Half the Energy Stones

This newly appointed King Bear, this little human right before them, had simply waved a hand, and the energy stones they brought had all vanished!

Moreover, this little human was incredibly certain that there was no issue with the quantity of stones they had delivered.

The tiger-race and the lion-race had been at odds for years, yet at this moment, they shared a silent understanding. With just a single glance, they saw their own thoughts reflected in the other's eyes.

To put it bluntly, it was a feeling of profound respect!

So, she was a human possessing magical artifacts; no wonder she could become the new King of the bear-race.

Combined with the matter of the special medicine, the lion-race and tiger-race not only understood why the bear-race had accepted this little human as their King, but they also cursed the bear-race in their hearts for being so cunning!

Those bear-race beastmen all looked honest, but in reality, they were shrewder than anyone else.

Take Xiong Ji, for instance; they were all well-informed, and the news that the King of the bear-race was a human had only just broken today!

Yet, after this human appeared, she had been led to the Dean's office by an orthopedic doctor named Lang Yu.

What had happened in between, what kind of deal Xiong Ji had reached with the human, and the fact that the medicine appeared at such an opportune moment—it was truly difficult not to let their imaginations run wild.

In the eyes of the lion-race and tiger-race beastmen delivering the energy stones, it was clear that Xiong Ji had discovered the special nature of this human early on, using both threats and incentives to make her their King!

It was... simply too cunning!

The energy stones had been delivered, so the two beastmen naturally had no reason to linger.

Just as they were preparing to bid farewell to this new King Bear, the leopard-race beastmen approached with heavy footsteps, carrying their boxes.

Unlike the efficiency of the fox-race or the eagerness of the tiger and lion races, the leopard-race's procession appeared sluggish. The leopard-race warriors carrying the boxes all wore unhappy expressions, their eyes darting about with a touch of reluctance.

Leading them was none other than Bao Wen, who had left in a rage earlier.

His expression remained ugly, but compared to the explosive fury he had shown in the meeting room, there was now more restraint and frustration. Clearly, the pressure within his race had forced him to bow his head and personally complete this donation.

Seeing the representatives of the lion and tiger races here, he froze for a moment, then his expression darkened further. He let out a cold snort and turned his head away.

The lion and tiger beastmen had originally intended to leave, but upon seeing his expression, that desire vanished completely.

They were already aware of how this leopard-race leader had performed during the meeting.

To be so unwilling and yet forced to come in person—didn't that just mean there was a show to watch?! There were plenty of dramas involving other races, but witnessing the drama of a race's leader was a rare treat!

The two beastmen immediately stopped their departure, stood with arms crossed to the side, and wore expressions that were unmistakably smug.

Bao Wen had hoped to drive them away, but seeing their posture, the veins on his forehead throbbed again. However, because of the special status of the lion and tiger races, he could not afford to lash out. He had to swallow his burning rage and turn to Cheng Shuili, his voice stiff:

"The leopard-race's one thousand energy stones are here!"

Cheng Shuili took in all his reactions, her heart completely calm. She merely nodded faintly, walked forward, and brushed her hand over the boxes.

Under Bao Wen's suspicious and anxious gaze, the energy stones emitting a pure white glow inside the boxes vanished instantly.

This miraculous feat shocked all the leopard-race beastmen who were seeing it for the first time, while the tiger and lion beastmen nearby remained indifferent, their gazes toward the leopard-race filled with disdain.

It was as if they were saying, "A bunch of country bumpkins who have never seen anything of the world."

Bao Wen's complexion, which had just begun to improve, turned ugly again due to those undisguised looks. But soon, as if thinking of something, he glanced at Cheng Shuili with provocation. His expression improved, carrying a prideful air of a villain who had succeeded.

Cheng Shuili knew from his expression that there was likely a problem with the energy stones.

She opened her panel to check, and sure enough, the count had only increased by five hundred—a full half was missing!

Cheng Shuili sneered inwardly, but on the surface, she remained calm. She slowly withdrew her hand and looked at Bao Wen with a steady gaze.

Bao Wen felt a bit unnerved by her stare, but he still stubbornly maintained his "what can you do to me?" expression, even lifting his chin slightly.

The lion-race representative nearby couldn't help but chuckle, and the tiger-race representative shook his head; it was clear they had both sensed the trickery.

"Leopard-race..." Cheng Shuili finally spoke, her voice not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every beastman, "the number of donated energy stones seems to be off."

Bao Wen's expression shifted. He stiffened his neck and said, "What nonsense are you spouting! A full thousand pieces, not one less! Besides! You've already taken the energy stones, and these items have left the sight of all our beastmen. Who knows what tricks you've played in secret, and now you come to cause trouble for us?!"

He had been somewhat blustering at first, his tone tinged with guilt.

But as he continued, it was as if he had convinced himself; not only did his tone become firm, but he also carried the smugness of someone who had gained a small advantage.

An ordinary person might not see through these emotions, but to a seasoned beastman like Xiong Ji, these feelings were no different than being written on Bao Wen's face!

He sneered, stepped forward, brought his cold, hard face right up to Bao Wen's, and glared at him.

The suddenly enlarged pupils before him frightened Bao Wen into subconsciously stepping back, his legs turning to jelly, nearly causing him to fall on his backside.

This pathetic display was truly laughable. The leopard-race beastmen didn't dare to make a sound, but the lion and tiger beastmen didn't hold back at all; the moment he stepped back, laughter filled the air.

Bao Wen, having regained his composure, frowned tightly, trying his best to hide his embarrassment with anger. He parted his lips, but at first, no sound came out. After clearing his throat, he finally questioned Xiong Ji with a face full of fury: "What is Dean Xiong doing? Getting this close, did a flower bloom on my face?"

A flower bloomed on his face?

Cheng Shuili thought he must have had his brain caught in a door.

Xiong Ji didn't beat around the bush with him, stating in an uncompromising tone: "The number of energy stones you brought is incorrect. You only have two paths before you now: either make up the difference as soon as possible, or be treated as someone who has broken their word, have the stones you've already paid confiscated, and as a penalty, you and your race will be the very last to receive the medicine!"

"On what grounds?!"

Bao Wen originally lacked the courage to go head-to-head with Xiong Ji. Although the leopard-race was considered one of the Five Great Beast Races, that was only a facade!

The other four races all had trades that gave their people a livelihood, but only the leopard-race...

It was gilded on the outside but rotten on the inside.

As their leader, he was the most aware of the true situation.

It was precisely because of this that he had resisted this "donation" so strongly.

This wasn't a donation; it was like cutting meat from his body with a dull knife!

"On what grounds?" Xiong Ji retorted. He glanced back at Cheng Shuili's expression before saying coldly, "On the grounds that this medicine was provided by our King! Furthermore, the rules were set from the start. We allow smaller donations, or even no donations at all. But for someone like you, who registers a specific amount and then tries to fool us with a clearly incorrect number of energy stones, you must accept the punishment!"

Xiong Ji said this with righteous indignation.

Cheng Shuili followed up immediately. Her voice was quite cold, stating only the facts without any personal emotion: "The energy stones brought by the leopard-race are only half of the one thousand—five hundred pieces."

As this news broke, the other beastmen watching the show began to gossip:

"Only five hundred? Didn't the Five Great Beast Races all agree to donate one thousand?"

"Is that for real? They agreed to donate one thousand, and they only brought half to fool Dean Xiong? They've got some nerve!"

"Dean Xiong isn't the King of the bear-race anymore," this beastman winked, saying with a sarcastic tone: "That human is."

...

Hearing this, the lion and tiger races couldn't hold back anymore. The tiger-race helped out first: "Dean Xiong is right! A donation is a donation, and not donating is not donating. If you shouldn't be punished for saying you'd donate and then not doing it, then who should?!"

The lion-race followed quickly: "Bao Wen, if your leopard-race couldn't afford this, you shouldn't have acted like a big shot in the first place! What is this now? It's so ugly to watch!"

Bao Wen was caught in a pincer attack, his face turning from green to white. The leopard-race beastmen he brought all hung their heads, not daring to meet anyone's eyes.

The number of energy stones he brought was indeed incorrect.

Although Bao Wen was the leader, he couldn't truly make decisions for the entire race.

To him, the face of the race was absolutely greater than anything else.

That was why he had puffed out his chest and acted like a big shot, reporting a donation of one thousand energy stones along with the other races.

But when he returned to his race, those elders had scolded him mercilessly, finally throwing him out along with the five hundred energy stones.

"Only this much! There's no more! Either you come up with it yourself, or you only donate five hundred!"

Bao Wen's chest heaved violently, his fingers clenched tightly, his nails almost digging into his palms.

He glared fixedly at Xiong Ji, swept his gaze over the gleeful lion and tiger representatives nearby, and finally cast his gaze toward Cheng Shuili, who remained calm and unruffled throughout.

The human girl's eyes were too clear, too profound, as if she could pierce through all his shameful thoughts, leaving him nowhere to hide.

This feeling of being completely seen through was more unbearable than facing Xiong Ji's aggressiveness or the mockery of the lion and tiger races.

He had originally intended to explain the truth, but here, with the lion and tiger races present...

What was the difference between saying it in front of them and losing all face?!

This was something Bao Wen absolutely could not tolerate.

He had planned to secretly inform Xiong Ji, or this human who could make the decisions, during the counting process. Who knew that the human would have such a trick up her sleeve, directly making those energy stones disappear.

Since they were gone...

Since they had already vanished under everyone's eyes, who could say for sure now?

Bao Wen seemed to have grabbed onto his last straw, glaring viciously at Cheng Shuili: "The energy stones have all been taken by you! What the exact quantity is, whether there's a difference from what I reported—right and wrong are all up to your word!"

He seemed to have become much smarter all of a sudden. He glanced at the lion and tiger beastmen and continued: "Just because I offended you in the meeting hall, you have to humiliate me like this?! Humans, you really are such despicable creatures!"

If the issue before had only been about whether the leopard-race's energy stone count was correct, the problem now had shifted to whether Cheng Shuili, this human, was intentionally targeting beastmen.

The former only concerned Bao Wen, while the latter concerned all beastmen.

Once such highly provocative words were spoken, Xiong Ji's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to roar in anger, Cheng Shuili gently raised her hand to stop him.

She took a few light steps forward and circled Bao Wen a few times.

She naturally understood that no matter what she said now, it would be ineffective. Only by presenting the most practical evidence and throwing it in Bao Wen's face, leaving him unable to refute, was the only way!

Cheng Shuili wasn't circling him for nothing; as her gaze fell upon Bao Wen, she was also examining the things around them.

It wasn't until she inadvertently noticed the wooden boxes the beastmen used to transport the energy stones, and the straw inside, that she finally thought of a way to break the deadlock.

As Cheng Shuili pondered, almost all the beastmen's gazes were focused on her, either holding a "watching a show" mentality or looking at her with hatred.

Unlike the other beastmen, Xiong Ji was more worried. At this moment, no matter how the King refuted, it would be somewhat weak, only giving others more ammunition to use against her.

Xiong Ji had never doubted his judgment; he just felt that Cheng Shuili was too young and impatient, and her way of handling things wasn't as seasoned as theirs. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Cheng Shuili raise her foot and kick the buttocks of a bear-race beastman who was standing nearby in a daze.

She then leaned into his ear and whispered a few words.

The beastman seemed to have received an order, his expression instantly turning serious as he moved the boxes of energy stones brought by the tiger, lion, and leopard races together.

"Speaking of which," Cheng Shuili's voice rang out, "one must rely on evidence."

She glanced faintly at Bao Wen, "It's not that just because you say something, it becomes true."

After saying these two short sentences, Cheng Shuili turned to face the many beastmen watching the show and said loudly: "I understand that what everyone cares about more is whether I am being fair to each race, and the answer to this question lies within these boxes."

As her voice fell, whispers immediately erupted among the crowd of watching beastmen:

"What does she mean?"

"Is there any difference between these three boxes? Aren't they exactly the same?"

"Look, this one on the left was brought by our tiger-race!"

"Hmph," the lion-race person sneered, retorting: "So what? This one on the right was brought by our lion-race!"

Some confused beastmen asked: "Then the one in the middle is the leopard-race's? So what?"

"So what?" A cat-race beastman standing beside him had eyes glowing with excitement, "When we transport things like energy stones, to prevent the stones from breaking, we always pad the bottom with straw. The lion-race and tiger-race both brought one thousand energy stones, so the thickness of the straw padding is naturally the same, but the leopard-race only has five hundred, so the thickness of this straw..."

It was a cat-race beastman who spoke. Her voice wasn't loud, but when all the beastmen's attention was focused on this matter, these words, which revealed the answer, became exceptionally clear.