Chapter 462: It Could Even Belong Solely to You

Goulu Zhaobo withdrew his smile, his tone deepening a few degrees: "That's how it is. The world I came from is simply not something I can control."

"The deal I mentioned before—if you give me the Nekrozma, once I have mastered that world I'll bring you and your people over, reserve a region for you—this can now be voided."

Listening to those words, Lai Ke's eyes instantly flared with fury, his stare locked onto Goulu Zhaobo; the aura around him turned cold, and even Celesteela behind him sensed his anger, its wings slightly unfurled, the energy ripple thickening a few degrees.

But when his gaze swept over the Zha'aobo standing beside him, who looked exactly like Goulu Zhaobo, his fury dimmed a few more degrees.

He knew in his heart that the other side hadn't lied; all these upheavals, fundamentally, were because Arceus broke the deal, and he had no way to…

Goulu Zhaobo saw his expression relax and immediately added, "However… we can negotiate a new deal, provided you and your people lend me a hand."

Lai Ke fell silent for a moment, his brows knit tightly as he asked, "How can we help?"

Goulu Zhaobo's mouth curled into a sly smile, and he said slowly, "The passage to the Ultimate Abyss has already opened; you bring your people and come back with me. As long as we deal with those who were also taken to that world by Arceus, then this world will be ours—no, it could even belong solely to you."

Lai Ke fell silent again, his brows twisted tightly, his gaze flicking back and forth between Goulu Zhaobo and the Zha'aobo beside him.

The terms this guy offered were even more tempting than the previous agreement—he's actually willing to hand over The Whole World to him, a windfall straight from the heavens.

After a long silence, Lai Ke finally spoke, his tone still calm, with a hint of wariness: "And you? What benefit do you get?"

Goulu Zhaobo pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose, a grim smile curling his mouth: "Since I know there are so many worlds, why should I fixate on just this one?"

"Moreover, I already have a world that belongs solely under my rule; over the years I've nearly pinpointed its coordinates."

Seeing his demeanor, Lai Ke's doubts faded by more than half; just as he was about to agree, a hurried voice rang out from afar: "Don't agree to him!"

As the words faded, three streaks of light sliced through the darkness, moving so fast only afterimages remained; in the blink of an eye they landed before everyone—riding the Space-Time Trio were Huo La, Paipa, and Bilan.

Goulu Zhaobo, unsurprised, simply looked up at Huo La perched on Palkia's back and said evenly, "Huo La?"

"Zha'aobo!" Huo La's voice carried a weight, his stare fixed on him.

Goulu Zhaobo gave a slight nod, surveyed him from head to toe, and smiled, "This is still our first meeting, right? You're much younger than I imagined."

"Hehe, but this is actually my second meeting with it." Huo La extended a hand, pointing at the Nekrozma beside them, his eyes full of caution.

"Who are you?" Lai Ke suddenly asked, his tone icy, his gaze locked tightly on Huo La and the other two.

He could clearly sense that the aura radiating from the three Pokemon before him was extremely strong; to wield Pokemon of this level, the individual's power standing before him was certainly not to be taken lightly.

Huo La no longer paid attention to Goulu Zhaobo, lightly leapt down from Palkia's back, turned to Lai Ke, and said earnestly, "Hello, I am the person that Zha'aobo referred to as 'the world he came from,' and I am also the one chosen by Arceus to save the world."

"Arceus…" Lai Ke heard those four words, his brows furrowing even tighter, his tone full of impatience and disgust, "Arceus again…"

Huo La, seeing Lai Ke's resistant expression, also furrowed his brows.

He had only overheard from a distance the two discussing "world" and "deal," without catching the specifics, so he felt compelled to speak up and intervene.

"This…" Huo La began to ask the other's name, but was cut off by Lai Ke.

"Lai Ke!" Lai Ke's tone was cold, directly stating his name, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny, waiting for Huo La to continue.

"Mr. Lai Ke," Huo La softened his tone, speaking earnestly, "Zha'aobo's offer looks good, but I also wish to make a deal with you."

"You? Want to make a deal with me too?" Lai Ke glanced at the Goulu Zhaobo beside him, then at Huo La, his tone tinged with amusement, "Tell me, what's your condition?"

The Goulu Zhaobo standing nearby still kept his previous stance, his face expressionless, but a flash of cold light passed through his eyes, revealing his displeasure at that moment.

Huo La ignored Goulu Zhaobo's expression, looking straight at Lai Ke, and said, "His offer, though tempting, is also terrifying enough. He can, to win you over, disregard even the people of my world, and later, for his own benefit, abandon you without hesitation."

Lai Ke fell silent, saying nothing.

He knew in his heart that Huo La was speaking the truth; there is no such thing as a free lunch, and Goulu Zhaobo's overly generous terms instead hinted at unease.

Seeing Lai Ke's expression relax, Huo La raised his voice: "My condition is simple—I can solve all the problems the ultimate megacity faces, restoring this place to how it was before; you won't have to leave your hometown, just continue to guard this land."

His emphasis was on those four words: "leave your hometown."

And Lai Ke, as he expected, clearly showed a few more sparks of interest in his eyes, yet he never let his emotions show; he maintained his indifferent demeanor, his tone softer than before, "Tell me your method?"

Upon hearing Lai Ke's question, Huo La realized the situation had turned, and without further preamble said, "The light of the ultimate megacity has vanished, and the root cause lies in the Nekrozma."

He pointed a hand toward the quietly standing Nekrozma beside them: "Since the problem stems from it, to resolve this trouble, naturally it must be dealt with the Nekrozma!"