"You shouldn't ask me what I need you to do, but rather what I can help you with," Bai Ye said. "You need to understand that not everyone is qualified to do things for me."
Yimi remained silent. He admitted Bai Ye was strong, stronger than him, but the tone of his words was far too arrogant.
Yimi provocatively asked, "Then what can you help me with?"
Bai Ye leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs on the table, and looked at Yimi. "William Macbeth, the Despair King!"
Yimi froze, then exclaimed in shock, "How do you know about the Despair King?"
"I know much more," Bai Ye replied. "Dou Xue Liu Fa and Blood Freezing Technique, you're a member of the secret society Libra, aren't you?"
This time, Yimi was utterly astonished. His abilities were no ordinary matter; they were also produced in the high-level zones, and Yimi was confident that not many people knew about the Blood Realm zone yet.
Yet, Bai Ye not only knew about it but also accurately stated the origin of his abilities.
Bai Ye then asked, "Do you want the Despair King's abilities?"
Yimi immediately stepped forward, slamming his palms on the table. "Yes!"
As the table vibrated, Bai Ye let out a low curse. His legs, propped on the table, slipped, causing him to lose his balance and fall backward.
*Bang!*
The next moment, Bai Ye sprawled on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The owner, carrying dishes, walked by, glanced down at Bai Ye, and said, "The chair is broken, remember to pay for it."
Yimi: "..."
Bai Ye: "..."
Yimi felt like he had caused trouble.
Bai Ye felt embarrassed, a perfect demonstration of "looking cool for only three seconds."
After switching to another chair, Bai Ye dared not cross his legs anymore. He sat properly and said, "William Macbeth isn't the Despair King. He's a fake. No, that's not quite right. The Despair King has possessed him."
Yimi sounded surprised, "Huh?"
Bai Ye continued, "I'll tell you how to find the Despair King and obtain his abilities."
Yimi pondered for a moment. "Still the same question, what do you need me to do? I don't believe in free lunches."
"Not for now," Bai Ye replied. "I will help you become stronger, and I will help you improve your standing within the Hidden Dragon Society. But 'not for now' doesn't mean 'never'."
Yimi asked, "Meaning, when you need me to do something, I must do it without the right to refuse, correct?"
"No, you have the right to refuse," Bai Ye suddenly leaned closer to Yimi, whispering in his ear, "as long as you're not afraid of death."
"Since I'm giving you something, I naturally expect a return," Bai Ye sat back down. "I'm feeding you because I want you to be a loyal dog, not a turncoat."
"Understand, or not understand, I need you to give me an answer."
Yimi was silent for a moment, then said, "Understood!"
"Very good. I will tell you how to find the Despair King, and this is just the beginning," Bai Ye said. "When do you plan to leave the Ruined City?"
Yimi replied, "I have no particular needs here. I was just passing through the Ruined City anyway. Since the matters I needed to attend to are done, I'll leave now."
"Stay for two more days," Bai Ye suggested. "The Ruined City is about to become very lively."
Yimi asked, "Oh? Crystal people?"
Bai Ye smiled. "Yes."
Yimi didn't think there was much to see, but since Bai Ye said so, he didn't mind staying an extra two days.
"Meet me in front of that wall in two days."
Bai Ye was so certain about the reason for the upcoming chaos in the Ruined City because...
Allen had a falling out with the Rhine Company!
Although Allen was not one of the leaders of the androids,
he had a good relationship with the owner of the hunting ground. While the owner appeared unassuming, like Li Chengjie, he was also one of the current leaders of the slum androids and had connections with some androids in the affluent district.
In fact, even though Li Chengjie had more renown, the owner possessed more actual power.
Furthermore, Allen also held considerable prestige among the androids. His great-grandfather was one of the earliest androids to break away from the Rhine Company and was their leader at the time.
This time, Allen had discovered the Rhine Company's conspiracy. With the owner's support, Allen negotiated with the Rhine Company on behalf of the androids.
Unfortunately, the negotiations broke down immediately.
Allen's demands were simple: continued equal dialogue and living conditions for androids and humans.
Naturally, the Rhine Company could not agree to this. They had grown accustomed to enslaving androids, and if they were to live as equals, would the Rhine Company have to risk hunting themselves?
Moreover, this issue had been debated for countless years without resolution, so Allen wasn't pushing too hard.
As a compromise, Allen hoped to maintain the current status quo.
But the Rhine Company still refused. The Life Crystals were crucial to the Rhine Company; the energy contained within them was simply too terrifying.
These were things that could end the Wasteland era, and they absolutely would not allow them to fall into other hands. Thus, while they outwardly agreed to Allen's demands, they also required Allen to hand over the Life Crystals.
Allen, of course, refused. Without the Life Crystals, the Rhine Company could not conduct their crystal person experiments. And if they gave up the Life Crystals, even though the Rhine Company claimed they would only conduct energy extraction experiments.
But...
No one was a three-year-old child; who would believe that?
Thus, the negotiations fell apart.
After the breakdown, war was inevitable.
It's worth noting that in Bai Ye's memories from his previous life, the Rhine Company was the one that initiated the war.
Upon discovering that their scheme was exposed, the Rhine Company decided to go all out and have their crystal person army directly suppress the androids. Those who obeyed would be imprisoned, and those who disobeyed would be expelled from the affluent district.
However, this time, due to the loss of the Life Crystals, the Rhine Company was hesitant to act rashly. Their ingrained arrogance meant they still treated Allen poorly, but they genuinely didn't consider initiating conflict.
But after the crystal person matter was exposed, it wasn't just the slum androids who were dissatisfied; the affluent district androids were also unhappy.
We risked our lives working for you, and you developed this thing to replace us?
Consequently, the leaders of the affluent district androids secretly contacted the owner, who then contacted other leaders in the slums. An agreement was reached, and they decided to attack the affluent district and overthrow the Rhine Company.
The process had a slight deviation, but Bai Ye wasn't too concerned, as the outcome was not significantly different from what he remembered.
It was merely that the Rhine Company initiating the attack had become the androids launching a preemptive strike. The core objective remained the same: overthrow the Rhine Company. According to Bai Ye's memories from his previous life, the Rhine Company would completely withdraw from the Ruined City.
Of course, this was all predicated on the androids winning the war.
And this was precisely what Bai Ye needed to do!
Bai Ye had to help Allen win this war!
...