The Purpose Is Always a Visualization Map?

Upon entering the room, the first thing you see is a large communal sleeping area, which appears to be where these orphans sleep.

Apart from that, all that was visible was the dilapidated square table where they were sitting.

"Let me make this clear first, I didn't get anything valuable from you, just a few old clothes, which Shen Mei has already cut up for the orphans."

It was as if he was giving Lister a heads-up, except that his luggage actually contained more than just clothes; it also included dozens of gold coins.

Of course, Lister was too lazy to waste time on such trivial matters with the person in front of him and went straight to the point.

"I'm asking you to help me find out something, or rather, to help me steal something."

"If you're willing, all the previous issues will be wiped clean. I can also give you an extra 100 gold coins, or I can find someone to help take care of this Shanyi Hall."

Since the news of Lister's status as a foreign envoy spread throughout Jiangling Prefecture, many local families have extended invitations to him.

The Prefect of Jiangling Prefecture and others sent people to contact Lister.

Inquire about the length of his stay in Jiangling Prefecture and the date he traveled to the Imperial City.

Their attitude towards him was extremely warm, after all, in the eyes of the people of the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty, Lister's so-called diplomatic relations were actually just a tribute mission.

Apart from the north, the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty had scattered small states in several other directions.

It wasn't that the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty couldn't conquer these regions, but rather that these regions were simply too remote, and the local customs were extremely unique.

The benefits of controlling that land are not as great as the benefits of the tribe that land established its own small kingdom and then paid tribute.

The Great Chu Imperial Dynasty has always treated these sensible small countries fairly.

Therefore, the attitude of the many officials in Jiangling Prefecture towards Lister was quite unique.

We strive to showcase the grandeur and majesty of the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty to entice people.

Therefore, most of the officials in Jiangling Prefecture would give Lister face when he made his usual requests.

"Hehe~! The fact that you don't let outsiders come is the greatest consideration you can give!"

Wu Yan had a deep prejudice against him and couldn't understand why a foreign envoy like him was so unwelcome.

Was it because he threatened to talk to her about the Orphanage? Or was it Wu Yan's indiscriminate resentment towards the rich?

"Let me tell you, I only steal from the homes of high-ranking officials and wealthy people; I don't take on any other cases. And if I were to steal from you, I'd charge 300 gold coins."

In his words, he finally admitted that he had "stole" rather than just "taken".

Lister didn't lack those few hundred gold coins; he prioritized the visualization painting and considered it a good deed for the Shanyi Hall. He immediately nodded in agreement.

"OK!"

"What we're asking you to steal is an item from Assistant Commander Li, a painting or calligraphy, specifically..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wu Yan interrupted him.

"A Landscape Painting, with a knife hanging in the middle?"

How did you know?

Lister asked instinctively, but before he could even speak, Wu Yan already knew what painting he wanted.

"Could it be... that you've already been to Assistant Commander Li?"

"I've been there. The painting in his mansion is a forgery; the real one shouldn't be in his possession."

Wu Yan looked Lister up and down with a suspicious gaze, and after a while, as if to confirm, she asked Lister.

"So that visualization diagram really isn't in your possession?"

"You know this is a visualization diagram?"

Lister was increasingly surprised, feeling that the Yellow Court Saber Art Visualization Method was not what he had thought, but rather something secret.

On the contrary, it seems as if this matter was already known to many people, and only he himself, with his limited access to information, thought so.

"How fresh is it?"

"The Imperial Court Secret Treasure — the Yellow Court Saber Art Visualization Method— has been lost. News of it has spread throughout the entire Imperial City. It's just that this wretched place is so far from the emperor's reach that the news never even gets through."

"If I hadn't heard the latest leads, would I have bothered coming all the way from the Imperial City to this wretched border region of Jiang Province?"

"So you came to my house that day because of this painting?"

Seeing Wu Yan nod, Lister finally understood the current situation.

To be honest, I've gotten more clues about the visualization method, but it feels like it's getting more and more complicated.

This Imperial Court Secret Treasure has been widely circulated, attracting the attention of many thieves like Wu Yan, not to mention potential powerful forces.

Lister had been staying peacefully in the city for the past month, and only now did he realize that he had wasted a great deal of time.

"Now that you already know, do you still want me to go to Assistant Commander Li?"

"Go!"

"But I need to know why you want this painting?"

There isn't really a good strategy to deal with Wu Yan Lister. The fact that we're able to sit down and talk now is actually because of the threat posed by the Shanyi Hall.

Lister simply didn't know how long the other party could tolerate such threats.

If Wu Yan doesn't show up after getting the real painting, he currently has no one to threaten her in person.

After all, Lister wasn't so heartless as to resort to killing orphans to force Wu Yan to show herself.

"Exchange money! Someone from the Ten Thousand Dragons Society is offering a reward of a thousand taels of gold for this meditation technique."

"Ten Thousand Dragons Society?"

Wu Yan looked speechless, but considering that Lister was a foreign envoy and it was normal for him not to know, she patiently explained.

"They're Underground Intermediary Organizations; they can commission you for information, assassinations, and so on."

Sure enough, someone had been eyeing it for a while, and the price they offered wasn't low!

Lister does have a thousand gold coins on him; he had quite a few after completing the last Main Quest.

However, not many were actually brought to the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty, since the Inventory was not yet available at that time, and it was difficult to carry too many gold coins.

He had left over enough gold to hire players Open Beta, including to buy Skill Books from the Auction House. Now it seems he still didn't bring enough!

"I suspect that Assistant Commander Li himself has forgotten about this visualization technique. There might be a real painting in his house. You may have been careless last time as well."

"If you can find the real painting and steal it, I'll give you a thousand pieces of gold!"

The Yellow Court Saber Art Visualization Method is currently the most important to him, and it is almost the guarantee of his absolute strength in the later stages.

I'm too lazy to analyze whether the other party is using the so-called "Ten Thousand Dragons Society" to inflate the price.

If it's necessary to spend money, then so be it. As long as the painting is actually in hand, Lister is fine with being taken advantage of for now. He can always get his revenge next time.

In any case, compared to the Kingdom of Lucian, Jiangling Prefecture of the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty was still in the first act of the Expansion, so at least the cost wasn't as high as he had imagined.

A thousand gold pieces is already the price for stealing royal treasures, which is definitely a bargain compared to the expenses incurred in the Kingdom of Lucian.

Are you sure? Do you have that much money on you?

Wu Yan looked completely unconvinced, after all, she had been to Lister's residence before.

She'd used the "Universe in the Sleeve" skill multiple times, and there were only a few dozen gold coins in the room. Now they were asking for a thousand gold coins; how could she possibly believe it?

"I am an envoy from the Kingdom of Lucian. How could I dare to come to establish diplomatic relations without some wealth?"

"As for where the gold coins are, I dare not tell you."

"Anyway, you can see my sincerity; I'll definitely pay you the highest possible compensation on the market."

"You'd better behave yourself and think about the consequences for the Shanyi Hall if you break your promise."

Still somewhat uneasy, Lister ultimately used the Orphanage as leverage again.

Indeed, as long as you lower some of your bottom lines, many things become easier to accomplish.

After talking with Lister, Wu Yan's opinion of him had improved slightly; at least Lister's attitude was sincere and he was straightforward.

But now, after being threatened like this, his expression turned cold again.

"Since I, Wu Yan, have promised, I will naturally fulfill my promise. The reward will be the 300 gold coins I mentioned before."

"But I'm warning you! This is the last time you'll threaten me with the Shanyi Hall. If it happens again, I promise I'll make you pay with your life!"

Lister completely disregarded the ineffective counter-threat.

His true combat strength is such that even a typical level 60 Class Holder might not be able to defeat him, let alone Wu Yan in front of him.

His only concern was the power of the entire dynasty, which posed a threat not only to him personally but also to his future development plans.

Fortunately, things are going relatively smoothly for him in the Great Chu Imperial Dynasty at the moment. His move to obtain the status of an envoy from the Kingdom of Lucian was a good one.