Chapter 189: Plan
Regardless of what the others said, Bai Yi still let Momo take the knife with her and helped her to tidy herself up. Momo actually wasn't much different from a normal human, although she had some faint fur on her. After Bai Yi helped her tidy up, Momo drew the knife and swung it around a few times before nodding and sheathing it without looking at it.
Woolf flopped around in the water and shouted at Bai Yi, "Bai Yi, come down too! It's been so long since we swam, it feels quite good."
Other than Woolf, Sharpei was also practicing his own doggy style of swimming, while Pupu just lay flat on the surface of the water with his limbs spread out, floating without moving like a dead pig. Chinchilla didn't really like water and had never been able to catch that big crab back in the valley. However, at this time, it also brushed at the shallow waters with its limbs. Bai Yi looked at the few scoundrels floating around in the water and could only sigh helplessly.
Just when Bai Yi wanted to go into the water to test his swimming proficiency, the figures of a few evolved humans walked over from their left side.
A familiar voice came from the distance. "Chairman Bai Yi, how relaxed you are."
The former Minister of Public Security of New Christchurch, Alcott! Bai Yi immediately recognized him, stopped everything that he was doing, and went to receive him. Alodia saw Bai Yi walking over and immediately followed behind him as well. She now acted like Bai Yi's secretary, constantly helping him to handle various matters.
"Alcott, long time no see." Bai Yi revealed a smile as well. Actually, the relationship between the two of them wasn't so good, but they seemed more familiar with each other now meeting again after such a long time.
"Hahahaha, nobody saw you in this past year plus; some people even said that you died carelessly in that battle!" Alcott walked over.
Hearing Alcott say this, Bai Yi only smiled and didn't say anything in reply. Alcott saw that he wouldn't be able to fish out what Bai Yi had been doing over this period of time, and didn't bother with these little schemes further; instead, he started to chat randomly with him. Through Alcott, Bai Yi understood the battle in New Christchurch back then even more. After all, Alcott had been the Minister for Public Security back then—he definitely knew more things than Salva and his team.
"Is that so? Freud and Isaac both didn't manage to escape?" Bai Yi nodded.
Alcott nodded too. "En. To talk about it, I never expected that Freud would be so selfless and stay behind to personally block those frenzied evolved lifeforms from advancing. If not for him, there probably wouldn't be so many of us remaining here now."
"If that's the case, out of the five ministers, besides Freud and Isaac, the other three made it out safely?"
"En, other than me there's still the Minister of Agriculture, Edgar, and the Minister of Medicine, Lucretia. They are both in the area, but the distance is a bit far, so they didn't rush over immediately. Actually, my goal in finding you this time isn't to talk about all this. I have an idea in mind, and I want to invite you to work together on it," Alcott said.
"En, what idea?" Bai Yi smiled slightly in his heart. So, after talking so much he's finally getting into the main topic?
"Actually, I have a plan, which is to gather the remaining evolved humans and harvest the Tranquil Grass together. No matter how many we manage to pick in the end, we would distribute it meritocratically. This way, we wouldn't be like a plate of loose sand1. Not only would we not get any Tranquil Grass if only a few people went down at a time, but we would also just turn into food for those evolved lifeforms in the lake." Alcott looked at Bai Yi seriously, carrying hope and expectation in his eyes.
Bai Yi looked at Alcott as well. Bai Yi could obviously sense that Alcott wasn't doing as well as he had in New Christchurch, so much so that he hadn't even entered LV2 yet. Bai Yi remembered from the words of the people nearby that there were already more than 50 individuals who had entered LV2. In the Devil Isles now, you had to speak with your strength; things like status and identity were completely worthless.
Yeye's analysis before had been: the authority and fear brought about by personal strength were more effective than the kind of authority given by the masses. This prediction had already started to manifest itself.
Alcott probably wanted to acquire some Tranquil Grass and enter LV2 through this method. After all, this so-called meritocratic distribution still needed to be allocated by somebody. It wouldn't seem appropriate no matter what if Alcott, as the person who initiated this plan, couldn't get any Tranquil Grass himself.
"How about it, what do you think? As long as you join in this, with your fame and the addition of Edgar and Lucretia's participation, I have very great confidence that we can accomplish this." Alcott looked at Bai Yi with anticipation.
Really, trying to wave me around like a spear? Based on Alcott's strength back then, he shouldn't be in this state no matter what. Did he really focus too much on maintaining his power and neglect other things? I remember that this guy came to the treatment center frequently for treatment as well. Under normal circumstances, he shouldn't be in a state where he can't even get past metamorphosis!
Bai Yi looked into Alcott's eyes and found they were filled with anxiousness and scheming. Was metamorphosis really related to the state of the mind? With Alcott's state of mind now, it would be strange if he could get past metamorphosis successfully, and that was why he had gotten stuck at the boundary. Most probably, Alcott was aware of this himself and didn't dare to take the risk of undergoing metamorphosis, putting his hope on the Tranquil Grass instead.
Bai Yi didn't answer his question for a long time and Alcott became somewhat anxious. "Bai Yi, Chairman Bai Yi, what do you think?"
Bai Yi nodded. "Sure, I'll agree to your idea. However, as for who participates in picking the Tranquil Grass and how it is distributed, that all needs to be discussed properly first."
"Of course, of course!" Alcott immediately nodded excitedly after hearing Bai Yi's words. Once this succeeded, the distribution at the end was still up to the people at the top. These special privileges were always present, and Alcott was already dreaming about how much he should take for himself.
Alcott completely failed to notice that a trace of a smile appeared at the corner of Bai Yi's lips, a smile that had a hint of ridicule to it.
"Since Chairman Bai Yi has already agreed to this, let us gather the other teams then." Alcott couldn't wait any longer.
Alcott had passed the Hypersomnia Stage long ago; after all, he was the among the group of leaders in New Christchurch back then and went for treatment frequently. However, when he reached the door to metamorphosis, he became afraid and didn't attempt to forcefully break through. Afterward, his situation slowly deteriorated over time, and the worse he felt, the worse his mood became. In the end, he himself was aware that if he tried to forcefully breakthrough at this time, his metamorphosis would fail for sure, and he would become one of those defective products that lost their minds. Hence, this was why Alcott placed all his hopes on the mysterious Tranquil Grass.
"Sure. Alodia, I'll leave the matter of contacting other people to you. Pupu, Romain, and Ulisses will follow you," Bai Yi said to Alodia.
Alodia nodded. "OK."
With Pupu and the few others following by her side, Alodia didn't have to worry about her safety either. Don't just look at Pupu's fat body; he was a genuine LV2 now, and that intuition of his was astoundingly sensitive. Romain and Ulisess' strength wasn't too poor, and most importantly, Alodia herself wasn't weak either.
While Alcott and Alodia contacted other people, Edgar and Lucretia also came to Bai Yi's location. Edgar didn't have much to say, but Lucretia immediately questioned him endlessly when she arrived.
"Bai Yi, do you really not know that guy's intentions, or are you intending to grab a share too?"
"What?" Bai Yi didn't understand.
"I'm talking about Alcott. It can't be that you don't know that guy's intentions, right?" Lucretia didn't bother to be polite at all. Due to Nancy studying at her side back then, she was more familiar with Bai Yi.
"I know."
"Then you also intend to...?"
"No, I'm thinking for the sake of everyone. Alcott indeed has his own ulterior motives, but his words aren't unreasonable either. If we continue being like a plate of loose sand now and let small groups continue heading into the lake to pick the Tranquil Grass, we are just serving ourselves on a platter to those evolved lifeforms. Even if we occasionally manage to obtain some Tranquil Grass, it would definitely be pitifully little, and only sufficient for a few people to use." Bai Yi gestured for Lucretia to take a seat.
Lucretia looked at Bai Yi doubtfully but still sat down. As for Edgar, he had long found a comfortable place to sit.
"Actually, what you are worried about is just the last segment: how the Tranquil Grass is distributed!" Bai Yi smiled toward the two of them.
"Giving yourself and your friends some benefits due to you being in some privileged position—I don't actually object to such behavior. Everyone in the world has selfish motives; there are no fish in pure water2... I'm no exception. However, something like this has to have a limit, and beyond that limit, it is simply what we know as corruption. Listen to my distribution method first," Bai Yi said and looked at Lucretia.
"Fine, I'll listen to your distribution method first."
"First is distribution by contribution. Nobody is willing to do free labor, especially those who have to risk their lives to enter the lake, so distribution by contribution is necessary." Bai Yi drew a big circle in the sand and cut off a large section from that circle.
"This is for those who risk their lives to pick the Tranquil Grass, no matter which team they are from. This amount will be distributed by the number of people sent. After that is the organizer and initiator of this plan; although they have contributed as well, they only take up this tiny bit." Bai Yi split off another section, but this section was much smaller: probably not even 1% of the entire circle.
"Then what about the remaining 30%?"
"Even if we distribute it by contribution, many people wouldn't be able to get any. But are you willing to give up on those people just like that? My plan is to use this 30% of the harvest to try and concoct potions. You must know that there's a new job class in the Devil Isles called the Medicinal Maker; they are the ones that can bring out the effects of medicinal ingredients to the utmost," Bai Yi said.
Lucretia immediately looked at Nancy. Medicinal Maker, huh?
"Alcott's side will never agree to this distribution method."
"He will agree. it's better than not getting anything, after all," Bai Yi smiled and said, and the edge in his tone made Lucretia cast sidelong glances at him. LV2, and stronger than any other LV2 she had seen!
Translator Notes:
Plate of loose sand is a Chinese idiom that refers to a group of divided people that aren't working together, just like how loose sand doesn't stick together and separates easily.No fish in pure water is Chinese saying that means that you can't find fish living in water that is too pure/clean. So, you shouldn't have too high of expectations of people, otherwise, you won't find people who fit your requirements.