Chapter 1159: Free Oneself and Become an Owner
On the same night, in the distant Heavenly Gates in the Land, unlike the peace on Earth, there was a tense and hostile atmosphere among some important figures.
A dozen extremely powerful Fire Demons were gathered in a meeting hall. They were the Gold Core higher-ups of the Fire Demon Race and did not have kind expressions on their faces. All their gazes were focused on a female who seemed as calm as water.
“Lavel, don’t forget your ident.i.ty!” A middle-aged male was unusually furious. Many seniors from the Fire Demon Race, as well as two elders, were present. However, Lavel had actually dared to decline a task from them. “This is an order from the race, not a request! Furthermore, many seniors are here. How can you be so unbridled?!”
To other civilizations, even level-7 or level-6 civilizations, the Masters of the Celestial Honors Cla.s.s were extremely revered. They would definitely be highly thought of in their race. However, this was the Fire Demon Race, a level-8 civilization. To them, the Masters of the Celestial Honors Cla.s.s were not that n.o.ble. Even though they still had great privileges in their race, this did not mean that the rest of the race was subservient to them. At the very most, they were considered a member of the higher-ups in their civilization.
“Sansby.” Lavel silently looked at the middle-aged man that had roared in rage at her. There was no respect in his eyes or mouth. In fact, there was even a hint of disdain. Even though he was her senior, regardless of whether it was his strength or temperament, he did not fit his ident.i.ty as a senior. Frankly speaking, he was simply a slightly older son of a rich family. “Don’t a.s.sume that you’re special. I don’t need you to tell me who to challenge for the Life and Death Arena or even what I should do.”
“You!”
Lavel did not even look at him and simply stood up. Then, she turned to look at the Fire Demon elder sitting at the main position in the meeting hall. “Elder, this is a crucial time for me to refine a level-4 equipment. Distractions are not allowed. Find someone else to do it.”
The meeting hall was quiet. Elder Miehill calmly looked at this arrogant female, but there was no change in the indistinct smile on his face. He calmly looked at her, as if he could invisibly pressure her. The entire meeting hall fell silent.
The pressure that the elder radiated might be extremely frightening to others; after all, he was a peak Gold Core expert who was at the top, even among the entire Land. His silent suppression was enough to make the other Gold Core experts present feel suffocated. However, Lavel did not feel anything, and her expression was as usual. In fact, she paid no attention to him.
After waiting for about four to five seconds, she still did not receive an affirmation from the elder. She simply smiled calmly and nodded at the elder. “I have other things to attend to. I will take my leave—”
“Stand still! You actually dared to…” Sansby was in a rage and shouted in fury. She wanted to leave without agreeing first?!
However, his shouts obviously had no binding force on Lavel. Lavel simply glanced at him. A terrifying aura that was even more frightening than Elder Miehill’s aura shot out from her eyes, causing the middle-aged Gold Core’s entire body to quiver, and made his heart jump in fear. He was so unnerved that the rest of his words went back into his stomach. He stared wide-eyed as she turned around and left, but could not say anything.
Some time after Lavel had left, Sansby suddenly panted. He was embarra.s.sed and angry. “Elder! Look at her—”
“That’s enough.” Elder Miehill waved his hand slightly and calmly said, “Let her go. Who can force her to do something she doesn’t want to do?”
“Hmph! I think she is too close to that Earthling. Does she want to betray her people?”
“Sansby.” Elder Miehill calmly glanced at him. “I know that you are full of hatred from when Lavel disabled your son, but your son challenged her first. You should always remember this. Don’t talk irresponsibly about everything because of your quarrels when you were young. To the race, compared to Lavel, you and your son are nothing! Let me remind you. Watch your mouth. If you dare to sow discord between the race and Lavel, even the elders will not be able to protect you!”
“But this a.s.signment—”
“The Fire Demon Race doesn’t only have Lavel in the Celestial Honors Cla.s.s.” Elder Miehill paused slightly. “Phumetheus’s Heavenly Demon Realm a.s.signment should be ending soon. When he returns, we’ll leave the Earthling to him.”
“Master Phumetheus!”
“Was the Heavenly Demon Realm a.s.signment successfully completed? My G.o.d, Master Phumetheus hasn’t acc.u.mulated his Gold Core yet, but he already…”
“The Heavenly Demon Realm a.s.signment is considered to be of intermediate difficulty among the Gold Core a.s.signments in the Celestial Honors Cla.s.s, but Master Phumetheus was able to complete it as a Solid Core. This…”
There were low sounds of discussion in the meeting hall. No one cared about Sansby’s half-green, half-red face.
Phumetheus was a freakish genius that had emerged in the Fire Demon Race about ten years ago. He was the leader of the new generation and was seen as the successor of the Fire Demon Race in the Heavenly Gates after Lavel.
“Heh heh, Master Phumetheus has not returned to the Heavenly Gates for two years because of the Heavenly Demon Realm a.s.signment. It is a pity that we are using w.a.n.g Zhong to show the newbies the future leader of the Heaven pupils.”
“Hmph. That Earthling should be proud to be able to die in Master Phumetheus’s hands!”
…
Recently, Lao w.a.n.g had been staying in the library. He did not stay only in the pill section, but he also strolled through the secret techniques section and the history sections.
The battle with Gelawentu had moved him greatly. To Gelawentu, w.a.n.g Zhong’s strength had suddenly increased rapidly because he had been concealing his strength, because of some strange power of that heavy sword, or various other reasons. However, only Lao w.a.n.g knew clearly that this was not the case… What had truly caused him to transform during that battle was the appearance of Draconic Spiritual Power!
Back when he innately used the Rise of the Dragon and the Descending Dragon, w.a.n.g Zhong had not realized this as he was immersed in the joy of achieving his Void Core.
In reality, as he continuously clashed with others, he discovered that his spiritual power and strength were clearly superior. Not only could it suppress non-living objects, it could also suppress other civilizations.
However, this did not cause w.a.n.g Zhong to be full of himself. On the contrary, he felt a grave sense of danger. He did not know if this change was because of the Fate Stone or other reasons, but he had to be more cautious. Thus, he had bought a sword.
Furthermore, after this battle, more changes occurred to his Void Core. His Void Core had started to display the shape of a dragon. In the early stages, he did not have a very clear awareness of this. However, after understanding that the divine territory once had dragons, this was a completely different matter. As a Playground of the G.o.ds, there had been hints of “demon G.o.ds” in the Earth, and dragons probably existed too. After all, regardless of whether it was in the East or the West, dragons were the most powerful beings in the legends of the Earth.
As a result, Lao w.a.n.g could not help but be careful. He did not just rely on his strength throughout his life’s journey. In reality, Lao w.a.n.g was a very cautious person. No matter what, he would clarify what exactly his powers were and what effects using such power would bring about.
Of course, he might be slightly too cautious, but if he remained prudent, he would be able to achieve long-term developments. Luckily, there were no legends of Dragons being forbidden in the divine territory. At the very least, there were no odd reactions when he faced the corpse Dragons with the Bone Demon in the Illusion Sea World.
He strolled through the secret techniques section for three days and looked through books that included various introductions of the true form, as well as various resources introducing the Dragon Race — including their origin, their death, their splendor, and its end.
The Dragon Race was the earliest civilization among all the civilizations to reach the top of the Fifth Dimension. It was said that they surpa.s.sed level-9 as a civilization, but as they were too few in numbers, they went extinct during the process of building the divine territory.
From his a.n.a.lysis of the books, Lao w.a.n.g made a judgment. Back then, the Dragon Race had led the other top civilizations to build the divine territory together and contributed the most. In the early stages of the divine territory’s establishment, everyone sang praises about the greatness of the Dragon Race.
However, after a long time, as new top civilizations came into existence and the ruling cla.s.ses were formed, there did not seem to be a need to praise them in order to maintain the new order and governance. Thus, over the past 1,000 years, everything regarding the Dragon Race had faded. Looking at the current generation of pupils, one could understand that they were only concerned about their strength and enjoying themselves.
This allowed Lao w.a.n.g to heave a sigh of relief. It had better not be a taboo as he could not outwit the entire divine territory. The books had also mentioned the power of the Dragons. The Dragon Race took the form of Western dragons in the ancient times of Earth. They had the natural ability to control the rules, and had great intelligence and physical combat power. However, from the pictures, there were several with beautiful humanoid appearances among the Dragons. They seemed to be of a higher level than the other Dragons.
Dragons possessed the dragon’s breath, which was a frightening form of power that was somewhat different from Lao w.a.n.g’s. In essence, w.a.n.g Zhong’s power was composed of Soul Power, but the natural suppression it had on other forms of Soul Power was slightly similar. This was the logic that the divine territory followed. Higher-leveled Soul Power would suppress lower-leveled Soul Power. This was also a natural endowment of level-8 civilizations.
w.a.n.g Zhong went into deep thought. His Void Core had now changed completely, and the dragon form was becoming more and more distinct. His entire Void Core was glittering. As for his control of power, w.a.n.g Zhong could split it into three stages. The first stage, which was his ordinary state, involved his Soul Power and divine cells. The second stage was his Void Core true form, which was his winged state. He could control the rules of ice and fire. Meanwhile, he could activate his Draconic Spiritual Power in the third stage, and even though he would still be in a winged state, as the controller of this power, w.a.n.g Zhong understood clearly that the properties of his power had changed completely then. To be honest, he did not fear any Solid Core. On the contrary, he wanted to witness even more vigorous combat power.
After staying in the library for more than a week, w.a.n.g Zhong understood his own powers better. Lao w.a.n.g was someone who was good at thinking.Meanwhile, the curtains seemed to have silently fallen on the incident with the Fire Demon Race.
Just two days ago, Heavenly Sh.e.l.l superintendent Erza had personally sent a letter to w.a.n.g Zhong and briefly explained the results of the punishment. She thus fulfilled her promise to w.a.n.g Zhong.
The results of the punishment did not surprise Lao w.a.n.g at all as Gelawentu had confessed to his crimes. He had personally desired the wealth of the Ocean Empire Planet civilization. Thus, he used his job as an excuse to falsely spread information about the Celestial Honors a.s.signment. When he wanted to rope in w.a.n.g Zhong to be his partner in crime, he was harshly rejected by w.a.n.g Zhong. In his humiliation and anger, he worked with his subordinates to attack w.a.n.g Zhong.
In the end, the arbitral tribunal determined that Gelawentu had betrayed the Star Alliance and was convicted of the unforgivable first-degree a.s.sa.s.sination attempt of a Celestial Honors Cla.s.s member. When the verdict was pa.s.sed last night, he was executed there and then.
A case that originally involved various complex inside stories — such as the secret conflict between the Fire Demon Race and the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l Race, a game of chess by the higher-ups, and even the a.s.sa.s.sination attempt of a Celestial Honors Master — had simply ended with the death of a mere Solid Core. Anyone who had some intelligence would know that this situation was definitely as deep as a bottomless sea. But so what? Furthermore, was this situation as simple as pa.s.sing a judgment?
This situation definitely could not be investigated thoroughly. Otherwise, just based on their crimes alone, it could be said that they had challenged the Heavenly Gates and falsely spread a.s.signments; in order to safeguard the dignity of the law, the entire Fire Demon Race would have had to be eliminated! But who would dare to do so? Who had such power?
The civilizations in the Land had similar strength, and checked and balanced one another. If one wanted to put aside all consideration for face and kill a powerful and established level-8 civilization, even if the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l Race, the t.i.tan Race, and the Natural Race were involved and the power of the entire Heavenly Gates was gathered, completely eliminating the desperate Fire Demon Race would not have been an easy task; that is unless the four races in Heaven stepped in. No civilization was willing to endure this ma.s.sive price.
However, the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l Race and the Fire Demon Race had definitely formed some kind of agreement in secret. There was no doubt that the Fire Demon Race had paid a large enough price. They had suffered great losses and faced humiliation so that the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l Race would not say anything about this, allowing the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l Race to follow the normal procedures. Of course, when the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l Race benefitted, they did not forget about w.a.n.g Zhong. Other than the news about Gelawentu’s punishment, the superintendent included three other things in her letter.
Firstly, the lords in the Heavenly Gates cabinet were extremely satisfied with w.a.n.g Zhong’s performance and handling of this a.s.signment. Even the Fire Demon Race, which had suffered greatly, could not help but pretend to rejoice and praise w.a.n.g Zhong for helping the Fire Demon Race to get rid of their black sheep… There would definitely be a reward. The rewards for a Celestial Honors a.s.signment were already good. He was originally to be rewarded with 200 Heavenly Gates contribution points, which was equivalent to 2,000 cla.s.s points. However, with w.a.n.g Zhong’s perfect performance, almost everyone agreed to the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l Race’s suggestion to the cabinet. He would be given double the rewards, resulting in a total of 400 contribution points!
Secondly, the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l superintendent had privately bestowed w.a.n.g Zhong with a reward of 100 contribution points and 10,000 Gold Star Stones. On the surface, this was rewarding him for his performance, but in reality, she was simply sharing the benefits with him… This was just part of the benefits that they had received from the Fire Demon Race. Of course, this was definitely only 0.1% or even 0.01% of the share from the deal between the two races. However, considering the superintendent’s position, it was good that she had remembered w.a.n.g Zhong.
The third piece of news came from the Ocean Empire Planet. There was no need to follow-up with investigations from the Machinery Race. The Star Alliance had not sent any Star Alliance Messengers to the Ocean Empire Planet. Thus, there was no way that the crime of killing the Messengers could have occurred.
With this accusation eliminated, they were extremely grateful towards w.a.n.g Zhong. The Ocean Empire King had sent a generous gift of 20,000 Gold Star Stones and two rank-D Machinery Race combat fortresses. However, they had left the Star Alliance and were unable to contact w.a.n.g Zhong. Thus, they pa.s.sed them on to the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l messengers who went there to rea.s.sure them.
After adding all these together, he had obtained 500 Heavenly Gates contribution points, 30,000 Gold Star Stones, as well as two rank-D Machinery Race combat fortresses that would be strategically important to Earth.
Thus, Lao w.a.n.g was in a carefree mood and felt as if he had received easy money from thin air. While he wrote a letter back to the superintendent showing his grat.i.tude, he also pa.s.sed the two Machinery Race combat fortresses and 20,000 Gold Star Stones to Jhonas and asked him to pa.s.s them to Ma Dong through the Illusion Race. The Illusion Race and Ma Dong had been contacting each other frequently, and there were many trades and deals between the two parties. For them to pa.s.s on these goods would be much more convenient than going through the Heavenly Treasures Street.
…
An Earthling named Aiolos had caused quite some waves in the industry. Many races started to scrutinize the Earthlings, a race that had just joined the divine territory, once again. Indeed, they were very weak, but their adaptability surpa.s.sed a majority of civilizations that were stronger than them. Aiolos was proof of this.
Furthermore, as long as one was willing to keep an open mind and an open ear, one would find that the humans had started to show their talents and seeped into various domains in the divine territory like fine rain. Even though they were not at the top, there were already a few outstanding ones who had broken through their limits and attracted the attention of others. There were even some rumors in the Heavenly Gates.
Furthermore, humans were slightly different. Besides their ability to adapt, they seemed to like breaking norms… It even seemed slightly unreasonable.
Aiolos’s Arena arrangement broke through the rules that had been undisputed in the Arena circle for the past several hundred years. He had proportionally split the Arena into “shares” that he later distributed. Outstanding gladiators could then become an owner of the Arena!
Although those who received these “shares” could not change their ident.i.ty, they could enjoy profits from their proportion of shares.
A completely new method of running the Arena had appeared, without any warning signs among the Arenas that had always followed the ancient rules and traditions.
“To call this ‘respect’… This human continues to be muddled and acts like a fool. A bunch of good-for-nothing slaves need these the least.”
“How arrogant and despotic! He will eventually know what tradition is!”
“The problem is that he gave all the shares to the gladiators. Even slaves have them! What blasphemy!”
Aiolos had won a lot of respect from the bottom-dwelling civilizations, which were now directed towards him and towards the change in perception of those from the Earth. However, from the perspective of the Arenas, many veteran bosses who had operated them for a very long time were full of malice towards this human who had suddenly appeared and messed up the situation!
Aiolos’s shares policy had broken the traditional rules in the industry and destroyed the native environment. Although it had not affected the profits that the other Arena owners had already earned and there was no direct conflict between the operational regions and the range of these Arena owners and Aiolos’s Arena, waves had emerged on the originally peaceful surface of the sea. These changes that were currently happening increased uncontrollable risks as a result.
And in the divine territory, unless they were on the road to ruin, very few people were willing to take risks.
Of course the Arena owners hated this! However, in the gladiator circles, there was a completely different att.i.tude towards Aiolos’s revolution!
Every gladiator who came into contact with “shares” would raise their hand in agreement with an enthusiasm that bordered on insanity. If they had two hands, then they would raise two hands. If they had 100 hands, they would raise 100 hands. There was definitely no one who did not raise their hands.
Some gladiators might not care about this money as the only thing they had left was some presence. However, as a fellow gladiator, Aiolos, who was also from a bottom-dwelling civilization, understood them well enough.
Aiolos became their G.o.d, the G.o.d of countless gladiators. The legend of Aiolos spread even in other Arenas. A slave gladiator had become the boss of an Arena! This had been simply unthinkable in the past.
What made them respect Aiolos even more was that although he had become a free being, this lofty Arena owner Aiolos had not abandoned his ident.i.ty as a gladiator!
Aiolos would still go down to the matches. As long as the gladiators could prove that they had the strength to fight, Aiolos would always give them a chance to challenge him!
There were countless people who wanted to kill Aiolos in the Arena. Some came for fame, while others harbored evil intentions. If one lined up these challengers, it might be able to stretch from this end of the Heavenly River to the other side.
Roar!
Suddenly, a fierce roar disrupted the discussion among the Arena owners. They s.h.i.+fted their attention to the Arena outside.
Two gladiators were risking their lives to fight each other. Right now, the Arena owners did not focus on their strength or their powerful techniques, but the pa.s.sion that burst forth between the gladiators!
This enthusiasm was extremely intense and influenced the entire Arena, causing the spectators to be filled with intense emotion as if their blood was boiling with anger. This was pa.s.sion that could cause them to let themselves go and invest themselves in the match, allowing them to vent the emotions that they had acc.u.mulated for a day or even longer.
The Arena owners watched this with serious expressions. This was a state that their gladiators would not experience. Perhaps they could use life and death to make their gladiators engage in intense grapples, but it would definitely not cause their battles to be filled with this influence that occurred when lives clashed! Evidently, this influence allowed the audience to burn off their emotions. They even saw many guest lounges lighting up for their gratuities. It was very hard to believe that this was simply a pre-match! It had reached the standards of watching an ordinary match —— at least, in terms of the Arena’s earnings!
Of course, not all the Arena owners were conservatives.
At this moment, in another guest lounge, Tsarilorhuan was welcoming three great Arena owners. They had powerful resources in their social circle and had relations with officials in the Star Alliance.
“Everyone, the shares system has brought about a different style. The most intuitive difference is the gladiator’s enthusiasm toward matches. We do not have to use life or death to threaten them into battles. Most of the time, they desire to go and prove that they have the strength and qualifications to earn some shares of the Arena.”
Tsarilorhuan spoke with fervor and a.s.surance. After defeating the Crystal person, he and Aiolos had each accepted one half of this Arena. Aiolos was in charge of building up their reputation. Meanwhile, as a Gold t.i.tan and as a newly risen genius of the t.i.tan Race, he was in charge of building relations.
The three Arena owners looked somewhat grave as they watched the battle that was occurring below them. This was not a life and death battle, but the standard of the fight between the two gladiators had surpa.s.sed the influence of a life and death battle!
In traditional circ.u.mstances, as long as it was not a life and death battle where only one gladiator could survive, the gladiators would fight steadily as much as possible. Of course, there would definitely be some flash and bang, but the spectators were not foolish. A battle without importance was clear at a glance.
This did not benefit the development of the Arena. However, this had never been solved as the Arena could not possibly arrange life and death battles for every match. That way, they would have very quickly run out of gladiators to use.
However, the Sacred Arena had obviously changed this!
“Indeed, shares are a good method. It arouses the gladiators’ determination to fight. Furthermore, they only enjoy the dividends, while the rest is still in our hands. What does this affect? Most importantly, our income will increase significantly. This is a good situation where we kill two birds with one stone.”
Tsarilorhuan raised the wine gla.s.s in his hand and said with a slight smile. He did not completely understand the thoughts of his Earthling brother, but the Gold t.i.tan did not mind. He was willing to accompany Aiolos and play it big as he wanted to see for himself how far an Earthling could travel, as well as for the two brothers that Aiolos had mentioned were the best. It was said that they were so impressive that they no longer resembled humans. In any case, he had already made a bet with Aiolos.
“Indeed, I can accept your proposal for cooperation on some conditions.”
“No, no, no. Respected Sir, you have not fully understood the situation. Once the revolution starts, you will know how fast it will be. Look at the spectators below and look at the expressions on their faces. In your Arena, it must be very difficult to see such focused expressions, even if it is a life and death battle, right? Now, they have been spoiled here. After they have gotten used to our programmes, how long do you think you will have in order to adjust to these spoiled spectators?
Tsarilorhuan sipped on his good wine. The smile at the corners of his lips caused the corners of the three Arena owners’ eyes to twitch.
“Thus, there will be no conditions. You either agree or wait and see. However, time will not return. The next time we discuss, the situation will be completely different!”
“Are you sure that the ‘Sacred Arena Super League Matches’ that you speak of will succeed?”
“The evidence is right before your eyes. With just the change to a shares system, we have turned the gladiators, who have always been in an antagonistic relations.h.i.+p with the Arena, into a part of the Arena. You have seen the financial report for this month. Do you need me to laugh again to remind everyone how wide your eyes were when you looked at it? Change is a good thing. By taking a step forward, we are the leaders of the future. If you are one step slow, you can only be led by others. Remember that the Super League Matches only need twelve Arenas. In the future, if anyone else wants to join, they will need our agreement.”
Tsarilorhuan put down and looked at the changed expressions of the three owners. He knew that he had won this game.
“Everyone, believe me. We are changing the world. We will make the Arena industry even better and even greater. We will have more influence in the divine territory. More frankly, we will earn 100 times, or even 1,000 times, of what we did in the past.”
“Then… Cheers to our cooperation!”
“Cheers to history. Now, we are creating history. You, me, him, and him are all the main characters of this period. Cheers to us!” Tsarilorhuan knew how to stir up the atmosphere.
Half an hour later…
Aiolos looked at the unbelievably favorable contracts in his hand. There was the official seal of the Star Alliance, and it was a contract that no one else would be able to secure.
“They didn’t ask about our lowest limit?”
“Our lowest limit? Talking with a Gold t.i.tan about the lowest limit? They would not even think of doing so. At the very most, they would think of having discounts for the league matches. To them, they have no problem with investing, but they all do not want to draw on the reputation of their Arenas.”
“How did you trick them into agreeing?” Aiolos smiled and shook his head. The Super League Matches plan he had devised would unify all the Arenas in the divine territory. Thus, they needed many large-scale and well-known Arenas to cooperate and partic.i.p.ate in the beginning. Then, they would devise the home and away league matches. They could turn the mere spectators into loyal fans of different Arena teams instead of inattentive spectators. Meanwhile, the fixed and regular matches and compet.i.tion dates would also help the spectators to choose the compet.i.tions they were truly interested in.
Of course, such a plan would bring about changes that had greater impact than the shares system. It was also more dangerous!
It was simply a miracle that Tsarilorhuan could convince the three owners to become their joint partners without any conditions.
“Tricked them? I also thought about that, but those fellows are much worse than us. We can only lead the way in this with our current reputation and popularity. Furthermore, as the controllers of the Arenas, changing the current phenomenon of inattentive spectators is the objective of every Arena owner.” Tsarilorhuan waved his hand knowingly. Then, he poured a cup of alcohol for Aiolos.
Aiolos took the gla.s.s and made a toast with Tsarilorhuan before drinking all the alcohol. “Is something the matter?”
Tsarilorhuan also drained his cup. Then, he nodded and said, “I got a response for the matter you asked me to look into.”
Aiolos’s breathing paused. His tense gaze stopped at Tsarilorhuan’s face as he waited for Tsarilorhuan to continue speaking.
“Ahem, could you not be so calm?”
“Really? I’m very nervous.” The veins on Aiolos’s forehead were twitching.
“I can’t tell… I’m just joking. Put away your fists. I’m not interested in fighting with a freak like you today. Um, the Seductress was slightly weird. From the very beginning, he only told me to go away.” In the past, Tsarilorhuan could split the earnings evenly with Aiolos. However, the current Aiolos was so frightening that the t.i.tan gave way to him so as to avoid conflict. The speed at which Aiolos improved was beyond imagination, especially after possessing resources. Aiolos was simply born for combat.
“And then?”
“According to the news that my people brought back, a messenger flew into the Seductress’s residence before being asked to return. The Seductress Race agreed to the special relations.h.i.+p between you and the Seductress. You can be with her, but there is a special condition. Guess what it is?”
“Could it be that they want the Arena?”
“That’s right, no prizes for you. What do you think about it? Regardless of what you choose, I have no opinion.”
Aiolos stretched out his hand and rubbed his temples. Countless thoughts flashed past his mind like shooting stars. Then, his gaze became determined. “They ask for an exorbitant price, but it is still a small sum to them. A place like the Arena does not suit their style. Thus, what they want is not me, but a place that is even more valuable.”
“Are you saying that…? There is a deeper intent behind this?”
“There definitely is. The divine territory is slightly unreliable after all. Help me check if there is any special news concerning the Earth recently.” Aiolos smiled.
When it came to combat and sensitivity, which civilization could beat the Earth?
…
The matter between the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l Race and the Fire Demon Race was settled, but this did not mean the same for the matter between the Fire Demon Race and w.a.n.g Zhong.
Someone lightly knocked on the door of Lao w.a.n.g’s mushroom house. When he opened the door to take a look, a male with carnelian-red skin was standing outside.
This person seemed younger than 20, even younger than w.a.n.g Zhong. However, the smile on his face and the dazzling glint in his bright eyes did not feel immature at all. On the contrary, it concealed an extremely sharp talent and bearing in the depths of his soul.
“You must be w.a.n.g Zhong?” The Fire Demon looked Lao w.a.n.g up and down without the slightest scruple.
“You are?”
“I’m Phumetheus from the Fire Demon Race.” He smiled as his bright eyes paused slightly at w.a.n.g Zhong’s face. “Won’t you invite your Senior Brother to come in and have a seat?”
Senior Brother?
Lao w.a.n.g noticed the Celestial Honors s.p.a.ce ring on his hand. He was a member of the Celestial Honors Cla.s.s from the Fire Demon Race.
This was not strange. He did not recognize many Celestial Honors members. Their whereabouts were mysterious and hard to track. Other than Senior Lavel and a few top Celestial Honors pupils, most of the other Celestial Honors Masters were training or cultivating elsewhere, carrying out Celestial Honors a.s.signments, or wandering around dangerous places in the Fifth Dimension. Phumetheus should fall into one of these categories.
“Heh heh, please come in.”
Lao w.a.n.g was definitely not on friendly terms with the Fire Demon Race, and this person was probably an enemy.However, from his expression and gaze, w.a.n.g Zhong could not see any antagonism or hostility. On the contrary, there was indifference in his expressions. He seemed rather casual in his words, but there was an implicit sharpness in his speech. This was the first young person to unconsciously take the lead when speaking with Lao w.a.n.g. If this was his enemy, he would be much more interesting than fools like Balor.
“Not a bad room.” Phumetheus looked at the arrangement of the mushroom house and said with a smile, “Even if something is small, it can still contain the essentials. It is somewhat like the Earth. It does not have a large territory or have many resources, but it is able to produce rare talents like you. It is shocking.”
“I can’t be considered a rare talent. I just have good luck,” w.a.n.g Zhong smiled and answered. “Senior Brother, you didn’t come to talk about domestic trivialities with me, right?”
Phumetheus laughed. “Junior Brother, you seem to be impatient. Legend says that Junior Brother w.a.n.g Zhong hates evil like an enemy and has a fiery personality. If people offend you, you will return the favor multiple times over. You will never have any misgivings against your opponent’s ident.i.ty. Today, as expected, you have lived up to your reputation.”
“You praise me too much. After all, my rise is insignificant. I do not deserve such courtesy.” w.a.n.g Zhong endured his temper and beat around the bush with him.
Seeming to sense the impatience in w.a.n.g Zhong’s tone, Phumetheus smiled and said, “Junior Brother, there is no need to be nervous. I have no evil intentions. Allow me to introduce myself.
“I am Phumetheus from the Fire Demon Race, a Heavenly Gates pupil from the 56th Batch of the Violent Demon Era. I am now training in the Celestial Honors Cla.s.s. I was carrying out a Celestial Honors a.s.signment for two years and missed the year of exciting happenings with the new batch of juniors. What a pity. However, personally, after hearing about your deeds, I admire you greatly. You are very similar to me ten years ago. Heh heh, among the ten thousand races in the Land and the countless creatures present, it must be due to great affinity for me to find someone who is that similar to me.”
Phumetheus paused, but the smile on his face did not change. He looked straight at w.a.n.g Zhong’s eyes with a sharp gaze that was not overbearing. “My previous Celestial Honors a.s.signment was at the Heavenly Demon Realm. After two years of carrying out the a.s.signment, I happened to receive two tokens to visit the Demon Palace in the Heavenly Demon Realm. I intend to invite Junior Brother to come with me. Not sure if Junior Brother is interested?”
The Heavenly Demon Realm was a first-rate location among the various secret realms and worlds accessible through the Heavenly Gates. They had opposed the four races in Heaven countless eras ago and claimed that they were the fifth level-9 civilization. They cooperated with countless civilizations from the dark worlds and wanted to challenge the positions of governance that the four races possessed in the Fifth Dimension. The battle between them continued for several eras, but in the end, the Heavenly Demon Realm had lost, and their civilization was destroyed.
The Heavenly Demon World, whose prosperity was comparable to the Heaven, then became a secret training ground for the Heavenly Gates. It was said that there were countless treasures and inheritances that unparalleled experts, those who had surpa.s.sed the Gold Core Realm, had left behind. Although it was extremely dangerous and the death rate of adventurers was extremely high, waves of Heavenly Gates elites continued to head there.
Meanwhile, the Demon Palace tokens that Phumetheus had mentioned were obviously authorization keys to enter a treasure vault or inherited land in the Heavenly Demon Realm. Lao w.a.n.g had seen items that were similar to the Heavenly Demon Realm treasure tokens in the Heavenly Objects Pavilion’s conversion list. Their prices started from several thousand contribution points, and they were pitifully low in stock. However, Phumetheus was going to give one to him for free?
Was he planning to trick w.a.n.g Zhong and kill him, or was he preparing to rope w.a.n.g Zhong in?
The probability of Phumetheus trying to rope w.a.n.g Zhong onto his side was higher. This was not only an acknowledgment of w.a.n.g Zhong’s strength. There was a greater possibility that his objective was to sway the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l Race.
After all, w.a.n.g Zhong and the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l Race were in a honeymoon period. If w.a.n.g Zhong suddenly accepted this ma.s.sive benefit from the Fire Demon Race and headed to the Heavenly Demon Realm with Phumetheus for exploration, how different was this from openly betraying the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l Race and jumping into the hands of the enemy? Regardless of whether it was in terms of reputation or image, this action would be like fiercely slapping the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l Race in the face.
“With my strength, going to the Heavenly Demon Realm might be too dangerous.” Lao w.a.n.g smiled. “I’m afraid that I do not have the luck to enjoy Senior Brother’s kindness. You might want to wait a few years.”
This perfunctory att.i.tude could be sensed even from three meters away.
Phumetheus smiled and did not advise or reject him. Instead, he changed the topic. “I heard that the Earth civilization has just established a communication point in Catanlyke District and has been advanced to a level-4.5 civilization. Are you going to take the level-5 a.s.sessment? Heh heh, for a civilization that has just entered the Star Alliance, this rate of advancement is truly unthinkable. You have benefitted greatly. However, that is for an ordinary civilization. I feel that for talents like Junior Brother, your race, the Earth civilization, should get even more.”
w.a.n.g Zhong looked at him. Indeed, this fellow was impressive and seemed to have fully researched w.a.n.g Zhong. He knew what w.a.n.g Zhong was most concerned about and what he wanted most.
Phumetheus calmly said, “The status of the Fire Demon Race in the divine territory does not seem to be inferior to that of the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l Race. Whatever the Heavenly Sh.e.l.l Race can give you, we can give you even more. Double? Triple? Or even ten times the amount? To us, this is no more than adjusting the distribution of profits in the Star Alliance. —But what does this have to do with anything? Before coming here, I submitted an application to the higher-ups in the Fire Demon Race. As long as they approve of it, the Earth civilization can advance to a level-5 civilization tomorrow. I can even a.s.sure you that the Earth can qualify for the level-6 a.s.sessment within three years.”
“Also…” Phumetheus’ voice was rather confident as a low-leveled civilization would not, and could not, reject the conditions that he proposed. The Fire Demon Race had evaluated w.a.n.g Zhong as a person with a temper and a courageous spirit. However, one should not forget that he was also a brutal person who would resort to unscrupulous methods for survival. “The Fire Demon Race has many deals with the peripheral worlds and a lot of authority. The Earth civilization has just started in the Star Alliance and urgently needs support, both economically and from trade partners. Typically, building such relations would take at least several hundred years for a civilization. However, as long as you work with the Fire Demon Race, it can be settled in one sentence. Junior Brother, what do you think?”
“Senior Brother.” Lao w.a.n.g smiled. “I feel that it is more dependable to rely on oneself.”
“Oh? Even such conditions cannot erase the unhappiness that Junior Brother feels towards the small misunderstanding that Gelawentu caused?”
“What if it were you?” Lao w.a.n.g really did not know what Phumetheus wanted to do. Did he think that Lao w.a.n.g was a naive little rabbit?