176: Cthulhu's crisis. A reluctant decision—to forcibly activate the Beast King's legacy! 2

President Nicola's smile instantly froze, and his outstretched arm hung awkwardly in mid-air.

"Uh... hehehe..."

He let out a few dry laughs, fine cold sweat beading on his forehead, and quickly tried to explain,

"A misunderstanding! It was a huge misunderstanding! It was all Lucia's fault for spreading rumors and deceiving the guild! Fortunately, Your Highness, you are true gold that fears no fire, proving yourself with supreme divine power, which prevented our Merchant Guild from making an irreparable mistake!"

Su Chen wasn't interested in his excuses. He raised a hand to interrupt him and got straight to the point:

"Enough nonsense. I know why you're here. You want me to help you seize the beast emperor inheritance and monopolize the Myriad Beast Sea. I can do that."

His gaze met Nicola's, carrying a pressure completely at odds with his appearance:

"However, the premise of our cooperation is that you first meet my demands."

Nicola was taken aback by this no-nonsense style; all the arguments he had prepared were stuck in his throat.

"Hehe, Your Highness is truly straightforward."

He quickly adjusted his mindset, a professional yet more solemn smile reappearing on his face,

"Whatever you need, just say the word! As long as my Star Sea Merchant Guild has it, there will be no second thoughts!"

A glint flashed in Su Chen's eyes.

He had been waiting for that very sentence!

"First, five Sealing Runes."

"Second, one thousand sets of Large-scale Space Stabilization Devices."

"Third, all core technologies related to vibranium smelting, forging, and application."

"Fourth, one million awakening stones."

"Fifth, one awakening essence."

Su Chen's voice was steady. With each condition he stated, the smile on Nicola's face froze a little more, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

When the final "one million awakening stones" and "one awakening essence" were spoken, Nicola's smile completely collapsed, looking worse than crying, and he nearly choked.

"Your... Your Highness... are... are you not joking?!"

Nicola's voice changed pitch, with a hint of a sob,

"The Sealing Runes, space stabilizers, and vibranium technology, while precious, I can grit my teeth and find a way to gather them for you... But... but one million awakening stones?! That's an astronomical number, enough to arm a million awakened legions! And the awakening essence... that... that's a treasure that could spark wars across several sea regions! Your... Your..."

He was roaring in his heart: Why don't you just ask me to pack up the Merchant Guild headquarters and give it to you too?!

"It seems,"

Su Chen's eyes suddenly turned cold, his voice like a biting wind, "President Nicola's so-called 'sincerity' is nothing more than this. See him out."

"Your Highness, wait!"

Lan Xin hastily stepped forward, blocking their way,

Anxiously looking at Nicola, then turning to Su Chen, trying to ease the tension, "Your Highness, your demands are indeed... very grand. Do you think this might be feasible? We genuinely cannot produce one million awakening stones at once, but we can provide one hundred first. Then, our Merchant Guild will fund the construction of an 'Awakening Tower' for you and Divine Summer!"

She quickly explained:

"This tower can gather energy and simulate an awakening environment. As long as one passes the trials within the tower, there's a very high chance of natural awakening. Its effect far surpasses simply using awakening stones; it's equivalent to a sustainable source of awakening!"

Su Chen's eyes flickered. He pondered for a moment, then nodded:

"Acceptable. However, I must obtain the awakening essence."

Seeing Su Chen concede on the astronomical number of one million awakening stones, Nicola immediately felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders and let out a sigh of relief.

But as soon as he heard "awakening essence," his heart leaped to his throat again, and his facial muscles twitched violently from the pain.

The value of that item was enough to buy several resource-rich planes!

However, thinking of the terrifying potential Su Chen displayed and the immense benefits behind the beast emperor inheritance, Nicola gritted his teeth, a tragic, determined expression on his face as if he had thrown caution to the wind:

"Alright! Since Your Highness insists, I, Nicola... even if I have to sell everything I own and go bankrupt, I will find an awakening essence for you!"

He changed his tone, revealing a hint of difficulty:

"It's just... Your Highness, the awakening essence contains overly vast and violent energy. Its preservation and use require special secret methods for reinforcement and guidance. This processing time will take at least... one day. This is a consensus in the Endless Sea and cannot be forcibly shortened. Surely... Your Highness can spare this one day, right?"

One day?!

Hearing this timeframe, Su Chen's small hands, clasped behind his back, suddenly clenched, and the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably.

He cursed inwardly: That's exactly the day I can't spare!

Su Chen's small chest rose and fell slightly as he took a deep breath, as if to suppress the lingering scent of blood and gunpowder in the air, along with the urgent sense of crisis, deep into his heart.

He raised his eyes, calmly looking at Lan Xin and Nicola, who was preparing to leave.

"Good."

His clear childish voice carried an undeniable weight,

"In that case, our cooperation is hereby established."

He turned to Nicola, his gaze sharp: "President Nicola, rest assured, I, Su Chen, always keep my word. Since I've accepted your investment, I will certainly secure the beast emperor inheritance of the Myriad Beast Sea for you."

He slightly changed his tone, with a hint of urgency: "As for the other resources the President promised, please... fulfill them as soon as possible."

"Hahaha! Of course! Your Highness, rest assured!"

As soon as Nicola heard the words "beast emperor inheritance," his eyes immediately burst with an uncontrollable greedy light. All his heartache was thrown to the back of his mind, and he laughed heartily, patting his chest to guarantee,

"I will return to the Merchant Guild headquarters immediately and personally oversee it! Everything Your Highness needs will be delivered to you intact and at the fastest possible speed!"

With that, he eagerly motioned for Lan Xin and the others to activate the spatial device and return.

"Wait."

Su Chen suddenly spoke, his gaze falling on Lan Xin,

"Director Lan Xin, please stay. I have some details about the subsequent cooperation regarding Blue Star that I need to confirm with you privately."

Nicola had no doubts. As long as he could get the beast emperor inheritance, he didn't care about these minor details. He agreed with a smile, then, along with the other Directors, hastily stepped into the glowing portal and disappeared... Once the spatial fluctuations subsided, only Su Chen and Lan Xin remained (with the thunderous sounds of battle in the distance serving as a backdrop).

Lan Xin looked at the little boy, whose height only reached her waist but who exuded a chilling aura. She frowned slightly, her tone laced with concern and a hint of confusion:

"His Highness Kraken, do you... have any other difficulties? From the negotiation just now, I felt... your state seemed somewhat off..."

Su Chen didn't answer immediately. He turned around, his small hands clasped behind his back, and slowly paced two steps, gazing at the sky of the Shadow Kingdom, stained red by war.

After a long while,

He finally dropped a bombshell in a flat, emotionless tone:

"I want to go to Myriad Beast Sea now and get the beast emperor inheritance in advance. Do you... have any way to do that?"