Published: February 12, 2025
"Yesterday there was no update because it was Father's Day, and I went out drinking with my dad... Old Phantom apologizes to everyone..."
When Commander Cheng Liujin arrived at the Star Eye Clan, Aslan let out a sigh of relief.
In the two days since the novice battlefield ended, she was genuinely worried that someone would come and indiscriminately kill everyone here.
The first thing Cheng Liujin did upon arriving was to visit Pao Bai, who had regained consciousness in the treatment pod. The two of them sent everyone away, and no one knew what they discussed. It was only after two whole hours that Cheng Liujin finally emerged.
Surprisingly, he did not seek out Ye Zhongming immediately for a conversation.
Everyone knew the importance of Ye Zhongming to the Star Eye Clan at this moment. Shouldn’t someone as significant as Cheng Liujin reach out to him right away?
Fortunately, the day after meeting Pao Bai, Cheng Liujin finally met with Ye Zhongming.
"Don’t blame me for being slow to respond; your performance has been outstanding, and the clan is somewhat hesitant about how to reward you."
Ye Zhongming looked at Cheng Liujin, recalling the tales he had heard from other Star Eye Clan members about this legendary commander since the novice battlefield ended.
It seemed that, although not as ostentatious as Pao Bai, Cheng Liujin was also a legendary figure.
Aside from various battle achievements, some Star Eye Clan members mysteriously shared with Ye Zhongming that Cheng Liujin had allegedly been involved in a major robbery case several decades ago, where a large clan’s convoy transporting Moon Age Gold had been attacked.
Ye Zhongming was genuinely curious and inquired further, but everyone spoke in vague terms. They were just passing along rumors, and it was known that Cheng Liujin had disappeared for a while and returned injured. However, during that time, the struggling Star Eye Clan suddenly received a substantial influx of funds, allowing them to weather the crisis.
Ye Zhongming remained skeptical about this.
If the rumors were true, how could that large clan simply let things go? If they couldn’t deal with others, how could they not deal with a Star Eye Clan?
Well, even if they wanted to save face or were bound by rules that prevented them from acting without solid evidence, wouldn’t they still be able to create trouble or make things difficult for the Star Eye Clan? Could they really endure decades like that?
However, when Ye Zhongming saw Cheng Liujin and the indescribable look in his eyes, he had a fleeting moment where he truly believed that this man had indeed been involved in that robbery.
"Let’s first talk about the clan’s hopes. This way, when I explain what the clan can offer you, it will be easier for you to make a judgment."
Ye Zhongming nodded in agreement.
He wasn’t someone who lacked awareness. He understood the implied meaning in Cheng Liujin's words. Expanding on that, it could even determine the nature of their relationship.
Cheng Liujin, or the Star Eye Clan, was essentially saying, "You have created value for me, and I will get something from you in return. However, I won’t let you dictate the price. I will provide a number first, and you can see if that works for you. If not, we can negotiate further."
If the sides were equal, this wouldn’t matter much, but even if Ye Zhongming had won first place among newbies, and even if the Star Eye Clan was on the brink of extinction, the latter was still vastly stronger than the former.
At least for now, Ye Zhongming, as an individual, couldn’t compare with any of the All Races of the Universe, even against a clan like the Star Eye Clan.
The Long Void Water Clan? A free individual like him had only a few dozen members, all of whom were supportive in nature. Comparing that to the Star Eye Clan, which had independent bases and three major battle teams, was like comparing eggs to stones.
So the premise of the conversation between Ye Zhongming and Cheng Liujin was that Ye Zhongming was the weaker party.