Douluo: I have too many clones

Chapter 642 Transaction Ended
Xue Zhonggao looked calm, his tone was full of unquestionable determination, and he said calmly: "Master Tang, let's not beat around the bush. I'll be frank with you. The Tang Sect's request is indeed a little difficult for us to accept."

He paused for a moment, stared at Tang Wulin with a steady gaze, and continued, "Purchasing weapons but not being able to use them at will is too harsh a restriction for us."

"If the Tang Sect is willing to lift this restriction, we are willing to increase the price by another 10% on the basis of the originally agreed price. Sect Master Tang, this is the greatest sincerity I can show."

A 10% increase? At first glance, this ratio doesn't seem to be surprising. However, it should be noted that this transaction involves a large number of fixed-type soul guide weapons, and its total value is astronomical.

If the situation was not urgent and the war was imminent, Xue Zhonggao would never easily offer such tempting conditions. In the final analysis, the level of soul guidance technology in Douling Continent is too backward compared to the outside world.

In this era where technology determines strength, the lag in soul guide technology has seriously restricted the development of the Douling Continent, leaving them in an extremely passive situation when facing the Federation.

In order to gain a chance of survival in the upcoming war and improve his own strength, Xue Zhonggao had to make such concessions.

At the same time, the Tang Sect had been operating in Douling Continent for many years, with a deep foundation and a complex network of forces. Xue Zhonggao knew that if he became enemies with the Tang Sect, it would undoubtedly bring him a lot of trouble.

Even if he has long-term plans in mind and wants to compete with the Tang Sect in the future, he still needs time to accumulate enough strength. Now is not the time to turn against them completely.

In Xue Zhonggao's opinion, paying a little more money is not an unbearable burden.

It's just some paper money. As long as he orders to increase the price of rare metals in the country again, even if the Tang Sect makes a profit from this transaction, it will not be much. In this way, the gains and losses can be balanced to a certain extent.

"Master Tang, this is our final decision." Xue Zhonggao straightened his back, his expression serious, and said in a firm tone, "If the Tang Sect is unwilling to accept this condition, then there is no need for us to continue the negotiations."

Hearing Xue Zhonggao's powerful words, Tang Wulin's brows knitted together instantly. Before embarking on the journey to the Douling Continent, Amorous Douluo Zang Xin had discussed the negotiation strategy with her in depth.

Given that the Douling Continent is relatively weak in national strength and has few top experts, Zang Xin believes that during the negotiation process, he can appropriately use coercion or even adopt other strategies to suppress the other party, thereby taking the initiative in the negotiations.

When he first arrived in Douling Continent, Tang Wulin had originally planned to act according to the plan. When he first met the new emperor Xue Zhonggao, he wanted to use his powerful mental strength to give him a warning and create a favorable atmosphere for subsequent negotiations.

However, with the reminder of the Holy Spirit Douluo, Tang Wulin learned that Aponiya beside the emperor was actually an Extreme Douluo.

This news was like a heavy hammer that made her wake up instantly. She knew that under the threat of such a strong man, taking tough measures rashly would only backfire, so she decisively put away her original thoughts.

"The new emperor's style of action is extremely tough, and he seems to have other hidden strengths that are unknown to the public." Tang Wulin thought to himself, "If the restrictive clause is not lifted, judging from his attitude, I'm afraid he will really terminate the negotiations without hesitation."

At the same time, Tang Wulin was still feeling a little confused. "Also, his attitude is a little weird. The Tang Sect had already clearly announced that it was responsible for destroying the Spirit Pagoda branch headquarters, and had also publicly exposed the terrible situation of the existence of evil spirit masters in the Spirit Pagoda branch."

"Such a major event, but he didn't mention it at all during the entire negotiation. Is he really so patient, or is there something else going on?"

In an instant, Tang Wulin's mind was filled with thoughts. This negotiation was of great importance, and any carelessness could lead to a series of unpredictable consequences.

The bottom line of the Tang Sect, in essence, is that they can actually give up those restrictive clauses. The weapons they provided could indeed have a significant impact on the war situation at the current stage, and even reverse the direction of the war to a certain extent.

However, these weapons are consumables after all. Although they can help the two empires gain an advantage in this war, they are not enough to give the two empires the strength to counterattack the Federation.

The reason why the Tang Sect set up those restrictive clauses was more to show its own position and attitude to the outside world.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, I can agree to your terms. But in return, I hope you can also promise that you will only use these weapons to protect the Douling Continent."

Tang Wulin stared at Xue Zhonggao's eyes with a sharp gaze, trying to find out the emperor's true thoughts.

At this moment, the hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and the air in the hall seemed to be frozen because of this tense confrontation.

Looking at Xue Zhonggao's previous tough and resolute attitude, Tang Wulin knew that if he refused, the other party would really end this crucial conversation without hesitation.

In fact, Tangmen had intended to trade this batch of carefully developed weapons to Douling Empire from the beginning. Now that the price had risen by 10% during the negotiation, this was undoubtedly a pleasant surprise for Tangmen, and there was naturally no reason to refuse.

When Xue Zhonggao heard Tang Wulin's response, a perfect smile instantly appeared on his face. That smile was like the warm sunshine in spring, seemingly gentle and harmless, but it was difficult to see the deeper meaning behind it.

"Don't worry, Sect Master Tang. I can assure you that I will never use these weapons at will." His voice was steady and powerful, echoing in the empty hall.

The current Douling Continent is indeed too weak in terms of soul technology and other aspects compared to the other two continents. Even if they have the weapons provided by the Tang Sect, they will not dare to use them at will in the current situation.

After all, these weapons serve more as a deterrent, and perhaps only when the federal fleet attacks will they become the last resort of the Douling Continent.

If the Douling Continent really wants to rely on these weapons to fight back and turn defense into offense, it will have to wait until it has truly grown and become strong enough to have enough confidence.

"That's good." Tang Wulin nodded slightly. Although his expression was still a little solemn, he also relaxed a little. After that, he and Xue Zhonggao had an in-depth conversation on many matters.

During the conversation, Tang Wulin seemed to casually hint at the Douling Empire's views on the Spirit Pagoda. The influence of the Spirit Pagoda on this continent was complicated, so the Tang Sect was naturally very concerned about the Douling Empire's attitude in this regard.

Unfortunately, whenever the topic touched upon the Spirit Pagoda, Xue Zhonggao's attitude became extremely ambiguous. His words were evasive and equivocal, and he neither clearly supported nor pursued the Spirit Pagoda's actions.

Tang Wulin tried his best and probed from every angle, but he was still unable to get a definite answer from the emperor.

"In that case, we will take our leave now. Your Majesty, I hope you will not be deceived by the appearance of the Spirit Pagoda."

After some futile attempts, Tang Wulin reluctantly bowed to Xue Zhonggao and prepared to leave.

Since she couldn't get the exact information she wanted from the emperor, she had no other choice. She couldn't force Xue Zhonggao to express his opinion by force, as that would only backfire. Moreover, there were many matters waiting for her to deal with on Xingluo Continent, so she really didn't have time to delay here for too long.

This Dou Ling Emperor was so conceited and his attitude towards the Spirit Pagoda was ambiguous. Although Tang Wulin was worried, he could only choose to put it aside temporarily.

"Master Tang, have a safe journey." Xue Zhonggao stood up immediately upon seeing this, and showed great etiquette as he personally escorted Tang Wulin out of the palace. This move undoubtedly fully demonstrated his respect for Tang Wulin, the master of the Tang Sect.

"Well, Your Majesty, just send it here." Seeing Xue Zhonggao's attitude, Tang Wulin's expression, which had been a little solemn due to not getting a definite answer, relaxed a lot.

At least, from Xue Zhonggao's behavior, it can be seen that the Douling Empire still attaches considerable importance to the Tang Sect.

……

As he watched Tang Wulin's figure disappear from his sight, the gentle smile on Xue Zhonggao's face instantly disappeared, replaced by a look of coldness and seriousness.

He turned around expressionlessly and walked back to the hall with steady steps. At this time, Li Xiaochou and Abonya had been waiting here for a long time.

"Humph."

Xue Zhonggao snorted coldly, and thinking back to the warnings Tang Wulin had given him during their previous conversation, he couldn't help but slapped the chair hard.

"Your Majesty, don't be angry. This is just a delaying tactic. Our Douling Continent is the weakest among the three continents. At present, if we want to resist the attack of the federal fleet, the help of the Tang Sect is indispensable."

"As long as we can survive this most difficult period, it won't be too late to take action against the Tang Clan when our grand plan is accomplished." Upon seeing this, Li Xiaochou immediately stood up and comforted Xue Zhonggao.

Xue Zhonggao listened to Li Xiaochou's words and realized his own misbehavior. He adjusted his mind slightly, calmed down his emotions, and then asked:
"Prime Minister, haven't you finished your research on Oxer? Didn't you say before that you have developed a virus that can transform ordinary people into Oxer without losing their sanity?"

Li Xiaochou said: "Your Majesty, don't worry. After all, Oxer is still not visible to the public. If we really start to manufacture Oxer on a large scale, there will definitely be some clues."

"With the Tang Sect's intelligence network, if they find out that the Douling Empire is creating Oxer, then when the federal fleet arrives, they may not necessarily support the Empire."

"So, we must be cautious when it comes to making Oxer. Also, if we make too many Oxer at once, there will inevitably be problems with management."

After hearing this, Xue Zhonggao took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Indeed, this matter should not be exposed now. At least we have to wait until we repel the federal fleet first before we have time to develop."

Then, Xue Zhonggao changed the subject and asked, "Also, Prime Minister, how is the development of the Ultimate Violence Virus that you told me about before going? I am still waiting for your research results."

The reason why Xue Zhonggao agreed to let the Apocalypse Church become the state religion was quite complicated. On the one hand, he hoped to win over Aponia. On the other hand, Li Xiaochou painted a very tempting blueprint for the future for him.

Li Xiaochou once proposed to him that by making all the people in the Douling Continent become Oxers, they could be given soul power initially. Then after a period of development, these people would grow into soul masters, so as to enhance the overall strength of the Douling Continent.

As long as Oxer can be popularized on a large scale and a powerful army can be formed with it, the strength of the Douling Empire will be greatly enhanced.

Even in extreme cases, if the weapons provided by the Tang Sect cannot effectively deter the federal fleet, they can turn all the civilians in the entire Douling Continent into Oksers and achieve a situation where everyone can be a soldier.

Once transformed into Oxer, even ordinary people who originally had no soul power will have soul power.

The population base of Douling Continent is huge, close to 260 million people. If all of them are armed, that force is enough for any force to underestimate. Even a powerful force like the Federation may be dragged down by such human wave tactics.

This was also the reason why Xue Zhonggao dared to negotiate with Tang Wulin just now. If the Federation really forced them into a desperate situation, he would fight against the Federation.

As for whether the Oxers would rebel, Xue Zhonggao was not worried about that, because Li Xiaochou had explained the habits of the Oxers to him in detail. It was said that they were just like soul beasts, and they obeyed the strong by nature, and they must be the strongest among their kind.

As long as the strongest Oxer appears, the rest of the Oxers will spontaneously surrender. This is an instinct deeply embedded in their genes.

The so-called ultimate zombie virus, according to Li Xiaochou, is the royal bloodline among the Oxers, which is naturally several times stronger than the rest of the Oxers and can command the rest of the ordinary Oxers.

As long as he can successfully implant the Ultimate Zombie Virus and turn all the people in the entire Douling Continent into Oxers, then why would he still need to fear the threat of the federal fleet?
Who knows, by then, he could lead the mighty Oxer Legion to directly counterattack Douluo Continent, and finally take all three continents into his possession, thus realizing the great feat that emperors of all dynasties have dreamed of but never achieved.

Whenever he thought of this, Xue Zhonggao's heartbeat would speed up slightly, and his eyes would flash with fanaticism. He couldn't wait to see that day come, when he would become the true "King of Oxer".

In terms of soul technology, the gap between the Douling Continent and the Federation is like an insurmountable chasm. It is almost impossible to catch up with the Federation.

Unless the Tang Sect is willing to share all their scientific research results with the Douling Empire without reservation. But this is obviously an unrealistic fantasy, and the Tang Sect will never make such a decision.

Even if the Tang Sect is really willing to share, the Douling Empire will need to spend a lot of time and energy to conduct in-depth research, digest and absorb, and then transform these results into actual productivity and create corresponding soul guides.

This is undoubtedly an extremely large and complex project that cannot be completed overnight.

Since it was difficult to catch up with the Federation in terms of soul technology, Xue Zhonggao decided to take a different approach. He placed all his hopes on Oxer's power, hoping to use this power to achieve the rise of the Douling Continent and eventually catch up with or even surpass the Federation.

Li Xiaochou looked at Xue Zhonggao's expectant eyes, smiled slightly, and said confidently: "Your Majesty, don't worry, the research on the Ultimate Zombie Virus is nearing completion. As long as the results come out, I will inform you as soon as possible."

"That's good." Xue Zhonggao nodded. He had no doubt about Li Xiaochou's answer. Deep in his heart, for some reason, he always had an inexplicable trust in the Apocalypse Church.

This kind of trust, like a seed rooted deep in the heart, has become deeply rooted without anyone noticing and is difficult to shake.

(End of this chapter)