Chapter 256: Deal Struck

A streamlined aircraft flashed through the clouds, leaving a long white trail behind.

Li Ang gazed out the window at the emerald mountains below, momentarily lost in thought.

Outside the Central City, Mobiras Star had very low industrialization, likely due to the unique nature of its native species.

At that moment, a chewing sound came from Li Ang's side.

"Crunch crunch crunch"

It was Lu Ke, the Young Master, gnawing on a pale green fruit. "Papachi never lets me eat such good Clearfruit—could she actually be taken with you?"

"Never mind—if that's the case, I'll plead for you when I see Lady Hedi."

Lady Hedi was the chieftain of the Clearfruit Tree Clan and Papachi's mother—a Level Three Plant Being.

Li Ang ignored Lu Ke's nonsense and picked up a Clearfruit from beside him, taking a bite.

Cold and crisp, sour and sweet—the flavor was excellent.

And

'It seems to soothe the spirit?'

Li Ang stared at the fruit in his hand, momentarily startled.

Such a fruit shouldn't be unknown—but during his time on Mobiras Star, he'd barely heard of it.

'Could it be non-exported?'

As he pondered this, the aircraft had already carried them above an extremely vast lake.

Soon, the aircraft landed steadily on the ground.

As Li Ang and Lu Ke stepped out, Papachi arrived, piloting her water tank.

"You've arrived, Mr. Li."

Hearing this, Li Ang first glanced at the aquatic plants that had just risen from the lake, then asked directly: "What do you need me to do?"

"Please follow me," Papachi gently swayed her vines, leading Li Ang toward the lake. "Shall I prepare a boat for you?"

"No."

In response to Papachi's question, Li Ang walked straight onto the lake surface as if nothing were amiss.

The moment he stepped on the water, the previously silent aquatic plants went wild—dense vines surged toward him.

Seeing this, Li Ang felt a touch of helplessness.

He already had a rough guess about Papachi's—or the Clearfruit Tree Clan's—behavior; it likely involved either the Otsutsuki or the Divine Tree.

Just as Li Ang prepared to use his Rinne Sharingan to push back the vines, Papachi had already entered the lake from her tank.

She slapped her vines against the water's surface, splashing up a spray, appearing furious—whereupon the vines reaching for Li Ang promptly retracted.

After this, Papachi wrapped her vines around Li Ang's feet and swiftly swam toward the lake's center.

Seeing this, the aquatic plants froze for a moment, then visibly flushed red.

She's hoarding the food!

Meanwhile, Lu Ke, watching Li Ang and Papachi vanish, panicked: "Wait for me!"

He shoved a nearby boat into the water and paddled after them with all his might.

On the other side.

As Li Ang drew closer to the lake's center, a massive shadow gradually emerged from the thick mist.

Gazing at the scene before him, he instinctively glanced at Papachi, who twitched intermittently ahead.

He now understood why Lu Ke called her a minor.

But mere mist couldn't obscure his Rinne Sharingan—he had already seen the shadow's true form.

A single aquatic plant over three hundred meters tall—this was only the part above water; beneath lay an immensely complex root system.

As Li Ang studied the giant aquatic plant, heavy with deep green fruits, a soft voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

"You must be Li Ang?"

Li Ang gave a slight nod.

From his observations, Lady Hedi's strength, even among Level Three beings, was exceptional.

Merely from her aura, the chieftain of the Clearfruit Tree Clan was far stronger than he was.

Unless he entered the Six Paths state.

The Six Paths state needed no explanation—he could crush her at will as a Level Four.

Before Li Ang could speak, Lady Hedi continued: "I originally thought Papachi and Lu Ke had been deceived by someone—but now it seems I was mistaken."

"After all, someone of your caliber has no reason to deceive two children."

Hearing this, Lu Ke, who had just rowed here exhausted, opened his mouth wide.

He wasn't stupid—he understood exactly what Lady Hedi meant.

What's going on? How in a month has Li Ang already risen to equal status with his father?

As Lu Ke speculated wildly, Li Ang looked up at the three-hundred-meter-tall giant plant: "Lady Hedi has keen eyesight. What exactly do you need me to do?"

Lady Hedi fell silent for a moment, then spoke: "Papachi says you can create spaces capable of sustaining living beings—is this true?"

"True. How large a space does Lady Hedi require?"

As Li Ang spoke, several Clearfruit Trees, much smaller than Lady Hedi, rose from beneath the water.

The tallest were over thirty meters; the shortest, only ten.

"Can you create spaces of this size?"

After carefully observing the new Clearfruit Trees, Li Ang asked: "The exact size depends on the medium—what material will Lady Hedi use?"

He already had a rough idea of what the Clearfruit Tree Clan intended to trade with him.

After all, plant size on Mobiras Star seems to increase with cultivation level—possibly a racial trait, or perhaps tied to their profession.

Therefore, the higher the energy level of a plant, the more troublesome it is to move, especially for aquatic plants like the Clear-Chilling Tree.

Of course, such a massive disadvantage would certainly be compensated for in other aspects.

However, Li Ang was only here to do business, so he had no intention of investigating such matters.

'Just looking at it this way, my market on Mobilas Star is huge.'

Not long after he asked this question, several thick roots drilled out from beneath the lake surface, and these roots were bound to some items similar to Papachi's water tank.