"I've already looked over the report you sent. Indeed, those ants pose a considerable hidden threat. But… we of Kakin were simply responding to the request of the Republic of Rokario to hire someone to investigate and assist. We had no knowledge of those creatures beforehand… we're just as astonished as you."
"Is that so?"
Xiang Nan gave a wry chuckle.
He immediately stood up. "In that case, I guess there's nothing more for me to discuss with Your Majesty."
Saying this, he turned as if to leave.
"Oh, right. If this really has nothing to do with the Kakin Empire, then we in the Republic of Padokea have nothing to worry about either… or I should say, there's no more pressure on us. We can just hand over this investigation data to the V5— I'm sure they'll handle it just fine."
"..."
Never mind how Nasubi Hui Guo Rou reacted. Even the mission liaison to the side felt cold sweat pouring, forcing out heavy breaths.
Just as Xiang Nan was about to step out of the hall:
"Wait."
Nasubi suddenly spoke.
Xiang Nan gave a slight smile and slowly turned around, playing dumb. "What's this? Does His Majesty still have something to say?"
"You seem so certain… that these ants are connected to us, Kakin. On what basis?"
"You people provided coordinates far too precisely— almost as if you had full knowledge of the ants' activity range. If you're saying you hadn't already investigated beforehand, I don't buy it. I suspect that, by the time we got the assignment, Kakin already knew about the ants."
"You must have long since hired plenty of Hunters— on one hand gathering information about these ants, and on the other hand using those hired personnel as fodder to accelerate the ants' evolution. Right? Even simpler: just check with the Hunter Association about how many of their members have mysteriously disappeared in the last few years…
"These ants, if my observation is correct, shouldn't belong to the Human World. Or rather… they came from the Dark Continent."
He paused.
"After all, if they'd always been around, given their crazy reproduction rate and aggressiveness, they would've become widely known long ago. So can I guess that for some reason, they just 'recently' appeared on the human continent?
"If not even the V5 was aware of them… while Your Majesty has all along been informed— well…"
At this point, Xiang Nan didn't bother wasting breath.
"So what exactly do you want?"
The liaison's face showed an awkward smile.
His tone revealed that even though Xiang Nan had pretty much "punctured this window paper," Nasubi Hui Guo Rou could still forcibly maintain a façade of calm.
"Three conditions."
Xiang Nan held up three fingers.
"First, so far, only our Republic of Padokea military knows about this matter. It hasn't leaked to the political side. If word gets out among the politicians, even if we want to keep this under wraps for Kakin, it'll be very difficult, and eventually V5 will get wind of everything. Therefore, we of the military will help you keep the secret— no matter what plans Kakin may be plotting in the future, the Republic of Padokea will have its share."
He meant that once Kakin successfully compels the V5 to yield and becomes "V6," the Republic of Padokea wouldn't mind stepping in as well.
"Second, from now on, Kakin Empire will publicly announce, externally, that it's forming an alliance with the Republic of Padokea, further sending talented personnel from your military academy each year to our Republic of Padokea to train our troops. As for the cost… you can decide the figure."
This requirement was outright extortion.
"Third— my personal request— I want information regarding your country's 'Urn Ceremony.'"
"..."
Once he said that, even though Xiang Nan and Nasubi Hui Guo Rou couldn't directly "perceive" each other as normal, the tension in the hall plainly went off the charts.
Because the Urn Ceremony is Kakin's topmost secret— the foundation of its might.
Throughout the entire Kakin Empire, aside from Nasubi Hui Guo Rou himself, no one else knew.
A mere figure from the Republic of Padokea's military? He's aware of it?!
As soon as Xiang Nan mentioned it, even though Xiang Nan couldn't see Nasubi Hui Guo Rou's exact expression, at that moment, the king on the throne tightened his grip on the chair, and his narrow eyes opened a fraction. Calm as he was, he couldn't hide his astonishment.
Silence.
A deadly silence.
Compared to the secret of the ants, Xiang Nan's knowledge of the Urn Ceremony posed a far bigger threat.
For Hui Guo Rou, the instant Xiang Nan spoke those words, his mind likely flashed with murderous intent— absolutely cannot allow this man to leave Kakin alive. Even the very hall they stood in.
But he's not sure how many other people might already know. If the secret got out, killing Xiang Nan alone would do nothing. And just like this ant incident, the confrontation suggests Xiang Nan is no simpleton.
The ant affair, if leaked, would at worst prompt the V5 to investigate Kakin, hamper future plans.
But if the Urn Ceremony got out… the V5 would take every measure to suppress Kakin or wipe it out entirely, possibly resorting to armed force and initiating war. They would never allow something beyond their control. And indeed, a few of the V5-member states might covet that "ceremony" themselves.
"Not possible, huh?"
Xiang Nan asked.
"Aside from the third request, I can agree to the first two."
"Heh."
Xiang Nan's mouth curved upward.
Indeed, the Urn Ceremony was Kakin's lifeblood; he understood they wouldn't accept handing it over. By deliberately pressing for it, he aimed to force Hui Guo Rou to yield and not haggle with him further, thus ensuring that Kakin wouldn't play petty tricks afterwards. And hopefully, they'd earnestly join forces with the Republic of Padokea in the future.
From Xiang Nan's perspective, he's also securing himself a "ticket" and foothold for events yet to come.
"Though I'm disappointed, I'm not surprised."
Xiang Nan said.
"But it seems your intentions are hardly pure. Are you representing the Republic of Padokea's armed forces? Or the country as a whole? If you're just the military's man, I have to suspect that the Republic of Padokea's generals have some grand ambition… that they'd attempt a military coup? If your personal negotiations overshadow the official government, I can see your so-called highest brass might not want you to ascend, let alone overshadow them in the future."
Xiang Nan's mind flickered.
This Nasubi Hui Guo Rou was no fool, indeed an old fox.
"Right now, your Kakin is likewise a formidable military nation. As for negotiations… no need to worry. I can act on behalf of my country's armed forces. As for politics, we soldiers don't concern ourselves there."
"So, you can represent the entire military… meaning you'll be their leading figure soon, right? Such ambition… not bad at all. Kakin Empire loves making friends with the strong. With you around, I expect the Republic of Padokea is in for a bright future. But don't underestimate people's motives. Once they discover your ambitions, the current top brass in Padokea's army surely won't be happy— they'll never let you surpass them, or ride on their heads."
"We'll see. Kakin also grew from a mere little nation to what it is now."
They had fully unmasked each other's vulnerabilities. Precisely the reason both sides were compelled to collaborate.
At least for the time being, no one would betray the other.
Overall, Xiang Nan gained far more from the deal— one might say he had a huge harvest.
"If you need my help in future, just say so."
Hui Guo Rou tossed out an olive branch.
"Hm… for now, there's no need."
Xiang Nan nodded.
He realized the king's emotions must be quite complicated. Through this negotiation, Xiang Nan had essentially cut off a big chunk of Kakin's flesh. The king probably wouldn't want to see him around, at least not anytime soon.
"The Urn Ceremony… how did you learn of it?"
Finally, Hui Guo Rou couldn't keep from asking.
"Secret."
Xiang Nan replied curtly.
Plenty of players also knew of the Urn Ceremony, but likely none were in a position to directly threaten him by relaying it to the V5. And Xiang Nan, by relying on his national backing, could keep himself safe while convincing the V5.
It's just like the ants.
"Oh, almost forgot— from a personal standpoint, I wonder if your Kakin Royal Family is satisfied with this mission's results?"
Xiang Nan now faced the mission liaison.
That man blanked out momentarily, his face bloodless, eyes wide.
"On a scale of 0 to 100, how would you grade it?"
Xiang Nan stared straight at him.
"1…100! 100 points!"
Looking sideways at the King, trembling in dread, the liaison gave his answer.
Xiang Nan nodded, evidently quite pleased.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be off now… Your Majesty, here's hoping for our bright cooperation in the future."
He left this remark, turned, and walked away.
"Your Majesty…"
Once Xiang Nan had left, the frightened liaison looked nervously at Nasubi Hui Guo Rou.
BANG!
Sitting on the throne, that plump King wore no expression. He didn't spare the man a glance. Without warning, the liaison's entire body seemed crushed by a tremendous force, bursting into a spray of flesh and gore.
Then, Nasubi Hui Guo Rou, hands clasped behind his back, headed out of the hall.
He now realized circumstances had grown urgent, with major upheavals at hand.
He had to meet someone.
[Ding! Congratulations, Player, on clearing the Fourth Round of the Extinction Game!]
After stepping out of the palace, Xiang Nan's ears rang with the system's prompt.
Because this wasn't like the previous round involving interdimensional rules or the next-dimension infiltration, there was no scoring or dimensional currency for him.
But Xiang Nan believed that his so-called "hidden points"— personal performance— had surely gone up.
"This round's mission, evidently arranged by the system, might normally be solved, like how that Druid Master intended— using the deaths of other players to accomplish it. But in doing so, Kakin would definitely notice you. Once your newbie protection period ends, you'd be in huge danger. That translates into a higher chance of players being eliminated. Of course, to survive, you'd have to grow even stronger."
Xiang Nan walked through the palace grounds without bothering to admire the scenery, silently summing up.
Still, in fact, this round's mission offered "excellent" players the chance to exploit their knowledge of the plot and skillful tactics for bigger rewards— a hidden quest, so to speak.
Players with the ability could leverage the Kakin Royal Family, discovering the "Dark" content behind the story. That is, reaping direct benefits from them.
Whether it's money, connections, items, or information— each factor serves as the interest one can collect.
From Xiang Nan's own approach, he'd done about as well as he could.
"The game's still in its early phase. There's an abundant 'low-level advantage' for players. If this were late-phase, players collectively might disrupt events so severely that playing the plot for personal gain would be far harder. On the other hand, those who survive into the late game would definitely be extremely powerful. Right now, with me unlocking a storyline point and gaining from Kakin, subsequent players wanting to exploit Kakin and the ants must figure out a different angle."
"Yeah… this is further proof the system's intentions match my guess."
He muttered to himself.
"Which means the system is systematically vetting a champion. In each round, it orchestrates these arcs so players are forced to show how they handle it. Next time, if I'm the one leading a new mission as a newly promoted Rank 4 player… presumably, I'll get another chance to unlock hidden scenarios!"
Xiang Nan felt pleased.
This game was getting more and more intriguing…
~~~
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