Chapter 87 The Bet: Yi Lan and Dogs Are Not Allowed to Enter Manla.

Today's meeting was exceptionally long. Several countries that had been cooperating with Manla simultaneously reversed course and issued a joint statement that they would not purchase Manla's energy starting next month. At the same time, the alliance also announced an increase in commodity taxes imposed on Manla.

The president of the coalition has a catchy nickname: "Tax King"—when in doubt, he raises taxes first.

These small countries are so assertive; it seems someone is providing assistance behind the scenes. Considering the recent clash between the two armies in the Chaotic Starfield and Manra, it's hard not to suspect mercenaries.

Meanwhile, rumors circulated that mercenary commander Yi Lan was killed by Manra. It was said that Manra had discovered the Zerg tunnels long ago, lured Yi Lan to the vicinity of the tunnels with her beauty, and then surrounded him without providing assistance, forcing Yi Lan and the King Zerg to perish together.

This is pure nonsense, but someone actually replied to such an outrageous request.

Okay, although the truth is even more absurd.

Intelligence indicates that the Chaotic Starfield is indeed in disarray. Acting Commander Hela has a major disagreement with several high-ranking officers, and the 13th Mercenary Corps has deserted, claiming that they will defect to the Alliance if the Omega commander is not replaced.

This is no small matter; an entire army has deserted. Although some soldiers chose to stay, the fact that it has escalated to this point indicates that the organization is already on the verge of collapse.

"According to the think tank's discussion, if war breaks out now, there is a greater than 60% chance that our army will be able to take down Fortress Zerg!" A director of the Ministry of National Defense spoke passionately, saying with great enthusiasm, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. With Yi Lan dead and released, it's difficult for the mercenaries to unite as one. If we bribe some of the military leaders, we will definitely win!"

"That's based on the premise that Yi Lan is dead! What if he's still alive? What if this is just bait deliberately thrown out by Yi Lan, releasing the news of his death to lure out disloyal military leaders, and then eliminating dissidents while the two sides are at war? The alliance's actions must be backed by the Chaotic Starfield. If we are then caught in the crossfire between the two major powers, and if all the countries that cooperate with us turn against us like they have today—can Manra still win?"

"The world today has entered a period of technological bottleneck. It is unknown how many centuries it will be before the next technological leap. Mercenaries and alliances alike are hoping to use a war to bring down Manra. When a whale falls, all things are born. But the fall of Manra will only allow other forces to feast. The resources they obtain from dismantling Manra will be enough to sustain them until the new era of the next technological leap."

...

After arguing back and forth without either side being able to convince the other, King Sklag II rubbed his forehead, watching as they were about to start arguing about him, and tapped the table: "Halftime break."

After saying that, he left directly, leaving the tense meeting room behind. Some of his confidants remained calm, while others followed him out for some fresh air.

Secretary Jiang also came out. He walked quickly for a few steps, intending to catch up with His Majesty and share his views—but when he saw the door to the lounge open and an attendant leading Shi Wei, who was dressed in casual clothes, out, he had no choice but to stop and bow.

Then, Secretary Jiang was surprised to find that Shi Wei nodded at him and gave him a big smile. Having dealt with this Omega for several years, he could certainly tell whether the smile on the other's face was genuine or not. Today's smile, well, at least 80% of it was genuine.

What happened?

When Secretary Jiang saw this, she gently took His Majesty's arm, leaned close to His Majesty's ear, and whispered something while covering her mouth.

Then His Majesty stopped in his tracks, a look of surprise on his face, and then smiled as he spoke to her.

Oh wow.

Secretary Jiang hesitated for a moment, but still followed.

His Majesty was in a good mood at the moment, and he felt that it would be alright for him to say something—sometimes when Wei was around, His Majesty would hold back even if he was unhappy.

But he clearly hadn't anticipated that His Majesty was overjoyed. Seeing him not far away, His Majesty waved to him, then patted him on the shoulder and said, "Finally, some good news! Jiang Guyuan, guess what? You're the first person besides me to know—"

Secretary Jiang had already sensed something, and he looked at Shi Wei with some surprise.

Shi Wei gave him a kind smile.

"Shiwei is pregnant! We just found out today!" His Majesty said happily, all traces of gloom in his eyes gone, a stark contrast to his demeanor in the conference room just moments ago.

Secretary Jiang gave a suitable smile: "Wow! That's great news, Your Majesty!"

Then he said to Shi Wei, "Congratulations to Madam as well."

Shi smiled and nodded, knowing that he was probably extremely depressed.

In a good mood, His Majesty patted Secretary Jiang on the shoulder again and said, "The second half of the meeting is yours, and the one after that is also yours—I need to go and see the inspection report, and, oh, and tell them this news while I'm at it."

Secretary Jiang smiled and agreed, then sighed inwardly, wishing he hadn't come; now it was his turn to work overtime.

Secretary Jiang walked into the lounge and saw that all the familiar faces were there.

He waved his hand, coughed lightly, and said under everyone's gaze, "I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear?"

Everyone assumed he was just adding some fun during halftime and didn't take it seriously. Aker said lazily, "Let's hear the bad news first."

"The bad news is that you won't get any results from this meeting today. His Majesty has already left, so I'll be in charge of the second half," Jiang Guyuan said. Being in charge was practically the same as the meeting ending, since he couldn't make any decisions; he could only gather opinions as much as possible.

Aker raised an eyebrow and asked, "Gone? What happened?"

Secretary Jiang smiled at him: "I was called away by Madam. To be precise, Madam brought me some good news—"

"Madam is pregnant."

There was a moment of silence in the conference room, then several officers cheered, and a young officer in a white uniform shouted, "Come on! Open the betting! Is it A or O!"

Aker chuckled and casually pulled a medal from his chest, slamming it on the table: "Bao is an Alpha!"

He was a staunch supporter of the imperial faction, and for decades he had treated both princes equally. Of course, he hoped that His Majesty would give birth to a powerful Alpha who could conquer all eight star systems.

Secretary Jiang looked at him, and Akel gave him a defiant smile, completely unconcerned.

Jiang Guyuan took a decorative pen from his chest and placed it on the table, saying, "I bet it's a little princess as beautiful as you are, just like the lady."

Aker cursed inwardly at this slippery guy. He clearly hoped that Shiwei would give birth to an Omega without combat power, so as not to affect Cyril's status, but he deliberately said that she was a beautiful little princess. Who couldn't understand what he meant?

He then asked Finance Minister Lian An, who was sitting opposite him, "Hey, how much money are you betting?"

Lian An smiled and said, "I won't let you gamblers get away with this. If it's an Alpha, I'll prepare a top-of-the-line S-class mecha and hope he's as powerful as His Majesty. If it's an Omega, I'll offer up all the eligible Alphas from the Lian clan."

Even Secretary Jiang wanted to roll his eyes at this.

If Shi Wei could see this bet, she would definitely say she wants it all.

When His Majesty learned that Shi Wei was carrying a little princess, he was a little unhappy and said with dissatisfaction, "Asta did it on purpose, telling you the result so early, so there was no surprise at all."

He didn't care whether the child in Shi Wei's belly was a boy or a girl, or even whether it was an Alpha or an Omega. He could have waited ten months for the answer to be revealed, but now, someone had opened his blind box ahead of time.

Oh, not just one, but three blind boxes.

They even revealed the genders of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

"You jerk." His Majesty muttered under his breath as he watched the doctor use a small probe to examine Shi Wei's stomach.

Shi Wei knew that the conflict between him and Asta could not be changed in a short time, so she tried to comfort him, saying, "It's okay. All we know is that it's a girl. Her gender will differentiate again after she is born. That's the key."

In an ABO society, the differences between men and women are actually not that great. Shi Wei joked, "Maybe she's an Alpha Valkyrie as powerful as you?"

King Skolag II stared at the tiny embryo on the image, pondered for a long while, and then muttered, "But I want one that's soft and cute, like the little girl from the Lavis family, who's not even half a table tall and would tug at people's clothes, wanting to be held and wanting snacks..."

Shi Wei stood up from her chair, straightening her clothes as she laughed, "Didn't you wish for someone who could do everything? How come now all you want is to be cute?"

His Majesty sighed, "That was just a joke. Asta wouldn't agree to it even if he heard it. I just hope she doesn't cause any trouble... But even though she doesn't like me, she probably still likes you quite a bit, otherwise she wouldn't have sent that child from the future for you to see."

He touched Shi Wei's belly: "Actually, I just hope she's healthy. As for everything else, we'll make arrangements for her. If it's a smart baby, that would be even better. Even if we're gone, she'll still be happy."

"It definitely will." Shi Wei held his hand, knowing that he was still bothered by Asta's prophecy of "family separation," and said, "That child from the future has beautiful blue eyes like yours, looks a lot like me, is young but has strong mental strength, is loved by his parents, is academically successful, and has an obedient boyfriend."

"What?!" Although it wasn't his daughter, His Majesty immediately became alert and asked, "Didn't you say she was only in her forties? She's already got a boyfriend at such a young age? What's his name? Whose is he?"

He poked Shi Wei's belly: "What's wrong with your son! Is he an idiot? He should have been choosing a son at least twenty or thirty years ago!"

Shi Wei thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "She said she participated in some kind of holy monument tower climbing competition and won Asta's prize, so she was able to return to this era... Hmm, what was her boyfriend's name again, Yi something?"

"What?!" His Majesty was truly displeased this time, and said with strong dissatisfaction, "He also has the surname Yi? Is he the only one of Yi Lan's bloodline? Or is he hiding an illegitimate child? Look at his dishonest behavior, saying one thing and doing another behind people's backs."

Shi Wei ignored his subsequent slander and said strangely, "The surname Yi is very common. Besides, that's all a hundred years from now. It's a matter for our descendants. It's no use worrying about it. Forget it."

"Common my foot!" His Majesty said fiercely, "This surname must belong to those mercenary thugs and bandits. No, I have to think of a way."

Starting today, Yi Lan and dogs are not allowed to enter Manla.

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Author's Note: Lan: Is it my fault? [eye roll]

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Manual update will be performed around 8:05 PM tomorrow! Manual update will be performed around 8:05 PM tomorrow! Manual update will be performed around 8:05 PM tomorrow!

I'll say it three times because it's important. [doge emoji with rose in its mouth]

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I recommend my completed novel, "Male A Only Wants to Rise to Power," which tells the story of Shi Wei's daughter's granddaughter. It's a sweet story.

Let me also recommend my upcoming post-apocalyptic novel, "Love-Obsessed, Ugh!" (starring a rich girl from a fishpond and a cool guy with a love-obsessed personality). [doge head with rose in hand]