Chapter 376 – Offering Treasures
Wuma Fenghua, as the former lord of Border City, was undoubtedly responsible for welcoming the representatives from other worlds.
Tu Ran followed her closely, fulfilling the duties of a bodyguard.
The attendees of this banquet were all from worlds conquered by Rulers, with representatives coming from all corners of the universe. If it hadn’t been for the sudden collapse of the cosmic order, they might have never known of each other’s existence, and each would have believed their own world to be the only one with advanced intelligence.
Now gathered in one place, they were observing each other carefully.
Standing behind Wuma Fenghua, Tu Ran was fortunate enough to observe the representatives of all the worlds up close.
Her most immediate impression was the diversity of species.
Hundreds of unrelated civilizations existed, and not every one of them had evolved to resemble humans.
The three dominant native species of the Rulers’ worlds were a clear example.
Different geographical locations, climates, evolutionary histories, and racial traits had resulted in different creatures reaching the top of the food chain.
Tu Ran could understand that.
The ruling species, at least in some ways, had commonalities with humans: dexterous hands, developed brains, and agile bodies.
But what about the crawling species in front of her, who was chatting confidently with Wuma Fenghua?!
A chubby, stout, white crawler, wearing a black top hat, with two front tentacles holding a briefcase, essential for the elite class. The next two tentacles were holding bouquets of flowers, one of which was handed to Wuma Fenghua, while countless other tentacles helped it crawl.
It was enough to make Tu Ran’s vision go black.
What kind of world had a species at the top of the food chain, evolved to advanced intelligence, and it was… a bug?!
“Why are you dazing off? Take it,” a voice interrupted her thoughts.
Her elbow was nudged—it was Wuma Fenghua, handing her a bouquet of white flowers.
It was the bug that had given Wuma Fenghua the bouquet, and now the bug was still holding another one.
Tu Ran glanced at it, braced herself, and took the flowers. But as soon as her fingers gripped the bottom of the bouquet, she felt a sticky, cold sensation.
Slime.
She had just touched the slime that had dripped from the bug.
Tu Ran immediately felt disgusted. She resisted the urge to throw the flowers on the ground and frantically wipe her hands. Only after the bug had left a trail of slime behind did she eagerly throw the bouquet into her spatial pouch, then proceeded to wipe her hands frantically on her clothes.
Wuma Fenghua was in a similar situation, but she handled it more discreetly. With her hands behind her back, she used a handkerchief to slowly wipe them, all the while maintaining a smile and greeting the passersby.
They didn’t know how much time had passed, but eventually, they finally saw the arrival of the ruling species.
The three leaders of the ruling species—the Green-eyed, the Red Crown, and the Buluo Sanda—arrived together, and the grandeur was unimaginable.
Representatives from other worlds, including Wuma Fenghua, could only bring one bodyguard to the tribute ceremony, but these three tribe leaders, no exaggeration, were followed by a whole army.
In addition, the lord’s mansion was already packed with guards from the three ruling species. Today’s tribute ceremony truly belonged to the Rulers.
The leaders of the Red Crown and Green-eyed tribes were about what Tu Ran had imagined. She had more interaction with these two tribes, and there was no doubt that the Green-eyed tribe leader had evolved, with orange pupils that gave off a sharp, perceptive aura. The Red Crown tribe leader, just by standing there, looked like a red, steaming furnace, radiating heat, as if ready to explode at any moment.
What surprised Tu Ran was the leader of the Buluo Sanda tribe, Hache Bulu. He was nothing like the short, plump creature she had imagined. His blue body was fit and slender, with elf-like features that were exceptionally harmonious. At a glance, one would automatically overlook his non-human appearance—true cross-species beauty.
The three clan leaders walked side by side, with Hache Bulu in the center and the other two leaders flanking him.
Wuma Fenghua gracefully stepped forward, guiding them to the designated seats for the three ruling species.
Once all the species had taken their seats, the tribute ceremony officially began.
The first item of the tribute wasn’t about serving wine, meat, or singing and dancing, nor was it an opening speech by the highest-ranking person present. Instead, it was—each species taking turns to introduce the treasures they were offering to the rulers.
It was a simple, straightforward approach.
The first to present was the white bug.
The seating arrangements took into account the needs of different species, and the white bug’s seat was a full five meters long, enough for its many legs to rest at once.
It slowly crawled off its chair and made its way toward the front of the hall, where the three rulers sat.
It quickly crawled forward, after all, so many legs weren’t for nothing.
“Don’t come any closer,” the leader of the Red Crown tribe suddenly spoke, sending a fiery shield in front of the white bug, halting its advance. “Just stay there and speak.”
It was clear that the Red Crown tribe leader had a strong disdain for the plump bug.
The fat bug stopped where it was, seemingly unfazed by the situation.
At some point, it had put on white gloves on its two front limbs, which were now crossed in front of it, as it stood politely like a gentleman.
“Respected leaders of the Bulu Sanda, Green-eyed, and Red Crown tribes, the representative of the Chushi Bug tribe has come to present our tribute.”
It spoke slowly, a strained smile trying to form on its fat face.
“The Chushi Bug tribe, under the rule of the Ruler for 343,601 years, signed an agreement with the Green-eyed tribe, voluntarily becoming an affiliated world of the rulers. We are tasked with the unlimited production of green oil for the Green-eyed tribe. In return, the rulers will grant the Chushi Bug tribe eternal peace, stability, and prosperity.”
Every species presenting tribute had to explain when their world was conquered by the rulers, which of the three ruling species had taken control, and what the agreement offered to the rulers, as well as the benefits for themselves.
Although it was obvious to anyone with a discerning eye that this was a dictatorial clause, no one dared to speak up. Or rather, the worlds that dared to speak out had already met the same fate as S•Erso—entire civilizations wiped out.
Hundreds of worlds sat in complete silence, listening to other worlds narrate the stories of their invasion.
The so-called “green oil” from the Chushi Bug tribe was actually the blood of the Green-eyed tribe, something Tu Ran later learned from the Hundred-Eyed Elves.
The current Green-eyed tribe’s blood could no longer be produced by their own bodies. They had to rely on a rare substance called green oil, which existed somewhere in the universe, and after a complex processing, it became a resource that could be injected into their bodies to provide energy.
For the Chushi Bug tribe to be able to produce green oil indefinitely, it was clear that the green oil resources in their world were incredibly abundant, justifying why the Green-eyed tribe leader personally took control of it.
Of course, the Green-eyed tribe hadn’t always required external energy. Over a long period of evolution, they discovered that their bodies were weakening, and those who could evolve were becoming exceedingly rare. At one point, the entire Green-eyed tribe had only one orange-eyed leader.
Back then, the Green-eyed tribe had even fallen out of the ranks of the three native species of the Rulers World.
Later, one of the Green-eyed tribe members accidentally discovered that external injections of green oil could strengthen their bodies. After injecting it for two or three years, they unexpectedly evolved to develop orange eyes.
This method spread among the Green-eyed tribe, and more and more of them began to rely on external energy instead of producing it themselves. Thousands of years later, the Green-eyed tribe regained their position among the three native species of the ruling world, but their entire race could no longer exist without green oil.
“The tribute offered by the Chushi Bug tribe is called the Green Oil Crystal.”
At this point, a bodyguard representing the white bug jumped forward, holding a black box with his tentacle.
The white bug representative took the box and opened it in his hands. Inside, a glowing green crystal-like substance lay quietly in the center.
“The Green Oil Crystal was found during the process of extracting green oil, deep in the underground green oil lakes. After testing, it was determined that its energy is 10,000 times that of the highest-quality green oil. If placed inside the body, it can free the user from daily dependence on green oil,” the white bug explained.
The Rulers World had three great tribe leaders, but the tributes were usually just one item, and how it was divided depended on the three leaders.
The Green Oil Crystal offered by the Chushi Bug tribe was clearly something only the Green-eyed tribe leader could use, and without a doubt, it was eventually handed to the Green-eyed tribe leader.
