Chapter 95

Chapter 95

In Ximeno’s eyes, a male bug as handsome as this young one could have any female bug he desired—surely, female bugs would be throwing themselves at him in droves.

Even the aristocratic female bugs reserved for arranged marriages would probably be smitten with this young male.

Ximeno felt a pang of envy.

Lu Cian’s face darkened further.

What was wrong with this bug? Was his eyesight bad? His Brother Nan was so good-looking, yet this guy couldn’t appreciate it?

But then Lu Cian had a change of heart: maybe it was better this way; it just meant more for him…

Ugh! What kind of nonsense was that?

Lu Cian quickly cleared his mind of those wild thoughts. He was here for serious business, not to be sidetracked by this bug.

He pulled Ximeno aside and said, "I have something good here. I wonder if you’d be interested?"

"Something good? What is it?" Ximeno asked, his face alight with curiosity.

Lu Cian took a box from Nair Inan and met Ximeno’s "innocent" gaze. Suddenly, he felt a bit uneasy—was it right to trick such an unsuspecting bug?

After a moment’s thought, Lu Cian asked, "Do you have an empress consort?"

Ximeno, sensing the implication, puffed out his chest in a "are you underestimating me?" manner. "I’m twenty-eight! I’ve been married to my empress consort for eight years!"

"I’m quite potent, you know. I’ve got a whole brood of male and female offspring, and thirty-eight concubines alone—all clamoring to lay my eggs! I only reluctantly took them on. And then there are the female slaves…"

Hearing Ximeno recount his romantic escapades, Lu Cian quickly cut him off. "Alright, alright, I don’t need to hear all that."

He immediately placed the box in Ximeno’s hand. "There’s an instruction manual inside. Take it home and read it. It’s guaranteed to supercharge your virility, letting you conquer seven females in one night… a truly excellent product."

Lu Cian mumbled the last part, but Ximeno heard it clearly.

Ximeno immediately bristled. "What do you mean I lack virility? I’m extremely potent! Are you looking down on me?!"

Ximeno was practically ready to point to the heavens, the earth, and Lu Cian’s nose to demonstrate just how potent he was.

Lu Cian quickly said, "Alright, alright, I get it. You’re very potent!"

Lu Cian wondered inwardly: if all male bugs reacted this strongly, would his product even sell?

Thinking this, Lu Cian reached out to take the box back.

Never mind. If this male bug didn’t like it, he’d find another to promote it to. He couldn’t believe that with so many females in their harems, these bugs wouldn’t have kidney deficiency issues.

But his hand met empty air. Ximeno had hidden the box behind his back. After glancing around to ensure no one was watching, he whispered, "Really? Seven females in one night?"

Lu Cian: "…"

The next second, Lu Cian offered a knowing smile. "This is truly rare stuff. I barely managed to sneak it out of my male father’s private collection. Too bad I don’t need it myself."

Ximeno’s skepticism instantly turned to seventy percent belief.

Then Ximeno looked at Lu Cian hesitantly. "Only this one box?"

Lu Cian smiled faintly. Of course not.

Ximeno understood. He tried to put an arm around Lu Cian’s shoulder, but the height difference made it awkward, so he leaned in to whisper, "Good brother, from today on, you’re my best friend!"

Then, with a lecherous look, he added, "Sell me a few more boxes, big brother. Star coins are no problem!"

Lu Cian was somewhat speechless. Just moments ago, he’d praised Ximeno as a pure-hearted youth; now he was a dissolute playboy?

But Lu Cian quickly composed himself. They had many objectives here, and one of them was to befriend male bugs and earn star coins!

"Alright."

Ximeno: "Huh?"

Surprised by how quickly Lu Cian agreed, Ximeno was pleased by his understanding.

Ximeno clapped Lu Cian on the shoulder. "Good brother!"

Then, Ximeno, along with his concubines, led Lu Cian and his group away from the terrace to a private room to discuss business.

Out in the open, other male bugs might not overhear, but there was no guarantee that sharp-eared female bugs wouldn’t. If word got out and someone else intercepted the goods to offer them to other male bugs, would Ximeno still get his share?

Once inside the private room, Ximeno eagerly said, "How much stock do you have? I’ll buy it all."

Lu Cian was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Ximeno to be so eager. Wasn’t he going to inspect the goods first?

"Don’t you want to take it home, check it, and then try it out to experience it?"

Ximeno looked puzzled. "Why waste time? I’m not short on star coins."

Lu Cian thought about it—he had a point.

Getting the goods in hand was the priority. If they worked, it would be a huge profit. If they didn’t…

How could a male bug be short on a few star coins? At worst, he could just marry a few more concubines.

Lu Cian quickly completed the transaction with Ximeno, earning sixty million star coins.

They had worked overtime to produce twenty thousand sets, each containing three products, with a small quantity of each product, enough for three to five uses. Each set sold for three thousand star coins… the profit margin was truly enormous!

Once the initial investment was recouped, their only costs would be labor and transportation. As for materials? They were practically free.

They could also continue production during their stay on Planet Aputban, but…

Lu Cian stroked his chin. Explaining this to Ximeno later would probably require some smooth talking.

After the transaction, both parties were very satisfied.

Ximeno smiled at Lu Cian. "Good brother, if you ever get more good stuff like this, you must tell me first, alright?"

Lu Cian smiled. "Absolutely, absolutely."

Watching Ximeno dote on the spatial button filled with aphrodisiac products, Lu Cian couldn’t help but feel that Ximeno had completely broken character.

After admiring it for a while, Ximeno turned his attention back to Lu Cian. Remembering that Lu Cian had just arrived on Planet Aputban, he immediately said, "You’ve just arrived, so you probably haven’t tasted the local delicacies. My treat today!"

With that, Ximeno rang the bell for the service bug to bring out the dishes, ordering the finest ingredients the restaurant had to offer.

He wasn’t short on star coins!

Coincidentally, the service bug who came in to serve the dishes was the same one who had greeted Lu Cian earlier.

The service bug saw Lu Cian in Ximeno’s private room, looked momentarily confused, then quickly put on a polite smile and asked, "Sirs, the unused discount from last time can still be used next time. I wish both of you a pleasant meal!"

Ximeno, treating Lu Cian as an insider, asked directly, "What discount?"

Lu Cian explained the fifty percent discount the service bug had told him about.

Ximeno immediately choked on a sip of freshly squeezed fruit juice. His female attendants rushed forward anxiously, some patting his chest, some rubbing his back, others wiping his mouth, his clothes, and even the tears streaming from his eyes…

They treated Ximeno like a helpless infant, with a dozen nannies swarming around him.

Lu Cian felt he had already developed a strong tolerance for male bugs, but even he was somewhat speechless at this scene.

"Cough, cough… See, I told you you’re good-looking! Even the owner of Hai Tian Yi Se gave you such a huge discount!"

Lu Cian: "Is that discount really that big?"

Ximeno nodded. "Of course! Hai Tian Yi Se is known for offering a minimum discount of only fifteen percent. I never thought they’d make an exception for you."

As he spoke, Ximeno even gave Lu Cian a thumbs-up.

Lu Cian shrugged it off. "It might just be a gimmick. Who knows which male bugs they’ve secretly given discounts to?"

Ximeno thought for a moment and suddenly found this reasoning plausible. He nodded and said, "You might have a point."

Anyway, even with a fifty percent discount, they were still making a profit—just less than usual.

Lu Cian tasted a slice of sashimi from an unknown fish. It melted in his mouth, fresh and sweet.

Lu Cian’s eyes lit up. Upon tasting something delicious, he instinctively looked at Nair Inan, already holding up the plate.

This behavior seemed a bit odd, and Ximeno looked over curiously.

Lu Cian quickly explained, "I almost forgot—before eating, we should do a poison test. I only took one bite of this dish. You try it for me, then I’ll eat."

Nair Inan smoothly took the plate, picked up a few paper-thin slices of fish, and put them in his mouth, his expression unchanged throughout.

Then he picked up an empty plate and took small portions from several dishes on the table, chewing them carefully.

After finishing, Nair Inan wore a polite smile. "Male Lord, these foods are all fine and very delicious. Male Lord should try more; you’ll definitely like them."

Nair Inan’s performance was flawless. If not for his casual remark encouraging Lu Cian to eat more, Lu Cian wouldn’t have been able to tell if he truly liked the food.

Now, it was clear—he did.

Lu Cian picked up another thick slice of fish meat and nodded. "Indeed, it’s very fresh. Hai Tian Yi Se’s cuisine is truly excellent."

On the other side, Ximeno watched, dumbfounded, wondering if this young male bug was from a noble family on the Home Planet.

"What kind of etiquette is 'poison testing'?" Ximeno couldn’t help but ask curiously.

Lu Cian smiled and explained, "It’s a rule passed down from the imperial family. Fearing poison in their food, they would have attendants taste it first to ensure it was safe before the royal members consumed it."

Ximeno said, "Is that necessary? Technology is very advanced. We have robot bugs for detection; they can perfectly detect if food is poisonous."

Lu Cian shook his head, putting on a profound expression. "Everything in nature has its balances. Some foods cannot be eaten together. Robot bugs can detect if a specific dish is poisonous, but they cannot analyze whether two dishes eaten together would become poisonous."

Ximeno’s mouth hung open for a long moment before he finally spoke.

After recovering, Ximeno exclaimed in astonishment, "Lu Cian, you’re so clever! I’m going to do this from now on too!"

Ximeno found this idea quite novel and thought it would make him appear more distinguished. He decided to have his female bugs test his food before he ate it.

Ximeno’s attendant bugs didn’t mind the poison testing at all. Their bodies were strong; even if there was poison, they wouldn’t easily die. It was an honor for them to test food for their male lord.

And besides…

As the concubine testing the food placed a slice of meat in her mouth, her eyes seemed to sparkle, clearly conveying: *Is this really food? It’s absolutely delicious!*

She could boast to the other concubines later—the food their lords ate was truly, incredibly delicious!