Li Yao stared at Di Feiwen deeply. It was not until this moment that he finally detected something very inconspicuous from the guy's seemingly clear and honest eyes.
Li Yao smiled so hard that his teeth almost popped out.
"I finally understand your real purpose."
Li Yao observed Di Feiwen carefully again and clicked his tongue. "I didn't know that the No. 2 person of the Black Wind Fleet was even more dreadful than the No. 1 person. Your appetite is much bigger than Heiye Ming's. What Heiye Ming wanted to conquer was only the Xing Yao Federation, but what you wanted was the entire universe including the Federation and the Imperium!"
"Oh?"
Di Feiwen said calmly, "Why do you say that, President Li?"
"Tell me. Is it really just the next 'Black Wind King' that you want to build?"
Li Yao stared at his opponent, not letting go of any ripples deep inside his eyes. "Or rather, what about the next 'Blackstar the Great'?"
The ripples inside Di Feiwen's eyes were twisted, but they soon returned to normal. However, there was more admiration on his face now. "You do have keen eyes, President Li. Even the tiniest clue in the deepest part of my heart cannot escape from your eyes!"
Li Yao sniffed softly. "There's no need to flatter me. I feel that you are more and more immeasurable. Are you really just a member of the Black Wind Fleet and a 'normal' Immortal Cultivator? Or do you have a different identity, and a certain force is behind you? "
"As I introduced myself at the very beginning, I am just a merchant," Di Feiwen said.
"Since I am a merchant, it is naturally difficult for me to be a pure Immortal Cultivator."
"Oh?"
Li Yao was confused. "Why do you say that?"
"Merchants and Immortal Cultivators are incompatible. There are natural conflicts and contradictions between them. A pure Immortal Cultivator must believe in the purity and nobility of 'true human beings' and divide human beings into 5% and 95%. Only the 5% of true human beings and quasi-true human beings are important. The other 95% are all lowly, filthy, and worthless garbage."
Di Feiwen sighed. "But we are merchants and servants of capital. Our only purpose in this world is to expand the market, plunder more profits, and make capital proliferate, expand, and expand!
"As long as there are enough profits, we are even willing to sell the most advanced weapons to the alien species with eight tentacles and the ferocious extraterrestrial devils. Why do we care about the difference between 'true human beings' and 'hominoids'? One dollar of the Imperium Gold Dollar was only worth one dollar. It was the same whether it was taken out of the purse of a 'real human being' or carried over by the dirty hands of a hominoid. Not a single cent of its value was damaged.
"According to the most classic theories of the Immortal Cultivators, the 'hominoids', who make up more than 95% of the population, are all inferior garbage and slaves who only deserve to be exploited and looted. That means that 95% of the market is lost for nothing. After all, it is difficult to sell a high-value, high-profit product to a slave, right?
"Other than the merchants who are deeply associated with the royal family, the nobles, and the unparalleled experts and monopolize the industries, no merchant, even those who believe in the true path of immortality, is willing to tolerate such a situation forever. They are willing to endure the idiocy of wandering in the 5% of the snail's shell while the other 95% of the blue ocean cannot be entered.
"It is a pity that we are all a bunch of weak merchants and peddlers. In front of the emperor, the nobles, the warlords, and the unparalleled experts, we are all insignificant dust. Do we have any forces that are enough to change the world? The best that we can do is to wander around. The merchants who are struggling to reach out to each other and build shabby chambers of commerce.
"Of course, of course. Compared to the powerful lords in the court, the experts who train in seclusion for a couple of years every now and then, or the generals who are full of ambition, merchants, especially those who travel among different Sectors for a long time, are often very well-informed. If President Li and the Xing Yao Federation march to the center of the cosmos one day, perhaps the merchants such as us can really provide you with some minor help, right? After all, the bandits have their own value, too! "
Looking at the guy's stealthy eyes, Li Yao was really not sure whether or not he was telling the truth. Pondering for a moment, he asked, "Is this the contradiction that is more clandestine and more fatal than the contradiction between the central government and the local governments? How should I put it? Is it the contradiction between capital and the Immortal Cultivators, or is it the contradiction between capital and the Imperium? Capital is one of the most powerful forces in the universe, and it will not tolerate the restraint of any emperor or expert willingly, right? "
Di Feiwen's eyes were glittering, as if he were overjoyed. "Capital is the most powerful force in the universe, and it will not tolerate the restraint of any emperor or expert willingly, right? President Li, your words are truly well-said. Since you can understand our stance, I believe that our cooperation in the future will be much more pleasant. "
However, he had completely erased the word "one of" from his mind.
Li Yao said coldly, "Whether or not you have a second identity, and what your secret purpose is, you have chosen the wrong person. Be it a second 'Black Wind King' or a second 'Blackstar the Great', I am neither capable nor interested. You should find someone else who is more qualified!"
"Man's fate is mysterious and unpredictable. Did Wuying Qi, who was tied up and thrown into an active volcano in the past, ever foresee that he would reign over the universe as' Blackstar the Great 'years later?"
Di Feiwen smiled. "In the business world, there is no business that is 100% profitable. However, as long as there is a profit of more than 300%, it is worth risking one's life and risking one's head. Besides, with the situation of the Black Wind Fleet right now, when should we take the risk?"
Li Yao was silent for a long time. Thinking for a long time, he said slowly, "I can basically outline your scheme now. Perhaps you think that by promoting me to the position of 'Black Wind King', making all the Immortal Cultivators submit to me, and then corrupting me with your theories, I will become an Immortal Cultivator with my ego inflated. Then, as the spokesperson of your interests, I will compete for power in the Imperium of True Human Beings and even overthrow the entire Imperium to establish a brand-new system that you designed.
"In such a case, on the surface, the Black Wind Fleet has failed and even given up the leadership, but in fact, you will be the ultimate beneficiaries, and I will be a puppet in a different form."
Di Feiwen blinked. "Maybe. Then, are you willing to shoulder the heavy responsibility as the new 'Black Wind King', President Li?"
Li Yao stared at him hard. "I'm really curious. Where did you get the confidence that I would be manipulated by you obediently like a marionette? Even if I become the 'Black Wind King', I will never believe in the Immortal Cultivators' theory of 'survival of the fittest'. The first thing I will do is to send all the leadership of the Black Wind Fleet to the captive camp and reform them with the beliefs of the Cultivators. It doesn't matter if you call it 'brainwashing'. The second thing I will do is to abolish all the slavery and the master-servant relationship within the Black Wind Fleet and restore all the civilians' freedom. I will show them a brand-new lifestyle and civilization. I will tell them what the dignity and pride of mankind are. They can also be strong warriors who defend their civilization, not just … some 'fuel'! "
"Survival of the fittest and survival of the fittest is not a 'theory' but an undeniable 'fact'," Di Feiwen said unhurriedly.
"Let's take the situation right now for example. It is exactly because the Xing Yao Federation is stronger than the Black Wind Fleet that you are the victors. You are qualified to show off and brainwash the losers.
"The Federation's victory has nothing to do with justice, mercy, kindness, or any other factors. It is only because you are stronger.
"An expert such as you is qualified to do whatever you want, President Li. We have long been aware of our fate after we surrender. Although I do not agree with the Cultivators' naive theories personally, if you ask us to be brainwashed, we will certainly purge ourselves dutifully and spare no effort to do so."
Li Yao did not feel angry at all when he was acting like a dead pig that was not scared of boiling water. Dazed for a long time, he frowned and asked, "If you believe that the Cultivators' theories are wrong, how do you explain the Federation's victory? Is it not exactly the Cultivators' theories that made the Federation so powerful?"
"There is no right or wrong about the theories. The only problem is whether or not they are suitable," Di Feiwen said casually.
"The path of the Cultivators is more suitable for the simple, stable living environment at the edge of the cosmos, where there are few internal and external troubles. Therefore, we have succeeded for now. However, there are much more problems, variables, and enemies at the center of the cosmos. It is a place where too much mercy and leniency are not tolerated. In many cases, we have no choice but to be ruled by an iron-blooded monarch in order to resolve all the problems quickly.
"You don't have to explain to us how evil, ugly, and wrong the true path of immortality is. We know that very well. I am a businessman, and I don't like emperors very much. But we chose the monarchy and insisted on the true path of immortality not because the emperor and the true path of immortality are good, glorious, and righteous, but because the other options are even worse.
"Perhaps in your eyes, the collision of the true path of the Cultivators and the true path of immortality is a competition between good and evil, between saving ten thousand people and slaughtering ten thousand people, but in fact, it is likely to be a competition between 'evil' and 'eviler', between slaughtering ten thousand people and slaughtering a hundred thousand people. As for the option of saving ten thousand people, it does not exist at all.
"Of course, you won't believe it right now, and you will think that I am exaggerating. But please remember that the Star Ocean Republic was a country of Cultivators in the past. You have seen what happened in the end. Too many secret files about the corruption and darkness in the later years of the Star Ocean Republic have been stored on Firefly. You are free to retrieve them and read them.
"Of course, after a thousand years of development and transformation, the Imperium of True Human Beings right now is slowly decaying, repeating the mistake of the Star Ocean Republic in the past. Perhaps it is time to inject new strength into it and revive the ancient Imperium …" "Hehe.
Forget it. There is no need to talk about such nonsense with you. Let the bloody reality at the center of the cosmos educate you. Let time make the final judgment. At the very least, you are a well-deserved expert right now. Strength is justice. Everything you say is truth. We are your humblest claws and servants who are willing to pay the price of our lives to implement your unparalleled strength and will to the entire universe! "
Faced with Di Feiwen's scorching eyes, Li Yao could not help but shudder coldly.
There was one thing that was even more dreadful than Di Feiwen's lies and schemes.
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