Chapter 1996: Offers

Rui simply stared at him impassively.

Unfortunately, the Divine Doctor was too sharp to be fooled by ambiguity, covering up the fact that the Divine Doctor didn't owe anything to him. It was also unfortunate that he was quite correct. Rui's plan did need him; he had no confidence that Kane alone would be able to incapacitate the source of the manifold by himself.

"You're not entirely correct," Rui chillingly replied. "My plan doesn't need you as much as it needs me. Without me, there is no plan. Without you, however, the plan can not only function but also have the possibility of escape."

This was also undeniable.

The most difficult part of breaking out of the manifold was dealing with the Master-level beast guarding the dungeon.

And Rui was the only possibility of doing that.

This was something that not even the Divine Doctor could deny.

"Be that as it may," the man remarked with a hint of smugness. "The fact that I am required is enough for me to deny any demand in return for breaking out of the manifold. What I offer is more than sufficient service in return for breaking it, for it is something you would rather do with me than without."

This, in turn, was something that Rui had to admit as well. The man was contributing too much for Rui to demand anything in return; he just didn't have the leverage.

"Can't we just threaten him with death?" Kane scratched his head. "Not that I'm suggesting we do that, of course. But fear of death lights a fire under the ass, you know?"

"..." The Divine Doctor stared at Kane with an unimpressed expression.

"That was a joke. He has an edgy sense of humor," Rui lied to the Divine Doctor, earning a scowl from Kane.

It was such a retarded suggestion that Rui didn't even bother addressing it. For one, the Divine Doctor was immortal; thus, death was merely an inconvenience in this particular situation for reasons unclear.

On top of that, they needed him to have a realistic chance of getting out of the manifold. Thus, the threat of killing the Divine Doctor was empty because the Divine Doctor knew that Rui would never do something that stupid and wasteful. Killing him would only lead to extremely negative outcomes for Rui, and letting him out was the only way for positive outcomes to unfold.

Thus, the very suggestion of threatening him with death was invalid because his death was the death of Rui's future. If Rui actually did make that threat, the Divine Doctor would probably laugh in his face and invite Rui to kill him.

"If you want help with finding out what ails Gaia, then I can help with that," Rui remarked. "My grandmother is Sage Nephi Deborah Silas, the matriarch of the Silas Clan. She possesses a truly godly power of prophecy and is one of the reasons that I was able to track you within three years."

Rui pulled out one of his trump cards.

Although he hadn't consulted his grandmother on this particular course of action, desperate times called for desperate measures. He was sure his grandmother would begrudgingly let it slide this one time.

Regardless, the Divine Doctor was unable to hide his reaction.

"...Fascinating." His eyes lit up with interest. "You are truly fascinating."

"Please," Rui impassively replied. "You flatter me."

Rui had not opted for this course of action prior to knowing exactly why the Divine Doctor entered the Beast Domain. His grandmother required more precise and actual information than just some mysterious patient for whom the Divine Doctor had entered the Beast Domain to diagnose.

However, now that he knew exactly who or what the Divine Doctor's patient was, he could get his grandmother to apply her astronomical prophetic power to Gaia or the Beast Domain and potentially aid him with finding the alleged illness that Gaia was dying from.

"That's not all," Rui replied calmly. "I possess the means to contact the Elder Tree remotely. Thus, if you ever do decide to search for the ailment that plagues Gaia in the Beast Domain, then you won't need to go through the risky fake fear induction process again to enter the Garden of Salvation and will be able to communicate with it regularly in the long run. If you agree to heal my father, this could potentially radically change your approach to the Beast Domain."

Rui had collected two super assets for the Kandrian Empire in the form of the Silas Clan and the Elder Tree. Both of them were assets that astronomically increased the intelligence-

gathering ability of the Kandrian Empire and could be of extraordinary utility to the Divine Doctor, who sought to make a diagnosis of the entire planet.

While the material resources of the Kandrian Empire might not have been able to help much with the immense ambition of the Divine Doctor, these supernatural and extraordinary information resources could potentially be the key to obtaining a diagnosis.

Both of them recognized that simultaneously.

The Divine Doctor closed his eyes.

A single remark escaped him.

"Deal."

The agreement almost caught Rui off-guard.

It came quickly.

For a moment, he was actually speechless.

"...Deal," Rui remarked. "For the record, it was either-or; I didn't simultaneously offer both those information resources. Heal my father, and you get one use of Sage-level prophecy. Or regular access to the Elder Tree. If you want both, you'll have to offer something additional that is equally valuable."

The Divine Doctor's frozen smile widened. "And just what would you be willing to accept for both?"

"Oh, I don't know." Rui shrugged exaggeratedly. "How about practicing medicine in the Kandrian Empire?"

Amusement emerged on the Divine Doctor's face as he burst out laughing. "Do you have any idea how many powerful nations and organizations desperately seek my services?"

"Do you have any idea how many powerful nations and organizations seek the Silas Clan?" Rui snorted. "Or how many would seek the Elder Tree's intelligence and power if they knew it was even more fantastical than the legends?"

This was something that the Divine Doctor could not disagree with in good faith.