Worldwide Awakening: My Soul Kinds Are Lost-Chapter 596: Initial Plotting, Adequate Bait Laid Out_1

"So, I'm going to be put in charge of overseeing construction again?" Wang Linchi looked at the Great Elder before him. Of course, the Great Elder wasn't really asking him to oversee the construction of a new Time-Space Base; this was just a ruse to distract him.

"Nope, nope." Wang Linchi shook his head in refusal. He knew what their plans were.

The real goal was to get him to the South Rotating Spacetime Rift. They had already set up a trap there. As soon as he stepped inside, the entire space-time fragment would instantly solidify for about ten hours.

Then, naturally, they would disable all the energy sources of the smart weapons to prevent Wang Linchi from controlling them.

Admittedly, this plan was quite effective. Without an energy source, Wang Linchi would have no way of taking control.

"Why? This is a cushy job." The Great Elder raised an eyebrow, hinting that he was offering a sweet deal, yet Wang Linchi wasn't biting.

"Easy to end up in the joint." Wang Linchi gave a humorous response.

While his answer was a bit absurd, it didn't surprise the Great Elder. He had already guessed that Wang Linchi would decline. His reasons for refusing didn't matter; what mattered was that he declined.

"It's fine if you don't go. There has been some trouble at the South Rotating Spacetime Rift related to the Annihilation Disaster, and I've arranged for someone to handle it. You just need to show up, sign some documents, and you'll be out," the Great Elder said, his tone implying this matter was a setup.

"Sign? Seriously? You want me to be the scapegoat?" Wang Linchi retorted.

"Yes, the scapegoat. Afterwards, we'll give you a verbal reprimand or two. You don't even need to be present. It mostly involves our own people. If the person taking the blame doesn't have enough standing, it will be difficult to handle the aftermath," the Great Elder stated bluntly. This was all part of his plan.

"It's either doing grunt work or taking the blame. Doesn't our Elder Group have any better tasks?" If it weren't for ulterior motives, Wang Linchi would have thought the Elder Group was full of professional Cattle and Horses.

"It can't be helped. Who made you the most idle one here? Doing grunt work has its benefits, but you'd have to be busy."

"Sign and take the blame, and you don't have to worry about the rest. The benefits will be slightly less, but it's quick. You have to choose one," the Great Elder said, laying out the pros and cons. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Even if Wang Linchi were to go off-script and choose to oversee the Time-Space Base, they had a backup plan. They weren't worried about being left empty-handed.

If they truly didn't even have a backup plan, then wouldn't so many of them seem quite useless?

"Alright, I'll be the scapegoat. But do I really have to go in person? Just send the documents over, and I'll sign them," Wang Linchi said, still appearing reluctant.

"You at least have to go through the motions. Enter the space-time fragment, take a look around, then come out. If you haven't even been there, how can you take the blame? It wouldn't be justifiable," the Great Elder naturally refused.

Wang Linchi suddenly chuckled teasingly. "For the esteemed Great Elder himself to come forward and ask me to take the blame, it seems the people involved in this matter are quite something."

"It's a kinsman, who made a small mistake at a young age," the Great Elder said nonchalantly, brushing the matter aside. This was how he was supposed to act, rather than revealing the true severity of the situation.

"In that case, I'll be demanding a hefty compensation. Given that this person is a kinsman of the Great Elder, their family must be quite well off," Wang Linchi said with a grin.

The Great Elder was unfazed. "Go ahead, name your price. As long as it's not too outrageous, I assure you it will be met."

"This matter must be quite significant for the Great Elder to make such a promise," Wang Linchi chuckled, then continued, "My Heroic Spirit is just short of its seventh awakening. If all goes well, it will successfully awaken for the seventh time in half an hour."

"So I want all the Awakening Materials needed for the eighth awakening."

Of course, Wang Linchi had to ask for more; he couldn't be stingy.

"That's too much. If you insist, other Elders would be willing to help. Even if none of them are, my kinsman isn't worth that many resources."

"At most, I'll give you one main Awakening Material. Any more, and the deal's off." The Great Elder definitely couldn't agree to more. Even if the Federation could afford it, he absolutely couldn't give it, as it would easily arouse Wang Linchi's suspicion.

Such a large reward, agreed upon so readily, just for taking the blame? How could there not be a catch?

"So stingy! At least make it two, a matching pair," Wang Linchi haggled. He couldn't agree too readily either.

"At most, I'll add one auxiliary Awakening Material. Take it or leave it. If you don't agree, I'll find someone else. At this price, even Elder Jia You would accept. The haggling might just take a bit longer, and I might even save on the auxiliary Awakening Material," the Great Elder said, looking as if he felt he was losing out the longer this went on, and seemed ready to leave.

"Alright, alright, deal! One main and one auxiliary Awakening Material for the eighth awakening each," Wang Linchi quickly stopped him, looking like the deal was settled.

"I'm taking a loss on this. You better shoulder this blame properly. Don't mess it up. If something like this happens again, I'm still coming to you," the Great Elder said with a hint of resignation.

"You think *you're* the one losing out? I'm putting my reputation on the line for this," Wang Linchi retorted, but quickly changed the subject, demanding the materials. "So, where are they? Are you paying now or later? If later, you have to give me the main Awakening Material as a deposit."

"The auxiliary Awakening Material as a deposit. If you take it and run, where would I go to seek justice?" The Great Elder rejected Wang Linchi's idea.

Main Awakening Materials are incredibly precious. Although auxiliary Awakening Materials are also valuable, they certainly don't hold the same value as main Awakening Materials.

After some haggling, the two quickly finalized the deal. The auxiliary Awakening Material was on its way. As soon as Wang Linchi received it, he would set off for the South Rotating Time-Space Base and enter the space-time fragment to carry out his part of the agreement.

"So, are there many dirty deals like this one?" Wang Linchi asked.

"Not that many. It's just that this time we couldn't 'resolve' the person involved, so we had to find a way to resolve the issue. Otherwise, we usually just directly 'resolve' the person who *causes* the problem," the Great Elder said irritably.

"It's really dark. I can't believe I've stooped to your level," Wang Linchi couldn't help but sigh.

"Stooped to our level? You are far worse than us. With your Ark plan, ten of me couldn't match up to your level," the Great Elder grumbled and got up to leave.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to add, "Once you get the materials, leave quickly. Don't dilly-dally. Otherwise, I'll make you pay me back double."

"Got it. Look at how petty you are," Wang Linchi replied nonchalantly.

The Great Elder quickly left The North River Space-Time Base, his back drenched in cold sweat by the time he made his exit.

Entrusted with such a task, it would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.

But the Great Elder didn't feel at ease entrusting it to anyone else, so in the end, he had to take on the task personally.

Fortunately, it went smoothly. At least on the surface, Wang Linchi didn't seem to suspect anything.

"He's probably not one of those old monsters, just a young man."

"Still, it's good to be cautious," the Great Elder muttered softly. After that, he could only do his best and resign himself to Fate.

What else could he do? The main problem was that Wang Linchi was simply too unfathomable; it was impossible to get a read on him at all.

「Later...」

"The eighth Heroic Spirit is complete!" Bai Xuan exhaled a turbid breath. He had nearly worked himself to exhaustion over these past few days.

Thankfully, with the System's aid, his progress skyrocketed.

Especially with the Nine Revolutions Inner Pellet Technique, through Proficiency and Origin Points, he had now reached the seventh rank of Active Achievement.

The main reason was his abundance of Origin Points; otherwise, he definitely wouldn't have progressed so quickly. As for his other Talents and abilities, he had raised them all to Fulfillment, preventing any further advancement.

I need to summon the last Heroic Spirit as quickly as possible.

Bai Xuan felt a sense of urgency. It wasn't just the Elder Group and the Council who knew what the latest appearance of a Spacetime Rift signified; most people understood. More Spacetime Rifts were likely to appear, and everyone had heard about the construction cost of a Time-Space Base.

Therefore, whether for themselves or for their families and friends, they needed sufficient strength. Otherwise, once lifeforms from the Rifts invaded, those without enough power would only die on the battlefield.

Bai Xuan didn't want to die; he could only desperately strive to become stronger.

If the number of Spacetime Rifts increased, the Summoners and Heroic Spirits would inevitably be spread thin. If their numbers were insufficient to clear out the invaders, an invasion would become a reality. There was no way around this. Even though the Federation was developing rapidly, Summoners and Heroic Spirits remained the main force, but unfortunately, the Growth of these two was far too slow.

Moreover, I need more Origin Points. Only with enough Origin Points can my Nine Revolutions Inner Pellet Technique advance by leaps and bounds.

Above Active Achievement, there was still the third layer, the Golden Core, which would require even more Origin Points, not less.