Oro finally voiced his plan: Bring Xia Fei and Chen Dong to the Demon Race. The two of them were in difficult circumstances, pursued by both the lawful and the lawless organizations from the God Race. Though the sea of stars were vast, there were few places that they could hide in.
To tell the truth, Xia Fei was tempted. However, he had no idea whether a human running off to the Demon Race would be a blessing or a curse.
As he weighed his options, he opened the chests. The three mechanical locks presented little difficulty for Xia Fei, and two nimble hooks made of steel wire were enough to do the job.
*Snap!*
The lock sprang open, and Xia Fei curiously opened the chest.
In the key was only a dazzling key. It had an ordinary shape but was exquisitely crafted, and a string of numbers had been carved into. ‘9527?’
Xia Fei took the key from the red velvet pad and curiously examined it. Both the Atlantean Continent and the entire Dark Crow Pupa Cavity had been destroyed. If this was the key to some treasury, then he was in trouble. A key without a treasury was the same as using a wicker basket to draw water!
“Do you recognize this key?” Xia Fei asked.
Lionheart King Oro carefully examined it, and then he burst into laughter. “Xia Fei, hurry and open up the other chest!”
Xia Fei frowned. “Do you recognize this key or not?”
Oro mysteriously said, “First open the second chest.”
Xia Fei shrugged and used the same method to open the other chest. Inside was a golden card about half the size of his palm, carrying a black data chip on its surface. The card was made of metal and featured a boulder on both sides that appeared to be falling from a cliff.
“Rock Private Bank?” Xia Fei read the words aloud on the card.
Oro became excited, sternly saying, “These two items are a key to a treasury and an account card. As for Rock Private Bank, it is the wealthiest private bank in the Law Realm, with an excellent reputation. You’ve taken the treasure of an entire clan this time!”
Xia Fei was not as excited as Oro. “What does it matter if I have the key and the account card? It’s not like I can run off to the bank and just clear out the vault, right? I won’t even be able to get through the DNA verification. not to mention that I can’t even go back to the Law Realm.”
Oro laughed at Xia Fei’s ignorance, lightly saying, “Look again. This is Rock Private Bank. Do you understand what a private bank means?”
Xia Fei shook his head and indicated that he did not understand.
“A simple explanation will be enough for you to understand. Ordinary banks are strictly regulated. If you open an account at a regular bank, your account information can be looked up by organizations like the Law Enforcement Board outside of it. The advantage of these banks is that they’re convenient for public transactions. It’s just like your spatial compass. You have to tie it to an ordinary account, or else you can’t use it.
“In addition, the money you have stored in an ordinary bank won’t suddenly disappear. Even if the bank can’t pay its debts and goes bankrupt, you can get your money back all the same. The price is that you submit yourself to supervision.
“Private banks are different. The accounts and holdings are all secrets, and nobody will know how much money or what treasures you have in a private bank. As for the disadvantages? You can’t use this money for public transactions, and if the bank goes bankrupt, you won’t get a cent of your money back.”
Xia Fei nodded. “In other words, private banks are very unreliable. If the one running the bank gets up to some mischief, like fabricating accounts, causing the bank to go bankrupt, the depositor is basically done for, right?”
“Fool!” Oro angrily said. “You’re looking down on private banks too much. Only trustworthy clans with long histories can open private banks. How could they possibly just up and close?
“If you got some money from robbery or money that couldn’t see the light of day, would you choose a regular bank or a private bank?” Oro asked.
Xia Fei replied, “Do you even need to ask? Since it’s illegal money, it couldn’t be deposited in a regular bank. If it were to be found out, I could lose everything and end up being implicated. I could only store it in a private bank.”
Oro nodded and asked, “If you were giving bribes to some influential person, it wouldn’t be right to just hand over the money, and it’d be much better to give a bank card and have the person take the money themselves. At a time like this, would you choose a regular bank or a private bank?”
Xia Fei replied, “The private bank, of course. If you gave him a regular bank account, wouldn’t you be selling him out?”
Oro burst into laughter. “Isn’t it clear now? Although private banks have a lot of disadvantages, they also have a lot of advantages. Purely when it comes to secrecy, there’s no comparison. Those transactions that can’t see the light of day are mostly carried out by private banks. Treasures seized or stolen can only be reliably deposited in private banks.”
Xia Fei lit a cigarette and sternly said, “In other words, while private banks have a lot of disadvantages, they’re irreplaceable. After all, no clan has a clean background. No one will benefit if those underground banks cease to exist, so they’ve been kept around until now.”
Oro smiled. “You’re quick to catch my drift. If the private banks were to be torn down, many transactions would be brought into the daylight, which those important individuals don’t want to see, so they’ve been keeping one eye closed and allowing private banks to develop in the Law Realm.
“Since the Atlanteans were once a clan of the Law Realm, it’s very normal for them to have an account and vault in a private bank. It might even have some sort of treasure that they’re preparing for their comeback! From what I know, opening an account at Rock Private Bank requires at least a base deposit of one million grade 4 Origin Crystals. After all, private banks weren’t established to serve the poor. Only the clans and people with money can use them.”
Opening an account requires one million grade 4 crystals!” Xia Fei sighed in amazement. It turned out that all of his assets were just barely enough to open an account. Private banks truly operated in a high-class niche.
Though he did not know what sort of things the Atlantis Clan had stored in Rock Private Bank, Oro’s description had made Xia Fei excited about what might be inside.
“I’m currently wanted, so no matter what is in Rock Private Bank, I can’t go there yet,” Xia Fei dejectedly said.
Oro flashed a cunning smile. “Just find that great-great grandson of mine, Heathfield.”
“He’s in Demon territory. How can he help me?” Xia Fei asked.
“Rock Private Bank has a branch in the Demon Race too. The bank account card can be used anywhere, and you can withdraw or transfer money at any time. As for the vault, you don’t need to worry. Who knows where their vault actually is? To get into their vault, you have to go through their internal spatial gate. Whether you’re in the God Race or in the Demon Race, you can travel directly to the vault’s location,” Oro said.
Xia Fei was stunned. Rock Private Bank could also be entered through demon territory? This was wonderful news!
“Heathfield is a member of the Lionhearts. I guarantee that you’ll be safe under his guidance.”
Xia Fei stroked his chin. “It seems that I really will have to take a trip to Black Lion City.”
The afternoon of the next day, Xia Fei left the cultivation chamber. He was now a level 7 Law Sovereign and a step closer to Law Emperor!
The Blood Crystal’s devouring ability allowed Xia Fei to advance by leaps and bounds. Not only did he not slow down as Oro predicted, he was even accelerating!
“Have you thought it over? My proposal is ideal for both you and Chen Dong. There’s no place in the God Race that can shelter the two of you, so just go to the Demon Race instead. Strength is revered across the Law Realm, and if you can maintain your current speed of advancement, you’ll be welcomed anywhere,” Oro said, reemphasizing what he had said before.
Xia Fei said, “It’s still the Demon Race. If I choose it, I’ll be leaving human society forever. The human race doesn’t have a very high status there.”
“What are you so worried about? My Lionheart clan is one of the mighty great races. As long as the clan takes care of you, who can do anything to you?” Oro said. To be honest, he was being selfish. First of all, Xia Fei and Chen Dong were talented individuals who met the selection criteria of his clan. Second, if Xia Fei went to the Lionheart clan, Oro would be able to see the members of his family, whom he thought about night and day. He was killing two birds with one stone this way.
Xia Fei shook his head. “I still don’t want to head to the Demon Race for now. As for Chen Dong, I’ll go and ask him.”
Dinner was asparagus with stewed chicken. Chen Dong was effusive with praise for Pod’s cooking, and the dinner table was very lively.
After dinner was dessert, for which Pod had made a coconut pastry and chocolate pie. Avril declined due to weight concerns and had Pod accompany her for her night lessons. Ever since she started cultivating the Law of Life, everyone had been able to see Avril’s efforts.
“Chen Dong, there’s something I want to discuss with you,” Xia Fei said after swallowing down a large piece of chocolate pie.
“What?” Chen Dong’s knife and fork stopped. The two of them had big appetites, and the food covering the table had vanished like clouds blown away by the wind.
“To tell you the truth, I have a friend in the Law Realm who belongs to a very powerful clan, even stronger than the Nine Great Clans of the White Horse Constellation. At present, his clan is lacking in talents. If you want to go, it’s a pretty good choice,” Xia Fei lightly said.
“Even more powerful than the Nine Great Clans?” Chen Dong was taken aback. “It must be some superclan of the circle then.”
“It’s definitely a superclan, providing unlimited resources to its warriors. It also has top-class training facilities and famous teachers who instruct through example.”
Chen Dong became very excited. He was a madman who was intoxicated by cultivation. Although he did not say it, he found it a great pity that he could no longer cultivate in the Law Realm. Xia Fei’s words were exactly what he wanted to hear.
“However, this isn’t a human clan, and it isn’t within the territory of the God Race.”
Before Xia Fei could finish, Chen Dong blurted out in shock, “Demon Race? You even have connections in the Demon Race?”
Xia Fei nodded. “What? Are you afraid?”
“Me? Afraid?” Chen Dong shook his head. “I’ve never been afraid of anything in my life, but if I go to the Demon Race, I probably won’t be able to come back, will I?”
Xia Fei replied, “Yes. The two supreme races are opposed to each other. Once you become a Law Emperor in the Demon Race, you’re certain to enter the list of the Demon Race’s core figures and become an enemy of the God Race. If you ever want to return to the God Race in the future, neither side will agree.
“That’s why I wanted to talk it over with you,” Xia Fei added.
This was not a simple problem. Chen Dong was going to choose his future faction.
Xia Fei and Chen Dong were both only Law Sovereigns, so there was little stopping them from moving between both sides, but once they became Law Emperors, they would join the ranks of the elite, and they would no longer be able to travel as freely. If they chose a side, they must keep that decision to the end. This was why Xia Fei had been so cautious about Oro’s invitation.
“There’s no need to rush it. Take your time to think about this offer. After all, once you make this decision, you won’t be able to take it back for the rest of your life,” Xia Fei sternly said. “In three days, I need to head to the Demon Race to carry out some errands. We can talk about it then.”