Chapter 256: Yan Xuanjun
"Huh? What’s this?" Lian Cheng picked up the artifact that looked like a formation plate as he sipped his beer.
"It’s called the Eight Trigram Blood Arena. I got it from an assassin named Lie Ren. It seems to be able to suppress the cultivation of those inside it to match the lower of the two." Wei Chen explained.
"The lower of the two? It seems to only be able to accommodate two people." Lian Cheng said as he scrutinized the artifact in his hand.
"I haven’t used it since I got it. But yeah... it should be." Wei Chen replied.
Lian Cheng took out a strange monocle and put it on. He then scrutinized the plate-like artifact to see how it worked internally.
"You brought it to me. What do you want me to do with it? Make you another one?" he asked, guessing that Wei Chen would not come to him unless there was something he wanted.
"Before that, do you think you can replicate its function and mass-produce this thing?"
Lian Cheng looked at the artifact one more time, flipped it up and down, then replied.
"I could replicate it. It’s quite easy. But from my perspective, suppressing someone’s cultivation is not ideal for a mass-produced artifact. It uses too much energy. To suppress someone with Nascent Soul cultivation, it needs at least an equivalent amount of energy to do it. This artifact’s energy is nearly depleted, even though it has the ability to regenerate lost energy. But it’s never enough in the long run." Lian Cheng explained as he toyed with the artifact.
"I see..." Wei Chen nodded and fell into thought. Even though his knowledge of artifact crafting was only at a layman’s level, his understanding of cultivation was high. After a few minutes, he proposed another solution.
"What if we create a kind of bubble that separates the laws inside from the laws outside? That should reduce a lot of energy consumption, right?" Wei Chen asked.
"Depending on what kind of laws. If the laws are too forceful or bend the laws of heaven and earth too much, it will still require too much energy and won’t be worth it as a mass-produced tool." Lian Cheng replied before continuing.
"For example, if you want the laws to produce the exact same effect as this thing in my hand, it still wouldn’t be worth it."
"What if we equalize the cultivation realms of the people inside the bubble?" Wei Chen offered.
Lian Cheng paused, trying to catch the point. "Clarify."
"For example, there are four people within the bubble with different cultivation levels. The strongest is, let’s say, at the Nascent Soul Realm, while the other two are at Foundation Establishment or lower. Once the bubble activates, the effects of their cultivation levels will be shared equally among everyone inside."
Lian Cheng shook his head. "Reducing the cultivation of the stronger one? That’s even harder than..."
"I’m not finished yet. Listen first, okay?" Wei Chen held up a hand, causing Lian Cheng to stop and listen.
"What I mean is not a permanent reduction. The laws inside simply operate differently from those outside. It checks the total cultivation of everyone inside and then distributes the average effect of that cultivation equally among them." Wei Chen explained before asking,
"Can we do that?"
Hearing the explanation, Lian Cheng thought for a moment. He took out a sheet of paper from his storage ring, then began writing notes and drawing arrays on it while sipping beer and enjoying fish and chips as he worked.
Wei Chen did not interrupt him. He only went to the kitchen to make more fish and chips and refill the beer whenever it ran low.
After about half an hour, Lian Cheng nodded.
"It’s possible. Give me three... no, a month to make a usable prototype. Then we can talk about the automated artifact that will produce this thing."
With Lian Cheng’s confirmation, Wei Chen smiled. With this, his plan to reduce the death rate even further had advanced another step.
"May I know what you need this thing for?" Lian Cheng asked.
"One of the main reasons this world is constantly in chaos and killings are so rampant is because of the inability to enforce the law, right? That’s because people with high cultivation can easily break the law without consequences."
"I just need something that allows average law enforcement officers to bridge the gap in power and enforce the law, no matter how strong the offender is. At the very least, they’ll have to think about the consequences before doing something stupid."
Hearing Wei Chen’s explanation, Lian Cheng finally understood. If everything went according to plan, the chaos would surely decrease.
"That’s good. Then I’ll think about how we can strictly control this artifact. We can’t just let it fall into the hands of people outside law enforcement." Lian Cheng offered his opinion.
"Good thinking, buddy!" Wei Chen gave Lian Cheng a thumbs-up.
— Meanwhile - Command Center Tent —
Youqi was sitting in her private office section as she placed a cup of coffee in front of Yan Rongjun’s look-alike.
"Sister Xuanjun, you’ve arrived here instead of eldest sister. Did something happen in the Underworld? Is that why she can’t come?" Youqi asked before sitting down behind her desk.
"No, she could come, but according to protocol, only two of us can remain in the mortal realm. Otherwise, it will affect the laws of heaven and earth. Besides, I’d rather come here first to warn you." Yan Xuanjun replied.
"Warn me? What kind of warning?" Youqi asked.
"My latest divination tells me that there are many changes in fate. Someone seems to be trying to alter fate and force it back onto its previous path, before the great change brought about by our husband’s Most Valuable Employee." She continued.
"I saw a darker and bloodier future if that change succeeds. The only one capable of crushing this change is our Most Valuable Employee, because he is an anomaly whose actions and possibilities cannot be dictated by the fate of this world."
"You mean Mr. Wei?" Youqi paused. "I see... maybe because he didn’t originate from our world, and his worldview is vastly different from the people of this world. That’s why he is an anomaly."
Yan Xuanjun nodded.
"Yes. We should stay close to him, as his actions could protect us from this change. We also need to find whoever is pulling the strings behind the scenes and eliminate them before it’s too late."
Youqi listened and thought back to the conversation she had with Lian Cheng about the Fate Weaving Sovereign. She had already read the report Wei Chen sent her. This Fate Weaving Sovereign seemed to be the nemesis of Lian Cheng, who had followed him to this world.
"Fate Weaving Sovereign, huh?" Youqi muttered the name.
"Pardon?"
"Sister Xuanjun, I think I know who has been causing trouble for us." Youqi said before telling her third sister everything about the Fate Weaving Sovereign.
After listening to Youqi, Yan Xuanjun finally understood the full picture. Somehow, the nemesis of one of their employees, Lian Cheng, had arrived in this world and was causing trouble.
As a diviner, she also understood much about the workings of fate. Usually, fate would not obey those from outside the world or those considered anomalies. The reverse was also true. Fate could not interfere with anomalies that existed outside its influence, just as it could not dictate Wei Chen’s actions.
To manipulate fate, one had to bind themselves to the River of Fate and become familiar with its flow. However, to accomplish that, they also needed resources and support from people with powerful destinies.
The question was...
Who was the one helping this Fate Weaving Sovereign?
"Sister Youqi, I need to return. I need to tell our husband about this." Yan Xuanjun said.
Youqi nodded.
"Yes, this matter is important. It’s not good to tell him over the phone. But at least bring some souvenirs with you." She said as she took out a wooden box.
The box contained Texas-style barbecue that Wei Chen had grilled during the party. She had kept part of it as a souvenir for her husband, intending to give it to him after his work was done.
"Oh? What’s this?" Yan Xuanjun asked as she opened the box.
The fragrance from the barbecue immediately reached her nose.
Even though the pieces appeared charred and blackened, the sweet, sharp, smoky aroma of smoldering jade oak told her otherwise.
She couldn’t help but pick up one of the smaller pieces and try it.
The moment she took the first bite, the crackling bark gave way to tender meat. The smoky fragrance, rich oak aroma, and flavor born from long hours of slow cooking left her bewildered.
The meat was impossibly tender. It completely contradicted its blackened appearance. She had thought whoever cooked it must have overcooked it.
She savored the meat, and with every chew, she found herself unable to stop.
She reached for another piece.
Then another.
"Err... Sister?" Youqi tried to stop her third sister, but it seemed useless.
At this rate, she wouldn’t stop until at least half of it had been devoured.