The second was fear of him. Judging by the strength he had just displayed, perhaps he truly didn't care about Xandar's survival at all. What he really wanted was the Power Stone.
But fighting him was impossible—there was no way she could fight again. And yet, the Power Stone could not be handed over. The female president was now worried sick.
"What you're thinking, I can see it,"
"I'll ask you again,"
"Give it or not—you decide."
No matter what she thought, Blaine could read it clearly with his mind-reading ability. However, this woman seemed to have something else she wanted to say.
"Now that you know about the Power Stone,"
"Then you also know it's not something ordinary people can possess,"
"Every man is innocent, but you should understand the truth of courting death,"
"So I'd like to make a proposal to you."
"Huh? You want to give me the coordinates of another tenth-level star core?"
"Ah—how did you know?!"
Blaine suddenly voiced exactly what the female president was thinking, which genuinely shocked her. Perhaps he really could read minds.
"Hmph,"
"You don't think I'm stupid, do you?"
"There's an obvious tenth-level star core right in front of me. I can reach it just by extending my hand."
"Then why would I listen to your painstaking proposal?"
"Waste time and energy looking for another target?"
For a moment, even Blaine was amused by the strange logic of the female president.
"No, I know it won't impress you,"
"But we can offer additional payment."
"How much?"
Blaine brightened instantly at the mention of extra money. As long as there was money involved, everything was negotiable.
"System, this shouldn't violate the rules, right?"
"Does the additional reward count?"
[It can be included in the Hunter System.]
With the system's confirmation, Blaine finally felt at ease.
"Make an offer,"
"If it makes my heart race,"
"Maybe I'll accept it."
Although he was ecstatic inside, Blaine still maintained a ruthless expression on the surface.
"Two fifth-level star cores."
"That should be enough."
The female president spoke cautiously, testing his reaction.
'Okay, absolutely okay.'
That was Blaine's inner voice, of course—he didn't say it aloud.
Although the energy of two fifth-level star cores didn't equal that of a sixth-level star core, when converted into system currency, it was an astronomical sum. At the very least, it would exceed a trillion. A huge profit. An enormous profit. Blaine was delighted.
"You think this is enough to send me away?"
"My worth is only two star cores?"
Taking a deep breath, Blaine suppressed his excitement and spoke calmly.
"No, you said it yourself just now,"
"Two fifth-level star cores, plus a clue to a tenth-level star core."
It had to be said—these aliens were ruthless negotiators. They stated their terms cleanly, without leaving any room for bargaining.
Unlike on Earth, where a cabbage priced at five hundred dollars would be bargained down to five—and even then, the buyer would still feel cheated.
Using his mind-reading ability, Blaine confirmed that the female president's thoughts matched her words perfectly. There was no deception.
Even so, Blaine wasn't fully satisfied. A crafty fox like him wouldn't let go so easily. Even if she were an iron rooster, Blaine would pluck a few feathers today.
"Hmph!"
"You say it's a clue, and it's a clue?"
"Who knows if you're lying to me?"
"What if you give me false information and I waste my time for nothing?"
Blaine narrowed his eyes and once again unleashed his overwhelming pressure on the female president. Bargaining was a battle of momentum—whoever lost their presence lost half the negotiation.
"Th-this…"
She was clearly flustered.
"Can't you read minds?"
"You should know I'm telling the truth."
"Besides, Xandar is right here. If even half of what I said is false,"
"You can come knocking on my door."
"At that point, whether you kill or butcher us, even if Xandar is destroyed, I won't complain."
"…Alright."
Given that, Blaine had no choice but to believe her. No lie could survive under mind reading.
Blaine's earlier words had only been meant to squeeze out a bit more benefit. He hadn't expected this woman to remain so clear-headed—even under his pressure. As expected of a planetary leader.
"Tell me about the clue to the tenth-level star core first."
Since force wouldn't work, Blaine chose a roundabout approach—extract the known information first and see if he could gain more later. After all, such a massive planet surely had more to offer than this.
"The coordinates are here."
As she spoke, the female president handed Blaine a transparent crystal panel. It appeared to be a high-tech display device—something akin to a handheld computer on Earth.
Blaine took it and glanced at the contents.
He had expected a long explanation—how the tenth-level star core was discovered, how hard it had been to obtain the information, perhaps even a dramatic display of emotion to make the deal feel more valuable.
Instead, she was straightforward.
Fine. Blaine stopped second-guessing her intentions and put it away without further inspection.
"You're not checking it?"
"I trust you for now."
"This is my business card. If you run into trouble in the future, you can hire me again."
Leaving behind the card, Blaine turned to leave. The Power Stone clearly wouldn't be handed over, but at least he had obtained a clue to another tenth-level star core.
As for the business card—it was part of expanding his Bounty Hunter career. After this battle, his reputation would spread across the universe. This would be the starting point of his march into the cosmos.
"Wait!"
Just as he was about to depart, the female president suddenly raised her hand to stop him.
Was there more to offer? Blaine had already given up on plucking feathers from this iron rooster.
"I heard from Quill that you're looking for a mysterious metal,"
'Fuck—Quill really does talk too much…'
'Hm? Wait,'
"You're saying you have a clue about it?"
Excited, Blaine immediately took out the metal. This was the thing he cared about the most—far more than a tenth-level star core.
"Yes. I've seen this metal before."
The female president took it, weighed it in her hand, examined it carefully, and spoke with a solemn expression.
After all, she was the leader of an entire planet. She didn't need to be a collector to have seen the wider universe. Perhaps she truly knew something about its nature.
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