Ji Huairou immediately stepped in front of Qin Hanchu.
"This is the Champion Marquis of our Great Yan Kingdom. You intend to arrest someone without proof?" Ji Huairou said angrily.
"Evidence will certainly be provided; it will be sent over shortly."
"We hope Princess Huairou will not interfere with our work."
Although Ji Huairou was a princess of the Great Yan Kingdom, this was, after all, the territory of the Duchy of Berlin.
"Fifth Princess, you can take Old Ghost back with you."
"I will cooperate with their investigation here."
"With the Great Yan Kingdom backing me, they wouldn't dare to kill me," Qin Hanchu said with a smile.
"We are merely inviting the Champion Marquis to stay and assist with the investigation. If he is not involved, we will safely return the Champion Marquis and offer our apologies."
The middle-aged man sneered inwardly.
Once he stayed, he wouldn't be allowed to leave.
"They are clearly planning to imprison you. Do you really believe they will let you leave?" Ji Huairou said urgently.
"They cannot keep me."
With that said, Qin Hanchu walked forward.
The guards immediately surrounded Qin Hanchu to prevent his escape.
Under the "escort" of the guards, Qin Hanchu arrived at the royal palace.
They did not take Qin Hanchu to see the ruler but instead sent him directly into the Holy Tower.
Entering the Holy Tower, Qin Hanchu saw six elders sitting cross-legged on a raised platform.
These six individuals were the past powerhouses of the royal family.
Qin Hanchu's gaze fell upon the elder in the center; this must be the ancestor of the Duchy of Berlin.
"Holy Ancestor, Qin Hanchu has been brought to you," the middle-aged man said, kneeling on the ground respectfully.
"Retire." The elder in the center remained seated with his eyes closed, but his voice emerged.
This was ventriloquism!
The middle-aged man quickly acknowledged, bowed respectfully, and withdrew.
Qin Hanchu sat down on his own accord. Since the other party did not speak, he remained silent.
After a moment, the so-called "Holy Ancestor" finally opened his eyes.
"Can you help a peak Grandmaster step into the Great Grandmaster realm?" the Berlin Holy Ancestor asked indifferently.
Qin Hanchu chuckled, "As long as I am willing, I can help a mid-stage Great Grandmaster become a late-stage Great Grandmaster."
Upon hearing this, the five individuals behind the Holy Ancestor suddenly opened their eyes.
"Is that true?" The Berlin Holy Ancestor's eyes were filled with shock.
"As long as you can pay the reward, I can help one of you break through right now," Qin Hanchu said with a light smile.
Reward?
Hearing Qin Hanchu demand a reward, the Berlin Holy Ancestor sneered, "Your life is in my hands. What right do you have to demand a reward?"
"If you want my life, you'll have to ask the Dragon Gate if they agree," Qin Hanchu said with a smile.
Hearing the name of the Dragon Gate, the Berlin Holy Ancestor's expression instantly darkened.
"Are you from the Dragon Gate?" the Berlin Holy Ancestor asked, frowning.
"Guess," Qin Hanchu replied teasingly.
The Berlin Holy Ancestor fell silent.
The power of the Dragon Gate was something the Berlin Holy Ancestor had to take seriously.
"It's either mutual benefit or becoming enemies with the Dragon Gate. You decide," Qin Hanchu said, crossing his legs dismissively.
"What reward do you want?" the Berlin Holy Ancestor asked coldly after a moment of silence.
Qin Hanchu took out a prepared list and then flicked it towards the Berlin Holy Ancestor like a hidden weapon.
The Berlin Holy Ancestor caught the list and quickly scanned it.
"For every three medicinal ingredients, you can get a late-stage Great Grandmaster."
"For our first collaboration, I can give you a Longevity Pill."
"This Longevity Pill strengthens the five organs and consolidates the spirit. It can even extend the lifespan of a late-stage Great Grandmaster by five years."
Qin Hanchu's words filled the Berlin Holy Ancestor with excitement.
The current Berlin Holy Ancestor was at the end of his rope. If he couldn't break through again, he only had two to three years left.
An extension of five years was the greatest temptation for him.
With these extra five years of life, he might be able to break through his bottleneck.
Once he broke through the bottleneck, his lifespan would be extended again.
"Go and get the medicinal ingredients!" The Berlin Holy Ancestor handed the list to an elder beside him and said.
The elder stood up and hurried out of the hall.
Qin Hanchu took out his phone and played a card game out of boredom.
After more than ten minutes, the elder who had left returned.
"There are two medicinal ingredients that are out of stock and need to be sourced," the elder said in a low voice after returning to the Berlin Holy Ancestor's side.
"I'll give you three days. If you can't gather them within three days, I'll have to leave first."
With that, Qin Hanchu directly walked towards the exit.
One of the elders was about to stop him, but he was prevented by the Berlin Ancestor.
"Send two Great Grandmasters to keep a close eye on him. As long as he's not trying to escape, don't interfere," the Berlin Holy Ancestor said.
"Is he really from the Dragon Gate?"
The Berlin Holy Ancestor pondered and said, "Besides the royal families of various countries, only the Dragon Gate could have eliminated the Toyotomi family overnight. Also, if he wasn't from the Dragon Gate, would the Great Yan Kingdom have allowed him to leave their territory?"
After listening to the Berlin Holy Ancestor's analysis, everyone nodded in agreement.
"Within three days, gather the medicinal ingredients he requested," the Berlin Holy Ancestor said.
At this moment, an elder asked in a deep voice, "Who will get the opportunity to break through?"
This question was what the other five elders cared about most.
They were all mid-stage Great Grandmasters, but there was only one spot for breakthrough.
If a man does not seek self-preservation, heaven and earth will destroy him. All five wanted this opportunity.
Once they became late-stage Great Grandmasters, they would be on equal footing with the Berlin Holy Ancestor.
Most importantly, their lifespan and strength would be enhanced.
The Berlin Holy Ancestor fell silent. This was a difficult problem for him.
No matter whom he chose, he would offend the other four.
If not handled properly, it would lead to internal strife.
After pondering for a long time, the Berlin Ancestor said, "Let Qin Hanchu make the choice. I will not interfere."
At noon, Qin Hanchu walked into a Sichuan restaurant.
Just as he finished ordering, a beautiful woman from the Great Yan Kingdom entered.
She was about to sit down when she suddenly saw Qin Hanchu.
"We are quite fated to meet each other in a foreign land," the beauty said, sitting down opposite Qin Hanchu with a smile.
"Do we know each other?" Qin Hanchu frowned slightly.
"We met when Yang Sanmei invited you to dinner."
This beauty was Wu Yingying, Yang Sanmei's nemesis.
Qin Hanchu then remembered Wu Yingying's identity.
"I have some impression," Qin Hanchu said indifferently.
"Let me ask you a question," Wu Yingying said with a charming smile.
"Ask," Qin Hanchu replied casually.
Wu Yingying smiled and asked, "Who are you? Yang Sanmei, who is so proud, is so fawning over you."
"You are someone you cannot afford to offend. Just know that," Qin Hanchu said.
Upon hearing this, Wu Yingying chuckled, "Really? That makes me even more curious about you."
"Can I leave now? I want to eat in peace," Qin Hanchu said.
Just as Wu Yingying was about to speak, a group of burly men walked into the restaurant.
"Boss, is the protection fee ready?" the leading strong man roared.
The owner of the Sichuan restaurant hurriedly took out a red envelope and handed it to the strong man, saying with a fawning smile, "It's ready, here you go."
The strong man took the red envelope, opened it, and snorted, "Starting this month, the protection fee will increase by three thousand!"