Apocalypse Gachapon

Chapter 2336: Still materials (2)

Ye Zhongming had a dedicated refining room in his manor, specially built by the Su Clan according to his requirements.

"It will take some time for them to evolve—keep an eye on them." Ye Zhongming called Xiao Min in and told her after she set down the prepared items.

Dai Zhi and half of the Red Female Guard warriors were in the process of evolving to nine-star; Xiao Min was in the second batch.

Xiao Min nodded, then said, "When I went to contact the various small races in Dark Strip City, I noticed that the Star-Eye Clan was calling them to a meeting."

She reported what she had learned, leaving Ye Zhongming to judge the implications.

Ye Zhongming nodded and smiled faintly. "Sometimes, when people suddenly get rich, they lose their heads. Don't worry about them—just follow the plan. Whoever comes, comes."

"Tell our people to avoid Dark Strip City unless necessary while I'm crafting equipment." Ye Zhongming added.

"Boss, are you worried the Star-Eye Clan might make a move against us?" Xiao Min's eyes glinted.

Ye Zhongming shook his head. "Not really—they probably haven't even decided what to do about me. The worst case is they distance themselves; it won't come to violence. I just don't want you attracting too much attention."

Xiao Min said nothing more, refilled his water, set some food aside, and left.

Ye Zhongming sat down, took out a spatial container, poured out the materials inside, and entered his crafting state.

………………

Oliga pushed open his father's door and strode in, his face full of anger.

Duoduo looked at his son from behind the table, tilted his head back, and drained the remaining wine from his bowl—which was as big as a washbasin.

He wiped his wine-soaked beard and pointed to a chair nearby.

"Not sitting!"

Oliga was fuming.

"Our Aofu race, from appearance to combat style, can be called 'brutes'—whether that's a compliment or an insult depends on who you ask. But we must stay clear-headed and make sure... up here, we're not brutes!"

Duoduo tapped his own head.

Oliga paused, his anger subsiding slightly.

"Let me guess—you came about the meeting with the Star-Eye Clan?" Duoduo looked at his son. "You think they're downplaying Ye Zhongming's presence, hinting that their partner is the Star-Eye Clan as a whole, not an individual, right?"

"And you're angry that I agreed—even angry that other races agreed, right?"

His father had hit the mark, and though Oliga's anger remained, his momentum was gone.

Oliga had followed Ye Zhongming on the planet hunting ground and deeply admired him. Moreover, at the end of that battle, both he and his father had been presumed dead—it was Ye Zhongming's people who pulled them from the corpses and used precious medicines, followed by treatment from the Changxu Water Race, to bring them back to life.

He owed his life to Ye Zhongming.

Not only that—the Aofu race, with its charge-oriented nature, had suffered heavy casualties in that fierce battle. But later, the number of clansmen saved by Ye Zhongming's people far exceeded anything before. Even if those saved could never fight again, they could pass on their experience to the next generation and still contribute as best they could. At the very least, they could leave descendants and boost the population.

Yet in Oliga's eyes, his father had betrayed their benefactor.

"You're too young." Duoduo snorted and tossed a jug of wine to his son.

"I agreed to the Star-Eye Clan's proposal—to cooperate with them, to jointly defend Dark Strip City, even to sign treaties and become a true alliance and community of interests."

"But... which of those says we can't cooperate with Ye Zhongming? Have they kicked him out of the Star-Eye Clan?"

"No—nothing forbids us from working with Ye Zhongming at the same time." Duoduo slammed the table. "So why wouldn't I agree? It's only good for us!"

"But they..." Oliga tried to argue.

"Told us behind the scenes not to contact Ye Zhongming? Said the Star-Eye Clan is now the ruler of Dark Strip City? Warned that if we don't obey, their three great experts will come beat us?"

These questions left Oliga even more at a loss, but he was no longer angry now that he understood his father's reasoning.

"Son, though we don't know what's happened between the Star-Eye Clan and Ye Zhongming, one thing is clear—they're drifting apart, at least for now. But what about later? Who knows if they'll reunite? So we should try not to offend either side."

"If it comes to choosing one side, we should stand with Ye Zhongming without hesitation—he has done our Aofu race a great favor."

Oliga was pleased and thumped his chest. "I understand, Father."

"Good." Duoduo nodded. "I don't understand why the Star-Eye Clan would start distancing themselves from Ye Zhongming now. Both clan leaders have always supported him, other high-level members see him as a future pillar, and future star White Robe is like a brother to him. How did it come to this?"

Duoduo tugged at his beard, unable to make sense of it.

"Ye Zhongming isn't sitting idle either—he's invited us to his manor tomorrow night. We'll go together. When we're there, remember not to overdo it—watch more, talk less, got it?"

Oliga eagerly agreed—he'd been wanting to see Cloud Peak Manor, which everyone had been talking about outside the city.

"You've been making a lot of friends lately." Duoduo suddenly narrowed his eyes at his son.

Oliga stiffened—had his father found out about his recent close dealings with some women?

"Ye Zhongming chose tomorrow night—that timing is interesting. Maybe he's testing the Star-Eye Clan's attitude, but I think they'll do something."

"Today and tomorrow, spend more time with your friends—gather information. For those close to you, hint that they shouldn't be swayed by the Star-Eye Clan and should still go to Cloud Peak Manor. For those less familiar, you can subtly remind them too—if necessary, mention my name and say it's my idea."

"But remember—only hints, no open talk, got it?" Duoduo waved his son out.

"Meilu." Duoduo called out, and a strong female warrior carrying two axes walked in—his disciple.

"Go to Cloud Peak Manor tonight and give this to Ye Zhongming. Say nothing." Duoduo handed a spatial container to his disciple.

"Master, what is this?" Meilu asked after taking it.

"Our people say Cloud Peak Manor has been buying materials everywhere lately—they must be in urgent need. These are materials our race has accumulated over the years, plus what I've bought and gathered recently. I was going to give them to Ye Zhongming anyway to maintain good relations—turns out the timing is perfect."