gift for meeting someone

Saying that I don't have any star energy crystals on me is very inconvenient; I don't even have any money. I should go to Mebius Bank and see how much Undying Yushan has given me. Hopefully, he won't be too stingy.

True Universe Star is quite large, but most aristocrats live not far from the Imperial Palace.

Ten minutes later, Lu Yin and Xu San arrived outside a luxurious manor, which was Sika's home.

At the same time, Bronson emerged from the void.

Lu Yin, with the two of them, approached the manor but was stopped by the guards.

"Tell Sika that Prince Zishan Lu Yin is here to visit," Lu Yin said calmly.

The guard was startled and hurried inside to report.

Soon, Sika arrived with Russ. "You insolent fool, why didn't you invite the Prince inside?" Sika first scolded the guard and then respectfully said to Lu Yin, "Prince Zishan, please forgive me for not welcoming you properly."

Russ also lowered his head respectfully, his eyes flickering with hatred.

Lu Yin smiled, "Sorry for the sudden visit, I hope Minister Sika doesn't mind the disturbance."

Sika replied, "It is an honor for me to have Prince Zishan visit my home. Please, come inside."

Lu Yin nodded and walked in without hesitation.

Sika's residence was luxurious, but it was just typical luxury, not excessive for someone of his status as the Deputy Minister of Finance. He was cautious and spoke without any flaws, showing utmost respect to Lu Yin, even though Lu Yin held no real power. His behavior was impeccable both in public and in private, which even made Lu Yin admire him a bit.

Many people would show one attitude in front of the emperor and another behind his back, but Sika was different. He acted as if he was always under the emperor's watchful eye, with every action considering Undying Yushan, leaving no room for criticism. He was a very capable person.

Lu Yin couldn't help but recall the introduction from the note given by Silver. Although Sika was the Deputy Minister of Finance, he had sidelined the Minister of Finance, Bailey, and held actual control over the empire's finances. Otherwise, the Imperial Guard's Twelfth Division wouldn't have valued him. This person had a deep scheming mind.

Facing such a person would give many people a headache as he was tough to deal with. But Lu Yin liked such people because they were smart.

"Prince, my son Russ offended you during the trial. Please forgive him," Sika immediately apologized and had Russ apologize to Lu Yin.

Lu Yin smiled, "Minister Sika, you're too kind. The trial is a battle. I hope you won't blame me for being too harsh on your son."

"Haha, you are right, Prince. Otherwise, this kid might still think he's all that in the Universe Hall. It's good for him to learn that there's always someone better. He should know there are people as talented as you out there," Sika laughed heartily.

Lu Yin also smiled at him.

Both of them were very hypocritical.

Actually, Lu Yin's visit was quite surprising to Sika. He didn't know Lu Yin's purpose. The incident with Russ trying to embarrass Lu Yin on the Effortless wasn't recent, and Sika believed he hadn't leaked anything about Long Tu. No one knew Long Tu was his man, so why did Lu Yin come? To settle scores? Unlikely.

"Minister Sika, I heard that the scenery of your birthplace is quite beautiful," Lu Yin asked curiously.

Sika smiled, "Yes, I was born on…"

Soon, an hour passed.

Xu San stood behind Lu Yin, bored out of his mind. He had no idea what Lu Yin wanted to do.

Russ felt the same, just standing beside Sika, watching the two of them chat about everything under the sun.

Everything in the Great Yu Empire was new to Lu Yin, so he could ask countless questions. But Sika was different. As the Deputy Minister of Finance, especially one who had sidelined the actual minister, he had many matters to handle. Yet he couldn't openly refuse Lu Yin's endless questions, so he had to answer them one by one, from the scenery of different planets to customs, from the trial to gossip. Another two hours passed this way.

Russ couldn't take it anymore.

Sika coughed, picked up a teacup, indicating it was time for Lu Yin to leave.

But Lu Yin acted as if he didn't see it and also picked up his teacup to drink.

After another hour, Sika coughed again, "Prince, may I ask what brings you here?"

Lu Yin said, "Nothing much, I just wanted to visit Minister Sika, to learn from your knowledge. After all, your son and I interacted a lot before, and I heard you're a learned scholar. I wanted to learn more from you. Even Long Tu told me you are very knowledgeable."

Sika's eyes flickered. He nodded and thought for a moment, then whispered something to Russ. Russ gritted his teeth, looking displeased but left.

After a while, Russ handed Sika a void ring.

Sika smiled at Lu Yin, "Prince, it can be inconvenient to handle many matters personally in the capital. It might be helpful to hire some servants to run errands. I owe a debt to the Zishan family, so please accept this small token of my respect," he said, handing the void ring to Lu Yin.

Lu Yin was surprised, "How can I accept this?" he said, but naturally took the ring.

Russ looked disdainful.

Sika smiled, "There's no need to be polite, Prince."

Lu Yin stood up, "In that case, I'll accept it. Thank you, Minister Sika."

Sika also stood, "I will see you out, Prince."

At the entrance, Lu Yin stepped out of Sika's residence and suddenly turned back, "Minister Sika, when do you have time? I would like to visit again."

Sika smiled, "Sorry, Prince, I've been very busy lately. If there's anything you want to know, we can talk outside the Great Star Gate after the morning assembly."

Lu Yin acknowledged, "Alright, see you then."

Watching Lu Yin's departing figure, Sika's face darkened.

"Father, what does that bastard mean? He wants to come again?" Russ was furious.

Sika coldly said, "He's testing me and warning me. He wants to tell me that if I target him again, he will come back."

"Him? A little money scared him off. Does he really think his Zishan title can affect us?" Russ sneered.

Sika's eyes grew cold. He realized that this person was beyond his control. How did he know Long Tu was his man? Only he and the Second Prince knew that. Not even Russ knew. And he had just saved West-Ken Maldo. This person seemed more complicated than he appeared. "Send someone to follow him," Sika ordered.

"Report, sir. Prince Zishan has gone to Minister Bailey's residence," a soldier quickly reported.

Sika's eyes changed, and he clenched his fists. Visiting him first, then going to Bailey's; it clearly showed he knew about Bailey being sidelined. Otherwise, the sequence wouldn't make sense. Prince Zishan must have someone behind him. He wouldn't know so much about the capital otherwise. This person is not simple.

"Russ, remember, don't provoke him for now," Sika said sternly.

Russ didn't understand but didn't dare contradict his father.

Bailey's residence wasn't far from Sika's, within the same aristocratic circle.

Lu Yin was respectfully invited in by Bailey, who was even more straightforward than Sika. He gave Lu Yin a void ring within half an hour.

Sika had many concerns, but Bailey didn't. He was just a puppet. He had nothing but money. He even gave Lu Yin a Mebius Bank crystal card, which looked more exquisite than Sika's.

"Prince, it is an honor for me to have you visit. Please take care of me in the future," Bailey said politely, seeing Lu Yin out.

Lu Yin smiled, "Minister Bailey, you are too kind. Please, go back."

Bailey nodded, watching Lu Yin leave until he was out of sight. Then he spat fiercely, "Damn it, blackmailing me. Let's see how long you can be complacent. Your day will come."

Lu Yin was in a very good mood. When Crown Prince Doran Yushan had given him a welcome gift, he had thought of visiting each courtier's residence to openly ask for bribes—no, for meeting gifts. If given, he would leave; if not, he would stay. He had plenty of time.

He was just a leisurely prince without real power, so he didn't care. What could happen if someone accused him of bribery? Who would bribe a powerless prince at the Explorer level?

Moreover, Undying Yushan had promised him that no one would bully him as long as he was in power. This promise had to be used quickly because who knew when Undying Yushan might die?

As for his reputation, he didn't care how these courtiers saw him. Which one of them wasn't corrupt? Why could Undying Yushan tolerate them? Because they got things done, not just indulged in corruption. Corruption wasn't scary; what was scary was corruption without accomplishment. Sika must have embezzled astronomical sums, but he managed the empire's finances well, so no one dared to criticize him.

Lu Yin was the opposite. He held no power. No matter

 how corrupt he was, he wouldn't be feared. On the contrary, it would lower many people's guard. Moreover, he was corrupting the courtiers.

After all the effort to impersonate a descendant of the Zishan family, he felt he deserved something out of it. Lu Yin comforted himself.