Chapter 4338: The Greatest Benefit
Lan Meng only told Lu Yin that Obscura had twelve colors, corresponding to red, silver, orange, transparent, yellow, black, green, white, blue, cyan, purple, and polychrome. Of the twelve, Lu Yin knew that Qi Xu represented red and Hui represented silver, though both were already dead. Orange was Hong Xia, green was You Che, blue was Lan Meng, cyan was Furball, and purple was Old Man Hehe. However, Lu Yin did not know the true identities or species of Old Man Hehe or You Che.
As for transparent, yellow, black, white, and Ba Se, Lu Yin knew nothing at all.
Yellow had spoken before, and their words showed that they were not friendly towards humanity at all. Ba Se was Obscura’s coordinator, but transparent, black, and white had not revealed the slightest trace so far.
Lu Yin was very eager to learn about the twelve colors, but it was quite possible that Lan Meng themself did not know anything else. If Lu Yin were dealing with some ancient monster like Old Man Hehe, it might be possible to learn more.
Just as he was thinking about that, a tiny gate appeared beside Lan Meng's body. Then, Lan Meng said, "Another member of Obscura is contacting me."
Lu Yin looked at the miniature gate. This was how Obscura members contacted one another on the battlefield, but Lu Yin could not use it, as he had not fully joined Obscura yet. He had not worshiped the Divine Tree, which meant that only Ba Se could contact Lu Yin.
Lan Meng looked toward the gate and connected to it with divine energy. A familiar voice rang out: Furball’s. "Lan Meng, is there a way to contact that human, Lu Yin?"
Lan Meng looked over at Lu Yin. Lu Yin smiled and nodded.
"Yes," Lan Meng replied.
Furball's voice rose. "I want to speak to him."
Lan Meng glanced at Lu Yin, but upon seeing no reaction, they asked, "What do you want with him?"
"I have business with him, of course! Help me contact him." Furball was losing patience.
Lan Meng frowned. "Why should I help you?"
"Because I can protect you. Otherwise, given your half-dead state, you absolutely won’t survive to return home," Furball stated harshly.
Lan Meng sneered. "Then I will just hide."
They were afraid of Lu Yin because the young human walked the edge of a razor, deliberately skirting Obscura' rules. In particular, his ability to teleport was infuriatingly effective. Lan Meng could not avoid him even if they wanted to, and he might truly be able to kill them without breaking Obscura’s rules.
Furball was different. They were on different battlefields, and Furball was an Immortal. They possessed no particular advantage in this war against the Mudwater Dominion, which meant that Furball could not cause Lan Meng any trouble at all.
Lu Yin’s appearance was proof that he had already dealt with his own opponent. Compared to Furball, Lu Yin was a much greater threat. This was something that had nothing to do with raw power.
Obscura was fair. Regardless of a member’s strength, internal conflicts would not be allowed to escalate.
Furball heavily replied, "Helping me contact him will also benefit you. We can offer him terms so that he protects you first, which will at least guarantee you surviving this war."
Lu Yin stared at Lan Meng. "Ask them who was watching Ancestor Shan."
Lan Meng hesitated, which caused Lu Yin to frown and stare at Lan Meng with growing intensity.
Lan Meng absolutely did not want to get involved. Even at this moment, they felt a lingering fear from what had happened before. The being that had rendered them unable to even resist was too terrifying. If they did as Lu Yin asked, they feared that disaster might follow.
However, Cyan likely doesn’t know, right?
"I can help you contact Lu Yin, but tell me who was watching Ancestor Shan back then. Who forced me to attack that toad?" Lan Meng sounded helpless.
There was silence for a moment. "Are you asking me?"
"Who else would I be asking?"
"How should I know?"
"Did you not say in Vestigium that you knew?" Lan Meng snapped.
Furball sneered. "I was just messing with that brat. You believed me? I don’t know, but that old fellow Purple definitely knows. They will also contact you to speak with Lu Yin. Ask them yourself."
"Then you are of no use," Lan Meng retorted.
Furball’s voice dropped low. "Blue, do not be ungrateful."
Lan Meng’s tone matched Furball’s. "You exposed my Bluebright Realm. I have not even started to settle accounts with you concerning that, and yet you want me for help?"
"I only gave the name, not the location. I don’t care if you believe me. If you die during this war, then fine, but if you don’t and you don’t help me, then I will give Lu Yin the coordinates to your Bluebright Realm. We’ll see if the human powerhouses behind him or those damn toads will come after you," Furball threatened.
Lan Meng was furious. "You!"
They did not dare say anything more, out of fear that Furball would blurt out the coordinates.
Although Lan Meng had already agreed with Lu Yin that they would have nothing more to do with each other, such agreements depended on both parties’ integrity. If the location was exposed, Lu Yin would have all the initiative, which was not something that Lan Meng wanted to see.
Lu Yin knew Lan Meng would not say anything more, so he spoke up. "Furball, are you looking for me?"
"Lu Yin? Are you right beside Lan Meng? Are you testing me?" Furball's voice dropped low.
Lu Yin smiled. "You want to chat with me? I have plenty of time, so we can take things slowly."
Furball's tone shifted. "Do you still remember what we said in Vestigium before this war?"
"The Mudwater Dominion is indeed a difficult opponent. As soon as they feel that they are guaranteed to die and can’t escape, they designate karma, which is far too much of a disadvantage for you Immortal beings. I understand."
"Say it. What will it take for you to help us?" Furball bluntly asked.
Lu Yin acted confused. "They can only threaten you with their karma designation; at worst, you can simply refuse to fight. Why do you insist on dealing with these opponents?"
"Why join Obscura at all?" Furball countered.
Lu Yin eyebrows rose, but before he could answer, another gate appeared beside Lan Meng. They glanced at Lu Yin and then connected to the gate with divine energy.
"Little Lan Meng, can you contact that child, Lu Yin?" It was Old Man Hehe.
Lu Yin slowly smiled. "I’m right here, Old Man Hehe. If you want me to help you, that’s fine. Just tell me who was watching Ancestor Shan."
Furball did not speak for the moment, seemingly also curious about this question.
Old Man Hehe laughed. "Hehe, I do not know."
Lu Yin arched a brow. "Didn’t you say that you knew?"
"Hehe, everyone was chatting so happily, so I just went along with the conversation. Child, did you really take that seriously?" Old Man Hehe sounded very relaxed.
Lu Yin sneered. "Fine. Do whatever you please, but I won’t help you in this war."
"You do not get to decide that," Old Man Hehe replied.
Lu Yin laughed. "What? Can you force me?"
"Temptation is not the same as coercion. Child, I have no hostility toward you."
"What kind of temptation? Tell me who was watching Ancestor Shan."
"Do not take words seriously when they are merely spoken to maintain the mood. Furball came to you, did they not? What terms did they offer you for your help?"
Lu Yin glanced at the other gate. Furball was still refusing to speak. "That they’ll tell me your identity."
"Hehe, they will not."
"They already agreed."
"Hehe, they will not."
"Why not?"
"They do not know."
Lu Yin frowned. "Furball doesn’t know who you are?"
"Hehe, they have guessed, but they are wrong. Child, why do you want to know my identity?"
"Curiosity."
"Do you want to investigate every member of Obscura so that you can one day fight Obscura in a decisive battle? That would be unwise. Even at the Nine Ramparts’ peak, human civilization failed to destroy Obscura. There may only be a few members of Obscura, but the waters run deep."
Lu Yin's eyes flickered. "How deep?"
"Hehe, bottomless."
"Then who has the greatest depths?"
"Do even I know that?"
Lu Yin said nothing further as he stared at the two miniature gates.
"Child, war is the fastest way to forge friendships. There may not be communication in the Aevum Inch, but Obscura can allow for the creation of bonds. Do you want our friendship?"
Lu Yin’s voice grew somber. "Friendship needs a foundation of mutual understanding and honest openness."
"That day will come.”
"All this talk won’t reveal anything useful. Lu Yin, trying to understand Obscura is simply unrealistic. None of us have ever succeeded. First, we must deal with what is in front of us," Furball said impatiently, "Old thing, just tell him your conditions."
Old Man Hehe was not surprised to learn that Furball had been listening. "Child, what do you want? Just be realistic."
"I want to help my civilization gain ten Immortals."
"Hehe."
"Lu Yin, do you even understand what you are saying?"
He asked, "Is that excessive? It’s five for each of you."
"Hmph! Do you think that Immortal beings can be freely created? This Mudwater Dominion can create mud dolls, but after a certain time limit, they grow weaker. Even with this restriction, it is already a remarkable method, as other civilizations can only rely on individual cultivation to produce Immortals. Hong Xia's Crimson Starshade follows the Path of Dispassion to overcome Dukkha, increasing their success rate, but even then, how many can they produce? Without the Crimson Starshade’s legacy, the Path of Dispassion, their Immortals would be greatly inferior to those who truly cultivate their way to the Immortal realm.
"Even those who break into the Immortal realm through the reset of a megaverse are stronger than those who advance with Crimson Starshade’s Path of Dispassion. That civilization’s true strength is their legacy.
"Even Crimson Starshade can only do that much. How do you expect us to help your human civilization?"
“Hehe, child, if Immortals could appear so easily, the Aevum Inch would have fallen into chaos long ago. Be realistic. You’re already brushing against the limit, that won’t end well for you.”
“What limit?”
“Hehe, you’ll find out soon enough.”
Lu Yin irritatedly replied, "You put on an act, pretending to be all mysterious. You old monsters have reaped many benefits by joining Obscura, and Obscura’s wars are the price that you are supposed to pay. Now, after reaping those benefits, you want me to pay the price for you. Is this what you are referring to as realistic?"
Furball responded, "Eliminating one of the eight elders will reward you with the equivalent of a four-star mission. We will test the opponents’ strength, cripple them, and then leave them for you to finish. That way, the rewards will also be yours. This is practically granting you free rewards. Lu Yin, do you understand the value of a four-star reward?"
Old Man Hehe chuckled before adding, "There are still other human civilizations in other parts of the Aevum Inch."
Lu Yin was shaken. Ba Se had also mentioned that there were other human civilizations out there. He had assumed that it had been referring to Crimson Starshade, but it was clear that Old Man Hehe was talking about another civilization.
"Human civilizations are very special. Obscura participated in the war to destroy the Nine Ramparts, becoming mortal enemies with humanity. Because of that, anything that has a connection to human civilization is invaluable to Obscura. Child, you should have already dealt with one of the eight elders, but that is not enough. If you want to find other human civilizations, especially those that are capable of helping your own, you will need to receive at least a five-star mission reward. This is completely unrelated to the combat strength of human civilization, but rather the level of threat that Obscura assigns to them. To Obscura, the more human civilizations that unite, the greater the danger.
"Earn a five-star reward by helping us deal with our opponents. With that, you will be able to learn where other human civilizations are and gain greater knowledge of the Nine Ramparts. That would be how you can earn the greatest benefits."
