Chapter 233 - A Trade
Han Wu and Luo Wulei locked eyes. At that moment, Luo Wulei remembered just how terrifying Han Wu was. They had first met during the second calamity, and Luo Wulei had been confident he could defeat him. He had never imagined that Han Wu’s Skull Guillotine would strike so swiftly or that it could end his life before he even realized it.
Thankfully, he had only lost some treasures and Life Energy back then—not his life. If they had fought for real, he would have died without even knowing how. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He clenched his jaw and cursed Han Wu in silence.
Soon, the officials gathered in the dining hall. Luo Wulei, as the highest-ranking officer present, opened the banquet with a speech focused on uniting to defeat the mutated beasts.
Another official of equal rank, who also held the title of Palace Master, stepped forward to welcome Han Wu and Qin Shuang. “Let me introduce our guests. These two are the experts I personally invited. They possess the power to permanently eliminate the mutated beasts’ corpses. They are none other than the saviors the heavens have sent to us.”
Han Wu and Qin Shuang rose from their seats. “I am Han Wu, and she is Qin Shuang. We come from the Divine Civilization.”
Their brief introductions shocked the officials.
“From the Divine Civilization? Then they must be outsiders. How... How can this be? The Will of our great civilization commands us to drive out all outsiders.”
“Palace Master, you are making a grave mistake by working with outsiders. The great Will will punish you when it realizes this.”
“Palace Master, there is still time. Give us your order, and we will take them down together.”
The Palace Master scowled at the chaotic discussion and slammed the table in anger. “Preposterous! These are the guests I invited. Anyone who harms them will be considered my enemy!
“I know full well that working with outsiders is a great sin, but our current predicament is dire. More creatures become tainted each day, and plagues run rampant across our kingdom because of their corpses. Is there anyone here who can solve this?
“You all possess the Nine Martial Castes’ powers and can protect yourselves, but what about the common folk? Step outside and look. See the millions of families suffering. Watch as disease claims the weak and helpless. Do their lives mean nothing to you?”
The Palace Master’s words silenced the room.
“This crisis demands drastic measures. If this is a crime, then I will bear the blame myself,” he declared.
Luo Wulei clapped slowly. “Palace Master, I admire your compassion and your determination to save the people. But are you truly certain that the outsiders you’ve welcomed can help us resolve our problems?”
The other officials, wary of being dragged into this mess, quickly joined in.
“The Thunderfire General is right. We can’t place our trust in outsiders.”
“This entire crisis began because of them. Palace Master, you must not deceive yourself.”
“We should seize their forces before anything worse happens.”
The Palace Master struck the table again. “Be quiet! They are honored guests whom I personally invited. Show them the respect they deserve!”
He then turned to Luo Wulei. “Thunderfire General, the Warring Kingdom and Divine Civilizations have maintained a cordial relationship for ages. How can you be sure these two friends came here to harm us?”
Luo Wulei chuckled. “It’s simple. I’ve seen one of them commanding an army of skeletons. How could someone who takes life so lightly and even desecrates the dead be virtuous? How can we place our trust in him?”
“What? He commands skeletons? That’s outrageous!”
“Desecrating the dead! That is the most heinous sin one could commit against the dead!”
“Their actions are no different from the demons on the Black Prison continent.”
...
Han Wu and Qin Shuang bristled at the insults. They had not come to endure the officials’ scorn. The two stood up at once, and Han Wu said, “It seems that your palace does not welcome us. In that case, we will leave now. Thank you for your hospitality, Palace Master. Goodbye.”
The Palace Master sprang up to stop them. “Please don’t go. We’re in the midst of a crisis, and your help is indispensable. Do not take offense at the foolish words of these simple buffoons.”
He then turned to the officials and scolded them sharply. “Silence! Our kingdom faces an unprecedented disaster, and our people are dying. How can you treat our allies with such contempt at a time like this? If you’re so wise, then step forward and present a way to deal with the corpses and the plagues right now!”
The officials remained quiet. If any of their suggestions or plans had worked, they wouldn’t be struggling with the plagues.
He excelled in warfare but had no talent for a kingdom’s governance. Even with ten clones, he doubted he could compete with the Palace Master when it came to handling bureaucratic affairs.
The Palace Master did everything possible to convince the two to stay, but Han Wu remained angry. “I think I understand the situation now. Palace Master, you want to deal with the plagues, but none of them wants to accept my help because I’m from the Divine Civilization. In that case, I’ll charge a fee to handle the corpses.
“That way, we will turn this into a trade agreement. After the crisis ends, we won’t owe each other anything. You can issue a warrant or come after me once it’s all over. Everyone wins. What do you think?”
The officials agreed without hesitation. Though they claimed to be upright, many were simply cowards desperate to protect their reputations. None wanted to be remembered as the villains who destroyed their civilization. They welcomed the deal as a trade agreement. Once it ended, they could act against Han Wu without guilt, since it wouldn’t count as betraying their allies.
Seeing no further objections, the Palace Master gave his approval. “Very well, we shall proceed with what you’ve suggested.”
Han Wu named his price, and the negotiations commenced. In the end, they agreed on a temporary fee: one basic resource to clear 100 polluted corpses.
That night, the Palace Master led them outside the city to a towering mountain of corpses. The stench of rot was so strong it nearly made Han Wu vomit. He forced himself to endure it and ordered his Dark Cursed Bugs to feast on the corpses. The locusts showed no disgust and devoured everything they could digest.
By dawn, they had consumed a fifth of the corpses outside the city. The Palace Master was thrilled by their efficiency. As long as they could eliminate the source of the plague, the rampant diseases in the city would gradually recede. All that remained was to administer proper medicine, allowing the people to recover swiftly. Peace would return.
The Palace Master gladly sent Han Wu 2 million basic resources as payment while Han Wu commanded his Dark Cursed Bugs to continue their grim feast. Meanwhile, he set aside numerous regular animal corpses, summoned skeletons from them, and merged them to create Heroic Osteomancers. The trade was proving so profitable that he secretly hoped for even more corpses.
Yet, Luo Wulei remained fixated on revenge. He ordered his men to monitor Han Wu and Qin Shuang constantly and to report back at regular intervals.