Greedy Aska

The 25th Floor Group. True to its name, this was a conglomerate operating on the 25th floor. The 25th Floor Group was founded by the legendary goblin Aska, who was considered an anomaly among goblins—not only was he tall and burly, but he was also exceptionally handsome. Even so, he possessed all the typical goblin strengths, such as an innate knack for making money. Although Crescent Bay lacked any Star-rank goblins, thanks to their business acumen and mastery of sycophancy, goblins had still carved out a foothold in Crescent Bay. This Aska was an outright heartthrob with legions of female fans. In fact, many goblins were backed by a Star-rank powerhouse. After all, goblins were superb at raking in cash, and Star-rank powerhouses had their own expenses. As a result, powerhouses had no qualms about keeping a few goblins around to generate revenue. Ten minutes later. Having returned to Crescent Bay from Earth, Yu Xian arrived alongside Hai Liwei at the CEO's office of the 25th Floor Group, where they met the goblin anomaly, Aska. Upon laying eyes on Aska, Yu Xian had to admit his worldview had been rather narrow—at the very least, he had never seen such a handsome goblin before. His green skin did not detract from his looks at all; rather, it lent Aska a distinct charm. Moreover, his eyes were striking, like a pair of gleaming yellow gemstones. "If I am not mistaken, you two esteemed lords have come regarding the Primordial Water," Aska said with a smile, rising to his feet the moment he saw Yu Xian and Hai Liwei. From start to finish, his expression registered no surprise, clearly having anticipated this encounter long ago. Hai Liwei frowned. "The Primordial Water? Speak. How much do you know?" "A mysterious figure from the 26th floor placed a custom order with our company for a Star-rank warship a hundred years ago. After paying an advance deposit, he remitted massive sums every single month toward its construction. Esteemed Lord, if you were in my shoes, could you remain entirely indifferent?" Aska asked back with a chuckle. In fact, uncovering that the mysterious figure hailed from the 26th floor was itself the fruit of his investigation. Preparations had begun a hundred years ago! Yu Xian and Hai Liwei both frowned slightly. Yu Xian spoke up, "Then have you investigated where his funds originated?" "My apologies, esteemed Lord. I wouldn't dare dig into something like that. It would cost me my life," Aska replied, immediately bowing. Hai Liwei narrowed his eyes at Aska, his voice cold. "A goblin abiding by the rules—now that is the ultimate joke. Ten thousand Star Coins for this outdated piece of news strikes me as a very fair price. Wouldn't you say?" "Deal!" Aska straightened up at once and agreed with a beaming smile. He walked back to his desk, drew a sheet of paper from a thick stack of physical files, and said, "According to investigations by the goblin detectives in my employ, there is a high probability that this mysterious figure is none other than Sea City's Great Thief, Ellis. "Every time Ellis struck, the stolen amounts closely mirrored the funds received by my group. "Furthermore... this Ellis also once circulated a Star Coin minted by our goblin clan. In truth, that specific Star Coin was intentionally introduced into the Sea Clan by my goblin detectives, and according to our inquiry, its last known possessor was the Sea Clan's senior enshrinee, Zhi'er." Zhi'er was the Great Thief Ellis! Both of them were taken aback by Aska's intelligence. Above all, the true identity of the Great Thief Ellis had always been an enigma. Countless people on the 26th floor had attempted to uncover it, all meeting with failure. Who could have imagined his trail would be exposed here on the 25th floor? "You dared to take the money even after knowing it was stolen loot?" Yu Xian looked at Aska with a furrowed brow. Aska shrugged, putting on an innocent look. "Esteemed Lord, I am merely an insignificant merchant, while that mysterious figure is a Star-rank powerhouse. Do you truly think I had any right to refuse?" "Does Dan Dinggui know about this?" Hai Liwei asked, eyeing Aska. The "Dan Dinggui" he mentioned was the Star-rank powerhouse backing Aska—an expert born of an osmanthus tree spirit. Dan Dinggui spent most of his time dwelling in the Abyss, and very few factions in Crescent Bay were subordinate to him. Aska had chosen to affiliate with Dan Dinggui precisely because Dan Dinggui was hands-off and never gave meddlesome orders. Aska answered, "A trivial matter like this hardly warranted disturbing Lord Gui." "A trivial matter? Then you may notify Dan Dinggui right now," Hai Liwei said, staring down Aska as his eyes began to emit a deep blue glow. Aska's expression remained unflinching. "Five hundred thousand, and I can provide a tracking device for the Primordial Water!" "One hundred thousand. That is my bottom line. You have ten seconds to consider," Hai Liwei glared at Aska, speaking in a chilling tone. A wide smile immediately broke across Aska's face as he bowed respectfully. "Deal." In truth, his composure stemmed from having foreseen these ensuing complications long in advance. And he had prepared accordingly to handle the fallout. After all, in the goblin world, the customer was never a god—only a sheep waiting to be slaughtered. Once Hai Liwei paid via Qixin, Aska summoned his secretary. Moments later, the secretary entered carrying a square, phone-sized device on a tray. "This is a one-hundred-percent anti-jamming tracker. I trust you are familiar with it, esteemed Lord. As long as it is in your hands, no matter where the Primordial Water sails, it cannot escape your grasp," Aska introduced with a smile. Hai Liwei picked up the tracker and turned away. "Hmph. If anything goes wrong, you know the consequences." "Safe travels, esteemed Lord," Aska bowed with a broad grin. Hai Liwei crushed a teleportation jade talisman and vanished instantly in the next breath, while Yu Xian departed directly via spatial traverse. "Even resorting to a teleportation jade talisman... It seems..." Aska squinted slightly as he watched the fragments of the teleportation jade talisman on the floor slowly dissolve into specks of light and fade away. To be a legendary merchant, the most critical trait was discerning the whole from the slightest detail. Only by being sufficiently meticulous and daring could one endlessly unearth fresh business opportunities. At this point, Aska realized that the mysterious figure had undoubtedly stolen the Sea Clan's most crucial treasure, which immediately led his thoughts to Helick's Great Trove. "Is this a test of whether my bloodline is pure goblin?" Aska stroked his chin, muttering to himself. Ten minutes later, numerous factions purchased a piece of intelligence: the Great Thief Ellis had stolen the key to Helick's Great Trove from the Sea Clan, and the Sea Clan was pursuing him with everything they had. Furthermore, tracking devices for the vessel Ellis was piloting were available at one million Star Coins apiece. Consequently, countless factions began stirring with ambition. ... ... Xingkun Port. A colossal warship was docked at the very front of the harbor, where numerous Sea Clan members were operating seven-meter-tall mechs to load and unload cargo. Hai Liwei and Yu Xian teleported to the port. Hai Liwei strode directly toward the warship, barking orders as he walked: "We set sail in ten minutes! Hai Liqi, inform everyone to prepare. Also, once I depart, internal clan affairs will be under your management." "Understood," Hai Liqi ran over quickly and responded from right behind Hai Liwei. Yu Xian looked at the warship and asked, "Patriarch Hai, we're taking this warship to pursue Zhi'er?" "Not we—I," Hai Liwei turned to look at Yu Xian, speaking with earnest sincerity. "Brother Yu, even though Zhi'er is an Earthling, this matter truly has little to do with you. Even if you hadn't appeared, Zhi'er would have made a move on Shui Shui sooner or later. There is no need for you to brave danger in what comes next. Nor is it ever our Sea Clan's habit to let our friends take risks on our behalf." He gave Yu Xian no chance to object, pressing forward the moment he finished speaking. Yu Xian tried to follow to argue his case, but two Sea Clan members stepped in front of him, barring his way. "Honored guest, we are deeply grateful for your concern for Shui Shui, and equally grateful that you are willing to brave danger for a member of our clan," Hai Liqi said gently to Yu Xian at that moment. Hai Liqi was not particularly conspicuous, but his presence was remarkably pleasant and polite, naturally inducing a sense of calm reflection. "..." Yu Xian glanced at Hai Liqi, then said calmly, "In that case, I will rescue Shui Shui in my own way. Let each of us display our own methods." "I apologize; this is the Patriarch's decision. And... thank you. The Abyss is perilous. If at all possible, please exercise the utmost caution," Hai Liqi bowed slightly. Yu Xian said nothing more, turning and leaving directly. He didn't believe for a second that Aska possessed only one tracking device. Right now, he needed one of his own.