Chapter 1401: Wrong Gift Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Zhang Tong and Zhang Zhen had already noticed the fur cloak that Luo Ya was wearing. At that moment, Zhang Zhen knew how he needed to treat the Luo family from now on. They had to be placed on a pedestal! But before Zhang Tong and Zhang Zhen’s envy of the Luo family could sink in, they were immediately ticked off by what Jian Li said. This banquet was held to welcome and apologize to this young man. Jian Li had not only stopped Zhang Tong from going up to Lin Yuan to apologize to him but had even made it seem as though he was the host of the banquet instead. You asked us to add extra dishes? You didn’t even show up the entire afternoon! Zhang Tong and Zhang Zhen were furious that Jian Li was trying to use the banquet for his own benefit. However, neither of them dared to show their anger outwardly. But this was another sign that the Jian family was unreliable, and Jian Li was not a person they could trust wholeheartedly. When they entered the banquet hall, Lin Yuan noticed that the table was filled with various fruits and roasted meats slathered in red and yellow sauces. This was not appetizing to Lin Yuan. After training in the Divine Wood Federation for some time, Lin Yuan had eaten his fair share of roasted meats. He much preferred the dishes made by Liu Jie and Zong Ze. Jian Li stood next to Lin Yuan the entire night, trying to come up with a way to get Lin Yuan to reveal his identity and confirm which secret elite family he came from. But try as he might, Jian Li only became more confused. He only gave up and walked over to Zhang Zhen to discuss their collaboration when Liu Jie started to show signs of annoyance. When Jian Li left Lin Yuan’s side, Zhang Tong hurriedly walked over. He bowed to Lin Yuan and said, “Young Master Lin, thank you for showing mercy to the Rotting Poison Snake Wyrm. This is an apology gift prepared by my father.” Zhang Tong took out a wooden box and solemnly handed it to Lin Yuan. Lin Yuan looked amused when he saw the box. He had figured out what was going on from the events at Phoebe Zhennan Courtyard. If he was weak, he would have become the Rotting Poison Snake Wyrm’s next meal after Luo Ya and Luo De. If that had happened, he would already have passed through the Rotting Poison Snake Wyrm’s digestive system by now instead of standing here attending an apology banquet in his honor. Ji Feng took a step forward and opened the wooden box. Lin Yuan saw a pair of Bronze/Flawless Item-Storing Walnuts inside the box and knew they had to have been personally nurtured by Zhang Zhen. A gift worth 3,000,000 Great Lush dollars was more than sufficient to show the Zhang family’s sincerity. Alas, this gift did not interest Lin Yuan in the slightest. Lin Yuan picked up the Item-Storing Walnuts and started to play with them in his hand. They made a clear thud when they knocked together. Zhang Tong looked ecstatic when he saw Lin Yuan receiving the Item-Storing Walnuts. However, this was when Lin Yuan tossed the Bronze/Flawless Item-Storing Walnuts back to him and said, “You can just be straight with me. I’m not interested in the Zhang family’s apology. This banquet is getting boring. If there’s nothing else, we shall take our leave now.” While it was true that this banquet was boring, Lin Yuan also said this because he wanted Zhang Tong to make known the Zhang family’s true motives. If the Zhang family did not have an ulterior motive, they would not see the need to gift Lin Yuan something. They had to have a motive that encouraged them to use the gift to form a bridge between them and Lin Yuan. During the journey from the underground palace to Phoebe Zhennan City, Lin Yuan noticed that Phoebe Zhennan City’s geographical position was very special. There was a seemingly endless forest of ironwood trees right outside of Phoebe Zhennan City. Ironwood was considered a profitable resource. However, their roots extended more than 100 meters below the surface, and it was very difficult for feys below Silver grade to remove a branch from the ironwood trees. These made it difficult for Phoebe Zhennan City to market on the ironwood trees. As a result, Phoebe Zhennan City became the south-most city in the Divine Wood Federation. Phoebe Zhennan City had towering mountains on one side and raging rivers on the other. This gave them a two-sided natural barrier that also isolated them. Once the restricted area created by Silver Corona was discovered, experts from the Divine Wood Federation would go there to look into it. The only place they would have to rest at would be Phoebe Zhennan City. On the Iron Hammer Federation’s side, Lin Yuan had asked Ta Lei to apply for the territory at the border of the Horseshoe Tribe. If the people from the Iron Hammer Federation tried to investigate the restricted area, they would be stopped by the Horseshoe Tribe. If Lin Yuan could gain control of Phoebe Zhennan City, he would be able to immediately find out and react to any attempt by people from the Iron Hammer Federation and Divine Wood Federation to investigate the restricted area. Thus, Lin Yuan had been eyeing Phoebe Zhennan City from the moment he arrived here. If whatever the Zhang family wanted to ask him could benefit him in the future, he did not mind helping out. But if the Zhang family’s goal went against his own, he would knock the Zhang family off their throne and place the Luo family there instead. Zhang Tong anxiously reached out to catch the Item-Storing Walnuts that Lin Yuan had tossed back to him as he was afraid that the sound of them landing on the ground would attract Jian Li’s attention. Zhang Tong and his father still had no plans to pull away from the Jian family and reject the collaboration. If Jian Li found out that Zhang Tong was trying to jump ship to Lin Yuan, the Jian family would definitely unleash their wrath on the Zhang family. Zhang Tong became extremely anxious when he heard Lin Yuan say that the banquet was boring. He had been confident that no one would reject this 3,000,000 Great Lush dollars gift. Lin Yuan’s instant rejection left Zhang Tong at a loss. He had come to ask Lin Yuan for help with a matter that affected the Zhang family’s future. Once the chance was gone, it would never return. Zhang Tong said honestly, “Young Master Lin, my family would like to work with you. If you provide us with resources, you can use our Creation Master resources for your own benefit.” Lin Yuan took out a pair of Bronze/Epic Item-Storing Walnuts. The scarlet Item-Storing Walnuts spun in Lin Yuan’s hand, knocking together and producing clear cracking sounds, Zhang Tong was floored when he saw the Item-Storing Walnuts. Are my eyes deceiving me? That’s a pair of Bronze/Epic Item-Storing Walnuts! He had assumed that Lin Yuan was uninterested in the Item-Storing Walnuts he had been gifted because people from the Great Lush Federation did not have the habit of using the Item-Storing Walnuts as toys. He thought that he had chosen the wrong thing to gift. But now, he knew it was because his gift did not live up to its intended recipient.