Chapter 227: The Nightdemon Representative

As the competitors from Earth headed to the night spirits' banquet, the nightdemons finally made their move.

"Fu Bo, head to the Nike Hotel and see what Ye Mo's doing there," the young leader of the nightdemons, Pu Kui, commanded.

"Yes, Mistress!" her male attendant, jade-green runic inscriptions running up and down his body, replied earnestly.

"As a representative of my clan, remember to act politely!" Pu Kui called out from behind.

"Yes, Mistress!" Fu Bo responded again, then vanished from sight.

Ye Mo was the young leader of the night spirits. She wasn't particularly strong, but her foresight and intuition were incredibly accurate, and the fact that she had invited the other party to a banquet meant that he had to be valuable in some fashion or another.

In the Nike Hotel, the Chinese competitors got seated, and the dishes that had already been prepared at the table were finally unveiled. There was a sumptuous feast prepared, and except for a few specialties, the rest of the food was all Chinese delicacies.

Indeed, their gracious host had put in significant effort for this banquet, and the Chinese hunters all felt favorably toward her. After all, although the night spirits were subordinate to the night demons, they were still far stronger than mankind in general, and the fact that she had shown such sincerity and care was truly commendable.

"Please, Mr. Zhang Lie, have a taste of the food. I hope it's to your liking," Ye Mo began. The hunters, indeed hungry, dug in with gusto. The food was surprisingly delicious, the best meal that they had all had in their three days of travel.

"Ms. Ye Mo, if there's anything you'd like to ask me about, please be direct," Zhang Lie requested halfway through the feast.

Ye Mo stilled, then smiled kindly. "It's nothing important. I'm simply curious about such a legendary figure as you, Mr. Zhang."

"Please, Ms. Ye, I know the limits of my strength. Perhaps I might be a strong hunter within the solar system, but within the Milky Way, compared to a clan like your night spirits, I'm certainly no one special at all. If I'm not mistaken, you must be here on account of limit fragments!"

Ye Mo didn't expect such directness from Zhang Lie, but she quickly recovered.

"Indeed, Mr. Zhang Lie. The purpose of this banquet was twofold: to meet the legendary hunters from Earth, and to learn more about this mysterious theory of limit fragments that is the source of your newfound strength."

She even reverted to her demonic form, a transformation specific to the nightdemons. Sharp spikes protruded from her joints and her irises vanished, leaving only white eyeballs behind. A black exoskeleton formed over her body as a scorpion's tail sprang out from underneath her dress. Dark mist wafted from her body, making her look as though she had stepped out of a nightmare.

Their gracious host, who had looked much like a human, transformed into a demonic being.

"Mr. Zhang Lie, the night spirits are particularly humanoid members of the nightdemon race, with over 50% similarity in terms of our DNA. I'd like to know whether your theory of limit fragments can be applied to the night spirits as well."

Her declaration shocked the guests gathered at the banquet table.

"You're refreshingly direct, Ms. Ye Mo. To be honest, I know very little about the night spirits, or even the nightdemons as a whole. It's impossible for me to say anything conclusive under these circumstances, but in theory, this theoretical framework should be applicable to any intelligent lifeform. However, the precise formulation of these limit-breaking potions is certainly race-specific, and identifying this formulation will require a significant amount of labor," Zhang Lie replied.

Judging from Zhang Lie's words, finding the key to this breakthrough was a matter of research and analysis, and could indeed be actualized.

"Very well! May I ask what you require for your cooperation, Mr. Zhang Lie?" Ye Mo pressed, understanding very well that this was an opportunity that might not come again.

"I won't make a difficult reque—"

"Ah, please wait, Honored Fu Bo!" Just as Zhang Lie was about to state his conditions, an exclamation rang out from the entrance to the banquet hall.

Ye Mo stood up, a frown on her face. What was Fu Bo doing here? Was Pu Kui also interested in this Zhang Lie fellow? It looked as though she underestimated the four prime races' interest in Zhang Lie's theory...

Fu Bo, dressed entirely in black, swept into the room.

"Ms. Ye Mo, what a festive celebration! I was passing by when I noticed your presence. I haven't eaten, so would you mind if I joined your feast?"

Despite the fact that Fu Bo was being a nuisance, he was known to be one of Pu Kui's close subordinates, so Ye Mo wouldn't offend him lightly if she could help it.

Zhang Lie didn't much mind the addition of another person, but the fact that he had shown up halfway through, impolitely barging into the conversation, made the remaining guests somewhat displeased.

Ye Mo acceded to his request with just a moment's thought, motioning for one of the servants to bring him appropriate cutlery.

Fu Bo looked Zhang Lie up and down, asking in a rather disdainful tone, "You're Zhang Lie?"

"Indeed I am. And this person is?" Fu Bo's disdain caused the other guests to frown, but Zhang Lie himself didn't pay it much mind. When he replied, however, he turned to Ye Mo instead, without looking directly at Fu Bo.

Fu Bo sneered. If not for the fact that Pu Kui had warned him to be polite, he would already have made a ruckus.

"I apologize, Mr. Zhang Lie. Let me introduce you both. This is—"

"Fu Bo, of the nightdemons!" Fu Bo interrupted, pride in his eyes. He sat down at the table, opposite and to the left of Zhang Lie, but couldn't bring himself to pick at the half-eaten food already present.

"A pleasure to meet you, Fu Bo." Zhang Lie inclined his head politely, then turned again to Ye Mo. "Thank you for your gracious banquet, Ms. Ye. I'm full, and I'll be departing now. If you have matters to discuss further, please feel free to stop by my quarters."