Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 68: A Great Negotiator (2)

"I rarely show up in the black market; never thought I’d slip up," Kishi sighed. "Ask whatever else you want."

"Why are you working for the space pirates?" Yuka asked.

"Not everyone lives as comfortably as you," Kishi paused, "I don’t mean anything by it, but in the Alliance, especially farther from Capital Octoxis, many people on smaller planets live a life of barely full one day and starving the next. I was one of them."

The current Imperial Alliance of the Stars was the result of a compromise between the Alliance Army and the royal family following their conflict. The royal family still held sway over most of the prosperous planets, operating under ’imperial’ rules. freēwēbnovel.com

In contrast, the poorer, backward planets were designated under the ’alliance’ jurisdiction. These planets were left to seek their own development and self-governance. Although the Alliance Army appointed officials to manage them, not every small planet could receive attention, similar to the planet with ’the Grand Coliseum’ that Yuka and her friends had visited.

As a result, space pirates became rampant, directly dominating these small planets and turning their inhabitants into puppets.

"I was taken by space pirates when I was very young," Kishi said. "They fed me, gave me money, and a citizen’s identity of the Alliance, in exchange for carrying out tasks for them with this identity."

"You said earlier that you wanted to leave the space pirates, right?" Yuka asked.

Kishi nodded, "To completely break away from them, I’m willing to sacrifice everything I have now."

"Why don’t you seek help from the Alliance Army?" Yuka inquired.

Kishi fell silent for a moment before responding, "I don’t trust them."

"They didn’t keep their promises. Most people on my planet were killed by space pirates. Where was the Alliance Army when we were crying out for help?" Kishi said bitterly, "Moreover, the Alliance Army is infiltrated by many space pirates. They are disorganized and unreliable."

"If the space pirates make any deals, I’m certain I’d be the first scapegoat to be offered up," Kishi stated confidently.

Yuka pondered.

"What about you?" Kishi asked, looking intently at Yuka. "What’s your purpose for coming here today?"

If Yuka was to expose her hidden identity, then the black market would no longer be safe for her. The worst-case scenario would be to silence her by killing...

"To come to the black market is, of course, to make a deal," Yuka smiled. "You failed to retrieve the item, so there must be a penalty from your higher-ups, right? You seem to have no way out now."

Indeed, Kishi had no way out.

Failing to successfully extract the documents and being discovered by UUA, she had to resign and abandon her current identity. The space pirate leader wouldn’t provide her a new one, leaving her to remain in the black market, forever serving the space pirates.

Realizing her predicament as pointed out by Yuka, Kishi knew that in this impending deal, she had lost most of her bargaining chips, with the balance completely tilted towards Yuka.

"Yes." Kishi closed her eyes briefly. "What kind of deal do you want to make?"

"I can help you safely leave the space pirates and escape from Capital Octoxis," Yuka offered.

Kishi’s eyes snapped open with excitement, but her excitement lasted only a second before she calmed down and asked, "How will you do it?"

"Let’s not rush. I haven’t said what I want yet," Yuka said, drawing out her words. "I want—the entire black market."

Kishi’s eyes moved slightly.

She could give that.

After nearly five years of dominance here, Kishi had turned the black market personnel into her loyalists, and all commercial transactions had to pass through her hands. The black market was essentially her domain.

"Can you handle it?" Kishi couldn’t help but frown. "This is a galaxy-wide underground trade network..."

"I can’t, but my dad can. He is the wealthiest man, after all," Yuka blinked innocently.

Kishi was momentarily speechless. ’Truly, she’s the daughter of the wealthiest man.’

"And how will you ensure my safety?" Kishi asked.

"I own a planet on the edge of the Alliance star system," Yuka explained. "It has state-of-the-art facilities and the highest level of security. You can live there safely, possibly for the rest of your life without ever needing to step outside."

Kishi knew she probably couldn’t use her original identity after escaping, but compared to her life, everything else was expendable. Tempted, her eyes flickered as she continued listening to Yuka.

"Kenji will escort you there quietly, or I can do it if needed. But I’m definitely not as safe as him," Yuka said. "If you want him to escort you, you’ll have to share some inside information about the space pirates with him. Actually, if you trust him, you could fully cooperate with the Alliance Army. That way, not only would you be safe, but you could also get a new identity."

"Kenji?" Kishi raised an eyebrow. "You mean the current Admiral Kuba Kenji of the Alliance Army?"

"Yes," Yuka nodded.

"And you can get him to help?" Kishi asked, somewhat skeptical.

"I owed him my life now, so I don’t mind owing him more," Yuka said. "Let me ask him first. If he’s unwilling to help, then it’s fine."

Kishi covered her forehead, "Let me think about it for a bit."

Yuka didn’t rush her, sitting on the couch playing with her opticomputer.

As time ticked away, Kishi finally made her decision.

"I accept your conditions."

Kishi extended her hand to Yuka, "I will share some information with Admiral Kuba. Pleasure doing business with you, young lady."

"Pleasure’s all mine." Yuka curved her lips into a smile.

She knew Kishi wasn’t aware of the connection between the Taira family and the Alliance Army; otherwise, she wouldn’t have agreed so readily, suspecting instead that Yuka and the Alliance Army might be plotting to betray her.

Yuka had no intention of acting unethically. Aware of her family’s ties with the Alliance Army, though not fully understanding the extent, she knew that at least there wouldn’t be a fallout.

She decided to inform the Alliance Army through Kenji about the deal with Kishi. By making Kishi’s situation transparent, the Alliance Army, upon receiving the information they wanted, wouldn’t intervene excessively or risk offending Hideki by forcefully taking Kishi.

This arrangement was beneficial for all three parties involved.

Yuka first messaged Hideki, her father, informing him about the deal.

Hideki, engaged in a business discussion, glanced down at his device. His partners, noticing the sudden smile on his usually stern face, couldn’t help but ask, "Mr. Taira, anything amusing?"

Hideki, with a proud smile, responded, "Yes, my daughter just secured a big deal for me."

The partners complimented, "Like father, like daughter!"

On the other side, after settling things with Hideki, Yuka messaged Kenji. She specifically added, "You might want to check with your superiors first."

Kenji, standing before the General Fleet Admiral, pondered for a few seconds before reporting Yuka’s proposal.

The General Fleet Admiral was indeed tempted to take Kishi and keep her within the Alliance Army until she revealed all her information. However, he was aware of Hideki’s deep love for his daughter and didn’t want to fall out with him.

After weighing the pros and cons, the General Fleet Admiral set down his teacup and told Kenji, "Accept the offer."

Kenji nodded and replied to Yuka, "Agreed."

Yuka then sent him the address of the black market and her private planet, asking him to come over immediately.

As Kenji was leaving, he asked Yuka, "So, what were you actually buying in the black market?"

Yuka thought for a moment and lied, "Some jewelry."

She had already coordinated her story with Kishi. They wouldn’t mention anything about the restricted area or the documents. Yuka’s visit to the black market was solely to purchase rare jewelry, and Kishi, recognizing Yuka without her helmet, had initiated the deal.

As for the items from the restricted area...

"Just tell the Alliance Army that you’ve already handed over the items to the space pirates," Yuka confidently instructed. "Let them take the blame."