62: Chapter 62 The Princess Wins the Argument

An argument had been going on in the main hall of the City Defense Mansion for nearly an hour.

Qin Tianzong sat on the left side of the long table with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, holding a teacup. The tea had gone completely cold, and he hadn't taken a single sip.

Elder Han sat opposite him, with a stack of monitoring data from the outer edges of the Seal spread out before him. The edges of the paper were slightly curled from the heat waves of the subterranean fire stove, but he didn't even glance at them.

The Third Princess sat at the head of the long table, her back held straight, with her hands crossed over her knees.

The chair she sat on was a section higher than the others, specially moved down by the Imperial Guards from the imperial capital's flying ship; otherwise, sitting down, her head would have been only half a head higher than the edge of the table.

"The Seal is completely normal." Elder Han's tone was like reading an official document that had been memorized countless times,

"The temperature fluctuations of the subterranean fire fissure are within the normal historical range, and the Spiritual Qi decay at the outer edge of the mine is a seasonal phenomenon that occurs every year at this time, except that it is stronger this time. The data sampling points provided by the Qingyun Sect are insufficient, and the conclusion is untenable."

Qin Tianzong was irritated; he heavily slammed his teacup onto the table, the porcelain striking the wood with a very light, crisp sound.

The Third Princess did not speak either. She turned her head slightly and glanced at the Centurion, who pulled a memorial out of his bosom, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Elder Han. The cover of the memorial was stamped with the vermilion official Seal of the Directorate of Military Weapons.

"Elder Han." The Third Princess's voice was icy,

"The copper ingots received by the Directorate of Military Weapons last month had a passing rate of less than forty percent upon warehousing inspection. Forty percent!

In previous years, the lowest was over eighty percent. This memorial was submitted by the Directorate of Military Weapons to the Ministry of War, which forwarded it to the Cabinet, and the three characters approved by the Cabinet for this princess were 'investigate to the end'. This princess is not here to hear you say 'everything is normal'; this princess is here to investigate which furnaces those sixty percent unqualified copper ingots came out of."

There was not the slightest change on Elder Han's face.

"The temperature fluctuations of the subterranean fire fissure did indeed affect the grade of some raw materials, but this belongs to the normal cycle of the ore vein..."

"Normal?" The Third Princess opened another memorial at her side, her fingertips tapping lightly on the paper surface.

"Starting three months ago, the temperature curve of the Ranhuo City subterranean fire fissure jumped a step. Over the past decade, the temperature has been flat. You call this seasonal?"

The corner of Elder Han's eye twitched very slightly.

Qin Tianzong picked up his teacup, took a sip of cold tea, and suppressed his inner anger.

The door of the side hall was knocked on, the knocking sounds coming from three directions almost simultaneously. The Centurion turned his head, and an Imperial Guardsman at the door walked in quickly, whispering a few words into the Centurion's ear.

The Centurion turned and walked to the Third Princess's side, leaning over to whisper. At the same time, a Tianque Sect Disciple walked quickly in behind Elder Han, looking pale with coal ash brought from the mine still hanging on his forehead, and whispered a few words into Elder Han's ear.

Inside Qin Tianzong's sleeve, a jade token vibrated gently. He felt it out and glanced at it, his brows furrowing slightly before he placed the jade token on the table.

After listening to the Centurion's words, the Third Princess directly stood up on her chair, supporting herself on the edge of the table with both hands, her body leaning forward slightly.

Her figure was naturally petite, yet this posture caused the three Seventh Realm Cultivators present to turn their gazes toward her simultaneously.

"Elder Han, news this princess just received states that a weirdness just crawled out from the outer periphery of the Seal, biting out a crack in the rune barrier right in front of the Qingyun Sect, the Tianque Sect, and the Imperial Guards. Did you just say that the Seal is completely normal?"

Elder Han did not answer. He looked at the memorial from the Directorate of Military Weapons before him, and then turned his head to glance at the Tianque Sect Disciple behind him.

That Disciple's head was almost buried in his chest, not daring to look up.

"Elder Qin." The Third Princess turned to Qin Tianzong.

Qin Tianzong leaned against the back of his chair, crossing his arms over his chest, and replied cheerfully.

"The news sent back by my people is that the decay rate of the Seal's rune barrier has already exceeded the safety threshold. The temperature of the outer layer of the mine is half a degree higher than yesterday, and the Spiritual Qi concentration has dropped to less than thirty percent of the normal value. Even the most basic external isolation function has encountered problems; that is why the weirdness managed to crawl in."

Elder Han opened his mouth, but the Third Princess did not give him a chance to speak, her tone pressing against Elder Han's neck like a blade.

"Elder Han, the repair silver allocated by Your Majesty to Ranhuo City increases every year. The imperial court supports this city, not to maintain an abandoned city. Next month is the delivery day of the Directorate of Military Weapons. If the Tianque Sect cannot deliver qualified copper ingots according to the contracted quantity, the penalty will be deducted from this year's repair silver, and the Ministry of Punishments will handle any shortfall."

"Your Highness." Elder Han's voice finally showed some fluctuation, "The Seal of the subterranean fire fissure involves the core Legacy of the Tianque Sect, and outsiders..."

"Involves the core Legacy of the Tianque Sect." The Third Princess repeated these words, the chill in her voice sinking down another layer.

"Three months ago you discovered the temperature abnormality, and you sent five batches of people into the fissure. This batch doesn't enter the core, that batch doesn't enter. If none of you dare to enter, then this princess will enter."

The Centurion's brows knitted together. "Your Highness, the temperature deep within the subterranean fire fissure is extremely high. A Fifth Realm Cultivator's protective spiritual power cannot last half an hour. You..."

The Third Princess did not look at him. She withdrew her hands from the edge of the table and straightened her body.

The moment she stood straight, an extremely heavy and dense spiritual power fluctuation quietly diffused from within her body.

If Xie Feng were here, Ghatanothoa's mark would probably throb with pain in his chest.

The imperial family's secret Legacy sealed something inside her body, and at this moment, she herself unsealed the outermost layer of that thing.

The texture of the spiritual power became extremely heavy and dense in that instant, so heavy that Qin Tianzong's brows furrowed and Elder Han's expression changed abruptly.

"This princess can enter," said the Third Princess.

Qin Tianzong was the first to speak. He pushed the teacup toward the middle of the table.

"The Qingyun Sect has no problem. Three days later."

Elder Han's Adam's apple bobbed. He looked at the Third Princess, then at Qin Tianzong, moved his lips a few times, and finally said, "The Tianque Sect... three days later."

The Third Princess sat down again, her hands crossed over her knees, her back held straight once more.

"Three days from now, the three parties will enter together to investigate, and Ranhuo City must return to normal!"

Qin Tianzong stood up, picked up the jade token on the table, and turned to walk out of the side hall. When he reached the door, the jade token vibrated again.

He lowered his head to glance at it, frowned slightly, and then turned toward the main hall.

In the main hall, Qiao Song, Mo Tang, Tu Ziguan, Gu Jian, along with the two Imperial Guards and the Tianque Sect Disciple, were all waiting by the forging platform.

Guarding the door were several other Imperial Guards.

Xie Feng had gone outside to answer a call; he was reporting to Wen Heng.

"What did Elder Wen say?" Qin Tianzong asked bluntly.

"He specifically named me to follow them into the Seal." Xie Feng looked extremely displeased on his face, but he had no choice. Wen Heng said that after resolving this incident, he could take away the "Ghoul Canon Ritual" to study.

Qin Tianzong was silent for a breath. "Entering the Seal this time is not in the outer periphery. Even Fifth Realm Cultivators cannot last half an hour in the core area. You are at the First Realm Seventh Heaven?"

"This damned Cultivation Technique is just like this," Xie Feng said. "Wen Heng said I probably won't have any major issues. I don't know what he based that judgment on."

Qin Tianzong opened the jade token and made a call to Wen Heng. The two chatted for a while, and the jade token dimmed.

"We set off in three days, led by the Third Princess. Elder Han and I will accompany, each bringing one Disciple above the Fourth Realm, and two Imperial Guards will be dispatched. You are the person specifically named by Elder Wen, so your quota is listed separately and does not count toward the Qingyun Sect's official roster." He turned his head. "Qiao Song, you go."

"Understood." Qiao Song nodded.

Tu Ziguan stepped forward. "Elder Qin, I apply to accompany them. I brought Xie Feng over, so I have to follow him in. Besides, the gun barrel can be obtained tomorrow, and I can test it right after going in." He had the bronze shell of the earth-shaking thunder hanging at his waist, and there was no joking expression on his face.

Mo Tang raised her hand. "I'll go too. I am a Disciple of the Qingyun Sect's Artifact Hall, and samples need to be taken inside."

Gu Jian did not speak, but merely took a step forward.

Qin Tianzong looked at them. "The core area is not the outer mine. The temperature, Spiritual Qi concentration, and the state of the rune barrier inside are all completely unknown. If a Fire Vampire like the one you mentioned could crawl out from the mine, there are definitely more inside. With your cultivation levels, once you go in, if you're lucky you'll come out alive, and if you're unlucky you're just throwing your lives away."

"Elder Qin, we are Cultivators." Tu Ziguan spoke, his expression rarely serious.

Qin Tianzong looked at them for a long time, then smiled.

"Three days from now, assemble in the main hall of the City Defense Mansion. Prepare your own equipment; there's no need to write suicide notes, as no one will deliver them for you. All of you better come out alive."