I Don't Agree to the Terms

His powers were now unclear, but he already possessed an unparalleled force that could deter all, such that anyone with lesser spiritual martial strength would faint from the immense pressure if he released this power, not even qualified to approach Wang Qi.

"If the other party isn't savvy, don't just kill everything," Wang Qi knew that most of the members of the Royal Family were up to no good, continuously advancing their power by trampling over the lives of the commoners. Although he was now in this position, wanting to implement change was extremely difficult. He had learned about the relationship between the commoners and the Royal Family from Gu Shanhai.

It was inherently an inequitable relationship. To resolve this, one must deal with the power of the islands, a task incredibly challenging for him unless Gu Shanhai was willing to take action.

However, he couldn't trouble Gu Shanhai now, as he was traveling far and wide to handle the Divine beings.

The matters of the Royal Family weren't fatal and could be dealt with slowly, in contrast to the Divine beings, which were the bigger issue. A careless backlash could cause the Island Alliance to collapse directly.

Previously, due to Gu Shanhai's strikes against the Divine beings everywhere, many Divine beings retaliated. Luckily, he had just enough strength to fend off their attacks.

The reason Yu Ju mentioned pirates here was that many pirates had joined under the influence of Divine beings, driven by them.

It could even be said that the Pirate Group's existence couldn't have happened without the help of the Divine beings.

These Divine beings lured the pirates with promises of freedom, treasure, beauty, etc., and incited them to loot and commit atrocities everywhere.

They were even crueler than the Divine beings themselves.

Fortunately, it was only their ruthlessness, and they weren't numerous because many sea dwellers were very cautious about the deception of these Divine beings. After all, not long ago, they were enslaved by these beings. If they were to believe them now, they were either foolish or evil.

Naturally, the pirates were mostly the evil ones, because fools wouldn't survive long at sea.

"Also, the Island Alliance is preparing to initiate the selection of a base, which has yet to be finalized," Yu Ju introduced the next topic.

The main issue was that they needed a sufficiently large island to set up base. Such islands existed, but dealing with the controlling Island Royal Families would likely not be easy.

"That fast? It doesn't seem quite appropriate now," Wang Qi wasn't in a rush about the Island Alliance's base, as it was more of a symbol.

"As a Divine being, the teacher surely must have a corresponding status," Yu Ju lowered his eyelids, not speaking for the sake of the Island Alliance, but thinking of flattering Gu Shanhai. After all, as a Divine being and their most solid support, he had to be properly honored.

If Yu Ju hadn't mentioned Gu Shanhai, Wang Qi would have directly rejected the idea, but now, it warranted careful consideration.

Because he thought Yu Ju made a very sensible point.

Indeed, they were able to work from the ship, but as a great Divine being, even without putting on airs, Gu Shanhai needed a palace befitting his status.

After all, he was a Good God, not one of those Evil Gods. Having saved the world, didn't he deserve some enjoyment?

"Choose the largest island and send Fang Chen to negotiate with them," Wang Qi didn't look at the map of the islands but authoritatively selected the largest island.

Sending Fang Chen over was straightforward; if he could negotiate well, that would be ideal. If not, they would eliminate the opposition and replace the Royal Family with their own people.

Although Fang Chen was a profligate before, he had been influenced by his Royal grandfather and had enough experience to manage an island.

The nature of spiritual martial strength was special, not like the Transcendent powers gained from Tribute to Divine beings, which would disappear upon becoming a member of the Royal Family.

"All right," Yu Ju didn't mind; after all, it wasn't him doing the deeds.

```

"It would be a good idea to let him become the lead nation, and manage all the affiliated countries," Wang Qi also provided compensation, mainly because becoming part of the Royal Family, he would no longer be able to venture into the ocean.

It was not that he wanted to deliberately exclude Fang Chen, but through observations over the past days, Fang Chen's abilities were indeed limited. Assigning him to manage a fleet as a second or third mate was sufficient, but when the large responsibilities of the Island Alliance were laid on his shoulders, chaos ensued, requiring their intervention to clean up the mess.

Moreover, during this period, Fang Chen was under tremendous pressure and had repeatedly come to resign, clearly unable to bear the burden any longer.

He had to fight desperately before because it was necessary, but now the situation is different. He has a background and strength, and without the urgency tied to life and death, his potential is no longer being unleashed.

Therefore, Fang Chen's current wish is to revert to his previous life of extravagance.

Wang Qi decided to assign Fang Chen to oversee the construction of the Island Alliance's residence precisely because of this reason. Firstly, since it involved Gu Shanhai, he wouldn't dare act recklessly, and secondly, the task was simple and not very pressuring, which suited him better.

As for refusal, it's indeed a possibility, but if he really refuses, it's not a problem, someone else can take the job, and there will always be volunteers.

The best-case scenario would be that the Island Royal Family is very sensible. Fang Chen wouldn't have to become a Royal Family member, and through this job transfer, he could acquire the lifestyle he desires.

But in doing so, he would gradually drift away from the center of power created by the Island Alliance. It's not that Wang Qi would not offer it; it's that Fang Chen can't keep up.

"Furthermore, there's also the matter of the players; they're asking us to allocate land for them to rebuild a commercial district," Yu Ju pulled out another document.

"Weren't they quite aggressive? How did it suddenly come to this?" Wang Qi took the document to review it, noticing the generous terms were highly beneficial to both parties.

"It's said that someone influential among the players is acquainted with the teacher, so after a word from them, the intensity decreased," Yu Ju had naturally reviewed the document already.

"Let's keep talking. The players' commercial district is convenient for us, but at the same time, they're siphoning our resources. Since the collapse of Player Island, you've seen how great the disadvantages can be. Just take the food issue, for instance; it almost led to a severe famine," Wang Qi didn't confirm the arrangement immediately.

Indeed, the cost of growing our own food is higher than importing from the players, but if we come to rely entirely on the players, that's tantamount to handing them control of our lifeline.

As for growing our crops while also purchasing from the players, that is feasible, but the issue arises when the rural farmers can no longer survive and refuse to farm.

After all, if you collect their harvests and purchase at the players' price, not only do the farmers not make money, they lose money, and nobody will be willing to farm. If we were to buy from the farmers at higher prices than the players, what happens when someone starts speculating with large quantities purchased at a low price from the players and selling at a high price? Then it would be better to buy directly from the players rather than having a middleman profiting off the difference.

Maintaining this balance isn't easy.

That's why just this one issue is making him hesitate to open the commercial district. At the very least, it's best to wait until the agriculture industry has developed to a level where it's not impacted before making a decision.

Attracting merchants and investment can indeed bolster one's own strength, but only if one doesn't fall under the control of the other party.

Wang Qi is aware of the causes and consequences of "holding valuable goods" from conversations with Gu Shanhai. Moreover, he's not Ying Zheng, and the players' commercial district isn't Lv Buwei; there's still a significant gap between his level and that of the players, at least in terms of strength. His Island Alliance doesn't match up to the players' powers that span many worlds.

The fact that players can slay a Divine being through sheer numbers and fearlessness demonstrates that they could also kill him if they so desired.

"Alright, how long should we drag it out? I'm worried that if it takes too long, the players might become impatient," Yu Ju also knew that there was a limit to how long players would negotiate.

"One year, I suppose. We can use the excuse that our powers are not developed enough to support the growth of the commercial district, and after a year, when teacher returns, we can seek his advice on what to do," Wang Qi was adept at leveraging his advantages. When in doubt, call for the teacher. Isn't that what the disciples do?

Otherwise, if I act recklessly without knowing anything, I might not only trap myself but also involve the teacher and my fellow disciples. This would be a sign of immaturity. Being independent doesn't mean giving up your own advantages and refusing any help.

```