Second Abyssal Plane, Demon Emperor’s Hall.
The festive atmosphere vanished, and the entire hall fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. After hearing Shadow Three’s words, many demon god projections looked displeased, feeling as if their intelligence had been insulted.
The second demon god raised his wine glass and laughed heartily, “This toast is for Shadow Nine, wishing him to become a supreme being soon!”
A demon god must be flexible, not seeking temporary bravado. The negotiations had concluded, and both sides had gotten what they needed. There was no need to break the peace now. Offending the human race at this moment would bring nothing but harm. As for Gregory’s threat, the second demon god had already thought of other ways to deal with it.
The second demon god’s laughter echoed in the hall. None of the human powerhouses raised their glasses. Instead, several demon god projections lifted their glasses and laughed along, “To Shadow Nine, may he become a supreme being soon!”
Shadow Three stood up and looked at all the demon gods who had spoken, “Shadow Nine anticipated you would say that. He said, anyone who toasts should prepare a small gift.”
The fifth demon god projection immediately stood up and volunteered, “I am willing to offer myself as a gift and ask Shadow Nine to slash me to death.”
Shadow Three shook his head, “Shadow Nine said he couldn’t kill you; otherwise, his conscience wouldn’t allow it. He even wants other demon gods to share some source with you so you can live healthier and maybe sleep better at night.”
Hearing the word “sleep,” the fifth demon god’s spirit nearly collapsed again.
Mike was utterly shocked by what he saw. Could it be that every step was within Shadow Nine’s calculations? Impossible, absolutely impossible!
The Shadow Nine Mike knew was shameless, violent, disrespectful despite his age, and obsessed with saving face… but he definitely didn’t have the [prophetic] buff!
Which means…
Mike squinted his eyes and looked at Shadow Three. “Is he pushing everything onto Shadow Nine?”
The [Shadow Nine anticipated] from Shadow Three’s mouth was actually Shadow Three’s own initiative!
What a talent. Just this level of intelligence and emotional quotient crushed Maxen and Shadow Seven combined.
With this disruption, the entire banquet’s atmosphere was ruined.
“Everyone, take care. I won’t see you off,” the second demon god said as he escorted everyone out of the Second Abyssal Plane and returned to his Demon Emperor’s Hall.
“The human race is too deceitful!” a demon god cursed, “So cunning, they are the real demon race!”
“Oh?” The second demon god, sitting on his throne, looked down at the demon god projections below and snorted coldly, “You think the human race is deceitful and cunning?”
“Did I say something wrong? Just look at this time…”
“Look at what?!” The second demon god snapped back, “Back then, the honest humans were all killed by you. The ones who survived are a bit cunning, and you can’t accept it? Poison Bone, you were the most enthusiastic when it came to tricking people. Now you’re whining? Where’s that shameless energy you had when you tricked the human Ultimate Battle Lord and his entire corps? Bring it out!”
After a full-on verbal assault, the second demon god’s tirade wasn’t over, “Tsk tsk tsk, honestly, sometimes I suspect the human race hasn’t killed you because you’re too stupid and fit to stay in this position. Putting a pig in the demon god’s place would do better than you! Calling you pig teammates is an insult to pigs!”
The second demon god’s scolding continued unabated. The tenth demon god’s projection was stunned and instinctively retorted, “Those dead people were stupid; what does that have to do with me?”
“Remember, it’s not three hundred years ago anymore; the situation has changed!”
The second demon god interrupted again, his patience with these fools completely exhausted. “I’m begging you, at least show some cunning as demon gods! Can you not be so stupid? I must have the worst luck ever to be stuck with you idiots fighting against the human race. Get out, all of you!”
“Don’t bother me, let me be alone!”
With a mix of scolding and shoving, the second demon god drove all the projections away.
Many demon gods gave him meaningful looks before leaving. This guy must have deep schemes. Such a breakdown was mostly an act. He was hiding something from everyone! But, except for the first demon god, the second demon god was the strongest. Even if they knew he was up to something, they couldn’t do anything about it.
After all the demon god projections left, one figure returned.
“Bro, over here, over here,” the second demon god called eagerly, “Let’s sit down and continue our chat.”
The figure was none other than Maxen. Only he had the guts to venture alone into the second demon god’s Emperor’s Hall.
Such courage came from his righteousness? No, it came from having two supreme Godfathers. “Bro, what do you think about what we discussed earlier?” the second demon god whispered, “I just want to meet Supreme Being Apollo once. Everything is negotiable.”
Maxen was surprised, “You want to meet Apollo? Are you tired of living?”
Human Battle Lord powerhouses would avoid Apollo if they could. A casual remark from Apollo could trigger their psychological trauma. Why would a demon god want to approach
Apollo?
“I can’t decide that. You know, Apollo isn’t my Godfather yet.”
“That’s tough!” Maxen looked troubled, rubbing three fingers together in front of him. This wasn’t a hint; it was a blatant signal!
The second demon god spoke again, “I am willing to offer 30,000 tons of C-grade ore to the human race.”
A gleam flashed in Maxen’s eyes, and he scoffed, “We destroyed the Ebon Abyss. Do you think we care about C-grade ore?”
The second demon god’s words were a test. Maxen didn’t care and directly countered.
There was no need to hide the fact that the human race had two mines. Wealth must be flaunted! Only by being rich and powerful could the human race deter these demon races. Today’s close interaction between the second demon god and Maxen was solely because the human race was powerful and stronger. If the human race suffered significant losses one day, the second demon god would be the first to retaliate!
Maxen understood this better than anyone. He waved his hand and demanded, “100,000 tons of A-grade ore, and I’ll pass on your message.”
“100,000 tons is too much, 50,000 tons.”
After some bargaining, they settled on 100,000 tons of A-grade ore and 3,000 tons of S-grade
ore.
Maxen’s negotiation strategy was simple: every time the second demon god haggled, he raised the price. The initiative was his; take it or leave it.
“Don’t force it. If it’s too much, we can still be friends even if the deal falls through. I can’t
bully you, right?” Maxen said sincerely.
Mike felt that Maxen had learned some bad habits from someone. He was no longer the
simple, honest ninth-tier Battle Lord.
“Not forced, not at all!” The second demon god shook his head vigorously. Just some ore. He wanted to meet Apollo to verify his suspicions. The cost was worth it!
Maxen spoke again, “You know, if I go through the trouble of passing your message, I can’t
go back hungry, right?”
“Of course not!”
The second demon god was about to say something but was interrupted by Maxen.
“The food we just ate didn’t exceed the 3800 gold coins per person standard, right?” The second demon god nodded repeatedly, following Maxen’s lead, “Right! Just some local specialties from the Second Abyssal Plane, not worth much, don’t worry about it.”
The so-called local specialties could fetch astronomical prices among humans! “We agreed beforehand, I can’t eat for free. I’m a ninth-tier Battle Lord, a Supreme Son. Eating your demon god’s food without paying would disgrace my Godfather!”
“So…”
The second demon god was confused, not understanding what Maxen meant, but he had a bad
feeling.
“I’m a bit hungry. Prepare 100,000 lunchboxes for me to take away.”
Maxen took out a calculator. The calculator emitted an electronic voice.
“3800, times, 100,000, equals, 380 million.”
Maxen waved his hand, “I’ll pay 400 million dollars. The extra is a tip!”
He took out a money-printing machine from his storage ring and started printing money on
the spot.
Maxen’s actions left the second demon god dumbfounded.
Was this really the Maxen he knew? The Maxen who wielded a great sword on the battlefield,
the simple, honest version of Maxen, was gone.
Printing money on the spot to buy things… Who taught him this?
Even paying with Truth Coins would be better than dollars!
The second demon god felt like he couldn’t breathe, as if his lungs were about to explode.
What use did he have for Earth’s money? Could he even go on a vacation there? After a long silence, the second demon god spoke resignedly, “Prepare food for Maxen.”
“100,000 portions!”