Chapter 565: Section 352: Goddess, you can’t throw yourself at someone!
Triangular Love Ship, Captain’s quarters.
Zi Di gave the Dragon-man youth a veiled glare.
How could one negotiate like this?
Where is it heard of to coerce an answer right from the start?
Negotiations, as Zi Di understood them, could be likened to a war. Language, body language were the main weapons of this war, the ultimate aim being to influence others and acquire benefits for oneself.
The most important part of war’s early stages was preparation and intelligence.
Hence, before negotiations, both parties would usually chat about lighter topics, such as the weather.
During this process, Zi Di would probe to confirm the other’s physical condition, emotions, interests and even personal values.
All this could become assets for Zi Di, or even lethal weaknesses on the opponent’s side.
However, after inviting Bu Quan to the Captain’s quarters, the Dragon-man youth asked for an answer upfront.
This was too brash!
It was like two armies clashing, launching a full charge from the getgo, utterly lacking the probing of intelligence, the mid-battle formation shifts, the strategic moves and counter-moves.
“And furthermore, pressuring for an answer directly can cause annoyance due to the overt dominance it communicates. The urgency it reveals can also become an Achilles’ heel,” Zi Di sighed helplessly in her heart as she looked at the Dragon-man youth.
The Dragon-man youth caught Zi Di’s expression, blinked, and realized that he was now dragging Zi Di down.
Not caring for the Dragon-man youth’s feelings, Zi Di immediately addressed Bu Quan, trying her best to rectify the situation, “Miss Bu Quan, there’s no need to answer right away. Regarding the invitation to join our Mercenary Group, it’s not just us, but the Family Head is also quite sincere. Any condition can be discussed!”
Standing aside, Zhongyong heard this and instantly felt a pang of envy.
He too wished for such treatment. Who wouldn’t?
“Sadly, I’m not a talented newcomer like Miss Bu Quan.”
“And your Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps doesn’t have the qualifications to recruit her.”
“No matter how good the conditions, what use are they?”
“Can you offer her endless alchemy knowledge? Can you cultivate her talent and fully harness her potential?”
“You cannot. Only in the right soil can precious and rare flowers bloom.”
Bu Quan regarded Zi Di, nodded slightly, then shook her head, “Let’s not talk about that for now, okay?”
“We should first discuss the thank-you gift.”
“At last night’s dance, I wanted to discuss this important matter with the Long Fu squad leader. But unexpectedly, I had the honor of receiving the squad leader’s invitation, which disrupted my original plans.”
“However, this matter is of great importance to me.”
“Before we resolve this, let’s not discuss anything else, alright?”
“This…” Zi Di’s smile became strained.
She felt a heaviness sinking in her heart.
This was not a good sign!
Bu Quan displayed a manner of settling accounts, this action proving that she was ignoring any influence her “fondness for Long Fu, for the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps” might have.
The Dragon-man youth shook his head and refused, “Miss Bu Quan, you don’t owe me any favors. In fact, I am the one who owes you.”
“The specific reason, I have already mentioned it at last night’s banquet, haven’t I?”
“Of course,” Bu Quan said with a smile, “but that is your reasoning, not sufficient to become a guideline for action.”
“The Saber Gang has been destroyed, and Teng Donglang was killed by you, the squad leader, in front of everyone’s eyes. Most importantly, you turned the tide in this battle using the Magic Scroll I gave you.”
“For me, that is the best revenge.”
“Undoubtedly, you are my benefactor.”
“I must repay you!”
“Repaying you is the premise of everything.”
Bu Quan had long anticipated the attitude of the Dragon-man youth and demonstrated a rare assertiveness,
“This…” the Dragon-man youth was about to refuse.
Zi Di thought to herself, “Squad Leader, could you please speak less.”
She once again used her gaze to stop the Dragon-man youth and then addressed Bu Quan seriously, “Then let’s have a proper talk.”
Bu Quan took out a list and placed it on the desk.
“These are my main assets in Snowbird Port, which are also my personal repayment to you, the leader of Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps.”
The eyes of the others were immediately drawn to the list.
Bu Quan’s main assets consisted of four Alchemy Workshops in total, specifically one large-scale Alchemy Workshop, two medium-sized ones, and one small one.
Bu Quan continued with a brief introduction.
“The large-scale Alchemy Workshop is located on the seaside at the southeastern corner of Snowbird Port, equipped with wind suction machines and cubic furnaces, capable of processing Silver Level materials on a large scale. Its daily operation mainly provides processed materials for the other three workshops.”
“The two medium-sized Alchemy Workshops are located in Mercury Cave and Rose Beach. The former uses local materials and has a complete production line for creating Alchemy Puppets. The latter draws from the Earth Vein energy beneath the beach and primarily produces potions.”
“The small workshop is in the city and I preside over it year-round. Inside, it has an activation stone workstation, coral anvil with hollowed designs, Flame Engineering Hammer, Blue Crystal Future Projector, and other Alchemy Components.”
Zhongyong, listening on the side, couldn’t help but gape, almost drooling with envy.
His life dream was to own an Alchemy Workshop of his own, not only to make a living but also to support his continued exploration in the realm of alchemy.
He couldn’t believe that Bu Quan just gifted what amounted to his happiness index—four times over!
Zhongyong, who was knowledgeable in the field, rapidly assessed the value of these four Alchemy Workshops in his mind.
“The wind suction machine in the large Alchemy Workshop is its energy core, and such alchemy devices are known for being economical. However, the cubic furnace is not so simple; it can be reduced to a portable size, less than one percent of its operational volume. Such portable alchemy tools are generally used for setting up temporary camps. Using it permanently in one location is actually a waste of its functions.”
“The two medium-sized Alchemy Workshops are very considerately located, clearly possessing specific structures, making them specially crafted Alchemy Workshops. Their production of Alchemy Puppets and potions undoubtedly is not small.”
“The value of the small workshop is the greatest, and quite exaggerated! Every tool Bu Quan mentioned is a Golden Level component!”
“The activation stone workstation can effectively maintain the activity of materials. It also comes with a Spell that animates all things, making material processing automatic. For instance, it allows wood to hop willingly into flames to burn itself or has potions jostle each other wildly, swirling frenetically to complete the stirring process on their own.”
“The main material for the coral anvil is rare golden-thread coral. The production process is very labor-intensive, and every carved-out section is a miniature compression space. With such a structure, the coral anvil can store a lot of materials. During the forging process, it can instantly absorb waste materials while also releasing and receiving appropriate materials, saving a great deal and preventing waste. Its accompanying Spell significantly increases the success rate of material processing and the quality of the final product.”
“The Flame Engineering Hammer is an alchemy tool formed entirely from flames, which can be sized as needed. Besides its hammering function, it also serves as a furnace that can envelop many materials for melting and refining, making it very convenient and practical.”
“The Blue Crystal Future Projector is the most precious treasure among them all. It’s extremely rare, and Alchemy Mages who want to buy one usually have nowhere to find it.”
“Its function is very dominating, as it can predict alchemy results in advance and display them through a Magic Image. In other words, with it, an Alchemy Mage can foresee the success or failure of an important alchemy endeavor in advance. Furthermore, by studying the Magic Image in detail, they can pinpoint the specific failure and thus avoid it beforehand.”
“Bu Quan truly is a talent appreciated by the Alchemy Guild. These precious tools must be what she obtained in exchange for her own Contribution Value after completing her tasks.”
Zhongyong’s analysis made him increasingly pleased with himself.
The reason was quite simple.
Bu Quan had given these items to the Dragon-man youth as thank-you gifts.
Then, wouldn’t Zhongyong have the chance to touch and use these alchemy tools after joining the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps?
“What a stroke of unexpected good fortune!”
“Thank you, Miss Bu Quan. On my first day of joining the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, you’ve delivered such a generous gift to improve the working conditions!”
Although Zhongyong didn’t understand the full situation, he had eavesdropped enough to vaguely comprehend Bu Quan’s attitude toward the Dragon-man youth and the motives behind her actions.
“These assets are quite valuable, yet Bu Quan gave them away so easily.”
“I understand now!”
“By doing this, Miss Bu Quan wants to make her stance clear and thus reject the invitation from Long Fu.”
Zhongyong felt he had guessed Bu Quan’s mindset.
On one hand, he was impressed by Bu Quan’s boldness: parting with such a heavy thank-you gift with ease—a true mark of a genius newcomer’s personality.
On the other hand, he affirmed Bu Quan’s approach.
In his view: what right did the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps have to recruit Bu Quan?
How dare they make such unreasonable demands?
How could they have such audacity?
Indeed, Bu Quan was like a shining pearl, an ascending star within the alchemy circle.
The Dragon-man youth’s attempt to recruit Bu Quan felt like an outsider coming to the Kingdom and attempting to court a Princess.
The problem was this outsider wasn’t a Prince but at best a peddler.
Completely mismatched in status.
That was not the future for a Princess.
The Dragon-man youth couldn’t make the Princess happy!
Zhongyong had only just considered joining the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and hadn’t formally done so, so his acceptance of the Dragon-man youth and others was exceptionally low.
Furthermore, he had grown up in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, and although he was a Fishman, his fate and bloodline had treated him well.
Therefore, he always saw himself as a citizen of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, as a part of the Kingdom’s Alchemy Mages.
Bu Quan was his ideal!
Young, a Snow Elf, a genius, talent, and skilled—Zhongyong aspired to be such an Alchemy Mage.
Unfortunately, the reality was he couldn’t compare to Bu Quan at all.
At the same time, he saw many similarities between himself and Bu Quan.
For instance, early hardships, a fierce personal effort, a thirst for knowledge, and a devotion to exploring the realm of alchemy.
Zhongyong had been following Bu Quan in secret for quite some time.
Many Alchemy Mages kept an eye on Bu Quan, and for such a talent to gain attention was entirely normal.
To put it dramatically, Bu Quan was somewhat of a Goddess to Zhongyong.
The former lived the life the latter yearned for.
So, when Zhongyong found out that the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps was trying to recruit Bu Quan, he felt indignant on Bu Quan’s behalf, his heart filling with resentment and objection.
In a way, this was him protecting his own ideals, not wanting to see them tarnished.
The Dragon-man youth sighed, “This thank-you gift is too precious.”
But Bu Quan shook her head, insisting, “Captain Long Fu, I ask that you accept it.”
Seeing this scene, Zi Di’s heart sank to the bottom.
Her thoughts mirrored Zhongyong’s.
By doing this, Bu Quan was trying to express her gratitude with wealth.
This was exactly what Zi Di did not want to see.
This sense of gratitude was the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps’ biggest bargaining chip in negotiations with Bu Quan.
And yet Bu Quan was dissolving it.
“What should we do?” Zi Di thought rapidly.
“We mustn’t accept this thank-you gift in haste. We need to stall, then negotiate.”
“We need to showcase our bargaining chips. The database seized from the War Merchant is a huge temptation for any Alchemy Mage!”
“Plus, perhaps her gratefulness towards the Captain can be leveraged.”
As Zi Di racked her brain for a bargaining strategy, she heard the Dragon-man youth’s words again.
“Alright, I accept this thank-you gift.”
Zi Di’s eyes widened as if she had been struck by lightning.
Following that, she heard the Dragon-man youth ask, “So, what is your answer?”
Zi Di was infuriated, at that moment wishing she could lift her fist and smash it into the Dragon-man youth’s head.
But then, she saw Bu Quan’s radiant smile and nod, saying, “I accept your invitation, Captain Long Fu!”
Zi Di: ?!
The Dragon-man youth laughed heartily, unable to resist slapping his hand forcefully.
Thud.
In the next moment, the utterly shocked Fishman Zhongyong fell off his chair and onto the ground.
With his mouth agape, he looked the picture of a man whose values had just crumbled.
It was as if he were crying out—
Goddess, what’s happened to you?!
You can’t be like this, you’re literally throwing yourself at him!!