Chapter 83: Welcome Gif (1/2)

Since they were on the topic of betting, Lu Yin realized it was rather inconvenient to have no star crystals on his person at all. He didn’t even have any credits, so he decided to find a Mavis Bank soon and see how much the Emperor had given him. Hopefully, he hadn’t been too stingy.

The Capital Star was very big, but most officials lived near the royal palace. It only took ten minutes for Lu Yin and Xu San to arrive at the luxurious manor that was Sicar’s home, with Bronsen stepping out of the void. When they were stopped from entering by the guard, Lu Yin said indifferently, “Inform Sicar that the Zishan King is here to visit.”

The guard was shocked and immediately ran inside to relay the message. It didn’t take long for Sicar to run out with Raas while making a show of berating the guard, “You shameful creature, how could you not allow His Majesty to enter? Forgive me for not being present to meet you personally, Your Majesty.”

Raas bowed to give his respects, but his eyes were seething with hatred. Lu Yin smiled, “I took the liberty of paying an unannounced visit, my apologies for the disturbance.”

“It is my honor to be visited by the Zishan King. Please come in, Your Majesty.”

Lu Yin did not stand on ceremony, nodding and taking the initiative to walk in. Sicar’s manor was certainly grand, but it was only an average sort of grandeur. The building did not exceed the man’s position as a Vice-Treasurer, an indication of someone with an abundance of caution. The man was even acting so respectfully towards a powerless king, behaving appropriately with superiors and subordinates alike. Lu Yin had to admire him a little. Many had one attitude in front of the Emperor and another behind him, but Sicar was different. He lived as if he was constantly under The Undying Yushan’s eye, and he thought of the Emperor in everything he did. No one could pick out a single fault of his; that was what made him such a fearsome person.

Lu Yin thought of the introduction that Silver had given him. Although Sicar was the Vice-Treasurer in name, Finance Minister Bailey was just a figurehead. This was the person who controlled the Empire’s finances; that was why the Twelfth Squadron valued him so. Most would find it a headache to deal with this sort of person, but Lu Yin liked the smart ones the most.

“My son has committed many errors during the trial on Earth. We seek Your Majesty’s forgiveness,” Sicar apologized at the first opportunity, forcing Raas to do so as well.

Lu Yin smiled, “You are too courteous, Lord Sicar. Trials are by nature competitive; I was about to ask you not to blame me for being too ruthless with your son.”

Lu Yin’s visit came out of the blue, and Sicar did not know what the goal was. The incident where Raas had compelled Veron to intimidate Lu Yin had put him in a difficult position, but he was confident that there was no way for anyone to know of his relationship with Long Chu. So why was Lu Yin here? To condemn him? That was unlikely.

“Lord Sicar, I’ve heard that your home planet has beautiful scenery,” Lu Yin asked out of curiosity.

Sicar smiled, “That’s right, I was born in…”

An hour quickly passed, leaving Xu San bored to death behind Lu Yin. he didn’t know what his boss was up to, and Raas was the same. Both of them watched Lu Yin and Sicar chat all over the place.

Fresh to the Great Yu Empire, Lu Yin had countless topics to talk about. However, Sicar was different; as the Vice-Treasurer and the true controller of the Empire’s finances, he had many other matters to attend to. And yet, he couldn’t outright reject Lu Yin’s queries, helplessly answering everything in detail. His planet’s environment, customs, local conditions, training methods, even gossip… Two more hours passed quickly.

It was soon unbearable for Raas, and Sicar himself coughed and lifted his teacup. This was a simple indication to the visitor that they had overstayed their welcome, but Lu Yin pretended not to notice and lifted his own cup to take a sip. One more hour slipped by before the man coughed again, “Your Majesty, is there any purpose to your visit?”

“No, I just wanted to visit you and learn from your insights. I’ve had some contact with your son before, and Long Chu mentioned that you’re a well-known scholar. I was here hoping some of your wisdom rubbed off on me.”

Sicar’s eyes flashed as he nodded, muttering something to himself before whispering to Raas. The youth gritted his teeth and left the room, returning with a cosmic ring.

Sicar smiled at Lu Yin, “It must be inconvenient for Your Majesty to do so many things on your first visit to the capital, so you can hire some servants to run errands for you. I once received a favor from the Zishan Residence, so I hope you would kindly accept this small token of my appreciation.”

“This is embarrassing!” Lu Yin pretended to be stunned even as he accepted the ring without hesitation. Contempt was written all over Raas’s face.

Sicar laughed, “No need to be courteous, Your Majesty.”

Lu Yin got up, “Then I’ll take it. Thank you once more, Lord Sicar.”