Red Packet Server

A youth sat atop a throne in a luxurious palace in a misty, dimly discernable land. He leaned back into his chair, his long, slender fingers holding an exquisitely crafted crystal glass. Red liquid sloshed about inside.

Six serving girls stood at his sides. Some thumped his lgs, while others rubbed his shoulders.

“Master Yale.” A man with a white handlebar mustache walked into the audience hall. After just a few steps, he knelt on the floor, put his hands on his head, and kowtowed against the red carpet.

He wore purple silk robes, and when he looked at the youth, his golden eyes brimmed with awe, fear, and piety.

The youth seated upon the throne was none other than Yale. As for his servant girls, the servant the Goddess of War had sent was no longer among their ranks.

The middle-aged man knelt, head against the carpet, for quite some time, but Yale pretended not to notice him. He sloshed the red liquid in his glass and watched as it clung to the walls of its vessel, then slid back down and reconvened with the liquid at the bottom.

It was only after quite some time that he stilled his glass. In the end, he never so much as tasted it. He simply set it down onto a try a servant girl was carrying. “You’re back.”

The voice was faint, but it seemed to come from all sides. Only then did the bowing middle-aged man raise his head and look at Yale, his gaze worshipful. “Yes, Master Yale.”

“You’re about to give me good news, aren’t you?” Yale grinned wickedly.

“I dare not guarantee whether you will see my report as good news, Your Excellency.” The man spoke hesitantly. He licked his lips and clenched the hems of his clothes. “In accordance with your orders, we’ve taken the entirety of the First Era. Everything has been destroyed, and nothing remains behind. Some of them fought to the bitter end, but they couldn’t change their fate.”

“You people work quite effectively, huh?” Yale nodded. “At least for now, this all sounds like good news. What else do you have to tell me?”

“However…” The man started, then hesitated.

Yale narrowed his eyes, his smile soft yet sinister. “You ought to know that I hate nothing more than half truths and words left unspoken.”

The middle-aged man instantly broke into a cold sweat. In just a few breaths of time, his purple robes visibly dampened, and where his hands touched the carpet, they left puddles of sweat.

The sound of his heartbeat was clearly audible, but Yale simply watched him in silence. “You achieved great merit in destroying the First Era, enough to compensate for your mistakes. I’ll spare your life.”

“Thank you, Master Yale, for sparing my life.” The middle-aged man bowed, banging his head against the carpet.

Yale’s eyes suddenly flashed with cold light. He raised a finger, and a wisp of divine power landed directly before the middle-aged man.

The man had been just about to kowtow when his head froze in mid-air. He stared, eyes fixed on the finger-width black hole in front of him.

“You’ve followed me the longest. Don’t tell me you still don’t know what I like and what I don’t? I spared your life, so continue. Tell me what you need to tell me. Don’t waste any more of my time. Your time is valuable, but then, mine is too.”

Yale looked at the man solemnly. He could see that the man was utterly terrified, that he was on the verge of losing his wits.

After giving his orders, Yale leaned back into his throne. The middle-aged man dared not hesitate any longer. He gulped, then continued, “However, although we don’t know why, the First Era’s Master of the Stars never made an appearance, and he sent all of their elites to the Third Era. Roughly one million escaped. I sent our forces to intercept them, but to no avail…”

“Oh? Is that so?” Yale lightly arched his brows. “Well, that’s rather interesting… A million? What level of elite?”

“Mostly diviners, with a few supremes mixed in,” said the middle-aged man after a moment’s hesitation. Then, as if worried Yale would blame him, he hurriedly added, “Although they made it to the Third Era, they’re all grievously wounded. Even if they survive, they’ll have lasting side-effects, and their strength will drop permanently.”

“This isn’t as simple as you think,” said Yale indifferently. He snorted, then stretched his legs and gestured for the servant girls to make way. “The Third Era has a medical sage. So long as someone is still alive, he can heal them. Also, think about it: the First Era was destroyed, but did you ever obtain their resources?”

“I haven’t,” said the middle-aged man, face pallid with fright. “If I did, I would of course offer them up to you, but I really…”

“Enough. I never accused you of pocketing them.” Yale grinned that same malevolent grin. He glanced, eyebrows lowering, at the misty landscape outside. “I’m simply telling you that those resources have already made their way to the Third Era, or rather, that among the million escapees, someone is transporting them.”

“That…” The middle-aged man froze, stunned.

“It seems the First Era hasn’t completely given up their resistance. They want to entrust their future hopes to the Third Era. Otherwise, they wouldn’t put all their eggs in one basket like this, much less freely offer up their treasures. It seems they’re quite confident in the Third Era’s chances. Hmph, interesting! Interesting!”

“Your Excellency, all of this is my fault!” The middle-aged man hurriedly admitted fault; he feared that Yale was furious.

To his surprise, Yale merely turned to him, shook his head, and laughed. “It had nothing to do with you.”

Although Yale smiled, he was inwardly solemn.

The First Era had existed for a long, long time. Its accumulated resources were so vast, they made even him green with envy.

If those resources landed in the Third Era, the Third Era’s comprehensive strength would shoot up several fold, no doubt about it.

This was sure to increase the difficulty of their invasion!

But at the same time, Yale was also inwardly celebrating the First and Third Era joining forces. This was a game… what fun was it without a little challenge? If he destroyed the Third Era just like that, then there would have been no point in waiting all this time.

It was precisely because he’d been overly bored that he’d destroyed the devils after taking the throne.

But after that, it had been nothing but waiting and boredom again. Now, he’d finally waited until he could invade the Third Era. He hoped that they could give him the excitement and satisfaction he craved.

“Isn’t it more fun this way? Just let the two eras fuse. I’ll still obliterate them until not even a hair remains,” said Yale, his expression dark.

Suddenly, the middle-aged man spoke up. “Master Yale, actually… I took two of the First Era’s Auxiliary Stars captive…”

“What?” Yale suddenly shot from his throne and right up to the middle-aged man, his eyes bright and smiling. “Then why haven’t you brought them in to see me yet? What are you thinking?”