Hearing Bai Ye's words, laden with hidden meaning, the Duke's expression shifted. Bai Ye's simple statement had already revealed a certain stance.
Although Africa had not joined the World Alliance, and had even established its own organization, it was not something they could unilaterally decide.
In an instant, the sweltering African air seemed to change. Duke Centaur stared at Bai Ye, his gaze flickering. Bai Ye, however, remained casual, subtly deploying his spatial perception to scan the surroundings.
Aside from the beautiful centaur at the entrance, the entire building housed seven or eight other centaur warriors, all fully armed with swords.
"Hahaha... I've long heard of Mr. Bai's cold and domineering nature, and it's true. However, I say a true man should stand tall and proud." Duke Centaur's expression suddenly changed again, replaced by a hearty laugh.
"I am Duke Theophilus of the Centaur Demon Tribe. We invited Mr. Bai here with no ill intentions. On the contrary, we have prepared ample sincerity to seek your cooperation!"
"Mr. Bai, perhaps we could sit down and talk?"
Bai Ye nodded.
The two sat facing each other at the conference table, and the attendants poured tea. Bai Ye took a shallow sip, finding the taste lacking, missing the depth of tea from Great Xia.
After the attendants retreated, Duke Theophilus smiled mysteriously, "Mr. Bai must have seen that demonic sword, right? What do you think of it?"
"It's alright."
The greatsword brought by the black team was indeed quite peculiar. If the nations of the World Alliance knew about it, it would surely stir up undercurrents and even unrest. However, for Bai Ye, the sword's power was still too weak; his casual magic could easily overwhelm it!
"Compared to that greatsword, I am more interested in the one you carry!" As he spoke, Bai Ye's gaze swept over the massive green sword behind Duke Theophilus. Even without holding it, Bai Ye could already sense a strong magical fluctuation emanating from the greatsword.
Clearly, his greatsword was far more powerful than the one brought by the black team!
"Hahaha..." Duke Theophilus threw his head back and laughed. "It seems Mr. Bai knows very little about our half-demon race!"
"In the world of Titos, we half-demons are the third largest race, but we ourselves possess no magic, nor can we cast spells. However, heaven is fair; while we cannot wield magic, we can forge magical artifacts, and we possess formidable physiques. Our strongest warriors can slay demon kings and contend with supreme beings!"
Duke Theophilus, a seemingly steady individual, displayed an undeniable sense of pride and honor as he narrated the history of the half-demons.
"Therefore, the magical artifacts in our hands are not just our weapons, but our partners. To us half-demons, they are more important than our lives!"
Listening to Duke Theophilus's rambling, Bai Ye's smile was faint. He said so much, but was he refusing to let him see it?
Due to the half-demon race's lack of magic, even with Bai Ye deploying his spatial perception, he was unable to ascertain its power and level for the moment.
What combat power could he unleash when paired with this greatsword?
And... is my Selfless Wand also a type of magical artifact? If so, judging by its skill power and effects, its level should not be low! It seems this system, this little thing, has quite a few good items...
Seemingly sensing Bai Ye's thoughts, the system irately popped out. [What the heck! Little thing? Are you getting ahead of yourself?]
At the conference table, Duke Theophilus, seeing Bai Ye constantly staring at the greatsword on his back, gave a forced smile that made the corners of his mouth twitch slightly.
This guy... could he be thinking of snatching my magical artifact?
He had naturally watched many of Bai Ye's live streams. Considering his domineering personality, he might indeed do something as unsportsmanlike as that!
*Hoo* Duke Theophilus took a deep breath. Although he had his own safeguards, with so many precedents like the Elven Princess, the Great Roc, and the Three-Element Demon Dragon, he was still uncertain if he were to truly fight Bai Ye.
Even if he considered himself invincible among peers in the Titos world, even daring to fight against higher-level opponents, he had no idea of this person's actual level!
"Cough~ Mr. Bai, what do you think of our Titos world?" Seeing Bai Ye only staring at his magical artifact and remaining silent, Duke Theophilus quickly changed the subject.
"How I see it is not important. What is important is how the Titos world sees the Blue Star. Besides, their attitude is already quite clear, isn't it?" Bai Ye shifted his gaze from the magical artifact to meet Duke Theophilus's eyes, a few cold glints flashing in the depths of his pupils.
In an instant, an icy killing intent filled the entire conference room.
"Uh..." Seeing Bai Ye releasing his killing intent so unabashedly, Duke Theophilus forced an awkward yet polite smile. The Titos world's attitude towards the Blue Star was indeed clear: invasion, occupation, and annihilation!
"Actually, occupying this world is merely an order from some of the powerhouses on the Titos continent. The will of the true supreme beings is not in this." Duke Theophilus, this bold fellow, began to speak mysteriously.
Bai Ye said, "Oh? And what is it they desire?" Bai Ye was indeed interested in the information Duke Theophilus had revealed!
Duke Theophilus smiled even more mysteriously and said, "Something that can allow those supreme beings to break through their limits!"
Bai Ye stared intently at Duke Theophilus, no longer asking questions. He even felt an urge to punch him to death. If you have something to say, say it directly; what's the point of whetting someone's appetite?
"Heh heh..." Seeing Bai Ye's silence, Duke Theophilus stopped playing coy and said, "Actually, it's a demon crystal, a demon crystal that has transcended all its peers. Legend has it that its contained energy is comparable to the entire Titos world!"
"But this demon crystal disappeared a long time ago. Some supreme beings have speculated that it has flowed into your world..."
Bai Ye's eyes sharpened. He couldn't help but feel a stir within him. The world possessed such a powerful demon crystal, comparable to the energy of the entire world. No wonder it drove the powerhouses of the Titos world so mad!
To be honest, Bai Ye was also tempted. Could this demon crystal be on that fellow Houying? Bai Ye narrowed his eyes!
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed! Otherwise, why would that fellow be hunted by the Titos world?
Good heavens, no wonder he fled so quickly! So he was carrying a heaven-defying treasure.
If you're that scared, why not hand it over to me? I'll help you keep it safe! I feel like I can handle it!
After a brief moment of contemplation, Bai Ye withdrew his thoughts and looked at Duke Theophilus, "So, in this negotiation, you want me to help you find this transcendent demon crystal?"
"No, no!" Duke Theophilus surprisingly shook his head. "Although we half-demons also wish to obtain this demon crystal, relatively speaking, we would rather no one be able to find it. At the very least, it is best that it does not appear for now!"
Hearing him say this, Bai Ye's curiosity was piqued. After thinking for a moment, he understood the gist of it.
Innocence invites crime!
"You are afraid of being besieged by the other two major races? Moreover, even if you obtained this demon crystal, you wouldn't be able to use it in a short time!"
Duke Theophilus looked at Bai Ye with surprise. This guy not only had monstrous strength but also a monstrous intellect.
"Yes, there's no need to hide it. We half-demons rely on magical artifacts, so even if we obtained this demon crystal, it would take us a considerable amount of time to forge transcendent magical artifacts. But anyone with a brain knows that the period of forging transcendent magical artifacts would inevitably be a period of extermination for our half-demon race..."
Bai Ye nodded with a smile. This fellow was quite honest in his words. Not to mention the demon and elf races, even he, Bai Ye, would intervene if his half-demons truly obtained this demon crystal.
For something that concerned the fate of the entire Blue Star, there was no need to hold back any means!
"It seems that our Blue Star has an opportunity for cooperation with your half-demons?" Bai Ye had roughly guessed Duke Theophilus's intention.
"Haha..." Duke Theophilus nodded vigorously. "Actually, the path taken by our half-demon race has some similarities to yours, humans. I believe your scientific technology and our magical artifact forging techniques should be able to merge!"