Chapter 234: Praising Xingluo is Work, Living in Sun Moon is Life
At the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy, the sky was a soft white, and there wasn't a cloud in sight.
Juzi and Keke walked along the path, with Keke glancing at Juzi's tired expression.
She wondered, Did Juzi secretly stay up late studying soul tools last night?
That couldn't be right. Since when was Juzi this hardworking?
Unless it was Teacher Xuan pushing her, or an academy requirement, Juzi would never stay up all night forging soul tools. After all, crafting soul tools drained an enormous amount of energy.
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Keke asked, "Juzi, what have you been up to these past few days? Don't tell me you've been sneaking out at night for secret rendezvous while I'm asleep?"
Juzi rolled her eyes. "Keke, what nonsense are you thinking? Why would I sneak off to meet someone? But what about you? Why haven't you been crafting your beloved soul tools lately?"
She had, in fact, been sneaking out at night, but it was for the Spirit Pagoda's development. As Huo Yuhao's secretary, her responsibilities were vast.
Of course, Keke had no idea about her secret identity.
Keke tended to speak without thinking. If she accidentally let it slip, Juzi was certain that Xu Tianran would be furious with her.
If that happened, his trust in her would plummet.
Keke sighed. "Rare metals are way too expensive! You know me I can't hold onto gold soul coins for long. The moment I get some, I spend it all on rare metals for my soul tools. But the soul tools I want to build require a huge amount of resources."
Then, turning to Juzi, she flashed a playful smile.
"Hey, Juzi, why don't you lend me some rare metals? I promise I'll pay you back in gold soul coins when I have the money!"
Juzi hesitated for a moment.
She wasn't short on gold soul coins after all, Xu Tianran trusted her the most.
While Xu Tianran viewed everyone as a tool, he was more than willing to invest in those who could bring him benefits.
In the Sun Moon Empire, soul engineers earned high incomes due to their ability to sell soul tools.
But since rare metal prices remained exorbitant, soul engineers were notoriously expensive to sustain.
"Alright," Juzi nodded.
Just then, a male voice called out, "Senior Juzi."
Juzi immediately stopped and turned around. "Junior Yuhao? I haven't seen you in days."
She knew that Huo Yuhao and the others had gone out to sea, but due to her busy schedule, she hadn't had the chance to leave.
Of course, the expedition was a secret, and only a select few within the academy were aware of it.
Huo Yuhao smiled. "I've been training in my quarters these past few days, Senior Juzi. I just stepped out and had some questions about my cultivation. I was hoping to discuss them with you."
Juzi immediately understood his real intent he wanted to check on the Spirit Pagoda's progress.
After all, every now and then, she would personally report updates to him.
"Mmm, but first, why don't you join us for an academic lecture? We can talk about your cultivation questions after it's over."
Juzi was still a young woman with emotions she simply wanted to spend more time with him.
Huo Yuhao nodded. "Alright."
Keke, grinning, said, "Junior Yuhao, you showed up at the perfect time! I heard the lecturer today is a famous scholar from Xingluo! The Xingluo royal family even calls him 'Little Yu Xiaogang'!"
Huo Yuhao felt a wave of helplessness wash over him.
He already knew what kind of scholar this person was.
So the academy is inviting "foreign" scholars to give lectures?
Couldn't they have at least invited someone competent?
Just hearing the nickname 'Little Yu Xiaogang' made alarm bells ring in his head.
Yu Xiaogang was nothing more than an academic fraud.
Before long, the three of them activated their flying soul tools, heading toward the grand auditorium.
As they flew, Huo Yuhao glanced at Juzi and sent her a mental message.
"Is there anything special about this scholar? The academy executives can't be this clueless, right?"
Juzi slowed her flight and moved closer to speak softly, ensuring only the two of them could hear.
**"According to my intel, this scholar is actually a Xingluo traitor.
He constantly praises the Xingluo Empire, telling people how wonderful it is and encouraging them to 'repay the emperor's grace.'
He insists that every Xingluo citizen should remember the empire's boundless kindness."**
Then, her voice took on a mocking tone.
**"But the man very honestly bought ten properties in Mingdu.
He used a fake name, but there's no fooling the Sun Moon Empire's intelligence network.
Xu Tianran sees him as a prime target for defection, so he arranged for him to be invited here for an academic lecture.
As for me I've been assigned to convince him to switch sides."**
Hearing this, Huo Yuhao's mind instantly conjured up a single phrase
"Praising Xingluo is work, living in Sun Moon is life."
Inside the grand auditorium…
The Xingluo scholar, Zhao Wei, smoothed out the creases in his robe.
According to the Xingluo royal family's orders, his official reason for being here was an academic lecture, but his true purpose was to reignite patriotism among Xingluo immigrants.
He understood that Xingluo's citizens had become increasingly dissatisfied with their empire's Soul Master team.
Every time the Continental Soul Master Tournament came around, Xingluo's officials boasted that this year's team was their best chance at winning.
But year after year, their performance was a disappointment.
The previous tournament had been particularly disastrous.
The Shrek cheating scandal, the disgrace of Dai Hao, the White Tiger Duke's son defecting to the Sun Moon Empire, and the Sun Moon Empire's victory all of it had severely damaged the Xingluo royal family's reputation.
As a result, many talented individuals from Xingluo had chosen to emigrate to the Sun Moon Empire.
Take the White Tiger Duke's son as an example.
Before his emigration, his life was miserable.
But after moving to the Sun Moon Empire, he flourished and even won the championship.
If someone with his background had to leave to find success, then what hope was there for the average Xingluo citizen?
Of course, this wave of emigration had serious consequences.
It led to a brain drain, and if left unchecked, Xingluo's national strength would inevitably decline.
Moments later, an academy staff member arrived and led Zhao Wei to his seat.
The host greeted him before turning to the audience.
Then, with a polite smile, he asked, "Professor Zhao, I've heard you specialize in the study of Soul Masters' income. Could you share your latest findings with us?"
Zhao Wei nodded confidently. **"Of course! Based on my research, Soul Masters' financial needs are steadily increasing. This is actually a good thing after all, demand fuels motivation!
According to my calculations, a Soul Master in the Xingluo Empire only needs an annual income of twenty gold soul coins to live comfortably."**
The host raised an eyebrow. "But from what I've seen, many Soul Masters in Xingluo struggle to survive even with that income."
Zhao Wei immediately countered, "Have you ever been to the Xingluo Empire? You shouldn't make baseless claims about something you don't understand."
(End of chapter.)
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