Chapter 107 Error, Replacement, can be the same "Your [key...]"

Upon hearing this, Longji's expression remained unchanged.

release……

What kind of person would be described with such a word?

At the same time, he couldn't help but think of the cracked content sent by the School of Mathematics and Cryptography earlier.

What did those people do wrong?

It seems not.

The water in the cup was still rippling, and the outline of the dragon's spine was not clearly reflected.

What did the other people like me do wrong?

It seems not.

The only thing that could be called a "mistake" was that it allowed the "white swan" and the "black swan," who were originally separated in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres and theoretically should never have met, should not have met, and thus would never have known of each other's existence for all eternity, to meet.

And what caused this error...

It was the raven right in front of me.

Thinking of this, Longji's knuckles, which were resting on the rim of the cup, tightened silently, and his fingernails turned slightly white due to the pressure.

But the dragon spine quickly forced itself to relax and return to normal.

Because he knew that these thoughts must never be known to the raven.

Otherwise, they would go from being "partners" to "enemies" who need to be eliminated immediately.

To cover up his momentary lapse in thought, he followed up on Raven's question by asking, "Since it's a 'release,' how much ransom did you negotiate?"

The raven, somewhat smug, stretched out its fingers slightly forward, making a five-pointer.

Picking up the water glass in front of him, Longji politely guessed, "Fifty billion?"

Raven visibly choked for a moment, then awkwardly tried to explain, "Although we use different currencies on both sides, it's roughly the same idea."

His actions, however, had a different meaning in the eyes of the dragon spine—

Without a doubt, the purchasing power corresponding to this "ransom" is definitely not up to the five billion of this world, maybe even five billion.

From Longji's perspective, any numbers below that level are meaningless in negotiations of this scale.

But sometimes, meaninglessness is also a kind of meaning.

At least we can infer the significance of the raven's actions in their world.

This weight is crucial for Longji to decide its subsequent actions.

Having further refined his conjecture, Dragon Spine then subtly changed the subject: "You came all this way to see me today, surely it wasn't just to inform me of this matter?"

Since this world can silently and flawlessly prevent those without the [key] from approaching the world's borders due to various plausible and unexpected events, then even if thousands of people suddenly disappear from the world, I won't notice at all.

So if that's all there is to it, the raven wouldn't have needed to come looking for itself at all.

While Dragonspine was testing the waters, Raven was secretly clicking its tongue in astonishment.

This Dragon Spine is indeed a ruthless character who climbed up step by step from the bottom; he is frighteningly astute.

However, some people, no matter how ruthless they are, are just paper tigers. They will crumble after being watered and are not worth fearing.

Clearing his throat, Raven said seriously, "I've come to see you today because I really have something to discuss."

"Please speak." Dragon Spine remained calm, maintaining a basic level of politeness in his words.

The raven bluntly stated, "I want to trade you a [key]."

Upon hearing this, Longji's expression finally changed somewhat.

Could it be that Raven has discovered my clandestine investigation?!

Just as he was about to subtly inquire about the meaning of Raven's words, Raven waved his hand, indicating that Dragonspine should not rush.

Then he snapped his fingers.

The instant he moved, several star-like halos rose from behind him, then spread out to both sides like scrolls, finally hovering in mid-air in a very regular equidistant array.

Once the last halo was in place, Raven spread his arms out to the Dragonspine, his tone relaxed and carefree, "A mere [key] is as plentiful as you want, my friend."

After scanning the halos from left to right, Dragon Spine's gaze suddenly stopped on one of the halos.

Noticing the dragon's gaze, Raven tilted its head to look at the halo, and said knowingly, "You know what, this really is the [key] that was given to your subordinate back then. His name is... his name is..."

Dragon Spine's eyes darkened: "Rhinoceros horn."

Raven clearly hadn't remembered the name, nor did it intend to. It simply replied casually, "Oh right, it's him. Your naming method is systematic, but it's not very memorable."

Seeing the raven's nonchalant expression, Dragonspine was very dissatisfied, but he did not show it in his actions.

He always remembered the teachings of his predecessors: those who achieve great things must be patient and persevering.

“Actually, I could have just replaced you without informing you, since you wouldn’t have noticed anyway.” Raven snapped his fingers again to retract the light screen behind him and casually put his hands behind his head. “But we are partners after all, and we should still show each other the respect we deserve.”

"And what's the reason?" Taking a sip of water to suppress his anger, Longji said calmly, "Since we're partners, there can't be any secrets, right?"

"The reason is actually quite simple." For the first time since entering the house, Raven hesitated. "The original owner of your [key]... was rather special."

Dragon Spine asked knowingly, without giving a clue: "Special? How special? More special than you?"

The raven leaned back with a rather smug air. "No, not at all."

"In short, due to some slightly tricky issues, I can't just kill him, nor can I let him get the [key]."

Dragon Spine snorted coldly: "So, you think he'll take the [key] from me?"

"Don't be angry, my friend." Realizing he might have said something wrong, Raven clasped his hands together and shook them twice. "But some things are better left unsaid until they're in your own hands."

Dragonspine agrees with this point.

Seeing that the atmosphere had eased somewhat, the raven resumed its previous arrogant demeanor.

"But don't worry, I definitely won't let you suffer any losses." As he spoke, he picked out a point of light from the light screen behind him and pushed it in front of the dragon spine. "This [key] was collected around the same time as the [key] you have now. All the permissions and functions are exactly the same. You can use it the same way you used to."

Dragonspine didn't question Raven's statement, after all, the other party still needed his help to round up any possible escapees.

Therefore, any move that weakens its partner is indirectly increasing the danger to the Raven.

The raven probably understands this deal better than I do.

"As compensation, I will also give you an extra [key] of the same kind. You can give it to anyone you think is suitable based on the actual situation, without informing me of the process." As he spoke, Raven reached out and beckoned another one from the light spot behind him.

Throughout the entire process, he never once looked directly at the dragon's spine.

It was as if his relinquishment was a favor to the Dragon Spine, and the other party would not have any thoughts of its own, nor would it be possible for it to raise any objections.

He was wrong, at least half wrong.

Faced with the unique advantage of having an extra "key" that they could fully control and dominate—an advantage unparalleled in the world—Dragonspine had no reason to refuse.

But he also had his own ideas.

for example--

But is this kind of reliance and cooperation really a long-term solution?

Dragon Spine's eyes twitched slightly.

At least for him, and for countless people like him, the answer is no.

But given the current situation, he has no choice but to cooperate with the raven.

Having to submit to others, I had no other choice.

What a disgrace!

Seeing that the dragon spine had not moved, Raven stretched its hand forward again, its gesture clearly urging the dragon to move.

Given the current situation and circumstances, Dragonspine could not possibly reveal its thoughts, and could only extend its hand, allowing Raven to take its [key].

The moment the key left his body, Dragon Spine felt as if an invisible shackle had been placed on him.

It seemed as if his breathing, his heartbeat, and even his thoughts were being watched by some kind of wisdom from a higher dimension.

This feeling only disappeared when Raven placed two brand-new [keys] into his body.

In a daze, he recalled the rhinoceros-horn-like shout he had heard in the boxing ring—

"Why should I!"

Yeah, why should we?

Even the Dragon Spine, which now knows everything, still cannot answer the rhinoceros horn's question.

However, compared to rhinoceros horn, dragon spine has a stronger capacity for acceptance and a longer-term perspective.

Since reality cannot be changed, all I can do is make the most of everything I have to fight for an opportunity for myself and for beings like myself.

A chance to survive.

The raven on the other side was clearly unaware of the strangeness in the Dragonspine, completely immersed in the excitement and joy of retrieving the crucial [key].

"Mission accomplished, my friend." He retracted the array light screen, stood up from the sofa, and strode towards the elevator he had come from.

As the elevator doors slowly closed and the numbers began to decrease, Longji finally spoke softly, "What's your assessment of this person?"

Upon hearing this, Deer Ears emerged from behind the screen, carrying a bottle of whiskey and two diamond-bottomed glasses that had been pre-frozen in the refrigerator, and sat down next to Dragon Spine.

She poured each glass half full and said firmly, "I don't like him."

Pushing aside the water in front of him that he had only taken a sip of, Longji took the cold wine glass and chuckled, "Apart from those children in the orphanage, you basically don't like anyone."

“I’m serious. This kid looks like he has ulterior motives.” Deer Ear adjusted the bracelet on her wrist—she had bought it when she passed through a border town while completing a westward mission arranged by Dragon Spine. “So, what exactly is your reason for cooperating with him?”

For once, Longji didn't give Luer a direct answer: "Some things are better left unknown."

Although she knew the other person meant no harm, Lu Er, who was used to being assertive, still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"But you told Rhinoceros Horn, right?" she asked urgently, "What is it that he can do but I can't?"

Dragon Spine downed the wine in his cup in one gulp. "Yes, so he's lying in a coffin now, while you can still drink with me here."

Deer Ears was about to say something, but fell silent under Dragon Spine's gaze.

"Before he left, my senior asked me to take good care of you and Rhinoceros Horn, and I've already broken half of that promise." Dragon Spine sighed almost imperceptibly. "So protecting you is a very high priority for me, higher than you can imagine."

Deer Ears suddenly felt a stinging sensation in her eyes from the light reflecting off the wine. "So what are you planning to do now? Is there anything I can do to help you?"

“The enemy of my enemy may become my ally.” Dragon Spine placed the empty cup in front of Deer Ear, gesturing for the other to pour him another cup.

This can be seen as a proactive way to smooth things over in the previous deadlock.

Deer Ear naturally knew that the "enemy" Dragon Spine was referring to was the one who had stormed the Kangming Building and was now cutting into Sparrow Feather's shell...

She actually wanted to find a proper name for this person, but she suddenly realized that she didn't know what this person's name was.

In her case, whether it's "Bogdan," "Sparrow Feather," or even "Carp Tail," they all refer to a completely different entity and should not be confused.

While pouring wine for Dragon Spine, Deer Ear said, "I think that kid is actually a good person. Putting aside what he wants to do, at least in terms of personal qualities, he is far superior to that Raven."

Looking at the wine swirling in the glass, Longji said calmly, "But the key is—we can't let it go."

Deer Ear paused, almost letting the cup slip from his hand. "Isn't that a dead end?"

"Not necessarily. Stances aren't immutable." Reaching out to take the wobbly cup, Longji joked, "When you were young, you and Xu Xiezhi were like sisters, but didn't you part ways and never see each other again?"

Deer Ears turned his gaze away. "That's different."

“They can be the same, just to a certain degree.” Dragon Spine clinked glasses with Deer Ear. “Next, I need to verify something as soon as possible, something that is enough to be the stake I place on the fate of this world.”

Based on the other party's sudden mention of his relationship with Xu Xiezhi, Lu Er vaguely guessed what strategy the other party wanted to use.

She reassured the other person, saying, "I don't think there's anything to worry about."

But she did hesitate for a moment before saying it.

Because this is not a decision that Dragonspine can make.

Clearly, Dragon Spine did not miss that fleeting, unnatural pause from its opponent.

“If it were before, I might have had the patience to observe from the sidelines, or even proactively planned and arranged to create such conditions.” Longji looked up at the dazzling night view of V City outside the hotel’s floor-to-ceiling windows. “But not now.”

"Raven didn't say when he would release the 'black swan,' but it probably won't be long. It's not impossible that new variables might emerge at that time."

For the first time, "sadness" and "helplessness" appeared in Longji's eyes.

"We may not have time left."

"Since there's no time, let's get moving." Deer Ear looked up and downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, then snatched Dragon Spine's share and drank it all as well.

She wiped the wine residue from her lips with her fingertip and pulled Longji up from the sofa. "He's downstairs."