My Professions Have Too Much Personality - Chapter 239 - 153: The Only Way Out Under the Holy Banquet (Part 2)
Chapter 239: Chapter 153: The Only Way Out Under the Holy Banquet (Part 2)
“With no other choice, they’ll have to carefully cultivate Hongxuan. They’ll surely help us solve our problems for the sake of a future Morning Star Tier.”
“So that was your goal all along—to use this opportunity to let Hongxuan see that Stone Slab?” Chong Jingtian’s expression darkened. He finally understood. Yuan Capital had planned this visit all along.
“It’s not about using an opportunity.” Wu Chenpei shook his head. “This is our only path to survival.”
“Only path to survival?” Chong Jingtian sneered. “You’ve been plotting this for a long time, and you only tell me now. You claim it’s for our sake, but do you really think I’d believe that?”
“In my opinion, it would have been better to just send the information directly to the Royal Court.”
“This is the best way,” Wu Chenpei sighed. “When the nest is overturned, can any egg remain intact? Once the Holy Banquet begins, none of us can escape. Why would I ever try to harm you?”
“We’ve been preparing this path to survival for a very long time.”
“You already know what that profession is?” Chong Jingtian’s expression soured as he picked up on the hidden meaning.
Wu Chenpei fell silent. After a long moment, he finally said, “Its name is the Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator.”
Chong Jingtian was stunned. “Red Thunder Star? Venerable Red Thunder? This profession is the Divine Spirit you’ve been worshipping all this time?”
“We didn’t know before, either; we only found out later,” Wu Chenpei said evasively. “Perhaps long ago, an ancestor learned a fragment of the name, deified it, and that tradition has continued to this day.”
Chong Jingtian gazed out the window, his expression cold. “You people truly run deep. But I refuse.”
Wu Chenpei frowned. “Is this your refusal, or the Elder Council’s? You’re not someone who disregards the greater good. Or is it that you don’t trust me?”
“Whose greater good?” Chong Jingtian retorted. “I don’t trust you, and I don’t trust the Royal Court.”
“The scenario you describe will only come to pass if the Holy Banquet is a success. If we successfully stop it, it won’t happen.”
“We’re running out of time.” Wu Chenpei sighed deeply. “You know in your heart that this is the only way.”
“Even if there is only one way, it doesn’t have to be Hongxuan,” Chong Jingtian said coldly. “Are you telling me there’s no one in all of Ying Feng who can earn its approval?”
“You’ve had the Stone Slab for thirty years. Have you made any progress?” Wu Chenpei’s voice rose with emphasis. “It can only be Hongxuan. His Scarlet Talent is only part of the reason. Every step we’ve guided him through has been to ensure he is not just recognized, but chosen.”
“No one in Yuan Capital is more exceptional, and neither is there anyone in Ying Feng. On this entire planet, no one is more exceptional, more suitable, more perfect.”
“We’re here,” Chong Jingtian said flatly.
Wu Chenpei exited the vehicle and watched the black Hovercar recede into the distance.
Inside the car, Chong Jingtian murmured under his breath, “Great Venerable Red Flame Thunder Resonator… the chosen one…”
…
Su Chen headed for the Translation Department, but as soon as he arrived, he sensed something was off.
There were far too many Hovercars parked outside. In all his trips back and forth, he’d never seen the lot this full.
’Jing A0056… That’s a reception department vehicle,’ Su Chen mused as he stepped out of his car, glancing at the license plate on the black Hovercar beside him.
“Uncle Wang…” By the time Su Chen reached the Translation Department’s guard post, a bottle of liquor—one he’d stashed in his Storage Space at some unknown time—was already in his hand.
The guards outside were stone-faced, but the middle-aged man inside the room was all smiles.
“Ah, Xiao Su…” Wang Jie, who knew Su Chen well, expertly took the offered bottle. His eyes lit up in surprise. “Jade Pot Spring! The good stuff! You shouldn’t have.”
“A shame I’m on duty right now.” He smacked his lips and stowed the bottle away.
Su Chen then asked, “The Translation Department is pretty lively today, huh?”
“You sly kid…” Wang Jie nodded. “See all those vehicles out there? They belong to the reception department. A big group from Yuan Capital arrived today.”
His suspicion confirmed, Su Chen was still confused. “What are they doing at the Translation Department?”
“What else? To flex their muscles,” Wang Jie snorted. “Every time people from Yuan Capital visit, they have to make a trip to the Translation Department. They call it a ’cultural exchange,’ but really, they’re just here to show us up.”
“I remember their last visit, three years ago.” A flash of anger crossed Wang Jie’s eyes as he pointed out the window. “They parked their vehicle right there—*right there*—blocking our main entrance.”
“I was just a team leader back then. I almost couldn’t hold myself back.”
Su Chen turned his head and saw the spot was directly in front of the Translation Department’s main doors.
“Blocking the doors? That’s pretty audacious,” Su Chen said, amazed. “Even after the ceasefire, they’re still pulling stunts like this?”
“It’s only been ten years since the ceasefire. Hatred doesn’t just vanish. Usually, for inter-city exchanges—whether we go there or they come here—it’s all done very quietly, without much fanfare.” Wang Jie shook his head, glanced around conspiratorially, and lowered his voice.
“Then again, it’s also because our old professors in there can’t seem to pull their weight. They just can’t decipher the Holy Word Stones those guys bring. It can’t be helped.”
Su Chen’s eyebrow twitched. ’They can’t decipher it? Seriously? Are our people that useless?’
Wang Jie’s account was vague, but he was just a guard, after all. Most of what he knew was just hearsay. After chatting with him for a bit longer, Su Chen entered the Translation Department.
Today, it was obvious that there were far fewer staff members walking along the internal pathways.
He arrived at Old Sang’s laboratory building and searched for him, but no one was around. He learned from Old Sang’s assistant that everyone had gone to the main conference hall.
“The delegation from Yuan Capital is being very aggressive. All the professors went to deal with them.”
Old Sang’s work assistant, Fang Xinghan, was more like an apprentice. Su Chen knew him reasonably well, so he asked for more details.
“What else could it be?” Fang Xinghan said with a wry smile. “It’s the same as last time. They brought a Holy Word Stone and challenged us to a bet.”
“What’s the wager?” Su Chen asked, his curiosity piqued.
“This time… I think the stakes are the Saint,” Fang Xinghan responded thoughtfully.
Su Chen’s heart skipped a beat. “You’ve done this before? What was the profession on the line?”
Fang Xinghan thought for a moment. “Last time, it was the Wise Man. Originally, that profession was a closely guarded secret within the Translation Department. It was the second one we’d found with abilities similar to a Scholar, so we suspected a connection. After we lost the bet, we had no choice but to make the information public.”
“And what did they put up as their stake?” Su Chen asked, a suspicion forming in his mind.
“What else? It’s always the Spiritualist. Everyone believes these professions are connected, but no one can prove it,” Fang Xinghan said with a sigh of resignation.
“I have no idea where they get their Holy Word Stones. Last time, several of our professors worked together for almost six months and still couldn’t figure out which profession it was.”
“It was that bad?” Su Chen was genuinely surprised. The people he’d met, like Sang Hanhai and Qin Qiyuan, were by no means unskilled. He couldn’t believe they had suffered such a crushing defeat.
“Didn’t Elder Pu get involved?” Su Chen couldn’t help but ask.
“Last time, Elder Pu wasn’t at the Judicial Court,” Fang Xinghan explained, his voice filled with anticipation. “But he’s here this time. Yuan Capital is bound to return in failure.”
’Isn’t this my area of expertise? I can’t believe Old Sang never mentioned it to me.’
Puzzled, Su Chen thanked him and prepared to go see for himself.
But Fang Xinghan stopped him, pulling Su Chen into a break room. “You should stay away,” he said, shaking his head. “Deciphering a Holy Word Stone takes a long time. If they actually agree to a wager, you’ll definitely be able to see it.”
“We all signed a Secret Contract about your situation. Elder Sang probably doesn’t want you to be exposed.”
He knew Su Chen was a Celestial-Appointed Translator, but there was a long cooldown between each of his resonances; he couldn’t possibly decipher it on the spot.
“I see…” Su Chen now understood why Old Sang had never mentioned this to him.
But this involved the Spiritualist, something he was desperate to find. How could he possibly not go? He immediately said, “Don’t worry. I’m just going to watch the excitement from the sidelines.”
Fang Xinghan looked like he wanted to protest, but he was only an assistant. If Su Chen insisted on going, there was nothing he could do to stop him.
He left the laboratory building and headed straight in the direction Fang Xinghan had indicated.
…
The main conference hall was typically where the Translation Department held meetings, but today, the air was fraught with tension. People were already crowded along both sides of the long, rectangular metal table.
Sang Hanhai, Qin Qiyuan, and the others stood on the left, their faces cold and grim.
On the right side was a group of people dressed in red robes. Their leader wore a smile and sported a neat little mustache. On the table before him rested a Holy Word Stone, shimmering with a faint light.
