Chapter 84: Mebis Bank
Lu Yin had spent three full days on what he jokingly called his "bribery collection tour." The haul wasn't bad at all—five Mebis Bank star-metal cards, twelve Imperial Bank ones, and two hundred Energy Cubes. Tu San's jaw dropped, and Bronson's face twitched uncontrollably. It was the first time he'd witnessed someone so utterly shameless—actually going to officials' homes to ask for bribes.
Lu Yin grinned ear to ear. He'd paid visits to ten high officials; none gave too much, but none dared give nothing either. Add it all up, and the amount was still significant. "This kind of thing... might be worth doing regularly. Not bad at all."Unfortunately, quite a few officials had shut their doors to him. But no matter—there'd be other chances later.
Oh right, time to stop by the Mebis Bank and exchange some cash. Walking around broke just didn't feel right.
"Bronson, set a course. Mebis Bank," Lu Yin said with a spring in his step, the very image of a nouveau riche tycoon.
Inside the imperial palace, numerous officials jointly submitted a memorial to the emperor:"Your Majesty, the Prince of Tushan is abusing his position to go around soliciting bribes. We implore Your Majesty to take action!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, please uphold justice!"
Immortal Wushan sipped his tea, visibly tired. He said slowly, "Did any of you actually give him anything?"
One official replied anxiously, "No, Your Majesty. I didn't even see him—I don't have any money for bribes!"
"If you didn't give him anything," the emperor asked lightly, "then how do you know he was asking for bribes?"
Another official chimed in, "I heard about it. Lord Bailey, Lord Sika, and Lord Glorious Piru were all approached."
"You heard? And that's enough for you to formally accuse the Prince of Tushan?" Immortal Wushan's voice hardened. "Did Sika or the others admit it?"
Several ministers fell silent, fear on their faces. Of course Sika and the others would never admit to it.
The emperor took another sip of tea. "I'm aware the prince visited a few court officials. From what I know, they simply gave him some greeting gifts. He's still just a young man—there's nothing excessive about giving him a little something, is there?"
"No, Your Majesty, nothing excessive at all," a few officials muttered, clearly beaten. It was obvious the emperor was protecting the prince.
"That's enough. You may leave," the emperor waved a hand.
They hurried out of the hall.
Immortal Wushan chuckled. He brought up a display screen, which showed data from the recent Earth Trial—including a section marked in red detailing how Lu Yin had captured and looted over a dozen candidates.
"This obsession with money... not really the style of the Tushan clan. Still, he's just a kid at heart," the emperor said to himself with a smile, then dismissed the matter.
The Mebis Bank in Imperial Capital Star was located not far from the Imperial Palace. Despite being a transgalactic megacorporation with influence far surpassing even major empires, the Mebis family had shown humility by keeping the height of their local bank relatively modest. It didn't even make the city's top five tallest structures—but no one dared underestimate it.
Only the most elite nobles could freely enter and exit a place like this.
From a distance, Lu Yin spotted the building's iconic design—a massive tree-like structure.
All Mebis Banks took the form of a giant tree. Hanging from its branches were millions of Universe Credits—real money, not holograms. When the wind blew, some of it even fluttered down. Whoever picked it up could keep it.This made land prices around the bank sky-high—even higher than those near the palace. Every day, crowds wandered the area hoping to catch a lucky falling credit.
Mebis Bank had purchased the entire surrounding area within a thousand-mile radius, filling it with exotic flowers and plants not found anywhere else in the universe. The grounds were guarded by a private military force and even featured starstep-level cultivators. Rare beasts roamed freely, and high above the canopy was a private space station belonging to the Mebis clan. The whole place radiated ultra-wealth from every corner.
As Lu Yin stepped off his shuttle, a beautiful young attendant greeted him respectfully.
She gave him a brief overview of the bank, then led him to the transaction hall.
Lu Yin looked around. At the center stood the enormous tree trunk, stretching upward to the top floor. Dozens of service counters ringed the base. Surprisingly, the place wasn't too busy.
Tu San was already gaping in awe. He'd just picked up a Universe Credit off the floor. You can just... pick money up here?How generous!
The service counters were all fully automated, powered by sophisticated AI. The attendant from earlier stood nearby with refreshments and a variety of service options, waiting patiently for Lu Yin's request.
He first checked the star-metal cards given by the court officials. The total amount was a little over one million Universe Credits—about ten million Wushan Coins at the local exchange rate. Not bad, but not huge either.The card from Immortal Wushan himself only had 300,000 credits. In total, Lu Yin had nearly 1.5 million Universe Credits.
He exchanged all his imperial bank cards, gaining another 500,000. Altogether, he had 2 million credits.
Lu Yin pouted. "So stingy."Normally, one Energy Cube could be exchanged for a million Universe Credits. His entire fortune wasn't even worth two cubes.
Then again, it made sense. Most court officials wouldn't dare hold too much cash in case of audits. Energy Cubes, on the other hand, couldn't be tracked—and could be destroyed instantly if necessary.
"Three days for this? Barely worth it. They've probably already converted everything into cubes. I'll need to find another source," Lu Yin muttered.
As they exited the bank, Tu San asked cautiously, "Boss... where are we going next? Gonna keep 'collecting gifts'?"
Lu Yin shot him a glare. "Watch your mouth. They were greeting gifts."
Tu San chuckled awkwardly.
Lu Yin fell silent. It was probably time to take a break. None of the officials would open their doors now. It was time to start cultivating his battle techniques.
Just then, a Universe Credit fluttered down from above. Lu Yin reached out and caught it.
The credit was made of a special material, its surface etched with starlight filaments forming intricate cosmic patterns. It felt soft to the touch, almost alive. Lu Yin looked up at the massive tree-shaped building, where millions of credits danced in the air. His eyes gleamed with heat.
What if I just robbed the Mebis Bank... I wonder how much I'd get?
Suddenly, he thought of Lulu Mebis. I wonder if she's here.
Back at the Tushan estate, Lu Yin told Bronson he was going into seclusion for five days and was not to be disturbed.
Bronson, oddly relieved, nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."
"Boss, what should I do?" Tu San asked, clearly hoping to be included.
Lu Yin casually tossed him an imperial bank card. "Go buy some household supplies. Use your judgment. And don't train."
Tu San blinked. Don't train?
He wanted to ask why, but thought better of it.
Lu Yin pondered. Should I report Tu San's talent to the empire?If he did, Tu San could receive a full body reconstruction and access to elite resources—but he'd no longer belong to Lu Yin.But if he didn't... was he going to keep feeding the guy forever?
Suddenly, Lu Yin remembered the five wasted draws from earlier. Tu San had a talent. He could borrow it, just like with Bai Xue.Too bad I forgot about him then.
He blamed himself—his focus had been on Bai Xue, and he'd only remembered her single natural talent, forgetting the other two types.
Currently, talents across the universe were divided into three categories: natural, biological, and peculiar.
Natural talents were powers tied to elemental or cosmic forces—like ice, fire, or even black holes.Rumor had it someone once awakened the Black Hole talent and became invincible.
Biological talents were linked to lifeforms. The universe was filled with countless species.Some claimed that someone had once awakened the Stellar Phoenix talent, capable of setting entire galaxies ablaze.
Peculiar talents included all kinds of phenomena—eyes, ears, senses, and other strange capabilities. Lu Yin's own awakened dice belonged to this category.Anything inexplicable fell here.
Tu San's ability was a peculiar talent.
None of the three categories were inherently stronger than the others. With proper mastery, any of them could lead someone to dominate entire star systems. That was why the Cosmic Youth Council allowed talent-wielders to bypass standard entry paths—only one in a million had a true talent.
Lu Yin had originally planned to sell Tu San off to a powerful faction, but now that felt like a waste. He'd already brought him this far—just giving him away didn't sit right.Money could be earned. But a talent wielder? Rare beyond belief.
And once Tu San had more exposure to the outside world, he'd come to understand just how precious that made him.
With that thought, Lu Yin sent a message to Immortal Wushan, informing him of Tu San's situation.
Not long after, he received a reply. The emperor approved Tu San's body reconstruction and agreed to let him join the Martial Hall.At the same time, the Seventh Division of the Imperial Court also expressed interest in recruiting Tu San.
Lu Yin frowned thoughtfully.
Bronson had once told him about the Seventh Division. Their captain, Batson, wielded an ancient musket—a weapon from a bygone era.Yet here he was... interested in Tu San's talent?