Heavenly Court Heavenly Secrets Pavilion Branch

Linjiang Prefecture is located in the southern part of the Central Plains, equivalent to southern Henan in later generations. To the north of Shanhaiguan Pass would be the areas of Inner Mongolia and Liaoning, with Shanhaiguan Pass itself located east of Qinhuangdao.

The distance was immense. Even with Lin Xiao traveling at full speed, it took him six days to reach the Great Wall, not far from Shanhaiguan Pass. Crossing the Great Wall at a non-critical section meant entering the area beyond the pass.

The Great Wall could only stop large-scale nomadic incursions from the north; it was ineffective against individual martial arts experts. Lin Xiao easily crossed the Great Wall and traveled for nearly fifty li before finding a small town. This immediately highlighted the difference between the lands beyond and within the pass: vast and sparsely populated.

He spent a day in the town but couldn't gather any useful information.

The news of the stolen tribute from the Goryeo Kingdom, however, was widespread, known even to ordinary people. But no one knew where the Thirteen Riders of Saibei, who had stolen the tribute, had gone. All that was known was that the General of Shanhaiguan Pass was frantically searching for them, but without success.

If even the imperial forces couldn't find them, Lin Xiao, traveling alone, certainly wouldn't. He considered his options and decided to find the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion first to gather information.

Well, that is, if this world has a Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

Before his descent, Lin Xiao had heard that whenever Descenders discovered a new world, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion of the New Immortal Realm's Heavenly Court would send people to establish an intelligence organization in that world, also called the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. Its primary purpose was to collect information and extend the influence of the New Immortal Realm and Heavenly Court to all accessible worlds within the Void, thereby expanding their reach.

Of course, it also served the Descenders, selling or exchanging various intelligence.

Worlds with a significant number of Descenders usually had a Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. This world should, in theory, have one, and Lin Xiao needed to find it.

First, he had to go to the nearest major city, Shanhaiguan Pass. Such a strategic location should have a branch of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

He crossed the Great Wall back into the pass and then entered Shanhaiguan Pass city. Just as he entered, he saw a pattern on the stone floor of the barbican at the city gate, made of differently colored flagstones, resembling an eye. This was the universal symbol of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion across the Myriad Heavens, indicating the presence of a branch in that city.

Following the direction indicated by a marking within the pattern, he headed southeast and soon arrived at the southeastern corner of Shanhaiguan Pass, not far from the Bohai Sea. In a secluded spot near the city walls, he found a large red lantern hanging, bearing the exact same pattern as the one on the barbican floor. He stepped forward and knocked. A young boy opened the door and looked at him coldly without speaking.

Lin Xiao's gaze swept through the room, and then he said:

"Primordial Gate!"

The coldness on the boy's face vanished. He opened the door wider and invited Lin Xiao in, saying:

"Follow me."

As they walked, he continued, "This is the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. No disputes are allowed here, or you will be blacklisted and unable to receive services from this Pavilion in any world."

Lin Xiao nodded seriously: "I will abide by it."

"That's good."

On the surface, it appeared to be an ordinary inn, situated in a corner of the city, with little business. From the outside, there seemed to be only a shopkeeper and two waiters. Of the four tables in the hall, only one had two people eating. They smiled and greeted Lin Xiao when they saw him; these two were also Descenders.

This place only served Descenders. The boy led him to the backyard of the main hall and pushed open a sliding cabinet in an inconspicuous small room. Behind it was a staircase leading down, which looked very long and dark. It seemed the real Heavenly Secrets Pavilion was underground.

The boy led him down the dark staircase and pushed open another door. His eyes suddenly widened. Below was an underground space as large as a football field, decorated luxuriously, divided into many areas like a bar. Lin Xiao scanned the area and estimated there were over twenty Descenders inside.

Around this underground space, there were many other doors, likely hiding even larger areas.

The boy stopped after leading him down the stairs and pointed to a beautiful woman standing behind a counter resembling a bar counter, saying:

"If you need to inquire about anything or trade information, you can ask her."

"Thank you!"

Lin Xiao took out a silver ingot and gave it to the boy. He then approached the counter. The young woman in a bright yellow dress standing behind the counter placed her hands on her chest and gave him a standard bow, like a hostess, saying:

"Welcome to the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. Are you here to purchase information or exchange intelligence?"

This woman was also a Descender, but unlike other Descenders, she couldn't travel freely or undertake regular missions like "last wishes." She had to remain in the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and stay in this world for a certain number of years before she could return.

"What are the prices for purchasing information, and how does exchanging intelligence work?"

"You can pay with Spirit Coins from the Immortal Realm, or with points common to the Primordial Gate. Alternatively, if you have valuable intelligence from this world, we can exchange it."

Lin Xiao asked: "I don't have any points right now."

"You can pay the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion within one month after your return through the Primordial Gate."

"I would like to inquire about the current whereabouts of the Thirteen Riders of Saibei. How many Spirit Coins would that cost?"

The young woman in the bright yellow dress answered without hesitation: "Many people have been inquiring about this information recently. The current price is one hundred Spirit Coins. You will receive the current whereabouts of the Thirteen Riders of Saibei, and for one month after your purchase, their location coordinates will be shared with you every three days. It will end after one month."

It sounded quite worthwhile, not a one-time transaction. But the price of one hundred Spirit Coins...

To put it simply, for Lin Xiao, who was once the third young master of the Lin Family, this was a small amount of money. But now he was bankrupt. Not only were his family's assets confiscated, but all his money deposited in the Immortal Realm Central Bank was gone. He now only had a few dozen Spirit Coins left, barely enough for food.

This Immortal Realm Central Bank was similar to the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, an institution directly under the Heavenly Court. In this era, the Immortal Realm also had to integrate with the Myriad Heavens, so an upgraded version of money houses, like banks, naturally existed.

Besides the colossal Immortal Realm Central Bank, the Primordial Gate also had many banks established by major powers. For example, some top holy lands and sects in the Immortal Realm operated their own banks based on their reputation. Even some small places had locally established banks.

For instance, Shanyang City, where Lin Xiao's family was located, had a small bank called Shanyang Bank, established by the City Lord of Shanyang and invested in by many prominent families in the city. The Lin Family used to have a small stake in it, but it was used as collateral to settle debts after their recent bankruptcy.

Among all these banks, the safest was naturally the Central Bank directly under the Heavenly Court. Most transactions between Descenders were conducted through the Immortal Realm Central Bank.

Seeing his apparent hesitation, the young woman in the yellow dress added: "If you don't have that much money, I have a few other options you can choose from."

Lin Xiao's eyes lit up with joy: "Tell me."