Chapter 1007: Durger's options
"There are other ways we can come to an understanding." Robin's elegant, confident smile returned to his face. Everything he had said earlier was meant to lead up to this moment. He continued, raising three of his fingers, "In fact, besides the obvious option of trying to kill each other, there are three other choices."
"Hsss~" Durger narrowed his eyes, trying to listen without saying a word.
"First, return to your lair around the Poison Sea and take your beasts with you. I don't want to see you again as long as I rule this planet. I'll leave you in peace, but in return, I expect you to control your followers and ensure they don't approach my empire. I will allocate enough space for you to live and tear each other apart as you please. But if anyone crosses the borders I set, I will kill them and send an army to randomly slaughter 100,000 of your kind as punishment." Robin lowered his first finger.
Turmoil The scales of Durger clattered against each other. "You... exaggerating... much!"
Durger's anger was at its peak. Even in Pythor's reign, during the era of daily wars, all the beasts around the Poison Sea were never confined as Robin described. Except for Durger, who was under heavy surveillance, the others roamed freely to hunt and explore. Even the Nine Tyrants had always moved freely across the Poison Rock Planet and destroyed many villages and towns across the years!
But now, every time one of them crosses the border, Robin would send an army to invade and kill 100,000 of them. What exactly is this? How could Durger possibly control all these beasts? And how many such humiliations of invasions and massacres could he endure before he lost his followers' respect or was forced to go to war with that golden army again?
"That is your first choice. If you pick it, I will not change a single word of it, I don't want to see uncontroable beast roaming around killing my citizens!" Robin opened his eyes with absolute authority, then lowered his second finger. "The second option is that I will grant you an area three times the size of the Poison Sea, about 10% of the planet's total area. If any beast crosses the border, I will only kill the offender and no more. However, this comes with one condition you must provide me with a small pond of your blood every year. From your massive body, I don't think that will harm you even slightly."
"Grrr—"The tyrant beast, wolf-like in appearance, bristled, its fur standing on end as if electrified. It was undoubtedly ready to attack. A pond's worth of their king's blood every year? Even Pythor barely collected a few barrels over ten thousand years!
Knowing that his options were extreme, Robin spoke quickly before anyone could react. He lowered his last finger. "The third option is that I will grant you all the land behind you up to this strait— a territory roughly a quarter of the planet— in exchange for cooperation."
"...Cooperation? Hiss hiss hiss~" A strange laugh escaped Durger's mouth. "What could beasts... and humans... cooperate on? What could you have... that I... Durger the Devourer... might desire? Your laws, ambitions, dreams... none of it... matters to me."
Glint
Robin took something out of his spatial ring and raised it with one hand.
"Hsss?" Durger lowered his gigantic head slightly to inspect what the human had revealed, then opened his eyes wide. "That...?!"
The object was spherical, about the size of an orange, radiating an extraordinary natural energy. It contained swirling purple clouds within, and its aura was unmistakable... it was a Destruction Path Energy Pearl!
Robin smiled. It seems my assumption was correct!
This planet lacked energy pearls, and Durger, who hadn't left the vicinity of the Poison Sea for the past ten thousand years, definitely wouldn't know about the energy pearls Pythor had collected. This was likely the first time he had ever seen an energy pearl!
The significance? A single ordinary energy pearl contained energy equivalent to about 15 million regular energy stones, or several tons of liquid energy essence. Any being seeking power, regardless of their cultivation path, would covet such a treasure and consider it their most prized possession!
And this was no ordinary energy pearl- it was one aligned with the Destruction Path, the very path that Durger was born into. This one was from the first batch of pearls formed from the sacrifices of soldiers in the Step Pyramid!
Turmoil Durger's massive body moved slightly forward, his gigantic head descending closer to examine the pearl. At this moment, he resembled a moth captivated by a flame for the first time!
"...!!" Even the other beasts, especially the Nine Tyrants, had their eyes glint with desire.
"tsk tsk~ Not so fast, my dear. We must come to an agreement first!" Robin pulled his hand holding the pearl back, shaking his head with a laugh. "I understand you know exactly what this pearl means to you, don't you?"
Pause Durger's eyes refocused on Robin. "...." But he gave no reply.
"What, don't you know? Or is it that you don't want to acknowledge it? Then allow me to enlighten you," Robin chuckled. "This Destruction Path Energy Pearl can save you months, possibly years, of the energy absorption by that beast core atop your head. Even though you haven't advanced due to the imposed limits, continuous energy absorption still hardens your body, making you nearly invulnerable to anyone at the same level, correct?"
Robin slowly extended the orb forward again, letting it hover before Durger's gaze. "As for the affinity with the Destruction Path, do I even need to explain what it will do for you? Your minor corrosion law usage will see a massive improvement. The duration you can use it without harming yourself will increase significantly. And most importantly... let's just say the minor corrosion law may not be the ultimate end for you!"
"...What do you want... for the orb?" Durger would be lying if he claimed his heart wasn't drawn toward it.
"In exchange for granting you a quarter of this planet to be your own kingdom, I want a promise from you, in front of your followers, that you will do your utmost to defend the Poison Rock Planet if anyone other than me attempts to claim it." Robin's tone was serious now. He glanced at the orb and added, "And for every one of these orbs, I want a pond of your
blood."
He gestured with his other hand toward a spot beside him, where the ground compressed under the effects of the Major Heavenly Law of Gravity, forming an enormous basin. "...This size."
"SAAA!! You're... exaggerating!!" One of the Nine Tyrants, a massive bird with crimson wings, spread them wide and screeched.
The pond Robin carved out could hold five times the blood Pythor had collected over the past ten thousand years!
"Do you think I'm handing out Destruction Path Energy Pearls to make him stronger without compensation? This must be a mutually beneficial deal. Honestly, I don't believe I'm exaggerating even slightly. This amount of blood barely qualifies as a fair trade."
But Durger paid no attention to the words of the tyrant or Robin's rebuttal. He kept his gaze locked onto Robin's eyes. "...Did you say... for every pearl...? How many... do you have?"
Swish Swish Swish
Robin laughed, and with a single thought, more than thirty pearls materialized, swirling around him in an elegant orbit. "How about these as a first batch?"