Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 3041: Negotiation

With Kaelgor’s arrival, the atmosphere in the chamber changed immediately.

He was known as one of the strongest among the Halfblood Supremes, and even setting his reputation aside, the fact that five Supremes had gathered on such short notice told Emery everything he needed to know about how seriously this meeting was being taken.

"Let’s hear it!" Kaelgor’s voice carried a deep, impatient growl.

Ronan didn’t bother with a long introduction.

"I told you all during our first meeting about someone who contributed heavily to this project—the person who founded and ran the Utopia facility." He casually gestured toward Emery. "This is him."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"I want him to receive his share."

Kaelgor’s amber eyes immediately shifted toward Emery, studying him with sharp, almost predatory attention.

"This scrawny-looking wolf pup?" Grendal asked, making no effort to hide his skepticism.

"Careful with your words, Grendal." Ronan’s tone remained light, almost amused. "This lad happens to be a disciple of the Beast Emperor."

That revelation visibly changed the War Hog Supreme’s expression.

Kaelgor, however, showed no reaction at all.

"What is it you actually want, Ronan?"

Ronan simply raised one hand and held up three fingers.

"Three percent. For him and his faction."

The chamber immediately filled with murmurs.

Emery couldn’t help noticing the significance of the number. Three percent might have sounded small when viewed against the entire project, but it was the same share currently granted to the Wolf Clan and several of the other smaller races. Ronan was effectively asking the entire Alliance to recognize Emery and his faction as an independent contributor with a share comparable to an entire race.

Kaelgor gave a short, humorless laugh before bringing both hands down against the stone table.

BAM!

The impact made the entire table tremble.

"Don’t waste my time with this."

It was the Nine Heaven Supreme, as calm as he had been since arriving, who spoke next. His voice remained quiet and steady. "Let’s hear his reason first."

Ronan leaned back and casually gestured toward the door. A moment later, Master Bob entered the chamber, a researcher well known to most of those present as one of the facility’s senior researchers.

He immediately laid out Utopia’s contributions in clear numbers: two decades of research, not merely measured in time spent but in actual progress. Utopia had contributed at least fifteen percent of the project’s overall development, including several breakthroughs that had eventually become part of the foundation for the current Supreme Gene Project.

The figures spoke for themselves.

Even so, Emery already suspected they wouldn’t be enough to convince the Supremes.

He was right.

What Ronan added next, however, caught even Emery off guard.

"The sacrifice wasn’t only resources, time, or talent." Ronan’s voice lost some of its usual lightness. "It cost him his wife—a princess of my own lineage."

Something tightened inside Emery.

Hearing Silva brought into the discussion, her death reduced to another piece of evidence in a negotiation, felt wrong no matter how true the statement was. Emery kept his expression controlled and said nothing. He wanted this outcome, not only for himself, but for the others who had been pushed to the bottom of the Alliance’s hierarchy.

The Wolf Clan.

The Zodiac faction.

The Insectoid race.

They had all contributed far more than their current shares suggested, and Emery had no intention of letting this opportunity pass without trying to change that.

Kaelgor, however, remained completely unmoved.

"Sacrifices. We’ve all made them."

Ferrin spoke next. His voice was surprisingly high-pitched for someone carrying such overwhelming power, yet it echoed clearly throughout the chamber.

"We haven’t included Utopia’s contribution when the current shares were calculated. That’s true." He paused, his narrow eyes settling on Emery. "But three percent is far too much. No one here will agree to that."

"Agreed," Grendal added without hesitation.

Neither had much reason to compromise. Both already belonged to races with relatively small allotments, and neither seemed willing to surrender even a portion of their own share to make room for another faction.

Emery expected Ronan to negotiate from there, perhaps lowering the demand until the other Supremes found a number they could accept.

Instead, Ronan continued as though the objections had never been raised.

"I’m not finished."

He turned toward Warwick, who was seated among the Grand Magus representatives.

"I’m also demanding that the Wolf race’s share be raised to its rightful five percent."

Kaelgor’s expression immediately shifted. To Emery’s surprise, the Raging Sun Supreme looked almost delighted rather than angry.

"You’re just looking for a fight now, aren’t you?"

He rose halfway from his seat, his broad frame already radiating the pressure of someone more than willing to settle the disagreement through force.

"On the contrary." Ronan remained completely relaxed. "My demand is perfectly reasonable. In fact, I’ve already secured support for it."

He turned toward a pale woman dressed in dark robes, the Grand Magus representative of the Bat race.

She immediately understood the signal.

"My Patriarch, Bloodsea, supports this arrangement."

Before the Raging Sun Supreme could respond, another voice joined the discussion.

An elderly man with distinctly owl-like eyes sat among the Bird representatives, his expression calm and unreadable.

"Our Matriarch, the Fairy Blazing Phoenix, agrees as well."

Understanding settled over Emery all at once.

Ronan had never entered this meeting without preparation.

The Bloodsea Patriarch and the Fairy Blazing Phoenix were both Supremes Emery had encountered before, but he had never developed any meaningful personal relationship with either of them.

There was, however, one connection between all three.

His master.

The influence of the Stellar Beast Emperor was certainly at play.

Emery’s eyes narrowed slightly as he considered the situation. Why would his master involve himself in this matter?

Whatever the reason, Emery suspected there was more to Ronan’s demands than simply securing him some share.

Kaelgor arrived at the same conclusion almost immediately, and the realization did nothing to improve his mood.

"Ronan. It seems you’ve become the hybrids’ lackey."

"No, no." Ronan’s smile remained unchanged. "It’s nothing more than shared interests."

Kaelgor’s attention shifted back to Emery, the earlier hostility giving way to something more calculating.

"Why would the Beast Emperor involve himself in this? What makes you so special?"

Before Emery could answer, Kaelgor turned toward the Nine Heaven Supreme.

"What would Senior White Sage say about this?"

Emery understood the weight behind the question better than he allowed himself to show. By now, he had learned enough about the deeper structure of Halfblood and Hybrid politics to understand the importance of those two names.

The Hybrid races ultimately stood beneath the authority of the Stellar Beast Emperor, while the Halfblood Alliance had its own Emperor-tier existence—the White Sage, an ancient powerhouse from the Turtle race.

The White Turtle Sage, however, had reportedly been missing for some time. He had deliberately withdrawn from Alliance politics, and no one seemed to know exactly why.

From the Raging Sun Supreme’s question, Emery sensed there was more to the matter, but he simply wasn’t privy to the details.

The Nine Heaven Supreme considered Kaelgor’s question for several moments before finally answering.

"As long as the twelve races can reach an agreement, we will all follow."

The discussion continued, and Emery soon realized that his influence over the twelve races was being put to the test.