72: Chapter 72 There are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests.
"Please give us some time. We need to report to our superiors and discuss it before we can give you an answer."
The Bear Country Officer spoke with a respectful tone; after all, this was Bai Xuan's territory, and the terrifying strength Bai Xuan had displayed earlier made them wary.
At the same time, they needed something from Bai Xuan. Otherwise, they would never have come to seek cooperation with a ferocious beast. They weren't willing, but there was no choice; they had to resolve the situation in the Siberia Region and stabilize the status quo.
They needed more time to develop spirit weapons and warriors.
When the cannons roar, gold flows like water.
This is a period when the global landscape is changing. If they continue to lag behind in making tangible developments in the field of spiritual energy, they will fall behind other countries in the future and might not even have the ability to defend against ferocious beasts.
This is not what they want to see. They also want to survive in this chaotic situation and perhaps even become the world hegemon.
If absolutely necessary, they could only resort to nuclear strikes. However, the risk is too high, as it could easily affect densely populated areas—a classic case of winning a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred—and it would cause immense damage to the land, violating the United Nations treaty.
They would not use nuclear strikes unless absolutely forced to.
The captain fulfilled his duty and stepped forward to translate: "He means..."
Before he could finish, Bai Xuan interrupted: "No need to translate. I can understand. I will give them time to discuss. However, it is only for ten minutes. Once the time is up, if they haven't reached an agreement, they can go back the way they came. Don't waste my time."
Upon hearing Bai Xuan's words, everyone was shocked. Damn, this giant eagle not only knows the Dragon Country language but also understands the Bear Country language? This is truly heaven-defying!
"You really understand?" The Bear Country Officer looked incredulous.
As far as he knew, Bai Xuan shouldn't have had any contact with the Bear Country language, so how could it understand? Did it learn without a teacher? Its previous display of strength had already opened their eyes, followed by its Size Manipulation, and now it was proficient in two languages—no, wait, it also knew the language of beasts. This was terrifying.
"I understand. Hurry up, don't waste any more time."
Bai Xuan appeared somewhat impatient. Thanks to Communication with Living Beings, Bai Xuan could naturally understand the meaning of all creatures' languages, though it could not speak the Bear Country language.
The Bear Country Officer was wearing a translator and could understand what Bai Xuan said: "Okay, I will contact them immediately. Please wait a moment."
After saying this, the Bear Country Officer hurriedly ran into the helicopter and began contacting his superiors.
"May I ask the Eagle King's name? Could you tell us?" the captain asked. This was also an attempt to improve relations; there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. Perhaps there would be opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation in the future.
If the giant eagle had no hostility toward the Dragon Country, it would be a good thing. However, given the current situation, there was certainly hostility. It was already fortunate that they weren't looking at each other with extreme hatred upon meeting. Because of this, the captain wanted to ease the relationship between the two sides.
The Dragon Country also needed to develop spirit weapons, optimize cultivation techniques, and increase the number of warriors. All of this required time, energy, and resources. In terms of spiritual energy, humanity still had a long way to go, and ferocious beasts were no exception. Who could say who would have the last laugh? Perhaps, for now, they could isolate themselves, develop separately, and maintain temporary peace.
But wanting eternal peace was impossible in the current situation. Sooner or later, a war would break out. Only in this way could they lay the foundation and determine the distribution of interests—who gets more, who gets less.
"You can call me Dabai, or Eagle King," Bai Xuan replied coldly after a moment of silence.
"Then may we call you Mr. Bai?"
The captain nodded with a smile. The fact that Bai Xuan was willing to tell them its name meant there was still a chance to ease their relationship, and the captain was very pleased about this.
"Suit yourselves."
"By the way, Mr. Bai, our Dragon Country is interested in cooperating and trading with you. Would you be willing?" The captain remembered the purpose of this trip; if there was an opportunity for cooperation, he could tentatively inquire about trading.
"Trade what? Let's hear it." Bai Xuan looked at the captain with interest.
If it were about the Outer Xing'an Mountains, Bai Xuan would absolutely not agree. That region was very suitable for developing the strength of ferocious beasts, was rich in resources, and could serve as a buffer zone so they wouldn't be pushed all the way here.
Precisely because of this, Bai Xuan would never hand over this area. Only by defeating itself could one seize this region. Furthermore, the Bear Country probably wouldn't agree either, so this was unlikely.
"It's just whether you could provide 500 milliliters of blood, and some feathers. If there are other things from your body, we can buy them with spirit stones."
The captain calmed himself, having already prepared for the worst, and steeled himself to state what they wanted to trade.
It was very difficult to get these things; after all, the giant eagle had its own pride and dignity, and it was unlikely to trade parts of its own body for mere spirit stones.
"If you don't agree, it doesn't matter. Even if the deal doesn't go through, we can still be on good terms. Please don't let this damage the friendship between us."
"Do I have any friendship with you? You've tried to kill me several times. I won't forget those things."
"We didn't have any other choice, Eagle King. Please try to understand."
Sweat appeared on the captain's forehead, and the situation suddenly turned tense again.
In the end, it came down to different standpoints, both sides thinking of their own interests. Facing such a rapidly rising ferocious beast that threatened humanity's status, the Dragon Country had to take precautions, which was only natural.
And from the standpoint of Bai Xuan as a ferocious beast, being targeted and attacked like this naturally caused it to harbor resentment. Plus, it also had to survive and think of its own interests, so it would certainly not let itself be slaughtered.
It was only natural for it to have such an attitude toward them. Likewise, the attitude of ferocious beasts toward humans was the same. Both centered on their own interests, and even more so, on survival. Survival of the fittest, natural selection. The weak are the prey of the strong, and only the fittest survive. This is the eternal law.
"Forget it, tell me, how many resources can you offer to trade with me?"
It was just a bit of blood and feathers. Bai Xuan did not rely on its own bloodline, but on the system and its Devour skill to increase its level and strength.
If it could exchange such a small amount of things for a large amount of resources, it wouldn't be a loss.
"How about three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones plus fifty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones?"
The captain made the offer; this was the price given by the military.
Three thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones and fifty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones—this was no small amount.
In the Dragon Country, a single Low-Grade Spirit Stone could sell for at least ten thousand Dragon Country coins, and even then, there was no market supply; it was possible for the price to increase to thirty or forty thousand.
In the early stages, it was even more, and only now that spirit stones were becoming more common everywhere did they have this price. A Mid-Grade Spirit Stone could sell for hundreds of thousands, while high-grade spirit stones went for millions or even tens of millions, and even then, they were hard to find.