blogombal Chapter 27: The Elf Egg!
Chapter 27: The Elf Egg!
Chapter 27: The Elf Egg!
A maid led Zhang Qingxuan to a side hall inside the Papal Palace and stopped there.
"Young Master Zhang, please wait here for a moment. His Holiness the Pope is currently on official business and will be here soon," the maid said, bowing.
"Okay, I understand. You can go ahead and get busy." Zhang Qingxuan waved his hand and poured a cup of tea.
The maid bowed and quietly withdrew.
Shortly after the maid left, a familiar system notification sounded in my mind.
【Ding! 】
[Successfully checked in at the Pope's Palace in Wuhun City. Congratulations, host, you have obtained an elf egg!]
"puff""
Zhang Qingxuan nearly spat out his tea, coughing several times before he could catch his breath.
He looked closely and saw that an oval-shaped egg had appeared on the table at some point.
The eggshell is milky white with fine red lines on the surface, and it gleams softly in the sunlight.
【What's going on? You can even get this by signing in?】
Zhang Qingxuan was filled with surprise and reached out to gently touch the eggshell.
It has a warm and smooth feel, and you can vaguely sense the faint life fluctuations within it.
[System, if this thing hatches, would it be considered a soul beast?]
[Ding! Not counted!]
Upon receiving this answer, Zhang Qingxuan nodded, his doubts lessening slightly.
He carefully picked up the elf egg and examined it closely.
The patterns on the eggshell seem to contain some kind of pattern, but it is difficult to figure it out at a moment.
Time slipped away quietly during the research.
About an hour later, steady footsteps could be heard outside the palace.
Just as Zhang Qingxuan put away the spirit egg, the palace door was pushed open.
Chihiro walked in quickly.
"Greetings, Your Holiness the Pope." Zhang Qingxuan stood up and was about to bow.
"No need for such formalities, there's no need for such politeness between us!" Qian Xunji waved his hand and went straight to sit down in the main seat.
Although he was still wearing his papal robes today, his brows betrayed a weariness and irritability that were hard to conceal.
"Thank you, Your Holiness." Zhang Qingxuan sat down again, keenly sensing that something was wrong with the other person's mood.
"Oh, you!" Qianxun pointed at Zhang Qingxuan, her tone filled with helplessness.
He picked up the hot tea that the maid had just served, took a sip, and sighed deeply.
"Speak, what brings you here? My reputation isn't great these days, and hardly anyone wants to visit me anymore." Qian Xunji put down his teacup, his words almost overflowing with resentment.
"Reputation? What reputation?" Zhang Qingxuan was taken aback.
He has been focusing solely on cultivation lately, and today was the first time he had gone out in a month, completely unaware of the rumors circulating outside.
"It's all because of that whale glue incident!" Qian Xunji rubbed his temples, a wry smile on his face. "Ever since I learned the true purpose of whale glue from your father, I secretly ordered people to start buying it in large quantities, wanting to monopolize the market first. It was a good move, but who could have imagined..."
He paused, then his voice suddenly rose: "I don't know which bastard leaked the news! Now everyone's saying that I'm so desperately searching for whale glue because—because I'm impotent!"
"Cough cough cough!" Zhang Qingxuan choked on his tea, coughing several times before barely suppressing his laughter: "You—you continue."
Can you please stop laughing?!
Qian Xunji rolled her eyes, but there was nothing she could do: "This isn't over yet! I was thinking, since our reputation is already damaged, why not drag those old guys down with us?"
"So I went to find a few elders, wanting to share the matter of whale glue with them and, by the way, share the burden of these rumors."
Hearing this, Zhang Qingxuan could almost picture the scene—the expressions on the elders' faces upon hearing the news, and the "treatment" Qian Xunji might have received.
"And then?" he asked, following up on the conversation.
"And the result?" Qian Xunji slammed his fist on the table. "Those old bastards! Not only were they ungrateful, they ganged up on me and gave me a beating! They warned me not to tell anyone that I had anything to do with them! Tell me, where in the world are there such selfish and self-serving people?"
He grew angrier as he spoke, picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp, as if the cup contained not clear tea, but a bellyful of resentment.
Looking at Qian Xunji's appearance, Zhang Qingxuan coughed twice, refilled the teacup, and slowly said, "Your Holiness, in my opinion, this may not be a bad thing."
"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Qian Xunji looked up at Zhang Qingxuan, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes: "What do you mean by that?"
Zhang Qingxuan said calmly, "It is indeed unpleasant that His Holiness the Pope's reputation has been damaged, but please consider that the true efficacy of the whale shark will be discovered sooner or later."
"We just need to wait for the right moment to make it public."
He paused, and seeing that Qian Xunji was listening attentively, he continued, "At that time, His Holiness the Pope's reputation will undergo a stunning reversal."
"The deeper the misunderstanding you endure now, the more dramatic the reversal will be in the future."
"Imagine, when everyone is laughing at you, you present such a discovery that benefits the entire Soul Master world—how would they feel?"
Qian Xunji's eyes gradually brightened.
"That's just in terms of reputation," Zhang Qingxuan pressed on, "The actual profits are even more considerable. During this period of heightened tension, we can continue our low-key acquisitions to further consolidate our monopoly."
"When the truth comes out, won't those who once mocked you be begging to get their hands on the whale glue? At that time, won't you be in charge of pricing and distribution?"
He picked up his teacup and said leisurely, "Therefore, Your Holiness the Pope need not concern yourself with temporary gains or losses in reputation."
"Today's humiliation will surely bring immeasurable rewards tomorrow."
"Once the effects of the whale glue become known to the world, your prestige will reach unprecedented heights. Such achievements will be enough to leave a significant mark on the history of the Spirit Hall."
Qian Xunji remained silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Good! What a fine example of not caring about immediate gains and losses!" He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the vast sky outside the hall: "Qingxuan, Qingxuan, your words have enlightened me."
He turned to look at Zhang Qingxuan, his eyes no longer clouded, but instead gleaming with a sharp light: "Then let them laugh. I want to see what kind of expressions these people will have when the truth comes out!"
At this moment, Qian Xunji's thoughts drifted to the not-too-distant future—he could almost see the leaders of various forces smiling and bowing as they asked him to distribute the whale glue, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up again.
"Your Holiness the Pope—Your Holiness the Pope?"
Zhang Qingxuan called out several times before Qian Xunji suddenly came to his senses.
"Ah, oh—I was lost in thought for a moment." Qian Xunji raised her hand to cover the smile on her lips, coughed lightly, and sat up straight again: "By the way, you came to see me, you must have something important to say, right? Please speak freely."
He was in a great mood at the moment, and his tone was much more cheerful: "As long as it's something I know, I will definitely tell you everything without reservation."
"Thank you, Your Holiness." Zhang Qingxuan nodded slightly, but his expression became more serious. "Actually, I came here today to inquire about a place..."
He looked up at Qian Xunji and slowly uttered three words: "Evil Soul Valley".