My profession is too unique.

Chapter 105 The Treatment of Core Seeds

The four walked on a wide road, where giant war chariots roared past every now and then.

“The situation is very troublesome now. You can’t poach people from those four core seeds. Those guys have invested for a long time, and the sunk costs make it impossible for them to turn back.” Gu Bing sighed. “And the newcomers have been beaten to the punch by Chu Xuan.”

"Let's just take it one step at a time." Su Chen didn't care too much about it.

This kind of gathering of power is not a one-sided acceptance of support. Rights and responsibilities are always relative; it is impossible to have only benefits without bearing any responsibilities.

Gu Bing pursed her lips, thinking that Su Chen probably didn't understand how fierce the competition was.

That's the position of Chief Judge, in charge of the terrifying Tribunal, and a member of the Council of Elders—arguably one of the most powerful people on Earth.

For this position and the interests it represents, some people will stop at nothing.

“That is…” Su Chen paused, looking at the huge statue in the distance, standing in the center of the square, holding a sword, solemn and dignified.

Bathed in the light of the setting sun, the bronze statue appeared as if draped in a golden veil.

“That’s our first chief judge—Wan Dingchen.” Gu Bing looked over as well, with a certain reverence in her eyes: “It was he who established the special status of the court.”

Yingfeng also has three departments: supervision, city patrol, and exploration, as well as various institutions in lower-level cities; it is essentially a simplified version of Yingfeng.

These three departments are all under the control of the Security Bureau. Together, they can barely compete with the Tribunal. The director of the Security Bureau is also a member of the Council of Elders.

The Security Bureau was created solely to protect Yingfeng, while the main responsibility of the Court of Justice was to govern 125 subordinate cities, and its main leadership consisted entirely of members of the Court of Justice.

In order to maintain their family's status, they would send their descendants to court, thus creating a cycle.

The immense power and annual transfer of benefits involved are truly terrifying.

"Our court is divided into several departments, such as the logistics department, the internal affairs department, and the intelligence department, which I won't go into detail about. The most important ones are the disciplinary department and the adjudication department..." Gu Bing briefly introduced the structure of the court.

"The Disciplinary Office is responsible for handling matters in lower-level cities, as well as some matters within Yingfeng City..."

"Are we also in charge of Yingfeng City?" Su Chen keenly sensed.

Gu Bing said in a calm tone: "It is not uncommon for lower-level cities to collude with Yingfeng, engaging in corruption and exploitation. We have the responsibility to judge lower-level cities, and since it involves some internal matters of Yingfeng, we naturally have the right to make decisions."

There will definitely be friction with the other three parts, and Su Chen seems to have already seen the bloodshed.

As the group walked and chatted, Zhang Yunqing led Zhang Hengyu around a corner to the residences of ordinary members of the inner court, which were high-rise buildings resembling apartments.

"As a core seed, you have a detached villa to live in." Gu Bing mentioned some of the benefits of being a core seed, and Su Chen immediately perked up.

But Gu Bing seemed to have thought of something, and frowned slightly, "However, it seems that you are pursuing two careers simultaneously, which is a bit troublesome."

"What's wrong?" Su Chen couldn't help but ask.

"Normally, you have to choose between physical and mental training. This involves deciding whether to equip you with a gravity training room or a spirit realm device..."

Before Gu Bing could finish speaking, Su Chen interrupted her: "This Spirit Realm Instrument, could it be for amplifying mental meditation?"

Gu Bing was taken aback, then remembered: "By the way, you probably don't know, the Spirit Realm Instrument was only discovered in some ruins a few years ago, and it was only rediscovered half a year ago. Currently, the number allocated to it is not large."

"There's such a good thing?" Su Chen couldn't help but click his tongue. As expected of Ying Feng.

“Good things always come from the top down, and right now only the presiding judge and you core members can use them,” Gu Bing said, a troubled expression on her face.
"But the auxiliary training devices provided to you are all of the highest standard. Even core seeds will only be provided with one type. Your situation is special, and your physical talent is also red gold. I don't know how it will be arranged."

"There is also the issue of drug distribution. The Tribunal provides one tube of training aids and advanced nutrient solution per day, for a month at a time, but you have to choose between physical or mental drugs."

"The court is so stingy," Su Chen couldn't help but scoff.

Gu Bing was also helpless: "The staff is huge and the expenses are terrifying. These are the rules, and it has been like this for hundreds of years."

Along the way, Gu Bing introduced him to the various buildings, including the intelligence building and the tank factory…

……

The trial assessment had ended more than half a day ago, and at Chu Xuan's celebration banquet, an uneasy Pang Xingwen was dragged away by people sent by the Pang family.

"How could he be Mo Cui..." Pang Xingwen thought about some of his little actions and felt a little regretful.

His Pang family's ancestor was just lucky to produce a presiding judge, who, even if not particularly outstanding, didn't have a high profile.

However, this still made his Pang family a part of Ying Feng's complex power structure.

Even though it nearly declined along the way, it still managed to rise again.

Su Chen, on the other hand, is a core seed.

The four core seeds will be divided to determine the chief judge, while the other three will become judges in sequence.

Generally speaking, the first four presiding judges are quite powerful, and some of them are still well-known even after they have passed away for many years.

Su Chen is different. His talent in black jade determines that his potential is higher. Once he grows up... he may become a powerful judge like Xia Hanshi.

Pang Xingwen trembled at the thought.

"Young Master, we've arrived," the hunched old man beside him whispered.

Pang Xingwen swallowed hard, looking at the mahogany door in front of him, which was gradually pushed open. He walked in nervously, looking down at the black carpet spreading out in his field of vision.

"Kneel down." The voice was indifferent, but Pang Xingwen's knees buckled, and he knelt on the carpet with a thud, not daring to raise his head, only able to see a pair of black leather shoes: "Father..."

"Who gave you permission to send people to track him without authorization?" The voice was calm, yet it possessed a certain air of authority.

"Father, I just wanted to gather some information..." Pang Xingwen's forehead was covered in cold sweat as he hurriedly explained, "He killed Zhou Xian, cutting off our family's source of income, I just..."

"Zhou Xian colluded with the Demon God Cult; he deserves to die!"

The sound was cold and sharp, like something had hit the ground and rolled over with a gurgling sound.

Pang Xingwen's pupils contracted as he saw a pale head roll right in front of him, its eyes wide open, staring in disbelief.

"Pang Qi!" he cried out in shock, his voice trembling. "How could he be dead?!"

This was the person he sent to track Su Chen, but he disappeared a few days ago. He searched for him for several days without success, and when he saw him again, he was already dead.

“Father, he dared to kill someone without permission, he…he…” Pang Xingwen seemed to have grasped at a straw.

However, his father didn't seem to care. He bowed his head and said, "Go and apologize to him. No matter what you do, even if you have to kneel in front of him, beg for his forgiveness. Then invite him to the family dinner tomorrow. I want to mediate this myself."

"If you can't get him to come, then you don't need to come back."

“Father!” Pang Xingwen couldn’t help but look up at the expressionless middle-aged man, incredulous: “I am your son, and you are Ying Feng’s deputy minister of supervision.”

"Even if you accidentally offended him, it shouldn't have come to this. Chu Xuan isn't incapable of fighting him. Who can say what the future holds?"

Father, how could you be so cowardly?

"Don't you understand what I'm saying?" The middle-aged man looked down at him, his voice almost devoid of emotion: "If he doesn't come, you don't need to come back either."

“I…” Pang Xingwen gritted his teeth, but in the end he didn’t dare to resist any longer, and said dejectedly, “I understand.”

The door closed, and the middle-aged man suddenly spoke, "Are you sure it's him?"

"The oracle has said that the most distinctive and eye-catching one will come from the south wind; that will be the target."

"Is there anyone more special or more eye-catching than him?"

A voice, seemingly coming from nowhere, suddenly rang out in the room.

……

"To actually have two Emerald-level talents at the same time... Jing Tian, ​​congratulations."

"The courtroom truly lives up to its reputation as the pillar of Ying Feng's strength."

"..."

In the quiet, empty room, only five people sat facing each other, one of whom was Chongjingtian.

He was in a good mood, and even though he sensed that the praise from the people in front of him wasn't genuine, he didn't care. Instead, his expression became somewhat serious as he said:

"Talent is just talent; it doesn't guarantee success. There's something else going on right now."

"The Inquisition has discovered that the Cult of the Demon God is currently conducting a joint operation. Those already identified include Black Tuo, Faceless Ghost, and Crimson Pillar. Their ambitions are considerable..."

As Chongjingtian recounted his story, the expressions of the other four also turned solemn.

"Furthermore, there are people in the city working with them from the inside..."

.........

The courtroom was enormous, and they moved rather slowly. It wasn't until nightfall that Gu Bing led him to the depths of the courtroom, to a detached villa.

This was the presiding judge's residence, quiet and still; even Gu Bing's breathing became less loud.

Inside the courtroom, class distinctions were stark… Su Chen thought to himself with a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both feelings and reflection).

This reflects both the long-standing stability of the existing structure and the incentive for those below to climb the ranks.

On the way there, Gu Bing encountered several high-ranking judges, and she would stop to greet them each time.

When he introduces himself to someone, the other person's expression always changes; even the most indifferent person will force a smile at him.

"The supply of potions has been continuous for many years. Regardless of whether the court chooses to supply dual-class potions, one vial a day might not be enough. If the court is unwilling to break the rules, my family can offer some assistance..."

Gu Bing hesitated before speaking, just before he was about to enter the villa.

"Oh?" Su Chen stopped and turned to look at Gu Bing. The senior sister's eyes darted around, and she said in a low voice, "My family once had a Minister of Supervision. Although it has declined somewhat in recent years, it can still provide some assistance."

"I understand." Su Chen nodded slightly, saw Gu Bing off, and then turned around.

Efforts should be rewarded. Su Chen didn't mind exchanging his status for some benefits, but he was still a newcomer, and Ying Feng was deeply entrenched in complex affairs, so he had to figure things out first.

As soon as I entered the villa, the front door opened automatically. The living room was very simple, with only a gray and white sofa.

Xia Hanshi was walking up from the basement, his upper body bare, his skin withered and fleshless, yet he exuded an aura like a ferocious tiger, with faintly visible pulsating veins.

In Su Chen's perception, its life magnetic field was terrifyingly strong.

Several slender women were waiting nearby, handing over clothes. "Are they all mechanical puppets?" Su Chen had initially thought Old Xia was a contrast, but upon closer inspection, he realized these women were all mechanical beings.

There was another person standing next to him, not Bu Siqi. He had dark skin and was taciturn. When he saw Su Chen come, he just looked up and glanced at him.

“Here he comes…” Xia Hanshi finished dressing, and the violent life magnetic field immediately disappeared, turning him back into an old man on his deathbed. “Heavenly Translator, you have quite a few secrets, kid.”

“I only found out after I arrived in Yingfeng. I didn’t understand it before…” As soon as Xia Hanshi spoke, Su Chen knew that Old Xia had figured out why his talent had suddenly turned into Black Jade.

"Have you obtained the Saint?" Xia Hanshi asked, but he was quite certain.

“Okay, I’ll dictate it to you right away.” Su Chen immediately stated the conditions for becoming a Saint, but omitted the fact that the “not killing living beings” rule would also be a constraint on professionals after taking office.

He estimated that Lao Xia couldn't possibly discuss things in too much detail with Lao Sang.

After he finished speaking, even the usually taciturn Teng Liang couldn't help but look over, somewhat bewildered.

"How did you meet these job requirements?" Xia Hanshi couldn't help but be surprised.

“Forced to take up the post…” Su Chen explained, “I was lucky.”

Xia Hanshi gave him a deep look: "You were forced into a position again. You're really lucky. Forced employment doesn't bring much improvement. Only by combining the qualities of a scholar, a sage, and a saint can your Crimson Gold talent be raised to Black Jade."

Old Xia didn't delve into the matter further, instead saying, "Making a good relationship with the translation department is a good option."

“I’m just quite curious about the Translation Department…” Su Chen was interrupted by Xia Hanshi before he could finish explaining: “No need to say so much. I’m not Yuan Chenyang. If you can get in touch with the Translation Department, there will be many benefits.”

“However…” Xia Hanshi’s tone changed: “You really gave me a big surprise in this assessment. It’s been several years since I’ve been able to embarrass them.”

This time, his tone was filled with emotion, "I never expected that I could produce a core seed under my tutelage."

"But this exception has caused quite a stir. Those four guys have been in this position for many years. With two challengers suddenly appearing, they probably won't sit idly by."

"I understand." Gu Bing had hinted at it when he came, so Su Chen wasn't surprised. He took the opportunity to say, "Teacher, although I have a Dark Jade-level spiritual talent, my physical talent is also Crimson Gold."

"If I could only choose one: the gravity training room or the Spirit Realm meeting..."

“Hmm…” Xia Hanshi thought for a moment and said, “I will help you with that. As for the number of professions you can choose, normally you can only choose one.”

"There are also medicines." Su Chen pressed on while the iron was hot.

“The medicine is a bit troublesome…” Xia Hanshi didn’t shy away from the truth. “The number of professions you can choose and the auxiliary training devices you are equipped with are one-time only, but the medicine is distributed every month. I can’t go to them every month, and I can’t ask the court to make an exception for you alone.”

For one-off transactions, if you're in a strong position, you can give it away easily. But long-term supply is much more complicated.

"Then... what's the situation with Gu Bing's family?" Su Chen asked thoughtfully.

"Gu Bing's family?" Xia Hanshi was taken aback and looked at the man beside him. "Teng Liang."

The silent man beside him immediately said, "The Gu family runs a business dealing in mutated flesh and blood in the city. They have a city patrol minister for 120 years."

"The person with the highest status in the last twenty years was her second uncle, a section chief in the exploration department, but he died outside half a year ago. His business was seized, and several families are preparing to divide it up."

“That girl is quick on her feet, no problem, she can stand by,” Xia Hanshi nodded upon hearing this.

"Understood." Su Chen nodded.

Xia Hanshi then cautioned, "Women are just for fun, don't get emotionally involved. Your career path, constantly striving for advancement, is the one you should be on."

“Uh…” Su Chen said helplessly, “I’m just more familiar with her.”

"Just keep it in mind." Xia Hanshi didn't lecture him further. He waved his hand, and Teng Liang, who was beside him, led the mechanical puppet out.

"Sit down," Xia Hanshi said, pointing to the sofa.

Su Chen suddenly recalled some rumors he had heard, and felt uneasy.

Xia Hanshi cut to the chase, "You should have heard that before you, I had three other Crimson Gold level seeds, but they all perished."

"It's just a rumor, the students never believed it." Su Chen wasn't lying; he truly didn't believe that Xia Hanshi would kill three students.

Xia Hanshi sneered, "Those who spread rumors are very careful with their words, only using 'broken' and not daring to use 'dead'."

“Your senior brothers did not die, they were just trapped in a certain place.”

"Do you need me to rescue them?" Su Chen asked proactively.

“No…” Xia Hanshi shook his head, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

Su Chen couldn't quite grasp Xia Hanshi's thoughts, so he could only say, "Since he's my senior brother, I've inherited a debt of gratitude. If I have the ability, I'd like to give it a try."

Xia Hanshi gave him a deep look. "I know you're a deep thinker, but don't get me wrong, I'm telling you all this so you won't overthink it."

"I only start to overthink things after you tell me," Su Chen thought to himself.

Xia Hanshi also sensed that something was wrong. His intention was to explain and reassure Su Chen.

But Su Chen figured that if he continued talking, Su Chen would think too much, so he simply said, "Don't think about this before the fourth rank."

The two tacitly skipped the topic, and Xia Hanshi called Teng Liang back, saying, "Take this kid to his place; it should be available now."

"Yes."

Teng Liang didn't say much, he just gestured to Su Chen and then led the way away.

"Senior Brother Teng?"

On the way, Su Chen tentatively addressed him, not really sure if this guy was Xia Hanshi's student.

Teng Liang did not refute the title, but nodded almost imperceptibly.

He seemed to be a quiet type. Seeing that he had no intention of talking, Su Chen simply kept quiet and followed him to a villa.

"This is where you live." Teng Liang pointed, then turned and left without even saying goodbye.

Feeling bewildered, Su Chen turned his gaze away from the other person's back and walked straight into the villa in front of him.

"Owner…"

As soon as he opened the door, a delicate woman, like a porcelain doll, was waiting for him, dressed in a maid's outfit.

"Tsk..." Su Chen leaned closer to her, but she still maintained her signature smile.

“Mechanical puppet…” Su Chen tentatively pinched her face. It was very bouncy and had a texture similar to skin, but no item notification popped up.

"Is it because it's not considered a tiered item, since its composition is too complex?"

Su Chen was quite curious and looked her up and down, having never seen such a thing before in his previous life.

"What's your name?" Su Chen asked. "What can you do?"

"Master can call me Zero." Her voice was gentle, and her eyes were bright and lively.
"I can clean, cook, do laundry, and dress my master. I can access the court's public network and my master's private network to help with miscellaneous tasks and relieve my master's stress."

Relieving stress? Awesome…

"Show me the room first," Su Chen ordered.

"Yes, Master." Zero immediately began to give a very detailed introduction, starting from the living room, bedroom, bathroom, toilet, and kitchen.

"...This is where the gravity chamber is installed. The owner hasn't been decided yet, so there's nothing here."

Su Chen looked at the empty basement, next to which was the medicine storage room.

Zero opened the storage room, and a chill spread out. "Its temperature is maintained at eight degrees... This is the optimal temperature for preserving the medicine."

As Su Chen approached, he saw that the display cabinets on both sides were filled with a kind of ink-like medicine.

"This is 'Black Water,' made from the glands of the Ink Lion, used by those in the latter half of the second tier of physical combat. This is a second-tier high-compression nutrient solution, and this is..."

“Glassy Blood…” Su Chen stared at the fifteen vials of pink potion below, his eyes shining brightly.

"This is a specialty from Nanfeng City, which is your hometown. It has a special auxiliary effect on the development of professions at the third tier and below." Zero introduced to him: "Ordinary members of the Inner Court receive three portions per month, Inner Court Seeds receive five portions per month, and Core Seeds receive fifteen portions per month."

"Tsk..." Su Chen picked up a tube, shook it slightly, and the liquid in the glass tube rippled, looking exceptionally beautiful under the light. He grinned and chuckled: "The core seed is indeed different."

Su Chen was indeed in a good mood. Even though the gravity chamber and the so-called spiritual realm device were not yet fully installed, he was still prepared to train hard.

However, before he could even begin, the doorbell rang.

Su Chen subconsciously looked towards the door; it was so late.

"Brother Su Chen..."

As soon as the door opened, Pang Xingwen greeted him warmly with a broad smile, "We didn't have a proper chat at the banquet last time."

He continued, "I know there might be some misunderstanding between us, but to be honest, there are some things I had no choice but to do."

Su Chen remained expressionless, but lowered his voice and said, "It's that Chu Xuan. He's narrow-minded and very dissatisfied with your refusal to recruit him."

Pang Xingwen had no qualms about framing Chu Xuan, since Su Chen wouldn't be able to reconcile accounts with Chu Xuan anyway, and even if they were, Su Chen might not believe it.

Shameless! My owner just stepped on me whenever he wanted. He glared at me fiercely during the day, but apologized at night.

"His face changed so quickly," Su Chen thought to himself.

Pang Xingwen spoke for a while, then secretly observed Su Chen's expression. Seeing that Su Chen had no reaction, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

“Brother Su Chen, it’s like this…” Since Su Chen didn’t respond, he could only bite the bullet and continue, “My father heard that there was some misunderstanding between you and me, so he specially prepared a banquet at home and would like to invite you to come tomorrow night.”

“My father apologizes to you personally.”

His father never said he would apologize in person, but as long as he could get Su Chen to come over, his mission would be accomplished.

"Your father?" Su Chen finally spoke.

“That is, the Deputy Minister of Supervision…” Pang Xingwen explained, emphasizing it heavily.

Su Chen's eyes flickered slightly. This guy came to apologize but didn't bring any gifts, and even invited him to his house.

Could this be a trap?

(End of this chapter)