Chapter 539: Smokescreen

The man looked straight at Yao Tang and waited for her to make her own offer.

She lowered her gaze and seemed to be considering her options. After a while, she said, “For there to be a negotiation, both parties need to make a request.”

Which meant that the man had to name his terms, or there would be no deal at all.

Just like that, the power balance shifted.

The man’s eye’s widened in shock before he shook his head ruefully.

As expected, he shouldn’t underestimate the wit of a young genius.

Despite his age, this boy was nowhere as gullible as most of his peers. He knew what he wanted, and it was clear that he wouldn’t settle for anything else.

The man had no choice but to finally reveal his intentions. “I want the blueprint for an S-grade weapon, and attack type one.”

“You may only request C-grade and below,” Yao Tangsaid almost instantly.

It was a flat-out rejection that didn’t even take a few seconds of thought.

The man rolled his eyes.

“Then I want three C-grade blueprints and a new weapon design. Three C-grade weapons should make up for one S-grade. A reasonable trade, don’t you think?”

“Only one blueprint,” Yao Tangsaid, her tone still neutral. “C-grade, no design.”

The man practically choked on his saliva. He dropped his smile and pursed his lips in dissatisfaction.

“Three C-grade blueprints shouldn’t be much, given your family’s influence. Besides, this parchment is made of a rare, special material. I’m sure this is the one you’re looking for. There can’t be anything else like it in the world.”

“But is this parchment of any use to you? It’s just a piece of waste paper, isn’t it? You should be content with one C-grade blueprint in exchange.”

The man was backed into a corner.

His expression became ugly behind his mask, and his eyes were shooting daggers at the youth.

Sadly, he was the one at a disadvantage here, and he couldn’t even bluff his way out of the situation. The C-grade blueprints might be nothing valuable to the young master, but the man saw them as priceless treasures.

“Why don’t we take a step back and reconsider for a moment?” he said in a placating tone. “We both need something from each other, anyway, so wouldn’t it be good to come to a mutually beneficial compromise?”

There was a determined edge to his gaze as he added, “How about you give me one C-grade and one D-grade?” Surely, the young master wouldn’t refuse this time.

But Yao Tangstood her ground. “One C-grade blueprint, or you can make a different request.”

“Two C-grade blueprints,” the man insisted. “Final call!”

“One C grade,” Yao Tang repeated dryly, “or something else.”

“All right, fine! One C-grade blueprint for offense, and one C-grade blueprint for defense. I can’t settle for anything less!”

The man sounded angry now.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not changing my offer.”

The man froze.

It took him a moment to snap back to his senses, but when he did, he realized that he had been going back and forth like an indecisive and desperate amateur, while the other party had stood fast all this time.

Even though it was the young man who had initially wanted something, he had completely taken control of the situation and was now the one calling the shots.

Of course, the man already knew that the youth would never be able to deliver an S-grade blueprint. He might be the heir to the family, but it would simply be impossible for him to have such a terrifying authority.

The man had only brought up the S-grade weapons in an attempt to intimidate his opponent and force the latter to accept the conditions that he laid out.

Much to his dismay, this young master had never wavered from the start, nor had he fallen to the man’s underhanded tactics.

He wouldn’t even give up the blueprint for a defense weapon.

Doubt began to creep into the man’s heart. Was it possible that this young master didn’t care much about the parchment, after all?

If he really wanted the artifact, then why had he refused the man’s terms at every turn?

But then, why would he have gone through so much trouble to show up at the meeting in the first place?

This very encounter hinged on the premise that the young master wanted the parchment at all costs. He had even offered a large sum of money to whoever had the item.

And yet now, the boy was acting as though the artifact were just another worthless ware peddled in the streets.

What on earth was going on?

Could it be that the young master was bluffing himself, and all his actions thus far were merely a smokescreen?

The man pondered it for a good while, but he couldn’t figure out just what this youth was up to.

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