tkworld Chapter 484 The Gathering of the Black Hands at Wan Yi Collection
Chapter 484 The Gathering of the Black Hands at Wan Yi Collection
Chapter 484 The Gathering of the Black Hands at Wan Yi Collection
After the foreign language class, both Bai Ze and Ekaterina had gained something.
Even a ruptured heart can recover immediately, let alone other organs.
Martial arts are a manifestation of evolution, and martial arts masters often possess abilities that others cannot.
"Time is almost up."
Wearing a black coat, Ekaterina took a few unsteady steps, but her eight-star divine body had gradually recovered.
She handed Bai Ze a pair of black metal glasses and said, "It's a portable consciousness projector specifically designed to connect to the Wan Yi Zhi Ji virtual conference room. It's more convenient than Dong Xia's virtual pod, but not as secure as Dong Xia's Star Network."
The StarNet of Dongxia is less a technology and more a combination of science and metaphysics.
It utilizes treasures obtained from the metaverse to create a near-realistic virtual world while ensuring security.
In the Western Union, only a very few factions can possess virtual worlds of the same level, as their extremely high hardware requirements make such virtual worlds completely unsuitable for all.
The portable consciousness projector in front of us is far less realistic than StarNet.
However, it also has an advantage: it does not completely immerse the mind, and the situation in reality can be perceived at the same time.
This can be considered a case of being wrong in some ways but turning out well.
Bai Ze took the consciousness projector and used his true energy to clean up the mess on the sofa, coffee table, and other places.
He put on his metal-rimmed glasses and sat on the sofa, while Ekaterina pulled out a data cable and connected it to the activated tactical AI.
"Connection initiated."
With a notification sound, Bai Ze's consciousness wavered, and he found himself in a dark conference room.
The dim lighting in the room highlighted the blurry figures around the conference table.
Bai Ze looked around and found that some people had already arrived.
The burly figure was dressed in clothing resembling an overcoat. Although only an outline was visible and no specific form was known, Bai Ze still recognized him as a military strategist.
After all, I had listened to this old man talk about his glorious past for an entire afternoon. I wouldn't say I knew him inside and out, but I could at least recognize his demeanor.
Of course, this is also because the military strategists did not deliberately disguise it.
If he really wanted to disguise himself, he would make the silhouette projected from his consciousness completely different from his own.
In addition, there was a blurry figure sitting at the end of the conference table, with his hands crossed in front of his face, striking a pose reminiscent of Commander Ikari.
This is also the participant revealed by the open cards—the god of commerce.
"Oh? They're already here?"
Another projection appeared opposite Bai Ze, a slender figure exuding languor, her gaze falling on Bai Ze, "You look different from what I expected. I thought you were going to reveal your true form."
It's been a long time since I last sent my greetings.
The woman stood up, pulled at her skirt, and bowed, like a lady of Western aristocracy from a bygone era. "I am a painter."
Actually, there's no need for much introduction. When Bai Ze looked at her, the word "painter" appeared in his eyes, written in the Dongxia script.
The god of commerce, that is, the businessman, has already confirmed that the writer is from Dongxia.
"It's been a long time," Bai Ze replied in a neutral voice.
To others, the writer's true identity remains a mystery, except to the military strategist, Bai Ze revealed it in order to steal his cabbage.
This is also taking into account Vladimir's presence.
Although the military strategist, Old Deng, wasn't a good person, he did have an upright side. As long as he played the Vladimir card, he would become a very reliable ally.
Following the painter, several other figures appeared in succession: a politician, a musician, and a traveler.
After that, no one else appeared.
The politician's silhouette is that of a slightly overweight middle-aged man, and you can tell he's wearing a suit, which really fits the stereotypical image of a politician.
I just don't know if that figure is real or fake.
The musician was tall and thin, with a refined demeanor, and didn't look like someone involved in the evil forces of Wan Yi Zhi Ji at all.
The traveler was wearing a hat, which was probably a cowboy hat, so there's a good chance he was a Westerner.
After a while, no new people appeared.
"Is the educator absent?" The painter looked at an empty seat opposite him.
The educator was Kosh'e, who had previously had one of his avatars killed by Bai Ze in the Mountain and Sea Realm, and had glimpsed the mysteries of the life equation.
He was probably unsure who the author was, only having a suspicion.
But one thing is certain: Bai Ze is on the writer's side.
He didn't even attend this meeting related to writers.
At this moment, the God of Commerce stood up and said, "It has been confirmed that the educator and mathematician are absent from this meeting. Now, the meeting shall begin."
"This meeting is still being chaired by me, a businessman, and it is the first time a writer has participated in our meeting. He is replacing the theologian who has been confirmed dead, and he will be in charge of related transactions between Dongxia and Yingguo from now on."
As he said this, the god of commerce looked at the musician.
The musicians were absent from the last meeting.
The musician nodded slightly to Bai Ze as a greeting.
The painters, military strategists, businessmen, travelers, musicians, and politicians present, along with Bai Ze, the writer who recently joined, and the absent educators and mathematicians, make up a total of nine people, who are now in charge of the Wanyi Association.
Seeing the musician nod, the God of Commerce continued, "The principle of the Gathering of All Things is that everything is tradable, even among us. Each meeting can be considered a trade fair, where intelligence, resources, treasures, cultivation techniques, and even lives can be bought and sold."
This sentence was naturally said to Bai Ze, who had just joined.
After he finished speaking, the God of Commerce sat down.
This means we can begin.
"Then, I'll go first."
The painter chuckled and said, "You should all know that Douglas of the Western Alliance tried to take away the Iron Continent of Ying, and you may even know that the Shinra Empire got involved. In the Shan Hai Realm, Grand Duke Mars led his troops to advance on the Eastern Xia's front line, with the Grand Dukes of Pluto and Neptune supporting him from the rear, making it difficult for the Eastern Xia military to spare any fighting force to stop Douglas."
"Douglas eventually failed, and the Eastern Xia military's retaliation followed. The Eastern Xia Baxia base arrived near Nine Veins Peak a day ago, where the largest medicinal field in the Divine Luo Empire is located. It is estimated that a battle has already taken place."
The Baxia Base, built on the back of a Baxia, is one of the most famous war bases in Dongxia.
Before leaving the Mountain and Sea Realm, Bai Ze had already heard about the relocation of the Baxia base. At that time, he thought it was because of the killing of members of the Social Security Bureau, but he did not expect it to be for revenge against the Shinra Empire.
"To be precise, the exchange has lasted for an hour."
The traveler flicked the brim of his hat and sighed, "I just came out of the Mountain and Sea Realm half an hour ago, and I almost got caught up in the struggle between these two sides."
His words sounded somewhat apprehensive, but his demeanor was quite composed, showing no sign of panic.
"Western Union has also noticed the movements of both sides, and Congress is currently holding an online meeting on this matter," the politician said in a calm voice.
Upon hearing his words, the military strategist scoffed. "So, they're just staying out of it. Douglas started this conflict, and now the Western Union is choosing to stand aside—that's exactly what I thought of them."
While fighting has broken out here, they are still holding an online meeting there. The meaning is actually quite clear.
"Who told Grand Duke Mars to rush off to be a troublemaker?" the painter said, shrugging.
She seemed to have no concern for the Holy Roman Empire whatsoever, and her words were full of schadenfreude towards that Grand Duke Mars.
"Should Ursus intervene?" The God of Commerce then looked at the strategist.
Everyone else also looked at the military strategist.
Well, even if his identity as a military strategist hasn't been fully revealed, others probably already guessed that he was a high-ranking officer in the Ursus military.
Considering that the vast majority of the Ursus military condenses the Ursus Radiance into divine will, they are not suitable to interfere in the dirty dealings of Wan Yi Zhi Ji, and their options are actually quite narrow.
There are not many high-ranking military officers who have not condensed the divine will of brilliance.
"Military operations on the other side of the mountain and sea border are outside my jurisdiction," the military strategist said, arms crossed, indicating that he had no comment.
"What about Dongxia?" The God of Commerce turned to Bai Ze. "Writer, do you think Dongxia will escalate the conflict further?"
All eyes turned to Bai Ze.
Among the gazes were scrutiny, examination, and probing.
They all wanted to see just how powerful this writer was who had dethroned the theologian and replaced him.
They all wanted to know the author's true identity.
This might be an opportunity to find some clues.
Bai Ze met those gazes and pondered for a moment.
Then, he suddenly chuckled and said, "That depends on you."
"What do you mean?" the God of Commerce then asked.
"What I mean is, do you want to escalate, or do you want to maintain the current situation? I can help you achieve either of your goals."
Bai Ze placed his hands on the conference table, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "As long as you're willing to pay the price, everything is negotiable. That's the motto of the Wan Yi Zhi Ji, isn't it?"
An unexpected answer, an unexpected reaction.
Everyone present fell silent.
This writer has quite the big mouth.
"Interesting. You mean you can influence the decisions of the Eastern Xia military?" the military strategist asked with great interest.
Old Deng, at this moment, pretended to be a stranger to Bai Ze again.
"It hasn't reached that level, but it's still possible to influence the Eastern Xia military in a certain direction. By guiding the situation and enticing them step by step, it's like writing a story."
Bai Ze said leisurely, "That's what a writer is like."
His tone is getting increasingly arrogant.
However, considering that the writer seized the opportunity to force the general out of Yingguo and, by taking a risk, extended his reach to control the Steel Continent, everyone had to consider whether the writer truly had that ability.
"So, what is the price?"
The military strategist expressed the sentiments of the people.
If the outcome of the conflict between Dongxia and the Shenluo Empire could be determined—whether it would be a small-scale struggle or a large-scale war—it would be of paramount importance to everyone present.
They are able to extract considerable profits from this.
"I am very interested in Wanyizhiji's activities in the Shan Hai realm."
Bai Ze tapped the table lightly with his finger, looking at the God of Commerce. "Since this is my first time attending a meeting, consider this a small gift from me. The bargaining chip I need to decide whether Dongxia should escalate the conflict is the data on Wan Yi Zhi Ji's expansion in the Shan Hai realm in recent years. In particular, I'd like to know what the educator has been doing in the Shan Hai realm all these years?"
"Deal." The strategist agreed immediately.
The people present, however, were not surprised at all.
Because his identity as an educator is pretty much an open secret.
Given the long-standing feud between Koshche and Ursus, military strategists would certainly be the first to agree to anything detrimental to Koshche.
For others, selling information about Kosh'e wouldn't harm their interests, and if they agreed, it wouldn't be a bad idea.
Unfortunately—
"According to the contract, core information related to us personally must be disclosed with our personal consent."
The God of Commerce calmly stated, "The educator is not present; I cannot disclose his information without authorization."
Contracts are the underlying logic of business.
Even the god of commerce himself cannot violate this.
Because his foundation is built on business.
While the evil gods gain convenience by donning disguises, they are also limited by those disguises.
Koche knew this too, so he simply didn't show up, leaving Bai Ze no chance to find an opening.
"Then, what about theologians who have already been excluded?"
Bai Ze, however, showed no disappointment. He then inquired about the deceased Qu Jingxuan, saying, "I'm currently in charge of trade between Dongxia and Yingguo, which overlaps with the theologian's area of responsibility. I should be able to obtain information related to him, right?"
"In principle, even though the theologian is dead, his information is still protected by the contract," said the God of Commerce.
Bai Ze laughed, "That means, in reality, it is possible."
>