Chapter 323: What Youre Worth (1/2)

Obolis closed his warp before peering out at the horizon, the distant clouds drifting. The Emperor gave it a nod, ”It would seem your planet is fairing well. It's quite an attractive place, I must say.”

I stared with him, ”It is...What are you here for?”

”As always, you're down to business as usual, not that I dislike such a thing. I've come here to discuss the deal along with a few future offers for you if you're interested.”

I blinked, ”I might not be, but we'll see.”

Obolis raised a finger, ”I assure you that tempting prospects await. As for our deal, an update on our planets' situations should give you an idea of what to expect moving forward.”

I frowned, ”I talked about it with Helios after one of my warping lessons. The ahcorous are excellent Hybrid killers as expected, though losses are still high among natives. Your albony were called off the frontlines, and the subsidiary planets are now fighting with the slimes and natives primarily.”

My frowned devolved into a grimace, ”And you're exploiting a lot of the experience gained. It's an unpleasant thing to think about, honestly.”

Obolis's smile dampened, ”Hm, that would be...Noteworthy, under different circumstances. Details aside, I can see you're establishing a network of cities on your homeworld. You've done that before doing so on Blegara even. It would seem I'm not the only individual devoid of favoritism, hm?”

I tilted my head down to him, ”Yeah, my people are being eaten alive, and I'm stopping it. You're making other people be eaten instead, and you're taking as many benefits as you can at the same time. It seems a bit...like leveraging your position.”

Obolis's smile ceased altogether, ”It would seem you're no longer in a talkative mood. Perhaps I caught you at the wrong time?”

I shook my head, ”I'm busy but not in a mood.”

”Then I'd remind you that we're allies on amicable terms.”

I raised my brow, ”If you say so.”

Obolis pinched the bridge of his nose, ”Then this shall be the given atmosphere of this meeting. So be it. Our planets are doing very well since the ahcorous have stepped in. Your quick dispatch of Plazia is the reason for that, despite your initial delays. Despite your rudeness, I'm still grateful.”

”So, what are you going to give me in return?”

Obolis's grin popped back up, ”I'm glad you asked. I'll be adding three additional furnaces. It's quite the haul-”

I raised a palm, ”Woah now, I don't want three furnaces.”

Obolis leaned back, ”Really? Three furnaces would enable a plethora of options for you, given your position.”

I smiled, ”My position, huh? What is my position, exactly?”

Sensing my challenge, Obolis raised his chin, peering down at me. His tone lowered, ”You've recently acquired a planet, you've just ended a war you're still recuperating from, and you have one city on a world you don't even own.”

Obolis tilted his head, ”From where I'm sitting, you seem to be rather precariously positioned. This sudden burst of confidence, while amusing, isn't going to change any of those realities.”

I scoffed, ”So that's where I'm at, eh?”

Obolis nodded, ”As far as I can tell, yes. It is.”

I waved my arms, stepping over towards the monolith at the center of my city, ”Guess how many of these cities I've made in the last two weeks?”

Obolis walked around, interlocking his hands behind himself. He peered into the horizon, seeing several other pillars beaming mana from the skyline. the Emperor raised a brow, ”Hm, perhaps two dozen?”

”I made one hundred and fifty-two of them.”

Obolis froze in place. Despite his usual composure, he stuttered, ”O-over a hundred of them?”

I gave him a nod, ”Yup. Five hundred-plus golems too. We've already amassed a growing population in some of the earlier centers I established, though there's still time left before people learn what's happening. By now, I've covered Michigan with them. It was my home state before Schema's collapse.”

I gestured at the large slab of granite we stood on, ”And now it's where I've started the 'conquest' of my home planet.”

Obolis pulled his hands back in front of himself, ”That...That rate of creation is absurd. You've truly outdone yourself.”

I stated, ”You want to know how I've done it?”

Obolis squeezed his hands together, ”My curiosity is why I'm called the Finder of Secrets, so of course I'd love to know.”

I gestured to myself, ”I'm using twenty-one furnaces right now. They're hidden under my skin.”

Obolis took a step back, the grizzled Emperor struck by verbal lightning. He took a breath, ”Over twenty at a time? And your still alive?”

I narrowed my eyes, ”That's right. That's why I'm not too keen on three furnaces. I helped clear out several of your planets, places you'd lose otherwise. Planets give hundreds of millions of credits yearly. Four of those planets for a single decade is billions in raw credits. For that, you're giving me three furnaces in return?”

I spit out my words with disgust, ”You're giving me nothing.”

Obolis coughed into a hand before his tone rose, ”You must include the skeptiles in that arrangement.”

I sighed before peering off, ”You know, you mentioned thirty million people being there, right? I know there are billions of people on each of your planets. If I saved you four of them, then that could amount to a hundred billion people if the worlds were densely populated.”

I raised my brow, ”The skeptiles are a sub-race on one of your planets. They're not even a main race by any stretch of the imagination. I know I agreed to them for saving your planets, but man...That's a low reward for what I've accomplished.”

Obolis raised a hand, ”And what of Tera? He gained us a planet on his own.”

I nodded, ”He's the skeptiles' crown jewel, the absolute pinnacle of their species. From what I've researched, he hasn't accomplished anything like that since. Nothing even close.”

As if caught, Obolis froze for a small, fraction of a second. He caught himself back onto an argument smoothly, ”You killed Plazia in less than a day. Three furnaces in that time is surely a massive benefit?”

”That's not how deals work. I accomplished a lot, and that deserves something of equal value. What can you offer me?”

Obolis sighed, ”I...I can grant you credits, cores, even cities.”

I pointed at him, ”What about planets? Do you have any undeveloped worlds on the backburner?”

His face gnarled up, ”How many? You wish for more than a single world?”

I spread out my hands, ”Yeah. I fought with you on Blegara. You cut your losses before I turned the situation around. You'd of lost that planet and several others by now if I hadn't intervened. I want a fraction of what I helped you keep. They don't have to be developed worlds. Barren wastelands are fine by me.”

Obolis frowned, ”I won't give you a planet. You couldn't even manage the world even if I did hand one over.”

I had two minds dedicated to the conversation. Three joined, ”Oh, try me. Policing won't be an issue, and neither will the eldritch. I'll be able to create cities on a whim wherever I please, and I'm offering powerful legacies to those that join my guild.”

Obolis scoffed, ”You're giving your legacy to anyone that joins your guild?”

I nodded, ”Of course. You don't? Wait, let me guess, it's only for the albony?”

Obolis's eyes turned to slits, ”Perhaps.”

”Yeah, I figured as much. Anyways, if you can't offer territory, what about obelisks?”