May 26th, morning.
Approaching 9 o'clock.
Inside the Chinese Union Consulate.
Li Yizhou, wearing a navy blue suit and flat-frame glasses while brewing tea, looked up and couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Lin Qi pacing back and forth before him.
"Little Lin, is it really necessary to be this nervous?"
Hearing this, Lin Qi couldn't help but roll his eyes. He walked over to the sofa and sat down, picking up a cup of warm tea that had already been brewed and downing it in one gulp before letting out a heavy sigh.
"Old Li, you make it sound so easy."
"How can I stay calm when the Director of the Hidden Management Department suddenly contacts us for a secret meeting at this time?"
At this point, Lin Qi frowned, his expression turning very serious.
"You should know that the struggle over the True Dragon Legacy just ended yesterday. The information we obtained about the True Dragon Sorcerer is still sitting on the conference tables of those military chiefs."
"Whether to push forward with cultivating True Dragon Sorcerers or shelve it in favour of finding more universal Classes - the chiefs back home have already been arguing nonstop."
"At a time like this, when our friend from the SDS suddenly says he wants to discuss something Class-related in person, do you really think I can avoid being nervous?"
Lin Qi sighed, sounding somewhat frustrated. "It's not like you don't know how many chiefs are waiting back home for our results. How can I not be anxious under these circumstances?"
"But your anxiety won't help. Mr Luo hasn't arrived yet, and your pacing around won't change anything."
After saying this, Li Yizhou raised his hand to check his watch, then murmured:
"Though by my calculations, he should be arriving soon."
At the same moment, Kazuma Yagami, who had been leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and alerted the two:
"He's here."
Before Li Yizhou and Lin Qi could react, a circular void abruptly opened on the long sofa opposite Lin Qi.
Immediately after, Luo Shu, dressed in casual clothes, stepped out from the void with a soft thud, landing directly on the sofa and causing it to shake.
As Luo Shu settled into his seat, a small hand emerged from the void, waving at him.
Then, Mukuro Hoshimiya's sweet voice rang out:
"The conversation is over, remember to let me know~ I'll open the door for you then, Brother~"
"I'll trouble you when the time comes."
After responding to Mukuro Hoshimiya, Luo Shu turned to Li Yizhou and Lin Qi with a smile:
"I'm not late, am I?"
As he finished speaking, Li Yizhou smiled:
"Of course not."
Seeing the two begin their exchange, Kazuma Yagami, who had been standing to the side, quietly left the room. Once outside, he casually waved his hand, manipulating the wind spirits to erect a barrier around the entire reception room.
Just as the barrier was set in place.
Luo Shu glanced towards the door, then turned back, crossing his legs as he said:
"I think our conversation can be more direct."
Hearing this, Li Yizhou nodded and gestured with his eyes for Lin Qi to take over.
Having worked in diplomacy for so long, Li Yizhou knew that his diplomatic rhetoric might not sit well with Luo Shu, so having Lin Qi converse with him was part of their prepared strategy.
At this signal from Li Yizhou, Lin Qi let out a soft sigh and asked Luo Shu:
"Director Luo, are you planning to trade information about the Class with the domestic side this time?"
"That is the intention." Luo Shu was quite frank about his thoughts.
Hearing this, Lin Qi felt a surge of joy but still voiced his doubt:
"Previously, Director Luo didn't seem to have such intentions, right? Why the sudden change of mind now?"
Luo Shu raised an eyebrow at this, giving Lin Qi a faintly amused look before replying:
"If I said there was no reason, I doubt you'd believe me."
"After all, we both know that the SDS's current main strategy is to suppress the development of the official mystic side among the Five Great Powers. To put it bluntly, on this path, we are competitors."
Hearing this, both Lin Qi and Li Yizhou smiled amiably, their expressions completely unruffled.
After all, Luo Shu was speaking the plain truth!
No union would permit a military force capable of fighting them on equal terms within their sphere of influence.
However, comparatively speaking, the Chinese Union remained somewhat calmer than the American Union.
After all, the SDS headquarters wasn't located within China's borders.
Thus, a foundation for cooperation between the two sides still existed.
And just as the two sides reached a consensus on competition, Luo Shu finally spoke:
"First, the issue of the True Dragon Legacy."
"Currently, we have confirmed that the fallen True Dragon is actually still alive. Its former vessels were Joseph, Director of the Central Investigation Bureau of America, and Rad, Major General of Thailand."
"Although I eliminated them, whether that True Dragon still has other parasitic hosts remains unknown for now."
Hearing this news, both Lin Qi and Li Yizhou straightened up in their seats, their expressions filled with astonishment.
The source of the True Dragon Sorcerer—that Angel-level True Dragon—was still alive. This information truly stunned both of them.
"And the True Dragon Sorcerer Class..." Lin Qi trailed off, not continuing further.
A Class without a source could still be called a legacy, but with a source present, that legacy had to be questioned.
After all, in Chinese culture, stories of reincarnation, rebirth, and soul possession were far from rare.
What if, after all their hard work and pouring in massive resources, they ended up reviving a True Dragon from another world? That would be quite the spectacle.
Thinking this, both Lin Qi and Li Yizhou marked the cultivation of True Dragon Sorcerers with a big X.
Although the final decision would still rest with the higher-ups domestically, as frontline personnel, their considerations would undoubtedly be highlighted and sent upward.
At this moment, Luo Shu also admitted some things in front of Lin Qi:
"The True Dragon Sorcerer Class does indeed carry certain risks. The source of this Class is suspected to be manipulated."
Although the one manipulating it was Luo Shu himself, in this matter, he wasn't exactly lying.
With the Angel-level authority crystal and the True Dragon's remains, it could be said that from the Demigod level onward, the materials for the True Dragon Sorcerer Class were firmly controlled by Luo Shu.
Without Luo Shu's permission, attempting to tread the path to Angel through this Class was nearly impossible.
Faced with Luo Shu's blunt honesty, Lin Qi opened his mouth but ultimately sighed:
"So, after all that effort, we ended up grabbing something useless?"
"Not entirely useless." Li Yizhou took off his glasses and wiped them with a cloth. "Something this precious can still be used to mislead other unions."
"As long as some union invests heavily in the True Dragon Sorcerer Class, then we could still consider it a gain."
Luo Shu simply ignored this sly remark and calmly moved on, saying:
"In fact, when eliminating the True Dragon's parasitic hosts, I briefly controlled the True Dragon Legacy and, while repatriating relevant personnel, discovered a large number of individuals from another world."
As these words fell, the room instantly fell silent.