人人操人人爱人人

Chapter 238: Plots Within Plots

The hundred or so representatives had all but formed a line as they prepared to talk with Zhang Lie. Their questions were uniformly about whether or not these limit fragments could be adapted to their specific race. After speaking with a dozen such representatives, Zhang Lie decided he wasn\'t willing to continue in this fashion.

.

Standing up, he announced, "It looks like everyone\'s here to learn about limit fragments—in that case, to save some time and effort, let me make some things clear to all of you.

"First, I am the sole pioneer of these limit fragments. The foundational breakthrough and potions that I developed are only applicable to the human race. Second, while it\'s theoretically possible for most races to develop a similar breakthrough procedure and even potions, this will require a great amount of time, manpower, and wealth. Furthermore, there\'s always a possibility of failure.

"I\'ve already announced the information about the foundational breakthrough in the past; if you\'d like to obtain a copy of Potion #1, I\'m willing to trade each bottle for a number of herbs. As for requests for cooperation, I will be working with the night spirits in the short term. I will have time to handle three more such requests—of course, I won\'t be responsible for procuring research funds, herbs, and test subjects, and I\'ll require herbs as payment for successfully developing a complete product. As for the three races with whom I\'ll work, please discuss this and come up with an agreement among yourselves."

Zhang Lie was more generous than the representatives had expected. After all, he was sharing much of the fruits of his labor, at least as it applied to humans.

Their focus naturally shifted from him to the representatives of the other races, with whom they would be competing for Zhang Lie\'s three slots for research and development. In other words, three races would gain priority access to these limit fragments.

In truth, most of the races knew that they wouldn\'t be able to compete with the four prime races for this opportunity. All four prime races were present, and the fact that only three spots were available meant that one of the four prime races would lose out.

As a result, the representatives changed their objective. They asked about the herbs that they would need to exchange for a bottle of Potion #1, a query that Zhang Lie had been prepared for. He handed a list of herbs to all those representatives who asked about it, one in which each herb was described pictorially in great detail.

Yan Long and Su Feng viewed these proceedings with some amazement. They had to admire how carefully Zhang Lie had planned everything out. By announcing that he would work together with three other races, he had all but guaranteed that the Earthlings wouldn\'t be targeted until the end of the competition, because they would all want to get into Zhang Lie\'s good books for his help with their research.

Next, by being willing to trade bottles of Potion #1 for herbs, he was providing an alternative for those races who knew they wouldn\'t be able to be the first to work with him, and signifying that he didn\'t plan on hiding anything. Furthermore, he would even be able to acquire quite a few rare herbs in trade.

His slyest move was to only cooperate with three more races, forcing the four prime races to compete against each other. Even Yan Long and Su Feng themselves didn\'t think that they could have done any better.

The crowd finally stopped badgering Zhang Lie and began to feast in earnest, until Hong Yu showed up with Ali. Hong Yu and Ali were the two closest confidantes of Phoenix, from the winged clan. The reason they had appeared in front of Zhang Lie was in hopes of repairing the bad impression that they had left on Zhang Lie.

Hong Yu knew very well just what these limit fragments would represent for her race.

The fact that only three among the four prime races could get Zhang Lie\'s help meant that they were very likely to reach a breakthrough before anyone else, and the relative strength of the four races, which was more or less equal, could very well destabilize as a result.

None among the four races wanted to be the outcast; that was why Hong Yu had dragged Ali over with her.

"Mr. Zhang Lie, I\'d like to apologize once more for Ali\'s aggressive behavior during our first encounter. I\'ve brought him here specially to do so."

Hong Yu\'s etiquette was impeccable. She glanced at Ali, who gulped and said rather awkwardly, "I-I apologize for my earlier transgressions!"

Perhaps he wasn\'t truly sorry, but his actions were appropriately contrite.

"There\'s no need to worry, Ms. Hong Yu. I don\'t intend to let my own feelings color the decision the races make. Don\'t you think the nightdemons\' young leader, Pu Kui, has transgressed even more harshly?"

Zhang Lie tipped his flute of champagne at Hong Yu and then drained it all, signifying that bygones would be bygones. He stepped past them and toward a heaping table of food.

"Thank you, Mr. Zhang Lie!" Hong Yu bowed in perfect Chinese style, causing Zhang Lie, still looking at her from the corner of his eye, to smile.

After the winged, the aquatic race and the stardemons also paid him their greetings. The aquatic princess was mischievous and cute, and she even offered him a one-night stand for a guaranteed partnership, but that proposal was met with an instant rejection.

A panda-like creature was the starbeasts\' representative. It looked so cute and chubby that Zhang Lie barely resisted the temptation to cuddle it. Interestingly, it didn\'t mention anything about cooperating with Zhang Lie; instead, it wanted to have an arm-wrestling contest with him.

Zhang Lie naturally refused his request given what was supposed to be a formal occasion, but the panda did leave a striking impression on Zhang Lie.

Subsequently, the representatives of each of the hundred races came over to greet the Earthling delegation. Of course, Zhang Lie didn\'t meet most of these representatives individually; instead, most of them met with Yan Long, Su Feng, and the other members of Team Zenith instead.

The salon was something that the hunters, and even Yan Long and Su Feng, could boast about for the rest of their lives. After all, which Earthling had ever experienced such flattery and obeisance from the hundred strongest races of the Milky Way?

As they returned to the Nike Hotel, however, Zhang Lie found himself intercepted by two hunters: Ye Mo and Fu Bo. That they appeared together was rather curious to Zhang Lie. Ye Mo\'s appearance was understandable: Zhang Lie had singled out the night spirits as one of the races he would work with, so she had personally come over to thank him.

But what was Fu Bo doing here? Hadn\'t he just seen him during the salon? Zhang Lie motioned for everyone else to leave while he talked to the two hunters.

"What\'s going on, Fu Bo?"

"Captain, by my mistress\' command, I\'m one of your men now! Her intention is to have me follow you around at least during the Void Cup, just in case some hunter dares to attack you—"

"Do you think I\'m an idiot? Who would dare attack me at this point? Tell your mistress that I can tell what she\'s trying to do, and I won\'t stand for it. If she wants to secure my cooperation, she can do so fairly, just like the other races!"

With Zhang Lie having seen through the nightdemons\' ploy instantly, Fu Bo had no choice but to leave.

Zhang Lie then turned to Ye Mo, smiling serenely beside him. "And what about you, Ms. Ye Mo? What are you doing here?"

"For one, I have to thank you for singling the night spirits out as your first partner for this limit fragment project," Ye Mo replied.

"That\'s enough about that. I\'ll ask for you to return the favor soon, don\'t you worry," Zhang Lie countered. "What\'s the other thing?"