161: Leak-proof

In the bright and spacious corridor, the elevator doors opened.

Lu Yuan did not step inside, instead looking at the Grand Elder of the Department of Finance, Zou Xinrong, who had called out to him.

According to what Lao Qiyuan had said, this Zou Xinrong, who held the financial power of China, was stingy to the core.

Don't let his outwardly polished appearance fool you; in reality, his undergarments were tattered and worn, and his socks probably had several holes in them.

"Principal Lu, let's have a talk," said Zou Xinrong, then glanced at Lao Qiyuan.

This was definitely a tactic suggested by Lao Qiyuan!

Zou Xinrong was firmly convinced of this; good grief, he was under immense pressure!

Originally, in Zou Xinrong's view, there was no need for him to deal with a mere greenhorn; letting the Second Elder, Tian Zhishang, handle it would have been sufficient.

Who would have thought that Lu Yuan would not play by the rules, leaving without hesitation or room for negotiation.

It forced him to show up in person to ask him to stay!

"Fine," Lu Yuan said, turning back to return to the reception room.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, truly a hero among the young; to have broken through to a Law Realm Six-Star in just the first year of awakening."

The atmosphere eased slightly as Zou Xinrong sat beside Lu Yuan and said with a smile.

"I have heard of Principal Lu's name for a long time, from achieving first place in the national Martial Examination to recently defending against the beast tide and the elite forces of the Great Shun Dynasty in Starry Sky City..."

As the Grand Elder of the Department of Finance, Zou Xinrong took the initiative to flatter Lu Yuan.

This was not embarrassing for him, even though he was a Saint Realm Expert.

Setting aside his status and cultivation realm, Zou Xinrong considered himself a businessman.

It was just that he was a businessman serving The Authorities; as long as Lu Yuan could bring him considerable profit, he would do anything.

However, to Zou Xinrong's surprise, Lu Yuan remained unmoved by his flattery.

"This must have been taught by Lao Qiyuan!" Zou Xinrong thought.

Lao Qiyuan sipped his tea leisurely, thinking that Zou Xinrong's flattery was ineffective.

At Pengcheng University, everyone from the Vice Principal down to the instructors flattered Lu Yuan every single day; Lu Yuan had long since become immune to it!

"Principal Lu, where did you get the map?" Zou Xinrong got to the point.

"I picked it up," said Lu Yuan.

"Picked it up?"

"Yeah, picked it up on the main road," Lu Yuan said expressionlessly.

"Heh."

Zou Xinrong looked at Lu Yuan, whose answer was completely airtight, and felt that the young man before him had been taught too well by Lao Qiyuan.

He feared that before coming to the Duzhi Division, Lu Yuan had done his homework.

"You said the map marks mineral deposits for refining materials; could you let me see it?" Zou Xinrong made his request.

Under Zou Xinrong's gaze, Lu Yuan took out a thick stack of maps, randomly pulled one out to place on the table, and then put the rest back into his storage ring.

Zou Xinrong: "???"

"Take a look," said Lu Yuan.

How could someone be so cautious? Even Zou Xinrong had not expected that Lu Yuan would actually split the markings of a single map into over a hundred pieces.

He was guarding against him pulling any tricks!

"Tian Zhishang, take my token and find Elder Liu of the Tu Kui Alliance; the two of you go to the No Man's Land to verify if it's true." Zou Xinrong handed the map to Tian Zhishang.

The Elder Liu he mentioned was a Space Attribute Saint Realm Expert.

What followed was a long wait, with Zou Xinrong, Lu Yuan, and Lao Qiyuan sitting in the conference room.

"It will probably take a while," Zou Xinrong said, unscrewing his thermos and drinking water steeped with low-quality tea leaves.

"I say, Old Zou, you're still as stingy as ever; can't you get some decent tea leaves?" Lao Qiyuan said.

It was well known that Zou Xinrong was stingy, but he was only stingy with himself.

The tea served to guests was actually quite good, as were the refreshments.

"What do you know? If I'm not stingy, how can I go to the Alliance Leaders and cry poverty? Do you know how much money the Seven Alliances and One Hall spends every year? It's in the trillions!" Zou Xinrong's mouth moved like a machine gun, non-stop.

"All this money comes from our Duzhi Division—the maintenance of the Defensive Arrays in border cities, the military, and your Five Great Top Academies..."

Zou Xinrong counted on his fingers, precisely reciting one figure after another.

"Especially you, Lao Qiyuan. Back when you were Marshal, leading the army to fight the Demon and Monster Races, you had a great time, but do you know my heart was bleeding?"

Why does he sound like a resentful woman? Lu Yuan looked at this Grand Elder of the Department of Finance.

He seriously suspected that he had starved himself thin from stinginess, but it was recorded in junior high history textbooks.

When the Principal served as Marshal and reclaimed vast amounts of lost territory, the logistics were actually very reliable while fighting the demons.

One could only say that Zou Xinrong was a competent person who just liked to play the victim and cry poverty.

In the blink of an eye, two hours passed, and Lu Yuan sat in his chair, closing his eyes to rest.

Looking at Lu Yuan and Lao Qiyuan, Zou Xinrong suddenly had an idea.

"Elder Lao, the Su... cough cough, no, the Red Flame Alliance Master is looking for you," Zou Xinrong said.

"The Red Flame Alliance Master is looking for me? How do you know?" Lao Qiyuan retorted.

"I just remembered it too, but it probably isn't anything important; this morning, the Red Flame Alliance Master mentioned going to Pengcheng," Zou Xinrong said, stroking his thermos.

He wasn't lying; the Red Flame Alliance Master had indeed mentioned looking for Lao Qiyuan.

"Then Lu Yuan and I will make a trip to the Crimson Flame Alliance; we'll talk after we return," Lao Qiyuan said, standing up.

"Elder Lao, we've known each other for many years; do you really think I would scam Lu Yuan?" Zou Xinrong pretended to be angry.

"Yes!" Lao Qiyuan did not hesitate.

"Lu Yuan, Zou Xinrong is no good; this old guy is full of schemes!"

Hearing this, the corners of Zou Xinrong's mouth twitched.

"Elder Lao, you go to the Crimson Flame Alliance yourself; I'll stay here," Lu Yuan said, knowing that Zou Xinrong had deliberately pushed Lao Qiyuan aside because he wanted to talk to him alone.

Lao Qiyuan hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Would Zou Xinrong scam Lu Yuan? Yes! Absolutely, one hundred percent, but he wouldn't scam him too hard!

For instance, if an apple sold for five yuan, Zou Xinrong would at most sell it to Lu Yuan for seven or eight.

If he dared to scam him too hard, the Supreme Alliance Leader would certainly not be pleased if he found out. Regardless of who it was, everyone had to be treated equally!

"Remember what I told you at the Duzhi Division," Lao Qiyuan warned.

Only Lu Yuan and Zou Xinrong were left in the reception room.

Half an hour later, Tian Zhishang returned from the No Man's Land.

"Are there any mineral deposits for refining materials?"

"Yes, the map Lu Yuan gave has markings for a large amount of Tiger Eye Stone; it is preliminarily estimated that the total mining value is in the billions!" Tian Zhishang could not hide the excitement in his tone.

One had to know that this was only one of the maps; Lu Yuan had plenty more in his hands.

Zou Xinrong's eyes gleamed as he pondered how to negotiate with Lu Yuan.

Now that Lao Qiyuan was gone, no one was there to coach Lu Yuan, and dealing with a greenhorn would be easy for him.

"According to Principal Lu's statement, are you prepared to cooperate with the Duzhi Division, rather than selling the map?" Zou Xinrong asked.

"That's right."

"Cooperation is possible, but Principal Lu should not think that possessing the map gives you the initiative to demand exorbitant prices at will!" Zou Xinrong stood up.

Having held a high position for many years, a natural air of authority exuded from the stern Zou Xinrong.

Lu Yuan sat calmly in his chair, toying with the top-grade spirit artifact, Silence.

"Mining different refining materials requires different machines; furthermore, that place is the No Man's Land, and the mining costs are extremely high," Zou Xinrong said, taking a calculator out of his pocket.

"I will calculate, and Principal Lu will listen."

Zou Xinrong began his performance, the calculator constantly emitting sounds of adding millions, tens of millions, and even hundreds of millions.

The heating was turned up high in the conference room, and hearing Zou Xinrong's words, Lu Yuan yawned repeatedly.

"In that case, there is no need for cooperation," Lu Yuan said.

"Hmm?"

Zou Xinrong raised an eyebrow. He would not be like Tian Zhishang and try to keep Lu Yuan.

"Principal Lu, in the entirety of China, besides the Duzhi Division, there is no other force that can complete such large-scale mining."

"I hope you consider this clearly; if you walk out that door, no one will make money, and there will be nothing left to talk about!"