worth more than that micro spirit mine."

"I know."

Lu Changyuan stood up.

"We return to the Cold Dragon Abyss this afternoon. It is time for the black turtle egg to go into the water."