Apocalypse Forecast-Chapter 637 - 532

The Gargoyles with formidable combat strength, the Snake-man Undead Army that fought with agility and fearlessness on the ground, and the Rat-man Army, individually insignificant but a force to be reckoned with due to their sheer numbers... Such a lineup would be an undeniable power in any corner of Hell. From this summoning, Huai Shi could say he had reaped a great harvest.

But in reality... his mood was quite foul right now. No sheep cruelly sheared multiple times would be in high spirits, even if they weren’t the ones paying. This only highlighted Huai Shi’s incompetence, even though everyone knew the Ivy League was behind the dirty tricks. The Gargoyles with their exorbitant demands, the unruly Snake-man Undead Army, and even the Rat-men who looked impressive but could only fight with the upper hand... None of them were easy to control. They might join a fight if there was one, but expecting them to lay down their lives for the Ivory Tower was wishful thinking.

Power that cannot be truly held is no power at all. At best, it is just for show. And for all you know, you might be paying for the privilege of hosting a bunch of overlords. Huai Shi’s expectations for this summoning had all but gone up in smoke. He could only try his best to mitigate the damage from the Ivy League’s sudden stab in the back. Just a blast of a horn had landed him in such a passive situation, almost throwing him into a frenzied panic. The sense of embarrassment brought on by the harsh reality made Huai Shi want to rage in frustration, but he ultimately restrained such disgraceful behavior.

Forcibly maintaining his composure, he presided over the ceremony and then began another summoning not in the original plan. This time, he cast aside all the catalysts provided by the Iron Crystal Throne and started his last summoning of the day. During the extended period while the summoning light glowed brightly, no sound came through.

Huai Shi then drew the Sword of Virtue, thrust it back in, hung up, and redialed, redialed, redialed, patiently sending a string of harassing messages into the Abyss until a reluctant voice finally came through from the matrix.

"Hello, I’m not here right now. Please leave a message after the tone..."

"Cut the crap, Little Cat. I know you’re home." Huai Shi sneered, bluntly piercing through the other’s lie. "Seriously, I’m not in a good mood right now. If you hang up on me, I’ll make sure to find an excuse to bring the Astronomical Society over for a nice long chat—"

"Oh my, listen to you!" Little Cat’s tone took on a note of grievance, as if Huai Shi had committed some heinous act. "We’re all family here, there’s no need to be like this..."

"Heh, then give me my licensing fee back."

"Hello? I can’t hear you; the signal’s bad." Little Cat raised its voice, feigning confusion. "What were you saying? Should I hang up so you can call again?"

"Alright, cut it out. I’m not here to ask you for money."

"Then you must have even more troublesome issues waiting for me. You might as well come with the Astronomical Society to raid my house." Little Cat sighed. "Do you think it’s easy for me to make this shady money? You’re the Prince of Paradise, after all. Image rights are a part of Paradise’s assets. I’ve given you so many benefits, and I’m only charging you a tiny licensing fee, yet you’re obsessively hung up on it, not a shred of gratitude..."

Huai Shi, however, did not say a word. He simply raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing the faint silhouette emerging in the matrix. When Little Cat began to feel its fur stand on end, he finally smiled. "Since you admit I’m the Prince of Paradise, then it’s only natural for me to use the Department of Justice’s people, right?"

"No!" Little Cat shook its head, adamantly refusing. "Any mobilization not within Paradise’s jurisdiction is against the rules—you might as well kill me!"

Huai Shi said calmly, "I’ll pay."

"..." Little Cat fell silent.

Huai Shi spoke again, "Name your price."

"..." Little Cat didn’t speak, opening its mouth several times as if to refuse, but the promise Huai Shi made was too tempting, and it didn’t know how to respond.

"Take it or leave it, just one word." Huai Shi had waited too long and was getting impatient. "If it’s a no, I’m leaving. From then on, there’ll be no further mention of the Prince of Paradise. Where in the world can you use someone else’s name as a signboard and then not lift a finger to help when trouble arises?"

"..." After a brief silence, Little Cat couldn’t help but sigh. "I can only give you five. Paradise is expanding, and we’re really short on staff..." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"That’s fine," Huai Shi said. "But I want the same ones who worked with me last time."

"Also... this counts as a business trip! Besides room, board, and transportation allowance, the employment fee has to be double! Nine to five, and extra pay for weekend overtime!"

"That’s fine." As Little Cat aimed for the sky with its price, Huai Shi promptly agreed but countered, "If that’s the case, part of the payment will be covered by my licensing fee as collateral—and you’ll have to provide me with receipts and invoices for triple the amount."

"HISS..." On the other end, Little Cat sucked in a sharp breath of cold air and exclaimed in shock, "Are you even human!"

"Look who’s talking. It’s not easy to earn shady money these days," Huai Shi calmly returned its own words.

Little Cat was at a loss for words. It didn’t say no; although reluctant to part with Huai Shi’s copyright and licensing fees, they were just a small extra compared to the substantial employment fees. It might as well just round it off for him. But Huai Shi’s maneuvering left Little Cat somewhat dizzy... Shocked Little Cat for an entire year. Eating up both sides, inflating procurement costs, and still demanding kickbacks—how could this set of tricks be so slick? Was this really the same harmless Little Brag from before? It’s said that it takes three years to learn to behave but only three days to learn to misbehave, but to turn this bad in just a few months... wasn’t that a bit too outrageous? But what did that have to do with it?

"It’s settled then." Little Cat clapped its little paws together decisively. "Let’s sign the contract."

Five minutes later, Huai Shi deducted his share of the licensing fees from the urgently delivered advance payment, stuffed it into his bag, and threw the rest into the summoning matrix. Then, as the light flared, five well-postured men in black suits and sunglasses stepped out. The one at the front nodded and bowed to Huai Shi, offering respects to the Prince of Paradise. He then handed over a complete set of Little Cat Paradise receipts and invoices. Afterward, without needing orders, he led his team to stand behind Huai Shi, looking every bit the part of close bodyguards and the Prince’s personal enforcers.

Huai Shi waved to Lin Nineteen, who was hurrying over, and handed the invoices to him. "Take these to the Director of Affairs for reimbursement." Huai Shi paused, then told Wood Cottage, "Tell him that after the funds from the Ivory Tower arrive, any excess money should be distributed as welfare subsidies. For members who have passed away, issue a little more in consolation money... Life in Hell isn’t easy. Consider this a meal from Secretary Huai for everyone."

Huai Shi hadn’t hidden any part of the negotiation process from the Iron Crystal Throne; the wolf-dog had been squatting beside him the whole time. Besides, what was there to hide? Could they report me to the head of the Iron Crystal Throne? Too bad, I *am* the head... And he hadn’t embezzled much, either. He hadn’t kept a penny of the extra money, merely taking back his own licensing fee. Although it was somewhat against the rules, wasn’t this also good? He had retrieved his licensing fee, the Iron Crystal Throne had received reinforcements, and all members had received welfare benefits. Everyone had a bright future. How wonderful!

After confirming Huai Shi’s safety, the wolf-dog nuzzled him several times and then trotted off, wagging its tail. Meanwhile, an anxious Lin Nineteen stood frozen in place.

"What’s the matter?" Huai Shi asked.

"Those Hell Clans... they... they started fighting before signing the contracts. Even after being separated, they’re still arguing, insisting on seeing you."

"So soon?" Huai Shi smiled. "That’s just perfect. I’ve been meaning to have a chat with them myself." For some reason, his mood, which had been sour for a long time, suddenly became cheerful. He couldn’t wait.

When Huai Shi arrived at the Iron Crystal Throne’s outer encampment, the temporarily built hall was already a mess. But at least they hadn’t started fighting again in front of him. Several large groups had clearly staked out corners of the room. The official overseeing the contract signings, his face ashen, stood in the middle of the room, silently fuming. Huai Shi walked in, waved a hand to signal him to stay calm, and then turned toward the Gargoyles. "What’s going on?"

The leader of the Gargoyles calmly picked up the completed contract scroll, indicating that their contract was signed and the chaos had nothing to do with them. The troublemakers were the Snake-man Undead Army and the Rat-man Army.

A Snake-man Knight with whitening scales, the Naming Giver, stepped forward. He appeared to be of advanced age; his facial scales were chipped, his left eye was blind, yet his right one shone with a frightening brightness. "I’m sorry for the discomfort, but we cannot accept living mixed with the others. To ensure the condition of our steeds and proper rest, we request separate accommodations and water supply."

Huai Shi’s smile was enthusiastic. "You should have said so earlier! That’s fine, no problem. How about I arrange something just for you? If you’re not satisfied, we can build something else. Your supply needs will certainly be prioritized. Any other issues?"

"There is also..." The Naming Giver opened his mouth, prepared to speak, but as he looked at the young man’s dark eyes and enthusiastic demeanor, the additional demands he had intended to make somehow got stuck in his throat. After a lengthy pause, he suddenly shook his head. "No, that’s all." He added, "We are very satisfied with all arrangements."

"Really? That’s great." Huai Shi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and shook his hand warmly. "The Ivory Tower and the Undead Army share such a deep bond; naturally, we shouldn’t treat you poorly in such matters. If there’s anything you’re not happy with, please make sure to tell me!"

"...Yes, of course." After a brief startle, the Naming Giver nodded and returned to his ranks.

His second-in-command flicked its serpentine tongue, quietly asking in their language, "Honored elder, didn’t you say we were sure of their situation and could still increase our price?"

"Don’t rush it. I feel like something’s not right." The Owner of the Great Mob chewed on a piece of dry root he had pulled from his pouch, remaining silent for a long time. "Let’s wait and see," he finally said. "We’ll decide after we observe a bit longer."

Sheltered by his subordinates, he covertly scrutinized the young man, who was now surrounded and seemingly overwhelmed by arguing Rat-men, feeling that something was amiss. Since he first laid eyes on him, his battle-honed instincts had been screaming warnings, causing an unease that came without warning or reason. It was incomprehensible yet so vivid that he subconsciously followed his gut feeling and chose to hold back for now. As he observed, he couldn’t detect anything special about the young man, until, just as he was about to look away, he noticed the light fixtures hanging from the ceiling. A sudden chill ran down his spine. At last, he noticed something abnormal.

In a daze, the old Snake-man narrowed his eyes and looked down at Huai Shi’s feet. He stared in disbelief. Why... did that man have five shadows?

Before he could ponder further, turmoil spread anew. The shrill, stuttering voices of the Rat-men rose.

"This is, is—not what we, we agreed upon!"

From within the Rat-man crowd, a burly Rat-man clad in chainmail angrily grabbed Huai Shi’s collar, his followers joining him in a loud clamor. "The Ivy... the Ivy League! Their offer was much, much higher than yours! You... you gotta pay more!!!"