After a bloody purge of slimes in the outskirts of Liyue City, the number of Primogems John had accumulated reached a staggering eight hundred, enough for five pulls!
However, John did not plan to pull now; he would wait until he had ten pulls for a big one. Previously, he had pulled every time he accumulated some because the situation at that time left no room for mistakes.
Though he still ended up hitting the pity counter each time.
As he thought about this, he walked to the door of the familiar Rock-top Tea House. The two "door gods" who usually stood guard at the entrance were still standing diligently, so it seemed these two were also "inside men."
After glancing at John, the two door gods let him pass, likely having been instructed beforehand.
John was led by a waiter to the familiar private room. He vaguely remembered that a few days ago, Boss Jia was still brewing tea here; now, he was probably cooling off in the Liyue Secret Corps' prison with some boiled water, right?
"You're here." Ye Lan put down the documents in her hand and looked at John.
"Want something to drink?" Ye Lan stood up. "We have hot water and cold water. Which would you like?"
John: ...
Does it make a difference?
"Hot water, then." John maintained a respectful distance toward Ye Lan, the head of Liyue's secret department.
Seeing John's fully raised guard, Ye Lan wasn't surprised; after all, in their line of work, being treated like this was already normal.
It was fine this way; there was no need to waste time on meaningless social interactions or be constrained by worldly etiquette, which in a way helped her focus on her work.
After pouring John a cup of hot water and filling her own tea cup, Ye Lan went straight to the point.
"I'm very sorry for what happened to your parents," Ye Lan said with a sigh.
"So my parents' deaths… actually have hidden circumstances?" John's expression darkened, which was natural. After all, anyone hearing that their deceased parents' deaths were caused not by natural disaster but by human hands would have difficulty controlling their emotions.
"Take a look at this." Ye Lan didn't say more but pushed the documents she had just set down toward John, then stood up, turning her back to him to look out the window.
John carefully read through all the documents Ye Lan had given him from start to finish before setting them down.
"Boss Jia is in a secret room here. Want to go see him?" Ye Lan, still facing away from John, seemed as if her back had eyes—John immediately asked after setting down the documents.
"Is that really okay?" John asked. Was it really fine for him, someone connected to the case, to go see the criminal?
"No problem. He has confessed everything he should and nothing he shouldn't."
"Sending you to see him… is also… wasteful use?"
In the dimly lit secret room, only a faint yellow oil lamp provided illumination. The space was narrow and oppressive; any normal person would probably feel physically and mentally exhausted if they stayed here for even a day.
At this moment, Boss Jia looked nothing like the prosperous figure John had seen before. His clothes were tattered from head to toe, and bruises were visible on his cheeks, waist, and other vulnerable parts of his body. Heavy iron chains bound his limbs, and he curled up in a corner of the room. When he heard someone approaching, his body visibly trembled, and he raised his head in alarm.
Seeing that it was John, he froze.
He didn't understand why John hadn't been caught by the Liyue Secret Corps. Clearly, John had been the one to provide the weapons that exposed him; his subordinates and many pieces of evidence could confirm it.
In contrast, as soon as he was brought to the secret room, he had been tortured for information. The other party seemed not to care about the testimony he gave—they simply wanted to break him.
Damn it. Once he got out, he would hire a lawyer and sue these despicable lackeys to death, Boss Jia thought.
But he had no real hope for that. His own people knew his deeds, and given what he had done, he would probably spend the rest of his life in prison.
"Ahem, you… got someone above you?" Boss Jia coughed a few times, spitting out a mouthful of black blood, and then his speech became somewhat more coherent.
"No." John thought of Keqing, but she clearly wasn't "above" him yet, or rather, she would only count as such once he officially joined her ranks. For now, John was still unaffiliated.
"You know about my parents?" John asked.
"Your parents? Oh, them… I was the one who made them owe the debt," Boss Jia said. Upon hearing John's question, he realized the young man must already know something, so he confessed quickly and efficiently.
"That's all?"
"That's all. I had no reason to take their lives. After all, the living are worth more than the dead, aren't they?" Boss Jia struggled to lift his head, smiled at John, and showed teeth stained with blood—truly disgusting.
"The living are worth more than the dead… Heh, Boss Jia's desire to survive is really strong," John shook his head and smiled. He understood what Boss Jia meant.
On one hand, he was trying to justify himself; on the other, he was showing John—and whoever might be behind him—his value.
Regardless of whether John had someone above him, a man like Boss Jia, stuck in the mud, would never let go of even the slightest chance.
"The living are worth more than the dead" also implied that John's parents were already dead. No matter how they had died, Boss Jia was still alive—a living man capable of creating value. If John was willing to give him a chance, he would repay with even greater value.
In a sense, someone like Boss Jia had reason to acquire money and power. With his shameless personality far beyond the norm and his strong desire to survive, he could succeed in any field.
Unfortunately, he had chosen the worst possible path.
"In Boss Jia's eyes, what's more important—you or money?"
"Of course it's me. I can make a lot of money," Boss Jia lifted his head and stared at John, who stood under the lamp's light.
Even through the shadows, John could see the other's gleaming eyes.
"No, you're wrong," John shook his head.
"Then it's Mora that's important, Mr. John—no, Lord John! You can have both."
(A:N: well what did you guys expect it a Chinese Translation, let the heavenly dao flow through your meridians)
"See? You still don't understand."
Boss Jia froze, not understanding what John meant.
"You… and money, none of it matters to me." John pointed at Boss Jia, then took a gleaming Mora coin from his pocket and tossed it in front of him.
Upon hearing John's words, Boss Jia's expression immediately turned ugly. Now he realized that John was here simply to mock him.
"You… John, are you f***ing with me?" Boss Jia roared in impotent rage. On the surface he was furious, but inside he felt utterly desolate—like a tiger fallen to the plains, bullied by dogs!
"Boss Jia, my parents had no grievances with you. You designed harm for them, but now I play a little trick on you—so what?" John couldn't understand why someone in the world could be so malicious.
His parents had diligently earned their rightful Mora, living honestly and kindly—why had they been targeted by someone like Boss Jia?