Meng Chixin was emotionless. The dozens of spiritual threads that extended out of his hands were emitting weird colors as they churned inside Heiye Lan's brain brutally.
Heiye Lan's face was pale, and she trembled violently again. Tears of blood mixed with pus flowed out of her eyes. She was mumbling something that nobody could tell.
Li Yao pricked his ears and listened carefully for a long time, only to discover that she was mumbling subconsciously, "Long live the Imperium! Long live the Black Wind Sector! Long live the Imperium! Long live the Black Wind Sector! "
Meng Chixin performed his secret arts in silence for a long time, but he did not seem to find any proof that Heiye Lan was lying. He sniffed and continued the interrogation. "Since you have been lurking here for years, you must know the situation of the Ancient Sages Sector like the back of your hand. In your opinion, how much can the Ancient Sages Sector mortgage from your … Black Wind War Bank?"
"We will only know after the evaluation of the specialists."
Heiye Lan was still trembling, but her face was even calmer than before, as if her tough nerves that had been built with the secret arts of the Immortal Cultivators of the Imperium had gradually adapted to the excruciating pain. She said, "If you are really willing to join the Imperium and cooperate with the Black Wind Fleet, as someone who is familiar with the situation of the Ancient Sages Sector, it is very likely that I will be a member of the 'evaluation team'. Naturally, I will try my best to get the highest loan quota for you.
"However, as for exactly how much can be mortgaged, it will depend on your collateral."
"Collateral?"
Meng Chixin and everybody else were slightly dazed.
"Of course," Heiye Lan said matter-of-factly. "Do you not need a guarantor and collateral to deposit money in the Ancient Sages Sector?"
Meng Chixin frowned. "What kind of collateral is needed?"
"Generally speaking," Heiye Lan said, "it can be the taxes of the court, such as the salt tax and the business tax. It can also be the crystal mines with abundant reserves. It can also be the development and management rights of the internal trade routes. Even the Yuanying and the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators themselves can be used as collateral."
Everybody was dazed again. Meng Chixin asked in confusion, "How can the Yuanying and the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators themselves be used as collateral?"
"We believe that the Yuanying and the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators boast remarkable abilities to plunder of resources," Heiye Lan said. "Therefore, as long as the Yuanying and the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators agree to let the bank to establish a barrier inside their bodies, it will be more than easy to get a loan and contribution points!"
"What?!"
"How can the Yuanying and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators allow other people to plant barriers inside their bodies willingly? Wouldn't they be giving other people a chance to attack them?"
"It's your choice if you don't want to, but there might be other Yuanying who is willing."
Heiye Lan said. "When other Yuanying agrees to the bank's request and implants the barrier, they will be able to borrow tremendous resources from the bank. Naturally, their training speed will be higher than yours, and their capability will soon surpass yours. By then, they will be able to kill you directly!"
"In the face of such a threat, tell me, do you accept the bank's conditions or not?"
Meng Chixin was silent for a long time.
Even the Wolf God, who had dominated the Dark Cloud Prairies a hundred years ago, could not help but remark in a low voice, "It seems that the internal competition in the Imperium of True Human Beings is rather cruel!"
"That is the cruelty of the universe itself," Heiye Lan said calmly.
Meng Chixin sneered again. "All in all, once you accept the assistance of the Black Wind Fleet, the taxes, mines, and businesses of the Ancient Sages Sector will all be under your control. Our starships and soldiers will be equipped and trained by you and fight under the command of your tutors. On the surface, we are not swallowed by you, but in fact, we are no different from your vassals! What a brilliant way of enslavement. It is much cleaner, more efficient, and more inconspicuous than blatant suppression and plunder! "
"That is the rule of the game in the Imperium!"
Heiye Lan gnashed her teeth. "Do you really believe that someone in the universe will help you evolve from a planetary civilization to a universal civilization selflessly without any purpose?
"If there really is such a force that throws out such 'tempting' conditions, then you should really be careful!"
"One who is unaccountably solicitous is hiding evil intentions!"
"Of course, our terms are not very generous, but only in such a way can the sincerity of the Imperium be more evident. This is a deal, a deal where the price is high and the price is low. As long as you agree to surrender to the Imperium, we can negotiate the specific details and terms slowly!"
"Well …"
Meng Chixin was silent. He pondered again.
Wu Suiyun and the other nine super Yuanying were caught in a new round of intense calculations, too. White mist was popping up from the skull of every Yuanying. It was obvious that their brains were functioning at a high speed.
Li Yao's heart was in turmoil, but on the surface, his face was as gloomy as water. He sneered and said, "You have been rambling on and on about so many weird things that we don't understand at all. Are you trying to muddy the water on purpose? Let me ask you. Since you are so frank and your terms are so tempting, why didn't you make it clear in the beginning but carried out your clandestine plan in secret?
"In the beginning, a few years ago, who should I have made it clear to?"
Heiye Lan asked back sincerely. "At that time, the Ancient Sages Sector was in chaos. Han Baling, Qi Changsheng, Wan Mingzhu, Wang Xi, and the rest of you on the side of justice, none of you could decide the future of the Ancient Sages Sector. Even if I wanted to find someone to cooperate with, I didn't have a suitable candidate!
"Besides, even if I did find a few of you and tell you everything frankly, would you have believed me and surrendered to the Imperium obediently?
"The locals of the desolate worlds often overestimate their capabilities and think that they are invincible. The people who live on a tiny planet and a Sector cannot imagine what it will be like when the Imperium of True Human Beings, which boasts hundreds of Sectors, is infuriated!
"Such tragedies have happened many times in the past. After the locals of the desolate worlds discovered the diplomatic teams sent by the Imperium, they would kill them all with their advantage in numbers. It was not until the fleets of the Imperium did arrive above their heads and the most brilliant fireballs blossomed on the surface of the planet that they regretted their decision!
"If I had exposed my identity voluntarily, there would have been such risks, too.
"I would have been killed by the locals of the desolate worlds, and your world would have been destroyed by the overwhelming firepower of the Black Wind Fleet. What was the point?
"Therefore, my original plan was to summon the Black Wind Fleet over after the star beacons were established. I would show you the invincibility of the Imperium first before I sat down and negotiated with you. That way, everybody would be much more rational and calm.
"Later, after discovering so many intact Colossi in the Divine Palace, I thought that the deterrence of one Colossus would be enough to calm you down, too, so that we could negotiate the best way out for the Ancient Sages Sector together. That was why I took action. Little did I know that things would end up like this.
"For the great cause of the Imperium, my personal life is nothing at all. It's a pity that the entire Ancient Sages Sector may be completely destroyed because of somebody's rashness!"
Li Yao raised his eyebrows and said, "Stop being an alarmist! Why should we trust you? As you said, the Cultivators of the Black Wind Fleet have lost their hometown, and the spiritual energy in the Ancient Sages Sector is so intense that it is a great natural paradise. Who knows whether or not you are coveting the prosperity of the Ancient Sages Sector and preparing to occupy this place as your new nest? "
"About that, I can't say for sure," Heiye Lan replied honestly.
"After all, I am not the master of the Black Wind Fleet. I can't influence the decisions of my father and the leadership of the fleet. I can only say that, according to my judgment, the possibility of that happening is not very high. “
Li Yao raised his eyebrow in disdain. "Why?"
"If we had found nothing in the expedition, the Ancient Sages Sector would certainly have been our only target. Chances are that we would have conquered the Ancient Sages Sector and transformed it into a new 'Black Wind Sector' as our base," Heiye Lan said frankly.
"But right now, we have discovered the 'government-in-exile of the Star Ocean Republic' and the 'Xing Yao Federation', a barbaric country that boasted the ability to produce starships and maintain the Colossi. Then, your importance will be greatly reduced!
"The value of the government-in-exile of the Star Ocean Republic is self-evident. The threat and value of the Xing Yao Federation are obviously much higher than that of the Ancient Sages Sector, too. They must have a couple of reasonably developed Sectors anyway, right?
"Then, the Black Wind Fleet can, on one hand, conquer the Xing Yao Federation and plunder their territory as the new base and home for the Cultivators of the Black Wind Fleet. On the other hand, we can capture Firefly and exchange the fugitives of the government-in-exile of the Star Ocean Republic for tremendous contribution points with the Star Ocean Seal.
"If you are willing to help us realize the plan, is there any need for us to lay our hands on the Ancient Sages Sector? Wouldn't it be like picking up a sesame seed and throwing away a watermelon? "
Dangerous brilliance was beaming out of Li Yao's eyes. He sneered. "Perhaps the Ancient Sages Sector was indeed a tiny 'sesame seed' in the beginning. But right now, the Ancient Sages Sector has discovered a Nuwa warship and so many Colossi. Don't you want them?"
"We do, but we don't necessarily have to plunder them by brute force. We can totally make another deal and take what we need."
Looking at Li Yao frankly, Heiye Lan said sincerely, "The Nuwa warship and the Colossi contain the remarkable technological secrets of the primeval times. It is impossible for you to parse them with your primitive, crude training right now.
"In other words, the Nuwa warship and the Colossi will not be able to carry out their full power even if they fall into your hands. It will only be a waste of their gifts.
"Didn't the twelve legendary Cloud Qin Gold Statues of the primeval times gradually wear out after years of battles because their technology was lost and they could not be maintained?
"The technological gap right now is very serious. Perhaps it is not even as good as the Cloud Qin Dynasty a hundred thousand years ago!
"Therefore, you might as well cooperate with the Black Wind Fleet. We can develop the technology together and equip ourselves with a batch of Colossi. Then, you can mortgage a batch of starships and Crystal Suits from the Black Wind War Bank. After you are armed, we will march toward the Xing Yao Federation together and divide the barbaric country into pieces. That will be the best choice for both of us!"
To be continued
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