Chapter 67: You Refuse Even to Grant Me Justice

Xu Lai had come bearing a message from Gu Qingfeng. He had assumed it was merely a simple errand, but to his surprise, Gu Chen showed no intention whatsoever of returning to the Northern Territory.

In his anxiety, he could only relay Gu Qingfeng's message.

Before Gu Chen could speak, Liang Yi interjected, "What is this supposed to mean? Are you trying to threaten Gu Chen using the title of the Northern Territory War King?"

"..." Xu Lai wore a pained expression. "No."

"Then what about the guaranteed admission quota?"

"His Highness the King said that as long as the Young Master returns to Gubei City, the guaranteed admission quota will be fulfilled immediately."

"Isn't that a threat?"

"..."

Gu Chen watched the scene unfold in silence. He was well aware that Liang Yi was deliberately intensifying the conflict.

Xu Lai was also acutely aware of this. He directly ignored Liang Yi and said to Gu Chen, "Young Master, if you follow Liang Yi to the Eastern Continent, how will you face the people of the Northern Territory in the future?"

Gu Chen smiled slightly. "It's not entirely out of the question for me to not go to the Eastern Continent, but you must agree to two conditions."

A flicker of hope appeared in the depths of Xu Lai's eyes. "Please state your conditions, Young Master. This humble servant will do everything in his power to fulfill them."

Upon hearing this, the expression on Liang Yi's face shifted abruptly.

Wait, they had just agreed on something—why was Gu Chen suddenly changing his mind?

"First, how did you collude with the Li family and attempt to seize my guaranteed admission quota? Make the entire process public and apologize to me."

A troubled look immediately appeared on Xu Lai's face. If that were made public, his official career would come to an immediate halt right here.

"Young Master, making the whole process public is fine, but I truly did not collude with the Li family!"

"Very well. Then let me ask you, was the SSS-grade evaluation obtained by me?"

"Yes."

"Then why did the Municipal Hall fail to issue the guaranteed admission quota in a timely manner?"

"..." Xu Lai fell silent.

"No words? Then there is nothing left to talk about. It seems I won't even need to mention the second condition."

Xu Lai furrowed his brows, left speechless for a moment.

Was it an unreasonable condition to demand that the truth of his collusion with the Li family to usurp Gu Chen's guaranteed admission quota be brought to light?

For Gu Chen, the victim, it was not unreasonable in the slightest.

However, Xu Lai was a city lord after all. How could he possibly do something that would destroy his own foundation?

"Silent, are you? That's fine. I've given you the opportunity anyway; if you won't agree, there's nothing I can do."

Gu Chen looked at the surrounding class-holders and shrugged. "Everyone has seen it for yourselves. I merely wanted justice, yet he refuses even such a trivial matter."

"If he won't even grant me justice, can I expect him to give me my quota and my resources? Absolutely not."

"Therefore, it is not that I wish to leave Lin City; it is Lin City that is forcing me to leave."

Xu Lai's cheek twitched uncontrollably, leaving him utterly speechless.

The negotiations had collapsed.

In truth, this matter never needed negotiation in the first place, because as long as Xu Lai drew breath, he would never make his collusion with the Li family public.

He was the City Lord of Lin City, a Tier 5 class-holder. Since Gu Qingfeng was letting him off the hook, he certainly wasn't going to do something that would ruin his own foundation.

Even if Gu Chen was Gu Qingfeng's son, it wasn't enough to make him sacrifice his future and career to publicize his own scandals.

After all, he had merely come here under orders to deliver a message to Gu Chen.

If Gu Chen was willing to return, he would naturally have completed his mission. If Gu Chen refused to return, as a subordinate of Gu Qingfeng, could he possibly drag Gu Chen back to Gubei City in chains?

That was entirely impossible.

Now that the Lin City Li family had been wiped out, there was simply no evidence left regarding his suppression of Gu Chen's admission quota.

In fact, it was precisely because he had withheld that quota that he had provided Gu Qingfeng with a "handle" to manipulate Gu Chen.

Yet no one could have anticipated that Liang Yi's arrival would directly present an optimal alternative.

The Northern Territory wouldn't give him the guaranteed admission quota?

Pardon him, but the Eastern Continent had already delivered it, along with a vast array of resources as compensation.

Which one to choose was as clear as a mirror in Gu Chen's mind, which was why he had agreed to Liang Yi without hesitation.

Xu Lai nodded, speaking in a tone laden with heavy regret. "I have delivered His Highness's message. Since the Young Master is unwilling to return to Gubei City, I can only say this much."

"As for the guaranteed admission quota, it is not that Lin City is unwilling to grant it to you, but rather that His Highness has already made other arrangements."

"If the Young Master wishes to obtain the guaranteed admission quota, please proceed to Gubei City at your earliest convenience. Do not keep His Highness waiting."

With that, Xu Lai bowed slightly, turned around, and led his men away.

Watching Xu Lai's retreating figure, Liang Yi cast a peculiar glance at Gu Chen and said, "He withheld your guaranteed admission quota, and you're just letting him leave like this? That doesn't fit your usual style of doing things."

Gu Chen smiled faintly. "The one Xu Lai holds in awe is the Northern Territory War King, not me. Even if I forced him to kowtow and beg for forgiveness, he wouldn't feel a shred of genuine remorse."

"Therefore, to deal with such a person, you must strike straight at his most vulnerable point."

"Let him bask in his delusion a little longer. Once he becomes the target of censure and condemnation from every citizen in Lin City, he will regret ever letting me leave today."

As for a person like Xu Lai, Gu Chen naturally had no intention of letting him off lightly. Since the other party had already made a move against him, they would inevitably have to pay the price.

After all, he was someone who held grudges very deeply.

Returning to Lin City via the teleportation array, Xu Lai walked straight into his office while instructing his secretary trailing behind him:

"Alright, the message has been delivered. Since the Young Master is unwilling to return, report the situation accurately to His Highness."

"Next, issue a notice in the name of the Municipal Hall: all dungeons under the jurisdiction of Lin City will have their entry fees reduced by 20% for a period of one month."

"When all is said and done, this Young Master of ours is merely a talented class-holder after all. What kind of losses could his departure possibly inflict upon Lin City?"

"Now that I am reducing dungeon fees for all class-holders across the city, once this matter is hyped up, no one will dwell on the Gu Chen affair anymore."

"As for the future—humph, in another two years I will no longer be serving in the Northern Territory. Even if he is a royal scion, what can he possibly do to me?"

"Understood."

The secretary jotted down several key points in the notebook she held, then turned and exited the room to make the arrangements.

At the root of it all, the only person Xu Lai feared was the Northern Territory War King, Gu Qingfeng.

As for Gu Chen, though he maintained surface politeness and respect, he hadn't taken him seriously at all.

A genius?

What did being a genius even amount to?

Not a single person who managed to hold the position of city lord within the Divine Xia Empire was mediocre; virtually all of them had been dazzlingly brilliant geniuses in their youth.

A mere unseasoned genius who had yet to fully grow carried no weight whatsoever in Xu Lai's eyes.

In his view, if Gu Chen wanted to stand toe-to-toe with him, he would at least need to become a Tier 5 class-holder first.

Unfortunately for him, Gu Chen's class was the Summoner. No matter how powerful it might be in the early stages, it could not alter the immutable fact of its subsequent power fall-off.

The class-holder system had developed over a hundred years of history, yet not a single Tier 5 Summoner had ever been born.

They always claimed that nobles who transferred into Summoners were invincible at the same tier?

True, but that was strictly limited to Tiers 2 through 4, and only under the injection of astronomical resources.

As a new summoning slot opened every 5 levels, no Summoner could possibly sustain the cultivation resources required to reach Tier 5.

This was the exact reason why Xu Lai looked down upon Gu Chen.

However, as it happened, Gu Chen was far from an ordinary Summoner.

In just a few days' time, Xu Lai would undoubtedly live to regret this utter disdain.