Within seconds, the Predator who had been pronounced dead began to heal as the wounds on his body closed.
William, seeing the healing spell work, cast another one for good measure. The Predator's chest began to rise and fall as he took deep breaths, his eyes slowly opening.
The moment he saw William, the revived Predator's instincts kicked in, and he prepared to attack.
Before he could act, William grabbed his arm firmly. Had the Predator elder not barked a sharp order to stand down, William might have crushed the warrior's wrist in self-defense.
Watching the injured Predator being carried off on a stretcher, William dusted off his hands and turned his attention back to the elder.
Removing the retractable spear from his waist, William handed it to the elder, who shook his head, placing a hand over his chest as he bowed deeply.
"You have earned our friendship," the elder said. "From today onward, any of our kind who comes to this planet will first request your permission.
Additionally, we wish to establish trade with you."
Trade? Them requesting trade with me instead of the other way around?
William was taken aback, his mind racing as he considered the implications.
"What do you want to trade? And what do you have to offer?" he asked.
The elder responded without hesitation, "Gold, diamonds, and jewels—any material wealth you desire that exists on this planet. In exchange, we want your healing technology."
"Hah!" William let out a laugh, shaking his head. "If I wanted gold, there's a pyramid in the Americas made entirely of it, just waiting for me to claim.
And as for diamonds and jewels, I already have them by the crate. They're nothing more than minerals to me."
Did they think I was an idiot? William thought to himself. With their ability to traverse the stars, gold and jewels were likely as trivial to the Predators as dirt.
Even if they weren't mining other planets for precious metals, there were enough untapped resources in the Moon and nearby asteroids to flood Earth's economy and obliterate its financial systems.
As for the healing spell, teaching it to them was out of the question. Even if they could learn it—which William doubted—it would be insane to share such a critical advantage with an alien species.
But their eagerness to negotiate gave him an idea: he could use this to control the Predators and regulate their incursions.
Breaking the mirror dimension spell, William turned back to the elder. "I'll give you one healing charm, but in return, you'll answer one question.
As for future transactions, we'll discuss those later."
The elder nodded. "Agreed."
At that moment, the elder's wrist device emitted a series of beeps, and a voice in the Predator language spoke. After a brief exchange, Sunday updated William.
"Sir, the Predator spaceship in orbit has halted its approach."
As the conversation ended, the elder projected a hologram from his wrist device, displaying the pyramid located several kilometers away.
William instantly understood. Charles Weyland's group had triggered the pyramid's mechanisms, awakening the alien queen inside.
William quickly contacted Barney and Trench, instructing them to monitor the pyramid's exterior to prevent any Xenomorphs or facehuggers from escaping.
He then ordered Sunday to deploy Blackblade drones, spider robots, and spherical probes into the pyramid for reconnaissance.
Only then did he turn back to the elder. "My first question: are there other pyramids like this on Earth?"
The elder replied, "There is only this one."
"Only one? Are you sure?"
William studied the elder's expression carefully. The Predator remained silent, staring back at him without answering.
Damn mercenaries, always looking to squeeze every bit of value out of a deal, William thought.
Raising his hand, William summoned a portal. His mental energy reached into the underground vaults of Oxford Castle, retrieving several jade pieces.
Focusing his magic, he attempted to inscribe a healing spell onto one of the jade pieces. To his surprise, the spell successfully imprinted itself, creating a glowing golden rune on the surface of the white jade.
Tossing the charm to a nearby Predator, William drew a pistol from his thigh holster and nodded toward the warrior. "Break the charm near the wound."
The Predator obeyed, crushing the charm near his injured arm.
A golden glow enveloped the wound, and within seconds, the bleeding stopped. The flesh began knitting itself back together, fully healing after about ten seconds.
To William, this was slower than a direct spell, but to the Predators, it was nothing short of miraculous.
The elder nodded in approval, speaking gravely. "Over a thousand years ago, when we began discovering new planets, we rarely returned to worlds inhabited by intelligent species.
That is why Earth has been largely untouched for so long."
He fell silent, clearly waiting for William's reaction.
Cunning bastard, William thought, pausing as an idea struck him. Are they using sensors to study my magic?
Extending his telepathic senses, he scanned the Predators. None of them exhibited signs of magical aptitude, and the energy from the charm dissipated entirely once it completed its task.
Feigning a smile, William said, "Wait here."
Opening another portal, he stepped through, leaving the Predators momentarily bewildered.
The elder sighed as William disappeared.
One of his subordinates approached, muttering, "That glass-like magic—was it really what disrupted our communications with the ship?"
The elder thought for a moment before replying, "It must be. But what puzzles me is why there are no records of such abilities in our archives."
The subordinate offered his theory. "Perhaps it's because we avoided populated continents, sticking to isolated regions in the Americas where there were fewer people and seasonal changes helped manage Xenomorph infestations.
We've only visited Earth once every hundred years for the past millennium. Humanity's rapid evolution in the meantime might have escaped our notice."
"Silence!" the elder barked, grabbing the subordinate by the throat.
"We hunt for tradition, for survival, and to find the strongest genes. But never forget: the modified individuals we created in the past brought us disaster.
Evolution is unpredictable. The smarter a species becomes, the more ambitious it gets.
Our ancestors may have led us to glory, but their wars and ambitions also brought ruin. Strength pushed to its limits leads only to madness."
Releasing his subordinate, the elder sighed. "Perhaps our genetic makeup has already defined how far we can go."
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