The reception room was simply furnished. A desk sat by the window, with a sofa booth opposite it. The aisle in between was long, making the space feel unusually cold and empty.
Meroi sat in the main seat by the window, holding a thermos cup as he leaned back comfortably. His white uniform was wrinkled and draped loosely over his body.
Across from the desk, which held a few stacks of documents, loomed a massive beast.
Its broad, towering back was covered in bluish-gray long fur. A cobalt-blue silk scarf with gold patterns draped around its neck, hanging down both the front and back of its chest, with golden tassels at the ends that added a touch of civility to its wild, beastly appearance.
A bear?
Or a wolf?
Ashley saw the upright ears but wasn’t sure.
From its brow forward, a golden mask formed a bridge along its protruding snout, with ribbons tied at the sides passing under the chin.
The golden surface was covered in hammered textures, exuding an ancient artistic aura.
“You’ve arrived.”
Meroi handed the two of them photocopies of the investigation report and introduced with a gesture:
“Alberta Ted Weidenis, representative of the Blood Nobles.”
Albert bowed to them with palms pressed together in greeting, his movements reminiscent of a fluffy circus bear bowing with its chest puffed out. Though somewhat comical, it lightened the atmosphere a bit.
Albert rumbled in a deep, muffled voice:
“Thank you for keeping this matter under wraps, preventing the existence of the Little Chicks and the Crow Clan’s private executions from becoming public knowledge. The Crow Clan is the face of the Blood Nobles, proof that we have not fully detached from human society. The Crow Clan has always been committed to benefiting humanity through medicine and cultivating a positive image. Unfortunately, they have grown increasingly arrogant, relying on their privileges to commit acts that defy humanity—grave mistakes. But this was the doing of a single family. We are not crude imitations of humans; we are humans who have lost our outer forms.”
Though Albert addressed the two of them, this defense of their humanity was meant for Meroi’s ears.
However, the old man wasn’t listening at all. His thick fingers spun the thermos cup repeatedly, the rubber seal squeaking with each turn.
“Our demands are the return of the Ancestor Cassock. And please hand over Yinsu Helin—the Crow Clan needs to rebuild, and she is indispensable…”
Seeing Ashley frown, Albert raised a large hand gloved in black, signaling her not to rush, and continued:
“The five hundred thousand Brain Fish in Rift City—perhaps there is a way to reconstruct bodies for them. We Blood Nobles excel in genetic techniques for flesh editing.”
Ashley froze, sitting up straight in tension as she glanced at the Trial Judge.
If it was this kind of exchange of interests, the Tribunal’s stance would be hard to predict.
The old man finally unscrewed the thermos and took a sip, chuckling with a hint of relaxation:
“After retirement, I’ll open a tea room.”
Albert looked puzzled, thinking this renowned figure might have dementia in his old age, and explained carefully:
“We can craft bodies for the Brain Fish. Though not as refined as God’s creation, their muscle strength won’t match ordinary humans, some organs will be omitted, and there will be no biological gender—but at least they’ll have functional containers. Do you understand?”
“Hahaha!” The old man burst into hearty laughter, his beard tips trembling. “Of course I understand what you mean. The cassock, the Brain Fish, the inheritance Container—you want them all!”
“No, it’s cooperation…” Albert’s face stiffened as he hurriedly clarified.
“Since you have the technology, why not wait for me to steal it? No helping it—old people like me are just too suspicious. Gifts from others never sit right with me!”
The old man grinned wide, revealing a mouthful of razor-sharp steel teeth freshly embedded!
In that instant, Albert felt as if a primordial behemoth countless times his size was lunging at him!
Terrified, he twisted his waist in the chair, instinctively wanting to flee!
“I’m just kidding. Robbery is for bad guys—how could a cop like me do that?” The old man softened his tone with a smile.
Ashley listened with great interest. What had started as an ordinary three-way meeting to mediate conflicts had escalated to the level of a top-tier power struggle with the Blood Nobles’ body reconstruction proposal.
Clearly, Albert had intended to leverage their monopoly on flesh-editing tech for a shakedown, but the old man wasn’t buying it.
“Unless it’s a core tech transfer with guaranteed raw material supply, everything else is off the table.”
Meroi’s fingers tapped the desk rhythmically, one by one. Albert immediately found it hard to think, unable to process anything complex as his thoughts scattered with each monotonous tap—utterly uncomfortable.
His planned pitch on “various cooperation methods” died in his throat. Albert gaped, tongue-tied, and after racking his brain, finally squeezed out:
“You’re too wary. We’re just trying to help save…”
“Stop,” Meroi waved him off with a look of disgust. “I feel sick just saying ‘saving humanity.’ If you’re selling, name your price. Otherwise, what do you want?”
“We… only have intentions in that area. In fact… the technology isn’t mature yet.”
Albert Ted Weidenis backed down, his gaze flickering as he found a way to save face.
After the mutual probing, the topic returned to the beginning.
“We’ll find a way to resolve the Crow Clan’s ‘Container’ without bothering Miss Yinsu Helin anymore. The Ancestor Cassock is your spoils of war, but it’s the remains of the Crow Clan’s eleven ancestors. For a family that worships their ancestors, having them scattered is too cruel. We’d like to redeem it…”
“No sale.” Ashley shot it down flatly.
What a joke—the eleven Ancestor Skulls plus the current clan head’s were slaving away mining on her Brain Machine. Redeem them, and her mining operation was done for?
After simple tests at the Blackfoot Workshop, she’d discovered the Ancestor Skulls had immense computing power, equivalent to TITAN or 4090 flagship levels. The current clan head was a budget version but still potent.
Moreover, the knowledge and memories within the skulls aided genetic decoding like universal decoders—far superior in quality to fruits from Insect House conversions, a true qualitative leap.
She’d put them to work immediately—decoding King Insect Nodes.
The super Brain Machine from the twelve Ancestor Skulls, named ‘Intel Crow No. 1’ by Ashley.
Even tech trees like ‘Oviposition,’ which seemed useless at first glance, held inestimable value.
The decoded branch technologies alone were enough to make global powers salivate.
“We’ll keep pushing for the redemption—talk later. For the trouble this incident caused Miss Ashley, we’re willing to compensate.”
Albert placed a vial of Primordial Blood on the table.
Ashley accepted it but stayed cautious—it might have issues.
The negotiation wasn’t pleasant, but the outcome was highly favorable for her.
The Blood Nobles’ promise of peace would hold for a long time.
Simple reason: their ambitions were far-reaching. Before the deal for five hundred thousand Brain Fish, they wouldn’t risk small gains for big losses.
Finally, some minor details: pardoning White Pearl, removing the feather garb from the Little Chicks, compensating victims, and so on.
–
Back at the workshop, the lolis crowded around.
“Is the negotiation over?”
Ashley gave a brief rundown.
“Yay! We won!”
“What about the Little Chicks?”
“They agreed to remove those vicious feathers.”
“Pity—I wanted to keep them a bit longer.” Chloe said regretfully.
The Little Doctor’s eyes glazed over, then she suddenly lunged into Ashley’s arms, sobbing.
“Come on, no crying on a happy day. Let’s celebrate!”
Ashley clapped her hands and brought out some ready ingredients from the kitchen.
She made some pancakes with milk and flour, paired with diced apples and tea brewed with plum preserves.
The lolis sat in a row, tearing into the thin pancakes with their pearly white teeth and sipping the plum tea in small mouthfuls.
Ashley prepared small gifts for each of them.
First, Chloe: a beautiful cloisonné enamel fountain pen.
“Ooh, awesome! I’ll use it to write bad things about Ashley!” The reporter loli cheered, holding up the pen.
Next, Nina: an exquisite mechanical typewriter, a reporter’s productivity tool.
“Thank you… I didn’t help much… Sorry…” Nina shyly covered her cheeks, blushing.
Then the Little Doctor.
Opening the box revealed hefty crystallized bones and dense, thick feathers.
These were all of Patriarch Lesoto’s bones except his skull, saturated over years with extraordinary substances and reinforced by the “Death Bird” ability into top-tier materials. Plus a set of the Crow Clan’s pinnacle tech, the ‘Black Diamond Attire,’ stripped from Lesoto—treasure from head to toe.
“Too precious… I can’t accept…” The Little Doctor hesitated.
“You can use it to upgrade Great Raven. The enhanced version will protect us better.”
“Okay!” The Little Doctor bounced with joy.
Finally, Delwei. Ashley handed her a small box, which she cradled in her palms and asked curiously:
“What does it mean to give a gift?”
