The clerk hesitated, then leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Senior Brother Ju Fan, this mine… it's not just a resource. It's an opportunity."
Han Yu finally looked directly into the man's eyes. "Explain."
The clerk smiled faintly, the kind of smile that ca from thinking one was clever. "If soone gets assigned to the site, even temporarily, there are ways to profit. Big ways."
Han Yu raised an eyebrow slightly. "Such as."
The clerk chuckled under his breath. "Co now. You already know, don't you?"
Internally, Han Yu's mind sharpened like a drawn blade.
"Does he suspect ?'
He did not react.
Instead, Ju Fan's face curved into a faint, chilling smile. The kind that made people uncomfortable without understanding why.
The clerk saw it and nodded eagerly. "I knew it. Senior Brother Ju Fan has a nose for these things."
Han Yu remained silent, allowing the misunderstanding to deepen.
The clerk continued, now confident. "You've been asking about slaves. I figured you must have heard about the mines while you were outside the sect. Everyone knows that mining operations like this bleed value everywhere."
Han Yu understood imdiately.
The clerk thought he was greedy.
'Good.'
"The clans send gifts," the clerk whispered. "To smooth things over. A few supplies go missing here and there. Labor counts are adjusted. Even the quartz itself, if one is careful. And the people overseeing slaves get the most chances."
Han Yu nodded slowly, as if considering the profits.
In reality, his thoughts were elsewhere.
'So the slaves are indeed under sect supervision. And oversight positions exist.'
He asked the question that mattered. "Is there a chance for to be assigned there?"
The clerk's smile faded. He sighed again, clearly frustrated. "That's the hard part."
Han Yu waited.
"Even the people who knew first didn't get in," the clerk said. "Only a handful of supervisors were sent, and even they were rotated out quickly. The sect wants stronger disciples there. Monitoring. Oversight. And elders."
Han Yu's heart sank slightly, but his face did not show it.
"So no open missions," he said.
The clerk shook his head. "None. Not yet. And maybe not ever. The sect is keeping this tight."
Han Yu folded his hands behind his back, thinking rapidly.
Elders.
Strong disciples.
Oversight.
This was not sothing he could brute force his way into.
The clerk hesitated, then added quietly, "That said… things like this never stay closed forever. There will be internal appointnts. Temporary postings. Assistants. Specialists."
Han Yu's gaze flickered. "Specialists."
The clerk nodded. "Puppet artisans. Formation experts. Blood specialists. Anyone useful."
Han Yu felt sothing settle into place.
He had been waiting.
He had been preparing.
And now he finally saw the shape of the door he needed to open.
"I see," Han Yu said calmly.
"Though from the looks of it, the chances might be reducing as we speak. Those in the higher levels of the sect, Inner disciples close to elders, or even Core Disciples will not miss this chance to get a position at the mines.
They can make quite a lot while just sitting around after all." The clerk added after a mont.
"Hmm... So unless one has so connections, getting this work will not be simple." Han Yu muttered.
"You truly get it senior brother." The clerk smiled.
The clerk relaxed after that, thinking the conversation was over. "That's all I could find, Senior Brother. Careful though. This mine is… sensitive."
Han Yu turned to leave, then paused.
He tossed a small pouch to the clerk.
The man caught it, checked the contents, and his eyes widened slightly.
"Senior Brother Ju Fan is generous," the clerk said quickly.
Han Yu did not look back. "Continue watching."
"Yes. Of course. I'll inform you if any chance for joining the operation shows up."
As Han Yu walked away from the stench and shadows of the latrine sector, his thoughts moved with deadly clarity.
He did not need an open mission.
He did not need permission.
He needed to beco indispensable.
Puppets.
Blood.
Control.
If the sect needed specialists, then he would make himself the obvious choice.
And when he reached the mines, he would finally see the slave seals with his own eyes.
Only then could the real work begin.
Han Yu walked back toward his cave slowly, his pace asured, his expression the sa cold mask that Ju Fan always wore. To anyone watching, it would look like a man deep in thought about cultivation or work.
In truth, his mind was moving faster than it ever had before, turning the problem over from every possible angle.
Joining the mining operation was no longer a vague idea. It had beco a necessity.
The clerk's words confird what Han Yu had already suspected. The mine was not sothing that ordinary disciples could simply apply for. It was sensitive, politically charged, and watched closely by elders.
Only people with standing, backing, or undeniable usefulness would be allowed anywhere near it. Missions would be rare or nonexistent. Appointnts would be internal. Favors would matter more than rit points.
And Ju Fan had none of that.
Not openly, at least.
Han Yu knew his current reputation very well. Ju Fan was known as capable in alchemy and recently competent in puppetry, but he was still an outer disciple by status, a man with a poor clan background, no elder patron, and a history of being used rather than supported.
Even his recent success at the Puppet Peak would not be enough to make elders think of him as soone worth assigning to oversee a mine that involved three powerful clans and a strategic resource.
And becoming an Inner Court Disciple was easier said that done. It was not based on cultivation but rather a test, and Han Yu knew for sure he was not even close to being capable of taking one.
There were two tests for this. The first was basically unknown and was administered by the elders, once a year. And it had happened a month ago from what Han Yu had heard so there was no chance of him taking it for a year now.
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