Chapter 4153: Getting You

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Lu Yin reminded the bug.

Luo Chan replied, “War had not yet broken out.”

Lu Yin’s expression shifted. “Are you saying that, the moment the Immortal Lord saw the humans of the Third Rampart, they already knew that humans possessed high potential?”

“More or less.”

“Had the Immortal Lord seen a human civilization before?”

Luo Chan said, “I don’t know. I hadn’t seen one before that.”

“What about Obscura? How much do you know about them?”

“I already told them.”

Greater Sancte Blood Tower spoke up, “What the Nest civilization knows about Obscura is nothing more than that it’s a fishing civilization, but Obscura has never acted against the bugs.”

Lu Yin nodded. He then proceeded to ask Luo Chan a great many questions, some of which Green Lotus and the others had already asked, some that they had not.

Lu Yin was testing things indirectly, hoping to find some sort of evidence from Luo Chan’s replies that would indicate whether there really was a fishing civilization behind the Nest civilization. However, before much time passed, the Immortal Lord arrived.

A green stalk descended, facing the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm from afar. A beam of green light pierced the karma, delivering the Immortal Lord’s voice: “Humans, I propose an exchange.”

Without Luo Chan, even the Immortal Lord was forced to move about the Aevum Inch in a normal manner. While they might not move any slower than Green Lotus, it took longer to circle around the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm to get closer to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse than it had been for Lu Yin and the others to return.

This was extremely satisfying for the humans to see.

Previously, they had been forced to rely on numbers and ambushes to deal with the Immortal Lord. None of that was necessary any longer.

“An exchange? What do you offer to trade?” Green Lotus asked, clasping his hands behind his back, his gaze piercing the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm and the Aevum Inch to stare at the green stalk.

“Is Luo Chan still alive?”

“It lives.”

“Name your terms for Luo Chan’s release.”

Green Lotus chuckled. “For all these years, we’ve suffered enough from Luo Chan’s existence. Its ability to teleport is nearly impossible to deal with, and yet you want us to release it? Impossible.”

“Release Luo Chan, and I will help you deal with the Seven-Treasure Anuras,” the Immortal Lord proclaimed, stunning everyone.

Green Lotus, Blood Tower, and Lu Yin all exchanged looks of astonishment.

Such a high price?

Those were the Seven-Treasure Anuras.

Lu Yin looked back at Luo Chan, who was inside the Blood Tower. “How much do you know about the Seven-Treasure Anuras?”

Luo Chan said, “When the Tricolor Skyborne tried to leave, Lan Meng and Master stopped it and forced them to return. Later, Lan Meng shared with Master that they are luring the Seven-Treasure Anuras towards you humans. That’s when we learned about them.”

“What do you know?”

“Not much, though Lan Meng was certain that the Seven-Treasure Anuras can destroy your human civilization.” Bitterness filled the bug’s voice. “I suppose that Lan Meng didn’t know that you humans had two more hidden Immortals. Otherwise, even if the Seven-Treasure Anuras are a fishing civilization, it would be too costly to exterminate you.”

“Since Lan Meng said that the toads will destroy us, why did the Immortal Lord come after us now?” Lu Yin asked.

Green Lotus was not answering the Immortal Lord, and his attention instead aimed at Lu Yin’s questions.

Everyone was looking at Luo Chan, but the bug did not speak.

Blood Tower suddenly shouted, “Talk!”

His sudden roar startled everyone.

Awe Gate glared at Blood Tower, but she quickly turned her gaze back to Luo Chan.

The killing intent that pressed down on the bug forced Luo Chan to speak.

It was not able to hear the conversation taking place between the Immortal Lord and Green Lotus, as Blood Tower had blocked it.

Luo Chan had no idea that the Immortal Lord had already arrived.

“Because... because of you.”

Lu Yin was surprised to see that Luo Chan was staring at him. “Me?”

“Master wants to obtain you.”

The answer stunned Lu Yin, and the others also had strange expressions

“What do you mean?”

“In the Aevum Inch, Aberrants like you are not Immortals, yet they are able to fight against Immortals and even kill them. You are different from the other humans, as each of you has your own gifts. Master struck early partly for revenge, since they have lost their droplet form, but primarily to capture you. They wish to see if you could serve as the third transformation form for the humanoid Verdant Sage.”

Lu Yin was left speechless. He wanted to obtain Luo Chan’s ability, while the Immortal Lord wanted to convert Lu Yin. It was quite the coincidence that they had both had the same idea.

“No wonder,” Blood Tower muttered, only to suddenly frown. “But Lord Lu is also human. Even if that Verdant Sage transforms, it will only become a human. How could it transform into a specific person?”

Luo Chan said, “Master believes that he is not human.”

Lu Yin had no response for that.

Luo Chan looked over at him. “Master suspects that you might be another creature wrapped in a human shell, just like the humanoid Verdant Sage. If that is true, then transforming into your species would allow for an even greater form.”

Green Lotus laughed lightly. “Evolution is an unchanging aspect of life.”

Blood Tower was impressed. “That Immortal Lord really can think. Even if they do learn that Lord Lu is human and that it’s impossible for the humanoid Verdant Sage to transform into him, they won’t waste the opportunity. The Nest civilization is already able to produce Verdant Sages by harvesting the abilities of the species of a given megaverse. If they can capture Lord Lu and use him as nourishment for an Immortal Verdant Sage, that bug’s abilities might not be any inferior to Lord Lu’s.”

Awe Gate growled, “Watch your tongue! What nourishment?”

Green Lotus glanced over at Blood Tower.

The man laughed awkwardly. “Lord Lu, don’t mind me. I’m not good with words.”

Lu Yin smiled. “It’s the truth. I just didn’t expect the Immortal Lord to target me.”

“Humans, have you considered my offer?” the Immortal Lord called out again. They knew their terms were extremely enticing.

The Seven-Treasure Anuras were likely the greatest threat to humanity. If the toads arrived, no one could predict what would happen. Given the number of Immortals that belonged to human civilization, outright war was unlikely. Neither side would want to pay such a price. However, Obscura was also hiding nearby.

Who knew what Obscura might do to force a war?

Since Obscura dared to lure the toads to the human civilization, they must be confident in success. That was what unsettled Lu Yin the most.

If the Immortal Lord helped humanity, they would gain another top powerhouse. Even if war did break out, humanity might not lose to the toads. Even in the worst case scenario, the Immortal Lord could deal with Obscura.

For humanity, it was an offer that was hard to refuse.

Not even Green Lotus knew how to answer.

Normally, they would not care about anything that the Immortal Lord might offer and would refuse to ever release Luo Chan, but given the current situation...

One by one, everyone fell silent.

Lu Yin also did not answer. This was not a matter of surrender, but rather a matter of leverage. This was a condition that could be accepted.

At the same time, the one possibility that they had previously believed to have a fifty percent chance of being true had just risen to ninety percent.

First sacrificing the humanoid Verdant Sage and then offering such generous terms to save Luo Chan; was the bug really this important?

Luo Chan’s contributions in war were undeniable, but even without the bug, the Immortal Lord would have survived just fine. The Nest civilization would even be able to continue growing, albeit more slowly.

On the other hand, fighting against the Seven-Treasure Anuras could cost the Immortal Lord their life, or at least add to their karmic chain. Was Luo Chan really worth that?

Normally, the answer would be no. Luo Chan should not be valuable enough for the Immortal Lord to risk their life or increase their karmic restraints. The only exception was if the bug possessed additional value, such as if there was a civilization behind it.

Before Lu Yin returned, Green Lotus had asked Luo Chan two questions which the bug had blatantly refused to answer.

One: was there a civilization behind the Nest civilization?

Two: what species had Luo Chan’s teleportation ability come from?

Luo Chan had also refused to answer when Lu Yin repeated those questions. Only the mention of the springboard had caused Luo Chan to crack and offer a hint regarding the answer to first question. The second had remained unanswered.

Given the Immortal Lord’s attitude, it suddenly seemed possible that it was not the Nest civilization itself that had a fishing civilization behind it, but rather Luo Chan.

Whether there was a civilization behind Luo Chan had nothing to do with the fact that it was a Verdant Sage. In fact, if taken a step further, it was possible that teleportation itself was bait that a fishing civilization had released and that the Nest civilization had simply taken the hook. That was not impossible.

Green Lotus said, “Is Luo Chan truly that important to you? Do you understand the implications of fighting the Seven-Treasure Anuras?”

“Human civilization, I have already lost. The war between my Nest civilization and humanity is forever at an end. I have lost. Release Luo Chan, and I can help you stand against the Seven-Treasure Anuras,” the Immortal Lord repeated.

“A tempting offer. But what if I still refuse? You’ve seen how many Immortals humanity has. The Seven-Treasure Anuras may not even be willing to fight us.”

“Under normal circumstances, they would not. However, with Obscura and me, the picture changes.”

“You dare to threaten us?”

“This is no threat. A cornered creature is capable of doing anything. Release Luo Chan, and we will be friends. Keep it, and we will be enemies.”

Green Lotus was curious about something. “Is Luo Chan alone enough to corner you? Tell me why.”

The Immortal Lord did not answer.

Green Lotus continued, “Does your civilization, or Luo Chan itself, have a fishing civilization behind them?”

Lu Yin and the others waited silently for the Immortal Lord’s reply. After a long pause, the Immortal Lord finally replied, “Yes.”

Expressions shifted slightly, as this was expected.

Lu Yin looked up at the Heavenly Karmic Macrocosm. Was this true or false? He could not tell. Still, the Immortal Lord’s behavior certainly fit the picture. Why else would they be willing to pay such a high price for Luo Chan?

The Nest civilization was strong. They had once had three Immortals and four Insect Lords, among them Unbroken Time. But even behind all that strength loomed a fishing civilization. If the Nest civilization had been mere bait, it was easy to imagine just how powerful the fishing civilization must be.

“What kind of civilization?” Green Lotus’s voice had gone dry.

The Immortal Lord replied, “You don’t need to know. The less you know about fishing civilizations, the safer you will be. When the day comes that you fully understand one, it will be in front of you. That is the truth of the Aevum Inch. Humans, do you want to try?”

Green Lotus frowned.

Awe Gate and Blood Tower exchanged glances. This certainly matched with what they knew of the Aevum Inch.

It was like sensing that someone was staring. It was a feeling of something unseen that caused a person to turn their head.

Fishing civilizations were the same.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Knowing too much about a fishing civilization might very well draw it out.