Apocalypse Circular-Chapter 481 - 479: Speak of Your Purpose!
After the assistant left, Shi Tingyu walked to the window and gazed in the direction of the Fourth Ring. As Secretary-General of the Council, her position and status granted her access to information many others couldn’t obtain. She even knew more about certain matters than the average council member. It was for this reason that Shi Tingyu was keenly aware that the Inner Ring remained in a precarious state. The current Inner Ring could almost be described as beset by troubles from within and without.
Internally, although the Council had managed to eliminate various disruptive factors and reunite, the Church’s existence was a constant source of opposition. Though a centipede dies, it never truly falls. Despite its decline following the loss of the Holy Radiance, the Church was now more cautious than ever, making it difficult for the Council to find an opportunity to strike.
Externally, the Fourth Ring Hunters watched covetously. Relying on the abundant resources beyond the Wall, the Fourth Ring had developed at a breathtaking pace in recent years. Transcendents emerged in droves. Setting aside high-end combat power, the Fourth Ring had completely overwhelmed the Inner Ring in terms of population alone. Following this trajectory, in another twenty years—perhaps not even that long—the Inner Ring would completely lose its competitive edge against the Outer Rings.
In just over a decade, she would only be forty, with a long road still ahead of her. So, what path should she choose for the future?
"Ah!" Alone at last, Shi Tingyu let out a heavy sigh. Ordinarily, she couldn’t display such emotions. She herself was a representative of the Inner Ring Council; if even they lost confidence, the people of the Inner Ring would surely follow. If things truly deteriorated to that point, the entire Inner Ring would collapse.
"So, even a beauty has so many worries, huh?"
"Who’s there?" Shi Tingyu’s long legs tensed abruptly, the powerful muscles straining against her black stockings. She frowned slightly. Her high heels and stockings were a hindrance; such attire was completely unsuitable for combat. A little more force, and her stockings would likely tear. That was not an outcome she wished to see. This intruder had arrived soundlessly. His strength was likely far superior to hers; she had to be extremely cautious.
"No need to be so tense. Though we haven’t seen each other in a few years, I believe Miss Shi Tingyu should still remember me."
Slowly emerging from the shadows, he appeared before Shi Tingyu. She stared, momentarily stunned.
"You are... Lu Luo?"
"It seems Miss Shi Tingyu hasn’t forgotten me."
"You, you rascal! How could I possibly forget you?"
It had to be said, Lu Luo had left a profound impression on Shi Tingyu—or rather, on the entire Inner Ring Council. It could even be said that the reunification of the Alliance Council was largely orchestrated by Lu Luo and Luo Xuemin.
"Miss, the hotpot is ready. Please eat— Uh?" The assistant looked awkwardly at the pair. Shi Tingyu glanced at her, then waved her hand dismissively.
"You eat it. I have something to attend to. This afternoon... actually, never mind. If I don’t return this afternoon, please request a leave of absence for me."
A leave of absence? The assistant was slightly panicked. Is Miss planning to elope with someone? The Secretary-General of the Council taking a casual leave of absence? How was that possible? Shi Tingyu hadn’t seemed to take any leave in years, yet today she was asking for one? And all for this mysterious man?
"Miss, there’s a very important meeting this afternoon..."
"Important? Nothing is as critical as what I’m about to do."
It’s over. Miss is going to chase her dreams. Could she be falling in love with this man? Though, he is quite handsome. The assistant’s thoughts ran wild as she sized up Lu Luo. But as she continued to observe him, she felt a growing sense of unease. This person... she felt as if she had seen him somewhere before!
"Actually, there was no need for such a grand welcome. I’ve just returned and wanted to meet," Lu Luo said.
"You didn’t go to Luo Xuemin’s place?"
"No, I came straight to you as soon as I arrived. How’s that?"
"Coming to me first, instead of Luo Xuemin, truly means a lot," Shi Tingyu said.
Lu Luo smiled faintly but didn’t comment further. Indeed, he had hesitated for a moment when deciding whether to visit Shi Tingyu or Luo Xuemin first. Emotionally, Luo Xuemin was undeniably the closer choice. Biologically speaking, Luo Xuemin was his father-in-law, and Luo Xuemin doted on Bai Yuetong. Furthermore, he and Luo Xuemin had once joined forces to facilitate the re-alliance of the Council, restoring it when it was on the brink of collapse. As for Shi Tingyu, she was merely more than an acquaintance; Lu Luo couldn’t even clearly recall her full name. Nevertheless, he had chosen to visit Shi Tingyu instead of his father-in-law.
The reason was simple: for Luo Xuemin, the Inner Ring always came first. He had once been prepared to relinquish his power, status, and even the majority of his family’s interests for the sake of the Council’s unity. Such a decision was exemplary among the patriarchs of the Inner Ring families. Luo Xuemin was practically the embodiment of the Inner Ring’s people, a leading voice in public opinion. Now completely tied to the Inner Ring, Lu Luo knew he had no chance of swaying him. If he were to rashly approach Luo Xuemin and reveal his intentions, Lu Luo suspected Luo Xuemin would stop at nothing to eliminate him. Luo Xuemin belonged to the Inner Ring, not to him, Lu Luo. He had no reason, nor the standing, to ask anything of Luo Xuemin.
"Miss Shi Tingyu, are you inviting me for a meal?" Lu Luo asked with a smile.
"You’ve been away for so long and haven’t visited Luo Xuemin; I’m guessing you’re probably out of Alliance Currency, right?"
In the Fourth Ring, Lu Xiaotian and the Hunters had already abolished Alliance Currency, introducing a new monetary system. This new currency was completely separate from the Inner Ring’s. Consequently, trade between the Inner Ring and the Fourth Ring generally involved bartering with goods and Dark Spirit Stones. Though cumbersome, this system functioned. The Inner Ring, however, still used Alliance Currency, though there had been signs of over-issuance in recent years. Inflation, after all, was a phenomenon that could occur anywhere.
"True, I’m broke. So, what are you treating me to?"
"To eat..." Shi Tingyu had been in high spirits, but a glance out the window caused her mood to plummet. "Let’s just grab something casual."
Lu Luo watched Shi Tingyu, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Alright, something casual then."
They went straight downstairs. In a place like the Inner Ring, jumping out of a window could easily be noticed by someone looking to cause trouble for Shi Tingyu, an unnecessary risk. Even taking the stairs wasn’t without its potential for minor trouble. For instance, seeing Shi Tingyu and Lu Luo leaving together alone might incite gossip, but the impact of such talk was manageable. Naturally, Shi Tingyu being seen out alone with a man at this hour would still stir considerable speculation. After all, Shi Tingyu was already twenty-seven. In the Inner Ring, being unmarried at that age was considered very late indeed. Was she finally about to find a partner? Gossip is a universal human trait. By the time Lu Luo and Shi Tingyu started down the stairs together, rumors were already spreading.
「On the road.」
"When did you come back?" Shi Tingyu asked.
"Do you know where I was?"
"I don’t know," Shi Tingyu replied, "but I had a rough idea you weren’t in the Outer Rings."
Lu Luo nodded. It seemed Shi Tingyu, or rather the Shi Family, also had their informants. This was quite normal. The Fourth Ring’s population far exceeded the Inner Ring’s, making it much easier for the Inner Ring to plant informants there. Anyone in the Fourth Ring who was observant would have known that Lu Luo was no longer present there. This fact had been concealed previously, but over two years ago, he had stopped keeping it a secret.
"Hmm, I indeed haven’t stayed in the Fourth Ring these past two years."
"Then, would it be convenient for you to tell me where you went?" A gleam flickered in Shi Tingyu’s eyes; Lu Luo sensed it was the light of hope. What was she hoping for? To get the answers she desired from him? The question then became, what answers did she seek?
"Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
"What kind of question is that?" Shi Tingyu retorted, annoyed. "Doesn’t any normal person want to hear the truth?"
"That’s true!"
"So," Shi Tingyu pressed, hope shining anew in her eyes, "can you tell me the truth?"
"The truth," Lu Luo began, "is that I left the Wasteland Alliance and traveled to a new place called the Imperial."
"The Imperial?"
"Yes, the Imperial. Even if you consider the entirety of the Wasteland Alliance, including all five Rings, its total territory is only comparable to a single region of the Imperial. In terms of both land area and population, the Wasteland Alliance and the Imperial are simply incomparable."
Hearing this, Shi Tingyu was visibly shocked. She had lived in the Inner Ring of the Wasteland Alliance her whole life, later learning of the Fourth Ring and the world beyond the Wall. In her twenty-odd years, she had never even seen the border of the high defensive walls. Now, Lu Luo was telling her there was a Fifth Ring, and beyond that, an entity called the Imperial. This was undoubtedly a profound shock to Shi Tingyu’s worldview.
"Is the Imperial prosperous? What is life like there? How strong are the people? Are there any Transcendents, and if so, how many?" Shi Tingyu fired off a series of questions, her intense interest in the Imperial evident, an interest that bordered on yearning.
Lu Luo was already accustomed to such reactions. A caged bird always yearns for the open sky. For someone like Shi Tingyu, life in the Inner Ring was undoubtedly like being a bird in a gilded cage. She longed to spread her wings and fly to higher, more distant horizons, and the Imperial naturally seemed like the best destination. This was where she fundamentally differed from Luo Xuemin, whose heart belonged entirely to the Inner Ring. He could never be swayed by Lu Luo. Shi Tingyu, however, was different. From her current demeanor, Lu Luo was fairly confident he could lead her astray.
"The Imperial is indeed a good place. Life there is much better than here. At the very least, there’s no shortage of things like smart devices. As for power, the overall strength of the people in the Imperial is somewhat lower than in the Wasteland Alliance. However, due to its vast population, the Imperial’s upper threshold for power is considerably higher than the Wasteland Alliance’s."
"A higher power threshold than the Wasteland Alliance? Are there Eighth Order individuals there?"
"Eighth Order? Certainly, and not just one. There are thirteen officially recorded Eighth Order individuals in the Imperial. I don’t know if that’s the total number, but that’s how many are publicly acknowledged."
The existence of thirteen Eighth Order experts visibly stunned Shi Tingyu. In the four hundred years since the Wasteland Alliance’s founding, not a single human had reached the Eighth Order. The Judgment Chief, once considered the most promising candidate to reach the Eighth Order, had vanished in an incident several years ago. The struggles between Transcendents were, in essence, battles between top-tier experts. With such a number of Eighth Order individuals in the Imperial, the disparity in strength was almost too vast to compare. It was akin to how the Inner Ring used to dominate the Fourth Ring, where dispatching a few Seventh Tier experts was enough to crush them. If the Imperial discovered the Wasteland Alliance’s existence and sent a few Eighth Order experts, the Wasteland Alliance would be utterly defenseless. Though she was loath to admit it, this was the undeniable truth.
"Lu Luo, is everything you said true?"
"I have no reason to lie to you about this. Though we’re all from the Wasteland Alliance, you at least have the Fourth Ring as a buffer. Once the Imperial learns of the Wasteland Alliance’s existence, Lu Xiaotian in the Fourth Ring will be the first to bear the brunt. Even if your Inner Ring were to be annihilated, it would only be after the Fourth Ring falls, so there’s no immediate need for concern."
Listening to Lu Luo’s nonchalant yet stinging words, Shi Tingyu felt a knot of unease. The Inner Ring they had striven so hard to build and sustain—was it really so fragile?
"Never mind," Shi Tingyu said, changing the subject. "Let’s eat." While she was intensely curious about the Imperial, that didn’t mean she enjoyed having harsh realities thrown in her face. Lu Luo’s words had undeniably struck a chord, and a painful one at that.
"What, did my words hit a nerve?" Lu Luo asked, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Hmph! I just don’t want to hear any more of this tiresome talk," Shi Tingyu retorted, feigning nonchalance. Lu Luo, meanwhile, had already tactfully settled into the driver’s seat of her car.
"My beautiful lady, where shall we dine?" Lu Luo inquired.
"Hmm, let’s go to a noodle shop I know," Shi Tingyu suggested.
Being the unattached sort, Lu Luo wasn’t picky about where he ate, so he had no particular demands regarding food.
"Alright, to the noodle shop you mentioned it is."
They quickly drove to the noodle shop Shi Tingyu had mentioned. Being Transcendents, they both ordered the largest portions of meat noodles.
"Boss, some liquor, please!" Shi Tingyu called out.
"Drinking? Don’t you have work this afternoon?" Lu Luo asked.
"Work can wait," Shi Tingyu said. "Right now, I just want a drink. What, not willing to join me?" She arched an eyebrow, the gesture a clear challenge to Lu Luo.
However, since Lu Luo was there on a mission, he knew he had to win Shi Tingyu over to his side.
"If you want to drink, then let’s drink," Lu Luo replied easily. "What do I have to fear?"
And so, in that small noodle shop, they began to eat their noodles and drink the cheapest liquor available. No one could have imagined the Secretary-General of the Inner Ring Council dining in such a place, much less on such inexpensive fare. Moreover, her dining companion was an expert who had reached the Seventh Tier.
SLURP! SLURP!
The distinct sound of slurping noodles filled the air around them. They ate with gusto. Only after finishing her third bowl did Shi Tingyu stop, looking thoroughly satisfied. When she paused, Lu Luo set down his chopsticks as well.
"Ahh, that hit the spot," Shi Tingyu sighed contentedly.
"You seem to like this place a lot," Lu Luo observed.
"I do," she admitted. "It tastes like my childhood. But the atmosphere here doesn’t quite fit my position, so I can’t come often." Shi Tingyu felt a twinge of regret. Her role as Secretary-General afforded her power, but it also curtailed certain freedoms.
"Alright, Lu Luo," Shi Tingyu said, her tone becoming more serious. "You can tell me the purpose of your visit today."
