NOVEL WEB Chapter 197 - He's Pretty Full of Himself
Chapter 197: He’s Pretty Full of Himself
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Everyone fell silent for a moment as they exchanged looks with one another.
Te Bajing was still the first to speak. He said, “Leader Shina, the India Alliance can provide you with two Divine Body Realm cultivators pro bono. They can reach the Japan Alliance within a day.”
Rage filled Shina Zobe. A day?
Hmph.
On the surface, however, he hastily put on a show of gratitude, bowing slightly and saying gratefully, “Thank you very much, Mr. Te Bajing.”
Following that, the other alliances also spoke up.
“Leader Shina, the world is not at peace recently. Everyone lacks Third Realm cultivators very much.
“You should also be aware of that. Thus, we, the Iran Alliance, can only provide you with one Divine Body Realm cultivator pro bono. They’ll reach the Japan Alliance within a day,” said the Iran Alliance’s leader solemnly.
The leader of the US Alliance also expressed similar sentiments.
Thereafter, the other leaders also responded. Their sentiments were very simple: they didn’t have any Third Realm experts that they could provide him with.
They could only provide assistance in other aspects, such as nuclear weapons.
In the end, Dong Pingtao and Bay were the only ones that hadn’t spoken.
Everyone directed their gazes at them. Even the infuriated Shina Zobe could only suppress his anger and look at them sincerely.
“Leader Shina, the Russia Alliance’s territories are too vast. Not only are there a great number of world passages here, but the Deep Abyss is also here.
“Therefore, the Russia Alliance is also unable to provide you with any Third Realm experts and can only provide assistance in other aspects pro bono, such as nuclear weapons,” Bay said seriously.
Shina Zobe became even more displeased. They were one of the five big countries, yet they weren’t going to provide even a single Third Realm expert pro bono. How loathsome of them.
Yet, he couldn’t find any reason to refute them with. Everyone did indeed lack Third Realm experts.
Relatively speaking, among the five countries, the Russia Alliance did indeed face an even bigger shortage. Thus, they naturally wouldn’t be willing to provide any pro bono.
After nodding, he looked at Dong Pingtao with utmost sincerity.
Everyone knew that among all the alliances, China was the one that carried the most weight when it came to Third Realm reinforcements.
Even if they were to combine all of their Third Realm cultivators, they still wouldn’t be able to beat China.
On top of that, the difference was even one with great disparity.
Dong Pingtao faced their gazes openly and said steadily, “Given the crisis in the world right now, every alliance faces a shortage of experts. However, don’t worry, Mr. Shina. We, the China Alliance, will dispatch three Third Realm cultivators as reinforcements pro bono.”
The moment he said that, Shina Zobe’s eyes widened. Unable to hold himself back anymore, he said in displeasure, “Leader Dong, the China Alliance has a great number of experts. Don’t you think that it’s not very appropriate for you to only dispatch three?”
It might seem like China had taken top place in terms of reinforcements among all the alliances by dispatching three experts, but relative to the number of experts in China, it was simply too few.
As though they had expected it a long time ago, none of the other leaders’ expressions changed.
None of them intended to stick their necks out and say anything. Instead, all of them watched on quietly.
With a steady look on his face, Dong Pingtao looked at Shina Zobe seriously and asked unhurriedly, “What is inappropriate about it?”
“Leader Dong, China has hundreds of Third Realm cultivators, yet you’re only providing three. Is this really appropriate?” Shina Zobe replied swiftly.
Dong Pingtao looked at Shina Zobe quietly for a few seconds. Then, he raised an eyebrow slightly. His voice turned slightly sterner as he said, “Leader Shina, you seem to have misunderstood something. We, the China Alliance, are providing you with assistance pro bono out of humanitarianism.
“How much assistance we provide is dependent on how much we give, not how much you need.
“If you’re not agreeable to it, then we can call it off. There won’t be any assistance from us.”
His voice that was neither anxious nor slow rang out unhurriedly. It carried great confidence, as well as a feeling as though he was looking down on the other party.
Shina Zobe was terribly enraged, yet he couldn’t—nor did he dare to—lose his temper.
The other leaders watched the show quietly, none of them saying a word.
“Calm down a little. Dealing with the Dragon Clan is an important matter that concerns the whole of humanity. We must be united.” Te Bajing let out a light cough and said.
“I’m very sorry, Mr. Dong. It was my fault. Please forgive me.” At once, Shina Zobe suppressed all of his fury and bowed deeply as he spoke with an expression full of sincerity.
The other leaders weren’t surprised. No matter what, Shina Zobe would definitely have to give in.
There was no doubt about that.
Dong Pingtao waited for a few seconds before he finally said, “I hope this will not happen again.”
“Rest assured, Mr. Dong. This definitely won’t happen again,” replied Shina Zobe definitively.
After a moment’s pause, he asked earnestly, “The reinforcements…?”
“Two, I suppose. Just like the India Alliance,” Dong Pingtao said dispassionately.
Shina Zobe’s hands shook a little. How he wished he could gnash his teeth in fury. They were only providing a paltry two experts when they had hundreds of Third Realm experts.
The other alliances were just as bad. They were only providing four Third Realm experts in total.
As expected, benefits were the only thing that mattered to the alliances at the critical juncture. They weren’t to be trusted.
No matter how infuriated he was inwardly, though, he nevertheless had to put on a sincere look of gratitude on the surface. He bowed at the other ten world leaders and said sincerely, “I thank all the leaders for providing us with assistance pro bono. I am very grateful.”
All the leaders smiled and nodded.
After he straightened his back, Shina Zobe’s expression became even more serious and solemn, and he said sincerely, “Leaders, to thank you, the Japan Alliance will provide some things in reciprocation. Please discuss this in detail later.”
The leaders perked up. It was time for the main show.
What they had discussed just now was solely pro bono assistance. Thus, the alliances naturally wouldn’t be willing to dispatch that many.
If he wanted them to dispatch a large number of reinforcements, then he would have to provide remuneration, of course.
This was something necessary, even if they were in the same camp. This was a tacit rule that had always existed among all the countries.
It was just like how they had to pay a price when they requested the Tiger King’s help.
Of course, relatively speaking, the price would be a lot lower than that.
Therefore, none of the leaders had any objections about Dong Pingtao providing only three Third Realm experts and changing it to two in the end just now.
This was pro bono assistance after all, so they naturally only made casual mentions, of course.
It was just that Shina Zobe was simply too greedy and never satisfied, and he only thought of wanting more pro bono assistance and paying less.
How could life possibly be that easy?
He was just too unlucky to have the Dragon Clan army heading to the Japan Alliance.
It was just like back then when the Deep Abyss invaded Russia. Russia had also paid the price it needed to pay to China and the other countries.
With them willing to take care of half of the ‘sincerity’ they had to show the Tiger King, Japan already had it pretty good. Moreover, this was even only because they saw that the Dragon Clan was too strong and posed too big a threat.
Every leader in the meeting was well aware of all the circumstances involved in this matter.
This included Shina Zobe, too. It was just that he was always so greedy and never satiated whenever it involved huge interests and risks.
The meeting ended after a little more discussion.
The Japan Alliance started to engage the other alliances in discussions about the amount they had to pay in exchange for the number of reinforcements they would receive.
Everything proceeded tensely and swiftly.
Ten minutes later, a Japanese senior official came up to Shina Zobe with an awful look on his face. He said solemnly, “Leader, all the negotiations with the alliances have reached a critical juncture. However, all of them have added a certain condition.”
“What condition is it?” Shina Zobe, whose brows were drawn together tightly, already had a vague idea.
“The condition is that they’ll only dispatch reinforcements if it’s confirmed that the Tiger King will do something,” the senior official said solemnly.
“Those idiots!” Unable to hold himself back anymore, Shina Zobe let out a furious shout.
He had already guessed as much when Te Bajing said that the pro bono reinforcements would arrive within a day.
‘Within a day’… should they arrive more than 23 hours later, there was no way of knowing what kind of situation the Japan Alliance would already be in.
This meant that the pro bono reinforcements would only arrive after they managed to get the Tiger King’s help.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t send experts to their deaths.
Shina Zobe calmed down after gulping down air a few times. He knew that he had to get the Tiger King’s help right away.
How loathsome of China. How can they push something like this to us at times like this?
Those bastards…
“Continue the negotiations. Also, tell them that we’ll be able to get the Tiger King’s help very soon,” said Shina Zobe in a deep voice.
“Understood,” answered the senior official. Then, he turned around and went back to his duties.
Shina Zobe immediately urged his subordinates to hurry up. He asked, “Is the proposal to convince the Tiger King and the Tiger Queen ready?”
“We still need a few more minutes,” answered someone respectfully.
A few minutes later…
With a heavy heart and utmost sincerity, Shina Zobe dialed a number.
“Hello, good day to you. May I know if I’m speaking to His Excellency, the Tiger King?” asked Shina Zobe respectfully.
In the Tiger King’s Cave’s hall, Di Baijun asked aloofly, “What is it?”
Upon hearing the voice on the other end, Shina Zobe’s heart sank. It wasn’t the Tiger King; from the sound of it, it was the Tiger Queen instead.
“Greetings, Your Majesty. I’m Shina Zobe, the leader of the Japan Alliance. I’m calling to speak to His Excellency, the Tiger King.
“The Dragon Clan army is closing in on the Japan Alliance. I would like to ask for the Tiger King’s help to save us.”
Shina Zobe said straightforwardly without beating about the bush.
Di Baijun frowned lightly. Those worms were surprisingly smart. Instead of approaching them, they had decided to pick on weaker opponents.
As she thought about it, she said coldly and haughtily, “Haven’t I already told Dong Pingtao? Yet, you’re still calling?”
Shina Zobe’s frown deepened. By now, he wished that Dong Pingtao had been lying instead. Unfortunately, he hadn’t.
At once, he said respectfully, “I’m aware, Your Majesty. However, the situation is perilous. This concerns a hundred million people from the Japan Alliance. I hope the Queen can understand.”
Di Baijun wasn’t interested in all that at all. She said impatiently, “I’ll say it again. His Majesty has gone into seclusion. Talk about it again when he’s out of seclusion.”
She got ready to hang up right after she finished.
Shina Zobe panicked and hastily said, “Please wait a moment, Your Majesty. The situation is really very urgent for us. We can agree to any condition, no matter what it is.
“Can I request the Queen to ask the Tiger King to come out of seclusion in advance?
“Japan will be infinitely grateful.”
Di Baijun let out a cold laugh. They actually dared to say something like that?
“Who do you think you are?”
Then, she immediately hung up and blocked the number in a practiced manner.
Shina Zobe was stunned. Then, he gnashed his teeth in fury.
“Idiots! Idiots!”
He yelled furiously. It had been so long since anyone had had the audacity to talk to him like that.
How dare a tigress treat him like that…
His hand, which was holding the phone, had even turned a little pale due to gripping the phone too tightly.
Two minutes later, he calmed down and dialed the number again with renewed sincerity, only to find out that he had been blocked.
His expression froze right away. There was also a vague sense of panic in it.
For the next two hours, Shina Zobe—who was becoming more and more panicked—tried all sorts of measures.
Such as calling with different phone numbers, calling the Tiger King’s second younger brother, and so on.
However, it was all in vain. The other party had actually switched off the phone.
Helpless, Shina Zobe could only shamefully ask China for help.
After hearing what he said, Dong Pingtao soundlessly revealed a smile. With his voice as calm and steady as ever and with nothing out of the ordinary, he said, “Leader Shina, you don’t have any kind of relationship with the Tiger King and the Tiger Queen at all. Yet, you were so presumptuous to request that the Tiger King come out of seclusion in advance.
“That was indeed not right of you.”
“Yes, I was wrong. Leader Dong, please help us. Please convince the Tiger King and the Tiger Queen after you get into contact with them. The Japan Alliance will be infinitely grateful,” said Shina Zobe who had adopted a very humble stance.
“I’m so sorry, but there’s nothing we can do. All I can say is that we’ll try asking them again,” Dong Pingtao said with a sigh.
There was nothing Shina Zobe could do. Nevertheless, he immediately expressed his thanks.
After the phone call ended, Dong Pingtao remained seated where he was without moving.
The smile on his face disappeared, and he mused quietly. A brief moment later, a cold look flashed across his face.
He still didn’t do anything. It was only more than ten minutes later that he finally picked up the phone and called Shina Zobe.
With some resignation in his voice, he said, “Leader Shina, I’m very sorry, but we’ve already tried our best.”
A wave of dizziness came over Shina Zobe at once. By the time he wanted to say something, the person on the other end of the phone had already hung up.
His breathing became unprecedentedly heavy and rough as he sat where he was in a daze, still and motionless for some time.
In the capital of China…
Dong Pingtao calmly gave an order. “Come up with a prediction for what will happen after the Dragon Clan troops wipe out the Japan Alliance immediately.
“What can we gain from it?”
“Yes.”
After a response from someone rang out, Dong Pingtao sat where he was. Hints of reminiscence and sorrow surfaced in his eyes.
After a while, they all turned into cold unfeelingness.
It was time to pay the price for some things.
Soon, the alliances received the news that Shina Zobe had offended the Tiger Queen.
They couldn’t get into contact with the Tiger Queen anymore at the moment.
The alliances’ preparations started to soundlessly change.
Right at this point, in the room in the Tiger King’s Cave…
Wang Hu was still seated cross-legged on the bed. The Life-Giving Pearl originally in his hand had already vanished without a trace.
Wisps of golden gas circled and wandered around him.
Suddenly, as though they had encountered a strong suction force, the wisps of gas instantly entered Wang Hu.
As though water that had built up in a large dam was about to overflow, an extremely powerful aura arose within his body as if it was about to thoroughly erupt.
However, he suppressed everything back into its original position in the end.
Everything became calm and peaceful once more.
Wang Hu opened his eyes. There was some surprise and delight on his face.
The Life-Giving Pearl really was pretty good.
A few seconds later, Di Baijun walked into the room. In contrast to her cold and haughty attitude toward others, she asked, “How is it?”
“It’s very effective and also rather surprising,” replied Wang Hu with a chuckle.
Upon hearing his response, Di Baijun also revealed a look of joy. However, she suppressed it after that; she then took out the cell phone and passed it to Wang Hu.
“Here’s your cell phone.”
When Wang Hu received it from her, he discovered that it had been switched off. He smiled and asked, “Did anything happen during the last few days? Has the Dragon Clan made any move?”
“Yes, those worms have headed to Japan,” replied Di Baijun dispassionately after she took a seat.
“Japan?” Wang Hu raised his brows with some unusual emotion in his voice.
Di Baijun, who had picked it up, looked at Wang Hu. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing much. I just feel like they’re pretty unlucky.” Wang Hu’s smile widened a little as he replied fairly seriously.
Di Baijun let out a light snort filled disdain and a voice of coldness and haughtiness. “They called a lot of times; I just have to switch off your cell phone. They’re so annoying.
“And they actually even wanted you to come out of seclusion in advance. They’re really so presumptuous.”
Wang Hu smiled in amusement and nodded as though he agreed very much with what his wife had said. The corners of his lips quirked upward, and he said meaningfully, “They certainly are very presumptuous. They’re probably very full of themselves.”
“Yeah.” Di Baijun agreed.
“Alright, we don’t need to pay them any attention. We’ll just watch what happens.” Wang Hu reached out and put his arm around Silly Girl.
Di Baijun blinked and looked at the rascal a little curiously. “You don’t intend to bother with the worms’ invasion this time?”