Chapter 1042: A Deserved Reward
As long as the king of chaos provided them with adequate compensation, Li Zongming and Zhang Lie would be unable to refuse the offer.
Such high-quality world's energy was so rare that it was difficult to make use of it adequately.
A superior world's energy was broadly applicable, both for cultivating monarch-grade lifeforms and for upgrading a superior world—and it could even be used as currency among the superior kings.
However, the king of chaos was willing to give up his two portions of the spoils for just two superior worlds' worth of energy, which should have been worth six. To give up those portions for two superior worlds' worth was essentially to give them up for free; he had just quoted a price for matters of formality.
The superior kings wondered if they had misinterpreted the king of chaos's mental transmission.
The king of chaos replied, "I obtained what I wanted from the war against the death spirits. Treat this as a gift from me to the newly ascended superior king, as well as a reward to Zhang Lie, an excellent combatant."
No superior king would be so kind and charitable as to give out gifts freely; the king of chaos was doing this for Zhang Lie as a reward for his performance.
The king of keys smirked. "It looks like you really do value him highly, don't you?"
Zhang Lie shivered. Being liked by an unknown creature who hid in a clam was nothing to be happy about.
The king of keys turned to Li Zongming. "Do you object to this transaction, king of Zongming?"
Li Zongming barely processed what was going on. In a daze, he passed two orbs of a superior world's energy to the king of chaos, who accepted it. The king of keys prompted, "Collect your spoils, will you?"
Li Zongming broke out of his stupor and happily kept the crystal that all the other kings were eyeing. They glared at him jealously, their eyes bloodshot, barely resisting the temptation to tear him to pieces.
For a newly ascended superior king to obtain such a treasure and seven superior worlds' worth of energy besides...
The Zongming king had simultaneously been the weakest and poorest of all the kings present. He was still the weakest, but now, by no means the poorest.
That crystal of world's energy was a treasure that none of the other kings could acquire even with all the wealth they had amassed to date.
They looked at Li Zongming with envy, with jealousy, with grudging acceptance, with greed.
Zhang Lie broke the silence. "Shall we continue speaking of the war? The main participants in the war were the conscripts from the various alien races. I believe that, for responding to the summons of the superior worlds, they deserve rewards and recognition."
The solar king snorted. "Do you think this is any place for you to speak? Be grateful that we haven't tossed you out of here. You're no superior king, nor even a regular king. What right do you have to address us?"
All the superior kings besides the king of keys and the king of chaos hated Zhang Lie. The moment they saw his face, they thought back to the fifty-to-one odds he had proposed, and the thirty superior worlds' worth of energy they owed as debt.
Most importantly, they thought of the crystal that Li Zongming had just claimed, that they would otherwise own a portion of—before Zhang Lie stole everything.
The king of chaos sent out another mental transmission. "We can discuss this suggestion further."
The king of keys inclined his head. "Since the king of chaos has spoken, we shall discuss this suggestion."
The ice queen shrugged. "I've lavishly rewarded my commander for his performance in the war. King of Zongming, are you unable to provide such rewards out of your own pocket? Is that why Zhang Lie has raised this matter here?"
The solar king mocked, "Worry not. Since you've spoken at this meeting, we'll naturally satisfy your request. Come over to the world of blazing sun, and we'll give you any reward you want!"
The ice queen added, "You were the one who won the greatest merit during the war, but is the Zongming king so stingy and petty as to give you nothing for it? How ridiculous. Come over to the white world—I won't be as miserly as the king of Zongming."
Li Zongming steepled his fingers to support his lower jaw. "Ice queen, solar king—please, spare me some face. I know my son-in-law is a desirable asset, but please don't try to snatch him from me right before my eyes."
Zhang Lie replied, "His majesty has provided me with sufficiently lavish rewards, and I don't intend to ally with any other superior king."
"What a pity," the king of chaos commented.
The solar king asked, "Then just what is it that you want?"
"I would like rewards to be issued to all fighters in the war, not just the commanders. Many gave up their lives to participate in this war, and countless aliens lie dead on the battlefield, with no one to claim even their corpses and bury them in their homeland."
The solar king was entirely unamused. "Why should we care about those ants?"
"Our victory came about in no small respect because of those 'ants' you mention. Each fighter gave their strength and life for our success— and without what they did, we wouldn't be standing here today. However, those fighters were left to die in the void, with no one to remember their names. Should we not provide compensation to their families? I believe that, now that we're distributing the spoils of war,that they deserve a part of it too."
Zhang Lie's words had no effect on the gathered kings, who had no intention to participate in what they viewed to be others' business.
Zhang Lie changed his strategy. "This is for the future development of the three thousand worlds. I'm sure none of you would want to see the various worlds refuse your call when another ambitious madman like the death spirit king arises."
Except for the king of chaos and Li Zongming, the superior kings stared at Zhang Lie like he was a fool.
Refusing their calls? Then they would simply destroy their worlds.
Zhang Lie continued, "Even if they were to respond, they wouldn't fight wholeheartedly for you."
The superior kings were still unmoved.
Zhang Lie added, "From another perspective, you can think of it like growing Chinese chives. You're not providing these resources for nothing; it's like an investment that you'll reap in the future."
The king of keys couldn't watch this any longer. "I believe that's quite enou—"
Just then, the king of chaos began to clap. "Well said," the king of chaos transmitted.
The king of keys turned to the king of chaos skeptically. "Are you serious, king of chaos?"
All the superior kings looked toward him.
The king of chaos transmitted, "Back in the world of black rain, I promised Zhang Lie that I would reward the fighters in the war."
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