Chapter 255: Meeting with the Senior Members of the Zephyr Church

Li Tianming said, "Then I'll contact that protector of theirs now."

Li Tianming dialed the phone in front of Qin Siyang and Qian Wenzhao.

"Hello, Chris? It's me, Li Tianming."

"Here's the thing, Qin Siyang and I have something important to discuss with your Zephyr Church. Can your sect's Holy Son and the three protectors find some time to come to the Management Bureau of District 9 for a meeting?"

"Yes, all three protectors and the Holy Son must be present."

"Yes, the matter is quite serious; it's about your sect's share of the Crimson Crystal."

"I'll ask."

Li Tianming looked at Qin Siyang, "Chris said that if the three protectors can't all make it, would it be okay for just him and the Holy Son to come?"

Qin Siyang shook his head, "The three protectors and the Holy Son—if even one is missing, there's nothing to talk about."

Li Tianming nodded, "No, they must all be present. Hmm? You want to meet first? You're still in District 9? No problem. We're at the Management Bureau."

Some things were inconvenient to discuss over the phone, so Chris wanted to probe first.

Li Tianming agreed.

About half an hour later, a red-haired middle-aged man wearing a red cloak walked into the office.

Li Tianming stood up to introduce him, "Chris, the Red-Robed Protector of the Zephyr Church. This is Qin Siyang; it's your first time meeting him. Qian Wenzhao—you've met before."

"Hello, Mr. Qin."

"Hello."

The two shook hands, and Chris sat down, "Mr. Qin, Mr. Ling, Mr. Qian, may I ask why you need to talk to our sect's Holy Son and protectors?"

Qin Siyang got straight to the point, "Someone from your Zephyr Church wants to harm me."

Chris frowned, "Harm you? Mr. Qin, are you joking?"

"I have no grudge against your sect. Why would I make up such a lie? Your followers already had a knife to my throat. The fact that I didn't immediately kick your sect out of the Crimson Crystal negotiations already shows my patience."

Hearing Qin Siyang's cold tone, Chris realized this wasn't baseless talk.

"Mr. Qin, do you have evidence?"

"If I had evidence, I would've reported it directly to the United Government. Why would I need to talk to you?"

"But without evidence—"

Qin Siyang raised his hand to stop Chris from arguing, "We're not fools. Who leaves evidence when doing shady things? Since I've determined it's your people, I'm not wrong."

Qin Siyang's assertiveness far exceeded Chris's expectations.

He had assumed that a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old kid would be easy to talk to and indecisive.

But now he realized this kid was incredibly difficult to deal with.

Chris abandoned the idea of fooling him and said, "I don't know who tried to harm you, but I can assure you it wasn't me. I hope you can believe that."

"I know it wasn't you. You've been cooperating with Old Li this whole time. Harming me would only complicate things unnecessarily."

"Mm, I appreciate your trust. So, you want all four of us here just to get to the bottom of this?"

"That's right. Find out who's behind it and kick them out of the Crimson Crystal distribution. Only then can your Zephyr Church have a seat at the negotiating table. Otherwise, don't blame me for killing three thousand just to ensure none escape."

"Mr. Qin, why are you so sure that the one behind this must be one of our protectors or the Holy Son? Couldn't it be some rogue follower acting on their own?"

"Because the risk and reward don't match up. I'll start with the top leaders first. If it's not you, then I'll look elsewhere."

Chris sighed, "I understand. I'll make sure they all come and talk to you."

Qian Wenzhao said, "Two days later, we'll meet at the Management Bureau. That shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Two days…"

"The three of us are busy and need to meet with various factions. We can't afford to keep delaying just for your sect."

Chris's expression darkened, "Alright, I understand."

"Then it's settled."

———

Two days later, at the Management Bureau, Qin Siyang met with the highest-ranking members of the Zephyr Church.

Red-Robed Protector Chris, Blue-Robed Protector Jin Shengyu, and Yellow-Robed Protector Zhang Yingrui.

However, he could only see Chris's face.

Jin Shengyu and Zhang Yingrui's faces were entirely covered by black veils.

In front of the three stood a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boy.

This was the Holy Son of the Zephyr Church—Hu Chan.

After the introductions, everyone took their seats.

Chris spoke first, "Mr. Qin, Mr. Li, Mr. Qian. We're all here. What do you need to discuss?"

Qin Siyang got straight to the point, "I invited you here today to talk about something important. Someone from your Zephyr Church wants to kill me. I can't distribute the Crimson Crystal to my enemies."

Those few words instantly made the temperature in the room drop to freezing.

Then, Qin Siyang pulled a device from under the table.

"You all may not have seen this before. I just learned about it from Commissioner Qian today. It's an ultra-high-precision lie detector."

"I brought this not to dig into your personal secrets, but for one reason only. To find out who tried to harm me."

"So, I have only one question."

"Dear guests, have any of you sent followers to the 14121 area to plot against me?"

"You only need to answer yes or no."

The Yellow-Robed Protector Zhang Yingrui said, "Mr. Qin, isn't this a bit disrespectful?"

"We traveled here with good intentions and goodwill, yet you treat us like suspects."

The Blue-Robed Protector Jin Shengyu also said, "A lie detector is only used when investigating suspects. We have no crimes, why should we submit to this?"

The Holy Son Hu Chan shook his head, "I will not answer such a humiliating question."

"Not answering is fine. It just means your sect won't be part of the Crimson Crystal negotiations."

"What did you say?"

Qin Siyang's domineering attitude caught the Zephyr Church members off guard.

Chris remained silent.

He had already experienced the boy's toughness before.

Fighting against him would get them nowhere—only make things worse.

Jin Shengyu said, "The Crimson Crystal may have been brought back by you, but it doesn't belong to you alone—"

"Qin Siyang's words represent my stance as well."

Li Tianming smiled faintly, "I can make decisions on other matters, but in this case, you'll have to convince Xiao Qin first."

Li Tianming's stance made the Zephyr Church members fall silent.

The Crimson Crystal was a rare, universal resource—useful for everything.

Everyone desperately wanted a share.

If they were excluded from the negotiations, they would regret it for life.

Qin Siyang continued, "Please don't see this lie detector as an insult. If one of you four is behind the attack, you certainly won't be getting a share of the Crimson Crystal contract."

"But the overall allocation for your sect won't change. If fewer people share the pie, won't each of you get a bigger slice?"

Qin Siyang laid out an open scheme.

Profits—always the most tempting offer.

The Holy Son Hu Chan frowned, "Mr. Qin, you are blaspheming our devotion to the God Zephyr!"

"Mm, you're right. I judged you with a villain's mind."

Qin Siyang chuckled and didn't argue further.

"Consider it nonsense. Make your own decision."

[🎉 Shoutout to Amainses, Wilver, Odds, Roger_Manon, Adolf_Cruz, Lord Clamiral, Kamron, Azurae for joining patreon. Thank you very much.🤗]

═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═

patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator

🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.

https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y