Chapter 251 – Woman Reported Missing after Business Trip. Local Found Her a Day Later Having a Yoga Session With Homeless Florida Man Who Provided Her Temporary Shelter.
"Florida Man? What an intriguing name. Are you truly rom Earth?" the commander pondered aloud.
Leo was startled. Something seemed awry with these individuals. "Wait a moment. Is there a nation called the USA? The United States of America?"
"Never come across it," came the response.
Leo furrowed his brow in bewilderment. Then, he considered that 50,000 years had elapsed, so migrants might have forgotten about the country. Perhaps something had transpired during the time Leo was confined in a test tube.
He rephrased his query. "So, which nation wields the greatest influence today? France? Germany? China? India? The UK?"
"Oh, those ancient nations? I've read about them in textbooks. They collapsed when everyone gained access to cultivation methods. Governments fell within a year."
"Even China?"
"Similar fate. Their supreme leader was assassinated, chaos ensued. Warlords and generals exploited the country's resources and tore it apart."
"...And which nation leads the UN?"
"Poland."
Leo had a hunch about the reason. He ceased prying for more details and changed the subject. "Anyway, welcome to the Florida Domain. Regrettably, my airport can only host five delegates from your side. We beg your pardon for this, as it's related to our security."
The commander nodded in comprehension. He turned away and conversed in his native tongue, yet Leo still comprehended their words.
"Andria and the three of you, come with me. The rest, guard the ship. Oh, right." The commander pivoted and saluted akin to a modern soldier. "I'm Lieutenant General Filip Petroski of the United Nations Self-Defense Force. You can call me Filip."
"Nice to meet you. Welcome again."
Filip and four companions strode into Leo's airport. Some of the guards from the ship attempted to enter the terminal but encountered an invisible barrier. He stepped back, bewildered, and touched the transparent wall in surprise.
Suppressing a smile, Leo guided the visitors to his shopping mall. While they walked, Filip and his soldiers removed their space helmets as a sign of respect.
Filip, a middle-aged man with a crew-cut brown hair, a neatly trimmed full beard, and well-defined muscles, seemed to be in his 40s. Among his followers was a blonde woman with a pointed ear protruding behind her. She also possessed long, light brown hair and blue eyes. Judging by her lovely countenance and smooth skin, she appeared to be in her early 20s. The others, all with Caucasian features and dark brown hair, looked younger than Filip.
Leo paid little heed to their appearances, surmising that their true ages might exceed their looks, given an air of immortality they exuded.
As the visitors departed from the airport, they furrowed their brows, surveying their surroundings. It had been a long time since they had last encountered a structure resembling a modern shopping mall.
"A shopping complex?" Filip pondered.
"Yes. Welcome to my base. Apologies for the modest accommodations and lack of reception. I wasn't expecting visitors today."
"No, it's our fault for intruding on your domain. By the way…"
Filip glanced at the front desk of the fourth floor's casino and peered inside with his keen sight. He observed the interior's apparent size, larger than the shopping mall's slot, which puzzled him.
"By any chance, are you a master of time and space array?" inquired Filip.
"Yes. Is that rare?"
"It is indeed rare. Few experts in our world could practice it as the top brass kept the cultivation method a secret. Only the parliament cabinets and senators had access."
"Are they monopolize the methods?"
"We had no choice. Otherwise, the local population might have obliterated every civilization for their own gain. It was for the greater good."
"I see."
Leo escorted the visitors to the tavern of heroes and arranged a lavish suite for their accommodation. Seated in the lobby, he invited them to rest and began conversing.
Getting to the point, Leo said, "This might sound abrupt, but I'm pressed for time. I'd like to finalize negotiations and treaties here if you don't mind?"
"No problem. It's better for us. Our men need to resupply. Our inferior technologies lag several million years behind the Divine Elves, Devils, Cathulhus, and Onis. We still rely solely on soul stones for space travel. So, could we begin by inquiring if we could purchase some soul stones from you?"
This was what Leo had been anticipating. He readily agreed but sought information on trade methods and currency.
"How will you pay? Barter trade?" asked Leo.
Filip turned to the blond girl, who nodded and tapped a smartwatch on her wrist. A light yellow holographic screen projected from the device, displaying the ship's cargo goods list.
She presented the list to Leo, highlighting blue lumber, gold bars, tree saplings, fertilizers, and vegetables as the main items.
Leo scanned the list and felt disappointed. Besides the vegetables, he had no use for anything else.
"How much veggies can I get for soul stones?" inquired Leo.
Filip wore a bitter smile. "How about ten tons per soul stone? We don't have much. At best, we can trade for three soul stones."
The standard rate for fresh vegetables stood at 10 tons per soul stone in the Fate Stadium. Despite their rarity, not many immortal beings consumed them as food. They were primarily used for fertilizers and animal feed.
Filip couldn't offer much else as his world lacked anything valuable beyond food and cultivated lumber.
"Would you consider trading your soul stones and other goods for our lifespan?" proposed Filip.
"Lifespan?!" Filip was taken aback.
Leo demonstrated by revealing their lifespan status as an example.
.
Name: Filip Petroski
Age: 4,950
Remaining Lifespan: 10,251 Years, 9 Months, 5 Days
.
The others, surprised by the appearance of the system screen, heard Adria, the woman beside Filip, speak in astonishment.
"Are you a system user?!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, I am," confirmed Leo.
Filip's expression darkened, and he lowered his head without hesitation. "Could you permit us to purchase your soul stones with our lifespan? We desperately need a substantial quantity!"
Leo chuckled, "You haven't inquired about the price yet. Are you sure?"
Filip swallowed and looked up. "How much, sir?"
"I haven't decided yet. Normally, I've sold an essence stone for a year of lifespan each. It takes 1,000 essence stones to make one soul stone, so it will be quite costly. Not to mention an extra charge for the conversion process. But how about this? I'll offer you a wholesale price: 1,000 years of lifespan per soul stone. How does that sound?"
Filip and the others rechecked their lifespan, sighing deeply. Everyone in the group lived over 3,000 years, with an average lifespan between 7,000 and 8,000 years. Only their commander had a longer life expectancy.
Whispering among themselves, they consulted the commander.
"Sir, what if each of us sacrifices one or two thousand years of our lifespan? With around 5,000 crew members aboard, we could acquire 10,000 soul stones. This would should be enough for our world for another 100,000 years."
The commander agreed. He shared a bitter smile with Leo and asking about their discussion.
"Would it be possible to pay with the crew's lifespan? Is that acceptable?" inquired the commander.
"That's fine by me. But you should discuss with your crew on the ship if they're willing to donate 1,000 or 2,000 years of their lifespan for soul stones."
"Thank you very much." Filip glanced at Andria, who nodded and hurried back to the ship.
Once Andria had departed, Filip and Leo changed the subject, exchanging information about their respective cultures and origins.
.
Andria spent four hours persuading the crewmates. A few disagreed initially about sharing their lifespan. However, under their commander's direct order, they reluctantly consented.
During her return trip, Andria encountered a familiar face. Hua Taixu emerged from the time chamber after training a group of curious youngsters. In the midst of seeking new prospects, their eyes met.
Andria raised her eyebrows, recognizing him as a famous historical figure who aided their migration to another world and propagated the dao of swords.
"You, woman!" Hua Taixu pointed at Andria.
"Me?"
"You, strong! Come train. You stronger!"
Andria wryly smiled, unable to decipher his language. She excused herself, "I'm sorry, I'm busy at the moment. Please excuse me."
"Tsk!" Hua Taixu didn't insist, turning away to seek new individuals to train.
Before leaving, Andria couldn't resist asking, "Sir, are you by any chance related to the sword saint Hua Taixu?"
Hua Taixu turned back, beaming with a bright smile. "I, his shadow. Me, HIM!"
"What?"
"You, come! WE TRAIN!"
"Err…"
Hua Taixu acted swiftly, seizing Andria's hand and pulling her into the time chamber. He activated the facility, locking her inside.
Leo and Filip would need to wait a while before she could return. By the time they realized, they already waited for her for the entire day.
