Legend of the Cyber Heroes
Chapter 417 - 61 Arbiter

Chapter 417: Chapter 61 Arbiter

After confirming it wasn’t Bai Man, Xiang Shan walked to the side and just waited.

The remaining two Heroes wanted to exchange a few more harsh words, but their previously fierce statements had been interrupted in an extremely dumbfounding manner, and they couldn’t muster the mood to continue. They stood there for about ten seconds, actually at a loss for what tough words to say next.

They simply skipped that step.

At this time, the other young Disciples started to release their drones, which began patrolling the surroundings for security.

Gaoqiao Ziyi also inserted a USB-shaped storage device into the back of her neck and waited like this.

It looked like that was supposed to be another piece of junk information.

Kiambang’s hand trembled slightly, as if he wanted to draw something from his waist, but he refrained.

Both Heroes just waited.

Xiang Shan felt puzzled and asked a Disciple beside him in a low voice, "What are we waiting for?"

The Disciple replied softly, "It’s said that an Old Senior is coming. They have called for an Arbiter."

Some Jianghu Sects do settle disputes over spoils privately and can resolve such matters themselves, but the methods might not always keep everyone calm and content—at least not consistently. In such cases, third-party witness plays an important role.

At least according to the rules of Jianghu, once both parties have agreed upon the spoils, if one party suddenly reneges, that’s breaking the rules, a violation of the "righteousness" in opposing the Protectors. Of course, precautions must also be taken against some Sects that might exploit these rules to make false accusations or attack other Sects.

In such times, third-party oversight becomes quite meaningful.

Some Internal Strength Masters would set up platforms where disputes over spoils could be filed. The backend AI would automatically assign the closest Arbiter to the case. Mostly, those who served as Arbiters were individuals who temporarily had some free time and were willing to be listed on this platform.

Xiang Shan became interested and asked, "So who’s coming?"

"How should I know?" The Disciple whispered back, "It could be anyone. The only certainty is that it’s generally an influential person with a renowned name as a Famed Hero."

Xiang Shan nodded, feeling somewhat expectant.

Due to the incident with Tao Enhai three years ago, the Martial World in New Land and even within the Arctic Circle had multiple conflicts with local Protectors. During these clashes, the local Jianghu either moved away or was killed.

Furthermore, the incident during the time of the Eighth Martial God when King Aqini purged the land with EMPs meant that the Jianghu forces on the New Land were already relatively weak.

Yuan Wenren hadn’t really gathered much power over these three years either.

If the Great Hero coming this time was someone they had never seen before, he might become a valuable asset.

Although Martial Artists who haven’t crossed the First Layer Heavenly Land wouldn’t be able to defeat the current Xiang Shan, the initiative to attack Paradox City was not something that could be achieved by a single expert alone.

Soon, Xiang Shan’s drone caught a figure.

There was a stir among the Disciples. Someone murmured, "He’s here."

The arrival was a man of short stature. This fellow was only about one meter fifty tall, with a low center of gravity and a somewhat hunched body. This should be characteristic of a Gunner, but combined with his appearance, it gave off an "elderly" vibe. His face had metal eyelids, probably to protect a Prosthetic Eye. Besides that, the fellow’s face also had some beard-like things, perhaps metal ornaments.

With half-closed eyelids, this fellow’s face looked somewhat like a statue of Guan Gong with a shorter beard.

"I am Ai Tielang, the Lone Wolf, who will act as the Arbiter in this dispute," announced the man with an old voice, seemingly using some special voice modulator. He asked, "Is the dispute between Flash Speed Sect and Chaotic Blade Sect taking place here?"

"Yes," replied Gaoqiao Ziyi, removing the junk information, "Is it the esteemed Mr. Ai Tielang of the Lone Wolf’s Hammer? Are you in the vicinity too?"

"I was in the North a few days ago, but have been tailed by several Rangers for many days," Ai Tielang said. "If you see them later, help me deal with them."

Gaoqiao Ziyi spoke earnestly, "Rangers that even the Senior Lone Wolf finds troublesome..."

"Haha, just kidding. I shook them off before coming here. Though one can’t be entirely sure," said Ai Tielang. "Alright, let’s cut the small talk. What’s the dispute about this time?"

"A Quantum Chip," Kiambang finally spoke up, "Our Sects jointly plundered a shipment, said to be for the Iron Hand Cavalry of Great Lake City."

"Iron Hand Cavalry? Is that the Iron Hand Pound who went to the Moon for advanced studies?"

"That’s right," replied Gaoqiao Ziyi. "That Pound’s Inner Strength is said to have improved even further. This chip is for his use. It has potent computing power and is guaranteed to operate smoothly for six years."

Xiang Shan couldn’t help but touch his chin.

Honestly, that was something useful to him.

According to some of Tao Enhai’s memories, during the peak period two hundred years ago, Martial Ancestor Xiang Shan had stuffed his brain with more than ten quantum hard disks, and the chip’s computing capability was quite astounding too.

Xiang Shan hadn’t yet come across such a high-quality chip.

— Should he wait to see how things unfold, or, once a decision is made, directly negotiate with the Hero for a trade?

Xiang Shan began to weigh his options.

If this chip matter was settled, his "assembling a Prosthetic Body" project would accelerate significantly.

Ai Tielang nodded, "It indeed seems to be a rare quality material. So, what are your thoughts on this?"

"Flash Speed Sect has made an offer," declared Kiambang. "We are willing to give up the thirty units of capacitors we acquired, twenty alloy plates, and most parts from the list. Apart from compensating for our losses in that operation, they just need to hand over that chip."

Gaoqiao Ziyi countered, "We could even take just that one chip."

Ai Tielang laughed, "It seems like it will be difficult to come to an agreement. You’re determined to settle this according to Jianghu’s rules, it appears."

"However, I’ve seen the application; AI even sent accompanying information suggesting that there has been long-standing enmity between you. Although both Flash Speed Sect and Chaotic Blade Sect are known for their Internal Martial Arts, I won’t agree to you using Inner Strength to directly compete."

Xiang Shan expressed his surprise, asking softly, "Is Chaotic Blade Sect really an Internal Sect? I thought they specialized in External bladesmanship."

This comment disrupted the atmosphere to such an extent that Ai Tielang and both Heroes glanced over here.

Even Babbitt was caught off guard by Xiang Shan’s ignorance about Chaotic Blade Sect. He said quietly, "I’ve heard that in the old days, there was something called a blade server..."

"What’s that? Are Chaotic Blade Sect’s blades the same ’blades’ as in blade servers?" Now Xiang Shan was thoroughly confused, "So if a blade server is chaotic... is it still usable?"