"Zhuangzi's butterfly dream, the butterfly dreaming of Zhuangzi—Daoism, huh?"
Ling was deeply intrigued by the story of Zhuangzi's butterfly dream, and her interest in Daoism grew significantly. The philosophies of the Hundred Schools of Thought, such as Daoism, didn't exist in Yan in this world.
Daoism, with its broad applicability, was suitable for both ordinary and mystical worlds. For Ling, it was a perfect fit.
"Escaping to another world to avoid this fate? That's not a bad idea. I'll contact our eldest brother and see what he thinks." No one wants to die, even someone as carefree as Ling. For her, the greatest regret of disappearing would be not being able to see the beautiful landscapes of this world or enjoy a good drink—her greatest passion.
Now, with fine wine and the wonders of another world within reach, Ling was naturally very interested.
As for Ling contacting their eldest brother, Daniel didn't mind. If they were willing to leave, he wouldn't mind taking them along. Of course, this only applied to those like Ling who didn't cause trouble. Their Second Brother, for example, was out of the question—at least for now.
Daniel didn't ask how many siblings Nian had, as it was their private matter. However, based on the storyline, it seemed there were twelve, although some speculated it was nine, given the saying "the dragon has nine sons."
But considering Xi's situation, it was likely twelve.
After finalizing their plans, the group left Xi's painted world. However, Xi didn't want to leave. Even though she no longer feared Sui Xiang to the point of not daring to sleep, her personality and habits hadn't changed much. She still didn't want to interact with humans.
Compared to deities like them, ordinary humans had far too short a lifespan. By the time they took a nap, a human's life might already be over.
Even though Xi could extract a person's essence and recreate them in her paintings, it wasn't the same as the original person. This was like the case of Li in her paintings.
Back when Xi had saved the young Li, they had lived together for a long time. Li had even helped Xi grind ink. But in the end, time had separated them.
"It's rare for us sisters to gather like this. Don't spoil the mood."
In the end, Xi couldn't resist Nian's insistence and was pulled out of her painted world. The group then returned to Liang Xun's residence to wait for Yan's decision-makers.
"I didn't expect her to come to Yan."
While waiting, Daniel unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance in Shangshu—more accurately, someone he recognized. It was Eureka, the former host of the Dosores Extreme Ironman Competition. Due to a minor mishap during her hosting and her lack of fame compared to DDD, she had been replaced as the host.
Unexpectedly, she had left Dosores and come to Shangshu, becoming a special host for "Hello, Shangshu," a program that introduced the city's scenic spots and attractions.
With her cute appearance and lively commentary, the show's ratings were quite good.
"Grand Tutor."
A few days later, an elderly man quietly appeared in Liang Xun's study. Seeing him, Liang Xun and Ning Ciqiu finally relaxed. This was Yan's pillar of stability—the Grand Tutor.
"How are things here?" The Grand Tutor nodded slightly and got straight to the point.
"Everything is fine. They haven't made any unusual moves."
Liang Xun quickly summarized Daniel, Nian, and the others' activities over the past few days. Aside from touring the three mountains and eighteen peaks, they had been sampling street food or playing mahjong in the garden pavilion. Nian had finally fulfilled her wish of gathering her family for a game of mahjong.
After Xi unsealed the hidden peak, the three mountains and seventeen peaks had returned to being three mountains and eighteen peaks.
"Where are they now? I need to see them." After hearing Liang Xun's report, the Grand Tutor's expression remained unchanged as he issued his command.
"Yes, I'll send someone to inform them."
"So it's you. Of course, for something this big, only you can make the decisions." When Nian saw the Grand Tutor, her expression soured, as if she had suffered at his hands before.
"Nian has met her before. According to Nian, she only woke up recently. So, it seems dragons do live much longer than ordinary people." Hearing Nian's words, Daniel confirmed his earlier speculation.
"All of you, leave now."
"Yes."
At the Grand Tutor's command, Liang Xun and Ning Ciqiu immediately bowed and left. Some matters were clearly beyond their authority to know.
"Grand Tutor of Yan, greetings to the Emperor of the Great Tang." After Liang Xun and Ning Ciqiu left the study, the Grand Tutor suddenly bowed formally to Daniel.
"So Wei Yenwu told you about this."
The Grand Tutor's address caught Daniel off guard, but he quickly realized the source of the information—Wei Yenwu. Aside from him, Yan wouldn't have known about his identity.
This was also why the Grand Tutor had bowed. In theory, Daniel was on equal footing with the current Emperor of Yan.
"After all, Lord Wei is a citizen of Yan."
The Grand Tutor's words made Daniel understand why Wei Yenwu had reported his identity. No matter the conflicts or issues between Wei Yenwu and the current Emperor of Yan, they were internal matters of Yan.
"You're actually an emperor?" Ling and Xi looked at Daniel in surprise. This was the first time they had heard about this identity.
"It's just a title. Nothing to make a fuss about." Daniel then turned to the Grand Tutor and continued, "Since you already know, things will be much simpler. I plan to take them away from this world. This should be beneficial for Yan, right? Even if Sui Xiang reappears, it will be much weaker without them.
Of course, considering their contributions to Yan, I will offer some compensation within my means."
This treatment was only for Yan. If it were Ursus, Victoria, or other nations, Daniel would have simply taken them and left.
"Compensation?"
The Grand Tutor looked at Daniel in surprise. Before coming here, based on Wei Yenwu's report, neither he nor the Yan court had expected any compensation. After all, from their perspective, Daniel taking away Nian, Ling, and Xi was more beneficial than harmful to Yan.
While Nian's abilities were valuable to Yan, their existence made Sui Xiang stronger. Even if Yan wanted to weaken Sui Xiang by eliminating the three of them in advance, the cost would be enormous.
Under these circumstances, the Grand Tutor had come primarily to discuss cooperation with Daniel. Whether it was expanded spaces, technology from other worlds, or other knowledge, everything was open for negotiation.
"Exactly. I'm doing this because Yan and the Great Tang share a common origin. Other nations wouldn't receive such treatment. My compensation terms are as follows: ten expanded spaces, similar to what I provided for Governor Wei. The locations can be chosen by you.
Additionally, I will provide some technology and knowledge from other worlds. Of course, this isn't entirely free. In exchange, I need Yan to share its technological knowledge and expertise in Originium Arts."
Daniel stated his terms directly. While he had a favorable impression of Yan, he wasn't going to hand over everything for free. He was well aware of the saying, "A little kindness is appreciated, but too much breeds resentment."
"Agreed."
After a moment of silence, the Grand Tutor accepted all the terms. Even without the additional offerings, the ten expanded spaces alone would be a significant boon for Yan.
Ten expanded spaces, which could be moved freely and were immune to catastrophes, could greatly alleviate Yan's current pressures from the north and south.
For example, if Yumen City had an expanded space, it might not need to travel thousands of miles to resupply near Lungmen.
These spaces could also be used for military purposes, such as hiding troops or setting up ambushes. Moreover, the technology and knowledge from other worlds were equally valuable to a nation.
"I am very curious about the Great Tang. Could Your Majesty enlighten me?"
"Of course. Let me start from the beginning."
Daniel then began recounting the history of Huaxia—not the history from his original world, but the history from *Qin's Moon*. This allowed him to introduce the Hundred Schools of Thought.
Yan didn't have the Hundred Schools of Thought, so this was a good opportunity to introduce them. If there was a suitable place, Daniel would spread the philosophies of the Hundred Schools. For example, in the Empire of *Akame ga Kill!*, the culture was entirely based on the Hundred Schools.
"The legend of Xi E flying to the moon, Chang'e flying to the moon—they share the same origin after all."
In Yan, the story of Chang'e flying to the moon was called Xi E flying to the moon. Although the details differed, the core was the same. There were also traditions like setting off firecrackers during the New Year and New Year's Eve, known as "firecrackers" or "double-kick firecrackers," which were used to ward off Nian and Xi.
Strictly speaking, these couldn't harm them but would annoy them. Over time, it became a belief that Nian and Xi were afraid of firecrackers.
"That's the situation. Here are the materials I prepared earlier." Daniel handed a tablet and a hard drive to the Grand Tutor, then continued, "As for the expanded spaces, you can prepare the locations first and then contact Governor Wei. For other transactions, you can relay them through Governor Wei. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."
Without waiting for the Grand Tutor's response, Daniel opened a golden portal and stepped through it with Nian and the others, returning to Chernobog.
He wasn't worried about Yan reneging on the deal. After all, Yan wasn't like Columbia or Victoria, nations known for their double standards.
Daniel's request for technology and knowledge of Originium Arts was partly to understand how Originium Arts worked. In Terra, only Yan and Leithania were at the forefront of Originium Arts research, making them ideal for study and reference.
Additionally, Chernobog urgently needed knowledge of Originium Arts to teach the Reunion movement. While most Infected were naturally skilled in Originium Arts due to their condition, they lacked deeper understanding and application.
"An Infected city? I didn't realize the Infected situation had become so severe."
Having spent most of their time in Yan, the three sisters weren't fully aware of the plight of the Infected in other parts of the world. This was the first time they had heard about the conditions outside Yan. Even Xi, who had once painted the struggles of the Infected, was momentarily speechless.
"Do you know who I am? How dare you treat me like this! The fact that we've come to this Infected city to cooperate with you is already a stroke of luck for you."
As Daniel and the others entered the courtyard, intending to introduce Xi and Ling to Talulah, FrostNova, and even Rhodes Island, they saw a flamboyantly dressed Liberi standing in front of the hall, shouting arrogantly at Talulah.
Behind the Liberi stood four burly Sarkaz, likely his bodyguards.
"What's going on?"
Seeing this, Daniel frowned and quickly stepped forward to stand beside Talulah, asking for an explanation.
"They're here to discuss cooperation."
Talulah briefly explained the situation. As Chernobog developed and Kjerag Trade established a presence in the city, more people began to take notice and seek cooperation. However, most negotiations fell through due to unfavorable terms.
The main issue was that these people came with a condescending attitude, believing that offering jobs to the Infected was a great favor. As for wages, they were pitifully low. Unbeknownst to them, most Infected in Chernobog earned wages comparable to non-Infected.
Daniel was aware of these situations, but most of the time, the negotiators were merely arrogant and left when talks broke down. This was the first time someone had dared to be so brazenly disrespectful in front of Talulah.
"Columbia, Volvot Kochinski. So it's them."
Hearing Talulah mention the company's name, Daniel immediately recognized it. Volvot Kochinski was a major industrial manufacturing company in Columbia, second only to Raythean Industries. It was also a company known for its unscrupulous methods.
"For that non-existent relic weapon?"
"Are you from Volvot Kochinski?" Daniel walked up to the Liberi and asked.
"Yes, I—"
*Slap.*
Before the Liberi could finish his sentence, Daniel slapped him, sending all his teeth flying and causing him to spin three and a half times in the air before crashing to the ground.
"If you want to die, go ahead and draw your weapons."
The four Sarkaz bodyguards, seeing their employer slapped, immediately reached for their weapons. However, upon meeting Daniel's icy, murderous gaze, they froze. As seasoned mercenaries, they knew Daniel wasn't joking—he would kill them without hesitation.
"You—kill him!"
The Liberi, struggling to his feet, clutched his swollen cheek and pointed at Daniel, screaming at his bodyguards to kill him.
*Slap.*
Another slap silenced the Liberi, who collapsed face-first onto the ground, unconscious.
"Take him and get out of Chernobog. If Volvot Kochinski sends people like this, are they looking for a war? Go back and tell your masters that they'll get what they want."
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