Transaction

Chapter 40: The Deal

"Because I hate them, I want them to die."

Tal's expression grew colder, his voice more frenzied.

Qin Xia watched Tal calmly, saying nothing.

"And because I hate them, I was thrilled when I saw my brother in immense pain after all his sons were killed, and how he hated me for forbidding him to retaliate."

"Then, because of my brother's hateful gaze, I ordered him to marry a slave, and to have him and his sons' wives marry a slave."

As he said this, Tal suddenly burst into laughter, slapping the table as he did.

The surrounding slaves joined in the laughter.

Qin Xia remained expressionless, thinking this guy was a lunatic.

"Sorry, I lost my composure." Tal suddenly froze, then waved his hand with a smile, returning to his normal dining demeanor.

Qin Xia had lost his appetite. After a moment's thought, he tentatively asked, "What are those sculptures on the way to the arena?"

"Sculptures?" Tal raised an eyebrow. "Those aren't sculptures, they're Combat Automatons."

"How much stronger are they than the Security Mechs?" Qin Xia asked again.

"So much stronger that the Security Mechs are at a disadvantage in terms of numbers against them," Tal said frankly. "But that thing is rare, so you don't have to worry about running into it."

Qin Xia frowned slightly, unsure if Tal's words were unguarded honesty or half-truths.

Tal continued, "I want to ask you to do something for me, to help me eliminate a family. If you agree and go through with it, you don't have to worry about encountering that thing in that minor noble family."

"If I agree? Does that mean I can refuse?" Qin Xia asked.

"Of course, I don't hate you, so you don't have to worry about dying if you refuse, but I believe you won't refuse," Tal said, holding up a finger. "Name your price, any price, including your freedom and citizenship, and I'll grant it now."

"Then I agree. However, my condition is to grant freedom and citizenship to all gladiators," Qin Xia said.

"I don't like gladiatorial combat, but people need it," Tal said, shaking his head slightly. "Nobles have ten thousand other forms of entertainment to replace gladiatorial combat, but slaves and commoners' only entertainment is to gather in the trash heaps and watch gladiatorial combat on television. So, I cannot cancel gladiatorial combat, let alone let everyone who participates in it go."

Qin Xia didn't hesitate. "Then forget it. My request is changed to: I need a medicine that can regenerate severed limbs, and all gladiators will no longer have fasting days starting today. Additionally, they can receive medicinal supplies every week."

"That's three requests, although they are all very small," Tal said, shaking his head at first, then suddenly nodding. "I'll grant you one first. Choose one for me to fulfill now, and the remaining two will be fulfilled after you do what I ask."

Qin Xia nodded. "Have someone deliver the limb-regenerating medicine to the cave."

"You want to regenerate the severed arm of that kid?" Tal instantly guessed Qin Xia's intention. "Why not give him a prosthetic? It'll be better than the original, and definitely not substandard."

After thinking about it, Qin Xia nodded again.

Yochura needed an arm, but he also needed to become stronger. A prosthetic arm was a good choice.

"All the requests you've made are for your gladiator friends," Tal said, looking slightly puzzled. "Why don't you ask for anything for yourself?"

Qin Xia didn't respond immediately.

He was thinking that Tal would never give him what he wanted, so he had to fight for it himself.

And no matter who the noble to be killed was, or where they were, Qin Xia believed that the noble had what he wanted, and that he would get what he wanted as long as he left the arena.

"I only have one desire," Qin Xia said. "The survival of my gladiator friends, guaranteed survival."

Tal tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and pondered for a moment, then finally smiled and raised his cup. "Pleasant cooperation!"

Late at night.

In an oasis on the red sands of Nuceria.

Qin Xia stood in the woods, looking at the luxurious manor ahead.

The Maggot Eye descended from the sky. However, this Maggot Eye was different from the one in the Nuceria arena. It was also a sphere, but larger.

After arriving, the Maggot Eye immediately transmitted some equipment to Qin Xia.

Qin Xia crouched down to inspect it. He found that this small package contained a sci-fi-looking sword, an energy pistol without a magazine, and some explosives.

"Apologies, sir, I cannot provide further support as this is a secret operation. Although you may have already realized that this operation isn't that secret, I still have to follow orders," came the operator's voice from the Maggot Eye. "However, the Sovereign of the House of Tal stated that he does not wish for you to die during this collaboration. Therefore, if you feel overwhelmed or trapped, please fire the signal flare in your backpack."

Qin Xia remained silent, not picking up the weapons. He simply slung the backpack over his shoulder and walked towards the manor.

"After you fire the signal flare, a flying vehicle will pick you up at the manor. However, if that happens, this operation cannot be disguised as a rampaging sorcerer prisoner in the manor who went berserk and killed everyone."

"If you kill them normally and then fire the signal flare upon exiting, the clan leader's guards will come to pick you up in a flying vehicle."

The Maggot Eye followed behind Qin Xia, chattering incessantly.

After walking a short distance, Qin Xia stopped.

The Maggot Eye also stopped immediately.

Qin Xia turned back to the Maggot Eye and beckoned with his finger.

The operator of the military Maggot Eye immediately controlled the drone to move forward and approach Qin Xia's mouth.

"Get lost," Qin Xia said.

"Understood." The military Maggot Eye immediately turned invisible and ascended.

Qin Xia turned and looked back at the manor, continuing to walk forward.

As he took a step, his vision suddenly went dark, and what filled his sight was a scene rapidly zooming in and out.

How many guards were in the manor, what were the manor's defensive deployments.

And the other personnel in the manor, such as the slaves. It was night, and the slaves were, as usual, locked in the dungeon beneath the farm, behind the manor's largest building. The manor's various chores had also been taken over by the guards.

All of this was known to Qin Xia.

Qin Xia found that his precognitive abilities had grown stronger.

Feeling quite satisfied, Qin Xia continued to walk forward.

At the manor's entrance, ten armed guards were on duty. Each of them saw a hunched old man approaching the manor.

Qin Xia used his psychic power to influence the vision of those in front of him.

Qin Xia continued forward, picking up stones from the ground as he walked.

"You..."

The first guard began to question, and as the last syllable left his mouth, his head was smashed by a stone.

Qin Xia continued forward, casually throwing stones as he walked, killing all ten guards one after another.

It wasn't that he didn't want to use the weapons in the packages; it was just that those weapons weren't custom-made for his Astartes body. His little finger couldn't even fit into the ring-shaped firing mechanism of the handgun.

As for the sword, by mortal standards, it was a short sword. Qin Xia felt it was better not to use it at all.

The moment the first guard was killed, the alarm directly connected to his heart went off. The piercing alarm sound echoed throughout the manor.

Nearby guards rushed over, some armed with shields and short swords, others with energy rifles.

The former immediately formed a shield wall, while the latter lined up like line infantry, preparing to concentrate fire.

Qin Xia could tell that the Nuceria's military discipline was truly lacking.

In the guards' eyes, Qin Xia was just an old man, so the leader directly asked, "Who hired you, old man?! Do you know who you're killing?"

"I don't care," Qin Xia slowly adopted a stance, his left hand pointing to the sky, his right to the ground, one leg stepping forward. "It doesn't matter which slave owner dies, or who kills which slave owner. As long as they die, it's a good thing. It means one less enemy for me in the future."

A shockwave spread out.

Everything within a sixty-meter radius shattered.