"You shouldn't ask me what I need you to do, but rather what I can help you with," Bai Ye said. "You need to understand that not everyone is qualified to do things for me."
Yimi remained silent. He admitted Bai Ye was strong, stronger than him, but his tone was too arrogant.
Yimi challenged, "Then what can you help me with?"
Bai Ye leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs on the table, and looked at Yimi. "William Macbeth, the Despair King!"
Yimi froze, then exclaimed in shock, "How do you know about the Despair King?"
"I know many things," Bai Ye continued. "Dou Xue Liu Fa and Xue Dong Shu. You're a member of the secret society Libra, right?"
This time, Yimi was truly stunned. His abilities were no ordinary ones; they were also products of a high-level region, and Yimi was confident that not many people knew about the existence of the Blood Realm region. Yet, Bai Ye not only knew about it but also accurately identified the source of his abilities.
Bai Ye asked, "Do you want the Despair King's abilities?"
Yimi immediately stepped forward, slamming his palms on the table. "Yes!"
As the table vibrated, Bai Ye let out a curse. His legs slipped from the table, and he lost his balance, falling backward.
*Bang!*
In the next instant, Bai Ye lay sprawled on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The owner, carrying a dish, walked by and glanced down at Bai Ye. "The chair is broken. You'll have to pay for it."
Yimi: "..."
Bai Ye: "..."
Yimi felt like he had caused trouble.
Bai Ye, on the other hand, felt embarrassed, a perfect illustration of "coolness lasts only three seconds."
After getting a different chair, Bai Ye no longer dared to cross his legs. He sat properly and said, "William Macbeth isn't the Despair King. He's a fake. No, that's not quite right. It's more accurate to say the Despair King has possessed him."
Yimi was astonished. "Huh?"
Bai Ye continued, "I'll tell you how to find the Despair King and obtain his abilities."
Yimi paused. "So, what do you need me to do? I don't believe in free lunches."
"Not yet," Bai Ye replied. "I'll help you become stronger and improve your standing within the Hidden Dragon Society, but not needing you now doesn't mean I never will."
Yimi asked, "Meaning, when you need me to do something, I must comply without the right to refuse, correct?"
"No, you have the right to refuse," Bai Ye suddenly leaned closer to Yimi, whispering in his ear, "as long as you're not afraid to die."
"Since I'm giving you something, I should expect something in return," Bai Ye said, sitting back in his chair. "I'm feeding you because I want you to be a loyal dog, not a traitor."
"Understand, or don't understand, I need an answer from you."
Yimi was silent for a moment, then replied, "Understood!"
"Very well. I'll tell you how to find the Despair King, and this is just the beginning," Bai Ye said. "When do you plan to leave Ruin City?"
Yimi responded, "I have no particular needs here. I was just passing through Ruin City anyway. Since the matters I needed to attend to are done, I'll leave directly."
"Stay for two more days," Bai Ye suggested. "Ruin City is about to become very lively."
Yimi asked, "Oh? The Crystal People?"
Bai Ye smiled. "Yes."
Yimi didn't think there was much to see, but since Bai Ye had said so, he didn't mind staying an extra two days.
"Meet me by that wall in two days."
Bai Ye was so certain that Ruin City would be in chaos in two days because...
Allen had failed to reach an agreement with Rhine Company!
Although Allen wasn't one of the leaders of the artificial humans, he had a good relationship with the owner of the hunting ground. Despite the owner's low profile, like Li Chengjie, he was one of the current leaders of the artificial humans in the slums and had connections with some artificial humans in the affluent districts. Furthermore, while Li Chengjie had more fame, the owner possessed more real power.
Beyond that, Allen also enjoyed considerable prestige among artificial humans. His great-grandfather had been one of the earliest artificial humans to break away from Rhine Company and was their leader at the time.
This time, Allen had discovered Rhine Company's conspiracy. With the owner's support, Allen, representing the artificial humans, had negotiated with Rhine Company.
Unfortunately, the negotiations broke down immediately.
Allen's demands were simple: the continued equal dialogue and coexistence between artificial humans and humans. Of course, Rhine Company couldn't possibly agree to this. They had grown accustomed to enslaving artificial humans, and if they were to live equally, would Rhine Company have to risk hunting themselves? Moreover, this issue had been debated for countless years without resolution, so Allen wasn't pushing too hard.
As a compromise, Allen hoped to maintain the status quo.
However, Rhine Company still refused. Life Crystals were crucial to Rhine Company due to their immense contained energy. These were things that could end the Wasteland Era, and they absolutely would not let them fall into other hands. Thus, while they publicly agreed to Allen's demands, they also insisted on Allen handing over the Life Crystals.
Allen naturally refused. Without the Life Crystals, Rhine Company couldn't conduct their Crystal Person experiments. Even if Rhine Company claimed they would only extract energy, who would believe that? Everyone was beyond the age of three.
Thus, the negotiations devolved into a dispute.
After the dispute, war was inevitable.
It's worth noting that in Bai Ye's past life memories, Rhine Company had initiated the conflict. Upon realizing their plot was exposed, Rhine Company decided to have their Crystal Person army directly suppress the artificial humans: those who obeyed would be imprisoned, and those who disobeyed would be expelled from the affluent districts.
However, this time, due to the loss of the Life Crystals, Rhine Company dared not act rashly. Their usual arrogance led them to maintain a hostile attitude toward Allen, but they hadn't genuinely intended to resort to violence.
But after the Crystal Person incident was exposed, it wasn't just the artificial humans in the slums who were dissatisfied; those in the affluent districts were also unhappy. They had risked their lives working for Rhine Company, only to discover that the company was developing something to replace them!
Consequently, the leaders of the artificial humans in the affluent districts secretly contacted the owner. The owner then contacted other leaders in the slums, and ultimately, an agreement was reached to attack the affluent districts and overthrow Rhine Company.
A slight change occurred in the process, but Bai Ye wasn't too concerned because the outcome was largely the same as in his memories. Rhine Company initiating the attack had shifted to the artificial humans launching a preemptive strike, but the core objective remained the same: overthrow Rhine Company. Based on Bai Ye's past life memories, Rhine Company would then completely withdraw from Ruin City.
Of course, this was all contingent on the artificial humans winning the war.
And this was precisely what Bai Ye needed to do!
Bai Ye had to help Allen win this war!
...