Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 860

Just then, before Yaoqin could figure it out, Qiu Tu reached out and started brushing dust off her body.

The white mudflats were sandy, and Yaoqin had fallen there, her whole body covered in dust. Especially her heavy, soft breasts, because they were quite large, were where the dust was most concentrated.

Yaoqin was gritting her teeth when Qiu Tu finally stopped what he was doing.

Yaoqin glared at Qiu Tu with resentment. She felt that Qiu Tu probably wanted to humiliate her before killing her.

Just then, after brushing off the dust, Qiu Tu gestured with his hand.

The next second, the ropes binding Yaoqin broke free and flew into Qiu Tu's hands.

Yaoqin was genuinely stunned when she suddenly regained her freedom.

She looked at Qiu Tu with some confusion.

Qiu Tu stood up, then extended his hand to her with a warm smile, "Your Majesty, do you now believe that I genuinely want to cooperate?"

Yaoqin: ....

Perhaps because she had never schemed against Qiu Tu, nor had she ever fought Zhao Ji, or perhaps because she simply couldn't figure out what Qiu Tu was really up to, Yaoqin seemed a little silent.

She followed Qiu Tu and Zhao Ji to the city closest to "White Bird Mudflats".

Seeing Qiu Tu reveal his identity and casually requisition the city lord's mansion, Yaoqin followed Qiu Tu to the reception room.

Zhao Ji was led by her maid to wash up, so only Qiu Tu and Yao Qin remained in the reception room.

After settling down and taking a couple of sips of water, Qiu Tu spoke again. He put down his teacup, looked at Yaoqin, and then said,

"Your Majesty Yaoqin, your thoughts... well, Tang Lang has already told me."

Yaoqin glanced at Qiu Tu but didn't expose him.

Qiu Tu continued, "In principle, I am willing to agree to all those conditions."

Yaoqin was stunned for a moment. Then she couldn't help but look at Qiu Tu, her eyes filled with shock.

Although Qiu Tu helped her up, untied her, and brought her to the city lord's mansion, she had come to believe that Qiu Tu might not actually intend to kill her, but rather wanted to continue their cooperation.

However... she also knew that her most important asset: her strength, had been completely lost in the recent defeat.

Therefore, as long as Qiu Tu spares her life, she can accept even the signing of some unequal treaties.

After all, life is the most important thing.

As a result... Qiu Tu actually said he was willing to cooperate according to the original terms?

Thinking this, Yaoqin couldn't help but ask, "You agree to have three celestial gods pledge their allegiance to me and help me advance to the level of a second-tier god-king?"

Qiu Tu nodded.

Yaoqin asked, "Do you agree to let me select and cultivate my own direct lineage of gods in this world?"

Qiu Tu nodded again.

Yaoqin asked, somewhat shocked, "You agree to share the world's resources with me?"

Qiu Tu nodded.

Yaoqin's mind went blank, her heart filled with surprise.

Qiu Tu took in Yaoqin's performance and couldn't help but smile.

That's just how people are sometimes. If you give something to them directly, they might not appreciate it, and they might even become greedy and want more.

However, once something is taken away and then given back, the joy of regaining what was lost can be directly satisfying.

Moreover... Qiu Tu didn't go to such lengths to send Zhao Ji to fight this battle for no reason.

Because of his deep understanding of politics, he knew that cooperation is never equal. There will always be someone who gains the upper hand and someone who loses.

The partner who gains the upper hand often takes control of the entire collaboration.

This kind of control may not be important in many situations, but it is very important in others.

Just like Qiu Tu and Yao Qin's collaboration now.

Yaoqin's true strength far surpasses Qiu Tu's. Moreover, she is ambitious.

As a god-king, she always maintained a haughty and superior attitude. She believed that Qiu Tu's side was no match for her and would have to beg her for help.

What's even more troublesome is that, in order to enable her to counterbalance the "Star Forging God King", Qiu Tu will help her improve her strength and make her a second-level God King.

In this situation, the balance of power between the two parties will be completely disrupted.

Furthermore, Qiu Tu had no way to stop Yaoqin. This was tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house.

Therefore, Qiu Tu must have a conflict with Yao Qin and defeat her before cooperating.

Only in this way can Qiu Tu make Yaoqin understand:

Qiu Tu's side actually has the ability to eliminate her; they don't need to cooperate with her.

The current cooperation between the two parties is a fair one.

Yaoqin should carefully consider, and even comply with, some of the requests made by Qiu Tu.

Just like now.....

Qiu Tu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said, "Your Majesty Yaoqin, I think I have now proven my sincerity."

"So... next, I might need you to express your sincerity."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Yaoqin felt a chill run down her spine.

She knew Qiu Tu had gone to so much trouble; he couldn't have just been doing it out of boredom. He must have had his own intentions and purposes.

Moreover, it's obvious that Qiu Tu is risking breach of contract and expending so many resources to fight me, clearly indicating he has much ulterior motives. These motives likely include conditions that I would almost never agree to under normal circumstances.

Thinking this, Yaoqin couldn't help but ask, "What kind of sincerity do you want?"

Qiu Tu looked at the large car beside him, which had ram horns and exuded a mature woman's charm, and said, "Two aspects."

"Firstly... since we're cooperating, I hope you can swear an oath to the 'Origin of the World.' Guarantee that you won't betray this cooperation, and won't harm or damage our partners, which means I will."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Yao Qin was stunned for a moment, and a thought involuntarily arose in her mind: Is that all?

Clearly, the terms were so low that even Yaoqin was shocked, so she hesitated for a moment, then nodded and agreed, "Okay."

Seeing that Yaoqin agreed, Qiu Tu did not show it on his face, but he smiled slightly in his heart.

This condition sounds simple. But... all of this is based on the fact that Qiu Tu currently has the upper hand.

Swearing an oath to the "origin of the world" can have a negative effect on one's strength.

Moreover, in a world where power belongs to oneself, no one wants to unnecessarily burden themselves with shackles.

If this were before a major battle, and Yaoqin held the upper hand, then the haughty Yaoqin would most likely refuse outright. Even if this condition were ultimately met, the two sides would likely have to argue multiple times, and Qiu Tu might even have to pay a price for it.

It was precisely because of the fight Zhao Ji had just fought that Yao Qin's misunderstanding of her own strength was shattered, which made the discussion about this condition so smooth.

With that in mind, Qiu Tu took the opportunity to make a second request.

He said with a smile, "Your Majesty, you see, it has now been proven that the great battle just now was a misunderstanding. But... we also paid a considerable price for this battle."

“Look…”

Although Qiu Tu didn't finish his sentence, his meaning was crystal clear: he wanted money.

Yaoqin: ? ?

Yaoqin initially thought the first condition was simple, likely a smokescreen set up by Qiu Tu. The second condition, however, was the truly difficult and troublesome one.

So... all I did was pay money?

As a veteran god-king, Yaoqin may lack many things, but she will never lack "Boundless Divine Crystals".

Not to mention how many small worlds she has destroyed over the past few hundred years, just the battles between various forces in the "Battlefield of Gods" alone have allowed her to accumulate a lot of high-quality "Boundless Divine Crystals".

Therefore, upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, she did not hesitate and directly opened her "Golden House," then took out one after another of the Celestial God-level "Boundless Divine Crystals."

Soon, twice as many "Boundless Divine Crystals" as Qiu Tu had just consumed were quietly placed in front of him.

Qiu Tu accepted the gift without any hesitation, and his face beamed with smiles.

After carefully storing the "Boundless Divine Crystal," Qiu Tu smiled and extended his hand to Yao Qin, saying, "It's a pleasure to cooperate with you, Your Majesty."

Yaoqin: ....

Perhaps not expecting Qiu Tu to ask for such a small amount, Yaoqin hesitated for a moment before extending her hand to shake Qiu Tu's....

Qiu Tu and Yao Qin were both decisive and efficient people. After finalizing the cooperation details, the two sides quickly began discussing the specifics of the collaboration.

Soon, a cooperation agreement that satisfied both parties was reached.

Both parties agreed to share the resources of the "Boundless Heart Sea," with Yaoqin having the right to cultivate her own people and develop her power within the "Boundless Heart Sea," and Qiu Tu promising to help Yaoqin advance to the level of a second-tier God King.

As for Yaoqin, she was to share information about the "Star Forging God System" and the "Battlefield of the Gods" with Qiu Tu; she was responsible for preventing the "Star Forging God System" from descending; and she was also responsible for helping Qiu Tu's side to block the enemies invading the "Boundless Heart Sea" and to establish a foothold in the "Battlefield of the Gods".

After finalizing the agreement, Yaoqin made a wish directly to the "Origin of the World" as agreed.

As for Qiu Tu, he didn't...

Both sides tacitly avoided bringing up the topic.

This was because Qiu Tu was the one in charge of the cooperation, and also because Yaoqin was confident that once she advanced to the second level of God King, her strength would be enough to ensure that Qiu Tu would not break his promise.

Once everything was settled, Yaoqin took the initiative to ask for a room, and then, shaking the ram horns on her head, prepared to go inside to devise a plan for the "Star Forging God System".

As for Qiu Tu, he went to the back garden of the city lord's mansion to smoke and ponder his next move.

Upon arriving at the back garden of the city lord's mansion, Qiu Tu had just lit a cigarette when Zhao Ji appeared silently beside him.

Qiu Tu glanced at her, then leaned against the railing and took a deep drag on his cigarette.

Zhao Ji glanced at him quietly before speaking, "That woman is very clever."

"She's just intimidated by you right now. She'll probably realize what's going on later."

Hearing Zhao Ji's words, Qiu Tu chuckled lightly. Amidst the swirling smoke, Qiu Tu said calmly, "She's actually smarter than you think."

"If I'm not mistaken, she had already figured it out during the negotiations."

“But…” Qiu Tu paused, flicked his cigarette ash, and then said, “She is indeed a smart person. That’s why she chooses to see through things but not say anything.”

"Because I was using an open strategy from the start..."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Zhao Ji tilted her head and glanced at him.

To be honest, of all the collaborations I've had with Qiu Tu, what I like most about him is his strategic and meticulous approach.

It felt as if nothing in this world could possibly stump Qiu Tu...

...

Meanwhile.

The room where Yaoqin is.

Yaoqin sat at the table, but instead of making a plan, she was reviewing the entire process of her collaboration with Qiu Tu.

Qiu Tu was right. When Qiu Tu went to great lengths only to ask her for a small sum in the end, she roughly realized what was going on.

Qiu Tu genuinely wanted to cooperate with him. The reason he deliberately broke the contract, provoked him, and defeated him was simply to gain the upper hand and regain control of the cooperation.

In reality, this doesn't bring much practical benefit to the cooperation as a whole. It's simply a power struggle.

However, perhaps because she had eaten his food, Yaoqin did understand Qiu Tu to some extent.

After all... before this encounter, she genuinely believed that Qiu Tu's side was no match for her. She was confident that she could dominate the entire "Boundless Heart Sea".

At the time, even though she learned from the Western God King that Qiu Tu's cataclysmic abilities could enhance the strength of others, she didn't care.

She was confident that she could keep Qiu Tu and Zhao Ji in check. This led her to believe that she was indeed the one in charge of this collaboration.

However, reality slapped her in the face. It made her realize that there really are people more powerful than you, and that there are always higher levels to reach. A mid-level celestial being can indeed defy a god-king.

Furthermore, this is combined with Qiu Tu and Zhao Ji's abnormal combat power and leveling speed.

After this battle, Yaoqin finally understood her place.

As for the two conditions Qiu Tu made to her, she cared even less.

Putting aside the fact that these two conditions are more of a "symbolic" matter, even if Qiu Tu were truly asking for an exorbitant amount, Yaoqin would still willingly accept it.

Perhaps because she lacked a fixed faction, Yaoqin wandered the "Battlefield of the Gods." This allowed her to truly experience what the real "law of the jungle" meant.

So she knew that from the moment she was defeated, she was already a dead person. Her resources and everything she had no longer belonged to her, but to Qiu Tu.