Castle of Black Iron

When Zhang Tie slowly left the room of Lord Guangnan’s Manor in Xuanyuan Hill, Han Zhengfang and Han Yuanhong were chatting and drinking tea leisurely before that calligraphy "The Best" in the study of the finance minister’s mansion in the emperor’s imperial city.

As the finance minister of Taixia Country who ruled economy of such a huge country and the master of God and Power Law, many people thought that the finance minister’s mansion must be resplendent and magnificent such as paving the ground with gold bricks and lighting it up with bright pearls. Actually, besides the location of the finance minister’s mansion which was a bit special in the emperor’s imperial city, the entire financial minister’s mansion was nothing different than those major clans’ mansions in different provinces across Taixia Country. Some nouveau riches’ manors in provinces were even much more impressive than this one.

Given the look of the mansion, many rich people might not imagine that it was the residence of a minister of Taixia Country whose basic annual salary was over 30 million gold coins a year.

On the table of the study, a curl of smoke was rising from the spout of a small bronze snuff bottle which looked like an animal’s mouth. No crystal fluorite lamp was used in the study. Rich rustic magnates would especially despise those red burning candles on candlesticks.

Of course, those who would despise those things in the residence must have not seen the world. If the steward of Baisheng Building, the largest pawnshop in Gold and Power Market, came here, his face would definitely blush due to excitement only by sniffing it instead of using his eyes.

Because the incense in the snuff bottle was the most precious gold-treasuring incense in the world.

Gold-treasuring incense didn’t come from the ground, but from a special place in the Earth-elements Realm. After far-ancient mutated whales in the water died, their fat, if being preserved well for hundreds of millions of years in water, might produce a bit ingredient of gold-treasuring incense like the fossil.

Gold-treasuring incense could refresh one’s mind. Its effect could never be matched by common incense. Because it could really "refresh one’s mind". As long as one sniffed the fragrance of gold-treasuring incense, his spiritual energy would gradually increase. Besides refreshing one’s mind and making people sober, it could also relieve many negative influences and subconsciously negative implications of spiritual secret methods such as hypnotism that could decelerate one’s brain nerve function and normal thinking.

In the imperial court of Taixia Country, gold-treasuring incense was the necessity in Extreme-Purple Imperial Palace whenever Emperor Xuanyuan held the morning assembly.

Its name was related to its price.

One gram of gold-treasuring incense was worth tens of thousands of gold coins.

In this small study which looked common, the gold-treasuring incense that was burned in each minute would afford a patch of land as large as that of the finance minister’s mansion in another place outside Xuanyuan Hill across Taixia Country together with a lot of female servants and maids.

The burning candles in the study were unusual element candles. Many people might have not even heard about element candles at all.

The so-called wealth and rank should not be filling the entire palace with golds and jades but from insipid life. The real time-honored major clans in Taixia Country pursued planting pear trees in the courtyards under the looming moonlight and willow trees on the banks of ponds in the breeze. The rich style on the Western Continent and other subcontinents which people couldn’t stand to pave the ground with gold bricks being carved with floral patterns would be despised by real major clans in Taixia Country. Besides very few occasions, few major clans in Taixia Country favored such a style.

The night wind blew over the lotus pond outside the study. When ripples arose in the pond, the candlelight in the study also shook for a short while. In the shaking candlelight, the shadows of the two people who were chatting and drinking tea water in the study were reflected onto the snow-white wall of the study, twisting and quivering in a bit weird way.

Han Yuanhong had been here for over 10 minutes, during which period, the gold-treasuring incense being consumed could afford 10 such manors outside Xuanyuan Hill. How amazing it was! However, neither of the two people in the study cared about it as if they were just dried straws instead of gold-treasuring incense inside the bronze snuff bottle.

"...You mean what happened at the Qian Gate of Gold and Power Market was not especially targeting at Han Clan!"

The one who spoke was Han Zhengfang, the finance minister of Taixia Country. When he spoke, he was having a mouth of tea water with a calm look. Whether it was because of his habit or discretion, the father and the son were talking in a secret way in the study. It seemed that the two people were chatting in the study with open windows; actually, even though a knight was standing outside the door of the study, he could not hear what they were talking about at all.

"I’ve already asked about Lanster seriously today. He’s the witness and the only one who survived the fight. According to his honest report, it was indeed a coincidence for them to meet the princess of Lord Guangnan outside the Qian Gate. Because it was too crowded outside the Qian Gate, they saw Cui Li and Bai Suxian getting off the vehicle and walking towards the Qian Gate. The one who provoked Bai Suxian in words was a bodyguard of Srices. Outside the Qian Gate, Srices and one of his bodyguard wanted to make some small collision purposefully so as to sexually harass Bai Suxian when they found that Bai Suxian was beautiful and it was crowded over there." Han Yuanhong looked pretty mannered in front of his dad, which looked pretty different than the flamboyant look at the Qian Gate in the daytime. When he spoke, he slightly lowered his eye light and looked at the teacup in front of him as if it was going to bloom. Han Yuanhong added, "It’s the people from Arlkey Empire provoked her first; however, they had not imagined that they were provoking a knight who was accompanied by a more terrifying earth knight. According to Lanster, before Cui Li started a counterattack, none of them could sense the earth knight’s qi. Additionally, they felt that Bai Suxian was just a common female. Therefore, Srices became audacious..."

"It’s fine as long as it’s not a trap. Those barbarians were just seeking for death. As long as an earth knight learns some secret methods, it’s not difficult for him to hide his qi. Similarly, it’s not strange for a princess of Taixia Country to carry two alchemist’s equipment that could hide her qi. It’s those barbarians’ fault. They were blind. Don’t care about this event anymore. Now that it is involved with the princess of Lord Guangnan’s Mansion, according to my understanding of Lord Guangnan, those alive ones from Arlkey Empire might not be able to leave Taixia Country anymore. I’m afraid that Lord Guangan has already assigned killers to deal with those barbarians!" The finance minister revealed a faint sneer.

"Do we need to send these guys of Arlkey Empire away from Taixia Country?"

"No need. They’re just blind trivial roles. They’re seeking for death. It would be silly for us to confront with Lord Guangan’s Mansion only for these trivial people. Additionally, we might incur troubles and reproaches. Now that the Supreme Court of Taixia Country has already been in the investigation of this event, we should stand on the side of Taixia Country; therefore, you could assist the killers to accomplish this task smoothly when in need. Am I clear?"

"Clear!" The batch of people of Arlkey Empire being driven away from Xuanyuan Hill and that old knight who survived today were destined to die through the talk of the father and the son. The VIPs yesterday were thrown out like pye dogs climbing out of a cesspit, including a knight. The father and the son of Han Clan didn’t feel it was pitiful at all; neither did they feel that they were doing anything wrong.

"Although these barbarians are destined to die, Lord Guangnan’s Mansion’s fury might reach Crescent Subcontinent. Although we pretend to stand on the side of Lord Guangnan; we have to keep Arlkey Empire as an exchange. If Lord Guangnan’s Mansion overthrew the royal households of Arlkey Empire, the trades between us and the royal households of Arlkey Empire might be discovered. The great number of high-quality crystals in the trades would remind people of the bloody sea. The Supreme Court of Taixia Country is not seeking for all the clues concerning bloody sea across the world like wild wolves which had sniffed the bloody smell. It’s not good for us to attract these wild wolves to Crescent Subcontinent!"

"I was a bit too rude today. I came to deal with it too early. This might remind them of something..." Han Yuanhong said it in a guilty look.

"It’s not your fault. Given the intelligence, Cui Li is indeed not a common earth knight. Bai Suxian’s background also makes us scruple, not to mention the participation of the Supreme Court of Taixia Country..." Han Zhengfang had another mouthful of tea water before saying, "As long as Cui Li leaves Xuanyuan Hill, mobilize all the means of Gold and Power Law to keep a close watch on him. Now that this guy could promote to an earth knight from a black iron knight in only a few years, he must have some secrets or have gained some great secret items. I’m interested in his secret methods and secret items..."

"Dad, you mean Cui Li has grasped the Purgatory Samsara?" Han Yuanhong’s eyes sparkled.

"If this guy had grasped the Purgatory Samsara, he could not have passed Guan Qianchong’s interrogation. Now that he had passed Guan Qianchong’s interrogation and was rewarded with the bounty land, it means that he didn’t grasp Purgatory Samsara..."