Judge Yan pondered for a moment before speaking, "If Elinna is indeed in league with Moldavite energy, then we must ascertain whether there is any other conspiracy behind her. If the situation reaches irreversibility, then we may have no choice but to abandon both Elinna and the stability of the SU-052 timeline of Elven Planet. However, if that timeline encounters problems, it will generate a significant amount of negative energy, which is precisely what Moldavite energy desires."
"If Moldavite energy acquires such a massive amount of negative energy, who knows what crisis it might bring upon us? We cannot jeopardize the entire Spirit Realm just to preserve them. You must understand, such a situation hasn't occurred since the God Wars, and we cannot allow it to happen again!"
With this, Judge Yan turned to Dao Lao with a determined gaze and said, "Dao Lao, if Elinna is possessed by Moldavite energy, the situation will undoubtedly become even more complicated. Expelling Moldavite energy from a divine official is an extremely challenging task. Therefore, if the situation becomes irreparable, you may have to resort to more forceful methods. In any case, the bigger picture must always be our priority!"
Judge Yan's tone was resolute as he spoke these words, but for some reason, Hao Yun sensed a hint of resignation and anguish in his words.
"Don't worry, I'll do my best to handle this matter properly," Dao Lao nodded firmly, reassuring Judge Yan.
However, Judge Yan still felt uneasy and instructed, "Master Gu, immediately organize a group of personnel to stand by. If there's too much commotion on Elven Planet, you must mobilize your forces to maintain the stability of the SU-052 timeline as much as possible. This will provide Dao Lao and the others with enough time to deal with the potential Moldavite energy. Remember, if Moldavite energy is present on Elven Planet, we absolutely cannot let it escape."
"However, until Dao Lao gives the order, no one is allowed to appear on the SU-052 timeline of Elven Planet without authorization. We must avoid falling into Elinna's ambush, which could undermine all our efforts," Judge Yan instructed.
Upon receiving the order, Master Gu immediately went to organize the personnel for the protective measures. Now, only Judge Yan, Dao Lao, and Hao Yun remained in the Judgment Hall. The briefing on the mission to Elven Planet had temporarily come to an end.
Curious once again, Hao Yun asked, "Judge Yan, I didn't realize you could stabilize disrupted timelines through protective measures?"
Judge Yan nodded in response, "Yes, indeed. However, it's not an easy task, and it comes with significant costs to both the divine energy reserves of the Spirit Realm and the spiritual strength of the protectors. Therefore, unless it's an extremely special circumstance, we wouldn't readily apply such high-standard protective measures to the lower timelines."
Hao Yun sensed that Judge Yan had something on his mind, which was affecting his mood. So, after a brief "Oh," he refrained from asking further questions.
On the other hand, after answering Hao Yun's question, Judge Yan turned to him with a smile and said warmly, "Hao, I didn't expect you to join the Spirit Realm just to be sent away on missions to other planets. It must be quite challenging for you! If you need any assistance, don't hesitate to ask, my friend!"
Feeling touched by Judge Yan's concern, Hao Yun felt a warm glow in his heart. He quickly replied respectfully, "Thank you, Judge Yan, for your kind words. Since I've become an assistant for capturing Moldavite energy, I must fulfill my duties and contribute to the Spirit Realm. It's an honor to be entrusted by you and Dao Lao!"
"Teach the young, teach the young indeed!" Judge Yan nodded in satisfaction at Hao Yun's straightforward response.
In contrast to Hao Yun's straightforwardness, Dao Lao, upon hearing Judge Yan's words, immediately approached him and said, "Hey, Judge Yan, even though Hao Yun is my appointed assistant, his other identity is the envoy of our jurisdiction in the Spirit Realm! Now, Hao Yun is just a rookie, yet he's being sent all over the place to perform various tasks for you. Isn't that a bit—aren't you supposed to show a bit of—?"
As Dao Lao spoke, he continued to gesture as if counting money in front of Judge Yan.
"Hey! What are you nitpicking about? Listening to you, one would think I'm some kind of miser!" Judge Yan said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Then, with a troubled expression, he continued, "Oh, I almost forgot! Since Hao Yun is the envoy of the Thirteenth Jurisdiction in the Spirit Realm, he should be entitled to compensation according to our jurisdiction's standards! However, since Hao Yun is not a stationed divine official in the Spirit Realm, he can only receive compensation based on the standard for attending and executing missions."
"Compensation? So, as an envoy, I can receive compensation? Then, does that mean I can get compensation for the mission I carried out for Liu Erwa last time?" Hao Yun perked up upon hearing this news.
Judge Yan immediately wore a troubled expression and said, "Ah! Hao Yun, you've just joined not long ago and are still in the probationary period. So, that task for Liu Erwa doesn't count!"
Upon hearing this, Hao Yun's excitement waned, and he slumped back down. Wow, there's actually a probationary period in the Spirit Realm? And during probation, they don't pay you? This is even worse than the exploitation by capitalist bosses!
"Hey! What's with all the rules? If last time doesn't count, then shouldn't this mission count? Otherwise, why should Hao Yun work for you without compensation? Aren't you afraid this kind of exploitation will hurt Hao Yun's feelings? And if word gets out about this kind of exploitation of employees, won't you lose face?" Dao Lao was not pleased with this and his words carried a hint of threat.
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Feeling guilty, Judge Yan quickly put on a smile and said, "Hey, it's not a big deal! Look at how you're making it sound, as if I'm some kind of skinflint!"
Then, with a troubled expression, Judge Yan continued, "According to our latest salary standards, if Hao Yun can capture the rogue divine official representing Moldavite energy and complete the task of capturing Moldavite energy, thereby completing the mission to capture the traitor Elinna on behalf of our jurisdiction in the Thirteenth Realm of the Spirit Realm, then Hao Yun can not only get rid of his probationary status but also receive a reward of at least 20 tokens—no, I misspoke, it's 23 tokens."
Obviously, Judge Yan was deliberately trying to lower Hao Yun's reward. But 20 is 20. As long as there's money to be had, it's all good! After all, working for Dao Lao, the basic monthly wage is only 15 divine shield coins, but completing a mission can earn 20 divine shield coins, which is clearly much more profitable! Hao Yun thought to himself.
"Ahem! Since Hao Yun has no objections, I won't haggle with you either. Just give me 20 divine shield coins when the time comes!" Dao Lao deliberately coughed a few times, reminding Judge Yan.
Judge Yan stared at Dao Lao with a look of incredulity and shamelessness. "Who are you? Aren't you the divine official responsible for capturing Moldavite energy? Investigating matters related to Moldavite energy is your duty! Why should I give you money?!"
Dao Lao waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "You're mistaken! Don't forget, Hao Yun is my assistant! I introduced him to you. Moreover, you granted him the title of envoy of our jurisdiction in the Spirit Realm without my permission and required him to perform tasks for you. This, in itself, is a very malicious act of poaching!"
"So! Either give me 20 divine shield coins as compensation, or I'll report your malicious poaching to the higher-ups! You deal with it yourself!"
Judge Yan couldn't believe that Dao Lao was shamelessly demanding compensation on behalf of Hao Yun. "Are you kidding me? Are you two selling me out here? Why should I give you any money?!" Judge Yan pointed at Dao Lao, momentarily at a loss for words.
Having successfully arranged the work and returned to the hall, Master Gu saw Judge Yan and Dao Lao disputing over intermediary fees and mission rewards and seemed to be on the verge of a physical altercation. He quickly stepped forward to mediate, "Hey hey! Calm down, gentlemen! Let's talk it out! Dao Lao, while what you're saying has some merit, 20 divine shield coins is too much! We're all familiar with each other, so how about symbolically giving you 5?"
"Five is too little! Are you trying to shortchange me? Hao Yun can get 20 elsewhere! I won't settle for anything less!" Dao Lao insisted, refusing to budge.
"Then... how about eight? Eight isn't too bad! And you're getting something for nothing." Master Gu continued to negotiate.
"Eight won't do, I won't accept eight! Either you give me a twenty percent discount and give me sixteen," Dao Lao proposed, making a hand gesture representing eight.
"I say, are you two treating me as a commodity to be sold here? Why do I feel like I'm being trafficked?" Hao Yun interjected, feeling offended by both sides.
The others waved him off, telling him to stay out of it. Hao Yun knew he couldn't win against these three gentlemen, so he could only twitch his mouth and stand aside, watching the three divine officials openly discuss his fee.
In the end, since Judge Yan and Master Gu insisted on eight divine shield coins and refused to budge, and Dao Lao insisted on getting as much money as possible, both parties finally reached an agreement on compensating Dao Lao for eight divine shield coins.
After the agreement was reached, both parties looked pleased with themselves, having profited. Dao Lao was pleased because he had unreasonably extorted eight divine shield coins. Judge Yan was pleased because, according to the labor regulations of the Thirteenth Jurisdiction of the Spirit Realm, Hao Yun should have received a reward of 50 divine shield coins. Although Judge Yan was only able to save 22 divine shield coins due to Dao Lao's interference, he was still very satisfied with the outcome.
Of course, the only one feeling unhappy was Hao Yun. At this moment, he felt completely objectified, like a commodity, and could only stand there in humiliation while others schemed over his fee.
Seeing Hao Yun standing there looking unhappy, Judge Yan didn't care. He signaled to Master Gu with a glance, and then Master Gu stepped forward to Hao Yun and said, "Haha! Don't worry, Hao, my friend! You're the envoy of our City of Spirits, how could Judge Yan mistreat you? Actually, as an envoy of the Spirit Realm, in addition to receiving an identity token as an envoy, you will also receive a weapon from the City of Spirits."
"However, since you've been in the probationary period and your strength is limited, you haven't been able to control the weapons of the City of Spirits very well. So, we didn't immediately allocate a weapon to you. But now that you've gained some strength, it's time for us to equip you with a suitable weapon!"
After Master Gu finished speaking, he conjured up a large wooden box adorned with exquisite patterns out of thin air and tapped on it, indicating that the weapon to be equipped for Hao Yun was inside.
Upon hearing Master Gu's words, Hao Yun was so excited that he almost jumped up. He stared incredulously at the large wooden box floating in front of him and exclaimed excitedly, "Really?! Judge Yan! Master Gu! Am I really going to get a weapon?!"
Oh my god! I never thought I would one day receive a weapon from the divine realm! With a divine weapon, I'll be like a mythical hero! Thinking of this, Hao Yun's mind began to race with excitement, wondering what kind of weapon Master Gu would equip him with. First, he thought it might be a gleaming golden judgment scepter in the box; then he thought it might be a flashing electric warhammer; and then he thought it might be a four-way rocket launcher—
At this moment, Hao Yun was as excited as a three-year-old child about to unwrap a present, eagerly staring at the large wooden box in front of him. Master Gu, wearing a smile, gently waved his hand in front of Hao Yun's eyes, indicating he should calm down. Then, he spoke, "Hao, don't be impatient. Listen to me first. This box is the armory of the City of Spirits, where all the divine weapons are stored. You just need to place your hands on the box, and the armory will randomly match a unique divine weapon for you based on your personal conditions."
"Of course, since it's a unique divine weapon, it means that this weapon will be bound to you for life. Unless there are extremely special circumstances or after strict assessment and approval by Judge Yan, you won't be able to change your unique divine weapon. So, whether you can get a suitable weapon next depends entirely on your luck!"
After Master Gu finished speaking, he gestured for Hao Yun to mimic his actions and place his hands on the wooden box floating in mid-air.
Hao Yun, upon hearing this, rubbed his hands together to increase their warmth, hoping to bring himself good luck. While suppressing his excited heart, he cautiously asked, "Master Gu, I hope I won't end up with any bizarre equipment from this armory, right? The Spirit Realm is such a serious place; there shouldn't be any particularly strange equipment, right?"