Chapter 167 The Brain Business

Chapter 167 The Brainflower Business

Hua Diao’s heart pounded, brimming with excitement.

The VIP guest of the Mermaid Clan—that was her, wasn’t it!

Realizing another wave of treasures was about to come her way, Hua Diao was ecstatic.

Taking down one prince brought in so much; wouldn't two double the haul?

Her eyes darted around, her mental abacus clicking furiously. The current Succubus Emperor was a prolific breeder, with nearly twenty princes and only one princess, Anfoya. The quickest way for Hua Diao to obtain the Succubus Emperor’s heartstring was to help Anfoya ascend the throne, making it smooth and easy to acquire.

By targeting the other princes, she’d be aiding Anfoya’s rise while also gaining her as an ally—a mutually beneficial arrangement!

Hua Diao quietly made up her mind and waited for the apology gifts Hao Fei had mentioned. Sure enough, within minutes, chest after chest of treasures was carried into her room—even more than Anfoya had sent before.

However, these items weren’t as thoughtful. While Anfoya’s gifts included clothes and accessories tailored to her tastes, the plundered goods from the second prince’s vault mostly consisted of things he liked. Clearly, men and women had different preferences.

But that didn’t matter. If she couldn’t use them, she could always sell them later.

Hua Diao happily accepted the gifts and, putting on her best mermaid benevolence act, declared that the assassination attempt was solely the second prince’s doing and had nothing to do with the Succubus Race. The two races could still coexist peacefully.

Relieved, the Succubus envoy, sent by the Succubus Emperor to apologize, laid the flattery on thick, claiming the Mermaid Race was as beautiful and benevolent as the legends said.

After seeing off the envoy and maids, Hua Diao closed the door again and gleefully rummaged through the boxes. Then, she hopped onto their little chat group to share her brilliant plan of eliminating princes to help Anfoya ascend the throne.

Xie Tingsheng couldn’t help but frown in concern. "The Succubus Emperor isn’t a fool. If the same thing keeps happening, he’ll notice. Especially now, during the critical election period, scrutiny will be tighter than usual. You shouldn’t take the risk. There’s another way to help Anfoya win—through votes. The candidate with the most support becomes emperor. We can campaign for her and boost her popularity."

Lin Xiaobao agreed, and the two brainy guys proposed several ways to raise Anfoya’s reputation.

After reading their suggestions, Hua Diao conceded they were feasible and reluctantly shelved her itch to stir up trouble. Still, if she couldn’t target the princes directly, she could always "mess with" Princess Debra.

According to the gossip from the Succubus maids, Debra was the royal family's golden child. If she got her feelings hurt and ran crying to the princes, provoking them into making mistakes… well, that wouldn’t be Hua Diao’s fault. She was just looking for a playmate—who knew Debra loved tattling so much?

Pleased with the idea, Hua Diao stored her treasures and eagerly headed out to "stroll the gardens"—really to find Debra and scout for potential love matches among the Succubi to complete Task Three.

Hmm… Anfoya and her cool bodyguard seemed to have some chemistry. They could be a target.

However, when Hua Diao met Debra, things didn’t go as planned. After the second prince’s downfall, Debra dared not provoke her. Gone was her former arrogance—now, she was as meek as a declawed kitten, nodding eagerly to everything Hua Diao said with a sycophantic grin.

No wonder she remained in the palace despite not being a true princess. Her ability to adapt and endure was truly impressive.

Thus, Hua Diao’s scheme met an abrupt defeat at Debra’s doorstep.

But that wasn’t the real issue. The bigger problem was that after her identity was exposed, she became a juicy target for the other princes. With the election underway, having a Mermaid as a partner would significantly boost their chances. None wanted to miss this shortcut. Even those initially uninterested now scrambled to woo her, fearing they’d fall behind.

So, during her garden walks, Hua Diao encountered an increasing number of "accidental" meetings with princes, each bearing lavish gifts. She tried refusing, but they insisted the presents were for "cross-species diplomacy" before bolting—leaving her no chance to return them.

What could she do? She had no choice but to pocket them with crocodile tears.

Yet, these gifts were a double-edged sword. She didn’t dare tell Xie Tingsheng, the green-eyed monster, fearing he’d storm the palace. According to Zhu Bin, he and the others had infiltrated spies from other races within the Succubus ranks and were now playing a dangerous game of spy vs. spy. One misstep could get them killed. Their mission was far riskier than hers, so she couldn’t distract him now.

While Xie Tingsheng’s team worked hard, the others also found their niches, each developing their own strategies.

For instance, the Bao Brothers—aside from Da Bao, who still worked under Pei Ji and relayed Succubus intel—were led by Lin Xiaobao in a thriving brainflower venture.

Though Hua Diao saw the Succubus palace as dripping with luxury, with gem-encrusted beds, Mermaid Silk blankets, and chests of scrolls, the Succubus Race actually faced food shortages. Their cuisine was neither abundant nor varied—evident from the one measly roasted haunch and ten sorry-looking fruits served on her first day.

Given that the Succubus territory was in the icy Northern Continent, where few plants survived and wildlife was scarce, food scarcity was inevitable.

Thus, the Bao Brothers’ brainflower business became an instant hit.