[Well? Have you thought it through? As long as you lead Huo Gu here, you can go back.]
An unknown amount of time had passed since their last negotiation when the Lord of the Abyss of Fear contacted Perpetuity and the others again, repeating the previous topic.
"Don't even think about it! We will never agree!"
The Collectors' response remained unchanged. Betray the Supreme Will of their race? Not a chance! They existed for the Will! They existed for the race! How could they sell out the Supreme Will to the Spirit Sovereigns simply because of their own anger? That would be more painful than death!
[You are far too stubborn. Huo Gu is now nothing more than a discarded product of your Amoeba race, something you no longer need...]
The Lord of the Abyss of Fear seemed somewhat angered. The obscure, incomprehensible words transmitted from the other side carried a faint trace of emotion. Perhaps, in its eyes, the Collectors' conduct was utterly unreasonable.
Amoebas that had completely cast off the Supreme Will no longer had any connection to Huo Gu. Why cherish something with which they had no connection?
No new words came through the misty expanse for a long while, as though the Spirit Sovereigns had given up because of the Collectors' unreasonable obstinacy.
Just as Perpetuity and the others believed this exchange had ended, words came again from the endless other side.
[Very well, we will alter the terms of the transaction.]
[You may leave, but you must destroy a group of your own kind that no longer follows your highest-level directives.]
As though it had yielded, the Lord of the Abyss of Fear proposed another transaction. The stakes remained the same—Perpetuity and the others would be released from the Spirit Realm—but the price had changed