Chapter 308: So, Cadian, What Is the Price? (Chapter 66, Praise Slaanesh!)

Zhou Yun knew he was absolutely right to entrust professional matters to professionals.

Ji Li Man was like a ruthlessly operating political machine, suppressing all self, emotion, and irrationality beneath a seemingly gentle smile, scrupulously fighting for every human benefit and averting every conspiracy Xi Xi Xi Gaoqi tried to bury.

Even the Laughing God of the Aeldari could not match Ji Li Man in politics; Ji Li Man's will seemed to merge into the vast sea of documents, step by step eroding the island known as Xi Xi Xi Gaoqi's cunning.

Ji Li Man even demanded a temporary freeze on the human obligations within this agreement, citing that he had not yet been granted authority to represent the entire human race.

Meanwhile, he demanded that Xi Xi Xi Gaoqi, as the Aeldari deity with the most independent agency, immediately begin fulfilling the Aeldari obligations stipulated in the agreement.

In short, before Ji Li Man, Sanguinius, and Zhou Yun returned to Terra, humanity would get the Aeldari for free.

Truly, Zhou Yun did not know what means Ji Li Man used to make Xi Xi Xi Gaoqi agree to such an outrageous demand.

After the basic agreement was reached, Zhou Yun, Sanguinius, and Ji Li Man withdrew first to the Ptolomaeus Library on Macragge.

Those agreements, written by Ji Li Man in a short time, were also sent here.

Gazing at the mountain of agreements, the master of the Ptolomaeus Library, Librarian Digris, raised his head in a daze.

This Librarian was nothing like his former spirited self; his figure was somewhat thin, his hair between the cables slightly gray, his face bearing deep exhaustion, and the psychic light in his eyes had grown faint.

Ji Li Man gave Digris two tasks.

The first was to organize the historical records of the entire Ptolomaeus Library and excavate the true history of the Empire over the past ten thousand years.

Humanity needed true history to guide the future; Ji Li Man himself needed it too.

The second was to seal all historical records concerning the Second Empire and compile new records to fill that period.

This was the true reason for Digris's exhaustion; filling in a period of history was no easy feat.

Seeing Digris's ravaged face, Zhou Yun immediately felt a pang of heartache.

He reached into his four-dimensional pocket and shoved the Aeldari records of the Second Empire toward Digris.

"These are the Aeldari records of that period of the Second Empire." Saying this, Zhou Yun patted Digris's shoulder: "I hope this helps you."

Digris looked at Zhou Yun with an expression of dead silence, dullness, and pain; what kind of overtime could possibly make him wear such a desperate expression.

After Digris, like a servitor, moved these documents away, Zhou Yun looked at Ji Li Man.

"This will be a comprehensive cooperation; the Aeldari will open the Black Library, the Webway, and various xenos technologies to us, while the Harlequins will be at our disposal, becoming part of our strength. More specifically, the division of interests on every planet, command of the combined forces of the two races, intelligence sharing, the positions of certain Aeldari Craftworlds and Commorragh in the human-Aeldari cooperation..."

Ji Li Man rapidly informed Zhou Yun of the benefits he had secured from the Aeldari, making Zhou Yun's head feel a bit large.

"These are just basic summaries; the specifics are far more complex. You can read them carefully after Digris finishes organizing them—"

"No need!"

Zhou Yun stepped back in horror.

In a sense, Ji Li Man was the most terrifying of the Primarchs; he seemed to possess a unique talent for dragging others into his work, making them, within his order, become miserable tools just like himself.

Zhou Yun even suspected this was an external manifestation of Ji Li Man's Warp nature; even Xi Xi Xi Gaoqi seemed unable to escape his influence.

"Just tell me directly what Xi Xi Xi Gaoqi hopes to get from us," Zhou Yun asked Ji Li Man in return.

Gaining the aid of the Laughing God and the entire Aeldari race would obviously not come without a price.

Although Ji Li Man had extended the payment of this price until after their return to Terra,

"Regarding the specific exchange of interests, I assume you are not interested."

Ji Li Man pondered for a moment, organized the thoughts in his mind, and said to Zhou Yun:

"I will only speak of what concerns you, which is obviously what Xi Xi Xi Gaoqi wants most."

"First, Xi Xi Xi Gaoqi requires that you must send at least enough Aeldari to sustain the Aeldari race's existence into your four-dimensional pocket."

"Second, when the Aeldari encounter a disaster that could lead to extinction, you must send as many Aeldari as possible into your four-dimensional pocket."

"Third, you must hunt the avatar of Ynnead and stuff the avatar of Ynnead into your four-dimensional pocket, causing Him to return to complete silence."

"Hmm, so what is the price?" Zhou Yun asked, blinking in confusion.

Why only talk about benefits and not the price?

Stuffing Aeldari into a four-dimensional pocket to sell for money; isn't this just giving him free money?

Hunting Ynnead was the same; even if Xi Xi Xi Gaoqi didn't say it, Zhou Yun had no intention of letting Ynnead go.

Or rather, Ynnead himself seemed unlikely to let Zhou Yun go. Competition in domains, stealing Xi Xi Xi Gaoqi away; these were all things hindering Ynnead's true birth.

Looking at Ji Li Man's expression, Zhou Yun raised his eyebrows slightly.

"This is the price?" he couldn't help but ask.

Ji Li Man nodded slightly.

". Huh?" A question mark appeared above Zhou Yun's head.

Hunting the avatar of Ynnead was understandable; Xi Xi Xi Gaoqi was obviously trying to prevent Ynnead from ascending as a god and completely destroying the Aeldari.

Destroying Ynnead's avatar would cause His original will to return to complete silence, which would be safer for the Aeldari.

When the time truly came to use it, one could try to awaken Him again.

But stuffing Aeldari into a four-dimensional pocket... *hiss*, Aeldari sold by the four-dimensional pocket would indeed not return their souls to Slaanesh.

Did Xi Xi Xi Gaoqi really think the four-dimensional pocket led to the 22nd century in His eyes?

To be honest, Zhou Yun himself felt it was hard to say; where things sold by the four-dimensional pocket went remained a mystery even to Zhou Yun.

However, since Xi Xi Xi Gaoqi was so certain... Zhou Yun would not refuse benefits handed to him.

"When does He plan to hunt the avatar of Ynnead?" Zhou Yun asked, looking at Ji Li Man.

"He claims any time will do; He will invite Ynnead to the Black Library to discuss the future of the Aeldari."

"What a simple and unadorned trick..." Zhou Yun's mouth twitched slightly.

No mistake, one sentence, one release, one content, all inside, one look!

Ynnead's avatar should not be hard to deal with; at the beginning of its birth, cooperating with a group of people, they fought Slaanesh's First Greater Daemon, Shalaxi the Hellbringer... compared to that, getting beaten by Tzeentch's Chosen, Ahriman, didn't seem too shameful.

Even now, with the Deathwatch holding four Witchblades and Ynnead's power having awakened more, it was unlikely to match a Primarch.

It was just that Zhou Yun wanted to test the Curse Speech he had just fished out of the Black Library on Ynnead.

"You should perfect your faith as soon as possible."

Saint Guilliman seemed to perceive Zhou Yun's thoughts:

"Your current faith is too chaotic and disordered; a vast amount of faith cannot flow into your and Fat Tiger Great Demon's bodies, which greatly limits Fat Tiger Great Demon's power."

"If you wish to master the Curse Words in a short time, you must rely on the power of faith to enhance your and Fat Tiger Great Demon's strength."

Zhou Yun nodded slightly in agreement, while Ji Li Man frowned slightly,

as he had always held some doubts about things like faith, tending to view it as merely a special psychic phenomenon.

"By the way."

Ji Li Man suddenly spoke:

"Lord Zhou Yun, just now in the office, I received an application."

"A Chapter that does not belong to me or Saint Guilliman wishes to meet with you."

(End of this chapter)