Chapter 62 - Negotiations

“I’m not at liberty to disclose that,” Lu Hong could never admit that he had learned it while playing games in the past.

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?” Old Ghost Tu, oh no, it should be Caesar who asked with a smile.

At that moment, the side door of the hall was pushed open, and a girl with an expressionless face walked out.

“This must be the legendary Princess Linglong, Lai Li, right?” Lu Hong glanced at the girl.

The title Princess Linglong was a resounding presence three thousand years ago.

“Father, let me kill him for you!” Lai Li said solemnly.

“Not so fast,” Caesar stopped Lai Li and turned to Lu Hong, continuing, “Since you already know our identities and still sit here so brazenly, are you really not afraid of death?”

“I am, of course, I am.

Three thousand years ago, when the empire was frail, Great Emperor Caesar emerged and inherited the imperial authority, sweeping away the empire’s decline, repelling the Snowy Region in the north and striking the Beastman Empire in the west.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that the territory of the Holy Divine Empire today was conquered by you.

Sitting in front of such a great emperor like you, I feel immense pressure right now,” Lu Hong decided to flatter him first, saying some pleasing words.

Indeed, anyone who had been an emperor loved this kind of flattery.

Caesar listened with satisfaction, “I didn’t expect there to be someone who still remembers the deeds I accomplished.

Are you an admirer of mine?”

“…” How could this emperor be so narcissistic?

He thought this, but he definitely couldn’t say that aloud: “Of course, I have admired you since my childhood, always looking up to the legendary deeds you left behind, and using you as my role model.

You have illuminated the path forward for me.”

Compliments are never worn out, and Lu Hong unfettered his praises.

However, Lai Li appeared extremely disdainful, “Father, he is lying.”

“Hehe!” Caesar sneered three times.

“Um…” Lu Hong’s face turned awkward—in embarrassment, he almost forgot; Princess Linglong’s profession was that of a Third Transition Soul Walker, capable of seeing through a person’s soul at a glance.

“Well, esteemed Caesar, if the empire is facing such great disaster, will you really just watch it fall?” Lu Hong hurriedly changed the subject.

“The empire has nothing to do with me anymore; I have done enough for the empire.

Now, I only want to do what I should for myself and my daughter,” Caesar seemed very aware but completely indifferent about the empire’s current predicament.

“But you were once the Emperor of the Holy Divine Empire, and now the Pulo family is also in dire straits; the Great Prince is about to be executed, and the Fourth Prince is now being hunted by the rebels.”

“Enough, if you want to talk about the empire with me, then we have nothing else to discuss.

I won’t kill you, but I will have Lai Li cleanse your soul, and from then on, you will stay by my side,” Caesar ruthlessly interrupted Lu Hong.

Cleanse the soul?

Wouldn’t that turn him into an idiot?

Lu Hong certainly didn’t want that; he had revealed Caesar’s identity hoping to persuade him to come out of retirement to save the empire, or at least help him save Nono and Fidel.

Seeing Lai Li preparing to cast a spell, Lu Hong quickly intervened, “Wait, wait.

What if I have a way to restore your sense of taste and smell?”

“Hmm?” This statement somewhat surprised Caesar, but he didn’t quite believe it, “Do you know why Lai Li and I lost our sense of taste and smell?”

Seeing Lai Li retract her soul tendrils, Lu Hong breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Of course, I know.

It’s said that Emperor Caesar and Princess Linglong went to conquer different planes and accidentally discovered a strange world.

The people of that world worship the Soul God and almost have eternal life.

Consequently, Princess Linglong concealed her identity, infiltrated this world, and converted to the faith of the Soul God, attempting to glean the secrets of eternal life.”

Hearing Lu Hong narrate this piece of history, Caesar looked at him intrigued and spoke, “You know quite a lot.

Back then, only a few knew the details of this matter.

I didn’t expect that after thousands of years, someone could still uncover this history.

Continue, I’m now very interested in how much you actually know about what happened back then.”

“Well, I’ll continue then.” Seeing Caesar interested, Lu Hong continued his account, “Princess Linglong successfully approached the core secrets of eternal life, thereby discussing with Emperor Caesar to steal Divine Power in an attempt to achieve immortality.

However, the Soul God saw through everything.

Though they gained immortality, the price was the permanent loss of their sense of taste and smell.

Initially, Emperor Caesar and Princess Lai Li didn’t care much about this minor issue.

Compared to immortality, such a loss was insignificant.

But when Emperor Caesar and Princess Linglong returned to the Continent of God’s Grace, they unexpectedly discovered that their mission had taken a hundred years, during which the landscape had changed dramatically.

The empire had already chosen the next emperor, and the name ‘Caesar’ had gradually been forgotten.”

Lu Hong paused, watching Caesar’s reaction—the story seemed to evoke memories in him.

Seeing Lu Hong stop, Caesar gently raised his hand, signaling him to continue.

“Since the empire already had an emperor, Caesar no longer planned to reclaim the throne.

Ultimately, he decided to disappear from the world, protecting his empire in another way.

Since Emperor Caesar and Princess Linglong were immortal, even if their cultivation progressed slowly, they would still reach the summit.

Therefore, two hundred years later, a mysterious Judge ascended to the apex of power, and the empire built one of the seven towers, the Gray Tower, for him.

This Tower Master was very enthusiastic about the development and stability of the empire, pushing its prosperity and strength to another peak.”

“But with the prolonged loss of taste and smell, drawbacks gradually emerged.

No matter how appetizing the food looked or how deliciously others ate, before Emperor Caesar and Princess Linglong, there was no taste at all.

Eventually, they couldn’t endure it anymore and began traveling to various corners of the world, visiting countless planes, trying all sorts of methods, but still unable to reverse the situation,” he explained, uncovering a period in Emperor Caesar’s life that he was most reluctant to recall, thus he did not continue further.

“Who told you all these things?” After listening to Lu Hong’s description, Caesar was amazed.

During his time as the Tower Master of the Gray Tower, he had never revealed his true identity, and apart from Lai Li, it was impossible for anyone else to know.

“Well, that’s really not easy to tell you.

If I said I heard it from another world, would you believe me?” Lu Hong pondered for a moment; lying in front of Lai Li was useless, so he could only say that.

He was indeed from his original world.

“He’s not lying,” Lai Li said, her eyes fixed on Lu Hong’s soul.

“How interesting, truly interesting!” Caesar laughed.

“I didn’t expect my matters to be of concern to someone from another world.

Boy, you mentioned earlier that you could help us recover our sense of taste and smell, and now I’m somewhat inclined to believe you.”

“This method is absolutely effective, I stake my life on it!” Lu Hong quickly affirmed, patting his chest.

“Whether it works or not, we have to try.

Lai Li and I have failed too many times to care about one more.

However, if you intend to use this as a condition to make me interfere with the affairs of the empire, then I must apologize.”

“Can’t you just help out a bit?

Like saving two people?” Lu Hong probed, unwilling to give up.

“If they were ordinary people, maybe, but the people you want to save don’t seem ordinary.

They must be the Fidels you mentioned, right?

I can’t do that.

You’ll have to think of something else.”

“Why not?

It’s just saving two people, they are, after all, your descendants, sharing the same blood as you.

How can you be so heartless?” Lu Hong said, his voice heavy with frustration.

He knew that even if he managed to reach Nono, he wouldn’t be of much help, especially since his level was too low!

“You’re underestimating the Prolo family.

The Prolo family has a history much longer than the so-called Holy Eight Great Families, and the empire won’t just collapse.

If the Prolo family hasn’t made a move, there must be a reason for it.” As a former ruler of the Prolo family, Caesar obviously knew how vast his family was.

Otherwise, how could they have established the rule of the Sacred Empire under the reign of the Beastman Empire.

“Then come with me to a place; I need to retrieve something,” Lu Hong compromised, thinking of the mysterious location that could help him advance directly to the Second Transition.

If he could advance to the Second Transition sooner, he might have a chance to save Nono.

“I’m not going, too lazy to run.” Caesar, however, refused him.

“Then forget it, we’ll just part ways here!” It was only then that Lu Hong realized it wasn’t that Caesar despised the remedy to his millennia-old problem, but he was deliberately suppressing the value of Lu Hong’s bargaining chips in this deal.

If Lu Hong gradually adapted to Caesar’s conversational tactics, then Caesar would secure the maximum benefit at the smallest cost.

“Lord Caesar, are you scheming against me?” Lu Hong asked, annoyance evident in his voice.

“Ha ha, you finally figured it out.

You’re still too green, kid.

However, I don’t want to go out, but I can allow Lai Li to accompany you,” Caesar laughed, agreeing to Lu Hong’s condition.

Damn, why do I feel like I’m being shortchanged.

“Well, since I’ve agreed to your condition, tell us quickly the method to awaken our sense of taste and smell,” Caesar urged, his impatience finally showing.

It must be said, as a fox of over three thousand years, he had a much stronger psyche than most.

“Heart of the Naga, Blood of the Lion King, Soul of the Great Dragon,” Lu Hong listed the main ingredients, each item causing Caesar’s expression to darken more.

“You’re asking for my life!” Caesar complained.

“Heart of the Naga?

Where am I supposed to find that?

Not to mention, even if I find the Naga Queen, I might not be able to defeat her.

And the Blood of the Lion King is even harder to obtain than the Heart of the Naga.

If I could defeat the Lion King, the empire would have unified the Continent of God’s Grace by now.

As for the Soul of the Great Dragon, I’ve never even heard of it!”

“Hehe, these ingredients are difficult to find, but you can find the other items!” Lu Hong continued, listing rotten carrots, old cucumbers, and stinky eggs as additional ingredients, which made Caesar’s face darken even more, and he scoffed, “Are you messing with me?”

“I’m definitely not messing with you; it’s absolutely true!” Lu Hong quickly responded.

“Father, he’s not deceiving us; these items can indeed help us according to his knowledge,” Lai Li intervened, although she didn’t understand why these items needed to be mixed together.

The soul doesn’t lie, and these could indeed save them.

“Boy, first tell me what the Soul of the Great Dragon is?” Although Caesar was aware of dragons, he had never heard of the Soul of the Great Dragon.

Could it just be the soul of a dragon?

“You’ve heard of the Sky Dragon, haven’t you?” Lu Hong asked.

“Yes, they are the rulers of the White Mist plane.” Caesar was surprised.

“Could the Soul of the Great Dragon be the soul of the Sky Dragon?”

“Exactly, and it must be the soul of a Dragon Lord to be worthy of the name ‘Soul of the Great Dragon.'”

Even if this recipe could awaken the sense of taste and smell for me and Lai Li, why do I feel it’s as good as not said?” Caesar spoke helplessly.

The Queen of the Endless Seas, the ruler of the Beastman Empire, the Lion King, and the overlord of the Sky Dragon—all nearly as powerful as the Heavenly God.

Perhaps Caesar wasn’t afraid to face them one-on-one, but that didn’t mean he could defeat them, let alone kill them.

“You’re not in a hurry, right?

You can take your time.

After all, they aren’t immortal; they will age someday, but you won’t.

Just be patient, and you’ll have your opportunity,” Lu Hong chuckled, somewhat avenging the earlier suppression.