Chapter 490: The Sun-Moon Emperor's Suspicion
Slurp, slurp…
"Burp~"
After finishing the last bite of noodles, De Hongchen let out a satisfied burp, his face full of delight. "In my entire life, I've never tasted food this delicious. Compared to this, everything I've eaten before can't even be considered cuisine."
"I've decided, I'll personally take a stroll over to that Han Shi tonight."
Yao Hongchen's expression twitched slightly.
Given his father's strength, there was naturally nothing to worry about if he went to Han Shi, but…
"Father, can you take a look at the issue with this lunchbox now?"
If it were before, Yao Hongchen would have interrupted his father's meal to urge him to check it immediately. But after visiting Han Shi once, his mindset had changed. This time, he patiently waited until his father finished eating before reminding him.
"Alright, I'll take a look at this lunchbox problem now." De Hongchen was also quite interested in the fact that the lunchbox couldn't be stored in a storage spirit tool.
Storage spirit tools were among the earliest types of spirit tools, passed down for tens of thousands of years. Their techniques and principles had continuously improved, yet due to their persistent complexity, they remained one of the most important research subjects among spirit tools.
If he could carefully study why this lunchbox couldn't be stored, it might greatly benefit research in this area.
"Oh, right." Holding the lunchbox, De Hongchen suddenly thought of something. "Since this thing can't be stored in a storage spirit tool, it must be something special. That Han Shi just gives it away for free?"
"Not exactly." Yao Hongchen coughed lightly before recalling, "The owner of Han Shi said the lunchbox needs to be returned for recycling."
"So it has to be returned?" De Hongchen nodded in understanding.
As expected, something like this couldn't possibly be handed out so casually for free.
Well, no matter. He would study it first.
At worst, if he damaged it, he could compensate the owner.
After all, he planned to dine there tonight anyway. As a level-ten spirit engineer, surely the owner wouldn't refuse him some face.
Thinking this, De Hongchen chuckled and began examining the black lunchbox.
Seeing his father enter a research state, Yao Hongchen quickly took his leave.
Although he was also curious about the lunchbox, he had to convene an internal meeting of Mingde Hall that afternoon, so he could only leave it to his father.
His father had deep expertise in storage spirit tools, so he should be able to figure it out.
After casually waving Yao Hongchen off, De Hongchen began rubbing the surface of the lunchbox.
"Strange material," he muttered. He then separated the lid from the box and tried storing them individually in his storage spirit tool. This time, both went in successfully.
"Hm?"
This made him even more puzzled. He placed the lid and the box together and tried again—they still went in successfully.
But when he tightly sealed the lid back onto the box and tried once more, the lunchbox remained completely unmoved during the absorption process.
This…
De Hongchen frowned.
Could it be that once sealed, something happened inside the lunchbox beyond his comprehension?
The box clearly had no storage properties. Its internal space was exactly what could be seen from the outside—no expansion whatsoever. What difference could closing it possibly make?
Thinking of the Dragon Beard Noodles he had just eaten—tasting as if they had just been served fresh in the shop—an absurd idea suddenly crossed his mind.
Could it be… time?
…
Deep underground in Mingde Hall, a level-ten spirit engineer had fallen into unprecedented confusion because of a lunchbox from Han Shi. Meanwhile, in the council hall of the imperial palace in Mingdu City, a meeting regarding Han Shi was underway.
Functionally, the council hall served as a small meeting room, typically used by the emperor and a few key ministers to discuss state affairs.
Yet at this moment, the hall was unusually packed, bustling noisily like a marketplace.
If Qi Han were here, he would be shocked to discover that everyone in the council hall—except for the emperor—were people he had already met. They were the hundred or so individuals who had come to patronize his business, whom he had assumed were merely wealthy merchants.
At this moment, the atmosphere inside the hall was extremely oppressive.
Seated at the head was the Sun Moon Empire's emperor, Xu Haolong, who was idly twirling a freshly delivered secret report in his hand. The report came from the Secret Intelligence Division, an organization absolutely loyal to the imperial family—but its contents were utterly absurd.
Has the division been infiltrated?
Had Qi Han somehow learned of the "Mingke Street Expansion" plan in advance?
Every time a new emperor ascended the throne, all personnel within the Secret Intelligence Division would be replaced with the emperor's most trusted confidants. Everyone currently in the division was Xu Haolong's own handpicked loyalist, making the possibility of a mole extremely low.
The plan—to openly develop Mingke Street while secretly monitoring Han Shi—was best known to the division as its executor. However, they weren't the only ones aware of it. The ministers who had attended the morning court session also knew parts of the plan.
Sweeping his gaze across the hundred or so ministers standing before him, a faint glimmer of vigilance flashed in Xu Haolong's eyes.
Could it be that someone from the Douluo Continent had already secretly established contact with a minister?
But if that were the case, why hadn't they acted when the ministers went to Han Shi at noon?
Since the Mingke Street plan had already been exposed, the opposing side would surely also know that many high-ranking officials of the empire were gathering there.
If they wiped out all these ministers in one move, the imperial court of the Sun Moon Empire would collapse in a short time.
Or perhaps… their ambitions were so great that even bringing down the imperial court wouldn't be enough to satisfy them?
This Douluo Continent truly harboring wolfish ambitions.
At this thought, a colder glint appeared in Xu Haolong's eyes.
"Your Majesty, the results of today's noon probe are as follows." Zhou Yuan finished his report, his expression grave. "There is a high probability that a Titled Douluo from the Douluo Continent is hidden within Han Shi. A forceful probe won't work. Even if we dispatch one or two level-nine spirit engineers, there's no guarantee we could take them down."
They had never fought spirit masters before. Although level-nine spirit engineers and Titled Douluo were theoretically of the same tier, which one was stronger remained unknown.
"As for what to do next, we await Your Majesty's decision."
A Titled Douluo-level expert…
Could the reason Han Shi didn't act earlier be that they weren't confident in dealing with the three level-nine spirit engineers present today?
A complex expression flashed through Xu Haolong's eyes.
Only he had seen the intelligence report just delivered.
Thus, the ministers were unaware that their identities had already been exposed to Han Shi, nor how dangerous the noon visit had been.
But Xu Haolong had no intention of revealing this—because among the ministers, there might be a traitor.
"Since the other side has a Titled Douluo-level expert, none of you should go to Han Shi to probe them anymore. Leave such matters to the Secret Intelligence Division," he said, his face showing concern. "Having a Titled Douluo lying in wait is simply too dangerous."
This would not only ensure the ministers' safety, but also prevent any potential traitor from passing information to Han Shi.
Killing two birds with one stone.
However, upon hearing Xu Haolong's words, the ministers looked at one another. Instead of relief, their faces showed obvious hesitation, as if they wanted to speak but held back.
Hm?
Xu Haolong frowned.
For the ministers, this suggestion should have been exactly what they wanted.
No need to make detours every day to eat at Han Shi, and they could avoid danger.
So why did they look so troubled?
Something was wrong!
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