After being fed to top-tier orcs, I became the darling of the entire intergalactic world.

Chapter 300 Negotiations Involving Mutual Pulling and Testing

As soon as Elius entered Nick's office, he smelled nicotine, a smell that couldn't be dissipated quickly even with the ventilation system.

It seems that Nick isn't entirely confident about this collaboration either.

Otherwise, why would he smoke a cigar and relax during such an important moment as meeting Elius?

"Chief Elie, please have a seat."

Upon seeing Elius, Nick immediately got into character.

He dismissed Cher and the others, leaving only himself and Elius in the office.

"I wonder if Chief Ellie has been satisfied with the hospitality these past few days?"

Elius sat gracefully and calmly on the single sofa opposite him, took the cigar Nick offered, but did not light it, merely playing with it between his fingers.

"Okay."

To some extent, Nick did give him and Liang He the greatest possible freedom.

The occasional requests made by Asha and the others would be met to the best of their ability, clearly at Nick's behest.

"Haha, if there's anything your subordinates haven't done well enough, Chief Eli, please don't hesitate to speak up."

It is essential to build rapport before formally entering into negotiations.

However, Elius was in a hurry to go back to find Liang He and did not intend to waste time on such unnecessary matters.

"Commander Nick, you can speak frankly."

Sensing that Elius was eager to return home, Commander Nick, while marveling at Liang He's charm, began to get down to business.

“Alright, Chief Eli is straightforward, then I won’t beat around the bush either.”

After holding back for so many days, Commander Nick was indeed getting restless.

His worries reached their peak when he learned that another force was guarding the Tianyao Star Nature Reserve.

"I am acting on the orders of the leader, hoping to reach a cooperation agreement with you, Leader Eli."

The rebels are growing stronger, but the Federation is not to be outdone. If they really want to fight to the death, the best outcome will be mutual destruction.

Now that Drowell is determined to keep Liang He here, it means declaring war on the Federation. Without some help, Nick is really not sure what to do.

"I suppose you don't want Liang He to go back either?"

Nick tentatively observed Elius's reaction.

According to Rick, this was the reason he used to persuade Elius to successfully bring Liang He back to headquarters.

“I heard… Cedril has successfully passed through the evolutionary stage.”

Even if the Federation intended to conceal the information, it wouldn't be difficult for the rebels to find out, given their intelligence network.

Upon learning of Cedril's news, Elius instinctively curled his fingers, clearly indicating his concerns.

"Even so, do you think I would let her be a hostage here?"

Elius admits that Liang He is his weakness, but that doesn't mean he will arbitrarily make all the decisions.

He knew very well that Liang He didn't need anyone to make decisions for her; what she needed was absolute respect.

"Chief Ellie has misunderstood. How could Ms. Liang He be a hostage?"

Even if it were true, Nick wouldn't be foolish enough to admit it.

Once he and Elius reach an agreement and confirm that Liang He has truly submitted to the rebels, she will naturally be able to gain a greater degree of freedom.

Even the position of Dark Wizard might very well belong to her in the future.

"The leader sincerely invites Ms. Liang He to join us and genuinely hopes to achieve cooperation with you."

"Cooperation is not out of the question."

Elius tossed his cigar onto the table, lazily crossed his legs, and leaned back in his chair, looking more like the master of the place than Nick.

"However, I have to get something out of it."

Space pirates are skilled at robbing and pillaging; it's unrealistic to expect them to engage in unprofitable ventures. Nick was well aware of this.

He remembered that Elius had once cooperated with Valken, when Valken offered Elius a bounty of one hundred ferocious beasts to abduct Liang He.

"If Chief Ellie is willing to cooperate, we can provide you with one hundred ferocious beasts every month, how about it?"

Nick offered a hundred ferocious beasts every month, which would have been considered quite sincere in the past.

But now, Elius might not be so interested.

"Commander Nick, do you think I'm easy to fool? The Federation Army already knows the weaknesses of the ferocious beasts and is researching an antidote to cure their virus. By then, your ferocious beast will probably be useless."

Elius did not believe Nick was unaware of this information.

Knowing full well what he was doing, why would he propose such a flashy but impractical condition? Do you really think he's so easy to fool?

"Chief Elie, don't be in a hurry. You must have seen our latest Class A ferocious beast."

Nick, whose little scheme was exposed, wasn't angry. No one would reveal all their cards right away; there's always a need for some back and forth.

Bargaining is the normal negotiation process.

"In addition to one hundred ferocious beasts per month, how about we give you three extra Grade A ferocious beasts as a bonus?"

It's impossible to send a Class A ferocious beast every month, and the Black Wizard wouldn't agree to it either.

Moreover, the conditions for creating a Class A ferocious beast are much more demanding than those for an ordinary ferocious beast. The only ones currently in the rebel headquarters' arsenal have already appeared in the boxing ring.

"I have already given the best Grade A ferocious beasts to Ms. Liang He, which is enough to show my sincerity."

Nick has essentially been blacklisted by the Dark Wizard because of the Dark Wolf King incident.

If Liang He was his first target to eliminate, then Nick was his second.

"Heh, that's because Liang He is so charming that the Dark Night Wolf King took the initiative to acknowledge her as his master. It has nothing to do with you."

Elius wasn't buying it.

It's clearly his little darling who's amazing, when did it become Nick's achievement?

"Yes, yes, Chief Eli is right."

Regarding this point, Nick did have to admit that if Liang He hadn't been able to get the Dark Night Wolf King to recognize him as its master, all the opportunities he created would have been in vain.

However, his decision at the time was also somewhat of a test.

After all, the rumors outside made Liang He's abilities sound miraculous, which was far less impressive than seeing it with one's own eyes.

If the Dark Night Wolf King, which has already become a Class A ferocious beast, could recognize her as its master, the leader would likely value Liang He even more, thus increasing Liang He's chances in the fight against the Black Wizard.

"How about this, excluding the Dark Night Wolf King, I'll give you five more Class A ferocious beasts?"

There were only about ten in total, and Nick was already going all out by giving away half of them.

But the dark wizard is still around, and if there's one, there will be two; there will definitely be no shortage of Class A ferocious beasts in the future.

Unless, Nick is already prepared to discard them after they've served their purpose.

"I want three hundred ordinary ferocious beasts, and in addition, I'll give you two more Class A ferocious beasts every month."

Ordinary ferocious beasts are worthless now, and Nick is still being stingy. There's no way Elius would agree to that.

As for the Class A ferocious beasts, Elius estimated that giving them two extra each month wouldn't be too difficult.

"This... I'm afraid it's a bit difficult. I need to apply to the leader."

Just as Elius had thought, the conditions he proposed were exactly within the range of excess but still within his means.

Nick could tell that he wouldn't back down any further, so he could only pause the conversation and wait for the leader to make a decision.

"Suit yourself, I'm not in a hurry."

Elius wasn't the one seeking cooperation, so whether this deal succeeded or failed wouldn't affect him much.

"Then please, Chief Eli, wait a little longer and await good news."

Babies, the new book being prepared is in the works. What do you all think of the name Li Zhi? Li sounds impressive, gardenia represents joy, waiting, and eternal love, and Li Zhi sounds like lychee, which is sweet and cute~ I think it's great, what do you all think?