Phi-Fic Chapter 420 Human relationships are really difficult to navigate.
Chapter 420 Human relationships are really difficult to navigate.
"...Please, Mr. Li, save my life!" Sister Bei's hands trembled, and her face was pale as she bowed deeply.
Yes, I really bow deeply.
Tsk! I can't even see the bowing... What sincerity is there?
Ahem! Waaaaah~ Thomas the Tank Engine~
Shiho also spoke up, "Brother, can you help me out?"
Even the Miyano couple said, "Mr. Li..."
"Don't worry, I already said it's nothing." Li Muyang waved his hand helplessly and explained, "If Karasuma Renya really wanted to do something to you, given what you've done, Sister Bei, she would be dead already!"
"And you don't think you've always been this lucky, right? That you've never been discovered doing anything? You probably have the help of the shadowy soldiers, and they're probably all acting on your orders with your consent."
Upon hearing this, Bayonetta felt a pang of relief, but also a deep bitterness. It turned out she was the clown all along!
Tashi Delek!
"No... those shadow soldiers are that powerful?" The Death God Elementary School student beside him was greatly shocked. Hiding in the shadows to monitor, how could anyone detect them? Even if someone knew they were there, they probably wouldn't be able to detect them, right?
Li Muyang calmly waved his hand and drew a new talisman, several of which fell into the hands of the group: "I told you, it's not a big problem. The shadow soldiers are indeed very good at hiding their whereabouts, but they have very obvious weaknesses. They can only move in the shadows and are very afraid of bright light."
“This talisman of mine can hinder the surveillance of the shadow soldiers. If there are shadow soldiers nearby, it will also drive them away. You can carry it with you normally! Don’t worry if you lose it, just ask me to draw another one.”
As he spoke, Li Muyang pointed to the ground: "My house has been set up with an isolation barrier. Without my summons, these shadowy soldiers have no chance of getting in."
"Moreover, according to my perception, these surveillance devices have nowhere to hide! Therefore, these shadowy soldiers can only monitor ordinary people; they are useless against cultivators who are highly vigilant."
The person who felt the most relieved after receiving the talisman was Sister Bei. To be honest, among everyone present, at least Li Muyang was there, and out of respect for Old Li, Karasuma Renya might not necessarily take action. But Sister Bei... she was a traitor.
Especially considering how well the old man usually treats her! And yet, Bayonetta is constantly sabotaging her teammates. Judging from Karasuma Renya's boss-like demeanor, she's not someone to be trifled with! Shouldn't she be furious and want to destroy this traitor?
That's what Bayonetta thought. After learning about the existence of the Shadow Soldiers, she felt like she was close to death. Her past self was like dancing ballet on a tightrope.
However, can this talisman that shields her from the shadowy soldiers really save her life?
Li Muyang raised his eyes and said, "You can always raise a big flag, right?"
Bayonetta is a smart woman: "Got it! Thanks!"
The talisman was given by Old Li, and Sister Bei could use this as a reason to make Karasuma Renya wary.
In fact, Li Muyang guessed that the old man originally intended to get Sister Bei and Old Li involved. From the moment he specifically asked Sister Bei to deliver something, a scheme to kill three birds with one stone had already begun.
One of them was naturally to give gifts to Li Muyang.
Secondly, through Li Muyang, he revealed the existence of the Shadow Soldiers to Sister Bei, making her realize that the old man was not unaware of her little tricks, but was just pretending not to know.
I can never repay my boss's kindness!
Thirdly, this was a way to connect Sister Bei with Li Muyang!
As for what they're going to do with this connection... who knows? Maybe it's just to find a new client for Sister Bei.
With Vermouth's shrewdness and way of dealing with people, she quickly realized that Karasuma Renya wanted her to be a bridge for communication with Li Muyang, so she took this opportunity to bring it up. This old guy is really good at scheming!
What?! Having contact with Sulli privately?! That's a huge deal! We didn't pay much attention to it before, let alone now!
The distillery's ability to survive for so many years is inseparable from the shrewd planning of its leader, Karasuma Renya, who skillfully navigated various situations.
After all, for an organization with more undercover agents than loyal members, if these undercover agents didn't come from different factions and didn't know each other's identities, no matter how capable Karasuma Renya was, he couldn't have developed the brewery to its current state.
Even considering the setting of this world, there might be members of other organizations within the distillery, acting as double agents, doing the work of one person while receiving salaries from two organizations, or even more... cough cough!
For example, a certain organization that can grow two heads after one head is cut off.
Li Muyang couldn't be bothered with these lunatics; as long as they didn't cause him trouble, that was fine. But if they were blind enough to come knocking on his door, then he wouldn't hesitate to take ruthless action.
Hydra is only focused on ruling the world, what's wrong with that?
Some things, if investigated too deeply, become difficult to escape.
Exposing the connections between certain individuals and the distillery is one thing, but if Hydra is also brought into the open, Li Muyang estimates he'll be overwhelmed with work. Even if it's about killing, he'll have to do it one by one, which is too troublesome.
Not to mention, they didn't cause Li Muyang any trouble.
The main reason is that Li Muyang has no intention of working for the Avengers or Black Egg; this is their job!
Sister Bei didn't stay at Li Muyang's house for long. She still had to go back to report to Wuwan Lianye. Moreover, Li Muyang's advice to Sister Bei regarding the talisman was not to hide anything and to be honest and lenient. Given Wuwan Lianye's current attitude, he didn't mind if Sister Bei made some underhanded moves.
There are plenty of people engaging in underhanded tactics at the brewery. If you were to try to manage them all one by one, not only would Karasuma Renya be unable to keep up, but the brewery's very basic structure would also fall apart.
After all, he has allowed even a second-in-command who wanted to rebel to exist until now, and has even been able to control him through checks and balances. This shows that Karasuma Renya's scheming and magnanimity are indeed unfathomable in a certain sense.
However, this has nothing to do with Li Muyang for the time being. The Miyano couple have been successfully rescued, and the Karasuma family won't be in any trouble for the time being. Even if something does happen, given Karasuma Renya's personality, he wouldn't place all his hopes on Li Muyang alone. He definitely has other backup plans.
Li Muyang was also about to move on to the next step.
In the world of consciousness space.
Two figures sat on a swing in a sea of flowers, watching the stars and the moon, chatting about their past experiences.
To be precise, it's one person telling the story, and the other listening.
Suddenly, Li Muyang appeared in front of the two. The man who was telling the story immediately instinctively shielded the woman beside him behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized it was Li Muyang, but he still did not completely let his guard down.
Yes, the two are Otto and Karen.
However, it has not been resurrected yet; it is only in a soul state.
When Li Muyang went to retrieve Morian last time, he also made time to go to the Honkai Impact 3rd world and retrieved Otto and Kallen's souls as well.
“I already said, this is my consciousness space. No one else can enter except with my permission.” Li Muyang complained speechlessly, “Your Excellency, you should change this nervous habit.”
Otto, with his signature fake smile, politely replied, "Sorry, it's an occupational hazard I'm afraid I can't shake. But isn't that precisely why you chose me?"
Li Muyang nodded: "That's true."
"So... what have you two decided? Do you want to go back to the Honkai Impact 3rd world? Or to the Honkai Impact 3rd universe? Or perhaps you'll agree to my request and work for me at the Management Bureau?"
Otto and Karen exchanged a glance before Otto turned to her and asked very seriously, "Can you assure me that everything in the contract is true?"
"The contents of our contract are all sworn by the Great Dao. You may not understand what I mean, but to put it simply, if there is any forgery or violation, we will suffer backlash in the future. In severe cases, death and annihilation are not impossible. Even in the mildest case, we will probably be seriously injured."
Li Muyang patiently explained that he never expected to be able to fool the naturally suspicious and highly intelligent Bishop Otto from the beginning. This shrewd man would not be fooled by a few grand principles. Therefore, if he wanted to win over the bishop, he could only focus on Karen.
Therefore, Li Muyang explained the Bureau's obligations in great detail several times.
Of course, there is no false advertising; all the terms and conditions are very objective and truthful, intended to leave a good impression on the upright and straightforward Ms. Karen.
If we can abduct Karen, why would we be afraid that Bishop Otto wouldn't agree to help take charge of the branch's work?
However, the reality is that Karen is indeed very interested in the Bureau and acknowledges its obligations and actions. But she is not stupid; she can see that Li Muyang's ultimate goal is still Bishop Otto.
She was merely incidentally, or rather, using her judgment to interfere with Otto.
Therefore, even knowing that Bishop Otto had done many unethical things over the years, Karen did not pursue the matter in detail, including her desire for atonement, nor did she frankly share her thoughts, not wanting to become a factor that interfered with Otto's judgment.
All efforts were in vain?
No, it was all expected.
Karen may have been naive in the past, but after experiencing so much, she is no longer a simpleton, let alone the burden of Bishop Otto! A saintess who has been cherished by the bishop for hundreds of years, anyone who dares to underestimate her is simply asking for trouble.
Li Muyang did not underestimate Karen, so everything he said from beginning to end was the truth. He did not intend to force them to stay. If they wanted to leave, Li Muyang would let them go wherever they wanted after reviving them!
It's estimated that if Otto didn't choose anything and instead chose death, Karen would also choose death along with him.
"Sigh... what a life of toil." Otto sighed helplessly, then solemnly said to Li Muyang, "Your Excellency, I must thank you. I know very well that rescuing my soul from the Tree of Imaginary Numbers was no easy task."
Li Muyang remained silent, saying that while he did say that, in reality it wasn't that difficult.
But he definitely wouldn't say something like that to ruin the mood right now!
"Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to truly reunite, so my choice is..."