Reincarnated as a Mosquito, I Sucked the Reborn Empress to Tears-Chapter 142: Into the Provincial Government’s Treasury, Chu Sheng Immediately Starts Sucking
"Huh?"
Qi Chongshan was so shocked he nearly jumped out of his skin. "What do you mean? You want to go to Hong Kong Island right now?! No! Absolutely not!"
"These are dangerous times! There’s a bounty on your head from Hell Gate, and who knows how many desperate criminals have their eyes on you! A place like Hong Kong Island is teeming with shady characters—it’s a hundred times more dangerous than the mainland! Going there now is no different from a suicide mission!"
"We need to think this through carefully!"
However, Gu Yuexi’s stance was resolute. "I have to go."
Staring into the young woman’s unwavering eyes, Qi Chongshan felt a headache coming on.
Just as they reached a stalemate, Chu Sheng, perched atop Gu Yuexi’s head, sent a thought through their Blood Covenant.
’BZZZ! Empress! Stop wasting your breath on him! Demand compensation first!’
Gu Yuexi: "..."
Although she felt her companion’s timing was a bit off, she decided to respect the hero’s opinion. Besides... she did want to take this opportunity to get a few things from the Provincial Government.
She cleared her throat and changed the subject, saying calmly, "Lord Governor, we can discuss the travel permit later. For now... let’s talk about compensation."
’Compensation?’
Qi Chongshan was stunned. "What compensation?"
Gu Yuexi stated expressionlessly, "In the recent incident, my Contracted Beast fought a bloody battle against a Fourth-Grade Middle Stage Demon Beast to protect the safety of several thousand exam candidates. He paid a terrible price."
"A total of 7,342 of his Peak of Second-Grade Insect Race warriors were killed in action. He himself was grievously wounded and suffered immense trauma to his Spirit."
"Shouldn’t these losses be borne by the event organizer—that is, your Provincial Government?"
"According to the highest standard for Federation military death benefits, the compensation for a fallen Peak of Second-Grade warrior is five hundred thousand Federation Coins."
"For seven thousand three hundred forty-two warriors, that comes to a total of 3,671,000,000."
"My Contracted Beast, as the commander, led the charge and was grievously wounded in the line of duty. For his emotional distress, medical expenses, and lost wages, all told... let’s call it a round one billion. That’s not unreasonable, is it?"
"Furthermore, as his Master, I had to watch my Contracted Beast face mortal peril, which caused me extreme psychological distress and trauma. As for my compensation, I’ll let you decide on a number. I won’t ask for much... another billion, just as a token of your sincerity."
"The grand total comes to... 5,871,000,000."
"Governor Qi, will that be credit or a wire transfer?"
Qi Chongshan: "?????"
’Wait... What the hell is this?!’
’One billion for a mosquito’s emotional distress?!’
’And those seven thousand-plus Spirit-Devouring Worms? You’re calling them ’Insect Race warriors’? ’Killed in action’? You make them sound like some kind of national heroes!’
’Those things can breed infinitely as long as there’s Spiritual Qi! If you want more, the Federation has several regions with infestations that haven’t been cleared yet. I could just send my men to catch you a few tens of thousands, and that would be that!’
’And 3.6 billion in death benefits? You might as well just rob me!’
Qi Chongshan felt like he was about to have a heart attack. In all his years, he’d seen his share of extortion, but he had never seen anything this brazen!
He was just about to argue his case, to reason with this young woman, when he saw Gu Yuexi’s cold, phoenix-like eyes fixed on him. There wasn’t a hint of a joke in her expression.
Qi Chongshan instantly deflated.
’He knew this young woman was serious.’
’And besides, he really was in the wrong here.’
’Such a massive security failure had nearly resulted in the death of one of the Federation’s greatest talents. That was a responsibility he couldn’t afford to bear.’
’But 5.8 billion... even for the Provincial Government, liquidating that much cash at once would be incredibly painful!’
Just as Qi Chongshan was stewing in his dilemma,
Gu Yuexi suddenly changed her tune. "Of course," she said lightly, "5.8 billion is a bit much. I don’t want to make things too difficult for you. How about we try a different compensation plan?"
"We can forget about the money. Just let us enter the Provincial Government’s vault and pick any three items. Then we’ll call the matter settled."
The corner of Qi Chongshan’s mouth twitched. "..."
’So that’s what this was all about.’
’Classic negotiation tactic. Threaten to tear down the house just so they’ll let you open a window.’
’How can someone so young be so devious?!’
’The Provincial Government’s vault?’
’Well... compared to the astronomical price of 5.8 billion, this is certainly much easier to swallow.’
’The Provincial Government’s vault may contain plenty of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, Cultivation Secret Techniques, and Divine Weapons... but he’d long since moved the very best items into his own private stash!’
’The remaining items, while still priceless, weren’t in the same league. The three most valuable things left would, at most, add up to a billion or so!’
’Besides... the girl really had performed an incredible service. She thwarted a major assassination plot, single-handedly eliminated a Fourth-Grade Middle Stage Demon Beast, and protected thousands of exam candidates.’
’By all rights, she deserved a hefty reward!’
With that thought, Qi Chongshan finally gritted his teeth and nodded. "Alright! You have a deal! But just three items!"
"Mm."
A satisfied smile touched Gu Yuexi’s lips.
’Her main goal, in truth, was to see if the Provincial Government’s inventory held any treasures that could boost Mental Power.’
’The trip to Hong Kong Island was too risky; if she could find a suitable alternative on the mainland, she wouldn’t have to rush there.’
Perched on her head, Chu Sheng thought it was a great idea, too.
’What’s the use of money? Can you eat it? Heavenly and Earthly Treasures are what really matter!’
...
The Sui Ming Provincial Government’s vault was located three hundred meters beneath the main government building.
It was constructed from the strongest special alloys and reinforced with layer upon layer of Arrays. It was said that even a King-level Powerhouse couldn’t hope to breach it quickly.
As the incredibly heavy alloy door slowly swung open, a wave of Spiritual Qi so dense it was almost tangible washed over them.
The vault was a dazzling sight, filled with all sorts of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures that shimmered with a precious glow.
Profound Tier Elixirs, Spirit Grass, and Ore were as common as cabbage here, scattered about everywhere.
There were even dozens of the much rarer Earth Tier treasures.
Of course, there wasn’t a single Celestial Tier treasure to be seen.
A treasure of that caliber was a rarity in the entire Sui Ming Province. If any existed, Qi Chongshan had surely added them to his private collection long ago; there was no way he would leave them here.
Gu Yuexi didn’t spare a glance for the offensive Magical Artifacts or the Elixirs meant to enhance Qi Blood. She walked straight to the area dedicated to Mental Power treasures.
She scanned the shelves carefully, but her expression gradually soured.
There were plenty of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures for Mental Power, but their grades were all too low.
The best among them was merely an Earth-tier Lower-Grade piece of Soul-Nurturing Wood.
For an ordinary Cultivator, this might be a treasure beyond their wildest dreams, but to her, it was practically useless.
Her natural talent for Mental Power was already exceptional, and after absorbing the Spiritual Crystal, it had become downright heaven-defying. The effects of ordinary Heavenly and Earthly Treasures on her were negligible.
The benefit she would gain from painstakingly refining this Soul-Nurturing Wood would likely be less than what she’d get from simply focusing on her own Cultivation.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, Gu Yuexi saw a black shadow fly off the top of her head with a SWOOSH.
It was Chu Sheng.
’He couldn’t care less about grades. The word "waste" didn’t exist in Lord Mosquito’s dictionary!’
He flew directly to a Seventh-Grade Spirit Grass, a Clearing Divine Bud, that was emitting a faint, fluorescent light. Without a moment’s hesitation, he plunged his proboscis in and began to drink!
[Ding! The host has absorbed pure Spiritual Energy! Mental Power +58!]
[Current Total Mental Power: 1108!]
[Ding! The host has absorbed the Life Essence of a Spirit Grass! Evolution Points +10!]
[Current Total Evolution Points: 165!]
"???"
Gu Yuexi’s expression froze.
’Wait, what? The Clearing Divine Bud is only supposed to assist with Spiritual Cultivation! How can he directly increase his Mental Power just by drinking it?!’
’BZZZ! So good! I can still pick two more treasures, right? Great, great, then I’ll just drink two more!’
Chu Sheng was ecstatic. Without another thought, he flew to another Spirit Grass that enhanced Mental Power and started drinking!
[Ding! The host has absorbed pure Spiritual Energy! Mental Power +45!]
[Current Total Mental Power: 1153!]
[Ding! The host has absorbed the Life Essence of a Spirit Grass! Evolution Points +11!]
[Current Total Evolution Points: 176!]
’BZZZ BZZZ BZZZ! Ahhh, so good! One last plant!’
[Ding! The host has absorbed pure Spiritual Energy! Mental Power +63!]
[Current Total Mental Power: 1216!]
Gu Yuexi: "..."
Feeling Chu Sheng’s Mental Power skyrocketing, her face darkened like a thundercloud.
’Damn it! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have come!’
’That damn mosquito is getting all the benefits!’
’Bzzz~ Ahhh, so good~! I’m not full yet... With so many Spirit Grasses around, no one will notice if I secretly drink from a couple more, right?’
Gu Yuexi: "..."
In that instant, she saw the miserable future of a Beast Tamer stretching out before her.
’This mosquito is too damn heaven-defying! He can directly increase his Mental Power just by drinking Spirit Grass meant for assisting Spiritual Cultivation! What about other Mental Power treasures? Will I even be able to compete with him for them?!’
’No... I have to go to Hong Kong Island!’
’I have to get my hands on those Mental Power treasures that only this Empress can refine and absorb!’
...
(Author’s Note: Sorry, I’m thinking through the new plot and got writer’s block. Only two Chapters today, I’ll make up for it with four tomorrow...)
