novelTele Chapter 592 Cooperation
Chapter 592 Cooperation
Xu Si keenly caught that fleeting glimpse of greed.
He knew that the cooperation was doomed to fail from the start, but turning against it now would do him no good.
"Cooperation is possible," Xu Si said, his voice calm and devoid of any emotion.
"But there are a few things I need to clarify first."
Si Zan made an "impatient" gesture, and the snake's tail gracefully circled once in the void.
"When did you arrive? What's the situation on Earth now?" Xu Si asked.
"According to the timekeeping system of this planet... about forty days and nights ago." Si Zan answered quickly, but Xu Si's expression was grim. Had it really taken him this long to absorb the power of the laws?
"As for the situation, what kind of trouble do you think a bunch of little guys who don't even have many high-ranking ones can cause? I don't even need to show my face. I just released a few pets down, and they obediently hid underground and didn't dare to come out."
Xu Si's heart clenched suddenly, because Si Zan hadn't said what was truly important.
"You did it?"
"Just a test. There wasn't anything of value to be found. I wonder why they activated the Final Chosen One?"
Si Zan waved his hand, and the golden snakes on his head swayed slightly with his movement, their forked tongues hissing softly in the air.
He had thought that the final divine selection would bring some interesting opponents, but he was disappointed.
However, he didn't mention the World Tree at all.
Xu Si narrowed his starry eyes slightly, without asking any further questions.
Asking about things that someone has deliberately avoided will only reveal your own concern.
But he was almost certain that what happened on Earth was far more than just "releasing a few pets".
"Forty days and nights," Xu Si changed the subject.
"You only did one thing—set up this barrier?"
"Of course not." Si Zan's snake tail swayed gracefully in the void, its tip tracing across the multicolored barrier and creating ripple-like patterns.
"I also spent some time... taking stock of the planet's inventory."
"stock?"
"Humans, orcs, mutants, and a few little rats hiding in the shadows." Si Zan's tone was as if he were taking inventory of goods in a warehouse, flat to the point of being indifferent.
"I must say, this planet has a good foundation. Although the high-order sequences are pitifully few, the quantity and density of low-order sequences are quite considerable. If it can be properly managed for a few hundred years, it might actually be able to cultivate one or two promising talents."
Xu Si's knuckles tightened slightly, but his expression remained unchanged: "So you kept them as pets."
"Captive breeding? That's too crude a term." Si Zan shook his head, his head full of golden snakes hissing softly with his movements.
"I prefer to call it management or investment. I throw a few unruly mutants into the indigenous settlements to keep them busy. After all, people are most prone to overthinking when they are at ease, and a little pressure is necessary to maintain their energy."
Does "mutant species" mean something eerie?
"You've thought of everything." Xu Si continued, his tone indifferent, but his eyes gradually turned dangerous.
"A follower of the god of wisdom must possess some wisdom." Si Zan smiled slightly, a hint of self-satisfaction appearing on his almost unrealistically perfect face.
"However, I'm curious how you found this place? Is there some flaw in my magic array? Or did someone powerful behind you send you here directly?"
Si Zan seems to be paying particular attention to this issue.
"The magic array has no flaws," Xu Si said calmly.
"I found this place not by relying on any flaws."
Si Zan's snake tail paused for a moment, then all the golden snakes on his head stood up, and hissing suddenly rose a few notches before subsiding again.
"You left coordinates inside the planet? Was it a divine intervention?"
Xu Si neither denied nor admitted it.
Si Zan was silent for a moment, then let out a low laugh that seemed to come from deep within his chest.
"Interesting," he said, as the snake's tail began to sway slowly again, its tip drawing elegant arcs in the air.
"It seems I made the right choice in selecting a partner. The fact that you could penetrate my magic array shows that your mastery of spatial laws is no less than mine. With such strength, you are indeed qualified to share this planet with me."
"Equally?" Xu Si repeated the word, his tone subtly rising slightly.
"What? You want to keep it all to yourself?"
Si Zan felt that Xu Si's appetite seemed even bigger than his own.
"We can agree on any profit-sharing arrangement, but before that, I need to see if this planet is truly as valuable as you claim."
"Would you like to go down and take a look?" There was a subtle hint of amusement in his voice.
"We both know that cooperation is based on equal information. I haven't even set foot on any of the mountains and rivers on this planet, and you want me to split the profits with you? What if it's a trap? How can I trust you?"
Although breaking the magic array would be more direct, Xu Si felt that the magic array might have some unexpected effects.
Moreover, if Yizan were wise enough, he might be able to cooperate with him.
That depends on what Si Zan did on Earth.
Si Zan remained silent for several breaths.
His head was covered in golden snakes, all of which lay low and their hissing subsided, as if waiting for him to make some kind of decision.
Finally, he chuckled softly, and his snake tail drew an elegant semicircle in the void, the tip pointing to the not-yet-fully-closed crack on the multicolored barrier.
"You're right, cooperation without information asymmetry certainly isn't cooperation. However—" He changed the subject, lowering his voice slightly.
"You can go down, but I have one condition."
Tell me about it.
"Don't touch those things I marked." Si Zan lightly swept his fingertips across the void, and a miniature projection of Earth appeared, with dozens of tiny golden dots distributed on its surface. Some were scattered in the wilderness area, while others were concentrated near the ruins of several larger cities.
Most importantly, the World Tree was also among his markings.
"Xu Si, are you alright?" Yi Yi immediately sent a telepathic message.
"I'm fine. Now is not the time to talk. How is everyone?" Everything Si Zan did on Earth will surely be investigated one by one.
"It's safe for now, but the situation isn't good." Yi Yi's thoughts were filled with obvious anxiety.
"That snake-man unleashed seven mutated creatures, each possessing strength at Sequence Seven or higher. They roamed the ruins, herding the survivors underground like sheepdogs driving a flock of sheep."
Xu Si's starry eyes narrowed slightly.
"What about the City of Fire?" This was the question that Xu Si cared about most.
"Everyone has taken cover underground; there's no danger for now!"