Chapter 37: The Price of Poverty
"Not for now. Where is the person?"
Su Xiao opened his eyes. He had just rested briefly, after all, they were about to enter Dead Silence City, and once they arrived there, whether there would be any chance to rest was still unknown.
"Send them in."
Wu Fu looked toward the door, cleared his throat, and the smile on his face disappeared. He already carried a certain authority befitting a ruler.
Two personal guards dragged a cloth sack into the room.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
The person inside the sack struggled. Seeing this, Wu Fu leaned close to Su Xiao's ear and whispered, "Sir, this Transcendent is the best we could find. She can block sound, perception, vibration, light sensitivity, and even most forms of energy within 300 meters. If she doesn't cooperate, I have four other candidates, but their abilities are far inferior. The best of them can only block sound and minor vibrations."
"Mm, understood."
"Open it."
At Wu Fu's command, the sack was opened, revealing a woman bound hand and foot with a cloth gag in her mouth. Clearly, this wild Transcendent was uncooperative, so Wu Fu had dispatched 1,000 border troops to 'invite' her here.
"Sir, this is 'Nodding Crow.'"
Wu Fu pulled a glass bottle from his bosom, containing a pale yellow liquid.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Seeing the 'Nodding Crow' potion, the female Transcendent struggled even more violently. Three long swords were pressed against her neck.
Once she stopped struggling, the guards untied her ropes and retreated to the door. Though the door was closed, at the slightest sound from the room, they would immediately burst in.
"Huff, huff... Who the hell are you people?"
The female Transcendent gasped for breath. She had short, flaxen hair, wore a fitted leather top over a thick cloth jacket with many small pockets, and a loose belt around her waist that made it seem like her pants might fall off at any moment.
"I am Wu Fu, the current Right Imperial Guardian of the Empire."
Wu Fu stared coldly at the female Transcendent. As it turned out, anyone who could work under Su Xiao was rarely a good person. In his youth, Wu Fu was a military ruffian, and though he had climbed to the position of commander by middle age, his record was riddled with misdeeds. He was the type of person the rulers would toss into the dirtiest, hardest jobs.
"R-Right Guardian..."
The female Transcendent stared at Wu Fu in shock. Though she was a wild Transcendent, she knew who the Right Guardian was—a figure whose mere footstep could shake the entire Holy City, even the whole Empire.
The female Transcendent's name was Veronique. Judging by her record of 12 imprisonments, she was no heinous criminal. Those 12 imprisonments were absurd: getting into a fight in a bar and accidentally injuring a vegetable-selling uncle, 'kidnapping' a noble's maid only to be blackmailed by her later, leading to both being jailed, stealing the railing of the Holy City wall and claiming it was due to sleepwalking.
Given that her total time in prison didn't exceed two years, the worst thing she had done was that kidnapping case.
Veronique stared at Wu Fu in bewilderment, gulping nervously. Soon, her gaze shifted to Su Xiao, because both Wu Fu and the old divine stick were standing, while only Su Xiao sat there, holding a plate of steaming seafood noodles.
She looked at Wu Fu, then back at Su Xiao, her heart sinking. She thought, Could this be the newly crowned king everyone's been talking about? Isn't the new king a woman?
"Your name is..."
Wu Fu tapped his temple with a finger. He dealt with too many people daily to remember Veronique's name.
"I'm Veronique, 21 years old, living in Steel Fang outside the Holy City, single, my hometown is in..."
"Stop, stop, stop."
Wu Fu waved his hand and looked at Su Xiao.
"Sir, is this one acceptable?"
Su Xiao didn't speak, just slurped his noodles while sizing up Veronique. Finally, he looked at the old divine stick.
"What do you think? If not, have Wu Fu dispose of her."
Su Xiao's seemingly casual words sent a chill down Veronique's spine. She could tell this was definitely a super big shot. The Right Guardian was groveling before him like a lackey. As a wild Transcendent, she could be crushed in an instant.
"This person..."
The old divine stick immediately caught Su Xiao's meaning and also began sizing up Veronique. Wu Fu caught on as well; he had coordinated with Su Xiao on this kind of thing many times before. He stepped forward.
"I-I'm strong, no, I'm useful! I can..."
"Dispose of her."
Su Xiao suddenly spoke. The old divine stick sighed, placed a hand on his chest, and said, "Poor child. The gods will welcome you."
"W-Wait! At least let me know what you want me to do! Dying like this is too unwilling!"
Veronique had actually considered lunging at Su Xiao several times, capturing this super big shot as a hostage to escape the estate, then fleeing far away, even if it meant 'eating grass' outside the border.
"Wu Fu, handle this. From the remaining candidates..."
Just as Su Xiao spoke, Veronique suddenly sprang into action. Without any visible movement, she was already behind Su Xiao, one arm locked around his throat.
"Don't anyone move!"
Veronique roared. Though her arm was slender, her strength was considerable.
"You, and you! I'm talking to you, Imperial Right Guardian! Back off, or I'll snap his neck!"
Veronique panted heavily, her heart pounding. Her arm tightened around Su Xiao's neck, while Su Xiao continued chewing his noodles.
"Calm down. If anything happens to him, the 37,000 soldiers in the Holy City will chop you into pieces and feed you to the dogs. I won't let you off, and neither will Left Guardian Walkley."
Wu Fu's cheek twitched. Playing this act was exhausting.
"I don't care! You forced me! I was sleeping when a sack came down on me! Even if I die today, you won't get off easy! Seeing you, the Imperial Right Guardian, so nervous—that's just great!"
Veronique turned her head to look at Su Xiao, who was inches away. To her surprise, after swallowing his noodles, he calmly picked up a white napkin and wiped the broth from his lips.
"D-Don't move!"
"Not bad. At least your crisis response is decent. You won't lose your judgment from panic inside Dead Silence City."
As he spoke, Su Xiao raised his hand and grabbed Veronique's arm. She recoiled as if electrocuted, stumbling back several steps.
"If you're satisfied, Sir, I still need to deal with the unrest in the Southern Border, so..."
"Go ahead."
"Yes."
Wu Fu pushed open the door and left the room, leaving Veronique utterly bewildered.
"I didn't summon you for anything important. I'm entering Dead Silence City tomorrow morning and need your ability. You have the right to refuse."
Su Xiao sat back down. The old divine stick beside him looked at Veronique with gentle eyes, almost saying, "Child, the Light God protects you."
"Dead Silence City? Isn't that a legend?"
Veronique didn't mention refusing, because she knew that after learning Su Xiao was entering Dead Silence City, refusal meant death.
"Don't worry about that. If you're willing to enter Dead Silence City, name your terms."
"I want 3 million Black Stones!"
Veronique hesitated several times before naming that price. In her view, it was an impossible fortune.
"Agreed."
"Huh?"
Veronique stepped back again. She had originally named a high price, expecting to haggle with Su Xiao and get him to do something for her.
The old divine stick left the room and returned in less than half a minute.
With a clatter, a large cloth sack was thrown before Veronique. Coins carved from crystal spilled out, gleaming with a black luster in the sunlight—tempting indeed.
"That's 5 million Black Stones. They're yours now."
Su Xiao wasn't worried about Veronique causing trouble in Dead Silence City. Once there, unless she wanted to die, she would have to cooperate. Besides, Su Xiao had backup measures.
"I-I..."
Struck dumb by the money, Veronique leaned against the window. She swore to the heavens that she had only been asking for an exorbitant price.
Poverty had limited Veronique's imagination. Even if she had asked for 10 million Black Stones, it would only have meant two large sacks landing before her, nothing else. This money was spoils Su Xiao had acquired during his power struggle, with no other use for it.