Solving Middle Age Crisis by Intelligence System-Chapter 352 - 238: The Guide to Immortality

Qi Yun was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"Just a little token." Luo Yang invited Qi Yun to sit down and poured him a cup of tea, "The second contract section has quartz sand. You were the one who told me this news. To be honest, it’s as good as handing me money."

"When I first suggested you join me in this venture, you didn’t want to get involved, so I can only give you the money directly as a dividend!"

Qi Yun leaned back in his chair, waved his hand, and said, "No need, I’ve said it before, I just wanted to return the favor from last time."

Even though five million is not a small amount, he was being truthful; when he told Luo Yang the news back then, he really didn’t expect any benefit.

Moreover, last time he brought five million in cash to the teahouse to meet with Luo Yang, intending to settle matters involving Ah Jiao and the others with money. In the end, Luo Yang waved it off casually and didn’t take the money.

Now it’s Qi Yun’s turn, so he definitely couldn’t fall short.

"Hey, that’s not how this should be." Luo Yang looked seriously at Qi Yun, "I’ve already had experts survey the site. The quartz sand there is of high quality, conservatively estimated at twenty million tons, so giving you this five million, I’m still getting the better deal."

"Just take it, don’t refuse, otherwise, I’ll always feel I owe you."

Qi Yun pursed his lips, thinking that although Luo Yang was involved in dodgy dealings, he handled matters straightforwardly without twists and turns, making him a person worth associating with.

"How about this, keep the money for me, and if one day I need it, I’ll come to you for it."

"Hey, you..."

"Alright, let’s leave it at that." Qi Yun interrupted with a smile, "Hurry and serve the food, let’s chat while we eat, I’m hungry."

Luo Yang sighed, seeing Qi Yun’s firm stance, he had no choice but to agree: "Then I’ll keep it here for now, call me when you need it, and I’ll have someone bring it to you."

"Alright." Qi Yun nodded.

Luo Yang patted Qi Yun’s arm, said no more, and called out to the waiter outside the door, "Serve the dishes."

Before long, the table was filled with dishes. It was noon, so they didn’t drink too much, just opened a bottle and sipped a bit.

"Come on, cheers." Luo Yang raised his glass and clinked it with Qi Yun’s before downing it in one gulp. After putting down the glass, he wiped his mouth and continued, "By the way, I recently got a new project from the city bureau, interested in joining in?"

"Thanks for the offer, but I’m recently short on time, planning a trip to Lop Nur." Qi Yun refused without a second thought.

Although he appreciated Luo Yang, he was cautious about entering business partnerships, considering Luo Yang’s questionable background. It was fine to be friends, but it’s better not to get involved in other matters.

Luo Yang wasn’t bothered by the refusal. On the contrary, he looked with some concern at Qi Yun: "Lop Nur? I hear it’s quite dangerous there, why are you going?"

Qi Yun chuckled: "Just taking a trip. I’ve hired a professional guide, so it should be fine."

Luo Yang nodded and refilled Qi Yun’s glass.

"Hiss~"

They both had another drink, and Qi Yun took out a pack of cigarettes, offering one to Luo Yang: "You mentioned the project was from the city bureau? Do you have connections there?"

His question was straightforward, the kind of talk he would only have with someone like Luo Yang who had a similarly straightforward nature.

"Yes, I have some ties with Deputy Director Liao from the city bureau." Luo Yang accepted the cigarette, lit it, and took a puff without hiding anything.

Qi Yun pondered for a moment after hearing this.

"What’s up, something wrong?" Luo Yang asked with a smile, seeing Qi Yun’s thoughtful expression.

Qi Yun thought for a bit and then mentioned Zhou Hongchang’s potential reassignment to Bird City.

He originally planned to bring it up casually with Shao Yuewen during their meeting that evening, maybe ask for some help.

But asking for favors from someone you’ve just met feels a bit too impatient.

So if Luo Yang could help out instead, it would be better than using up Shao Yuewen’s goodwill.

Luo Yang puffed out smoke rings and considered for a moment, "It’s not a difficult matter. I’ll ask around for you; just wait for my word."

"Alright, thanks." Qi Yun thanked him with a smile, "If any leveraging is needed, just let him come."

"Oh, it’s nothing major." Luo Yang waved nonchalantly, "I’ve got a decent relationship with him; it shouldn’t be a problem."

Qi Yun nodded, "I’ll remember the favor. Let me know if you need help in the future."

"No need for the formalities, let’s drink." Luo Yang lifted his glass boldly.

The meal lasted about an hour, but both had matters to attend to in the afternoon, so they parted ways.

...

Somewhere in a research institute in Madrid, Spain.

An elderly man with graying hair held a magnifying glass, examining literature and documents.

The ancient papers spread across his desk were yellowed with age, clearly having been around for quite some time.

"That’s right...it should be like this..."

By the bookshelf against the wall, Ignacio heard his teacher’s murmur, closed his book, and moved closer. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Teacher, have you discovered something?"

"Look here!" The teacher’s hand trembled as he pointed to a passage in the ancient text, "Louis II once sent his trusted Duke Tieren overseas, seeking guidance on immortality..."

"Duke Tieren spent years traveling to the Americas, Africa, Asia, and other places on this search..."

Ignacio’s eyes widened in disbelief as he lifted his head to look at his teacher, his voice trembling slightly, "You’re saying... the location marked on that map is guidance on immortality!?"

The teacher nodded, then slowly shook his head, "The concept of immortality back then isn’t quite the same as people understand it today."

"People of that time might have believed immortality wasn’t just physical immortality, but a dual transcendence of the mind and body, reaching an extraordinary realm."

Ignacio pondered deeply, gazing at the ancient text as if seeing the silhouette of Duke Tieren tirelessly searching the world centuries ago through the yellowed pages.

"Does that mean... the place depicted on the map truly hides such a secret?" he murmured to himself.

The teacher settled back into his chair, took off his glasses, and rubbed his tired eyes, "From the current data, it’s highly possible."

"The book mentions Duke Tieren’s final stop in Asia, where he found some mysterious clues, and subsequent speculations suggest that place might be Lop Nur."

Ignacio felt a surge of unstoppable excitement fill him, as if he’d uncovered a monumental secret.

He turned to his teacher, eyes ablaze with excitement, "Teacher, should we tell Qi Yun about this discovery?"

The teacher frowned slightly, contemplating for a moment before replying, "Hold off for now. Although we have this lead, we need more evidence to support it. Let’s continue our research. Once we have more solid findings, then tell him."

Ignacio calmed down and nodded, "Where should we start next?"

The teacher put his glasses back on, refocusing his attention on the ancient text, "We need to find the remaining travel records of Duke Tieren to see what he discovered in the Lop Nur area."

"Also, we should delve into cultural and religious records from that time—maybe they contain more clues about the guidance on immortality."

"You need to head to the University of Bologna and bring back all the books about Duke Tieren."

The University of Bologna, regarded as Europe’s oldest academic institution, counts famous historical figures like Copernicus and Dante among its alumni.

Ignacio stood up straight: "Alright, teacher, I’ll get ready and leave right away."

...