Chapter 616: Jiu Jin, You are a Close Contact!
In the parlor, Jiu Jin was contently drinking tea.
He didn’t sincerely want to recruit the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.
This was in accordance with his interests.
Although he promised Great Master Hua Ni that he would go recruit the survivors, from start to finish, he planned to botch this assignment.
Because this matter was very troublesome.
Firstly, he needed to rack his brains during the negotiation with the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps. Secondly, his negotiation might be criticized by the Alchemy Guild’s higher-ups.
Therefore, rather than spending his stamina and bearing the risks doing this, he was better off using strong pressure to move them along the path of refusing to be recruited.
When Zi Di refused, then he could justify organizing manpower to conduct large scale potion production, then dump the goods onto the marketplace.
At that time, he would have adequate time and opportunity to embezzle and fish out benefits.
“It seems this is my fortune.”
“One is the royal family’s move, forcing that guy Yuan Ci to no longer sit still and cooperate; there is a chance of obtaining the Wisteria Cache.”
“The second is that a lucrative job fell onto me. The alchemists who are stronger than me are obligated to comply with the royal family’s orders to oversee the Warm Snow Cup.”
“Hehe, I didn’t expect that sometimes, being a bit weaker has its benefits.”
Jiu Jin happily drank his tea as he thought that.
But a moment later, there were two thuds.
Two silver level alchemy puppets suddenly charged in and pincered Jiu Jin.
Yao Ma (Zi Di) soon appeared holding an alchemy crossbow pointed at Jiu Jin.
Jiu Jin was stunned for a second, then he swapped to laughing, “Magician Yao Ma, what do you think you’re doing to me?”
“Don’t be impulsive, you wouldn’t want to kill me over some argument?”
“Even if you kill me, you can’t escape. This is the Ice Sculpture Capital!”
Jiu Jin tried to steady the impulsive Yao Ma as he thought with a growl, “What is going on?”
He couldn’t understand why this was happening. After Magician Yao Ma asked for instructions, he received an order to kill him!
“Even if your backer wants to kill me out of anger, you are also a sacrificial pawn, calm down youngster!” Jiu Jin continued to persuade.
Zi Di quietly chuckled, Elder Jiu Jin, you are in close contact with a necromancer. Me killing you will rid the people of a scourge, and not only won’t I be arrested, but I will also be rewarded by the royal family.”
“Slander!”
“I am unable to make sense of your drivel!!”
“Magician Yao Ma, if you want to haggle, there is no need to use such methods.”
“Contacting a necromancer is no joke. Even if you want to slander and frame me, don’t use such grounds.”
“You might not understand, but every mention of necromancers is investigated by the royal family.”
“When you’re investigated, your secret of framing me will be exposed, you are better off thinking of another excuse.”
Although Jiu Jin’s heart was beating wildly, he calmed himself and continued to talk persuasively.
Zi Di chuckled and took out an alchemy device.
She put on an act as she displayed the device to Jiu Jin, “Take a look, this is the best evidence.”
“Elder Jiu Jin, don’t think about disavowing it.”
Jiu Jin rigidly glared at the mysterious device in Zi Di’s hand, still reluctant to admit his guilt, “Magician Yao Ma, your method is too clumsy.”
“You don’t think that taking out some presentable alchemy device at random is considered definitive proof?”
“As an Alchemy Guild elder, I have never heard of such an alchemy device.”
Zi Di sneered, “Now you can hear and also see it with your own eyes.”
“I shall present it to you.”
“This is one of our flagship alchemy products, it is called the Necromancy Aura Detector.”
“This instrument detects a lot of necromancer aura on you!”
“This level of aura indicates that you have had a long and close conversation with a necromancer. Furthermore, it hasn’t been a day since that happened.”
Jiu Jin seemed to have been struck by lightning.
He shouted, “Slander, this is pure slander.”
“I want to leave, and you want to block me, you are attacking me.”
“I am an Alchemy Guild Elder, if I die here, to say nothing of everyone in your mercenary corps, even your master backing this plan will be eradicated.”
Zi Di was not worried, and she gestured, “Elder Jiu Jin, please then, do not hesitate to leave.”
“But following this, I will take this evidence and submit a report to the Ice Sculpture Government.”
Jiu Jin berated and cursed Zi Di loudly, saying she was slandering him. But regardless of how he cursed her, he didn’t leave the parlor.
“What is that thing? How can there be a device like the Necromancy Aura Detector?”
Jiu Jin’s heart went ice cold, and his mind rapidly pondered how he should deal with this gigantic crisis.
He didn’t doubt Zi Di was deceiving him.
Not just because Zi Di’s conjecture was wholly in accordance with the facts. It was also because it was quite strange for Zi Di to denounce him for being a necromancer or being closely connected to necromancer activity.
No normal person would ever use such grounds to bargain with.
This was not a bargaining strategy.
Zi Di stared at Jiu Jin and smiled, “To be frank, I never thought I would have such good luck.”
“This alchemy device sample on me was originally planned to be used during the Warm Snow Cup Grand Contest.”
“As a result, it vibrated in my pocket.”
“Originally, I was uncertain, but when I left, I measured it twice. Each time the outcome was the same.”
“Elder Jiu Jin, I didn’t expect that you, a grand Alchemy Guild higher-up, would actually be a secret close friend of necromancers.”
Jiu Jin resolutely denied it and shook his head, “I am not, I haven’t, don’t talk drivel!”
“Do you think taking out a broken thing at random can intimidate me?”
“Hehehe.” Zi Di laughed, “It seems you still aren’t willing to face reality?”
“Let me tell you something, it is about this alchemy device’s design principle.”
Some types of this alchemy device really did exist.
The inventor was War Merchant.
At the time, the survivors on Two Eyes Island had run across a necromancer. Zi Di had once spent some time carefully researching the Necromancer Aura Detector in War Merchant’s database.
Therefore, she understood much of its design principles.
After saying some of it, Elder Jiu Jin’s look changed again, becoming pale as paper.
Although Elder Jiu Jin’s alchemy mastery was not that high, that depended on who he was being compared to. Compared to other elders, he couldn’t compete and was at the bottom. But compared to Zi Di, he far surpassed her.
He had researched alchemy runes for many years and seen enough with his own eyes.
Therefore, by just listening to Zi Di’s opening statement, he once again confirmed that the other party had such an alchemy device!
“What sin have I committed to have the misfortune of running into such a thing?!” Jiu Jin angrily trembled all over, his head filling with cold sweat.
Not long ago, he was still sighing over his luck, and now he was only thinking he was the unluckiest guy under the sun.
“Magician Gui Teng and also Yuan Ci, if anything happens to me, I’ll sell you both out!”
Jiu Jin was totally oblivious that the person who was testifying and his necromancer contact were the exact same person before him.
Zi Di completely held the advantage and calmly said, “It doesn’t matter, Senior.”
“Come, let’s sit down and have a nice chat.”
Zi Di sat down first, wearing a smile.
Seeing that smile, Jiu Jin felt a chill run down his spine, and he really wanted to kill that silver level magician.
“Don’t be impulsive, being impulsive makes it easy to make serious mistakes.” Zi Di mischievously winked at Jiu Jin, “If something happens to me, elder, your secret will be spread across the entire capital.”
Jiu Jin felt extremely depressed, but after sitting down, he calmed down a bit.
He glared at Zi Di, biting his teeth, “Magician Yao Ma, if you believe you can rely on this to blackmail me, then you are gravely mistaken.”
“Am I the type only interested in saving my own neck!?”
“If you are too excessive, at worse, we will break up. Even if I die, you will be dragged down too.”
Jiu Jin’s face was hardened and his eyes red and bloodshot, he looked like a pressed gambler.
Zi Di wasn’t the slightest nervous.
She even disdainfully sneered at him on the sly.
If this was her first meeting with Magician Jiu Jin, perhaps his attitude could fool her.
But Zi Di and Jiu Jin had met and conversed before, and during that, she grasped Jiu Jin’s character.
He excessively treasured his own plumage and was exceptionally reluctant to part with his property and power.
Elder Jiu Jin’s base nature was known by Zi Di already.
Next, Zi Di didn’t force it, rather she used her words to placate Elder Jiu Jin as much as possible and let him drink tea.
Jiu Jin drank the tea with an ashen face and a vengeful expression, once again leaking his numbness while trapped in desperate straits.
Zi Di’s smile grew stronger.
Comparing the expression of both, one could determine who was definitely winning this discussion.
The following negotiation was rather effortless for Zi Di.
After spending less than half an hour, talks came to an end.
The parlor door opened and with a deathly pale complexion, Elder Jiu Jin staggered out.
Each of his steps was as stiff as a zombie’s, and he miserably left the hotel.
At the window, Zi Di and Fei She calmly watched Magician Jiu Jin leave.
Fei She was very delighted, “Amazing, we hold this leverage, and we also forced him to sign a confession, there is also the magic images as proof. From now on, I’m not worried that Magician Ju Jin won’t submit to us!”
Fei She looked at Zi Di with admiration and gratification.
He greatly approved of Zi Di’s method for handling this. She didn’t rush to squeeze the benefits out of Jiu Jin, rather she kindly consoled Jiu Jin. It was suitable to slowly cut the meat to obtain long term profits.
“Anyway, what exactly is going on?” Fei She was exceedingly curious.
“Actually, Elder Jiu Jin is a member of the Wisteria Merchant Alliance, he also has a level zero Wisteria Secret Order.”
“What?”