Make a Deal

Two days passed just like that.

Argyle did not appear again during those two days.

Through Fang Wenlong, Lu Su had gained a general understanding of the Secret Realm. He had not expected one of his own kind to voluntarily bow to the World Devourer Calamity Star.

However, Lu Su felt that things were not so simple. From the information he had gathered so far, the Secret Realm’s World Consciousness was likely in terrible condition. Otherwise, it would not have remained hidden for so long.

He felt that the Resistance Faction should know the details, but that depended on whether Argyle and the others were willing to talk.

Knock, knock, knock—

Just as Lu Su was considering how to probe for information indirectly, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

When he opened the door, it was the attendant from before.

The attendant bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Lord Lu, General Argyle is waiting for you downstairs."

"I understand. Thank you."

Lu Su smiled, then vanished from the room.

When he arrived on the first floor, he found Fang Wenlong and Argyle already waiting there.

At the sight of him, a smile appeared on Argyle’s aged face. "We have been somewhat neglectful these past two days. I hope you do not take offense."

Lu Su could understand that they had many matters to discuss, so he held no dissatisfaction.

Besides, two days was not that long. He had even been prepared for the Resistance Faction to deliberate for ten days or half a month.

"Then I shall lead Master Lu and Master Fang to the assembly hall."

At this point, the gray-haired old man paused, a frank expression appearing on his face. "However, if the two of you are concerned, you may choose the location yourselves."

Hearing this, Lu Su shook his head slightly. "No need. We’ll follow your arrangements."

It was not because he particularly trusted Argyle and the others. Rather, after two days of rest, Naruto and Sasuke had fully recovered.

If the Resistance Faction had any sinister intentions, Lu Su could let them have a taste of Six Paths: Heavenly Roar of Almighty.

Thus, Lu Su and Fang Wenlong followed the gray-haired old man to a vast and imposing hall.

When the guards at the entrance saw the three of them, they pushed open the heavy doors.

Perhaps because they were regularly maintained, the doors opened smoothly without making a sound.

There were many seats within the hall, but Lu Su’s attention was entirely fixed on the statue standing in its center.

It depicted a gray-haired woman with resolute features.

At that moment, Argyle said softly, "That is Lady Adele, the great person I mentioned to Master Fang before—the one who preserved the spark of hope."

Upon hearing that name and seeing the statue’s appearance, Lu Su immediately concluded that the woman must be related to Argyle.

As if sensing his gaze, Argyle’s face showed a trace of melancholy. He said in a desolate tone, "As Master Lu has guessed, Adele is my daughter."

Lu Su and Fang Wenlong immediately fell silent.

However, the gray-haired old man quickly composed himself. "My apologies for making you witness that. Please."

With that, he took the lead and walked forward.

Lu Su and Fang Wenlong exchanged a glance before following him.

At the center of the hall, two men and one woman had long been waiting for Lu Su and the others.

All three were Master Grade.

Then again, if Argyle had been the Resistance Faction’s only Master Grade, they would have had no way to withstand the Submission Faction’s attacks.

"General."

Upon seeing Argyle, the three greeted him in turn. From their attitudes, it was not difficult to see that the gray-haired old man possessed tremendous prestige within the Resistance Faction.

Argyle nodded slightly in response before introducing Lu Su and Fang Wenlong.

He first pointed at Fang Wenlong. "This is Great Ming’s War God, Master Fang Wenlong."

Since Fang Wenlong had already been in contact with the Resistance Faction before Lu Su entered the Secret Realm, the three were not particularly unfamiliar with him.

The main event came afterward.

After introducing Fang Wenlong, the gray-haired old man pointed at Lu Su and said solemnly, "This is Great Ming’s Myriad Manifestations, Master Lu Su."

"A few days ago, it was Master Lu who killed those dogs from the Submission Faction."

The expressions of the three Master Grades immediately turned solemn. They lowered their heads slightly and said, "Thank you, Master Lu, for your assistance."

Although they had already learned of Lu Su’s existence through Argyle and the others, they were still shocked upon seeing him.

The three Master Grades had never imagined that the expert who had nearly crippled the Submission Faction single-handedly would truly be so young.

Seeing how courteous they were, Lu Su merely waved his hand and said gently, "I did it for myself as well."

"Besides, traitorous dogs like the Submission Faction, who have sought refuge with that side, deserve to be killed by all."

Hearing this, everyone from the Resistance Faction, including Argyle, relaxed inwardly.

This ruthless man seemed easier to deal with than they had expected.

After some brief pleasantries, Lu Su had no intention of playing verbal games, so he asked directly, "Did you invite Master Fang and me here today because there is news of the Secret Realm Entrance?"

Though he asked that, Lu Su knew there was likely another matter. Otherwise, there would have been no need for such a grand gathering.

As expected, the four Master Grades of the Resistance Faction exchanged glances, and Argyle stepped forward. "The Secret Realm Entrance has indeed been found."

"However, there is another major matter we would like to discuss with the two of you."

As if afraid Lu Su would misunderstand and think they were using news of the Secret Realm Entrance as leverage, the gray-haired old man immediately told Lu Su and Fang Wenlong its location.

However, Lu Su had no intention of simply leaving. He still had some questions for them.

Naturally, Fang Wenlong would follow Lu Su’s decision.

Seeing this, Argyle and the others could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. They had been afraid that these two outsiders would turn around and leave.

Using force was out of the question. Even if they were all tied together, they might not be able to defeat the young man before them.

A faint smile appeared on the gray-haired old man’s face as he stated his purpose directly. "We hope to form a partnership with Great Ming and completely eradicate the Submission Faction."

Lu Su was not surprised by this. He merely raised a brow and asked curiously, "You should be stronger than the Submission Faction now, shouldn’t you?"

"Do you still need Great Ming’s help?"

After all, whether Great Ming participated would make all the difference.

Without Great Ming’s involvement, the Resistance Faction could maintain its independence after the purge. A force with four Master Grades would not be considered small even on Blue Star, even if Argyle and the others were weaker than Card Masters.

But with Great Ming involved, things would be different. The Resistance Faction’s independence would be greatly weakened, and once everything was over, they would most likely become a vassal of Great Ming.

Based on the intelligence they currently had, after Lu Su’s rampage, the Resistance Faction was stronger than the Submission Faction. There was no need at all to bring Great Ming in.

That was, provided the Submission Faction had no help from the World Consciousness.

That was right. Lu Su pretended not to know of the World Consciousness’s existence.

At his question, bitter expressions appeared on the faces of the four Resistance Faction members.

After a long silence, Argyle pressed his lips together and said with difficulty, "Master Lu should already know the origin of our Secret Realm, as well as how Adele preserved the spark of hope for us."

"But the key is…"

"It is not dead yet."

Everyone present knew who "it" referred to.

Argyle continued, "After giving everything she had, Adele successfully inflicted heavy damage upon it. This prevented it from personally taking action for a long time."

"But this is ultimately its home ground. If we cannot establish an overwhelming advantage, it will only return in the end."

Hearing this, Lu Su finally confirmed his guess. As expected, his fellow World Consciousness was in terrible condition.

What the young man had not expected was that this Secret Realm’s World Consciousness was probably only at Hall of Fame Grade.

Otherwise, it could not possibly have been severely wounded by Adele, who was also Hall of Fame Grade.

"Looks like World Consciousnesses vary in strength as well."

Then again, if this fellow of his had been powerful enough, it would not have bowed to the World Devourer Calamity Star.

So far, the strongest World Consciousness Lu Su had encountered was probably Blue Star’s World Consciousness.

The next was the World Consciousness of Guran’s Secret Realm.

Earth

Because he had no memories of resisting the Secret Realm afterward, Lu Su did not know how powerful he had originally been.

With that thought, the young man looked at the somewhat uneasy Argyle and the others, then nodded lightly. "Great Ming accepts your proposal."

"However, we need to return to Great Ming first."

Lu Su and Fang Wenlong had already been in the Secret Realm for quite some time, and they could not help worrying about Great Ming, where only Bai Yueming and Ji Weirui remained.

The four Master Grades of the Resistance Faction were greatly relieved. "That is only natural."

"Even if the two of you had not accepted our request, we would not have stopped you."

Lu Su believed them. He did not think the Resistance Faction, which lacked a Hall of Fame Grade, would be foolish enough to try to forcibly keep him behind.

After reaching a preliminary agreement for cooperation, Lu Su and Fang Wenlong returned to the building where they had been staying.

After gathering all the Card Masters, the two led them toward the Secret Realm Entrance indicated by the intelligence.

After a long journey, an enormous rift constantly emitting spatial fluctuations appeared before them.

"We can finally get out."

Seeing the Secret Realm Entrance in the distance, the Great Ming Card Masters all let out long breaths.

At that moment, Lu Su frowned slightly.

He sensed the aura of his fellow World Consciousness.

Fang Wenlong also noticed Lu Su’s abnormality and asked in a low voice, "Is there a problem, Xiao Luo?"

"Something is wrong."

Hearing this, everyone present immediately became alert.

Yet as one second after another passed, nothing happened.

Just as everyone began wondering whether Lu Su’s senses had been mistaken, a faceless figure suddenly appeared before the Secret Realm Entrance.

"Just as expected, I cannot hide from you."

"Let’s make a deal."