Chapter 649: 101. Calculating or Not
“Okay, what are your demands?”
“Don’t rush, we’re here to discuss, or else I wouldn’t have gone through all the trouble of calling my siblings from all over the world to come back here… But you see, this Mixed Blood kid looks quite well-known, so many of our kind recognize you. You’re quite famous.”
Hiding behind Fisher, Kexie Ning also curiously glanced at Fisher, who she had until now thought was paired with that wheelchair-bound young mistress of the Turand Family. But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case, he appeared to be paired with many people.
After Fisher nodded, the giant Slime King gestured to his siblings, and a yellow Slime dragged a huge stone basin into the middle of the group. Then, the Slime King and the elders placed the ends of their third hands, which were coiled on their heads, into the basin.
The humanoid Slimes extended gelatinous tentacles from various parts of their bodies, and as their tentacles converged, the whole place fell silent instantly, only for the Slime King, who was sucking on a pacifier, to turn his head and shout at Kexie Ning still standing behind Fisher,
“What are you staring at? Come join the meeting. Have you gone silly from starting your own circus?”
“Ah? Can I discuss with you too?”
Kexie Ning, somewhat incredulously pointing at herself, walked to the huge stone basin under the contemptuous or evaluating gazes of her kinsfolk. She placed her green tentacle into the basin. With the last Slime joining them, the area became truly quiet, leaving Fisher, who felt like an outsider, folding his arms, unsure of what they were doing.
“Heh, what a spectacle. I’ve heard that ancient Slimes used to hold hands during negotiations so they could communicate without speaking, trapping the negotiator in their dealings… It seems they like to do the same when discussing matters.”
Emhardt poked his head out of Fisher’s arms, squinting at the gathered Slimes, then turned his head and chuckled,
“You must have come across Slimes during your travels around the world. I had no idea that in the hundred or two hundred years they’ve left the Northern Realm, they’ve expanded their business so vastly. There are traces of them everywhere in the world; it’s a pity they don’t start an intelligence organization…”
Fisher, still folding his arms, shook his head with a slight amusement, Discover more novels at novel(ꜰ)ire.net
“For them, intelligence has always been shared within the clan, which is the safest place. No one outside the Slimes knows their identities. If someone were to sell information elsewhere, one day their faults will be exposed, and they would be wiped out entirely. The true brilliance of the Slimes lies not in maximizing the value, but in their painful ability to forsake attainable values in exchange for safety and stability, which in a sense, truly maximizes their benefits…”
The peculiar silent conversation didn’t last long, and Fisher, unclear on how they communicated, could only sparsely imagine their meanings being pulled into an invisible, concealed space where they chattered. But their speed of conversation was surprisingly fast, leading Fisher to dismiss this idea.
The largest Slime King was the first to pull his tentacle from the huge stone basin. Biting his pacifier, the tentacle on his head formed into an oval-shaped crown,
“Ah, Mixed Blood kid, we have discussed and come to a decision. Let’s talk to you about it and see if you agree. If there are objections, we can discuss further.”
The Slime King rubbed his chubby hands together, looking interestedly at Fisher in front of him, and raised three fingers,
“We don’t want any actual wealth or goods, you know, in a sense, there are no poor among our kind… oh, except for that disgrace behind you. So, we have three demands.”
“First, we hope you can overlook the mother and daughter Kexie Ning’s theft of the Ice, and let them safely leave the Northern Realm and return to the Boundary.”
“Second, you need to share with us the progress of searching for the Frost Snow Phoenix Tree. Of course, we are also willing to offer some help with requests, though I am too old to move, I still have memories of the past.”
Fisher listened and frowned slightly, somewhat speechless as he watched the Slime King who had removed his pacifier to suck on his own finger,
“What else? Of course, as you previously said, we are loyal followers of the Phoenix Species, why would we make so many demands? By all means, we should still be offering you our help… but don’t rush, there is one last demand. The final demand, we want a favor from you, Fisher Benavides.”
“At a crucial moment, when we need your help, we might come to you; if we face threats from other species, we might fly under your banner to protect ourselves; we might also need your name to broker a deal with someone… In short, your favor is our third demand.”