Chapter 23: The Class Divide (1/2)

“Ambush you?” Jaeger laughed at Jeraldine’s accusation, “I sent the two of them out to check out if we had any peers nearby. Did they sneak up on you? Don’t worry, I’ll teach them a lesson.”

“No need for that, they’ve already paid for their mistake,” Jeraldine replied coldly.

Lu Yin walked over to Jeraldine’s side, casting a glance at Jaeger. The youth didn’t seem surprised to see him, “The Hidden Sage of Nanjing? I guess you must be from the greater universe as well, Miss Jeraldine wouldn’t want to work with you otherwise.”

“My name is Yatar,” Lu Yin said bluntly, “I come from the First Academy of the Pagoda Planet. My grandfather is the headmaster.”

Jeraldine felt her face twitch at the mention of those words. Those were the very words that had made her underestimate this asshole.

“What are you trying to say?” Jaeger asked distractedly.

Lu Yin displayed a hint of arrogance, “I have more money than you could dream of. Release my people, and I can pay you in a lot of resources.”

Jaeger let out a hearty laugh, “Pagoda Planet? Never heard of it. To be honest, I don’t really care who you are; all I’m looking for is an alliance.”

“An alliance?” Lu Yin asked in surprise.

“Yes,” Jaeger turned serious, “I discovered a mine of wind crystals nearby, but the place is occupied by a group of mutant beasts that are all Sentinels. I need assistance in dealing with them.”

“How much?” Jeraldine asked.

Jaeger shook his head, “I’m not certain, but a conservative estimate would be a dozen cubic meters.”

Jeraldine’s eyes blazed in an instant. A dozen cubes of wind crystals was no small amount; most planets had only a few cubes’ worth in total. She wanted to agree immediately, but stopped herself and looked at Lu Yin.

“I have money, I don’t care,” Lu Yin dismissed, something that surprised Jaeger. The youth hadn’t thought there was any student who would reject this offer; a dozen cubes of wind crystals were worth over a hundred cubes of star crystals at the right exchange, enough for one to master an entire branch of battle techniques or even accelerate one’s path to becoming a Melder. Even Jeraldine looked longingly at Lu Yin, but he continued, “Having said that, no one turns away chances to make money even if they’re rich. We’ll come look for you in two days; in the meanwhile, you aren’t to touch any of my subordinates.”

Jaeger nodded, “Alright, please bring those two juniors of mine as well. It would be best if we have a larger group.”

Lu Yin agreed, and Jeraldine immediately disconnected the screen.

“Is this Jaeger the one which the other two mentioned is the same level as Terence?” Lu Yin asked.

Jeraldine grunted in agreement, “I’ve heard of his name, he is one of the top three figures in Blue Mountain Academy, he may even be more powerful than Terence.”

Jeraldine was puzzled by the question, “Financial situation? I have no idea.”

Lu Yin’s eyes twinkled. He didn’t care for the wind crystals right now. No matter the quantity, he wouldn’t be able to exchange them for star crystals until he could enter the Great Yu Empire. On the other hand, Jaeger probably had a few star crystals on hand.

……

Nanjing wasn’t very far from Yuxiang. When Lu Yin left for the town, even with Jeraldine carrying both students from Blue Mountain Academy, it only took him two hours to get there. Tens of thousands of cultivators were sitting around in the camp with their weapons seized, being watched by another group of cultivators all around. Poor Feng Hong was hanging from a tree nearby.

A powerful energy wave swept through the camp as the two reached the site, sending a violent vibration into the sky. Lu Yin realized the dual intent from that display; Jaeger was showing off his power, and at the same time trying to probe his own. However, such a display was actually useless, even posing the risk of ensuring the other party knew the exact extent of one’s power. Jaeger was quite powerful, slightly surpassing Terence, but this didn’t bother Lu Yin at all. To him, this was a dog with all bark and no bite; the only person who’d ever left him feeling threatened so far was that silver-haired man.

Jeraldine stepped forward, her own energy buzzing as it stopped Jaeger’s display. A crack suddenly appeared on the ground, splitting Lu Yin’s group off from the rest of the camp. The resulting commotion drew the eyes of Feng Hong and the other captains, shame written all over their faces. Lu Yin didn’t bother with them, his gaze focused on the man who was slowly floating into the sky.

Clap! Clap! Clap! “The reputation of the beauty of the First Military School isn’t for nothing. Your abilities truly are astounding,” Jaeger heaped praises upon her, eyes filled with unconcealable greed.

Jeraldine snorted, “Is this the way the Blue Mountain Academy treats their guests?”