486: I'm here to help

Chapter 486: I'm Here to Help

Jinling City, a secondary main city.

Although it was vast, Lu Ran had never been there before.

In fact,

Lu Ran had never left Black Fire City since he was a child.

Even now, he rarely visited other main cities, and if he did, he was just passing through.

This was his first time in Jinling City.

It must be said, although it was far from comparable to the Imperial Capital, this main city was truly massive.

“This must be it,” Lu Ran said, flying in the sky and looking down at Jinling City.

“Yes, it’s in here, specifically in the west of the city,” Thor said.

“Alright, let’s go take a look.” Lu Ran flew directly over.

There was no other way.

It wasn't entirely because flying was faster.

It was because this was Dragon Xia, not abroad.

In Dragon Xia, Lu Ran's face was a golden signboard; his presence wherever he went would cause too much of a stir.

Lu Ran really disliked dealing with such occasions.

So, flying over was more reliable.

At the same time, in a residence in the west of the city,

The high-ranking members of the Guild of Kalon were all present.

Seated at the head was a middle-aged man.

Below him sat the rest of the guild's high-ranking members.

“Materials are still being collected, but progress is a bit slow.”

“Actually, if we want to speed up, it’s not impossible.”

“At this rate, it will take at least another week to gather all the materials.”

“A week, we can wait.”

…

But no sooner had he finished speaking,

The middle-aged man at the head of the table said, “I can’t wait! Speed it up!”

This man was Liao Wenshan, the Guild Master of the Guild of Kalon!

“Guild Master, don’t rush. It’s only a few days. Let’s take our time. If we speed up, the amount of materials to collect will be too great, which might arouse the suspicion of the Four Great Guilds. At that time, problems are inevitable,” a person beside him reminded.

“What problems could there be? The quest was triggered by me, and it cannot be changed. The summoning of the deity must also be done by me. At that time, the deity will also be under my control. So what if the Four Great Guilds find out?” Liao Wenshan said with raised eyebrows.

But to be frank,

He was still very cautious and cunning in his heart.

If he didn't have ulterior motives, why wouldn't he directly inform the Four Great Guilds and let the country back him up in collecting the materials?

But speaking of this,

Liao Wenshan’s tone softened as he said, “Three days. Prepare the materials in three days. Try not to arouse the suspicion of the Four Great Guilds. Once the deity is summoned, I won’t have to worry about the Four Great Guilds anymore.”

In short,

What he was worried about now was being discovered by the Four Great Guilds and then being ordered to stop, preventing him from continuing to summon the deity.

This concern was not unfounded, in fact.

Historically, such things sometimes happened.

The higher-ups might feel that the power you were about to control would gradually get out of hand, and they might intervene to stop you from continuing.

Although the probability was low at the moment,

Liao Wenshan didn't want to take the risk, and coupled with Liao Wenshan's own cunning thoughts, he indeed wanted to put himself outside the rules.

So he became even more guilty.

“Understood, three days is about right,” the person beside him nodded in agreement.

Then he looked at the others, intending to assign specific tasks.

But at this moment,

Dong dong dong~

An urgent knocking sound rang out.

Liao Wenshan quickly made a shushing gesture, then allowed the person to enter.

Opening the door, the guard captain stood outside.

“What do you want? Did you forget what I said? During this time, when we’re in a meeting, don’t disturb us, don’t come near. You’re asking for death!” Liao Wenshan yelled angrily.

The guard captain's face was grim.

He said, “No, no, it’s just… I couldn’t stop him, National Scholar Lu is here.”

Who?

National Scholar Lu?

Liao Wenshan was stunned.

The next second, Lu Ran walked out from behind the guard captain.

Seeing Lu Ran, everyone present immediately tensed up as if their tails had been stepped on, their faces all looking strange.

Liao Wenshan's expression also changed.

He quickly stood up and said, “National Scholar Lu, why have you come?”

It was strange, although the Guild of Kalon was ranked just below the Four Great Guilds, they had never had any interaction with Lu Ran.

Why was Lu Ran here at this time?

Could it be… that word of what they were doing had leaked?

Lu Ran chuckled.

He looked at these people and knew from their strange expressions that all of them were aware of the deity summoning quest.

But until now, no news had spread.

The higher-ups also didn't know.

Clearly, these people intended to summon it themselves.

Their intentions…

Lu Ran didn't want to guess, nor did he bother to.

His goal was for the deity to appear; as for who summoned it, it didn't matter.

“I have something to discuss with you,” Lu Ran said.

A servant prepared a seat, but Lu Ran didn't sit.

He remained standing in the hall.

Looking at Liao Wenshan.

“I am Liao Wenshan, the Guild Master of the Guild of Kalon. National Scholar Lu, please speak directly if you have anything,” Liao Wenshan said with a forced smile.

He seemed polite,

But the look in his eyes towards Lu Ran was incredibly vigilant and cautious.

This made Lu Ran even more certain of his guess.

So he probed, “Don’t you know why I’m here?”

It would be better if they said it; if they kept it bottled up, it meant they were planning to do something sneaky.

Indeed!

Liao Wenshan’s expression changed slightly, but he still gritted his teeth and said, “I don’t understand. Although the Guild of Kalon is not small in power, it has always operated within Jinling City and rarely goes out, nor has it caused any trouble. Why are you here?”

Lu Ran saw that this fellow was pretending to be confused while knowing full well.

He was too lazy to beat around the bush anymore.

He asked directly, “How are the materials coming along?”

What?

Liao Wenshan's face changed drastically, and he looked at Lu Ran in surprise.

It was almost certain now; Lu Ran knew about their scheme!

But Liao Wenshan still didn't give up and continued, “What materials? I’m not very clear.”

Lu Ran rolled his eyes speechlessly and said, “Do I have to spell it out so clearly? The quest, the quest to summon a deity, the materials needed for the summoning ritual, do you understand? If you still don’t understand this, then I really have to question your intentions.”

The words had been spoken to this extent.

Liao Wenshan knew he couldn’t hide it anymore, and Lu Ran’s latter half of the sentence startled him greatly.

In Dragon Xia, to say you had ulterior motives, that crime was huge!

So,

Liao Wenshan said with a look of sudden realization, “Oh, you’re talking about that, huh? Hey, I just didn’t realize it then.”

Lu Ran looked at Liao Wenshan indifferently, motioning for him to continue.

Liao Wenshan continued, “Collecting materials requires a lot, and the process is very troublesome. I originally planned to report it, but I just didn’t have time, sigh, I’ve been busy lately.”

“So, you triggered the quest?” Lu Ran asked.

“Yes, it was me. I didn’t know that using that quest scroll would directly trigger it for me. Otherwise, I would have definitely turned it in first,” Liao Wenshan quickly said.

Lu Ran waved his hand.

He said, “It doesn’t matter who summons it. My purpose in coming is to speed up the summoning process. Just tell me what materials are needed, and I’ll help you out.”

Oh?

Liao Wenshan was stunned. Was there such a good thing?

Did the higher-ups trust him so much to summon the deity?