"Seventy times in one month?" Elizabeth repeated slowly, her voice actually carrying a hint of emotion for once—specifically, stunned disbelief.
She blinked rapidly behind her glasses, clearly running mental calculations.
"Even on the African savannah, the most reproductively active mammals do not engage in mating behavior at that frequency. The physical strain alone would—"
Elric cut her off sharply, his tone leaving zero room for negotiation.
"Doesn't matter what animals do or don't do. It's a mandatory requirement, non-negotiable."
He leaned in slightly, expression completely serious.
"If you can't agree to this term, then all our earlier negotiations are completely void. Canceled. And if you still refuse after that..."
A dangerous smile crossed his face.
"I can think of at least thirty different ways to keep you alive and relatively intact until you eventually change your mind."
Elizabeth froze completely.
Not in fear, exactly—but in pure scientific disbelief at the situation she'd found herself in.
"You..." she began, her clinical tone cracking slightly. "Your brute biological impulses directly impede scientific progress and rational decision-making. I genuinely believed you weren't primarily driven by base reproductive desires... apparently I severely miscalculated your motivations."
Despite the thinly-veiled insult, she exhaled slowly, lowered her eyes, and gave a reluctant nod.
"Fine. Logically speaking, accepting your terms yields the most statistically survivable outcome for me."
She adjusted her glasses one more time, as if preparing herself mentally.
"I agree to your... partnership arrangement. All seventy iterations per month."
She could barely get the words out, her scientific mind clearly rebelling against the sheer illogic of it all.
Elric's smirk widened slightly, satisfaction evident.
"Good. Smart choice. From now on, you follow me, work for me, and belong to me. Understood?"
He'd finally secured the high-score retainer. A 97-point genius scientist—probably the single most valuable acquisition he'd made since this whole apocalypse began.
Before he could properly celebrate this victory though—
DING!
The familiar system notification chimed again in his mind, and another transparent panel materialized before his eyes.
System Notice — New Eligible Retainer Detected
Name: Nina
Age: 26
Appearance: 90/100
Figure: 91/100
Quality: 100/100 (New Energy Warrior Type)
System Composite Score: 90/100
Communication Reward Count: 19 per month
Assessment:
Target meets standard adoption criteria.
Successfully taking her in will contribute growth resources to the Devil Fruit Tree.
Elric raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise.
"Nina qualifies too? Huh."
He'd completely dismissed her earlier—that foul mouth, that rough gangster attitude, that crude behavior. Honestly, he hadn't expected her to score anywhere near as high as someone like Elsa.
But 90 was still 90. That was legitimately impressive scoring.
"Not bad..."
With his clairvoyance ability still active from earlier, Elric quickly scanned the scattered battlefield and located Nina's position—half-buried beneath several corpses from the earlier fight, still alive but unconscious, still wearing those ability-suppressor handcuffs from when the armed team had captured her.
He walked over casually, yanked her out by the collar with one hand like she weighed nothing, and dragged her aside to clear ground.
Elizabeth watched this entire process with her characteristic blank stare, head tilted slightly as if observing a mildly interesting lab experiment.
Then she commented in that same calm, emotionless tone:
"Her measured intelligence quotient appears severely impaired based on behavioral observations, and her physical appearance falls significantly below optimal reproductive standards."
She paused, then asked with genuine scientific curiosity: "Are you absolutely certain you wish to include this specimen as a partnership candidate?"
Elric almost choked on his own breath.
"Can you please stop describing human beings like they're failed lab experiments?"
Elizabeth blinked once, processing this request.
"But objectively speaking, she demonstrably is a suboptimal specimen."
Elric just... gave up. There was no winning verbal arguments with this woman.
VROOOM—
The distinctive sound of a rugged SUV engine echoed across the ruined park.
Elsa jumped out of the driver's seat first, with the bearded man scrambling out behind her, looking nervous and out of place.
The moment both of them laid eyes on Elizabeth, standing calmly behind Elric—
They completely froze.
His jaw literally dropped open as he muttered under his breath:
"Holy shit...."
Elsa felt her stomach tighten uncomfortably with an emotion she rarely experienced—genuine insecurity.
She'd always been confident about her own beauty. Always. Even in the pre-apocalypse world, she'd turned heads wherever she went, received constant attention and admiration.
But first there was Olivia, who'd been impossibly stunning in that otherworldly way.
And now Elizabeth, who somehow managed to be both intellectually intimidating and physically flawless.
Her mind spiraled into anxious calculations:
"I need better skincare products. And a more intense yoga routine. And maybe a completely different wardrobe. And—"
Meanwhile, Elric completely ignored their staring and inner crises, walking straight toward the massive golden tree that dominated the center of the battlefield.
The Ability Tree had been severely damaged during the crocodile's rampage.
Its trunk was split down the middle, thick roots torn and mangled, glowing golden sap slowly leaking out onto the ground like liquid sunlight. The damage was clearly fatal—this tree was dying, maybe had only hours left.
But—
Even in its final moments, even while dying—
The tree still shimmered with more than a dozen glowing ability fruits hanging from broken branches, pulsing with supernatural energy.
Each fruit radiated a faint, warm light, like miniature suns suspended in the air.
Elric's eyes lit up with unmistakable greed and excitement.
"These... I'm taking every single one of them."
He stretched out his hand toward the nearest cluster of fruits.
The golden orbs pulsed more brightly in response, as if sensing his intent. Each one represented a new supernatural power, a potential game-changing ability.
This was an absolutely insane treasure trove—the kind of opportunity that might never come again.
He smiled widely, satisfaction flooding through him as he began mentally cataloging today's incredible gains.
There is 60 chapter Advance, in my patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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