Chapter 1 Amicable Exchange

After a night of intense fighting, Li Hao returned to his residence, feeling great. As soon as he entered, he found Gaia, Kutta, and Gasmi waiting. Seeing Li Hao return, Kutta immediately jumped up. "Li Hao, you're finally back! We couldn't reach you on Xingxun. We've been looking for you everywhere, thinking you'd been kidnapped by Dao Chailie. I heard there are more than sixty orcs in the adjudication department. You should stay in for a while!"

Li Hao had turned on Do Not Disturb mode during the battle, so he only saw Gaia and the others' messages now. He smiled. "It's alright now. I had a friendly exchange with Dao Chailie. We cleared up our misunderstanding. I told you, Shengge warriors are all virtuous and talented. I have no grudges against him, so he wouldn't make things difficult for me."

Gaia, Kutta, and Gasmi stared at each other, wide-eyed. Was Li Hao telling a story?

Had Li Hao already given in?

"Circle Leader, did he threaten you?" Gasmi asked. He admired Li Hao's strength. As long as he went through Shengge's training, Li Hao would definitely make a name for himself. But if he gave in to the orcs, it would be over. Orcs were just a bunch of mud, not even worthy of the attention of the Zerg.

Li Hao waved his hand. "Gasmi, it's really alright. I explained the misunderstanding clearly."

Gasmi nodded. If Li Hao said it was alright, then it was alright. Kutta looked Li Hao up and down like a little dog. Could the orcs have done something to Li Hao?

Suddenly, Gaia shouted, "Holy shit, look! Dao Chailie has fallen out of the rankings! He dropped eight levels! That's brutal! Who's so fierce? Even in a war, you'd only drop one level after losing several times in a row. This is a direct drop of eight levels???"

Warriors of all levels had to wage war. Although the losing side would have merit points deducted, it was rare to drop a level directly. Dropping one level was already painful for a sergeant major. Dropping eight levels and falling out of the rankings was like getting anally raped for a celebrity sergeant major.

Seeing everyone's reactions, Li Hao touched his nose. Was it that exaggerated? He was afraid of causing too much of an impact, so he restrained himself from going all out. Luckily, he did.

"Li Hao, you're so lucky. No wonder Dao Chailie didn't have time to look for you," Gaia said with a laugh. "He shouldn't have any time for a while. Dropping one or two levels is bearable, but dropping eight levels, especially falling out of the rankings, is a huge blow. He needs to reflect on himself."

Kutta blinked his big eyes. Something was off. He sized up Li Hao. Was it such a coincidence? Li Hao? Kutta laughed at himself. That was a battle-hardened level 39 sergeant major... now 31, that's rough.

"That ugly ghost was probably looking for you to increase his popularity in the orc world, to create momentum. He's made a fool of himself this time. His top priority is to get back into the rankings. He shouldn't come looking for trouble."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Even Olivia wasn't willing to get involved in this matter. It wasn't just a matter of strength; they wanted face, but the orcs didn't care. Besides, it had nothing to do with her. Anyone with half a brain wouldn't take it upon themselves.

*Clap!*

Kutta suddenly slapped his little hand and rummaged through his dimensional space, pulling out two bottles of high-end whiskey. "I just got these new goods. Such a good thing, we have to celebrate! It's on me, let's go for a feast!"

Kutta had already grasped the essence of alcohol, which was to find a reason to drink at every opportunity.

Gasmi smacked his lips. "Any cigarettes?"

"Isn't that stuff poisonous? I gave you so much, did you smoke it all???" Kutta said, feeling like the Zerg had discovered a new world.

"Ahem, that's probably for ordinary creatures. With our physical condition, it should be fine, unless there's a special reaction," Li Hao said. He didn't understand the differences between different species. Stellar River biology was too complex. There were so many civilizations; to defend them all would be an astronomical number of species. The resulting reactions were even more endless. Li Hao gave up.

Gasmi was a little embarrassed. "I didn't really pay attention. I don't know how it ran out. After training, having a few feels very restorative."

"You wouldn't smoke a few at a time, would you?" Li Hao asked subconsciously.

Gasmi nodded. Li Hao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "One at a time is fine. We're smoking for the feeling."

Gasmi nodded, his little eyes staring at Kutta. Kutta puffed out his little chest. "It's on the way. There's plenty."

"Kutta, do you have any red wine, like ruby red? Your trade company is touting it as a treasure best suited for the women of Tianren. Is that true? Get a few bottles for us to enjoy," Gaia said.

"You want to pick up girls," Kutta said, shaking his head helplessly. "That's what Olivia is doing. She took all the best ones. It's said that there's a lot of particularity about it. Specific regions of Earth are the best. I don't know why, but the others just aren't as good. This variety seems to have a surprisingly good effect on the women of the Hai."

Li Hao hadn't really paid attention to it recently. Suddenly, he remembered the coffee he had drunk at De Fandis. He liked to drink it so much, which meant it also suited the taste buds of the Tianren. It didn't have much to do with the soul.

"Kutta, there's another business opportunity. Do you know about coffee and tea?"

"What's that?" Kutta blinked his big eyes.

Li Hao explained in detail. "They're very good beverages. Why don't you do some research? Maybe they'll suit the tastes of a certain group of people?"

Kutta's big eyes lit up. "Of course, I have to try it. But that's too inefficient. It's likely that someone is already doing it. I'll have the family expand the office in Kepler, recruit a group of people to try human things one by one, and promote anything that's suitable. For things that are universally appealing, we'll package them well!"

Li Hao looked at Kutta, his eyes wide. After a long while, he said, "You're a genius!"

Kutta puffed out his chest. He saw Li Hao's sincere praise and laughed triumphantly. This feeling was great!

"Then what are we waiting for? So many good things, let's go! Should I call a few Tianren beauties for everyone to meet?" Gaia had extensive connections. With the surname of Rastayah, although he hadn't entered the top circles like Hausen, he was a big deal to most people in Shengge. Plus, he had a good personality and had made many female friends.

"Okay, okay! No ugly ones!" Kutta said happily. "Are you kidding me? My aesthetics and taste are top-notch!" Gaia also wanted to show off, but the tuition fee given by his family had not yet reached the point where he could spend recklessly. He simply took the opportunity to use Kutta's reputation.

In particular, wine, this magical thing, was very helpful in promoting feelings. Since it could promote brotherhood, could it promote other things?

He wanted to try.

*Didi didi...*

An unfamiliar number rang. Li Hao was about to hang up when he suddenly thought of Kasika. He was a friend.

"Hi, Kasika, is this your number?" Li Hao said.

There was a moment of silence on the other end. Then, a melodious female voice rang out. "Li Hao, this is Ning Long. Am I bothering you? If it's not convenient now, I can call back at another time."

Li Hao was stunned for a moment. He looked at everyone. "Ning Long, who is that?"

Kutta, Gaia, and Gasmi were all dumbfounded. Who?

Ning Long?

Li Hao then reacted. Wasn't this the Dragon Girl?

"Senior Sister Ning Long, hello! What's up?"

"I want to meet you. I wonder if it's convenient?" Ning Long asked. Although it was a bit presumptuous, she wanted to understand it herself. This was also one of the missions of the Caster Dragon Clan's emergence, and Dao Chailie had directly dropped eight levels.

Li Hao looked at the "嗷嗷待哺 (嗷嗷待哺: áo áo dài bǔ, eagerly awaiting to be fed)" brothers. "Should I ask her to come along?"

Kutta, Gaia, and even Gasmi were nodding frantically. What do you mean "come along"? This was something they couldn't wish for more.

After settling Ning Long, Kutta's eyes toward Li Hao were different. "Li Hao, who exactly are you? Are you really human? Why is the Dragon Girl looking for you?"

"What 'who are you'? I'm a genuine human."

"Come on, stop pretending. You have strength stronger than Gasmi, you know De Fandis, and now Ning Long is actually taking the initiative to look for you. This is not reasonable!" Kutta said firmly. "Yesterday, where did you go? Why did Dao Chailie drop eight levels? This is only possible in a duel. Could it be???"

Gaia hadn't ruled out this possibility, but he thought it was unrealistic. However, so many unbelievable things put together just didn't feel right.

Gasmi's antennae kept shaking, curious, very curious. He had been curious all along. He always thought that Dao Chailie had been defeated by Li Hao, because the only way to shut up an orc was to be stronger than him.

"I really don't know the Dragon Girl," Li Hao said helplessly. "In the mythology of my human civilization, there's a close connection with the Dragon Clan. As for Dao Chailie, alright, I beat him up yesterday, so the matter is resolved."

Instantly, Gaia, Kutta, and Gasmi's mouths all gaped open, their eyes bulging wider than the others. This was actually true?

Was Li Hao so badass?

When they learned the truth, Gaia and the others couldn't accept it. After all, a level 39 sergeant major... and an orc! How terrifying they were after opening Tianyan (天眼: tiān yǎn, Third Eye)! They had witnessed it before, yet Li Hao had returned unscathed. How strong was that?

"Holy crap, did the Dragon Girl fall for you?" Gaia suddenly exclaimed in shock.

"Are you kidding me? Even if Li Hao becomes the Chief of the Shengge Committee, that's just a dream!" Kutta was also dumbfounded. Li Hao was still trying to hide such a sensational thing.

It was too terrifying. Wahaha, he could boast to Olivia again. Humph, was his brother an ordinary person?

Maybe Olivia couldn't beat Li Hao either. Wasn't that to say, "Circle Leader, Brother Li, Brother Li, what do you think of my sister? We're brothers, don't let the good water flow to outsiders!"

Li Hao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I have a girlfriend, really. I feel like I'll be able to reconnect with her soon. She's in the Libra Shengge. Kutta, if you have any connections, help me find out about her."

Kutta was a little disappointed, but he was still willing to help. "That's a small matter. What's her name?"

"Arths Ayoyo Dalivin, a human girl with starlight eyes. She's already a sergeant, so she should be easy to identify." Li Hao hadn't thought of this earlier.

"Leave it to me. Starlight eyes, isn't that unique to the Tianren? And they're also rare, right, Gaia?"

"Maybe it's a reaction similar to starlight eyes. It's really rare," Gaia said disbelievingly. Most Tianren had gemstone eyes. Starlight eyes were too rare.

(Dear partners, I will work hard during the May Day holiday. I wish everyone a happy holiday!)

(End of this chapter)