Trade dealings

Boss Jin had never expected Duolaner to agree so readily. He had planned on a round of haggling before settling on one Emperor, earning himself a favor in the process.

Duolaner's ready agreement made it obvious he had lost out. Yet after examining the Emperor, Boss Jin was certain, based on ten thousand years of trading with the universe's various races, that it was valuable. Duolaner, however, seemed not to care at all.

Could it be...

"Lady Duolaner, I have plenty of other fine goods here. Might you be interested in magic?"

Duolaner nodded with mild interest, leisurely examining the oddly shaped objects in the Takowar attendants' hands.

Boss Jin immediately clapped his hands. Six Takowar soldiers escorted a human male wearing an Azure Star-Patterned Cloak before Duolaner.

A flicker of surprise crossed Duolaner's face, but it vanished in an instant. "What's special about this creature?"

Boss Jin hurriedly explained, "He belongs to the Atari People, one of the few intelligent species in the universe capable of magic. They're scarce, their magical attacks are powerful, and they can cast all sorts of wondrous spells. They're very difficult to capture."

Duolaner smiled disdainfully. "Not much use, and hardly any meat. If you gave him to me, I could keep him as a pet."

Boss Jin immediately laughed. "You must be joking, Lady Duolaner. One of the Atari People is worth more than a Miras Cannon!"

"Then keep him for yourself. Do you have anything else worthwhile, Little Jin? If not, our business ends here. I've seen enough."

Duolaner turned as though she were about to leave immediately. Boss Jin hurriedly said, "Yes, yes! Please don't rush off, Lady Duolaner."

After sizing Duolaner up again, Boss Jin said, "I have something you're sure to find interesting."

Boss Jin waved his hand, dismissing the other attendants along with the Takowar soldiers. He led Duolaner to a concealed room inside his office.

Duolaner silently left behind a specimen of Insect Fungi and two Parasitic Ticks, then waited nonchalantly as Boss Jin produced a heavily rusted metal rod.

"What is this supposed to mean?"

"Patience, Lady Duolaner. This is part of the War God Spear, the strongest weapon in the Vitter Universe. Even though it's only a fragment, its power is considerable."

Duolaner carefully inspected the metal rod, which was about thirty centimeters long. She was quite certain it was nothing more than a rusty metal rod. Although she didn't know what metal it was made of, she could sense no power within it whatsoever.

"Little Jin, you're wasting my time," Duolaner said, slightly annoyed.

"No, no, no, Lady Duolaner. Place your hand on it, and you'll understand what makes the War God Spear so extraordinary."

Dubiously, Duolaner placed a tentacle on the rusty metal rod. Suddenly, she felt an immense power surge into her body, and every cell within her seemed to spring to life.

Duolaner quickly pulled her hand away, only to discover that the spikes on her body had become sharper than before. Her carapace had taken on a metallic quality, and all her physical attributes had multiplied. After a short while, however, she felt the power fade, and her body returned to normal.

Boss Jin smiled. "Well? Interested, Lady Duolaner?"

"Didn't you say the Vitter Universe's War God Spear was only a legend? Besides, aren't you afraid of being exiled for selling me a weapon like this?"

This time, Boss Jin smiled and said, "Our Insect Race friends are worthy of trust."

"Name your price, Little Jin. What do you want in exchange?"

Having learned from his previous experience, Boss Jin decided to demand an exorbitant price. "Twenty Emperors, nonnegotiable!"

"Deal!"

"Um... does your Insect Race never haggle?" Boss Jin wiped the sweat from his forehead. Had I quoted too low again? Or was there something wrong with the Emperors?

Duolaner said reluctantly, "Then I suppose I'll haggle. Throw in that one of the Atari People from earlier. I'll take him home as a pet!"

"No, well... that one of the Atari People alone is worth three Emperors... Lady Duolaner, this is..."

Duolaner ignored him and said, "Doing business with you is wonderfully straightforward, Boss Jin. I hope we'll have another chance to work together!"

She practically snatched the legendary War God Spear from him, then turned and walked out.

She didn't forget to add, "Twenty-two Emperors are already on their way. You can take delivery whenever you like, Boss Jin."

Before boarding Super Six-Eye with the metal rod and one of the Atari People, Duolaner made a point of warning Boss Jin, "Although you're our trading partner, if you have business with us in the future, send a signal from here. I'll come out to meet you. Anyone who recklessly enters our territory will suffer a devastating strike, even a friend."

"Of course. Safe travels, Lady Duolaner. I hope we can establish a lasting partnership!"

Duolaner's knowing smile left Boss Jin feeling a little frantic. He grabbed the adjutant beside him and demanded angrily, "Why do I feel like I lost money on this deal?"

The frog-faced adjutant hurriedly reassured him. "You didn't! I inspected their Bio-Ships. Their specifications surpass those of the Northern Universe's Tars warships in every respect. This deal is definitely profitable!"

Boss Jin calmed down, reconsidered, and immediately burst out laughing. "It seems we've met either someone extravagantly wealthy or a complete idiot when it comes to trade. With this many warships, we've struck it rich!"

The Golden Frog Trade Ship fleet left Second Earth's territory with twenty-two Emperors, thoroughly satisfied. Watching Duolaner return, Zhang Fan laughed. "I never expected a little thing like you to have such a knack for business!"

Duolaner saluted. "Every warship was seeded with countless Insect Fungi. It's a shame Little Jin didn't dare ask for more. I would have given him a hundred ships if he'd asked."

"Hahaha! Excellent, excellent. You even gave Little Jin the impression that we're swimming in wealth. The next time he has something good, he'll definitely come back."

Zhang Fan toyed with the rusty War God Spear for a while before tossing it to Duolaner. "This is your reward. Study it carefully. From now on, I'm entrusting Second Earth's protection to you!"

Every member of the Insect Race possessed Zhang Fan's consciousness, so they naturally knew how important Second Earth was to their Overlord. This was effectively an announcement that Duolaner had become their second leader.

Zhang Fan didn't mind, though. After all, the Insect Race's loyalty was beyond question. It made no difference who helped him manage them.

Zhang Fan studied the one of the Atari People brought before him under guard, who looked almost identical to a human. After having a small insect suck a little of his blood, Zhang Fan asked in the Atari Language, "Seeing you makes me feel a certain kinship. Would you like to be friends with our Insect Race?"

The Atlan Man curiously examined Zhang Fan, whose appearance seemed bizarre to him. "You... you're saying you want to be friends?"

Zhang Fan nodded. "Yes. After all these years wandering the universe, you're the first human I've met."

"Human? Is that what you call us Atari People?"

Before Zhang Fan could answer, the Atari man asked in return, "Didn't you buy me because you wanted our people's magical power?"

Zhang Fan smiled. "I already possess your magical power. I don't need it anymore."

"What? How is that possible?"

"Water, fire, wind, lightning, earth, light, and darkness-the power of the seven great elements. I can already sense their existence. I may just need to experiment more to learn how to use them."

No sooner had Zhang Fan finished speaking than an energy sphere appeared between Noya's five fingers. Delighted, she asked, "Overlord, is this what you mean?"

The Atlan Man nearly fainted. Suddenly, he touched his neck, then glanced at Duolaner's eerie smile and cried out, "Could it have been that insect that bit me earlier?"