"You have got to say something." Lion Ti spoke sarcastically.
"Your vice-leader is a burden on either of us. I already expected your leaders to abandon him, and hence I am not here to suggest an exchange. He is a waste in my eyes. He did manage to give us some details regarding plans, and I am surprised by your ambitions. You could say that I am looking forward to your plans coming true."
"Why would an adversary of ours want such a thing," Lion Ti said in a questioning tone. Li Meng's words aroused suspicion. He was the biggest hurdle that prevented their plans from coming to fruition completely.
"You can't blame me for being selfish in some matters. We can't let Mad-lions have complete control over the situation. Not only is it a selfish move, but a move for the future too."
"Future move yous ay. I am not interested in discussing plans with you. What do you want?" Lion Ti was straightforward, demanding the reason behind this approach.
"I would like to support the Mad-lions in making their plans come true. To prove my faith in you, I am willing to lead the team you create in the war against the city coalition. I will be in the first line of offence, standing in the very front. If the enemies want to go against the wish of the coalition, they will have to go through me first." Li Meng said.
"You are quite a funny guy. You just made Mad-lions lose substantial power in the coalition. What makes you think that we will let you have a core role in the coalition army? We will be striking hammer on our own feet by doing so."
"I want to make it up to the Mad-lions by gaining profits for you. What if I say that I will capture their advance Qi Kings alive. Although capturing all of them would be difficult, some of them could be captured by me. All the credit for the raid will go directly to the Mad-lions, along with the resources gained."
"Both of us know that wouldn't be the case. The groups that constitute the coalition wouldn't allow such a thing."
"I have a way to make it possible. Not only will you be earning profit from the battle itself, but you would also even earn the respect of every group present within the coalition." Li Meng said.
"I will not.." Li Ti was about to speak up when a voice transmission arrived. Once the content was read by him, he turned towards Li Meng and said, " Our leader would like to talk with you. If you do have the guts, kindly follow me."
"Why not." Li Meng smiled and followed behind Lion Ti, to one of the inner halls. The two leaders of Mad-lions were seated on a high pedestal looking down on the surrounding area. When Li Meng arrived in their line of view, invisible pressure emanated out of their bodies and landed on Li Meng.
"Absorb it." Li Meng said to the Keeper. He kept moving towards the foot of the pedestal and came to halt right in front of the two leaders. The scene surprised the two. They didn't expect Li meng to be able to move freely under the pressure emanated from the two Qi Emperors.
"I hope the leaders of Mad-lions are doing well." Li Meng spoke in a jolly tone.
"I have to commend your guts for walking right into the tiger's den. How do you suppose you are getting out of here."
"I have come here to propose a truce between us. I know that my actions have given rise to some complications in the procedure, but I would like to make it up to you." Lion Ti came forward to inform the two leaders of Li Meng's proposal.
One of the Qi Emperors directly lashed out. " Are you taking us to be fooled? How the hell do you expect us to give a powerful position in the coalition to a rat-like you?"
"I haven't listed my whole proposal yet. I would like to take part in the operation as one of the Mad-lions members. You just need to forge an identity for me and I will lead them to battle. Also, the whole troop will constitute the members from Mad-lions and hence will be counted as a contribution from your side."
"This would be a demonstration of the Mad-lion's power as well as your willingness to fight against the enemy. They wouldn't be able to question your position anymore and would have to respect you as their leader. This will consolidate your position in the coalition."
"The loot will be yours, so will the hostages and the fame for conquering the enemy forces." Li Meng spoke with a serious tone.
"All of this stands on the fact that you would be able to defeat the city forces." Lion Shen, one of the Qi emperors spoke up. " How do you expect us to be sure about your victory?"
Li Meng passed on a ring to the Qi emperor. " Take this as a downpayment from my side. It will work as a mortgage against your belief in me. I will also be returning your vice-leader in one piece. No harm is inflicted on him. You could hear the whole process of his captivation from him."
The three people near the pedestal were surprised to hear this. Lion Shen inspected the ring and found it filled with fire crystals. His eyes went wide, looking at the quantity.
"This is the loot we received from our operation against the city forces. That is pretty much half of our loot."
"Why would any force be willing to lose half of their resources just to make a truce?" Lion Ti was suspicious of Li meng's behavior.
" I am asking for my group to be given a top-level position in the coalition, with an equal division of resources to us. I will be leading multiple operations for you, and in return, you will help my group grow stronger."
The leaders were astounded by Li Meng's proposal. He was willing to pay such a huge price for getting a higher rank in the coalition. Not taking into account the complications which would come with the proposal, just the fact that he was willing to invest for such a long term period was a surprise.
"We will give it a thought. You can come back 2 days from now to get our answer."
"Very well." Li Meng bowed and left the hall.
"That guy is sly as a fox. We need to be alert around him. I just don't understand what he is trying to achieve. The whole plan is dependent upon the fact that he could win the round and he doesn't even get credit. On top of that, he was willing to pay such a huge mortgage and even risk his life, just for a higher rank in the coalition."
"he is planning something. I could feel it in the depths of my soul. I just can't put my hand on the thing that is going to happen. We need to eliminate him."
"He is still profitable for the organization. His plans bring no harm to us and we even got paid just to do a favour. On top of that, if he could pull it off, we get the treasures, the fame and reputation, and the hostages. What is the problem with taking advantage of him for now."
"We will kill him once he is done with the job. He is right. If the events come to be true, we will gain a strong foothold in the coalition. We wouldn't even need to wait for Third brother's breakthrough. Just let him get on with it.
.................................
The Crimson lord world-
"You are putting a lot on the line for such a small operation."
"This event will let me infiltrate the very core of Mad-lions. I will slowly devour them from inside."
"Trying to control such a huge army wouldn't be easy even if you use all the avatars."
"I don't want to control the whole army. Just half of them would do. The rest of the half would be conquered by the time I enact my plan. If I am not wrong, the third brother of these two is surely a talented cultivator. He might even be another Qi Emperor. I just need to control the strongest subordinates of theirs."
"You still aren't strong enough to control multiple peak Qi Kings. Your soul is at the grandmaster level, but it requires more tempering."
"I would be able to do it once Lu Ming achieves his breakthrough." Li Meng said to the Keeper.
"I will not be able to help you this time. A Qi Monarch is watching the whole process. He might even help you through the process if you show enough talent. I hope everything works well."
"I hope you will be able to absorb the law energy."
"That is another one of the complications. I will be staying within your body the whole time absorbing the Law energy. Your body is going to suffer during the next breakthrough. Prepare for it. The two-body laws will support you well, but in the end, it will depend on you."
