"Mr. Cloud, I've heard much about you." Norton, worthy of being a business titan who'd weathered countless storms, broke the silence first.
"Your unconventional entrance certainly is... distinctive."
"Can't be helped—appointments are too much hassle, and I hate waiting in line." Cloud lounged lazily in the chair, but his gaze wasn't on Norton. Instead, it roamed brazenly over Mary's smoking hot figure.
Tsk tsk, this body was definitely a masterpiece of the "character designer."
The red fitted top outlined those magnificent curves to heart-stopping effect, paired with practical jeans and a vest to create a wonderfully contradictory "innocent yet seductive" vibe.
Golden short hair, mature beauty's aura—she was like a thorned red rose, full of temptation.
"Miss Mary, right?" The corner of Cloud's mouth curved with amusement. "I hear your joint locks are executed with divine perfection."
Being stared at so aggressively by a strange man, Mary's brow immediately furrowed, a flash of displeasure in her eyes.
"None of your business." She replied coldly.
"Don't be so standoffish." Cloud laughed. "I love teaching people. Seeing your decent talent, how about I give you a few pointers for free?"
Without waiting for Mary's response, he simply formed his fingers like a sword and casually traced a few movements through the air.
His movements appeared slow, yet were fast to the extreme.
Every angle, every transition contained an ineffable rhythm approaching the level of "Dao."
Mary started with a look of disdain, but as she watched, her eyes went wide!
Amateurs watch the spectacle; experts see the technique.
In her eyes, Cloud's seemingly casual movements were actually deconstructing, optimizing, and recombining the essence of dozens of her proud joint techniques—"Dynamite Swing," "Mary Spider," "Vertical Arrow"—in a more efficient, more cunning manner!
She even saw in those movements the answer to the bottleneck she'd been unable to break through despite years of contemplation!
This wasn't... guidance anymore!
This was dimensional-crushing live instruction!
It was like taking a professor's doctoral thesis, grinding it up, drawing it as a picture book, and spoon-feeding it to you!
"This... this is..." Mary's voice trembled, her face written with disbelief.
"Just a small optimization." Cloud withdrew his hand, speaking lightly. "Your joint techniques focus too much on locking and controlling while neglecting force transmission and dispersal. Think it over when you get back—might raise your Absolute Domain comprehension by ten-odd percentage points."
With that, he ignored Mary, who had fallen into an "enlightenment" state, and refocused his gaze on the world's richest man, who had watched everything unfold.
"Alright, Mr. Norton. Appetizers are done. Now we can discuss business."
Norton adjusted his glasses, the gleam behind the lenses growing more intense.
"Mr. Cloud, you surely didn't come here just to instruct my bodyguard?"
"Of course not." Cloud crossed his legs, getting straight to the point. "I hear you're interested in the Divine Tribe?"
"You could say that." Norton admitted frankly. "I'm filled with the desire to explore all transcendent existences that exceed our current scientific understanding. Money is just numbers to me now. The unknown is my only pursuit."
"Good, I like talking to smart people." Cloud snapped his fingers. "Then you should also know that in our world, there's a very apt term to describe your behavior—courting death."
"You think you're hosting a tournament, observing and researching? Wrong. You're playing with fire. You've invited a bunch of nuclear warheads that could detonate the entire planet at any moment to have a party in your backyard. When they get excited, the first thing to explode will be you—the party host."
Norton fell silent at this.
Of course he knew the risks. But he had absolute confidence in his technology and wealth.
He believed that with sufficient preparation, everything would remain under control.
"So, Mr. Cloud has come to... stop me?"
"No, I've come to partner with you." Cloud's face showed a friendly smile. "I need you to use your nation-rivaling wealth and global influence to gather the power of all the world's fighters."
"We need a grand stage—one capable of capturing the world's attention—to have our final showdown with Orochi."
"And in return..."
Cloud flipped his hand. Two test tubes filled with purple liquid and emanating an ominous aura appeared on the desk.
"I can provide you with some... research materials you'd find most interesting."
Norton's gaze was instantly drawn to those test tubes.
He could sense a strange yet powerful life energy contained within!
"These are... blood samples from Hakkesshu members Mature and Vice." Cloud said casually. "Very pure—enough for your lab to study for a decade or two."
"And if you think that's not enough..." Cloud's smile grew even more "friendly."
"I can even have them personally serve as your bodyguards."
Norton's breathing instantly quickened.
Living... Hakkesshu?!
For a "research fanatic" like him, this temptation was greater than all the wealth in the world combined!
He knew he... couldn't refuse.
"Deal!"
...
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