Ultragene Warlord

Chapter 519: Resource Distribution

Rescuing hunters from the sura certainly sounded like something Renhuang had done in the past. As more and more imprisoned hunters returned to Earth, to their families that had given up all hope of ever seeing them again, the tide of the verbal battle turned in favor of Renhuang.

One person's words could have been easily dismissed, but with so many people speaking up for Renhuang...

The hunters on the forums gradually began to believe that Renhuang really might have won a victory after all. Some hunters began to investigate, and the truth easily surfaced.

The empire of stars was so massive that research on it wasn't particularly difficult. Word of what had happened in the empire of stars was already spreading among the sura, and it would reach the other races sooner or later.

The destruction of the empire of stars wasn't something that could be hidden for long, and the sura had no intention of hiding it.

When word finally reached the first hunters, the tone in the forums shifted immediately. No one dared to besmirch Zhang Lie again.

Zhang Lie naturally didn't know about what was happening on the forums; even if he did, he wouldn't have cared. Renhuang was hosting another celebratory banquet,and a festive atmosphere spread throughout all of Renhuang.

Everyone in Renhuang was happy—not just because of their victory over the empire of stars, but because of the spoils they had reaped.

Zhang Lie specially slaughtered a peak-grade lifeform as the centerpiece of the hunters' feast. Unfortunately, the peak-grade lifeforms that they had obtained from the empire of stars weren't yet mature and ready to be consumed, or he would have slaughtered them all.

Luckily, Zhang Lie had been rearing a few peak-grade lifeforms for just such an event.

Sun Mengmeng reported, "Captain, we've prepared the same cauldron as last time."

Zhang Lie ordered that all the peak-grade lifeforms in the farm be slaughtered and replaced with the new ones that they had acquired from the empire of stars.

All the hunters of Renhuang gathered at its central plaza.

There, the Yeluo had finished their preparations. Zhang Lie stood on the stage as he infused genetic energy into his voice, which echoed as he spoke, "First, my heartfelt congratulations to everyone—for witnessing history, and for partaking in its creation!"

Huge cheers resounded from the crowd, echoing in the skies, marking mankind's success and triumph.

Zhang Lie continued stirring up the crowds. "Before the battle, I told you all that it was a good thing that the empire of stars attacked—and now you can see that my words were entirely truthful! We stand here, in Renhuang, at the forefront of history! We were the first city to ever destroy a sura empire, the first alien race to ever destroy a sura empire—all of us here will be immortalized in legend!"

The fighters' morale, already high after the surprising victory, rose to its zenith.

"Renhuang's success is due to all of you here, all your hard work, so I'd like to invite all of you to partake in this feast in gratitude for your effort. Eat whatever you want—I promise you you'll all go home with your bellies full!"

The entire city shouted Zhang Lie's name.

As the peak-grade meat stewed, the entire plaza began to fill with the aroma of meat.

Once everything was ready, Zhang Lie motioned for the members of Team Zenith to maintain order as the crowds surged toward the food.

The hunters squeezed and shoved each other, as did the members of the four prime races, followed leisurely by the Yeluo, crag eagles, and wood spirits. The rock spirits had no interest or ability to consume the meat broth, so they stood by the outer border of the plaza.

Even so, the line of hunters waiting for the food snaked all throughout the plaza and toward its outskirts.

"Praise Renhuang!"

The hunters who had managed to get their food early immediately began to eat by the wooden tables that had been laid out.

Under ordinary circumstances, they would never have been able to consume such high-quality food. Despite the danger and uncertainty of the battle, they had ultimately succeeded in taking down a sura empire and sacked centuries' worth of treasure from their capital.

The empire of stars was the strongest of the sura empires, and its treasuries were comparable to three other sura empires.

In other words, echoing what Yun Bing had once said, it was sufficient wealth and resources to propel Renhuang forward by a hundred years of development; once its researchers had fully digested the research materials, it might even be worth three hundred years instead.

After the banquet, Zhang Lie began dividing up the spoils of war on the spot.

Everyone present, including both the forces that had participated in the battle and those that had stayed behind to protect Renhuang, would be eligible.

In some sense, it was like investing in the stock market—now that the war was over, Renhuang would pay out dividends. The four prime races were the ones that stood the most to gain.

They had invested in Renhuang since before the battle started, and they would each rake a thirtieth of the profits from the battle. A thirtieth didn't seem like much, but given the magnitude of the empire of stars' treasury, it was enough wealth to build a city from the ground up.

The herbs that were immediately usable were handed to the Yeluo chieftain, and those that weren't were left to the wood spirits to cultivate. Ores, gems, jewels, and minerals were ceded to the rock spirits.

A few remaining oddities, trinkets, and other treasures were kept in Renhuang's national treasury, filling it up to the brim.

The Yeluo chieftain smiled beatifically as he looked at all the resources that Renhuang had gained.

"These resources might be significant, but they're not the best of the treasures we claimed from the empire of stars," Zhang Lie reminded him.

The Yeluo chieftain stared at Zhang Lie agape. What could beat these resources that had taken even the empire of stars centuries to amass?

Zhang Lie handed over the research materials that he had claimed from the monarch of stars' study.

He didn't dare cart them around or leave it for anyone else to handle—the research went straight into his own potbellied toad pouch. They were so precious as to be worth more than even the twelve stelae of time.

The Yeluo chieftain's eyes bulged. His gaze turned scorching, and he gaped at the papers Zhang Lie deposited in his hands without fully believing that they were real.

He murmured in shock, "Th-These will speed up our development by centuries!"

The research institute that Zhang Lie had ordered to be built was currently specialized for herbalism, and it lacked significant research on other topics of interest in the second realm.

With the research materials from the empire of stars as its foundation, Renhuang would be able to reach the frontier of modern knowledge much more quickly, and it would even be able to evolve beyond it.

The Yeluo chieftain flipped carefully through the papers, particularly those pertaining to herbalism. The empire of stars' centuries of work wasn't as specialized as the Yeluo clan's, but it was comprehensive and worthy of careful perusal.