"Then we'll rob a pirate stronghold?" Ai Cao asked.

Although she was very curious about what Xia Moli had been doing, Xia Moli didn't say, and she didn't ask.

“We don’t need to go,” Xia Moli said calmly. “The leader of the Star Pirates sent a message to his brother, trying to negotiate with us while ensuring his brother’s safety.”

As she spoke, she released her grip on his collar, then took his right hand and removed the digital watch from his wrist.

"This is the contact device for their private line."

Nana chimed in, "I'll confirm his coordinates while you're negotiating, and then send the warship right up to his face."

The system cried out in despair: "You guys are such bastards!"

Ai Cao ignored the system and nodded indifferently, "That's good. When do we negotiate?" She casually ruffled her messy hair a couple of times, "What does that commander look like? Do you have a photo?"

Xia Moli blinked.

She reached out her hand.

The quantum computer embedded in her hand lit up, and then the beam of light formed a semi-transparent light curtain in mid-air.

On the screen was a young and handsome man.

The man's appearance bore a resemblance to his brother.

His long black hair was half-draped, and he leaned gracefully against a tall metal chair. The photo appears to have been taken secretly, as the man was not looking at the camera; the photographer also had shaky hands, resulting in double images in several places.

“This is the only photo that has survived in the Empire,” Xia Moli said. “It was taken by a, uh, ‘heroic’ undercover agent.”

"This is the only photo we can find on the StarNet right now, so just take a look for now. The negotiations start in half an hour, so you can see him then."

Ai Cao nodded: "We'll negotiate in half an hour."

"Um."

Is it here?

Xia Moli looked around. Although Ai Cao had already retrieved the bodies, all three of them would have to stand if they negotiated here. Leaving aside whether that was impolite, it would certainly be exhausting.

"Let's go to the living room?" Ai Cao suggested. "There's a table there, just the right size to sit and talk."

And so the details of the negotiation were settled in just a few words.

Ai Cao picked up the unconscious man lying on the ground, kindly straightened his collar, and then tightly bound his hands and feet. Only then did she go to the living room with Xia Moli.

Like a system that had just realized it had been blocked, it tried its best to bypass the internal blocking mechanism and sent messages to Ai Cao word by word.

"...The leader of the pirate crew is an important male supporting character?" Ai Cao glanced at the message, unblocked it, and asked, "Tell me more details."

"Can you please stop blocking me so easily in the future!" the system exclaimed angrily. "The information I give you is very important!"

"Oh, tell me quickly."

The system said, sounding aggrieved, "When you meet the male supporting character later, don't kill him yet. Use the skill of menstruation or fake pregnancy on him."

After finishing speaking in one breath, the system continued to explain: "He is an important male supporting character in the world's storyline. If we get him pregnant, we can also share the world's fortune with him to upgrade our skills."

Artemisia agreed.

She glanced at her two existing skills: [Menstruation] and [False Pregnancy]. The Menstruation skill had a fast recharge rate, and its usage was already full, so it seemed she could use it more next time. As for the False Pregnancy skill… she hadn't used it on the tall male protagonist yet, but it could be used here.

After considering it for a moment, Ai Cao sat down next to Xia Moli and waited for the "negotiation" to begin.

At their enthusiastic invitation, Nana sat down on the other side of Xia Moli.

"I'm going to do something to the leader of that pirate crew in a little while," Ai Cao said. "Don't be scared when you see it."

"How? What method?" Xia Moli smiled.

"Hmm... let him become similar to the former star cluster leader," Ai Cao said tactfully. "If a similar situation occurs, then let's not parachute in, shall we? Let them make a fuss over their own."

Nana, who was in charge of piloting the warship, nodded.

In less than half an hour, the digital watch on the table lit up.

Xia Moli took a breath, pressed a few buttons on her digital watch, and sat back down in her chair.

A soft "click" sounded, and a small camera rose from above the dial, pointing towards Xia Moli. The light above the camera intertwined, forming a two-meter-wide light screen.

In the very center of the screen was a young man sitting alone on a sofa.

Artemisia couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so beautiful!"

The man who had been praised for his good looks had a thin layer of anger on his face. Unlike the casual look in the previous photo, the young man's hair was loose and frizzy, revealing his irritable mood.

His gloomy expression diminished much of the beauty of his handsome face.

The man scoffed, "What do you want?"

“This kind of negotiation seems illogical,” Nana smiled. “Right now, you’re the one asking us for a favor.”

“I want my brother back safely,” the man said. “I can provide you with fake identities—I know you were summoned from another world.”

He scoffed, "Don't even think about getting into my bed."

"How confident he is!" Ai Cao exclaimed. "Look at his small frame."

Nana covered her mouth and laughed.

“I want half of your wealth,” Xia Moli said.

The man roared, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

“You own half the wealth, and your brother owns half. It’s fair to exchange his share for his life.” Xia Moli stared at him calmly. “Of course you can refuse.”

The man's face darkened, and he stared fiercely at Xia Moli: "Give me ten minutes."

Xia Moli nodded: "Please go ahead."

They were confident of victory.