Chapter 155: Asking for the Moon
After leaving the young exotic creature, Xu Zhi headed straight to Zhong Lingfan’s lab and summoned Shen Jinwen as well.
Once the others were dismissed, Xu Zhi casually dropped a bombshell in an almost nonchalant tone:
“I can now control the restrictions on Cloud City and allow people to freely enter and exit. I’m planning to negotiate with the Federation tomorrow—what kind of conditions do you think I should ask for?”
“…Huh?” Even someone like Zhong Lingfan was briefly stunned.
Though Shen Jinwen was clearly shocked, she remained silent. Her wide pupils and startled expression betrayed her disbelief.
“Wait a moment.” Zhong Lingfan raised her hand to gesture for a pause.
“If you want our opinion, shouldn’t you give us a little more context?”
Not just toss a bomb like that out of nowhere.
“So, what exactly have you been doing while you were away? What happened? And now that you’re asking this—what kind of outcome are you aiming for?”
Xu Zhi took a sip of Zhong Lingfan’s tea. Even though she didn’t know much about tea, she could still taste its fragrant quality. She sighed, noting how Zhong Lingfan seemed to be living quite well in the confined Cloud City. Then, she began to explain—offering a mostly accurate summary but omitting a few critical details.
“So you’re saying your current power now surpasses the Federation’s? And that enormous tree that suddenly appeared in the city center is actually your old wooden pet, transformed?”
“Yes,” Xu Zhi nodded.
“Since you can control access to Cloud City, I suggest you price each access pass at ten high-grade attribute cores.”
So expensive?!
Xu Zhi was genuinely shocked.
Just issuing a thousand passes would net her ten thousand high-grade attribute cores—pure profit. That’s insane.
While ten cores might be nothing to Xu Zhi, for ordinary Transcendents—even those inside Cloud City—it was a fortune. Even after over six months in the city, most couldn’t afford ten cores all at once.
Not to mention the Transcendents from the Federation.
But then again, these passes weren’t meant for just anyone. A single pass granted unrestricted, one-time access, so a higher price seemed justifiable.
“Sounds like you’re in a rush to stockpile resources. Setting a higher price shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Also, you could charge a buyout fee—after which, you only sell to the Federation’s government.”
Zhong Lingfan’s tone carried deeper meaning, and Xu Zhi instantly got it.
She remarked,
“Why are you a researcher? You should be a capitalist.”
“I’m still far from being a capitalist,” Zhong Lingfan replied calmly, lightly blowing on her tea.
Meanwhile, Shen Jinwen remained silent, simply observing the two of them. She seemed indifferent to whatever decisions Xu Zhi made.
After a moment’s thought, Xu Zhi asked:
“Do either of you want to go outside?”
She wasn’t worried about betrayal. Letting them go out for a while wouldn’t hurt.
“I actually do need to go out—to bring my family in and gain access to the Federation’s transcendent lab under your name,” Zhong Lingfan said. Her tone made it obvious she had her own agenda. Xu Zhi nodded in agreement.
Shen Jinwen, however, shook her head.
“No family or friends you want to see?” Xu Zhi asked, curious.
“None,” Shen Jinwen replied firmly.
“Alright then.” Xu Zhi sensed there might be a story there, but she didn’t press.
After discussing some more details with Zhong Lingfan, Xu Zhi was about to leave when she turned and asked:
“Professor Zhong, don’t you find it painful to spend almost all your time working?”
“Work doesn’t seem like a fun thing.”
Zhong Lingfan looked surprised at the question.
“Why would I?”
She gave a rare, gentle smile.
“This isn’t work to me. I’m doing what I love—fulfilling my dream.”
Xu Zhi didn’t really get it, but it didn’t stop her from thinking that in some way, people with the [Lamp] attribute were all a little crazy.
*
The Next Day
Xu Zhi went to the Federation alone this time. Only once negotiations were finalized would she issue access passes, allowing people from Cloud City to enter and exit freely. Zhong Lingfan, for example, would receive a few passes as per the new system.
However, since Xu Zhi was the administrator of Cloud City, the passes she gave to Zhong Lingfan and Shen Jinwen were unlimited in time and usage.
As soon as another fog-formed gate appeared outside Cloud City, the Federation was immediately alerted. Lin Zizhen, in fact, had moved into the area in recent days just to be better prepared to “welcome” Xu Zhi.
So, when Xu Zhi emerged from the mist, Lin Zizhen was the first to greet her.
To some, his eagerness might appear overly sycophantic.
But Lin Zizhen knew very well—the times had changed. To climb higher, dignity was now the least of his concerns.
Even if people whispered behind his back, calling him a bootlicker or a sellout, it was only because they envied the opportunities that kept coming his way.
He was fully aware of what he was doing and why.
“Miss Xu, you’ve finally arrived. I’ve already notified the higher-ups. They’re ready for negotiations at any time. Would you like to rest first, or…?”
Xu Zhi gave him an approving glance.
“Let’s begin right away.”
“Certainly. But if I may trouble you, Miss Xu, we’ll need to drive to the conference room. Holding a meeting here would be… inconvenient. I hope you understand.”
“Of course.” Xu Zhi nodded. She considered herself easygoing—no reason to make things difficult over something so minor.
After about an hour’s drive, they finally arrived at the prearranged meeting room.
Led by Lin Zizhen, they passed countless checkpoints before reaching the room where Xu Zhi would meet the Federation’s top authorities.
Before they entered, Lin Zizhen hesitated slightly.
“Miss Xu, unless I have your permission, I’m not allowed to enter the conference room with you.”
Though that’s what he said, Xu Zhi looked back at him and read the unspoken plea in his expression.
She remembered Zhong Lingfan’s request: she’d be negotiating with the Federation often—it wasn’t sustainable to handle it alone. She needed someone who understood the Federation’s internal workings.
“Come in with me,” Xu Zhi said calmly—but that one sentence carried significant weight.
Lin Zizhen couldn’t suppress the upward twitch of his lips, though he quickly forced his expression neutral again.
He hadn’t expected that clinging to a powerful figure would be this easy.
He had prepared so much in advance!
Still, those preparations weren’t wasted. They could be used as a token of his loyalty—especially the shocking intelligence he’d uncovered in classified documents.
