Chapter 111

Su Lin held a small notebook, writing furiously; after dozens of seconds, he closed it and tossed it into a subspace safe.

He gazed at Ye Fan, who was strolling through the amusement park with Himeari; since Old Lu vanished and sank into slumber within Ye Fan’s body, he had become the elder brother of this band of half-breeds.

Expansion had paused, internal affairs were pre-arranged, but whenever sudden issues or uncertain matters arose, the half-breeds all came to consult him.

“What a nostalgic feeling.”

The dormant corporate slave DNA within him stirred.

The historical projection faded vaguely from its spot; Lu Mingze sent a message: some guests had arrived and wished to speak with him.

Two minutes later, a figure stepped from illusion into reality, entering the lobby of a luxury hotel conference room, pushing open a pair of double doors—on a circular table ten meters in diameter, people were already seated.

Kleine, Xiao Yan, and Zhong Li sat to Lu Mingze’s right, at the center of the room; to Lu Mingze’s left sat an elder with a unique aura—pale silver hair and beard, a high nose bridge, deep eyes, and a smile curving his lips as he regarded Su Lin’s entrance.

A girl in black attire, golden hair and blue eyes, her face exquisitely sculpted like a Greek master’s work, wore European aristocratic makeup, a black veil, an expensive fitted dress, and a fur-lined bolero.

A handsome man with long golden hair, sea-blue eyes, a prominent nose, a faint masculine beard, and wire-rimmed glasses, his skin a healthy wheat tone.

Several other high-quality half-breeds stood behind them.

When the group saw Su Lin’s face, they couldn’t help but be startled.

Su Lin pulled out a chair and sat down calmly, looking at the people before him, joking: “This much of a show isn’t negotiation—it’s a raiding party for a boss, isn’t it?”

“Should I show my health bar first?”

“You’re quite humorous,” said the elder with pale silver hair and beard, smiling.

“Let me introduce myself—I am Angre. You previously expressed interest in meeting me.”

“Though our positions differ, I thank you for healing those people.”

Hearing Angre say this, Su Lin remembered—it was before his Ascension last month.

“Pleasure to meet you,” Su Lin nodded in greeting. “So, can we begin negotiations?”

“Of course,” said Lu Mingze; the screens in the hall lit up as he spoke.

“Damn, they even made a PowerPoint.” Su Lin sighed.

An hour later

Su Lin slammed the door shut, leaving behind one line:

“Next time, I’ll shut down.”

He sent a historical projection without divine status to negotiate surrender, fearing a disaster.

They showed him half an hour of PowerPoint, piled on concepts and new terms, all to convey one idea—humanity will never be slaves; you are the True God, why aid the tyrant?

They elaborated from moral and societal perspectives on the disadvantages of interfering with Earth’s independent development.

Just to waste his time?

Su Lin didn’t believe these people would act meaninglessly. Forget it—he’d avoid them. Ten people across the table, nine were tactical backstabbers; he’d play to his strengths, avoid their games.

“It doesn’t look promising,” Angre said to Lu Mingze beside him. “What a pity—I brought the students’ roster, hoping to chat about which girl suits Ye Fan.”

“Expected,” Lu Mingze smiled, turning to the dandy beside him. “Bring it out.”

The man’s face twisted in pain as he pulled out an object wrapped in cloth.

“The Eternal Spear,” Lu Mingze tore away the cloth, revealing the curved lance within, then looked to the three from another world. “Who will wield it?”

“I will,” Zhong Li took the curved lance, examining it.

“Now, we must discuss how to remove Lady Uesugi from Ye Fan’s side and purge the anchor point within her,” said Elizabeth Laurent, her voice calm.

Lu Mingze discovered it; Zhong Li confirmed it—the hidden alchemical matrix in her memories, once decoded, appeared to use their emotions as an anchor, granting the “Supreme One” the ability to detach from and manifest within Ye Fan’s body.

But it could only activate within a certain range of Ye Fan.

Angre picked up his black tea and sipped it. “I never thought you and Ye Fan had a romantic connection.”

“That wasn’t me,” said Elizabeth Laurent. “He isn’t the Ye Fan from those memories.”

“Actually, if you’re willing, I could act as a matchmaker,” Angre raised an eyebrow. “Ye Fan is an excellent young man.”

“I think he’s already proven his excellence, Uncle Angre.”

“We sit here together, no longer hiding secrets or identities, precisely because of him.”

Elizabeth Laurent’s gaze swept over Pompey, then turned to Angre and Lu Mingze. “If not for that future memory, I might still not know there’s a Dragon King among the Elders, or that Uncle Angre concealed so much.”

Flashing images passed through her mind; she pushed them aside.

“Of course, after this matter ends, if both I and that S-rank survive, I’d like to invite him for afternoon tea.”

“Heh,” Lu Mingze smiled elegantly. “I wouldn’t recommend that—you know, my brother might finally get a girlfriend this time.”

“Breaking up a couple isn’t nice.”

“Do you have a way to remove the anchor point?” Pompey asked. “The alchemical matrix implanted with her memories is as complex as a high-precision instrument—we can barely grasp its most basic function.”

“It grants embodiment to the nonexistent through intense emotion.”

“That’s just like me—such a scumbag.”

“You’re probably 90% responsible,” Kleine reminded him. “After all, you’re the hidden boss, the mastermind behind it all.”

“Exactly!” Pompey spread his hands. “Where’s my hidden boss aura? I might’ve been the hidden boss in the first version—or some early version—but now that guy’s the final boss across hundreds of versions.”

“The dragon-slaying boy becomes the dragon?” He sneered. “I hate such clichéd plots.”

Within the chat group

Su Lin: “What was today’s point?”

Kleine: “They were just testing if they could sway you.”

Su Lin: “Do I look like someone who can be swayed?”

Xiao Yan: “You do.”

Zhong Li: “Su Lin, I don’t know what reward Ye Fan offered you, but I advise caution regarding this event.”

Su Lin: “Mm, understood.”

Su Lin: “Don’t worry too much—he said even if Earth explodes, he can fix it.”

Ye Fan: “Moshi moshi, hello, this is present-day Ye Fan. Does anyone care about my feelings? Waaah.”

Ye Fan: “Please state your opinion.”

Ye Fan: “As long as it’s not too loud, anything’s fine. Ask him and Lu Mingze when they’ll deal with Herzog.”

Ye Fan wanted to lie flat, but his older, middle-aged otaku self still dreamed of ruling the world and collecting harems.

Su Lin: “It shouldn’t be too loud.”

Xiao Yan: “True—it’s just beating every half-breed faction into huddling for warmth, and scaring the Sky and Wind Dragon King into surrendering to Lu Mingze.”

After learning of the Supreme One’s revival, Pompey checked the thing beneath the Greenland seabed—the Black King’s corpse—still there; he’d thought it was an impostor.

Then Angre sent him a message that night.

【I heard you’re the Sky and Wind Dragon King? I’d love to slit your throat with my folding knife right now—but for our common enemy, come meet me.】

【I shattered three phones just to send this. After this, we must settle things!】

After sending the final message, Angre crushed his phone again.

Kleine: “He doesn’t know Lu Mingze plans to surrender if he loses—he’ll still be held accountable.”

Xiao Yan: “By the way, Ye Fan’s senior brother’s father has been found. Tell his senior brother to come claim him.”

Ye Fan: “?”

Kleine: “By the way, why have you been so quiet lately? @Su Lin”

Su Lin: “Guess.”

Ye Fan: “If I weren’t about to break through the Four Poles Realm, I’d come join the fun.”

Ye Fan checked the “huge sum” in his hand—ten million jin of Source—probably enough.

Although demand for high-end weapons had dropped, the profits were substantial.

Ye Fan: “Has Emiya Shirou been silent lately? How’s his alchemy coming along?”

Su Lin stood on the Dawn Hall’s viewing terrace, glancing at the garden. Norton, frantic, smashed a half-finished alchemical artifact with his scaled arm—how to put it? Being a teacher could be exhausting.

Su Lin: “I can only say there’s plenty of room for improvement.”

Five chapters tonight, maybe. Dear readers, to keep the plot from collapsing, I must write at my own pace. Aside from the first volume’s Pirate arc as a Xinshoufuben , I plan to write each world thoroughly—I suspect my slow updates are why some say my Dragon Clan arc is too long. Actually, I intend every subsequent world’s length to match or exceed Dragon Clan’s. Though I stitch many elements, I want them stitched well, right? Of course, I’m summarizing and improving—I’m a new author, first novel on sale, still need to grow. Thank you all for your suggestions. No more talk—I’m back to typing.