Chapter 208: Scheming From All Sides

With the matters on Troll Star finally settled, Li Yu figured the Amethyst Civilization should have reached a general consensus regarding his asking price.

Without hesitation, he prepared to contact Kansa. Since he had such a useful pawn, it would be a waste not to use him.

Kansa confirmed Li Yu's suspicions. "They debated for a long time. However, it's a seller's market. They might have tried to delay if they had enough time, but the Star Glory Empire obviously won't give them that luxury."

"The Empire is even demanding that Amethyst hand over the core. No matter what, our civilization must obtain the Amethyst Core in your hands."

Li Yu nodded. The Amethyst Civilization was clearly being pushed to the brink, yet they didn't want to be easily manipulated, which was why they had been stalling.

Although the higher-ups knew that Kansa's relationship with Li Yu was somewhat ambiguous, they never would have guessed that Kansa was already completely under his control, acting as an absolute inside traitor.

Kansa added, "However, Saster has been making moves lately. His people are frequently contacting the upper management, though I'm not sure what they're up to. They even approached me to chat about trivial matters, and I have no idea what their true purpose is."

"Saster..." Li Yu could not help but frown upon hearing that name. That guy was in cahoots with Dark Star.

Both of them hated him to the bone, so he couldn't help but overthink the situation.

Thinking of this, he shook his head again. That would bring absolutely no benefit to Kansa. Rather than risking his life to sell Li Yu out to Saster, he might as well sell him to the Star Glory Empire.

After Li Yu had knocked some sense into him last time, Kansa had become much more well-behaved. Perhaps it was also because his Anti-Discrimination Movement had hit a snag.

This kind of Anti-Discrimination Movement naturally wasn't the first to appear in the interstellar stage. Even though the Amethyst Civilization's situation was rather unique, at the end of the day, it all boiled down to who could stack the most political advantages.

You might accuse me of wanting to strip the citizenship of Amethystians who lack an amethyst on their forehead, but I could just as easily expose you for keeping mermaid slaves.

So, with all sorts of problems piling up, Kansa was feeling somewhat helpless. His slightly arrogant mindset had also crashed back to reality. He had asked Li Yu for advice on a few issues, only to be casually brushed off.

As expected, just as Li Yu was about to warp to the edge of the Star Glory Empire via the Qiushan Hub, the Amethyst high echelon contacted him.

This time, they did not use Kansa as a middleman but contacted Li Yu directly. It showed that the other party no longer wanted to squabble and just wanted to get straight to the point.

The negotiator was a Cold-faced Amethystian, showing no trace of emotion. "Regarding Your Excellency's asking price, although it is quite unreasonable, we have decided to accept it anyway. We can now negotiate the time of the transaction."

"If I were to temporarily raise the price right now, would you guys be very angry?" Li Yu asked with a beaming smile, making a Schrödinger's Joke.

If there was a possibility of a price hike, then this joke would collapse into reality. If not, then this sentence remained just a joke.

The other party remained completely stoic, speaking like a robot. "I will submit your opinion to our superiors. As for the high echelon's decision, I have no ability to influence it."

"However, I suggest you do not do that. Currently, the Empire does not know that the core is in your hands."

When Saster provided the news of the Amethyst Core to the Empire, he also hadn't mentioned Li Yu, a fact Kansa had already informed him of.

Saster clearly had his own schemes, though it was unclear exactly what he was plotting.

Everyone hoped to be the final victor.

Li Yu stared at him for a long while before finally chuckling. "Just a joke, no need to take it seriously."

The Amethyst Civilization was doing the exact same thing as him, utilizing a Schrödinger's Amethyst Core. They would endure the pressure for now, hoping that the Star Glory Empire might not actually do anything to them.

If they withstood the pressure, the Schrödinger's Amethyst Core would become a real core, and they could continue vigorously developing their Amethyst technology tree.

If they couldn't endure it, the Amethyst Civilization could just laugh it off: 'I was just joking. Actually, the Amethyst Core isn't in my hands, but in the hands of that wanted criminal of yours. Go look for him.'

At that point, this core would likely end up stuck in Li Yu's hands, making it very difficult to sell at a reasonable price again. Therefore, selling it to the Amethyst Civilization right now was the most suitable option.

"Very well. The weight of your core is 426 grams. According to your pricing, it should be 51.12 billion Star Coins," the other party stated mechanically.

"Are you preparing to transact through the Black Hole Bank or a bank from another civilization?"

"Black Hole Bank." Li Yu naturally chose the anonymous Black Hole Bank.

"Alright. The transaction location will be set in ten days at the border between Amethyst and the Star Glory Empire—the Thai South Barren Planet Belt. How does that sound?"

Li Yu's eyes flashed slightly upon hearing this, and he revealed a warm smile. "That... won't work."

Are you kidding? Letting the other party choose the location? What if it was an ambush? If two burly A-Tier Lifeforms suddenly popped out, wouldn't it be an instant game over?

A slight ripple of emotion finally appeared on the negotiator's face as he explained, "We understand your concerns, but we hope for this matter to conclude safely even more than you do."

"Hoping for a safe conclusion isn't just something you say..." Li Yu flipped through the Holographic Screen as a large amount of news scrolled by. "You are the illustrious Amethyst Civilization, while I'm just a lowly wanted criminal. It's perfectly fine for me to be a little cautious."

"How about this? Let's settle on the Barot Civilization—the Half-Fish Star System."

The Barot Civilization was a large civilization situated not far from the Amethyst Civilization. It was a member of the Civilization Alliance System and had engaged in multiple skirmishes and conflicts with the Amethyst Civilization in the past.

To put it simply, this civilization held a grudge against the Amethyst Civilization.

If the Amethyst Civilization wanted to ambush Li Yu within the Barot Civilization's territory, the difficulty would be astronomical.

"No!" The other party flat-out refused. "It is nearly impossible for us to enter the Barot Civilization's territory. If we are discovered, it will mean war."

"That's your problem, not mine," Li Yu said, shaking his head. "I'll see you in the Half-Fish Star System in fifteen days. If you don't show up, then the deal is off."

Without giving the other party another chance to speak, Li Yu hung up the call.

He stared at the Stargate in front of him. Fortunately, he hadn't warped to the western border hub of the Empire, or he would have had to warp right back.

The Barot Civilization was located in the southwest of the Star Glory Empire. It wasn't immediately adjacent, but it wasn't far either, separated only by a few small civilizations with little presence.

Adjusting the Stargate's destination to find the Star Glory Empire hub closest to Barot, the Blazing Light Starship vanished into the portal.

......

Near an unnamed star system in the Amethyst Civilization, the Pathos Flagship had completed its repairs and resumed sailing through interstellar space.

"...We have found a way to spread the spores out according to your instructions. Most of the high echelon have met with our people, and only a few ignored us."

Inside the ship cabin, Saster listened to his subordinate's report and waved his hand, dismissing the man.

He then looked at Dark Star in the corner, frowning slightly. "My people have already spread that stuff onto most of the upper management as you requested. Is it really useful?"

"There won't be any problems. As long as it is confirmed to be Li Yu, I can teleport directly to him." Dark Star's voice only wavered slightly when Li Yu's name was mentioned.

"Confirming his identity is your responsibility."

Half of his body was hidden in the shadows. Only when he leaned forward slightly could the icy killing intent in his eyes be seen.

"Relax..." Saster sneered. "I deliberately leaked the fake news that the Amethyst Core is in the hands of the Amethyst Civilization to the Star Glory Empire."

"It was solely to put pressure on our civilization. Unless the Amethyst Emperor can ignore the temptation of the core and tell the Empire the truth directly, he only has one choice—to obtain the core as soon as possible."

"And my brother didn't disappoint me after all."

Saster acted as if everything was under his control, showing off his intellect to Dark Star. Naturally, he wouldn't have this kind of desire if he was just facing his subordinates.

But the other party was, after all, an A-Tier Lifeform, one of the small handful of people standing at the apex of the universe.

"Something as momentous as purchasing the core will definitely be personally helmed by the Amethyst high echelon. When you notice a spore moving far away from the Amethyst Civilization, that will definitely be the time to strike."

Dark Star had absolutely no interest in praising Saster's plan. He only wanted to crush that guy named Li Yu.

Never before had a weak creature been able to make a fool of him three times!

......

Only half a day had passed, right about the time Li Yu was preparing to leave the Star Glory Empire's territory, when Kansa informed him that Amethyst had agreed to his demands.

Kansa explained in detail, "The person in charge this time is my second brother—Rhode. He was groomed to step into the role Saster occupies, though obviously patterned after Saster before he gained the Empire's backing."

"He has a lot of prestige in the military. He once led a small fleet and continuously routed several large Marauder Groups. His reputation among the civilians is also very good."

"Have you heard anything about an ambush or the like?" This was what Li Yu cared about the most.

"None at all," Kansa clarified. "Amethyst doesn't want to cause any more trouble. Finalizing this matter as quickly as possible is their sole objective."

Li Yu was noncommittal. Due to the Anti-Discrimination Movement incident, Kansa had clearly been marginalized from the core leadership. There was a lot of information he had no access to, so his words could only be used as a reference.

"You can't talk about morality with large civilizations like this. You have to prepare for the worst-case scenario in everything."

After hanging up the call, Hunter cautioned him. He looked like someone who had suffered deeply from this exact thing, his face full of lament.

Li Yu naturally understood this logic. He patted the head of the little loli, Keller, beside him, and squeezed a few drops of fresh blood from his fingertip.

"Hehe, hehe..."

Keller left, giggling foolishly while holding the test tube. Although Tu Ying's blood smelled sweet, it wasn't nutritious at all.

"Go train according to Peyton's method, and pay attention to your body's reactions," Li Yu instructed Tu Ying, who was standing beside him. Tu Ying nodded silently, incredibly obedient.

......

Time during interstellar travel always passed exceptionally fast. Ten days later...

In the training room of the Blazing Light Starship, Li Yu watched out of sheer boredom as Keller and Tu Ying fought like two noobs pecking at each other. It could be simply summarized as:

Tu Ying: "Watch my Heart-Crushing, Bone-Shattering Giant Troll Palm Strike!"

Keller: "Back off! Back off! Back off! Back off!"

In the adjacent training room, the Esper Group was constantly groaning and panting. They were putting their absolute all into developing their superpowers. If Li Yu didn't stop them occasionally, this bunch would truly gamble with their lives.

However, the results were extremely apparent. Several Espers with tremendous potential had already reached the D-Class Level.

The vast majority had also reached E-class. The initial windfall from their ability awakening had essentially been fully digested, leaving only the slow, grinding work ahead.

Through consuming high-quality blood, the little loli Keller had also become an E-Class Lifeform. Just like Tu Ying, her progression was not only incredibly fast but also possessed immense potential.

Not only could she manipulate internal blood within living organisms, but she could also consume blood to activate some of Tu Ying's bloodline abilities—likely a result of having consumed Tu Ying's blood previously.

As a Troll, Tu Ying would naturally develop his complete bloodline abilities as he grew. Of course, he could also rely on his own training to unlock the power within his bloodline ahead of time.

He naturally had an extraordinary thirst for power, and he was training exceptionally hard right now.

Everyone was growing stronger day by day.

Stifling a yawn, Li Yu downed a bottle of Gene Development Potion. The familiar searing sensation radiated from within his body, and electric arcs and magma began to surge around him.

Standing to the side, Peyton's eyes burned with fervor. "How exactly do you do it? Why don't you develop drug resistance to the Gene Development Potion?"

Li Yu stared at Peyton, who looked like an obsessed fanatic, feeling somewhat speechless.

This was all thanks to Clone One. Over the past few days, Clone One had encountered one of Batman's nemeses, Bane.

As a villain without any formidable background, Clone One naturally wasn't as timid around Bane as he had been with Batman. He just directly made a move and took him out.

And then, some excellent loot dropped.

[Obtained Special Physique—Ignore Drug Resistance: Why hasn't the effectiveness diminished after years of injecting strengthening drugs? Naturally, it is because drug resistance does not develop.

Your body will no longer easily develop drug resistance.]

It was because of this physique that the cost-effectiveness of the Gene Development Potion for Li Yu had suddenly skyrocketed, leading him to chug the potion all day long.

However, B-class Gene Development Potions were truly expensive. A single vial cost millions of Star Coins. It was way too much of a financial drain.

Still, the effects were extremely evident. He vaguely sensed that he was about to break through the B-Minus Class, and his strength had grown by a large margin.

Unfortunately, this physique had no effect on Compound V. Otherwise, he could have just endlessly farmed superpowers.

In truth, Clone One had also obtained some other rewards, but they were all useless trinkets not worth mentioning.

Clone Two was diligently working as a security guard in the Marvel World, but had also been sent out on a mission once to assassinate the boss of a certain terrorist organization.

Given Clone Two's personality, they naturally executed the mission honestly—killing every single enemy in sight to accomplish a completely undetected stealth assassination.

[Obtained Purple Title—Lone Wolf—Gold: When facing multiple enemies of the same tier, gain a 50% amplification to your own strength.]

A simple title with an extraordinary effect. When Li Yu saw this title, only one phrase came to mind—A Life of Solitude, Pure as Snow.

This was essentially a divine artifact for him. If he had possessed this title back on Troll Star, he could have just gone on a rampage. Why would he have wasted time sneaking around?

Seeing Li Yu fall into a daze once more, Peyton couldn't help but feel a touch of resentment—an emotion he had never experienced before.

However, the things that happened to Li Yu continually shattered his understanding of reality, forcing him to hover around Li Yu like a desperate bootlicker.

After all, this was something he had never encountered in his dull and tedious life as a Noble.