C79 The Negotiation Was Successful

Ball scampered back after only a short while.

"Waaah! Waaah!"

With pride, he offered the Iron Heart Bamboo King Shoot to his father, his eyes brimming with encouragement, signaling the Iron Eating Beast King to take a bite.

"Hmm?"

Despite his skepticism about its purpose, he trusted that his son wouldn't steer him wrong.

The Iron Eating Beast King tentatively placed the Iron Heart Bamboo King Shoot in his mouth and nibbled.

"Hmm?"

Surprise flickered across the Iron Eating Beast King's face.

The flavor was crisp, refreshing, and delightfully sweet, far surpassing any Iron Heart Bamboo shoot he had ever tasted.

Moreover, the shoot was rich in metal and wood elements. With enough of them, he felt confident he could ascend to the king's realm in just half a month.

The Iron Eating Beast King glanced at Wang Yan, sensing a connection between him and the extraordinary bamboo shoot.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"

Seeing his father's astonishment, Ball knew he had made an impression and promptly began to negotiate.

Eventually, father and son came to an understanding and turned their gaze to Wang Yan.

The situation had become quite clear.

The Iron Heart Bamboo King Shoot was the pivot of the Iron Eating Beast King's stance. As long as Wang Yan kept supplying them, past grievances over the child's abduction could be forgiven and forgotten.

Any other person might have caved under the pressure of two hundred lord-level ferocious beasts and the guilt of child-stealing, meekly handing over the shoots.

But Wang Yan was not just anyone.

To ignore such an opportunity would be an affront to his own principles.

"These shoots? I can supply as many as you need."

Wang Yan gestured, and two tons of Iron Heart Bamboo King Shoot materialized from nowhere.

"However, expecting to get them for nothing is out of the question."

With that, he swiftly reclaimed the two tons of shoots.

"Ying! Ying!"

At Wang Yan's action, the Iron Eating Beast King and all the Iron Eating Beasts let out roars of indignation.

The oppressive presence of 200 lord-level ferocious beasts was overwhelmingly strong, to the point that even Wang Yan, with his Soul Strength maxed out at 222, struggled to endure it.

Yet, he persevered.

Should the negotiations fail, fleeing was his only recourse.

But success would not only recoup the points for the Ironheart Bamboo King Shoot but also secure additional treasures.

"Ying! Ying!"

The Iron Eating Beast King advanced a step, its towering five-meter stature exuding immense pressure.

Wang Yan stood his ground, locking eyes with the creature's large, dark-ringed gaze.

Tension mounted in the air, an invisible force seeming to radiate outward.

Each passing minute was excruciating.

After what felt like an eternity but was only three minutes, the Iron Eating Beast King, lured by the Ironheart Bamboo King Shoot, conceded.

The negotiations could now begin in earnest.

"What is this madness? How come they can understand us, but we can't make heads or tails of their speech?"

Goldie grumbled, clearly baffled.

There was no universal language among the various ferocious beast races.

Each species could only comprehend its own kind's speech; any other would be left utterly perplexed.

Yet, curiously, any spirit beast with a certain level of intelligence seemed to grasp the Han language.

"It's quite fair, really. They understand but cannot speak. We can't understand, but we can speak."

Stick countered with a shake of his head.

"Speak? How so?"

Goldie looked perplexed.

Stick: "Ying ying ying!"

"???"

Goldie was flabbergasted, staring at Stick for a full minute before declaring, "You must be seriously ill."

Through a mix of guesswork and interpretation, Wang Yan, Iron Eating Beast King, and Ball communicated with shouts and gestures. After a lengthy 180 minutes, they finally struck a deal.

Wang Yan was willing to provide the Ironheart Bamboo King Shoot, but not for free. It required a trade involving a living ferocious beast or other worthy treasures.

The beast must be alive; the dead need not apply.

And the treasures? They'd need to pass Wang Yan's scrutiny—no subpar goods accepted.

Wang Yan's role was simple: to appraise the offerings of the Iron Eating Beast clan and determine their worth in exchange for the coveted Ironheart Bamboo King Shoot.

After slaying the ferocious beast, Wang Yan could exchange the carcass with the system. He wouldn't just break even; with the right moves, he could turn a tidy profit.

Moreover, the treasures retrieved by the Iron Eating Beast spared him from the perils of combat and the exhaustive search that typically followed.

It was a win-win situation—why not go for it?

"Woof?"

The sound of Rice Bucket's voice emerged from behind him, followed by a large head patterned with black and white fur, eyes brimming with vigilance.

But it was all an act.

If Rice Bucket were truly as alert as he seemed, he wouldn't have waited until now to show up.

"You're slower than a snail on a salt flat!"

Wang Yan's hand came down hard on Rice Bucket's face, twisting his nose in frustration.

It turns out, national treasures have their own code of honor.

At the crack of dawn, they herded a pack of ferocious beasts back for Wang Yan to dispatch.

This canine contingent numbered around three hundred, with the least among them being a Rank 6 elite.

Recognizing the national treasure's reliability, Wang Yan was not one to be petty.

He allocated half of the points earned from the kills to exchange for Iron Heart Bamboo King Shoots, keeping the remainder as his own reward.

After all, what's a middleman without his cut?

Charging only a fifty percent service fee for system-produced goods, the national treasures were laughing all the way to the bank!

In addition to the ferocious beasts, Ball brought back a trove of other valuable items.

A bounty of Vajra Bodhi seeds, each one a perfect specimen, far superior to those found in the white ape's lair.

The Profound Gold Fruit, capable of bolstering the defenses of both muscle and skin.

The Wood Lingzhi, known for enhancing one's healing capabilities.

Wang Yan also discovered an herb known as Blood Restraining Grass.

It temporarily suppressed the power of one's bloodline, inducing a forced slumber.

When the Iron Eating Beast consumed food rich in metal and wood elements, it became overly exuberant.

To avoid any unwelcome excitement, they would ingest this herb.

A good night's rest, and the thrill was gone.

For the Iron Eating Beast, this particular spirit medicine wasn't often used. However, upon seeing its attributes, Wang Yan was struck with a sudden idea.

The military's assault on the Vajra Realm might not have been for the Vajra Bodhi at all, but rather for the Blood Restraining Grass.

Could it be possible, with the right manipulation, to suppress a lord-level spirit beast into a leader? And after signing a contract with it, allow it to gradually regain its strength?

The surge of bloodline power would only occur at the instant of contract signing.

If he could successfully forge a contract, even if the beast later ascended to a king's grade, it would pose no threat to a beast tamer.

A 100-point boost in constitution isn't something easily summed up; the combat power leap from contracting a lord-level spirit beast is immense.

Wang Yan had a hunch that the Empire might have long been in possession of this technology.

It appeared they were after the Vajra Bodhi, but their true target was the Blood Restraining Grass.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Empire might truly be in trouble."

Wang Yan mulled over the situation. The military's campaign against the Vajra Realm had to have a rationale behind it.

The most likely scenario was the Empire's dire need for Blood Restraining Grass and other resources from the Vajra Realm.

"Alas, when it rains, it pours!"

With a resigned sigh, Wang Yan wrapped an arm around Moon and another around Ball, popping two Vajra Bodhi into his mouth.