Chapter 326: 101. Scheming or Not
“Alright, what are your demands?”
“Don’t rush, we’ve already said we need to discuss things. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble to summon our kin scattered around the world to come back here. However, this little half-blood friend of yours seems quite renowned, so many kin recognize you—quite impressive!”
Kexiening, hiding behind Fisher, also cast a curious glance at Fisher. She had thought he was a couple with that wheelchair-bound lady from the Turan Family, but it seems that’s not the case; he appears to be paired with many.
After nodding, the Giant Slime King gestured to the kin beside him, and a yellow slime dragged a massive stone basin to the center of the slime crowd. Then, the Slime King and the elders placed the ends of the third hand that was coiling around their heads into the basin.
The slime encased in human forms also extended a gelatinous tentacle from various parts of their bodies. As the slimes’ tentacles converged, the whole place instantly fell silent. Only the Slime King, holding a pacifier, turned his head to Kexiening, who was still standing behind Fisher, and shouted,
“What are you doing standing there? Come over here for the meeting! Have you gone silly from setting up a circus?”
“Ah? Can I discuss things with you?”
Kexiening pointed to herself in disbelief, and under the mixed gazes of her clan, she walked over to the massive stone basin and placed the green tentacle on her head into the basin. As the last slime in attendance also gathered, the entire venue truly became quiet. Fisher, standing beside them as an outsider, crossed his arms, unsure of what they were doing.
“Heh, what a spectacle! I heard that ancient slimes would link their hands when negotiating so they could communicate with their partners without speaking, making it difficult for the negotiation counterpart to find a way to escape their transactional traps. It seems they like to do the same when discussing matters.”
Emhart poked his head out from Fisher’s embrace. He squinted at the gathering slimes and then turned his head, smiling as he spoke,
“When you traveled around the world earlier, you must have encountered the slime race, right? I didn’t know that in the last few hundred years since they left the Northern Region, they’ve expanded their business so much. Their voices can be heard everywhere in the world. It would be a pity not to establish an intelligence organization.”
Fisher, still with his arms crossed, shook his head and said with a hint of amusement,
“For them, information has always been shared within the clan; that’s the safest way. No one outside the slimes knows their identities. If anyone sells information elsewhere, they’ll eventually reveal themselves and be taken down. What makes the slimes truly smart isn’t maximizing value but their ability to sacrifice attainable value for safety and stability. In a sense, that’s true profit maximization.”
“Bang!”
The strange silent negotiations didn’t last long. Fisher had no idea how they communicated; he could only vaguely imagine that they were collectively pulled into an invisible hidden space where they were arguing. However, the speed of their conversation was unexpectedly fast, which led Fisher to ultimately dismiss that thought.
The largest Slime King was the first to take his tentacle out of the massive stone basin. He bit his pacifier, and as the tentacle above him formed into an oval-shaped crown, he said,
“Ah, half-blood child, we’ve come to an agreement. Next, we will share it with you, and you can see if you agree. If there are any disagreements, we can discuss it further.”
“Okay, please go ahead.”
The Slime King rubbed his chubby hand and looked at Fisher with interest, raising three fingers,
“We don’t want any actual wealth or items, you know, in some sense, there are no poor people in our tribe, except for this disgraceful thing behind you. Thus, we have three requests.”
“First, we hope you will overlook the theft of Zhen Bing by Kexiening and her two daughters, and properly allow them to leave the Northern Region and return to the boundary.”
“Second, we need you to share the progress of finding the Frost Parasol Tree with us. Of course, we are also willing to offer you some intelligence assistance. Although I am too old to move, I still have memories of the past.”
Fisher frowned, looking somewhat speechless at the Slime King, who had taken the pacifier out to suck on his finger, and couldn’t help but express disbelief,
“Is that all?”
“What else? Of course, just as you said earlier, we are loyal supporters of the Phoenix Race; why would we ask for so many demands? According to our reasoning, we should still provide you with assistance; but wait, there’s one last request that hasn’t been mentioned yet. The last request is for a personal favor from you, Fisher Benavides.”
“In critical moments, we might need your help; if we face threats from other clans, we might come under your banner for protection; there’s also the possibility that when we collaborate with someone, we might need your name to bridge the gap. In short, your personal favor is our third request.”
The Slime King smiled as he put the pacifier back into his mouth, while the other slimes in faux skin also looked at Fisher, seemingly waiting for his reply.
Fisher exchanged glances with Emhart in his arms and couldn’t help but chuckle,
“This is the first time I’ve learned I have such great power that even my favor can be used as a bargaining chip.”
“Ah, you are one part of it, and those women related to you are another part. At least before your matters are exposed, your favor is very valuable. Before they get to know each other, we will consume this favor. You can rest assured.”
“In that case, it’s a deal?”
Fisher nodded, agreeing to the slimes’ requests. Then, upon the Slime King’s consent, he walked to the statue of the Frost Parasol Tree behind him, gently reached out, and picked up the circular slime mark. Just like the other marks, in the center of this oval mark, a twisted humanoid figure composed of colloid was respectfully looking up at the statue of the Frost Parasol Tree.
Thus, the fourth mark of the six clans was successfully obtained.
“Good, half-blood child, I greatly enjoy trading with you. In light of your quick agreement, I can give you two additional gifts.”
He clapped his hands, and a giant slime behind him gently extended a hand, placing an item into Kexiening’s hands beside the stone basin. Fisher looked closely and saw that it was a translucent, pot cover-like circular shield, with a circle of twisting tentacles on the front, just like the tendrils that made up the crown of slimes.
This is a relic, and its quality is quite good.
“This item is a gift for you; it’s called [Slime Ring], one of the treasures bestowed upon my grandfather by the phoenixes. It can protect the bearer three times, including one use by my grandfather and one by my father, so it can still be used once more.”
Fisher took the round shield, and upon picking it up, he found it as soft as a slime’s body. The next moment, the tentacles on it seemed to come alive, wrapping around Fisher’s arm, the icy sensation quite magical,
“Another thing, if you are looking for the six clan marks, the other races shouldn’t be too hard to find. The Cangniao marks should have been taken to their graves by their descendants, while the Moon Rabbit, Snow Fox, and Cloud Cat marks are well taken care of by their tribes. The only troubling ones should probably be those of the Troll Race, right?”
As soon as he heard about clues to the nearly extinct Troll Race marks, Fisher perked up, focusing on the words of the Slime King, who raised a finger and looked at Fisher, speaking mysteriously,
“You should have already obtained the entrance location of the Frost Parasol Tree, but in reality, the marked location on the map is still far from the real entrance. That place is called the [Tree Foot]. It was originally the dwelling place of the Cangniao, but after some incidents occurred within the Parasol Tree, the trolls have guarded it, forbidding any creature from entering the Parasol Tree.”
“My ancestors of the Cangniao, my father, and the ancestors of the other three tribes all tried to enter the Parasol Tree to uncover the truth of what happened there but were all stopped at the tree’s entrance. The Moon Princess issued a death command; from the time everyone remembered the Phoenix Race until now, they have become a myth, and the Troll Race has been guarding there. Any living creature that trespasses will be slain by them.”
“If you have gathered all the marks, then go to the tree foot and communicate with those trolls from the matriarchal society. I’m not sure if you’ll succeed, but trying isn’t a bad thing. If it truly doesn’t work out, we will send someone to retrieve the marks.”
Holding the mark in his hand, Fisher fell silent for a moment, then committed all the information the other party had shared with him to memory,
“Thank you. I will pass this message to the person in charge.”
“Haha, then that’s settled. It’s already quite a bit to discuss tonight, Kexiening, take this young friend back to the Northern Region. They have a lot of things to get busy with. I hope you all can succeed; although we’re living quite well elsewhere, ultimately, the Northern Region is our homeland, and we also look forward to the day we can return to the foot of the Parasol Tree and rest peacefully under the protection of the Phoenix wings.”
The Slime King waved his hand to Fisher, his hands holding his plump belly in a tired manner, resembling a baby ready to sleep. Kexiening came to Fisher’s side and took out the Boundary Flute hidden behind her, cautiously asking Fisher,
“Shall we set off?”
Fisher finally cast a meaningful glance at the enormous Slime King before nodding and telling Kexiening,
“Thank you for your trouble.”
“Kexiening! Kexiening! Kexiening! Kexiening!”
As the high-spirited, cheerful song once again rang out, the figures of Fisher and Kexiening were enveloped in the golden light of value. Kexiening slightly raised the North Region silver coins that had already been used in her hand, and the two instantly disappeared from this boundary space.
Silence fell over the Slime boundary in an instant, and one slime wearing false skin, embracing itself, quietly murmured to the Slime King, who was leisurely lying on the ground,
“Grandfather, it seems he figured it out.”
“.Ah, it doesn’t matter, as long as he wants the mark, this matter can’t go awry. Also, it seems he isn’t particularly close with that chick by his side. Even if he figures out why we are helping him, he won’t tell that chick.”
“Phoenix, I didn’t expect there to be one in the Northern Region. I really want to go back and see what they look like, if they resemble the myths.”
Hearing the words of his descendants, the Slime King chuckled,
“Hehe, not at all. The phoenixes have a temper that you cannot imagine, but undoubtedly, they are a very great race. In fact, the trolls only refuse to let beings other than phoenixes enter the Parasol Tree; that’s the true reason our six clans have been unable to return to the Parasol Tree for centuries. But that Fisher Benavides carries the scent of a chick phoenix, which gives me hope.”
“Moreover, it seems this little playboy is quite an interesting person. Who knows, he might spark something with that chick phoenix. To count carefully, this guy has connections with Nali in human society, the New Dragon Court in the Southern Continent, and the sea… I wonder if he has ties under the sea. This personal favor can be used many times; we’ve hit the jackpot.”
The chubby Slime King sucked on his pacifier, narrowing his eyes as he calculated. The baby-like drowsiness in his eyes burst with brilliant glimmers of value. As he spoke, he casually pointed to a few slimes standing beneath him, instructing,
“Solidify this personal favor. We can start delving into matters in the Southern Continent. That Dragon Queen is a person we can engage with. I’ve heard she, although at war with humans, is not averse to human goods and technology. So collaborating with certain humans would definitely be her first choice; we can make a connection and profit from it. Any recommendations for people?”
After this statement, a blond mayor of Nali stepped forward and spoke to the Slime King,
“Grandfather, the Bozit family in Nali can be tried. I’ve been getting close with someone from their household named ‘Keken’ lately. This guy has an eye for talent, and most importantly, he’s willing to take risks, wanting to make a big business. We could try collaborating with him. If things go awry, we can push him out to bear the blame.”
“Then do as you said, but remember not to be too hands-on. Queen Elizabeth is currently implementing new policies smoothly with you. You might get promoted one day, so don’t leave behind any handles; as for the Pirate Haven, I wonder if the Black Chieftain can find the Storm Sea. Since the Black Chieftain is asking Captain Alagina for help, you can use this personal favor to bump things up. What if one day something comes through? The rest who haven’t secured personal favors should discuss with those who have and see how to stitch things together, but don’t make it too obvious. If it’s really impossible, it’s better to maintain the status quo than to force things. Remember what I taught you: be content with what you have and keep to yourself!”
“Yes, Grandfather. I didn’t expect Fisher to present such a useful personal favor. No wonder you minimized the previous two demands and even offered a relic and intelligence, letting him agree so willingly. Truly, an intricate strategy!”
Facing the eager descendants looking up at him with gleaming eyes, the Slime King shook his head. He lay there in the square, and before him, the enormous statue of the Frost Parasol Tree seemed to shift, as if the branch resembling a wing was lowering towards him, making him smile reminiscingly,
“Heh, calling it scheming wouldn’t be entirely accurate, as your grandfather really wishes to return to the Frost Parasol Tree. I too look forward to the day when that magnificent door of the Parasol Tree will reopen for our six clans and let me bathe once again in the light of Zhen Bing.”
The descendants all turned to look at the gigantic Parasol Tree at the end of the square. At the top of that tree, there seemed to be a massive figure with wings looking down. Beneath the trunk, six differently shaped subhumans respectfully raised their hands, as if granted a blessing, feeling the legendary past buried beneath the frost and snow of the Northern Region, sparkling with epic brilliance.
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(End of Chapter)
