Chapter 2823 The Bloodians' Plan!
After spending considerable time by Lin Yuan's side, Winter knew that Lin Yuan was not a greedy person.
As the leader of a faction, Lin Yuan would prioritize his own power. However, unlike other faction leaders, Lin Yuan would also consider other members apart from prioritizing his own power.
It was a blessing to be under such a ruler as one would not have to worry about being tripped by obstacles. There would also be plenty of opportunities available!
Every person under Lin Yuan, including Wen Yu and Liu Jie, was only able to accomplish their current achievements because they had been nurtured by Lin Yuan. Without his nurturing, they would never have been able to leave the main world to come to the Sky Beyond the Clouds.
Once they received Lin Yuan's instruction, Wen Yu, Liu Jie, Su Yiren, Luo Lan, Bei Xu, Listen, Qin Yu, and the rest of Sky City's members who had reached the Divine Kingdom level all led teams and headed out.
This was a precious chance for all of them.
They all knew the importance of faith power in increasing their strength. Faith power was a requirement for their strength enhancement.
On the one hand, all of them cherished this opportunity from Lin Yuan. On the other hand, this was an event that would require them to compete among themselves.
They needed to enable a lifeform to generate faith before finding a way to sustain the supply of faith power.
Hence, every member of Sky City picked their team of white-clothed followers and started to do their best in this task.
Lin Yuan liked to facilitate such positive competition within Sky City because it would spur their fighting spirits.
All of them were of similar ages and held high positions in Sky City.
They needed to develop together to raise the overall power of Sky City's main members.
Lin Yuan did not only advocate for combat power. The members' mindsets and thought processes were equally important.
Sky City's main members, picked by Lin Yuan, were all extremely intelligent.
…
While Liu Jie, Wen Yu, and the rest were out carrying out their task, Fan Lou, enjoying the benefits of his position among the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves, had a stunned expression on his face.
Fan Lou had been waiting for Lin Yuan to summon him, but he was also afraid of being summoned by Lin Yuan. His fear was that being summoned by Lin Yuan would lead to unbearable changes that harmed his future development.
If Lin Yuan told him to leave the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves and Feng Qing, he would be in no position to say no.
Fan Lou was very happy with his current life. With his position, he had people pandering to him wherever he went.
All of them were trying to benefit from his power and influence. However, only those who had truly experienced the benefits of being bootlicked would understand the feeling.
Nonetheless, Fan Lou adored this feeling!
If Fan Lou could decide for himself, he would prefer to break free from Lin Yuan and continue enjoying such a life by Feng Qing's side!
But despite thinking this way, Fan Lou knew it was impossible.
He was only able to receive recognition from Feng Qing because of Lin Yuan. If Lin Yuan had not made those arrangements and enabled him to receive the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves' protection, he would have been killed by Feng Qing long ago!
Feng Qing was very nice to those who were close to him, but he was obsessive and paranoid.
Fan Lou knew how arrogant Feng Qing was.
Kong Huan's arrogance emerged through her control over her subordinates. However, most of Feng Qing's arrogance came from his own obsessive confidence.
It would be understandable if Feng Qing's obsessive arrogance came from his own outstanding power. But in actuality, it came from the Bloodians' support of the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves.
The Bloodians had their motives for supporting the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves.
Over the years, the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves had also supplied a fair share of resources to the Bloodians.
In exchange, the Bloodians supported the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves when it came to key matters.
Given that Feng Qing's overwhelming confidence came from having the protection of a stronger species rather than his power, Fan Lou felt that Feng Qing's confidence was a mirage.
It was because Feng Qing was not a traditional expert that he needed to be affirmed.
This made it easier for Fan Lou to curry favor with and become more valuable to Feng Qing.
The Chaos Wind Demon Wolves next to Fan Lou noticed that he was acting strangely.
Luckily, the meeting was over, and Fan Lou came up with an excuse before leaving the meeting room.
He went to an empty space and took out the round white jade.
North of the Lonely River was extremely far from Fan Lou's current location.
It was not impossible for him to travel there, but he would have to come up with a legitimate reason to do so.
Feng Xuan already resented him for stealing Feng Qing's favor, so Fan Lou did not want to give him any reason to trip him up.
Luckily, Lin Yuan needed him to keep his position as the captain of the Sixth Boundary Patrol Team. He could use this excuse to ask Lin Yuan to give him some time.
Fan Lou was not trying to negotiate with Lin Yuan but doing his best to fulfill Lin Yuan's task.
Fan Lou was very smart and knew that Lin Yuan cared more about his position as the captain of the Sixth Boundary Patrol Team than keeping him by Feng Qing's side.
He needed to protect the base! As long as he could protect Lin Yuan's base, the latter would not toss him aside.
Feng Qing thought back to how Feng Qing had just mentioned wanting to trade with the Dark Pufferfish for a potion that could deter the mermaids.
Once the Dark Pufferfish contaminated a body of water with their venom, the mermaids would no longer be able to use their bloodlines to control that body of water.
The Bloodians did not want their movements to be tracked by the mermaids. Hence, they asked the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves to help them with this. There was no question that the Bloodians wanted to accomplish this matter successfully.
However, none of the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves were willing to make such a long-distance trip. In the Sky Beyond the Clouds, going on a long-distance trip put one at risk of being targeted or falling into danger.
Moreover, the Dark Pufferfish were very overbearing. They would have to spend some resources to trade with them.
At first, Fan Lou had also been unwilling to participate in this matter. He had a cushy life. Only those with something wrong with their brains would decide to leave such a life for a desolate place like the Lonely River. If he was away from Feng Qing for too long, it would also give Feng Xuan the chance to take his space!
But now, Fan Lou felt he could agree to this matter that no one else wanted to touch. He could use the excuse of wanting to share the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves' burden.
Lin Yuan had ordered him to head to the Lonely River. This was something he absolutely needed to do.
It would be better if he could also use this method to improve Feng Qing's impression of him!
He would not only help Feng Qing but the Bloodians as well. This would not only elevate his position in Feng Qing's eyes but would also give him the opportunity to receive rewards from the Bloodians!
Most importantly, Fan Lou wanted to obtain the leadership position of the team that would be heading to the Lonely River.
Once he obtained the leadership position, it would be easy for him to meet up with Lin Yuan!
If Feng Qing arranged for a Chaos Wind Demon Wolf to lead the trip, he would have to interact with the Chaos Wind Demon Wolf if he wanted to step away from the team.
If his request to leave was rejected, he would have wasted Lin Yuan's time!
After making his decision, Fan Lou quickly made his way to Feng Qing's bedchamber.
Given Fan Lou's position, he did not need to send word in advance to enter Feng Qing's bedchamber.
Not even Feng Xuan had been afforded such generosity at the height of his favor as Feng Qing's aide.
When Fan Lou entered Feng Qing's bedchamber, he saw Feng Qing conversing with Feng Xuan with a grave expression on his face.
Fan Lou heard Feng Qing and Feng Xuan speaking about the matter of helping the Bloodians to head to the Lonely River to trade with the Dark Pufferfish.
Normally, Feng Qing had a lighthearted expression and a small smile on his lips. He only frowned when he was being rebuked or if someone turned him down.
It seemed that Feng Qing wanted Feng Xuan to head to the Lonely River, but the latter was unwilling to do so!
Fan Lou could understand where Feng Xuan was coming from.
Feng Xuan had a decent background and was considered a direct Chaos Wind Demon Wolf descendant. After catching Feng Qing's eye, his position among the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves skyrocketed.
Although he did not receive as much favor from Feng Qing as before, his life was still comfortable.
As an outsider, Fan Lou could not be considered Feng Xuan's equal.
Fan Lou thought, This is my chance. If I agree to this operation, it will come off as my helping Feng Qing out of a sticky situation.
Currently, Feng Qing needed someone he trusted to take on this matter.
Fan Lou could tell that Feng Qing trusted him. When Feng Qing saw Fan Lou walking in, he waved at him to gesture at him to come nearer. Feng Qing saw Fan Lou as someone who could bring him luck. Hence, he did not want to let Fan Lou leave his side.
Alas, the only other person he could trust and who was competent enough to accomplish this matter was Fan Lou.
Feng Qing believed that Fan Lou was also unwilling to take on this task. There were no upsides to this task, only risks.
Fan Lou had done a good job of being his assistant and managed everything well.
Feng Qing felt affection for Fan Lou.
However, to Feng Qing, bloodline was more important than feelings.
If Feng Xuan was unwilling and he forced Feng Xuan to go, it would stir up debate within the species.
Feng Qing did not want his reputation among the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves to be affected.
Before Feng Qing could speak, Fan Lou beat him to the punch and said, "Lord Feng Qing, based on what you just said, you haven't decided on who to send on the Lonely River matter. If you don't mind, I am willing to make the trip for you! I will definitely do a good job for your sake!"
Fan Lou spoke gallantly, and passion shone in his eyes. He looked fully as though he genuinely wanted to alleviate Feng Qing's troubles.
With this juxtaposition, Feng Qing felt disappointed in Feng Xuan.
Feng Qing was happy that Fan Lou wanted to share his burdens.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, Feng Qing would keep Fan Lou with him.
However, Feng Qing had no choice but to think about the Bloodians. They had given this task to the Chaos Wind Demon Wolves some time ago. If they did not send someone soon, the Bloodians would definitely become displeased.
"Fan Lou, since you've taken the initiative, you can go on this trip! Don't worry. I will definitely send sufficient support to ensure your safety.
"I will also assign a World Emperor/Divine Kingdom Abyssal Beast for you to use for transportation. This will allow you to return as soon as possible! If you have any other requests, just let me know!"
Fan Lou was delighted.
Now that he had helped Feng Qing with a pressing issue, he had met his goal and would immediately receive benefits from Feng Qing.
Fan Lou did not have any resource needs. Even if he did, he would not tell Feng Qing about them, as it would cause him to come across as manipulative and scheming after those resources.
Feng Qing came across as magnanimous but was actually extremely selfish.
Lin Yuan wanted to see Fan Lou to learn more about North of the Lonely River. He would have to provide as many details as possible.
With this thought, Fan Lou said, "Lord Feng Qing, I am more than happy to work for you. How could I ever have other requests? However, I am unfamiliar with the Lonely River. Do you happen to have a map of the north area? I would like to search the north area for resources for you once I'm done trading with the Dark Pufferfish!"
Feng Xuan's eyes had been flaring with rage ever since Fan Lou entered. But he had failed to catch an error in Fan Lou's words. Fan Lou's actions were also impeccable.
However, Feng Xuan did not understand why Fan Lou would put his life in danger for this task. Was he really not after any benefits from Feng Qing?
If Fan Lou made a request at this moment, Feng Qing would definitely agree.
Feng Xuan believed that if he were in Fan Lou's shoes, he would definitely seize the opportunity to obtain more benefits for himself.
Fan Lou asked for the map and said that he wanted to gather more resources from North of the Lonely River for Feng Qing. This was essentially increasing his own workload.
Could it be that Fan Lou truly admired Feng Qing and had become loyal to him?
If that were the case, there would be no need for Feng Xuan to continue competing with Fan Lou in the future.
Feng Xuan did not want to put himself second when he worked for Feng Qing. Rather than waiting for Feng Qing to hand resources to him, it would be better for him to work hard and earn his own resources.
Feng Xuan felt defeated.
Feng Qing patted Fan Lou's shoulder forcefully. "I don't have a map of the Lonely River's surroundings, but I can ask for one from the Bloodians.
"Make sure to stay safe during this operation. Don't think too much about the resources. All you need to do is trade with the Dark Pufferfish for the venom that the Bloodians need.
"Once you're back, I'll personally inject the Chaos Wind Demon Wolf essence blood into your body so that your bloodline will be able to evolve to that of a Chaos Wind Demon Wolf!"