Steel torrents pioneering a different world.

Chapter 260 Green-skinned Meat is Delicious! A Reasonable Delivery?! Dwarves Seeking Peace? (Bonus Chapter)

Bonus chapter today! Please vote at the end of the month!

In a simply decorated room in Shanghai, Lin Li lay leisurely.

But from his high-dimensional perspective, the entire alien world, the area around its spacetime rift, and the floor of the spacetime gate base are all like an unfolded scroll, with every detail clearly visible.

He saw the movements of the frontline pioneering teams, the analysis reports from the rear research base, and even Li Weiguo's happy mood in his office, all from a high-dimensional perspective.

"Finally, we're analyzing and exploring based on the clues I left behind! It's alright, being cautious never hurts. The lives of soldiers aren't like our own, where we can have countless lives."

Lin Li nodded in satisfaction, his gaze just sweeping over the scene playing on the big screen at the Time Gate Base: Doraemon picking up Orc Beast flesh.

and many more.

He suddenly sensed something was wrong.

"When will that cat also bring back flesh and blood?"

-

Lin Li instantly withdrew from his high-dimensional perspective, his consciousness returning to his body. He sat up abruptly, his gaze precisely fixed on the corner.

The Laplace demon, disguised as a tabby cat, was seen with its head down, its two paws gripping a piece of dark green flesh, tearing at it with great relish.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed the flesh and blood of a green-skinned orc!

Lin Li's eyelids twitched.

This cat previously transformed into Doraemon and followed me to deal with the space-time rift. While verbally demanding benefits and offering to help, it actually engaged in such petty theft behind my back.

Lin Li gasped, startled. "Laplace's Demon! When did you steal that green flesh? Are you crazy? Destroy it right now! Don't you know how dangerous that thing is?!"

The spores of that thing can reproduce indefinitely in this warm world!

Meow~

The tabby cat raised its head, licked the bits of meat from its mouth, and a lazy thought entered Lin Li's mind: "This is a local specialty I picked up, what's the big deal! Make a fuss, it's delicious."

Lin Li could communicate with it using his mind without any problems, but he still habitually spoke with his mouth.

"Delicious my foot! This stuff will turn the whole planet green!"

"Meow~ Meow meow~~"

The cat's meow was accompanied by a clearer thought, which even thoughtfully included a solution.

Lin Li was stunned: "You mean that after being purified and transferred through the space-time portal, some of the complete genes adapted to the other universe were erased long ago? Not only is it not dangerous, but it's also—delicious?"

Meow~

As if to prove its point, Laplace's demon opened its mouth and spat out a piece of orc leg meat the size of a washbasin, which fell to the ground with a "thud".

Lin Li's eye twitched violently.

Isn't this the leg I casually chopped off back then? So this greedy cat has been stealing quite a few things from me!

"Meow~ Meow~"

"Can it really be handled this way? No problem?"

Meow~

Laplace's mind was filled with disdain, followed by a 100% guarantee, and even an additional clause: if there are any problems after eating it, or if it doesn't taste good, the time-space source material service fee previously collected will be refunded double.

Upon hearing this, Lin Li's doubts immediately dissipated by half.

Without further hesitation, he grabbed the piece of meat and used a civilian barbecue flamethrower to fiercely roast the huge leg meat.

"Zi La Yi"

The green flesh and blood quickly charred and carbonized under the high temperature. The meat, which had previously had a strange smell, now emitted a peculiar charred aroma mixed with a bizarre, sweet and fishy smell.

After thoroughly searing the surface and cleaning it, Lin Licai threw it into a large pot, added water and some simple seasonings, and simmered it over low heat.

Simple ingredients often require the most basic cooking methods!

Half an hour later, an indescribable, overpowering aroma wafted from the pot, instantly filling the entire room.

"How can this stuff smell so good?"

Lin Li leaned closer to the pot, took a deep breath, and his mouth watered involuntarily.

It was an extremely primal and pure meaty aroma, as if it could directly evoke the primal craving for protein and energy hidden deep within human genes.

"The time portal actually has this effect after the fire is extinguished?" Lin Li's Adam's apple bobbed, and he was already quite impatient.

He turned to the tabby cat beside him, which was also wagging its tail greedily: "By the way, Laplace's demon, now that these things are no longer dangerous, can we start large-scale breeding? Once the spacetime rift in the other world closes, those green-skinned creatures will lose their psionic energy support and become walking meat mushrooms, won't they?"

As he spoke, he eagerly picked up a piece of stewed orc meat that was cooked until tender, blew on it, and stuffed it into his mouth.

The moment he entered the entrance, Lin Li's eyes widened in surprise.

The meat is firm with a mushroom-like sweetness, and its chewiness is even better than that of top-grade beef.

Even more incredibly, as you chew, an extremely faint life energy emerges in your mouth, flows down your esophagus like a warm current into your stomach, and spreads to your limbs and bones!

Looking at those ugly and ferocious green-skinned orcs before, he never would have imagined that these guys would taste so good!

"Meow, meow meow————"

"Is it really that powerful? Ordinary people might get sick from eating it? I'm fine eating it? Then isn't this just canned ant-cow food?" Lin Li asked, puzzled.

"Meow meow meow~"

The thoughts of Laplace's demon arrived just in time.

"Yes, and not only that, there's more than one spacetime rift connecting this other world to that cesspool universe. There are other spacetime rifts too!"

Lin Li froze: "There are other passages?"

"Meow!" The tabby cat leaped onto the edge of the pot and poked at the meat in the pot with its little paw, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Lin Li's lips twitched, but he resigned himself to giving it half.

Looking at the cat, its mouth smeared with oil, he couldn't help but ask, "So what exactly happened in that previous world? What kind of defensive barrier was used to completely block the invasion from that cesspool universe? Was that place really a giant fishing net?"

Meow~

Laplace raised a claw, extended it in front of Lin Li, palm facing up, and beckoned.

The meaning couldn't be clearer—exchanging it for spacetime source matter.

Lin Li's face immediately darkened.

"You're not trying to deceive me, you're openly stealing my spacetime essence!"

He felt a surge of displeasure.

This Laplace's demon is amazing in every way; it's practically a walking encyclopedia of the universe, knowing countless secrets.

But its temperament is just too awful!

With an irresistibly cute cat face, he's actually a greedy and unscrupulous businessman!

I love to eat, I love to drink, and I especially love the essence of spacetime!

After spending only two days with himself, he would wake up and start tempting himself to do things every day, charging exorbitant "consulting fees" and "service fees" in return.

Just like when dealing with the spacetime rift, it could have been a high-dimensional observer, but it insisted on joining in the fun, offering suggestions and solutions, and finally accepted a considerable amount of source matter as payment without any qualms.

Now they're doing this again!

Looking at the cunning cat in front of him, pretending to be ignorant when it actually knew the truth, Lin Li felt his blood pressure slowly rising.

"Never mind, let's just eat rice first!"

The tender, stewed green-skinned orc meat in the pot was quickly devoured by the man and the cat, leaving not even a drop of the rich broth.

Lin Li rubbed his slightly swollen stomach, leaned back on the sofa, and felt the strange energy flowing through his limbs and bones. He had to admit that the taste and effects of this stuff were unexpectedly good.

However, while enjoying ourselves, we must not forget our business.

He looked at the tabby cat lying beside him licking its paws, and his expression turned serious.

"Alright, I have two questions now."

"Firstly, since you're so fond of spacetime essence, and I need those things too, then—how exactly do we obtain them reliably? Laplace's demon, you don't want to run out of supplies later, do you?"

These words directly hit the other party's weak spot.

The tabby cat paused in its paw-licking motion, its contented face instantly falling, its azure eyes filled with grievance: "Meow~"

It reluctantly opened its mouth, making a gagging sound from its throat. A faint light flashed, and several Rubik's Cube-like objects clattered and fell onto the coffee table.

These cubes are completely black, yet they do not reflect light, as if they can absorb all the surrounding light. There are also imperceptible, slowly flowing patterns on their surfaces, like miniature universes trapped inside.

The thoughts of Laplace's demon entered Lin Li's mind, carrying a hint of heartache and reluctance.

Lin Li looked at the Rubik's Cubes, and combined with the extra information in his mind, his eyes lit up, and he suddenly realized.

Time-Space Rubik's Cube!

This is the name of the small container; it's an anchor point used by some advanced civilizations to stabilize spacetime and collect dissipated energy. Deploying it at a spacetime spillover point allows it to automatically absorb energy.

Electrical energy, radiant energy, and the like can all be converted into source matter!

However, the conversion rate is rather disappointing.

Although it is highly technical, its functions are not complicated.

To put it simply, it's a high-end, cosmic-level power bank.

His mind immediately started racing. He had just acquired his third portal, and the pioneering team was now expanding rapidly.

A broad road to obtaining free spacetime resources seems to be unfolding before our eyes!

He nodded in satisfaction, carefully put away the Rubik's Cubes, and then changed the subject: "Second question, are there any spacetime rifts near the human pioneer team's base that could threaten them? Um—we'll owe you the intelligence fee for now. You know, I'm just starting out and I'm a little short on cash."

"Sha————"

Before the words were even finished, a sharp hiss escaped Laplace's throat, followed by a swipe of its cat-like paw. Without warning, a jet-black crack, no thicker than a hair, ripped open in the air right in front of Lin Li!

The surrounding temperature plummeted, and a cold, deathly aura seeped out, as if connecting to the ultimate nothingness of the universe.

Lin Li could even feel the hairs on his arms standing on end.

He swallowed hard and immediately abandoned his earlier thought of renegeting on the debt.

This cat is not only really daring, but also very strong!

The black crack flashed and disappeared in an instant, and Laplace's demon returned to its lazy demeanor, continuing to transmit its message through meows: "Meow~ Meow meow————"

As he spoke, Lin Li's expression gradually became serious, and finally his brows furrowed tightly.

"The recent spacetime rift—some crazy dwarf actually wants to open it again?!"

"Meow----"

He rubbed his temples, feeling a sudden headache coming on.

The Ork in the cesspool universe are a simple-minded race that finds joy in fighting and loves to fight the more joyful they are.

If I let the dwarves from another world, who knows what kind of trouble they'll cause if they keep opening up other spacetime rifts.

His gaze returned to the Rubik's Cube box in his hand, then he glanced at the tabby cat with its paws tucked in beside him, and an idea gradually took shape in his mind.

"Laplace's Demon, let me ask you something. If I—do this—do this—and then, could you harvest from here without alerting anyone?"

The cat tilted its head and said crisply, "Meow~"

Lin Li smiled, his eyes gleaming with the light of a well-thought-out plan.

"The first time portal has already become a large passageway, the second is for oil, so we should come up with a good idea for the third one too! But—we need to find the right opportunity!"

Having confirmed the powerful function of Laplace's Demon—which can become an "omnipotent tool" as long as it has source matter—Lin Li was full of confidence for the future, and several ingenious ways to earn spacetime source matter had already popped into his mind.

"By the way, Laplace's Demon, could you find the weakness of that forbidden zone over there, so I can descend into the inner space of that ancient civilization's forbidden zone and scavenge some trash?"

"Meow~ Meow———— Meow meow meow————"

Lin Li's face, which had been relatively normal, suddenly turned black!

"Bah! You swindler! I'd rather starve or work myself to death than give you that much spacetime essence!"

Meanwhile, in a room of the neighboring residential building.

"There hasn't been much activity lately, why is the boss making me keep an eye on him so frequently?" Zhong Mengyao stared at the steady signal light on the passive life detector, yawned, and lazily leaned back in her gaming chair.

"This is so frustrating! Could it be because of that sloppy script he submitted a few days ago that upset President Li?"

She grabbed a handful of Doritos and stuffed them into her mouth with a "crunch crunch" sound, her round face full of confusion.

Forget it, if I can't figure it out, I won't think about it anymore. If the sky falls, the leaders will hold it up.

She switched to the surveillance footage and looked at the figure talking to a cat in the room, and became even more confused.

In another world, at the Ice River Base, after crossing the Milk River, the biting cold wind, carrying ice shards, stung people's faces.

The armored vehicle's engine emitted a deep, muffled roar. Commander Fu pushed open the car door, and a blast of cold air rushed in, causing his bloodshot eyes, which were swollen from staying up all night, to squint slightly.

Lately, even the strongest man can't withstand being stretched to the limit by working so hard. Commander Fu hasn't had a good night's sleep.

After the shock brought by the fighting-addicted green-skinned orcs and Space Marines in the Shithole Universe subsided, the deployment at the Ice River Base was still underway.

The magical fluctuations in the deep sea are unusual, and there are also spacetime rifts. The exploration team has begun searching for them.

However, the magical fluctuations caused by the spacetime rift have largely dissipated, making it very difficult to find.

I was just looking forward to a good night's sleep when news came from the front lines that the dwarven envoys had offered to negotiate with us.

He had to come in person to meet this group of hostile dwarves.

He rubbed his face vigorously, trying to clear his head, and looked at the seven or eight dwarfs not far ahead.

They wore heavy runic armor, rode burly, goat-like Gru beasts, their beards were braided into intricate plaits that hung down their chests, and they had arrogant and irritating expressions.

Those arrogant dwarves deserve a beating, don't they?

Commander Fu suppressed his displeasure, put on a smile, and strode over.

The guards behind him maintained a wary distance.

"Dwarven envoy, we meet again. I come on behalf of humanity." Commander Fu's voice was slightly muffled by the wind, but remained steady. "We have always longed for peace. Tell us your conditions."

Bellegas scrutinized Commander Fu with his deep-set eyes, then nodded, his voice like a millstone rolling: "Humans, according to the rules of the Forsaken Continent, when you step into our territory, you should first fight, using magical weapons and hammers to determine the boundaries. But now—it's not the time."

He paused, then looked up at the gray sky.

"The three-tailed comet has appeared, a potential catastrophe! Until we defeat the enemy beyond the heavens, we dwarves are willing to temporarily cease hostilities, using the Milk River as the boundary. We will voluntarily withdraw our troops thirty leagues!"

"An apocalyptic crisis?" Commander Fu's heart sank.

This term sounds much more frightening than the "Great Confluence of the Celestial Bodies" that the dwarves used before.

He calmly pressed on, "What do you mean? Why do you call it a world-ending crisis?"

"The three-tailed comet is an unprecedented phenomenon in ten thousand years. After its arrival, the spacetime of the Sacred Star became unstable, with various spacetime rifts appearing one after another." Bellegas's tone left no room for argument. "You've already engaged in battle with an enemy that has converged with a point in the sky within your controlled territory. Isn't that enough to explain the situation?"

Commander Fu instantly recalled the information Attila had shared with the elven captives—that countless celestial convergences had occurred in this world, and that countless races had arrived there.

[A sacred stage awaits you! Come and join us!]

Thinking of this rhyme, he looked at the group of dwarves in front of him who were so determined to make peace, and a sense of unease crept into his mind.

What exactly are these guys up to?

Is the plan to seek peace first, and then create trouble later?

Or is it a genuine demand for peace?

"We can do as you say!" Brigade Commander Fu began slowly, then changed the subject, "But verbal promises aren't enough. How can we ensure you'll keep your word? How about we sign a peace treaty, as is the agreement among humankind!"

Bellegas scoffed, "This is a tradition of the Forsaken Continent, a rule etched into our genes. Cunning humans, stop pretending you don't understand independence. Tell me, do you want peace or not?"

"Of course we want it. But we're not pretending!" Brigade Commander Fu met his gaze, unyielding. "And what we want is lasting peace!"

"Permanent? Hah!" another dwarf couldn't help but laugh. "Where in this world is there ever lasting peace?"

Bellergas laughed when he heard what Lillers said!

"If you don't even dare to think about it, what's the point of talking about it?" Brigade Commander Fu's tone hardened.

Lillers and Bellegas's mocking expressions froze. He glanced at his companion beside him, seemingly weighing his options.

"—Then let's wait until we resolve the issue of the celestial convergence before our two races sit down and have a proper talk."

Brigade Commander Fu immediately followed up: "Since we share a common survival crisis, could we start some cooperation? For example, business dealings? We have some supplies that you urgently need, and I'm sure we're also very interested in your ores and handicrafts."

"Nothing but alcohol!" Bellegas refused flatly. "Excuse my bluntness, but humans are dishonest, and we can't trust them. And you can't trust us either!"

"Exchange and communication are key to resolving differences and problems! Our two peoples can send envoys to each other and station them in each other's territories to show our sincerity and work together for peace."

"An envoy?" Bellegas frowned his thick eyebrows, but ultimately shook his head. "This matter must be decided by our council of elders."

Commander Fu stepped forward, his imposing manner undiminished: "We're waiting! We don't want peace to be just a verbal promise! We need the world's leaders to sign a peace agreement!"

"Leaders can't represent everyone. You and I both know that thing is just a piece of paper!" Bellegas waved his hand impatiently. "Peace is peace, and war is war! Humans, put away your hypocrisy. We understand you, and you understand us!"

"We have already conveyed our intention to pursue peace!"

Having said that, he gave Commander Fu no further chance to speak, turned around, and left with his dwarf, riding away on his Gru beast.

In the cold wind, only the heavy sound of hooves and the swirling snow remained.

Commander Fu stood there, watching the dwarf envoys depart, his tired face appearing particularly solemn in the wind and snow.

Is this such an impatient desire for peace?

He sneered inwardly.

A group of people ran over saying they wanted peace, yet they acted so arrogantly! What these shorty-like people were up to is probably stronger than the wine they brewed.

"Brigade Commander—" The guard stepped forward.

Commander Fu raised his hand, his gaze still fixed on the direction where the dwarf had disappeared, a cold, sharp glint flashing beside the bloodshot eyes.

"Send the message to the rear and give those people in the General Staff a headache."

A few hours later ————

"Report! Our drones have detected the dwarves leading several hundred dwarf soldiers who had previously arrived in large numbers retreating!"

Hearing this, Brigade Commander Fu was puzzled.

Half a day later, night fell, and the mountains were more than 100 kilometers away from the border of the Ruhe River.

Night was about to fall, and the cold wind, carrying snowflakes, swept across the mountain ridge with a mournful sound.

Bellegas reined in the panting Grumon beneath him and pointed to the dark cave ahead. "Liers, let's rest at this supply point tonight."

Liers dismounted, stretched his stiff legs, and nodded: "Hmm."

The hundreds of dwarves scattered behind them also began to enter this huge dwarf cave complex!

This is a supply point, and also a safe spot, built by the dwarves in the mountains.

If the battle goes against us, or if we encounter any danger, we can hide here and block the enemy.

The densely packed caves, more than a meter high, were their safe haven.

The dwarves breathed a sigh of relief upon confirming that the nearby dwarven traps had not been activated!

Having dealt with the traps outside the cave, the servants busied themselves with starting a fire and preparing food.

The dwarf Lillus sat down against the cold stone wall, took out his pipe, stuffed it with tobacco, and lit it with a flint.

The crimson sparks flickered in the dim light.

He took a deep drag, and the smoke rings he exhaled were quickly dispersed by the cold air.

"The iron birds that humans used to monitor us are gone! Bellegas, do you think those humans are now willing to make peace?"

Bellegas, who was wiping the axe blade on his three-eyed fire-wielding weapon with a dry cloth, didn't even look up when he heard this. His deep voice echoed in the cave: "Would you like to?"

"Heh heh, let's see if they can handle so many invaders from the converging skies."

"The celestial convergence phenomenon in the Long-Eared Forest is too large, and the spacetime rift north of the Milk River is even more dangerous! Hehe—for a long time to come, they'll be dealing with these otherworldly monsters!"

After saying this, Bellegas asked him for a cigarette: "The more lively the fight between humans and those monstrous things that crawl out of the cracks, the better. It would be best if they all died together, which would save our men's energy."

Liers chuckled, then gave the other man some tobacco, while he tapped his pipe on a stone and poured out some ash.

"Damn it, this is so frustrating. I thought that in a few more days we would be able to taste human blood."

Their original plan was not to play some kind of fa-house game of peace treaties with humans.

After confirming the withdrawal of human troops from the south, the order from the Council of Elders of the High Mountain Kingdom was clear—to assemble a large army and launch a devastating attack on the human forces that dared to invade from the north!

Drive them out of the mountains completely, and let the heads of any human who dares to invade become decorations on the dwarf king's goblets!

But who could have imagined that that damned three-tailed comet would streak across the night sky at that very moment?

Then, the spacetime rift caused by the celestial convergence phenomenon appeared —

In the past two days, new small cracks have appeared all over the Dwarf Kingdom.

Those damned little monsters are more annoying than rats in burrows! Some have sneaked into the granary and destroyed our mushrooms and grains! Some have gone to the mines to breed, and some have even tried to break the seal on our forbidden land!

If their supplies are cut off by these little bastards...

At this point, let alone mobilizing a large army to fight humans, they themselves might starve to death in this godforsaken place!

The dwarf understands the principle of "pacifying the internal before resisting external aggression" better than anyone else.

If they can't solve the problems within their own borders, then they're just sleeping on a powder keg that could be ignited at any moment!

That would be very dangerous.

"A three-tailed comet, this is an unusual phenomenon that the sacred star has not seen for ten thousand years—" Liers murmured to himself, his tone carrying a hint of bewilderment that even a dwarf could not hide.

The appearance of such a terrifying comet is never a good thing.

When the sacred star aligns with the celestial sphere, the most common comet is a single-tailed comet, while the most powerful is a double-tailed comet.

However, the Three-Tails is something they have encountered very rarely throughout history!

When a double-tailed comet typically arrives, the seals left by the gods are completely ineffective in suppressing all the spatial rifts. When strange and wondrous beings from other worlds appear, it often leads to the fall of dynasties, the destruction of civilizations, and rivers of blood.

Bellegas finally stopped what he was doing and rested his gleaming weapon against his side. "Liers, don't overthink it. Our current task is to patrol diligently and deal with those strange creatures that have infiltrated our territory once we're back in the country!"

He scratched his beard in frustration, recalling the stern-faced human commander from earlier that day, and couldn't help but chuckle: "Speaking of which, that human was quite interesting. Permanent peace? Why didn't he just say the sun rises in the west?"

Liers let out a low, sneer: "Permanent? Ha, my race has lived long enough that we've never seen anything that's permanent."

Bellegas laughed and said, "We told him about the impending world-ending crisis, and he believed us. We said we'd cease hostilities, and he believed us too. They really know how to play along with our act!"

Liers chimed in, "But they want to exchange envoys with us and engage in trade? By the way, their wine tastes quite good!"

"Once we get back and clean our house, we'll launch a full-scale attack and capture all their brewers to be their wine slaves!"

Bellegas picked up the water sac and took a swig; the cold ale slid down his throat.

"As for the so-called peace agreement? It's nothing but an invisible piece of waste paper. When even the gods no longer answer prayers, who cares about any bullshit vows?"

He stared at the pitch-black night outside the cave, his eyes cold.

"They really can't even act!"

"Who cares about them! Once we've resolved our internal problems, we'll definitely offer their skulls as a sacrifice to our ancestors!"

"Gagaga————"

"Come, to our ancestors, to the war, to the hammer! Cheers!!!!!"

"Cheers!!!"

Before the dwarves' cacophony of laughter had faded from the cave, Belegas's mount, the massive and incredibly clever Gru, suddenly pawed at its hooves uneasily, snorting hot breath from its nostrils.

The vigilance honed by years of warfare caused Bellegas to instantly suppress his smile. He abruptly turned his head, his hawk-like gaze shooting into the bottomless darkness of the cave.

There seemed to be a faint, sweet, fishy smell in the air.

"Wait a minute—something's not right!"

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