Chapter 89: Twenty Percent Off
The battlefield was ignited by flames, with mutated beasts whose fur had caught fire running around screaming in chaos everywhere, alongside wild boar warriors wielding war hammers, specifically targeting the skulls of the mutated beasts.
A thunderous explosion sounded from the sky, and a dark blue-black afterimage shot straight toward the top of the Sun Fortress. It was the Storm Wyvern, Sky Leader.
Boom!
The Storm Wyvern crashed into the top of the fortress like a falling meteor. As a T0-class fortress capable of withstanding heavy cannon-level weapons, the Sun Fortress naturally wouldn't have its outer armor breached by the Storm Wyvern's impact.
The shockwave from the collision sent Su Xiao flying. After tumbling horizontally through the air for a distance, he began to fall freely downward.
The Storm Wyvern tilted its head back slightly and spewed a jet of glowing white energy from its mouth. This pillar of energy, as thick as a bucket, seemed ordinary at first glance but was actually deadly. Upon hitting an enemy or other matter, it would decompose the target down to the atomic state.
This ability was very similar to the Dust Release from the Naruto World, but its power level was significantly higher. The techniques of Dust Release were more refined, while the Storm Wyvern's Annihilation Breath was more brute-force, pursuing only raw power.
The Annihilation Breath, like a translucent ray, swept across Su Xiao's body, seemingly intent on cutting him in half. However, the parts of his body touched by the Annihilation Breath did not decompose.
During his fall, Su Xiao quietly disengaged from his Space Penetration state. First, he was blasted away by the impact, then swept by the Annihilation Breath, yet he did not counterattack. This involved several considerations.
First, Su Xiao felt that the Storm Wyvern would make an excellent mount, as it flew fast enough. Second, he was very interested in this breath energy, which was similar to Dust Release but more violent.
Based on his combat experience, he had determined that the principle behind this ability was similar to Dust Release from the Naruto World, but its decomposition power over the target far exceeded Dust Release.
Dust Release might seem undefendable, but that wasn't the case. The separation and decomposition of matter also depended on the material's quality and whether it contained supernatural energy. Once high-level supernatural forces were involved, decomposition would be very slow.
To make an analogy: with the defensive power of the crystal layer Su Xiao had now constructed, if he created a crystal wall 5 centimeters thick, a Dust Release user could spray it all morning and still not penetrate it.
The energy that made up the Storm Wyvern's Annihilation Breath was absurdly powerful. Su Xiao estimated that even if he activated all his defensive measures, if this ability hit a vital point, he had over a 95% chance of being instantly killed.
The Annihilation Breath was crude in its usage but devastating in power, while Dust Release had average power but exquisite construction principles.
Combining the two to create a trigger-type trap or a small-area but fast-activating explosive would be quite effective for various situations.
Previously, Su Xiao had envisioned developing a Black Hole Grenade. When thrown, it would generate immense suction force, with the center point causing annihilation. Unfortunately, the technical difficulty of the Black Hole Grenade was too high, and it was still in the conceptual explosive stage.
Now, Su Xiao's hastily conceived Decomposition Bomb had a high probability of being realized. If nothing unexpected happened and he could return alive to the Reincarnation Paradise to purchase a Dust Release scroll, this idea was not just a sure thing but had at least an 80% chance of success.
For this reason, even though Su Xiao was first blasted away by the impact and then swept by the Annihilation Breath, he chose not to retaliate. Once he struck, his blood energy would inevitably be exposed, and if it scared off the Storm Wyvern, that would be a loss. This creature could not only fly but also flew extremely fast.
Su Xiao continued his free fall. The fortress was about a hundred meters above the ground, so he would land in roughly four seconds.
At that moment, the Storm Wyvern was on top of the fortress, a hint of confusion in its eyes. First, its diving impact, then the Annihilation Breath—why hadn't that weak, upright-walking animal died?
The Storm Wyvern looked down. On the open ground in front of the fortress, wild boar warriors were staring with eyes wide, some already in a throwing-hammer stance.
The Storm Wyvern knew that if that human fell among the warriors below, he would be heavily protected. Although it could kill those warriors, if there were too many, it would have to retreat for now.
At this moment, clever intelligence took the high ground. Since being eroded by that unknown energy, the Storm Wyvern had never been so smart, and its intelligence showed signs of clearing up like clouds dispersing.
The Storm Wyvern spread its wings. It actually had four wings: two large ones and smaller secondary wings on either side of its tail feathers.
With a bang, the Storm Wyvern, in the posture of a sky lord, instantly closed in on Su Xiao, grabbing him with a dragon claw.
Su Xiao stopped falling, and almost simultaneously, his eyes opened wide.
Boom!
Blood energy exploded in midair, seemingly forming a massive beast's head, grinning ferociously at the Storm Wyvern. Compared to this enormous beast head, the Storm Wyvern, which was not small in size, now looked like a storm bird.
The Storm Wyvern's vertical pupils rapidly contracted, and its feathers fluffed up. Its instinctive reaction was to throw Su Xiao, who was in its claw, as far away as possible.
Su Xiao had been waiting for the Storm Wyvern to get close. He wouldn't let this opportunity slip.
Five blood spears formed. These blood spears were not fired but immediately exploded. Su Xiao was too close to the Storm Wyvern; the blood spears didn't have enough flight distance, greatly reducing their penetration. It was better to just blow the Storm Wyvern down like this.
After a series of blood energy explosions, the Storm Wyvern let out a mournful cry, lost its balance, and crashed heavily to the ground.
Whoosh! A gale raged. The Storm Wyvern wasn't stupid. It had already sensed the aura Su Xiao was emitting. That feeling of terror stimulated its biological instincts, urging it to flee this place as quickly as possible.
The Storm Wyvern flapped its wings, took off, and prepared to escape using its flight advantage.
Amidst the dust, Su Xiao constructed a Blood Spear: Fortitude in his hand, a melee weapon with higher strength and attack power. He assumed a throwing stance.
Bang!
The blood spear was thrown like a javelin, piercing through a series of sonic booms in midair. Dragon blood splattered as the spear pierced the Storm Wyvern's right wing, causing many dark blue-black feathers, nearly 50 centimeters long, to fall.
The Storm Wyvern shot Su Xiao a hateful glance. This level of injury wouldn't affect its flight.
On the ground, a blue gleam appeared in Su Xiao's eyes. Almost simultaneously, the Storm Wyvern above flapped its wings erratically, its flight altitude decreasing instead of increasing.
Why was this? Combat required intelligence, especially when trying to capture a powerful enemy alive.
If the Storm Wyvern was determined to escape, beating it half to death wouldn't be easy. Su Xiao had another method. The blood spear he had just thrown was covered with fragments of Banishment.
Su Xiao could remotely control Banishment. The moment the blood spear pierced the Storm Wyvern's wing, all the Banishment fragments detached and, following the dragon's blood flow, distributed throughout its body.
Now, the Storm Wyvern was fluttering lower and lower in the sky because of this. Su Xiao was forcibly pulling it down.
The Storm Wyvern also realized that foreign objects had invaded its body, dragging it downward. It decided not to resist, to avoid riddling its body with holes. As the saying goes, the best way to face fear is to conquer it.
The Storm Wyvern dove down, folding its wings and landing with a crash, sending dirt and grass flying. It spread its wings, stretched out its head, and roared at Su Xiao. This was a challenge from the beast clan, roughly meaning it wanted a one-on-one fight.
Su Xiao didn't understand the Storm Wyvern's meaning. He looked at Bubu Wang and Baha, both of whom shook their heads. Bubu's expression said, "It doesn't know what this pathetic dragon is roaring about."
There was a language barrier with beasts. Although Su Xiao could fully understand the meanings expressed by Bubu Wang, Beini, and Amu through their calls, his beast language was very limited and ineffective with other beasts or supernatural creatures.
"Meow."
Beini, the young miss, who was sitting on top of Bubu Wang's head, called out, meaning: 'This storm dragon is challenging you to a one-on-one fight.'
Su Xiao understood Beini's meaning. What surprised him was that the Storm Wyvern also understood Beini's call.
"Roar!"
The Storm Wyvern roared again. Beini acted as a translator, conveying that the Storm Wyvern meant the beast clan would rather die than surrender, plus it was challenging him to a one-on-one fight.
Su Xiao nodded thoughtfully. Seeing this, the Storm Wyvern looked serious, ready for a one-on-one fight with Su Xiao.
Su Xiao gave the order: "Beat it half to death, but don't ruin its wings."
"Yes!"
The wild boar warriors around Su Xiao immediately charged forward. Seeing this, other wild boar warriors also swarmed in.
When you have the numbers advantage and still agree to a one-on-one fight, you should probably see a brain doctor.
Su Xiao sat down on a metal chair carried over by two dwarf boar men and gestured for Chef Moti to come over.
"Sir, I'm here."
"Go to the kitchen and prepare some food."
"An extra meal?"
"Just the standard rations."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Chef Moti sent her people to prepare the food. The standard rations meant the same meal as the wild boar warriors.
There were no master chefs in the Sun Fortress. Since he couldn't enjoy gourmet food, Su Xiao chose to eat the cafeteria food. Besides, this kind of big-pot cooking had a unique flavor.
On the open ground ahead, dragon roars continued incessantly. Why only dragon roars? There was no helping it; the wild boar warriors had completely buried the Storm Wyvern. In the pile of wild boar warriors over 30 meters high, only occasional flashes of fire or something "stirring" inside the human mountain could be seen, sending wild boar warriors flying out.
Since it was snack time, dinner arrived quickly. Su Xiao simply sat cross-legged on the wide metal chair, holding an oversized lunch box in his left hand and a spoon in his right. The lunch box contained braised meat rice, with boiled vegetables, four peeled eggs, half a grilled fish, half a grilled sand chicken, and sliced smoked sausage.
Su Xiao had never been stingy with food. After all, the wild boar warriors were risking their lives. They might eat this meal and not the next, so this meal should be satisfying.
The front line of the beast tide was fiercely contested. The beast clan had always relied on numbers and fearlessness. As long as the Beast King gave a mandatory order, it could change the thoughts of lower-level mutated beasts, making them fearless.
In previous battles with the vassal clan, when vassal soldiers died, the vassal clan had to pay compensation.
When mutated beasts of the beast clan died, there were no subsequent expenses. This meant that when the vassal clan defended against beast tides, they preferred to win by consuming resources rather than the more expensive option of filling the gaps with human lives. Sometimes, to reduce losses, the vassal clan would even make appropriate concessions.
But this time, the Beast King had encountered the ultimate iron-headed fool: the Sun Legion's Wild Boar Heavy Hammer Unit. They were tanky, had high damage output, excellent stamina, and most annoyingly, their self-recovery ability was not weak. When severely injured and near death, other comrades would drag them back and throw them near the Sun Maidens to save their lives.
When the beast tide met the Sun Legion, it was like a rushing river being cut off by a dam's gate. Even though the mutated beasts' claws and teeth were weapons, don't forget that the wild boar warriors' bestial nature was also strong.
Half an hour into the battle, the mutated beasts' charge was halted. Looking down from above, one could see the wild boar warriors forming a battle line and pushing forward, causing the golden-red flames to spread continuously. Truly, wherever they passed, nothing grew, everything turned to scorched earth.
Confirming the battlefield situation, Su Xiao looked at the Storm Wyvern. By now, the Storm Wyvern was no longer the sky lord. It was pinned to the ground by wild boar warriors. It was fair to say it was covered in big men, but since the Storm Wyvern was male, it wouldn't suffer mental damage from being covered in big men.
The Storm Wyvern's dragon head was pressed sideways to the ground, and its already swollen face was practically screaming defiance.
Su Xiao approached the Storm Wyvern, placed one hand on its dragon wing, and used his mental energy to sense. Initially, he found nothing. After a few minutes, he discovered a strange organ between its internal organs.
This organ was like a tonsil, but the hanging part was larger, about the size of a fist-sized fleshy egg. Inside it, a type of energy Su Xiao had never seen before was concentrated.
This energy was the power source for the Storm Wyvern's Annihilation Breath. Although this ability was good, if he wanted to modify the Storm Wyvern, it would be best to remove this unknown energy from its body to avoid accidents during the modification process.
To remove this unknown energy from the Storm Wyvern's body, removing the organ that generated and stored this energy was the best option.
This organ appeared to be a later-stage mutation. Su Xiao planned to freeze it for later study of the unknown energy inside.
As Su Xiao was thinking, the pinned Storm Wyvern shifted its gaze. Since its mouth was held down, it could only let out a low roar. Beini translated, asking what Su Xiao was going to do to it.
Considering he would be riding this thing in the future, it wouldn't hurt to build a good relationship first. Su Xiao said, "I'm going to cut off its egg-shaped organ."
"Meow?!"
Beini was stunned. She really didn't understand how this method of building a relationship was so special. Could cutting off an egg improve relations? After hesitating for a moment, she meowed a translation to the Storm Wyvern.
Hearing this, the Storm Wyvern was clearly stunned for a moment. Then, its eyes widened to the maximum, its expression almost twisted. The force of its struggle was so great that the wild boar warriors could barely hold it down. Clearly, it understood the meaning of cutting off an egg, but it also misunderstood the meaning.
Amu, holding an oversized injection gun, gave the Storm Wyvern a shot of anesthetic. A few seconds later, the Storm Wyvern trembled and couldn't move. Whether it was from the anesthetic or something else, a stream of hot tears flowed from its eyes.
Su Xiao ordered a dozen pig-headed men under his command to drag the Storm Wyvern to the second floor of the fortress, where there was enough empty space to accommodate it.
As the Storm Wyvern was dragged away, a moth fluttered its wings and flew off into the distance. This was the beast clan's spy.
The attacking beast tide was repelled in the middle of the night, or rather, it fled in panic.
The battlefield was filled with the smell of gunpowder and scorched earth. The wild boar warriors had no time to rest, dragging the corpses of mutated beasts into the fortress. These corpses looked charred on the outside, but there was still plenty of fresh flesh inside. After being absorbed by the Mutation Greenhouse, they could extract flesh and blood energy.
At 4 AM, the casualty count was completed. The allied forces had a total of 15,630 dead, while the number of mutated beasts eliminated was at least over 200,000.
This exaggerated casualty ratio was normal. The current wild boar warriors could defeat vassal clan soldiers in one-on-one combat, plus the flames countered over 60% of the beast clan.
This casualty number needed to be replenished immediately. Su Xiao contacted the slave trader Azba, who was temporarily staying in Freedom City, to purchase a batch of pig-headed men.
Now, the human race was no longer willing to sell pig-headed men to their side, but the vassal clan had opened the door wide. Don't think the vassal clan was being kind. While using the Sun Fortress as a cannon, they were also squeezing the fortress's resources by selling pig-headed men.
Su Xiao could guess the vassal clan's plan. First, they would certainly agree to sell pig-headed men to their side, but the quantity each time wouldn't be too large. Buying 50,000 or 100,000 pig-headed men at once was impossible.
Unless there were large-scale casualties in the battle between their side and the beast clan, the vassal clan would only then agree to a large batch sale of pig-headed men.
While making this money, the vassal clan would also sell heavy cannon-level weapons to the beast clan through various channels, but all were about-to-be-obsolete models.
This maintained a technological blockade and made it easy to explain to the Sun faction. The excuse would be that those heavy cannon-level weapons were about to be phased out. It wasn't them selling them; there was a traitor within who sold them to hunter groups, who then sold them to the beast clan for profit.
If Su Xiao fell out with the vassal clan over this, they would stop selling pig-headed men, choking the Sun Fortress's throat.
By then, it would be too late for the Sun Fortress to retreat. The enmity with the beast clan was already set. Even if they moved away, the beast clan would chase them to the death.
Thus, the vassal clan's two enemies would not only be fighting each other but also buying pig-headed men from them on one side and heavy cannon-level weapons on the other.
Even better, the two sides would consume each other, accelerating the purchase process and allowing the vassal clan to extract massive resources. Not buying wasn't an option. If Su Xiao didn't buy pig-headed men, his source of troops would be cut off. If the beast clan didn't buy heavy cannon-level weapons, they couldn't withstand the Sun Fortress's offensive.
Therefore, Su Xiao felt that the person who created the Border Treaty was a genius. Unfortunately, Alliance Marshal He Condiwei was keeping it very tightly guarded, afraid that Su Xiao would get any information about that genius.
Su Xiao already had some clues. The known intelligence was that this genius was a direct relative of He Condiwei, most likely a son or daughter.
Compared to these matters, modifying the Storm Wyvern was the urgent task. It wouldn't be long before they fell out with the vassal clan, and Su Xiao needed a highly mobile means of transportation.
The second floor of the fortress was brightly lit, and the doors were locked. Su Xiao hesitated for a moment, then threw aside the medical rubber gloves. The risk of dragon infection was very low, so he went straight for the particle cutting saw.
Buzz!
The cutting saw started, its blade gradually cutting through the Storm Wyvern's chest and abdomen, half-opening it up. Su Xiao picked up an oversized scalpel, ready to "cut the egg" for the Storm Wyvern.
Meanwhile, at the beast clan's Great Gathering Place, most buildings were tent-shaped wooden structures, reflecting the beast clan's culture of preferring to be close to nature.
At the rear of the Great Gathering Place stood an imposing building. Entering through the tall, doorless entrance, one found a rough-styled hall. On a wide stone seat at the back sat a figure. This was the Beast King.
Firelight flickered, with most of the Beast King's body hidden in darkness. It was nearly 4 meters tall. Although its form was similar to a human's, its hands were beast claws. Its original image was closer to a large angry lion. To become stronger, it had once devoured the soul of a human powerhouse, gradually evolving into its current form.
The Beast King retained many features of an angry lion. Sitting there, it exuded an aura of authority without anger.
On either side of the seat was a beautiful snake. She wasn't a human-snake hybrid but a strange snake over 8 meters long. Her head had a somewhat anthropomorphic snake-like appearance, and she even had eyelashes. This was the Tide Leader among the Four Beastly Deeds: the Beautiful Snake.
The remaining two Beastly Deeds, the Sand Leader and the Wind Rider Leader, were respectively a shapeless, ever-changing mass of quicksand and a giant ape with metallic skin and fur.
Below the Four Beastly Deeds were over a dozen mutated beasts, all of considerable strength, all present at the moment.
"We suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Sun faction this time. Does anyone have anything to say?"
The Beautiful Snake's voice was extremely seductive. The Sand Leader and Wind Rider Leader opposite her remained silent. Seeing this, the Beautiful Snake narrowed her long eyes and continued:
"Aren't we going to save Sky? As the Sky Dragon, it's surprising that it was captured."
The Beast King, Sand Leader, and Wind Rider Leader still didn't speak. Seeing this, anger flickered in the Beautiful Snake's eyes. Just as she was about to flare up, a colorful moth flew near her, turned into colorful smoke, and was inhaled into her mouth. She closed her eyes.
After a moment, the Beautiful Snake's eyes suddenly snapped open, and a slight tremor could be seen on her cheek.
"I have news about Sky Dragon."
The Beautiful Snake's words improved the Beast King's expression. Among the Four Beastly Deeds, it trusted Sky the most. The Beast King asked, "Sky was captured?"
"Yes, not only was it captured, but if my intelligence is correct, it's about to have its eggs cut off..."
When the Beautiful Snake said this, her expression was somewhat complicated.
"?"
A look of astonishment appeared on the Beast King's face. Then, its expression gradually became serious. The Wind Rider Leader beside it was equally serious. It exchanged a glance with the Beast King, both thinking: The enemy is too brutal.
...
Sun Fortress, Second Floor.
The Storm Wyvern was still under anesthesia. Of course, it wasn't having its eggs cut off, becoming the first dragon in history to suffer such a fate. What was being removed was the organ used to store a special type of energy.
Part of the Evolution Nest tissue was attached to the Storm Wyvern, assimilating solar energy into its body.
Su Xiao didn't think the Storm Wyvern would submit to him. Therefore, the Solar Purification Method would come into play.
Solar energy, when absorbed by those who believe in the sun, brings many benefits and no side effects. However, if absorbed by a creature that doesn't believe in the sun, it either joins in believing or gets purified into a simpleton.
Considering the Storm Wyvern's physique, a single input of solar energy probably wouldn't have a strong effect. He could consider increasing the dosage later.
The Mutation Greenhouse, connected to the Evolution Nest, had already started working, cultivating the first batch of war boar mounts.
The team led by Hausman had returned. The hunt for the Sub-Overlord Level Creature: Thick Oak was successful, but the process was somewhat unexpected. When this Sub-Overlord Level Creature was cornered, it panicked and jumped off a cliff while fleeing, with the pursuing Gluttony jumping down as well.
When Hausman and the others reached the bottom of the cliff, they saw Gluttony still biting the Sub-Overlord Level Creature: Thick Oak.
After collecting enough genetic samples, the corpse of the Sub-Overlord Level Creature: Thick Oak wasn't too important. Su Xiao took some tenderloin and pork belly to use as ingredients for Daoxia later when he returned to the Reincarnation Paradise.
The Mutation Greenhouse in front slowly undulated. Su Xiao checked the time. Over two hours had passed since the start of this cultivation. The first batch of war boar mounts was about to appear.
This meant that wild boar cavalry would soon emerge. But before that, he first needed to use the War Lord's War Technique Awakening ability to teach all wild boar warriors the Beast Riding Technique.
Previously, the wild boar warriors had already gambled with their lives to master Heavy Hammer Specialization. Gambling again shouldn't be a big problem. This time, they were gambling on riding ability.
The intensity of each life gamble varied. The specific amount of lifespan consumed depended on the strength of the ability being mastered.
The undulation frequency of the Mutation Greenhouse in front decreased and finally stopped. Before the Mutation Greenhouse even opened, a war boar mount walked out. Baha flew over and said, "Boss, the vassal clan has sent over a dozen nobles. They say they're here for a tour."
"..."
Su Xiao frowned. The vassal clan sending nobles for a tour was a pretext; the real purpose was surveillance.
Before the war boar mounts were enough for all wild boar warriors to ride, Su Xiao didn't intend to expose them. After cultivation, they would be hidden in underground mines or mountain spaces.
Su Xiao's strategy was to temporarily attack the beast clan to lull the vassal clan. When the Sun Legion reached its complete form, he would wipe out the vassal clan in one wave, giving them no chance.
This time, the vassal clan sending nobles for a tour would derail this plan. Regardless, these nobles had to be dealt with.
Killing them quietly seemed good, but it might fall into the vassal clan's trap. After thinking for a moment, Su Xiao told Baha to call Hausman.
When Hausman arrived, Su Xiao gave him a few instructions. Hausman nodded repeatedly. Soon, he led Gangya, the Five Fireball Brothers, Gluttony, and a dozen wild boar warriors out of the fortress.
To maintain the Sun Fortress's diplomatic image, Hausman also temporarily found three Sun Maidens. As for the Sun Maiden Mida sitting on his shoulder, this girl was ruined; she had learned to curse from Baha.
Hausman's mission this time was to have a conflict with the opposing leader. Due to his impulsive and irritable nature, it would lead to a brawl between the two sides.
There was a prerequisite: they couldn't gang up on these nobles from the vassal clan. That would be something done only when completely falling out. A brawl with equal numbers was different.
The Sun Fortress wasn't afraid of the vassal clan. When both sides dealt with such brawls, it would at most lead to mutual bickering.
Su Xiao's task for Hausman this time was to cripple all those nobles in the shortest time possible with equal numbers.
This wasn't easy. The nobles who came this time weren't without combat power. Someone from the vassal clan might have anticipated that the Sun Fortress would use a subordinate brawl to handle this incident, so the nobles sent were not weak. According to Bubu Wang's detection, the leading noble was slightly stronger than Hausman.
Just as Hausman and the others left the fortress, a dozen nobles in black noble attire with ceremonial swords at their waists approached. They all wore riding boots, had various accessories, and some even wore men's perfume.
The leading noble had a small beard under his chin. His expression seemed calm but carried an indescribable arrogance, as if he had come to the countryside.
"Esteemed members of the Sun Fortress..."
Just as the leading noble was about to speak, Hausman, who had stopped less than 2 meters in front of him, placed one hand on his chest, stepped forward slightly, and made a bowing gesture. He bowed deeply, almost at a 90-degree angle.
Seeing this, the dozen nobles looked at each other. Although they felt disdainful inside, bound by noble traditions and etiquette, they could only take off their hats with one hand, place the other on their chests, and bow in return.
Just as all the nobles were bowing in return, their eyes on the ground, Hausman and Gangya grinned. They swung their war hammers at the backs of the heads of the two nobles in front.
The Five Wild Boar Brothers also raised their staff-like weapons, holding them with both hands over their heads, and smashed them down on the backs of the heads of the nobles opposite.
The leading noble, bending over to the maximum, felt a sinister wind behind his head. His eyes widened, but it was too late. This position was really not suitable for counterattacking, and there was hardly any chance to dodge.
Bang!
...
West of Simao Great Forest, Human Territory, Capital: Genli.
This was a prosperous city. In the city center was a large fountain dozens of meters high, looking exceptionally magnificent. The streets were clean, and the buildings were orderly.
In front of a three-story small building in the southern district, a dozen men and women were waiting outside. These were contractors from the Apocalypse Paradise.
Originally, they were all in the vassal clan's Kevab Ring City, but for various reasons, they could only flee.
The three major forces of this world... no, four major forces, were the vassal clan, the Sun Fortress, the beast clan, and the human race.
Those contractors who managed to escape Kevab Ring City all chose to come to human territory. They hadn't given up hope of turning things around. In their view, the Sun faction's situation was now very awkward.
In front of the three-story small building, a dozen Apocalypse Paradise contractors were waiting. Of course, there was a reason for this. This small building was no ordinary place.
Among these dozen people were Hao Mei, Molei, and Yueshitu. Somehow, the three had formed a team, giving off a feeling of a victim alliance.
Knock, knock, knock.
"I know someone's inside. Don't hide in there and not come out."
Yueshitu stepped forward to knock. Beside her, Molei yawned, and Hao Mei also looked sleep-deprived. The two had met by chance last night, fought a battle first, and then formed a team for special reasons.
Just as Yueshitu was about to knock again, footsteps came from inside the door. The contractors' eyes lit up. They had been incredibly lucky to find this place.
The double doors opened. The room was somewhat dim. The contractors looked inside. The person inside the door was somewhat short.
Seeing this person, Hao Mei, Molei, and Yueshitu's minds buzzed, and they stood frozen in place.
The morning sun shone into the room. Kaisa, wearing a faded pajama set, was holding half a piece of bread, tearing off a large piece and chewing it vigorously.
That's right, this guy Kaisa had come to the human race to be a quartermaster. The reason was that the vassal clan showed signs of unifying, making things difficult to handle later.
Previously, through intelligence shared by Su Xiao, Kaisa learned that the Apocalypse Paradise contractors were about to be expelled from the vassal clan. An idea struck Kaisa.
Why always fleece the native people? You have to keep up with the trends. This time, Kaisa came to the human race as a quartermaster to fleece the Apocalypse Paradise contractors.
In this matter, Su Xiao provided valuable intelligence. Without this intelligence, this plan wouldn't have been possible. Kaisa was responsible for personally doing the fleecing, with a 50-50 split of the profits.
It's worth mentioning that Kaisa, previously in Kevab Ring City, to preserve the opportunity to mess with the Watchtower and the Aurora Council, had always maintained a dual identity as a quartermaster, interacting with natives and contractors separately, creating the illusion of two quartermasters handling affairs.
In the eyes of the natives, he was Quartermaster Kaisa. In the eyes of the contractors, he was Quartermaster Qiu Teli. Except for Hao Mei, this was unavoidable. Hao Mei had a contract and dared not reveal this.
The previous setup was now bearing sweet fruit. Except for Hao Mei, Molei, and Yueshitu, the other contractors didn't recognize Kaisa.
Would Molei and the others report Kaisa? They wouldn't. Based on their rich experience of being tricked, if they encountered Kaisa, Su Xiao wouldn't be far away.
"Dear friends, please come in. We are your quartermaster, Kaisa."
Kaisa was very enthusiastic. The contractors outside simultaneously received a notification.
[Notification: Due to your personal aura, Quartermaster Kaisa's favorability towards you has increased by 50 points. You have received a 20% discount treatment.]
The contractors outside remained expressionless. They appeared calm as they entered the small building, but inwardly, they were delighted, becoming very confident in their own aura.
Prince, who rarely had to mine, quickly walked to the wooden counter inside the room and tried to activate the faction shop. Although he had no reputation, he could at least feast his eyes.
Prince couldn't activate the faction shop, but he triggered a notification.
[Notification: The human faction is in a non-war state. Obtaining faction reputation in this faction is extremely difficult, but item exchange prices will also be significantly reduced.]
Seeing this notification, Prince understood. On the human side, getting over a hundred reputation points from a faction mission would be good. Presumably, item exchange prices would be over a dozen times lower than the vassal clan's, or even more.
[Notification: Due to your favorability with Quartermaster Kaisa exceeding 30 points, Kaisa has activated the following permissions for you.]
[Kaisa has helped you activate the Exchange permission. You can consume Soul Coins to exchange for this faction's precious reputation points at a 1:1 ratio.]
[Notification: The minimum amount for a single Exchange is 100 Soul Coins.]
[Notification: After exchanging 125 points of this faction's reputation, you can immediately open the human faction shop. This shop contains many rare resources.]
...
Seeing these notifications, Prince's heart was pounding. The human faction's reputation points were extremely precious, even reaching a 1:1 ratio with Soul Coins. This showed the value of the items in the human reputation shop.
Prince was still a bit hesitant. Just then, another notification appeared.
[Due to your personal favorability with Quartermaster Kaisa, the 20% discount treatment has been successfully activated.]
Prince had previously thought that this 20% discount treatment meant a 20% discount when exchanging items in the reputation shop. Now it seemed it was a 20% discount when using Soul Coins to exchange for human reputation.
Prince no longer hesitated. He paid Kaisa 100 Soul Coins. With a 20% discount, 100 Soul Coins would exchange for exactly 125 reputation points. The previous notification said that once he obtained 125 reputation points, he could activate the reputation shop.
[You have paid 100 Soul Coins. You have received 80 points of human faction reputation.]
Seeing this notification, Prince blinked and scratched his head. This 20% discount treatment seemed a bit off. Specifically, how it was off, he was momentarily stunned and didn't react.
Logically, a 20% discount treatment should mean using 80 Soul Coins to buy 100 reputation points. Now, it was the opposite. It felt like winning the grand prize of 5 million in a lottery, only to be told by the lottery organizer that you had to pay back the 5 million, either in one lump sum or in installments.
Two seconds later, Prince finally realized that this 20% discount wasn't for him but for Kaisa. Realizing this, Prince was dumbfounded. What the hell kind of 20% discount treatment was that?