II. Tyroht’s Question. Ali leaned forward, a smile playing on his lips. “The story is this: this month has been full of strange occurrences. Suddenly, the elusive Fourth Level entities have been appearing one after another. Not only was there the big news of three Fourth Level beings emerging among the nobility, but far away in a place called the Solar System, two more Fourth Level entities have appeared. And they are terrifyingly powerful—so powerful they managed to kill Karagoonis, the Guardian God of Kustar.”

“Oh, so there are new Fourth Level entities in the distant reaches as well?” Tyroht, as a core member of the High Council, was fully aware of the incident where Yang Ying and Blade struck, leading to the demise of Karagoonis. Nevertheless, he feigned ignorance.

Ali nodded. “Although people have long suspected that beyond the twenty-six named Fourth Level entities in the Orion Arm, there must be hidden, unknown ones, no one expected five to show up at once, all of them incredibly formidable.”

The brilliant Milky Way is vast. Even narrowed down to the Orion Arm, it contains tens of billions of stars. The races of the Orion Arm still have a long road ahead before they can fully explore it, and explorers frequently discover new intelligent species. Under these circumstances, the existence of never-before-seen Fourth Level entities hidden in uncharted space had become a generally accepted notion.

At this point, Ali smoothly flattered Cass and the other two Light and Shadow Consuls, though in reality, only the War God of Luoya, Xidilun, knew the true extent of the three Consuls’ power; Ali’s understanding of them was limited.

“Enough of this irrelevant chatter. Let’s return to the original question: how did you come by the Geoxing people, and how many do you have?” Tyroht did not wish to continue that topic.

Although the galaxy was large, the sudden appearance of five Fourth Level entities in the Orion Arm within a few days was too coincidental, startling many. As of yet, however, no one had publicly suspected a connection between the Protos and the Terrans, given the vast physical distance separating the two races, which made any contact seem impossible on the surface.

Seeing that Tyroht was unreceptive to flattery, Ali laughed it off. “Right, right, about this batch of Geoxing people. Well, their total number is around one hundred million. Their origin? We bought them from the Kustar Empire. The Kustar people are selling everything they have to scrape together resources to deal with the Geoxing threat.”

Tyroht’s eyes flickered. “The Kustar sold Geoxing captives? Be specific.”

Ali continued. “Since the fall of Karagoonis, the morale of the Geoxing fleet has soared. They are sweeping across the Flyn Kingdom like a whirlwind, showing no sign of regrouping to seize territory in the Perseus Arm. It’s clear that the Geoxing people value eliminating their sworn enemy even more than conquering new lands. Before long, they will certainly attack the Kustar Empire’s homeworld.”

Tyroht nodded, signaling him to proceed.

Ali explained, “So, the Kustar panicked. Their Emperor has issued a total mobilization order, declaring the entire race in a state of utmost emergency to counter the Geoxing pressure. Simultaneously, they dispatched envoys to various races seeking military aid. But few responded. After all, seizing territory in the Perseus Arm is the current trend. No race can spare personnel, and even if they could, they wouldn't lend them to the Kustar, whose reputation as warmongers is quite poor. Thus, the Kustar have started selling everything they own.”

Just then, Cass communicated a few words to Tyroht via telepathy. Tyroht immediately stated, “That’s wrong. Even if the Kustar wanted to deal with the Geoxing captives, they shouldn't sell them to slave traders. The Slave Trade Alliance couldn't withstand the pressure from the Geoxing people. If Yafei had directly asked you for the people, you would have handed them over, effectively returning the Geoxing captives to the Geoxing people, wouldn't you?”

The Slave Trade Alliance was, after all, a cooperative organization, not a state apparatus. Though these slave traders possessed some influence, they were at best equivalent to a race ranked seventy or eighty in the Orion Arm; how would they dare defy the will of the Geoxing people?

Upon hearing this, Ali adopted a look of stern dignity. “Lord Tyroht, you underestimate us. Did we not accept captives from the noble Burkes as well? Just as we can guarantee that these Burke people will be unable to return to the Burke Empire for five standard years, we can offer the same guarantee to the Kustar Emperor regarding these Geoxing people—that they will not return to the Geoxing Kingdom within five years.”

“I don’t believe you,” Tyroht said bluntly. “The reason you dared to take Burke captives and make those guarantees is because you have high hopes for our war against the Burkes, placing your bet on us becoming the new overlords of the Burke-Reck Star Field. If the Burkes remain dominant, you’d likely sell us out in a heartbeat.”

Neither Cass nor Tyroht ever trusted these slave traders to keep their word based on principles. Only strength compelled their adherence. Ali broke into a cold sweat, completely unnerved. The Slave Trade Alliance’s view of the Burke-Reck Star Field was exactly as Tyroht had just laid bare, leaving Ali momentarily flustered and at a loss.

Tyroht continued, “But the Geoxing captives are different. The Geoxing people have already gained the upper hand over the Kustar on the battlefield; the Kustar’s defeat is all but sealed. With even a shred of rationality, you wouldn’t make a decision to oppose the Geoxing people at this juncture.”

Ali chuckled sheepishly, his face growing slightly pale. After a moment of thought, he decided to tell the truth. “My Lord speaks correctly. We indeed cannot withstand direct pressure from the Geoxing people, and the Kustar know this. Hence, until now, the Kustar always managed the Geoxing captives in their own centralized camps. Occasionally, Geoxing people who ended up in the slave market were immediately ransomed back by the Geoxing Kingdom. But this time is different…”

“What’s different?” Tyroht asked.

“This…” Ali chuckled wryly. “The fate of the Geoxing people seems unrelated to the nobility, why must you press the issue? Why not steer the conversation back to our business? If you are truly interested in the Geoxing people, I guarantee I can find several beautiful Geoxing maidens among the captives for you. Wouldn’t that suffice?”

“Speak!”

Tyroht’s gaze became sharp, piercing Ali and chilling him to the bone.

Heavens, a peak Third Level master—no, perhaps even at the limit of the Third Level.

Ali broke out in another cold sweat. He was merely a Second Level psychic, a vast gulf separated him from Tyroht.

Ali glanced sideways through the corner of his eye. His vision passed through a transparent light screen into a large hall outside the conference room, where fifty or sixty fervent, imposing, and extraordinary individuals were standing. He swallowed hard, then looked to his right, where the light screen opened onto a balcony; various types of flying craft zipped across the sky intermittently.

At this moment, all exits were sealed. His party was completely surrounded by the Protos—or, to put it pessimistically, they were entirely at the mercy of their captors.

“Wait a moment. Fine, I’ll talk,” Ali immediately made the wise choice. “Actually, these Geoxing people are not yet under our control. The Kustar sent an escort team specifically to liaise with the buyers. We are merely providing intermediary services, giving them a channel into the market. Who they ultimately sell to is decided by the Kustar escort team.”

“Fearing I might bypass you and go directly to the Kustar, thus cutting out your brokerage fee?” Tyroht sneered. “Truly a group of petty people. The Protos operate openly and disdain such tactics. You will contact the Kustar escort team for me. If you handle this well, I might allow you a slice of the profits from the Burke captive sale as well.”

Tyroht’s initial, direct reprimand had left Ali looking utterly miserable, but upon hearing of new business, his expression instantly flipped to one of beaming joy. He repeatedly confirmed, “That is absolutely no problem, I will contact them immediately.”

He excused himself and returned about fifteen minutes later, his expression slightly odd. “Lord Tyroht, it seems there’s a complication.”

“What complication?”

“It’s the Burkes,” Ali said, apparently having completely forgotten the previous tension with Tyroht. “The Burke Empire somehow got wind of this. They have contacted the Kustar escort team and are asking to acquire these Geoxing people. Their offer is extremely high, paid for with strategic resources, and the Kustar seem tempted by their bid.”

“The Burkes?” Cass, who was secretly observing, pondered for a moment and immediately grasped the Burke’s intention. “It seems they plan to use these Geoxing captives as leverage to persuade the Geoxing Kingdom to mediate the war against the Protoss.”

Currently, every race was busy with distant expeditions, and only the Geoxing people kept their main forces in the Orion Arm. They were the best mediators the Burkes could find.

If this succeeded, the Burkes would hold both war and peace in their hands. If their tactics were strong enough and their luck held, they might indeed find a sliver of hope for survival.

It was a pity that their opponent was the Protoss, specifically the Protoss under Yang Ying.

“The Burkes want these captives to bargain with the Geoxing people. This means the Geoxing captives are very likely to flow back to the Geoxing Kingdom. The Kustar won’t agree to that so quickly. Arrange a meeting for me with the Kustar forces, as soon as possible,” Tyroht stated, his Third Level peak psychic power granting him excellent intellect and insight.

“Naturally, it is my honor to serve you,” Ali bowed deeply.

“Dismiss them. Arrange accommodations for them, and report to me if anything develops,” Tyroht called for a squad of Fervent Ones, who escorted Ali and his entourage away.