Chapter Eighteen: The Cavern of Demonic Flames (Part I)
Chapter 18: The Lair of the Demon Flame (Part 1)
Kuang Chi remained silent, only glancing toward Jing’er. Given Jing’er’s status as a princess, handling this matter through her would be easier. Besides, Jing’er had already mentioned the possibility of designating a planet for the Forgotten Star people to immigrate to.
Only after Kuang Chi’s gaze met hers did Jing’er speak: “If all of you simply wish to leave the Forgotten Star, the two of us can certainly assist.”
She paused, then continued, “However, once you arrive elsewhere, you must abide by the laws of our empire.”
The elder leaders from the Demon Valley and Qingyan Pavilion showed no overt excitement at Jing’er’s words. They merely nodded lightly and thanked her.
Then the elder from Qingyan Pavilion said, “Miss Jing’er, though our two clans only desire to leave the Forgotten Star, it cannot be done immediately; this will take time. If the outside world proves unsuitable for us, we will return. Therefore, we hope to obtain one of the transport ships.”
At this, the female city lord of Sixiang City lost patience with their status and bluntly responded, “Impossible. Our Forgotten Star has nine cities and tens of millions of people. Two ships are already far too few. How can we hand over even one to you?”
The elder of Qingyan Pavilion furrowed his brow, glanced at Siqing, then at Jing’er, who remained composed, and said, “Lord Siqing, I believe you have misunderstood us. We do not seek absolute control of the ship; once we depart the Forgotten Star system, we will promptly arrange for ships to bring others from the planet.”
Siqing snorted coldly, “Arrange? How do you plan to? Are you unaware of the dangers within the Forgotten Star system? Do you think ordinary ships can enter here? Even if they safely reach the outer space beyond the Forgotten Star, can they land on it? And once landed, how could they possibly leave again?”
The elder of Qingyan Pavilion appeared unaware that Jing’er could only provide three sets of spaceship power systems. Hearing Siqing’s words, she replied, “Doesn’t Miss Jing’er’s power system suffice? Once we leave the Forgotten Star, can’t we build more ships?”
Siqing remained silent, only snorting coldly. Jing’er interjected, “Gentlemen, there is something I want you to understand: these spaceship power systems require special materials, and I only have enough to manufacture three sets. In the future, there will only ever be these three. Therefore, it is impossible to give one of the two transport ships entirely to you.”
The elders of Demon Valley and Qingyan Pavilion had no idea what made these three power systems so special. From their perspective, as long as they obtained the blueprints, they could produce them themselves.
The two elders whispered low among themselves. Kuang Chi exchanged a cautious glance with the fifth elder of the Tyrannosaurus Valley sitting beside Jing’er.
After a long while, the elder of Qingyan Pavilion finally spoke, “Miss Jing’er, if that is the case, we will not insist. However, given the strength of our two clans, surely we can join your spaceflight company?”
Jing’er must have discussed this with Siqing, the female city lord of Sixiang City, beforehand. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have told Kuang Chi she was unwilling to cooperate with the clans of Demon Valley and Qingyan Pavilion.
She shook her head firmly, “I’m sorry, but our spaceflight company has already been established. There are no plans to expand at present.”
The elders from the two houses frowned; the elder from Demon Valley seemed to turn into a block of ancient ice, radiating cold waves all around.
The steaming dishes in front of Kuang Chi instantly froze into blocks of ice, infuriating him as his appetite was suddenly spoiled.
Without a word, the third elder of Tyrannosaurus Valley picked up a frozen dish and threw it at the elder of Demon Valley.
The Demon Valley elder caught it with one hand and disdainfully snorted at the third elder, then suppressed the spreading cold.
Chapter 18: The Lair of the Demon Flame (Part 2)
Kuang Chi looked at the frozen food before him and then again at the elder of Demon Valley. “What is the meaning of this? Trying to intimidate us?”
The Demon Valley elder, clearly irritable, stood up abruptly as if ignited by fireworks upon hearing Kuang Chi’s words. Fortunately, the elder of Qingyan Pavilion pressed him back down before he could speak.
Then the Qingyan Pavilion elder said, “Young Lord Kuang, we are here to seek cooperation. We understand that even if we leave the Forgotten Star system, many matters will still require your and Miss Jing’er’s assistance. So I hope we can sit down and discuss thoroughly. We need your support. I believe our two clans can still be of use to you, right?”
This elder of Qingyan Pavilion was clearly a wise man, speaking reasonably. Even Kuang Chi, who liked to stir trouble, nodded.
He smiled and said, “Very well, tell us how you envision cooperation. It looks like you came prepared; just speak plainly. As long as it’s mutually beneficial, we won’t refuse.”
The Qingyan Pavilion elder glanced at Jing’er, who looked pale and grim after the Demon Valley elder’s icy display. She seemed quite affected by the cold.
Jing’er ignored him, instead walking to Kuang Chi’s side, pulling out a chair. Sitting down, she said, “These matters are not my concern. You can discuss with him. But if you dare freeze me again, I will make you regret it.”
She shot a fierce glare at the Demon Valley elder.
The Qingyan Pavilion elder smiled and said, “Miss Jing’er, please don’t be angry. I’ll have the ice apologize to you properly.”
At this moment, the third elder sitting beside Kuang Chi spoke up, “You two make it sound so pitiful. If the records of Tyrannosaurus Peak are not mistaken, your clans have considerable strength outside. Your Demon Valley ancestors were part of the Demon Sect, one of humanity’s seven ancient great sects. I’m sure you’ve heard plenty about them from the exiles we’ve recently encountered.”
He turned to the elder of Qingyan Pavilion, “Though your Qingyan Pavilion’s members come from diverse origins, many ancestors were from the Sword Sect. Whether your family fortunes have declined or not, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse. There’s no need for you two to put on airs and belittle us.”
The Qingyan Pavilion elder smiled and replied directly, “In terms of strength, how could our two clans compare to yours?”
He paused, then added with a wistful expression, “Besides, we don’t even know if our ancestors’ sects or families will accept us. Your Tyrannosaurus Peak is different. Your clan’s young lord sits here now, so you can focus on returning home. But we must at least consider a secure fallback plan. Kuang Old Black, if you were in our position, what would you do?”
The one called Kuang Old Black by the other elder didn’t respond. They seemed to share some camaraderie, judging by the informal nickname.
Only then did Kuang Chi speak, “Then tell us your cooperation plan.”
He smiled and added, “If you really are descendants of the Sword Sect, we may have significant ties.”
Jing’er snorted coldly, “Indeed. This fat man is the current Sword Sect leader’s grandson-in-law. If you want to return to the Sword Sect, you can ask him for help.”
The Qingyan Pavilion elder gasped, glanced nervously at Anna sitting nearby, then said, “Young Lord Kuang, is this true?”
Before Kuang Chi could answer, Jing’er interjected, “Of course. His primary wife is the Purple Mist Sword Sect’s current leader—you should know of her. The sect is now under her control.”
Her voice dripped with jealousy, and even Kuang Chi was momentarily stunned.
Anna let out a soft laugh at this.
The third elder forced back a smile and said, “Enough. Our young lord’s connections won’t help you much returning to the Sword Sect. I heard recently from an exile that our Kuang clan and your Sword Sect are now allied by marriage.”
Jing’er seemed a bit embarrassed, shooting Kuang Chi an angry glare.
After some thought, the Qingyan Pavilion elder said, “Miss Jing’er, it is said you can help us Forgotten Star people find a suitable habitable planet within the Whirlwind Empire for immigration. Is this true?”
Jing’er nodded decisively, “Yes. But this planet is only to accommodate you. Its governance must remain under the Whirlwind Empire. Upon arrival, you must abide by our empire’s laws and adopt its nationality.”
The two elders fell silent again, lowering their heads to discuss. They seemed to have serious disagreements. Low murmurs of debate broke out.
At last, seeing no sign of agreement, Kuang Chi interjected, “This shouldn’t be a problem. It’s common now for clans to hold different nationalities. Each clan has different rules, but strict demands like those from thousands of years ago no longer exist.”
The Qingyan Pavilion elder asked, “Really?”
Kuang Chi smiled and nodded.
Seeing this, he continued, “If so, we have no objection to joining the Whirlwind Empire. Now, how do we cooperate?”
The topic finally returned to the main point.
Jing’er refrained from deciding unilaterally, looking at everyone before glancing at Kuang Chi and saying nothing.
Kuang Chi looked at Siqing, who seemed hesitant, and said, “I believe Lady Siqing’s main concern is that Demon Valley and Qingyan Pavilion will dominate the management of the spaceflight company. If your two clans relinquish management rights, I don’t think there will be major issues regarding usage rights.”
Since the families controlling the spaceflight company include the Tyrannosaurus Valley, Demon Valley, and Qingyan Pavilion, this was the bottom line for all parties.
The Qingyan Pavilion elder, clearly understanding this, nodded and asked, “What share will each of our two clans hold? What roles will we play? Especially, what are the future usage rights? Young Lord Kuang, please explain clearly.”
Kuang Chi smiled and winked at the displeased Lady Siqing, “You should discuss this with her. She will be the true manager of the company going forward. Though Jing’er holds the largest share, she will be returning home and won’t manage daily affairs. This has nothing to do with me. But let me warn you: please come to talks ready to cooperate.”