Chapter 405: Departure and Vimala's Reward

"You did well this time..." Vimala praised, then changed the subject and added:

"However, you should have informed me in advance so I could have been more prepared."

Because the incident occurred suddenly, Vimala had no preparation at all, leading to a greatly discounted battle result.

If she had prepared early, she could have torn a much larger piece of meat off Titus.

"I wasn't sure if Titus would make a move against me in the first place." Li Yu gave a perfunctory reply. He just didn't want Vimala to completely dominate; otherwise, how could he, as The Old Fisherman Profits, gain any benefit?

Vimala didn't look too deeply into it either. Li Yu was now a meritorious subject; how could she possibly reprimand him?

"Titus will quiet down for quite a while this time, while I was badly frightened by Elton..." Li Yu pointedly remarked.

Spouting a few more useless words here was inferior to rewarding something substantial.

Vimala's expression stalled slightly. He was already asking for benefits? He had truly fallen into the eye of a coin. Had he forgotten how she fought for his position previously?

"What do you need?" Vimala's tone was unkind. Her face, which was extremely similar to Klein's yet far more elegant and luxurious, was as cold as frost.

"Military-Grade Alloy, the more the better!" Li Yu couldn't be bothered with what expression this Queen was making. As long as she gave benefits, even if she sat on him, it would be fine.

"Military-Grade Alloy again!?" Vimala also felt a bit of a headache. "This year, you swallowed a tenth of the entire Military's alloy. Prince Connor has already sought me out many times."

"Right now, Return Star can only buy from external sources. Where would I get so much alloy to give you?"

"You don't have any? Then change it to Star Coins..." Li Yu considered it for a moment and could only reluctantly accept that.

Vimala felt her heart stifle even more. At their level, who directly rewarded Star Coins? She frowned and said:

"I suddenly recalled that the Stuart Civilization's Star System produces an extremely large amount of alloy, and a portion is supplied to Return Star. They should still have some surplus there..."

"Stuart Civilization's Star System?" Li Yu raised his eyebrows slightly, had Claptrap pull up the Star Map, and his eyes suddenly became playful.

"My esteemed Queen, you still want me to head to No Man's Land..."

The Stuart Civilization's Star System was precisely the Star System closest to No Man's Land that had signed a "Treaty of Friendly Mutual Assistance" with Return Star.

With this treaty in place, Return Star could establish Stargates within the Stuart Civilization's territory. In name, it was for support; in reality, those who knew, knew.

In an Interstellar War, logistical support was an extremely critical aspect, and the convenience of Stargates was favored by all factions.

However, due to the uncertainty of the battle situation, the risk of constructing Stargates near the battlefield was too great.

Therefore, many civilizations chose safe nearby locations to construct Stargates.

It just so happened that the Stuart Civilization was relatively close to No Man's Land, so Return Star directly borrowed their path.

"Right now, the battle situation in No Man's Land is stable. There's no harm in you going there," Vimala explained.

Even if Vimala hadn't said anything, Li Yu had been prepared to leave the Central Star System anyway. However, since Vimala had spoken first, how could he not pluck some wool from her?

Li Yu laid out his terms: "Having me head to No Man's Land isn't a problem. However, the Stuart Civilization must fully assist me."

And so, Vimala couldn't help but ask that classic question: "What exactly are you trying to do by requesting so much Military-Grade Alloy?"

Li Yu shook his head and said, "Queen, you've misspoken. This isn't requesting, but a transaction. The previous 200 billion tons were exchanged using captives; they weren't bestowed upon me by Return Star."

His implication was that he had earned all these alloys himself, and what he used them for had nothing to do with her.

Vimala frowned slightly. Although the relationship between the Stuart Civilization and Return Star was "intimate," Return Star also purchased alloys from Stuart to avoid Interstellar Public Opinion.

However, if she had no way around it, she would be called the "Iron-Blooded Queen" in vain.

"I can have Stuart advance you 50 billion tons..." Vimala shook her head. "Any more than that, and there's nothing I can do."

This amount already far exceeded Li Yu's expectations. It was even higher than Morgan's value.

Vimala's willingness to pay so much alloy likely included her intent to continue winning Li Yu over.

"No problem..." Li Yu wasn't greedy either. "I will prepare and head out today."

Li Yu's attitude somewhat surprised Vimala. She had thought this guy would try to find another reason to decline.

Is this him feeling my sincerity?

50 billion tons of Military-Grade Alloy was not a small number. A simple reward would fall far short of this amount.

After the Elton incident this time, her valuation of Li Yu had risen to a higher level, which was why she was willing to pay so much.

And Li Yu's decisive agreement was interpreted by Vimala as returning a favor with a favor.

Feeling quite satisfied with Li Yu's attitude, Vimala finally revealed a faint smile.

Li Yu hung up the communication amidst Vimala's inexplicable smile, still muttering in his heart: "Why do two people who look so similar feel completely different when they smile?"

The matter of Li Yu going to take up the post of Commander of the Black Pupil Fleet didn't cause too much of a ripple.

Everyone knew this day would inevitably come; Li Yu couldn't drag it out forever.

...

Five days later, outside the Galaxy Veil, the Meteor Fleet was ready to depart. Through Vimala's operations, the original Meteor Fleet had been entirely incorporated into the Black Pupil Fleet.

Most of those who came to see him off were from Vimala's faction. Amidst various voices of congratulation, Li Yu stepped onto the Main Ship and sailed into the Stargate.

Just as the Meteor Fleet disappeared into the Stargate, Titus was listening to a Subordinate's report.

"...Your Highness, traces of everyone around Li Yu have vanished. Tu Ying and Keller processed suspension of schooling procedures. Sinai, who occasionally came out to buy groceries, has also disappeared without a trace. He only left behind a few irrelevant small fry..."

"Initial estimates suggest they were all taken away by him..."

"Taken away by him?" Titus felt a trace of doubt upon hearing the Subordinate's report.

Was he afraid I'd target the people around him?

Is my reputation outside that bad?

Or is there another reason?

He couldn't be defecting, right? There was no need. He had already resolved the Elton issue; there was absolutely no need for him to defect.

"Your Highness, there's another matter that was uncovered..." The Subordinate's expression was strange, hesitant to speak.

"Speak."

"The laboratory that was rewarded to Li Yu... is empty..."

Titus swept a glance at the Subordinate, somewhat displeased. Did he need to be told this kind of thing? If the people were gone, they were gone.

"...And the contents inside were also completely emptied out..." The Subordinate added.

Who did you learn to take huge gasps of air between sentences from? Titus narrowed his eyes. Li Yu had emptied the laboratory too. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like he was grabbing his bucket and running away.

"Draft a report and submit it to the Queen, initiating a routine inquiry..." Titus said.

This matter could be major or minor because Li Yu could entirely use his usage rights to wrangle over it.

Relying on this matter to cause any trouble for Li Yu was inferior to investigating why he was grabbing his bucket and running away.

Could it be because of that matter?

Titus's expression suddenly changed slightly. But how did he know? Was it the Dimensional Camp?

...

A Stargate Jump also required a certain amount of time. And not long after Li Yu entered the Stargate, Prince Connor's communication came through...

"Li Yu!" Prince Connor's expression was ugly. "Are you trying to defect? You only have the usage rights to that experimental Base! Who told you to take the things inside away!?"

"Oh my, Prince Connor. I admit this was my mistake. I really didn't pay attention to reading the [Laboratory Usage Regulations]. Rest assured, when I return, I will definitely put every single item back in its original place."

Li Yu rested his legs on the console, his tone casual.

If it were anyone else, Return Star might have already dispatched troops to arrest them by now.

But with Li Yu's current status, he already had the capital to wrangle.

The face of Prince Connor on the screen flushed red as he shouted angrily, "...If there's even the slightest bit of damage to the experimental Instruments, just wait to go to the Supreme Court!"

He hung up the communication in immense anger. This Li Yu was becoming more and more arrogant, actually emptying out the entire experimental Base.

Li Yu didn't care about Prince Connor's anger. He turned to look at Hunter beside him and asked, "Has anyone come to make an offer?"

Hunter said helplessly, "Quite a few came to inquire, but none made an offer. You holding a Hard Drive and saying it contains Gensokyo's coordinates... really, no one believes it."

That's right. Li Yu was currently selling coordinates. He had more than one copy of this thing, and he hadn't thought about keeping it a secret. He might as well take this opportunity to see if he could find a few Easy Marks.

"Lamon, then why did you guys believe it without a doubt?" Li Yu asked casually.

"Barton said it was, so it was..." Lamon's words rendered people Speechless.

"..." Li Yu shook his head. "Forget it. Rather than waiting for an Easy Mark to come to my door, it's better to take the initiative."

Li Yu searched through his contacts, and before long, he found a qualified Easy Mark—the Reformers.

Ever since they delivered the people from Gust's Laboratory to Return Star last time, the two sides hadn't contacted each other again.

They seemed to have forgotten about the Crekri siblings. This was the perfect time to remind the other party.

And most crucially, Anthony had sent news some time ago that they had found traces of the Reformers at the Tambur Hub, which raised Li Yu's suspicions somewhat.

Although he couldn't be certain that they were the faction behind the Hard Drive, there was never any harm in testing the waters.

After the Holographic Image of the Reformer Elder, Husband, popped up, Li Yu got straight to the point: "...It's been a long time since we contacted each other. Do you guys still want the Crekri siblings? If you don't want them, I'll sell them as slaves."

Husband's brow twitched slightly, and he shook his head: "We naturally want them..."

Li Yu interrupted his words and casually babbled, "The price has changed now. I want Military-Grade Alloy, just a random few trillion tons will do."

Husband was even more Speechless. He stared at the background behind Li Yu and shifted the subject: "Your Excellency is in a Ship Cabin?"

"Yeah..." Li Yu said frankly. "With your intelligence channels, wouldn't you know I left the Central Star System?"

"We don't pay too much attention to Return Star..." Husband shook his head. Li Yu clearly didn't believe it, but he didn't dwell on it and continued, "Right, I have a piece of crucial news here. Do you want it?"

Husband felt Speechless at Li Yu's topic-jumping speed and asked, "What aspect of news is it? Can you reveal a little?"

"Do you know about... Gensokyo?" Li Yu said mysteriously.

In an instant, Husband's expression became strange and inexplicable. It wasn't surprise, but another kind of emotion.

This old geezer didn't seem surprised at all, Li Yu muttered internally. Because he was already suspicious, Li Yu had been staring fixedly at his reaction.

And Husband continued, "Gensokyo. Of course I know it. A Half-Dimension World, a mobile Base dreamed of by all factions."

"I have its coordinate information here. Do you want it?" Li Yu chuckled.

"No..." Husband shook his head decisively. "I don't believe you would sell me such precious news."

"Uh..." Li Yu's expression stalled slightly. He instantly felt Disheartened, waved his hand, and said:

"Since you're not buying, then forget it. After a while, just wait to go collect the Crekri siblings' corpses from the Green-Skinned Orcs' lair."

The corners of Hunter's mouth twitched. What kind of nonsense was this?

Husband had a head full of black lines as he spoke up: "Your Excellency Li Yu, I will give you a piece of news as a gift. Please take good care of those siblings."

"What news?" Li Yu grew interested. To freeload always brought people happiness.

"A major event is about to occur in Return Star. Please make preparations."

Li Yu's heart tightened slightly. Was it about Digor? Even the Reformers had received the news?

"What major event?" Li Yu pursued the question, but Husband shook his head: "This is all I can say."

Playing the Riddler game again. Li Yu guessed that the major event the Reformers spoke of was highly likely about Digor.

"Then I will also give you a sentence as a gift." Li Yu's thoughts shifted slightly, and he smiled. "Riddlers suffer a miserable end."

Husband: "..."

Since the Easy Mark didn't take the bait, Li Yu had no choice. He simply called for the Crekri siblings.

They had been under house arrest all this time. Although they wore Incarceration Devices and couldn't contact electronic equipment.

They never lacked their three meals a day. Over this period, the two had even put on quite a bit of weight.

"It seems the Reformers don't plan on taking you anymore, so I'm preparing to sell you to the Green-Skinned Orcs." Li Yu's words made Cree freeze on the spot.

"What race are the Green-Skinned Orcs?" Keri was still a bit confused and tugged on his sister's clothes.

"It has nothing to do with you..."

Cree pursed her lips and said in a low voice.

Her face was slightly flushed. The Green-Skinned Orcs weren't an Interstellar Race, but mimic creatures on certain websites that took pleasure in torturing females.

Li Yu's tone was lazy: "Do you have any important information to give me, like Reformer secrets? You guys just eating for free all day makes it very difficult for me."

Husband's unusual reaction to Gensokyo just now had made Li Yu somewhat curious, so he prepared to let Cree exert some remaining heat.

"The missions we came into contact with were all just Normal ones. Only the Elders know the secrets," Cree explained.

"Fine..." Li Yu thought for a moment, then added, "I've thought of a way. I'm preparing to release you."

Cree's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't feel joyful, continuing to listen to Li Yu's next words.

"Then, I'll leave your Younger Brother behind. You will return to the Reformers and act as an Internal Traitor for me. If you don't cooperate, I will turn your Younger Brother into a woman and sell him to the Goblins."

So cruel!

Cree's breathing became rapid. She hadn't interacted with Li Yu much, but Li Yu didn't seem like a good person. It was entirely possible he could do such a thing.

Keri's small face had already turned deathly pale. He trembled, unable to speak. It was too scary.

"Fine, I agree..." Cree didn't think for too long before agreeing. Being imprisoned here was a complete waste of time.

If she could get out, she might be able to find an opportunity to rescue Keri later.

Li Yu looked at Cree and suddenly smiled: "Come here. Let me help you strengthen your Strength..."

Looking at Li Yu's smile, Cree suddenly had a rather bad premonition.

After handling Cree's matters, the fleet was also about to pass through the Stargate and arrive at the Stuart Civilization.

And right at this moment, another matter attracted Li Yu's Attention—

Clone Three had returned from [Marvel]!

(End of this chapter)