In the system of military exploits of the Imperium of True Human Beings, the annihilation of the government-in-exile of the Star Ocean Republic was only second to the defeat of the Alliance of the Holy Covenant. They did not expect that Li Yao would mention it so casually with such disdain on his face.
The senior managers, managers, shareholders, investors, and partners of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors had all been traveling in the unpredictable universe for a hundred years. They were all experienced and cunning, but they did not know what to say when faced with such a "monster" as Li Yao.
Because of the importance of the matter, the four senior deacons each retrieved a few jade chips without bothering about etiquette and studied them carefully for a long time before they looked at each other and nodded slightly. Their conclusion was the same. The jade chips were indeed magical equipment from the era of the Star Ocean Republic a thousand years ago. Also, they were all sealed by the so-called 'rightful government', and it was impossible for other people to copy them. The logbooks and confidential files inside the jade chips were quite authentic, too. If they were not real, it would have been very difficult for them to be forged so precisely.
Li Yao observed coldly and retrieved a handful of jade chips, marrow crystals, and medals from his Cosmos Ring. Tossing them to the four senior managers, he said coldly, "The final battle is coming soon. We should indeed be more vigilant. I know that my arrival is uncanny, too. It's only right that you pay more attention to me.
"Those jade chips have been used by the Black Wind Fleet for almost a hundred years. The medals have the marks of many experts of the Black Wind Fleet, too. Right, there's also a secret letter from Di Feiwen, the deputy commander of the Black Wind Fleet. He is also one of the senior managers of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. Naturally, there should be secret runes that only you can decipher in the letter, right?
"Rest assured. Di Feiwen is not dead. He is still in charge of the construction of the new Blackwind Dominion as the Minister of Finance. His life is much better than yours. He must've explained to you in his letter that I am an absolutely trustworthy friend and partner. No matter what kind of secret agreement you reached with Heiye Ming a hundred years ago, you can continue your negotiation with me. Let's talk!"
"Di Feiwen's secret letter?"
The four senior managers were refreshed. Not daring to be careless, they hurried to study it together.
It had been a hundred years since Di Feiwen left the Imperium. As a matter of fact, he was already a senior deacon of the older generation. The juniors like Qi Yuanbao, who came later, could fill Di Feiwen's vacancy.
Years ago, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors had not expanded to what it was today. Helping the Black Wind Fleet to do a great job required a lot of determination and stakes.
It was not hard to imagine Di Feiwen's position in the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors now that he was qualified to plan and implement such a shocking gamble. Also, Li Yao had returned with the news of the Black Wind Fleet, which meant that it was time for the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors' investment a hundred years ago to pay off. How could they not take it seriously?
The few senior managers studied Di Feiwen's jade chip for a long time and unlocked it with the secret techniques of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, only to discover that Di Feiwen's letter was rather vague and did not mention many details. He only said that he was safe and sound and that everybody in the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors should absolutely trust every word that Vulture Li Yao, the new Black Wind King, said. They were guaranteed to make a fortune.
Although the words were simple, Di Feiwen left a "nether gold seal" in his letter that only the leadership of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors could perceive. It was a very special technique. Through the rubbing of the "nether gold seal", one could even sense the physical and mental state of the person who left the seal at that time.
The four senior managers rubbed the seal one after another, all confirming that Di Feiwen's body and mind were in a very healthy and stable state when he wrote the letter. He was not tortured or threatened at all.
Then, they studied the jade chips, medals, and logbooks that Li Yao took out. They were all real gold that feared no fire. There was no problem with the details at all.
It was not until this moment that the four senior managers finally took a long breath in relief. They were more or less convinced by Li Yao's unbelievable words now.
They pushed the jade chips and the letter to Qi Yuanbao, meaning to ask Qi Yuanbao if he would like to study them too.
The blood streaks in Qi Yuanbao's eyes were exploding. He looked at Li Yao's jade chips as if they were a bunch of squeaking crystal bombs. Unwilling to extend his hand, he simply hung in midair helplessly like a zombie, fitting his nickname — the Hanged Man!
Seeing the faces of the few senior managers, the managers, shareholders, investors, and business partners around were all greatly moved. They all knew that Li Yao's identity as the "Black Wind King" had been confirmed.
In fact, there was no need to look at the evidence. Some of the more quick-minded people among them had already been convinced.
It was because Li Yao accidentally revealed his background just now. He claimed that he was a Mr. Nobody at the beginning, and it was only because he practiced a technique named "Star Assimilation" that he rose abruptly, and the "Star Assimilation" technique had the ability to absorb other people's spiritual energy to build himself up!
Such a technique to benefit oneself at the expense of others would greatly disrupt the peace and unity of the Immortal Cultivators. It was a taboo in the Immortal Cultivators. Dongfang Wang, the former prime minister of the Imperium, had failed exactly because of it.
Of course, Dongfang Wang had minced living people into pieces and even drained them into mummies. He had even transplanted their spiritual roots and Jin Dan. Such an evil technique of "cannibalism" was not the same as the absorption of spiritual energy.
In the world of cultivators, there were many magical powers similar to the Asteroid Assimilation. Their effects varied, and there were always people who practiced them in secret. Many magical powers did not cause the death of the person they devoured. They were considered to be skirting the line, and very few people would expose themselves.
But Li Yao said it out loud as if it were not a big deal at all.
It left two impressions on the Immortal Cultivators.
First of all, what he said should be true. Otherwise, no one would take the initiative to slander him like this.
Secondly, he was a nouveau riche who did not have a solid foundation. He was lucky enough to discover a set of marvelous arts in a certain relic, and he only succeeded it when most of the experts in the Black Wind Fleet were hibernating. Although he boasted extraordinary combat ability, he was still far from being an expert!
All in all, their first impression was not wrong. He was a simple-minded warrior with more brawn than brains. However strong his combat ability was, so what? He would still be sold by them, and he would even count the money for them!
At the very least, cooperating with such a nouveau riche, they would only have to tolerate his arrogance on the surface, and they would not need to worry that they would be fooled by him.
As for whether or not the "Star Assimilation" that he practiced had any taboos, many Immortal Cultivators hoped that it did. Should they turn on each other in the future, it would be a very advantageous weapon!
For a moment, a lot of Immortal Cultivators put on mysterious smiles and believed Li Yao's words at the same time, regarding him as the Black Wind King, the real Immortal Cultivator among Immortal Cultivators and the most dreadful nightmare of all Cultivators!
"Black Wind King, please forgive our cautiousness. After all, you know that something shocking just happened to the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, and we lost our leader."
The experienced senior manager sent all the jade chips and medals back to Li Yao respectfully and asked carefully, "However, we still don't understand what the Black Wind Fleet has been through in the past hundred years. Also, what happened between you and the queen after you returned to the Imperium?"
"It's very simple. I was cooperating with the queen sincerely in the beginning, hoping to raise the banner of 'renew the Imperium' together with her and make a deal by the way."
Li Yao sniffed, with brutality all over his face. "I didn't know that the queen's appetite was bigger than I thought. She was trying to swallow me whole while I was alone.
"Hehe. Now that I was bold enough to return to the Imperium on my own, I naturally had my own reliance. How could I have surrendered so easily? It was not until I escaped from the capital that I realized that I couldn't have been more wrong. The rulers of the capital, be they the emperor, the queen, or the four Kurfürsten, are not on the same side as the magnates at the edge of the Imperium. I should've listened to Di Feiwen and come to the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors earlier to talk to Jin Yuyan and the rest of you! "
The few senior managers looked at each other. The experienced senior manager asked, "If I may ask, Black Wind King, what kind of deal do you want to talk to Director Jin about?"
"Not 'want to talk to', but we've already reached an agreement. It's about the reconstruction of the many abandoned worlds at the edge of the cosmos!"
Li Yao said, "During the campaign to destroy the government-in-exile of the Star Ocean Republic, we collected a lot of top confidential files from Firefly. As it turned out, Firefly had found almost a hundred abandoned worlds in the past hundreds of years. However, the army of the Imperium was in such a hurry that they never had the time to stop and catch their breath. Naturally, they had no time to bother about the development of those worlds.
"Right now, the coordinates of those abandoned worlds have all fallen to the hands of the Black Wind Fleet. Although they are abandoned worlds, in fact, the atmospheres of most habitable planets are not seriously damaged. The light and heavy industries are still intact. The planets are also running on the habitable orbit stably. With a tiny amount of start-up capital and a handful of manpower and resources, the reconstruction can be done very quickly.
"Furthermore, according to the exploration files left by Firefly, some of the abandoned worlds even have relics from the primeval era below the ground. With any luck, the cost of the reconstruction of more than ten Sectors will be recouped if one of the relics is unearthed!
"Also, didn't I conquer a few barbarian worlds recently? Although those worlds are barren, the light and atmosphere are not bad. The brutal barbarians are also qualified warriors. A lot of mother lodes are hidden deep below the ground, too. The barbarians are incapable of excavating them with their current abilities, but it will be a different story with the advanced technologies of the Imperium."
The more the Immortal Cultivators listened, the longer they craned their necks.
Li Yao blinked and sniffed. "To be honest, I did not intend to share the coordinates and the development rights with anyone. After all, the Black Wind Fleet has carried a lot of colonization starships and population. As long as we have hundreds of years, we will be able to digest and absorb as many desolate worlds and abandoned worlds as there are.
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