Chapter 999

Chapter 999: The Importance of Support

Mahayana Star

Chang Le carefully selected a team of over a hundred people to connect with Lin Jiang’s professional team and begin serious business negotiations.

Chang Le’s request was to fully introduce the technology of Mahayana Star or Blue Star to the Tianxing Star Domain, including cross-border teleportation arrays and space battleships, along with a complete industrial system and education system. She had very high expectations.

"Immortal Chang Le, I have seen your goals, and they are indeed quite ambitious. However, I must remind you that while the fusion of technological civilization and Immortal Language cultivation goes well in Tiannan and Tianbei Star Domains, there will surely be growing pains. There might be conflicts in certain areas, and we are very unfamiliar with Tianxing Star Domain. I don’t know what the social ecology is like there or if they can truly accept these things."

"Immortal Lin Jiang, you can rest assured. My words will definitely carry weight in the Tianxing Star Domain."

Immortal Chang Le said seriously, "This is a very important matter, and I won’t speak carelessly. The Tianxing Star Domain is the base of the Heavenly Emperor and also the territory of Immortal Lord Chang Rong. Immortal Lord Chang Rong has a strong voice in the Tianxing Star Domain. Introducing technological civilization may face some resistance, but it won’t be too much; we can handle it."

"If you all can decide, then it’s fine. Based on the Star Chart you provided and the basic information about each star, I have drawn up a rough cost estimate. You can take a look at it. This is just a preliminary estimate, not the final contract. The final contract should be about twenty to thirty percent higher than this estimate."

"According to our usual practice, if you agree to sign, you will need to pay a deposit of thirty percent after the final contract is signed. Then payments will be made according to the progress of the project, and there can be no delays. If the money is in place, we will start work. If the money is not in place, we will immediately withdraw our workers…"

Lin Jiang nodded and took out a paper document for Immortal Chang Le to see.

"Three hundred billion Premium Spirit Stones, is that so much?"

Chang Le took a glance and exclaimed in surprise, "That’s three hundred billion Premium Spirit Stones! Who can come up with that?"

"It’s not too much. This is a complete package. We expect to mobilize no less than two million technical and engineering personnel, and we need to refine dozens of cross-border teleportation arrays. This is already a great discount."

"That’s too much; the Tianxing Star Domain can’t come up with that."

"If we can’t manage that, we have other plans, like a simplified version."

Lin Jiang said lightly, "I knew Chang Le would say that, so I took out a simplified version. One hundred billion is enough. The effect isn’t as good, but they can develop their own industrial systems slowly later. In simple terms, it’s using money to buy time."

"Master Lin Jiang, I heard you cooperate with many planets and can offset prices with minerals. In the Tianxing Star Domain, there are fifteen planets with countless minerals. Why don’t you take a look…?"

"No, the Tianxing Star Domain is too far. The transportation costs are astronomical, and it’s not worth it."

"Master Lin Jiang…"

Upon hearing this, Chang Le’s voice suddenly became sweet, looking at Lin Jiang with a charming gaze.

"Ahem, Chang Le, this decision is mine. His words don’t count. Otherwise, should I talk to you instead?"

Cao Ying coughed softly and directly stood in front of Lin Jiang. Was she trying to use charm? Sorry, but Cao Ying wasn’t into that.

Chang Le rolled her eyes, feeling very unhappy because this trick didn’t work.

Chang Le was very skilled in using beauty to her advantage. Firstly, she was very beautiful; even among the Heavenly Court fairies, she would rank in the top ten. Secondly, she had a high status, being a close aide to the Heavenly Emperor and the sister of the Immortal Lord. These qualities combined made Chang Le very successful in the romance department.

In the past, when she faced small problems, she relied on her charm. Often, she didn’t have to give much, just a little flirtation would make the male gods fantasize and offer benefits. If that didn’t work, she could use her influence to intimidate others, bringing up Immortal Lord Chang Rong or the Heavenly Emperor to pressure them into making concessions.

Unfortunately, she met Lin Jiang, and her usual tactics didn’t work. Now, charm was useless too, which made her very frustrated.

When Cao Ying took over, Lin Jiang took the opportunity to slip away. He knew who Chang Le was; he had researched her during this time. She was a siren, a female siren, with many admirers in the Heavenly Court. Using her beauty and status, she had made many male gods suffer losses, but Lin Jiang wouldn’t fall for that trick.

·······

Business negotiations could not succeed in just one try. After many discussions, Cao Ying and Lin Jiang met again.

"It is now roughly confirmed that Chang Le genuinely wants to cooperate. She has acknowledged the strength and benefits of technological civilization, and the people she brought have gradually started schooling, but she is very firm on the details and refuses to make concessions."

Cao Ying told Lin Jiang that after several interactions, she had determined Chang Le’s intentions, as the power of technological civilization was evident here.

"Is it an issue of price?"

"Something like that. Three hundred billion, even if paid over several hundred years, is still a significant burden. For example, the interdimensional teleportation array requires more than fifty transfers, and Chang Le is unwilling because it is costly to build and maintain and is very dangerous. In the Tianxing Star Domain, the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist sect are entangled. If the transfer station is attacked, the entire Star Road will be ruined."

"I talked to Zhu Bin about how to increase the distance of the teleportation array. By using spirit stones as the main energy source, we can extend the teleportation distance, and the starting point can be set on Taibai Star, which reduces the distance."

"We’ve discussed this, but I discovered something. The main person behind this should not be Chang Le."

"Immortal Lord Chang Rong?"

"Yes, Chang Le is somewhat like a middleman. She does not hold a clear position in the Heavenly Court, allowing her to do many things that Immortal Lord Chang Rong or even the Heavenly Emperor would find inconvenient. In the Tianxing Star Domain, with its fifteen planets, given Chang Le’s power, I doubt her authority comes from Immortal Lord Chang Rong or even the Heavenly Emperor."

"Could it be that Chang Le is using someone else’s power?"

Lin Jiang felt a bit unsettled; Chang Le and Chang Rong are not the same. If it is indeed Immortal Lord Chang Rong’s intention, Lin Jiang must consider the influence of the Heavenly Emperor.

"That’s possible, but we can’t be sure. Even though we have not lost in a few encounters with Chang Le, hasn’t she faced any setbacks?"

"That’s true, facing setbacks is not the same as losing. In terms of benefits, she has not lost anything."

Lin Jiang nodded. Chang Le simply did not gain any advantage, which does not count as a loss; there are no issues in terms of benefits.

"So, whatever the rules are, you should keep them in mind."

"I know what to do. We must cooperate. Immortal Lord Chang Rong or Heavenly Emperor is interested in what we have and is now willing to negotiate with us. We must show them respect."

"As for the benefits, we should set a bottom line and try to stick to it. We must offer them real value and not deceive them. What do you think?"

"It’s true that we can’t deceive them. At the very least, we need to make the Tianxing Star Domain reach the same level as Canglan Star, otherwise, they won’t be happy. Right now, we are in a period of temporary peace, and they can’t do much against us. Once a conflict arises with the Buddhist Sect, our group of over twenty could easily be used as cannon fodder."

Cao Ying nodded. "After a big battle, it’s normal for dozens of immortals to fall. Not everyone in the Blue Star faction has a life planet, so we would be at a disadvantage."

"Then it’ll be hard work for you. Try to communicate with Chang Le a few more times and quickly finalize the cooperation agreement. It doesn’t have to be all settled at once; we can break it down into steps, like setting up a cross-border teleportation array."

"I will talk to her, but you are not allowed to meet her privately again."

"Really? It’s happening again?"

"Haha, you have no idea how charming you are."

"When you say that, I feel so embarrassed."

"If the man I like has no charm, do you think that’s possible?"

Cao Ying rolled her eyes; she knew that Chang Le had gathered all the information about Lin Jiang, both public and personal, and he was very impressive.

By his own efforts, he paved the way for technological civilization on Blue Star, and after entering the stars, he repeatedly defeated the Buddhist sect. The Buddhist sect’s ultimate weapon, the Buddha’s teachings, often fell short in Lin Jiang’s hands. As a Transmigration Stage being, he made several immortals bow down. In just a few thousand years, he expanded the Blue Star faction to seven planets.

With each and every achievement, which isn’t incredible? Having created such great accomplishments, do you really think other women wouldn’t be moved?

Inside the Blue Star faction, there are countless people who view Lin Jiang as an idol, so many that you can’t even count them. Among the immortals, many also have high hopes for Lin Jiang.

Moreover, Cao Ying realized that from the perspective of social status, Chang Le is quite a match for Lin Jiang, a self-made wealthy individual and an heir born into wealth; isn’t that the perfect example of a marriage alliance?

So, to prevent anyone from trying to steal him away, Cao Ying firmly refused to allow Lin Jiang and Chang Le to meet privately, cutting off all possibilities.