"Sorry, we cannot accept such a mission. Perhaps I need to go back and discuss it with my partners."
Looking at the calm-faced Kal'tsit, Li Lin chose his words carefully and said slowly.
This definitely couldn't be accepted, not even with Penguin Logistics' identity. This thing directly involved the political environment of several parties; this wasn't something a few million could explain. To put it bluntly, this money was probably just blood money; whoever took it would die, just waiting to distribute the money to relatives and friends afterwards.
Although Li Lin didn't have a strong concept of money, nor a huge sense of belonging to this world, he hadn't reached the point of giving up his life so easily. Ursus was a country with a single dominant ethnicity and extreme nationalism; discrimination against Oripathy and other races was not low. Li Lin himself going there was one thing, but coming back alive was not certain. No matter what, he wouldn't accept.
But this matter couldn't be said outright; even if the deal falls through, goodwill remains . Li Lin just put on a commercial smile, spread his hands towards Kal'tsit.
"This kind of matter is quite significant; I must discuss it with my partners. You know, the political situation has been changing rapidly recently; for someone like me to go in, accept the so-called Black Coffin, and then be taken out, I would be risking immense danger to my life. So regretfully, I cannot judge on my own—"
"Political situation changing rapidly? Not accepting? Immense danger to life? Are you serious?"
"Huh?"
"Didn't they tell you?"
"Who was supposed to tell me what?"
"…Is that so, completely unaware of what happened. Both sides thought the meaning was conveyed, but in the end, nothing was conveyed. This is what happens when bureaucracy becomes bloated. Fortunately, preparations were made in advance. Here, take this." The woman named Kal'tsit looked at the bewildered Li Lin, her expression changing slightly, and took out a strange crystal from somewhere, placing it on the desktop. The way it shimmered and changed within made him raise his eyebrows somewhat unnaturally.
Because if he remembered correctly, he still had some impression of things that looked like this. One of the sources of this world's alienation, an almost omnipotent energy source. The fundamental thing capable of supporting a city and those crazy technological concepts. This yellowish stone was paradise, and also hell.
Picking up this crystal, shaped like irregular glass, Li Lin looked at Kal'tsit.
"This is Originium?"
"Yes, just as you thought, this is Originium. But rest assured, it's very well sealed, not infectious."
Doctor Kal'tsit, who casually took out a taboo product, didn't seem to care about Li Lin's increasingly strange gaze; she just glanced at her watch and nodded at Li Lin.
"Since they didn't say anything, then obviously the offending matter is for us, Rhodes Island, to do. But it doesn't matter either; we are just in a relationship of mutual benefit. Whether your feelings towards me are good or bad, it doesn't affect our transaction this time."
"…Huh?"
Looking at Kal'tsit, who snapped her fingers naturally, shrouding everything around in darkness, Li Lin blinked somewhat bewilderedly.
He wasn't curious about what Kal'tsit did to seal off the nearby space; after all, many people could do such things. But what she said truly made Li Lin feel a wave of bewilderment. It was as if after changing his body, even his worldview had changed.
Inexplicably becoming the boss of a large company, inexplicably receiving many honors and miscellaneous things, some strange deeds and cases were also attributed to him, but Li Lin had no memory whatsoever. Especially seeing Kal'tsit's strange expression, Li Lin suddenly realized he might very well be about to discover some brand new worldview again. Ever since his body recovered, it seemed every day was a new world for him.
"This operation, fundamentally, is not about us, Rhodes Island, but about you, Operator Prophet, the White King of Eden."
Faint green fluorescence flickered in the sealed black space. Kal'tsit sat calmly on the chair, looking at the white-haired, red-eyed youth before her.
"Of course, you are also the instigator of the Ursus internal strife, the initiator of the Lazarus File, the guide of the Reunion Movement. You have abandoned your weak body, so many things can also be laid out on the table. Reunion and Chernobog want de facto independence from Ursus, so they need your help."
"Rhodes Island, as a supporter of Oripathy mechanism research and an Oripathy care organization, has already reached preliminary cooperation with Chernobog's first sequence. And the next objective is to invite you to Chernobog, to gain initial political influence through the Black Coffin incident. The connection of various branches of Reunion has already been completed in Chernobog. What they demand is not an entire city district, but the external city districts excluding the elite sections."
"Those abandoned, unpopular, ostracized, are natural allies. And we, Rhodes Island, stand on the side of justice. The leader of Chernobog will make a decision in the choice. And the true dominant figure is you."
"????"
Me? What did I do? How do I not know what dominant role I played?
Li Lin sat on the chair completely dumbfounded, as if the whole world had switched to a new expansion pack after he woke up.
Towards Li Lin's dumbfounded appearance, Kal'tsit showed slight dissatisfaction. Perhaps for her, these were all things Li Lin should have known. What was originally a formalistic job turning into this current state was also very troublesome for Kal'tsit.
"There's no one else here, you don't need to put on an act. At our current position, no one doesn't know the guiding ideology of the Reunion Movement was made by you."
"…Huh?"
"Miss Talulah is very much looking forward to meeting you again; after all, the fight for the benefits of Oripathy patients has reached a critical moment. Utilizing this Catastrophe to seize a gathering place for Oripathy patients from Ursus's hands—a very impressive plan. If you have any questions, you can meditate on this Originium. I will stay here for three days collecting data and papers from the Lungmen area; you can find my location through the hotel. Rhodes Island awaits your esteemed presence at any time."
Just like that.
Kal'tsit waved her hand, snapped her fingers, and the world returned to brightness.
This pale green-haired woman looked at the bewildered Li Lin, nodded, beckoned the still very dejected Red , and left Penguin Logistics' reception room.
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