Star Odyssey

Chapter 1453: Nine Gates

Cai Shu laughed at Lu Yin's protest. "Young man, you already have quite a bit of experience. Are you sure that you only joined Humility's Gate a few months ago? You've already amassed several achievements in your name, not to mention all the information that you've provided over the last few days. You've stunned the Middle Realm's nine gates, and you seem to truly not know how famous you've become. Why, you were even the one to expose the Guan brothers. Your greatest strength is your ability to read into people's behavior.

"What is Humility's Gate's goal? It is not to fight or conduct war, but rather to capture traitors and Redbacks. Those who excel at such activities will climb the ranks. Look at Zhuo Si. He has not captured a single Redback from the moment he joined, so how did he become a Gate Master? It was entirely due to his strength. However, you're being promoted because of your ability to uncover people's secrets."

Lu Yin silently swore. This person was spouting such bullshit and flattering him. Only an idiot would be deceived by such words. It was insulting.

"Senior, this junior might as well be direct. Since I was the one to expose the Guan brothers as Redbacks, I will definitely encounter a great deal of resentment from everyone based out of Huaiyuan Gate. I'm afraid that no one will listen to me and that there will be problems because of this."

Cai Shu dismissively waved a hand. "Don't worry about that. Since Master has appointed you as acting Gate Master, he naturally won't allow you to go there empty-handed. If there's anyone you're already familiar with, just say their name, and Master will find a way to reassign them to you. There will be powerhouses to protect you, so act with boldness."

Lu Yin opened his mouth, wanting to protest further.

Cai Shu patted Lu Yin's shoulder with a hand, and he used enough force to nearly break Lu Yin. After all, Cai Shu was an Envoy. "Long Qi, don't forget about the oath you made just before joining the Fourteenth Gate. Master told me all about it—'I don't need any credit. I simply wish to do what I can for Humility's Gate and resist the foreign enemies.' Those were your words, right?"

Lu Yin was left truly speechless.

"You stated that you would never give up, correct?" Cai Shu continued to press further.

Lu Yin remained silent.

"Because of this, Master has given you this opportunity in order to see how far you can go after gaining the position of acting Gate Master. Try to relax and take on the job without any fear or hesitation," Cai Shuhao said. He had a refined appearance, so his arrogant act looked rather odd given his appearance.

Lu Yin wanted to cry, but there were no tears to spill. Why did it feel like he had tricked himself? Had he gone too far?

"By the way, Master has already convened the council of the nine Gate Master. Use these next few days to prepare a list of people that will be going to Huaiyuan Gate. It's always more easy on the mind knowing that you're using your own people." After delivering the news, Cai Shu left.

Lu Yin facepalmed. This was a problem. If he ended up becoming the acting Gate Master, he would also be constantly monitored by the supervisor. There had to be a reason behind this, and as Lu Yin's mind raced, he felt that it had to be connected to him mentioning Shaman God.

This thought became a flash of inspiration; Qing Chen—no, Xiao, wanted Lu Yin to act as bait to catch Shaman God!

Why did he believe that Lu Yin could draw out Shaman God?

Even after carefully reviewing everything that had happened and everything that he had said, Lu Yin was still puzzled.

It would be terrible if Lu Yin really had been hung up as bait to lure out Shaman God. Also, the guardian that Qing Chen was assigning to Lu Yin was not likely to be anyone terribly impressive. So should Lu Yin just leave as soon as possible?

Even though this was a different path than what he had planned, the end result would still be the same. Once he was in Huaiyuan, he would not be far from the rendezvous point that Unseen Light had shared with him. As for investigating the Lu family's exile, that would have to wait. Lu Yin could return here through Jupiter, and it would much be easier to investigate later.

This thought allowed Lu Yin to finally relax. He would just slip away, and then he would no longer need to worry about anything.

After thinking for a while, Lu Yin compiled a list of names of whom he wished to join him at Huaiyuan Gate for Cai Shu. The first person that he listed was Dashuai Wang. After all, the two of them had worked together before. Also, this could be considered as a way for Lu Yin to offer him some help, as the fatty must have been having a pretty bad time of things lately.

The second name was Liu Tianmu. The third was Xia Taili, and the fourth was Shang Qing.

Lu Yin wanted to help Shang Qing and Liu Tianmu return to the Fifth Mainland while Xia Taili and the fatty were just covers.

If everything went well, Lu Yin would soon return to the Fifth Mainland.

Lu Yin felt rather exhausted. There were incredible powerhouses in the Perennial World, and he had much more freedom in the Fifth Mainland. The Outerverse did not have that many Enlighters, and there were very few Envoys even in the Innerverse. Only in the Neoverse did experts abound, but even then, the power vessels that Lu Yin had recently gathered should be more than enough to keep him safe.

In the Perennial World, it was easy to stumble upon Envoys even in the Middle Realm. There was no need to even mention the Higher Realm, as even powerhouses on Long Kui's level were nothing more than errand boys there.

As for the Lower Realm, Lu Yin still remembered the giant anteater that he had seen, as well as the Ancestor Python, both of which left him feeling chilled.

Finally, there was the Dominion Realm, and several Progenitors were living there.

Lu Yin had to go back. He had made up his mind, and he had put his return as his top priority.

Some time later, Lu Yin turned in the list of names, which indicated that he had accepted the assignment. With his acceptance, Qing Chen appeared.

"This junior greets senior." Lu Yin bowed the moment he saw Qing Chen. Although Lu Yin was quite upset at the prospect of being used as bait, he still maintained a properly respectful attitude.

Qing Chen spoke gently. "Long Qi, Humility's Gate's Gate Masters hold very important positions. Do you know how many people dream of being given this job, even in the Higher Realm or within the four ruling powers? This old man is taking a risk in giving you this position, so even if you don't want it, you can't let this old man down."

Lu Yin grinned. "Yes! This junior will do his best to live up to senior's expectations."

Qing Chen felt satisfied. "Your cultivation is not impressive, and most of the missions given to Humility's Gate are more dangerous than what you can handle with your strength. Thus, this old man has decided to have Cai Shu follow you in order to keep you safe."

Lu Yin looked up, anxious. This old man clearly wanted to monitor Lu Yin. "Senior, this junior is confident in my abilities to protect myself. I have many rare power vessels that Long Xi gave me, and each one of them is enough to withstand an Envoy's attacks."

Qing Chen laughed. "So what? If you can do nothing but block attacks, then there's no reason for me to send you to take up the mantle of acting Gate Master. This old man wants to capture Redbacks and arrest traitors, not startle away some scavengers. Are you confident in defeating an Envoy? For example, you've already run into Guan Tong and Guan Hai. If this old man had not traveled to Huaiyuan, then Guan Tong would have killed you."

Lu Yin was rendered speechless. While he was currently capable of beating Guan Tong senseless, he could not say this out loud. Still, he had to try his best. "Senior, this junior is not used to being followed."

Qing Chen smiled. "I know that you are gifted when it comes to observing people and uncovering their secrets. You naturally have many secrets that you cannot allow others to discover. Don't worry. Cai Shu will not be directly observing you, and he will keep his distance. As long as there is no danger, he won't even appear, and he will also never interfere with whatever actions you take as the acting Gate Master. While he is also a part of Humility's Gate, his position is actually much lower than what yours will be. Thus, he will not qualify to interfere with your decisions. You can relax."

After hearing this, Lu Yin had no means to resist. "So Senior has already taken care of everything."

Qing Chen sighed. "Do you know why you were chosen to take over Huaiyuan Gate?"

Don't bullshit me. It's just because there was an opening! But Lu Yin verbally replied, "After considering it, I believe it's because Huaiyuan Gate currently lacks a Gate Master."

Qing Chen laughed. "It's because Huaiyuan Gate is far too important for the Gate Master to be casually appointed."

Lu Yin was lost.

Qing Chen earnestly explained, saying, "After Guan Tong was arrested, the very next day, a Gate Master requested to be transferred to Huaiyuan. Even though Huaiyuan Gate lost three powerhouses in one sweep, this person still wanted the Gate Master position more than you can even imagine. This is because the Cloud Shuttle is in Huaiyuan."

Lu Yin immediately searched through his memory for anything that he could recall about some Cloud Shuttle, but nothing came up. While he had Possessed several people in the Perennial World and had gleaned a bit of information about the Cloud Shuttle, he had not paid any attention to what he had learned.

"The Cloud Shuttle connects the Middle Realm to the Higher Realm. While the Bifrost does the same thing, there are important differences between the two. If there are any Redbacks or traitors within Humility's Gate, then they will most likely be among the ranks of the elders who have great accomplishments. This old man trusts you twice as much as them," Qing Chen solemnly explained.

Lu Yin gave a respectful answer. "This junior understands."

"Over the last few days, you have provided a great deal of information, and several traitors have been arrested. Taking into account your previous rewards, you have been awarded a total of six merit points. Don't feel that it's not enough. After all, your other rewards were not nothing either," Qing Chen said, "As long as you are Huaiyuan Gate's acting Gate Master, your merit points will increase more and more."

Lu Yin was not overly concerned with gaining merit points. In the beginning, he had solely gained merit points in order to exchange them for a Medal of Righteousness, and eventually, a Medal of the Tree. If he had one of those, then he would receive Humility's Gate's protection even after retiring. However, it had become difficult for him to actually retire, as he had been assigned to be the acting Gate Master of Huaiyuan Gate. As a bonus, if a Gate Master retired, they would not even need an Order of the Tree's protection, as no one would dare to move against such a person without legitimate cause.

One day later, Qing Chen convened the council of the Nine Gates, and Lu Yin officially met the Gate Masters. With the exception of the empty seat belonging to Huaiyuan Gate and Zhuo Si from the Yinshan District, Lu Yin was unfamiliar with the other seven Gate Masters, though he did know that all of them were powerhouses who exceeded normal Envoys.

"This is the new acting Gate Master of Huaiyuan Gate, Long Qi," Qing Chen introduced.

There were eight communication crystals before Lu Yin, and he could see the images of the eight Gate Masters.

"Junior Long Qi greets his seniors," Lu Yin politely greeted the eight. He demonstrated a very humble attitude, and his face was somber, though it also had a trace of anxiety and expectations. Just a glance was enough to see an expectant youth who was full of ambition, though also very honest.

"Hehe, kid, do you know that there has never been a Gate Master whose realm was only that of a Hunter in the entire history of Humility's Gate?" Lu Yin's mouth went dry. The woman who had just addressed him was too seductive.

If Madam Nalan was the type of woman who could naturally and effortlessly seduce any human, then this woman was the type who put on a flirtatious act. Still, she was incredibly appealing.

And that was doubly so for the outfit that she was wearing. Lu Yin quickly glanced at it, as it was completely indecent.

"This junior knows that he is unqualified, so I hope to be able to learn a great deal from you seniors. I also hope that you seniors will offer me your advice. This junior would be grateful to all of you," Lu Yin spoke in a very respectful tone.

The woman chuckled again, and her red lips opened. "If you have the time, come to the Bifrost to play with this sister. I'll wait to give you advice when you visit me, though I'm afraid that you won't be able to handle it."

Lu Yin's face froze for a brief moment then he laughed hoarsely.

The woman was delighted.

Zhuo Si had been staring blankly at Lu Yin the entire time. This kid was the new Gate Master? This was too much to be a joke. How had the kid pulled this off? No matter how Zhuo Si wracked his brain, he could not come up with an answer.

Lu Yin turned towards Zhuo Si and smiled. "Uncle Si, we meet again."

Zhuo Si nodded and carefully observed Lu Yin. "Work hard."

Lu Yin nodded back. "Understood."