Inside the laboratory of the Heaven Dou Empire.
The air was scorching hot, filled with a strange odor resulting from the mixture of molten metal, the volatilization of rare elements, and the intense circulation of Soul Power.
Countless sophisticated soul-guiding instruments flashed with multicolored light, and complex soul-guiding circuits covered the ground and walls like a spider web.
At this moment, in the open space in the center of the laboratory, there were piles of metal ingots, rare crystals, liquid soul-guided metal containers, and countless core materials sealed in special containers, all exuding strong spatial fluctuations and energy aura.
These were the core assets that Du Busi had brought back from the Sun Moon Empire's treasury.
Xuan Ziwen was circling around this treasure mountain, his hair was messy, his glasses were crookedly hanging on his nose, and his usually somewhat dull face was now radiating an almost manic excitement.
Sometimes he would pick up a piece of Starfall iron that emitted a dark blue luster, his fingers trembling with excitement; other times he would pounce on a sealed jar of solar essence solution that resembled liquid gold, making unconscious hoarse sounds.
Finally, his gaze settled on several specially made Storage Soul Tool engraved with the emblems of the Sun Moon Imperial Family families, which clearly contained more core and precious treasures.
"My God, this is such a huge piece of Starry Mithril?!"
"A Blazing Heart Crystal Core? This purity... those old fogies at the Illustrious Virtue Hall really went all out!"
"And this... the craftsmanship of this folded space core... amazing! Absolutely amazing!!"
"You... you actually... emptied the Sun Moon Empire's treasury?!" Xuan Ziwen suddenly raised his head, looking at Du Busi standing to the side with his arms Du Busi, his eyes wide with disbelief and shock.
Du Busi proudly raised his chin:
"Hmph, with my disciple and I, it's a piece of cake. This little bit of stuff will only keep you busy for a year or two, right? Use it sparingly."
Xuan Ziwen paid no attention to what Du Busi afterward; his entire mind was completely captivated by the mountain of gold before him.
As if suddenly remembering something, he waved his hand abruptly, yelling at Du Busi as if shooing away flies, "I know, I know, Poison Sect Master, you've worked hard. Hurry up and leave, don't get in my way, I need to get to work."
"I need to carefully plan where to start dismantling—no, studying—these treasures..."
As he spoke, he eagerly lunged toward the nearest Soul Tool packaging box, a set of precision disassembly tools gleaming with a cold light appearing in his hand at some point.
Du Busi: "..."
He is the dignified Body Sect, a pillar of strength whom even the emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire treats with utmost respect, and Limit Douluo whose every stomp shakes the entire empire.
I actually... got kicked out?
Or are they being shooed away like flies by the tech geeks they themselves are supporting?
A feeling of utter absurdity and novelty welled up inside me.
Du Busi looked at Xuan Ziwen's back, completely absorbed in his technical fanaticism and oblivious to him, and his lips twitched a few times before finally turning into a sigh that was both funny and exasperating. He shook his head helplessly.
Forget it, why bother arguing with this tech fanatic?
He'd kick me out of the lab ten times over if he could turn these treasures into even more powerful Soul Tool.
But this feeling is truly... a first for me.
Du Busi turned and walked out of the heavy laboratory door, only to see a familiar figure standing silently in the shadows of the corridor.
"Hey, you're back, kid?" Du Busi's eyes lit up, and he strode forward, his large, fan-like hand instinctively reaching to pat Toji on the shoulder. "How was it? Did you manage to turn upside down that little brat Xu Tianran's nest on that trip to the palace?"
Toji's gaze swept over Du Busi's slightly embarrassed hand as he withdrew it, his face expressionless, only shaking his head slightly:
"I didn't kill him."
"Huh?" Du Busi was taken aback, then revealed an expression that said, "I knew it. I knew you weren't so bloodthirsty right now... Hmm? Wait!"
He suddenly realized:
"You didn't kill anyone? Then what were you doing sneaking into the palace? You couldn't have been spending all that time with Xu Tianran's wife, could you?"
" Ju Zi is mine." Toji's voice was flat and emotionless, as if he were simply commenting on the nice weather.
"What?" Du Busi nearly choked on his own saliva, his eyes widening like saucers, his voice changing completely, "Who? Ju Zi? That Xu Tianran's empress? Is she one of yours?"
This news shocked him even more than Toji had robbed the national treasury.
The nail in the palace was even driven into the Empress?
So he really went to catch up with someone else's wife?
"Hmm." Toji nodded, continuing to drop bombshells, "Killing Xu Tianran is possible at any time. But killing him will only result in another Xu Tianran taking his place; the foundation and war machine of the Sun Moon Empire will not stop. Trouble."
Du Busi stared wide-eyed, his mind racing, trying to keep up with Toji's train of thought:
"So...?"
"Give Ju Zi five years," Toji said succinctly. "Let her seize power and sideline Xu Tianran. Then, kill Xu Tianran and let Ju Zi completely replace him."
"Hiss!" Du Busi gasped, looking at Toji as if he were a madman. "Five years? Controlling the imperial power? Taking over the emperor's authority? And then replacing him?"
"You little brat, do you know what the royal family cares about most? It's bloodline! A pure bloodline!"
"She's a woman, no matter how capable she is, without the Xu family's bloodline, her position is illegitimate. Do you think those princes, dukes, and old fogies will accept her? They could overthrow her in a heartbeat. It's simply impossible!"
Du Busi shook his head repeatedly, thinking that Toji's plan was simply outlandish.
A woman as emperor?
It's not uncommon in the history of the Douluo Continent; for example, there was the Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago, Bibi Dong.
But all of these were accompanied by bloodshed and enormous inherent obstacles, not to mention that Ju Zi was an outsider!
Toji looked at Du Busi's "you're too naive" expression, and a very slight smile seemed to appear on the corner of his mouth.
"So..." he added calmly, "She asked for it herself. She wanted to have a child."
"Have a child... um?" Du Busi subconsciously responded, then abruptly stopped, his thoughts instantly swerved. "Have a child? Package it as Xu Tianran's child? That's one way... royal blood, having an heir can shut a lot of people up... wait, no way!"
Du Busi suddenly realized what was happening, and his gaze instantly became incredibly strange as he scrutinized Toji from head to toe, his eyes filled with inquiry, gossip, and a hint of incredulous mischief.
"So, you little brat, your people are having a baby, so the father of this child...?"
"Whose share is it?"
He drew out his words, his gaze sweeping back and forth across Shen'er's Toji, handsome face, his meaning all too clear.