Lin Yu: Sincerity is my secret to building relationships (Profession: Fraudster)

"Buzz--!"

Inside the Great Wilderness Armored Transport Vehicle of the Truth Company, the roar of the alchemy engine and the sound of the anti-skid tires rubbing against the frozen ground entered the cabin, along with the slight bumps of the vehicle, resulting in an uncomfortable riding experience.

This discomfort made Nightless Sky Fire Apricot's already poor complexion even worse.

"What?! Arthur... what... why would you contact Sister Huo Ming?!"

What is the point of doing this?

Lin Yu looked at Nightless Sky Fire Apricot, who was throwing a tantrum because the epic battle she had been anticipating had been canceled, shrugged, and gave his reply, "The point of what I did was to force the 'Creator' to show himself... If he really exists, we captured 'Mr. Candle' and the 'Adventurer' so openly and blatantly, and we've already shown our willingness to meet him."

"If he's sensible, he should contact us first—well, of course, it could also be an attack."

Lin Yu said calmly.

Just as he said...

Omia Boson and Ailan Rainbowlight have now been subdued, sedated, and locked in another car.

The Nightless Sky Fire Apricot sighed.

"Okay, okay... I admit, your plan is a tiny bit more feasible than mine..."

Dongming Shuliu up.

"Is it really just 'a little'? It sounds to me like you mean to fight that wanted criminal Omia Boson first..."

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot looked at Dongming Shuliu and said sternly, "Viscount Dongming, Vice Minister Dongming, please watch your tone when speaking to the future Chosen of Wisdom!"

Dongming Shuliu gripped the steering wheel with his left hand and raised his Right Hand: "I am extremely sorry, Your Excellency Lord Nightless Sky Fire Apricot, please forgive my rudeness!"

Lin Yu asked in surprise, "Weren't you dissatisfied with the identity of 'Chosen of Wisdom'? I see that you're quite accepting of it."

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot spread her hands. "Why not take advantage of it? -- Just because I don't like it doesn't mean I can shirk this responsibility."

Then, Nightless Sky Fire Apricot immediately spoke again in a vicious tone.

"Don't change the subject, Arthur, you wicked bastard... When exactly did you contact Sister Huo Ming?"

"On our way here."

Lin Yu answered casually.

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot frowned. "What? I didn't see you make any contact. Weren't you just teasing that silly girl, Ailan Rainbowlight...? There's no signal underground either!"

I've sent someone over.

Lin Yu gave another reply.

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot kicked the back of Lin Yu's seat in dissatisfaction. "Can you stop giving me a half-hearted answer every time I ask a question? Can't you just be straightforward with me?"

Lin Yu originally wanted to say "no," but he glanced at Old Zheng sitting in the back row and, after putting himself in Lao Zheng's shoes, realized that this kind of answer without asking did indeed sound like a very unpleasant experience, so he nodded as well.

"Okay... I had your uncle Nightless Sky Yong Shang, make the contact. I can't let him be idle after he leaves, right?"

"For him, seeing his Niece is something he'd be happy to do—besides, Nightless Sky Huo Ming City is in charge of the Great Wilderness business, which he's quite concerned about... You might not know this, but before your mother took the throne, a large part of the reason why Nightless Sky Yong Shang was a favorite to seize the throne was because he managed the Great Wilderness affairs within the Truth Company very well and made many arrangements."

After Lin Yu finished speaking, before Nightless Sky Fire Apricot could react in any particular way, Dongming Shuliu gasped in shock.

"Hiss... that freak... uh, I mean that mysterious expert, is actually Nightless Sky Yong Shang City, and Boss Huo Ming's uncle?"

"Oh no, I almost got kicked out!"

Even though Dongming Shuliu had experienced many things in the Great Wilderness and had seen the world by following the Nightless Sky Huo Ming, he couldn't help but worry about his future.

Instead Nightless Sky Fire Apricot comforted her.

"Don't worry, what a load of rubbish, he's no longer legally recognized—he's a bona fide dead man."

Dongming Shuliu nodded. Although she didn't quite understand, the comforting words from Nightless Sky Fire Apricot eased her tension considerably.

"Oh, that makes sense... The favorites to seize the throne back then should have all been 'dealt with' by the current Family Head."

"But that's precisely why I'm a little curious, Supervisor Arthur, where did you find this person?"

Lin Yu smiled and replied, "Trade secret."

Dongming Shuliu nodded, making a "zipper" gesture with his mouth. "I understand... Well, after all, I see the Family Head every day, so I'd better not pry into these things."

As she spoke, she actually opened the glove compartment under the driver's seat, took out a pair of Headphones, put them on, and began to sway her body slightly to the music playing in the Headphones.

Looking at Dongming Shuliu's appearance, Nightless Sky Fire Apricot turned to Lin Yu.

I still have questions.

By now, Nightless Sky Fire Apricot had clearly calmed down. It was unclear whether the pressure from Dongming Shuliu had eased her emotions or whether her anger had naturally subsided over time.

After all, Nightless Sky Fire Apricot is not very temperamental and doesn't hold grudges.

"Please feel free to ask me any questions, Your Excellency, Lord Nightless Sky Fire Apricot. I will do my utmost to answer your questions and will not dare to be negligent or conceal anything."

Lin Yu also gave Nightless Sky Fire Apricot ample room to Nightless Sky Fire Apricot, responding to her question with the highest level of etiquette and the now almost obsolete Noble honorifics.

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot's lips curled up. "Those are things Omia Boson would only hear when he was a child..."

"So, how did you convince Sister Nightless Sky Huo Ming to send someone?"

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't she come to capture 'Omia Bosen,' a wanted criminal, for such a significant achievement?"

"But she takes it very seriously. The equipment and elite troops here represent almost half of her entire fortune, and she even Dongming Shuliu," said Nightless Sky Fire Apricot, resting her chin on her hand. "Don't think I'm stupid, Arthur... she's clearly betting on you."

"Sister Huo Ming knows you're trying to lure out the 'Creator'... but that's a very risky move. She could lose all her savings, and in the end, she might even be considered to have violated the secrecy law... At a time when everyone in the Nightless Sky Family is on edge, for her to do this... you must have given her a lot of benefits."

Upon hearing what Nightless Sky Fire Apricot said, Lin Yu casually replied.

"You seem to have a good understanding of the current internal structure of the Nightless Sky Family."

"Of course, they've all been pushed into the position of 'Chosen of Wisdom' candidates. They didn't care about these things before, but they're forced to know now," sighed Nightless Sky Fire Apricot. "Whose fault do you think this is, Arthur?"

Lin Yu did not answer Nightless Sky Fire Apricot's slightly reproachful words, but only responded to her previous question, "The reason why Nightless Sky Huo Ming attaches so much importance to this is partly because of you... I had your uncle convey the possibility that the two of us might be in danger."

"And as you said, at this critical juncture when the power within the Nightless Sky Family is about to be transferred, you are her important ally, perhaps even her most important ally. Whether you consider her as her 'biological sister,' 'Chosen of Wisdom,' or 'Fairy Queen,' your safety is her top priority."

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot pouted. "Stop talking nice things. I'm not the kind of person you're trying to get investment from... That might be a reason, but it's less than 30%."

What about the remaining 70%?

Lin Yu began, "What she wants most is... the 'Hand of Alchemy' ritual."

"That 'forbidden ritual' that allowed her, someone whose alchemy talent was only considered average, to gain an extremely high alchemical affinity, compatible with any Alchemical Materials."

"She's been setting it up for so long and has already collected all the materials, but she still hasn't succeeded. I think she must have encountered some technical bottleneck or problem."

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot raised an eyebrow. "The Alchemy Hand Ritual... I've heard of it, but I haven't seen the specific procedures. I've only heard that it's really difficult."

"Although Sister Huo Ming trusts me a lot, she hasn't shown me the details of the ritual she knows... But even if she asked me to show her the details, I might not be able to help her perfect the ritual or set it up."

"After all, this kind of wild Alchemy, and from such a high level, is actually quite difficult to handle."

"Arthur, have you already broken the Hand of Alchemy? -- If so, I'll have to reassess your Alchemy skills."

Lin Yu shook his head.

How could I possibly do that?

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot looked surprised. "You're lying to Sister Huo Ming?"

Lin Yu shook his head. "Of course that's impossible. In most cases, I choose to trade fairly with people in a sincere manner... Relationships maintained by 'Deception' won't last long. Only sincerity is the prerequisite for establishing good and long-term cooperative relationships."

"I did indeed provide the assistance that would allow her to complete the Alchemy Hand Ritual —the method, as for, lies with the person I sent."

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle Nightless Sky Yong Shang... he knows the 'Hand of Alchemy' ritual?"

Lin Yu took out an Alchemy notebook from his pocket.

"This is a gift that your Uncle Nightless Sky Yong Shang gave me after we first met."

Nightless Sky Fire Apricot took it, casually flipped through it, and then exclaimed in surprise.

"OMG..."

Seeing Nightless Sky Fire Apricot's astonished expression, Lin Yu calmly spoke.

"Therefore, I have reason to suspect... that the information about the 'Hand of Alchemy' ritual that your dear sister Huo Ming obtained might have been left behind by your uncle, Yongchang."

"I don't know exactly how high Nightless Sky Yong Shang's Alchemy skills are, but I can be sure of one thing... his research on these Forbidden Alchemy is absolutely unparalleled."

"With him here, there's no reason why Nightless Sky Huo Ming wouldn't be able to complete the Hand of Alchemy ritual!"