Chapter 1829: An Alliance
Lu Yin grew increasingly curious. "There aren’t any records?"
Yunying Mavis gave Lu Yin a peculiar look. "There are certain things that cannot be recorded, and there are also certain pieces of information that are inconvenient to record down."
"Is this somehow connected to the Aeternals?" Lu Yin asked, though it truly seemed as though every major event was related to them.
The old woman replied, "It must be related to them, but I honestly don’t know anyone who would be able to give you more details."
There was a moment of silence.
Lu Yin took another sip of tea. "May I ask, why did your Mavis family invite me for a visit?"
Yunying Mavis leaned forward and grew more serious. "It's nothing big. We simply wish to form an alliance."
Lu Yin was startled. "An alliance?"
Yunying Mavis nodded and continued with a smile, "Yes, we wish to form an alliance. I, and my Mavis family, would like to establish an alliance with you, Alliance Leader Lu."
Lu Yin was completely caught off guard, and he looked into Yunying Mavis' eyes with a great deal of confusion. "An alliance with me? Do you mean with the Great Eastern Alliance?"
Yunying Mavis shook her head. She was very somber at this moment. "We don’t wish for an alliance with the Great Eastern Alliance, but rather with you, Lu Yin. I, Yunying Mavis, can represent the entire Mavis family to agree to an alliance with you. We will advance or retreat together, and I will also promise to do my best to help you. In return, you must do everything you can to protect my Mavis family."
Lu Yin could not understand any part of this proposal. While he believed that he had a very powerful foundation and a great deal of influence, especially after uniting the Outerverse and the Innerverse with potential to move on to the Cosmic Sea and the Neoverse, that still was not enough to intimidate the Mavis family at all. They were the Mavis family! Even if they had lost their Semi-Progenitor, they definitely still had a powerhouse on a similar level as the Chief Justice or at least the First Protector. And this was not even mentioning their Ancestor Turtle, whose strength no one knew.
In truth, Lu Yin had realized that he had absolutely no idea how to convince the Mavis family to join the Great Eastern Alliance at any point in the future after seeing the Ancestor Turtle. He had previously envisioned various plans for dealing with the Neoverse’s behemoths, but all such thoughts had vanished at the first sight of the Ancestor Turtle.
And yet despite that, Yunying Mavis was saying that she wanted to establish an alliance with him.
"Is there anything at all that a junior like me can offer your Mavis family for you to wish to form an alliance with me?" Lu Yin asked. He really could not understand the motives for this proposal.
"The Great Eastern Alliance has united both the Outerverse and the Innerverse, and my Mavis Bank has branches all over the universe. Naturally, I would ask the Great Eastern Alliance to take care of us."
"In that case, wouldn’t forming an alliance directly with the Great Eastern Alliance be more beneficial for you?" Lu Yin wondered.
Yunying Mavis shook her head. "Without you, Lu Yin, the Great Eastern Alliance is nothing more than loose sand that will quickly disintegrate. There is no one aside from you who is capable of controlling such a large alliance, and that is why my Mavis family wishes to instead form an alliance with you. What do you say, Alliance Leader Lu?"
Lu Yin had no reason to refuse. An alliance with the Mavis family would be extremely beneficial for him. Even if he gained nothing else, it would be more than enough if he was able to take out a loan from the Mavis Bank that had no interest. How much money did the Mavis Bank possess? Lu Yin did not dare to even think about it.
If he could be put in a position where he could freely spend money without any worries… Just the thought of it excited him.
Yunying Mavis smiled and presented the terms for the proposed alliance for Lu Yin to peruse.
The terms were perfectly normal, and it was a simple proposal for a common alliance. Lu Yin could not see any problems, but he still felt like a pie had fallen from the sky, so he shared the terms of the proposal with Huan Sha, En Ya, and Wei Rong to receive their opinions.
Yunying Mavis was unbothered by Lu Yin’s diligence, and she actually invited Yuhua Mavis over. "Show Alliance Leader Lu around the divine tree and arrange some quarters for him to use during his stay. Make sure that no one disturbs him while he’s visiting."
"Yes, Great Elder." Yuhua Mavis glanced at Lu Yin before respectfully responding to her elder.
Some time later, as Yuhua Mavis was leading Lu Yin on a walk at the top of the divine tree, he looked up at a glowing fruit that hung overhead like a star, and he exclaimed, "I thought that was a planet!"
Yuhua Mavis indifferently replied, "You think too much."
Lu Yin could tell that the young woman was not happy about leading him around, but he was unconcerned. He had deliberately antagonized her on Zenith Mountain one time when he had asked for a spar, and during that fight, Yuhua Mavis had been rendered completely helpless against Lu Yin. "Doesn’t your Mavis family have some kind of fruit that, if eaten, will temporarily increase your power level?"
Yuhua Mavis gave him a blank look. "Those things are useless to outsiders, so you should just forget about them."
Lu Yin shrugged. "I was just asking."
"Given your reputation, nothing good comes from your questions," Yuhua Mavis casually retorted.
Lu Yin pursed his lips. "Something’s clearly wrong with your attitude. I’m your family’s distinguished guest."
"Yep."
"I’m going to be your Mavis family’s ally."
These words finally triggered a reaction from Yuhua Mavis, as she was stunned. She stared at Lu Yin in shock. "An ally?"
Lu Yin nodded and proudly stated, "Elder Yunying just proposed making an alliance, and not even with the Great Eastern Alliance, but with me personally."
Yuhua Mavis frowned. "Why would we form an alliance with you?"
"No idea. Maybe because it's me?" Lu Yin guessed.
Yuhua Mavis then quickly settled the matter of Lu Yin’s quarters and hurried away.
Lu Yin watched as she left. She had been clueless about the proposed alliance, and it was possible that the other family members were also ignorant. In that case, Yunying Mavis had made this decision without informing her clansmen. That indicated that this proposed alliance was either a trivial matter for the family or something that Yunying Mavis could not explain.
Judging by Yuhua Mavis's reaction to hearing about the proposed alliance, it seemed more likely that Elder Yunying could not explain the motives behind this proposition to others. In that case, why propose an alliance at all? The Mavis family had no reason to fear the Great Eastern Alliance, and it seemed even more improbable for her to want Lu Yin’s assistance in the Mavis Bank’s standard development.
Even if the Great Eastern Alliance fully united the Innerverse and Outerverse, it would still be impossible for them to move against the Mavis Bank, as doing so would incite chaos throughout the entire Fifth Mainland.
In that case, what was the real motivation behind this proposed alliance?
Lu Yin raised his hand to call Huan Sha.
"Alliance Leader, there really isn’t anything wrong with the proposed terms. This is a perfectly normal alliance agreement, and there are actually some terms that are clearly in our favor," Huan Sha replied.
Lu Yin’s voice dropped a bit, "Are you sure? Check again. Maybe there’s some small print that even you can’t see."
Huan Sha was left speechless. "Alliance Leader, we’ve already checked everything."
Lu Yin then called En Ya, as well as Wei Rong, and even Shui Chuanxiao. Each of them gave him the same answer: there was no problem with the proposed terms.
Wei Rong even showed a bit of surprise. "Why would the Mavis family’s matriarch take the initiative to ask for an alliance with you? These terms clearly offer them very little, and the protection terms that they’re requesting are basically irrelevant. What sort of protection can you offer a force as powerful as the Mavis family?"
This was completely true. At least in the short term, Lu Yin did not possess the strength to offer the Mavis family any sort of protection. Were they looking at his backing? That was even more unlikely. The Mavis family was strong enough to not fear anyone in the Fifth Mainland aside from Semi-Progenitors, and Lu Yin was not someone who could order such powerhouses around.
Neither Arch-Elder Zen nor the Chief Justice would listen to Lu Yin’s requests. If either of them decided to attack the Mavis family, Lu Yin alone would be far from enough to convince them to change their plans.
However, the more the terms of the alliance proposal seemed to favor Lu Yin, the more uncomfortable he became with the whole thing. Eventually, he simply called Arch-Elder Zen.
After not being able to get through to the old man, Lu Yin instead called Mu En to ask to speak to the Chief Justice, but he was again unable to get through. Lu Yin was so worried about this alliance proposal that he almost wanted to speak with Shaman God and get another opinion.
Elsewhere, Lulu had already returned to the divine tree, though she was still surrounded by members of her family. All of them believed that the Ancestor Turtle had turned to look at her.
However, Lulu had already started to consider the possibility that the Ancestor Turtle had not been looking at her, but rather at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin decided to spend a few days on the divine tree. The very next day, he tried to call Arch-Elder Zen again. The old man picked up this time, but he did not have a clear opinion on the Mavis family’s alliance proposal, and he simply said that the decision was Lu Yin’s to make.
Lu Yin finally was able to get in touch with the Chief Justice.
"This is your business.” The Chief Justice was completely indifferent to the matter.
Lu Yin complained, "But Senior Brother, the Mavis family specifically sought me out to ask for an alliance! I can’t help but feel that there has to be something wrong, and I really don’t want to get tricked."
The Chief Justice remained silent for a bit, and just when Lu Yin thought the man was about to say something, the call simply ended.
The corner of Lu Yin's mouth twitched. His senior brother was really irresponsible.
Yunying Mavis stopped by to speak with Lu Yin. "Well, Alliance Leader Lu, what do you say? Do you want to form an alliance with us?"
Lu Yin gritted his teeth, and he once again weighed the pros and cons. However, no matter what, he simply could not resist the temptation of so much money. “Let’s do this."
Yunying Mavis seemed quite amused by Lu Yin’s reaction. "This proposal doesn’t benefit my Mavis family, but rather greatly favors you. Why is there so much hesitation, Alliance Leader Lu?"
Lu Yin took a deep breath. "Since you’ve asked, Elder Yunying, I’ll be honest and forthright. I just can’t understand why you would want to establish an alliance with me. Also, it seems like the other members of your family don’t know about this."
Yunying Mavis smiled. "Though there are indeed other members of my family who can weigh in on various matters, I am the family’s great elder and therefore have the authority to make decisions regarding all important affairs. Why should I discuss such things with them?"
"Then tell me, what benefits can your Mavis family receive from forming an alliance with me?"
"Nothing at all."
"Then why ask for an alliance?"
Yunying Mavis’s eyes locked onto Lu Yin. "Because of you."
Lu Yin became even more confused.
Yunying Mavis thought for a while before continuing. "Allow me to put things this way: it’s because you’ve received the God of Death’s inheritance."
Lu Yin's expression tightened. "The God of Death’s inheritance?"
Yunying Mavis stared out at the Ancestor Turtle's long neck that stretched out into the distance as she delved into old memories. "When Elder Lingzhi was still alive, I vaguely remember her saying something about how the God of Death indeed existed during the time of the ancient war."
Lu Yin listened in silence.
"The God of Death was an incomparably powerful Ancient Progenitor, though the Ancient Progenitors have always been treated as legends, and no one has ever been able to prove their existence. In fact, even though I thought that the elder was speaking of myths, after watching the last match of ZENITH, I became fully convinced.” At this point, Yunying Mavis looked back at Lu Yin. "The God of Death did indeed once live, which is why I now believe that the other legends that Elder Lingzhi spoke of were true as well."
"According to Elder Lingzhi, the God of Death was unfathomably powerful. The Progenitors of that ancient era were incomparable to the Progenitors of our time. If you truly do possess the God of Death’s inheritance, then I am absolutely confident that if you become a Progenitor, you will be the most powerful person in the entire universe. This is because, even in legends, the God of Death was considered to be one of the most powerful Ancient Progenitors."
"So, are you saying that you’re betting on my future? You’re really forming an alliance with future me?" Lu Yin felt like he finally understood.
Yunying Mavis nodded. "I am investing in your future. No matter if I consider your inheritance from the God of Death or the likelihood that you possess a peerless innate gift, either one is worthy of my investment."
Lu Yin suddenly thought of something. "You know of my Lu surname."
Yunying Mavis smiled. "It's just a primeval surname. While this place hates those with primeval surnames, the bearers of those names are not hunted down and killed. In essence, while the primeval surnames did indeed abandon the Fifth Mainland, they are not the actual enemies."
Lu Yin smiled. "Let's make an alliance."
Yunying Mavis also smiled. "Let’s make an alliance."
Lu Yin had not heard anything suspicious in Yunying Mavis' words. He had been testing her at the end, but it did not seem like she was aware that he was a direct descendant of the Perennial World’s Lu family. This was good, as if she became aware of such a thing, the Mavis family might lose all interest in forming an alliance with Lu Yin. After all, a relationship with a member of the Lu family was not too beneficial for them.
Chapter 1829: An Alliance
Lu Yin grew increasingly curious. "There aren’t any records?"
Yunying Mavis gave Lu Yin a peculiar look. "There are certain things that cannot be recorded, and there are also certain pieces of information that are inconvenient to record down."
"Is this somehow connected to the Aeternals?" Lu Yin asked, though it truly seemed as though every major event was related to them.
The old woman replied, "It must be related to them, but I honestly don’t know anyone who would be able to give you more details."
There was a moment of silence.
Lu Yin took another sip of tea. "May I ask, why did your Mavis family invite me for a visit?"
Yunying Mavis leaned forward and grew more serious. "It's nothing big. We simply wish to form an alliance."
Lu Yin was startled. "An alliance?"
Yunying Mavis nodded and continued with a smile, "Yes, we wish to form an alliance. I, and my Mavis family, would like to establish an alliance with you, Alliance Leader Lu."
Lu Yin was completely caught off guard, and he looked into Yunying Mavis' eyes with a great deal of confusion. "An alliance with me? Do you mean with the Great Eastern Alliance?"
Yunying Mavis shook her head. She was very somber at this moment. "We don’t wish for an alliance with the Great Eastern Alliance, but rather with you, Lu Yin. I, Yunying Mavis, can represent the entire Mavis family to agree to an alliance with you. We will advance or retreat together, and I will also promise to do my best to help you. In return, you must do everything you can to protect my Mavis family."
Lu Yin could not understand any part of this proposal. While he believed that he had a very powerful foundation and a great deal of influence, especially after uniting the Outerverse and the Innerverse with potential to move on to the Cosmic Sea and the Neoverse, that still was not enough to intimidate the Mavis family at all. They were the Mavis family! Even if they had lost their Semi-Progenitor, they definitely still had a powerhouse on a similar level as the Chief Justice or at least the First Protector. And this was not even mentioning their Ancestor Turtle, whose strength no one knew.
In truth, Lu Yin had realized that he had absolutely no idea how to convince the Mavis family to join the Great Eastern Alliance at any point in the future after seeing the Ancestor Turtle. He had previously envisioned various plans for dealing with the Neoverse’s behemoths, but all such thoughts had vanished at the first sight of the Ancestor Turtle.
And yet despite that, Yunying Mavis was saying that she wanted to establish an alliance with him.
"Is there anything at all that a junior like me can offer your Mavis family for you to wish to form an alliance with me?" Lu Yin asked. He really could not understand the motives for this proposal.
"The Great Eastern Alliance has united both the Outerverse and the Innerverse, and my Mavis Bank has branches all over the universe. Naturally, I would ask the Great Eastern Alliance to take care of us."
"In that case, wouldn’t forming an alliance directly with the Great Eastern Alliance be more beneficial for you?" Lu Yin wondered.
Yunying Mavis shook her head. "Without you, Lu Yin, the Great Eastern Alliance is nothing more than loose sand that will quickly disintegrate. There is no one aside from you who is capable of controlling such a large alliance, and that is why my Mavis family wishes to instead form an alliance with you. What do you say, Alliance Leader Lu?"
Lu Yin had no reason to refuse. An alliance with the Mavis family would be extremely beneficial for him. Even if he gained nothing else, it would be more than enough if he was able to take out a loan from the Mavis Bank that had no interest. How much money did the Mavis Bank possess? Lu Yin did not dare to even think about it.
If he could be put in a position where he could freely spend money without any worries… Just the thought of it excited him.
Yunying Mavis smiled and presented the terms for the proposed alliance for Lu Yin to peruse.
The terms were perfectly normal, and it was a simple proposal for a common alliance. Lu Yin could not see any problems, but he still felt like a pie had fallen from the sky, so he shared the terms of the proposal with Huan Sha, En Ya, and Wei Rong to receive their opinions.
Yunying Mavis was unbothered by Lu Yin’s diligence, and she actually invited Yuhua Mavis over. "Show Alliance Leader Lu around the divine tree and arrange some quarters for him to use during his stay. Make sure that no one disturbs him while he’s visiting."
"Yes, Great Elder." Yuhua Mavis glanced at Lu Yin before respectfully responding to her elder.
Some time later, as Yuhua Mavis was leading Lu Yin on a walk at the top of the divine tree, he looked up at a glowing fruit that hung overhead like a star, and he exclaimed, "I thought that was a planet!"
Yuhua Mavis indifferently replied, "You think too much."
Lu Yin could tell that the young woman was not happy about leading him around, but he was unconcerned. He had deliberately antagonized her on Zenith Mountain one time when he had asked for a spar, and during that fight, Yuhua Mavis had been rendered completely helpless against Lu Yin. "Doesn’t your Mavis family have some kind of fruit that, if eaten, will temporarily increase your power level?"
Yuhua Mavis gave him a blank look. "Those things are useless to outsiders, so you should just forget about them."
Lu Yin shrugged. "I was just asking."
"Given your reputation, nothing good comes from your questions," Yuhua Mavis casually retorted.
Lu Yin pursed his lips. "Something’s clearly wrong with your attitude. I’m your family’s distinguished guest."
"Yep."
"I’m going to be your Mavis family’s ally."
These words finally triggered a reaction from Yuhua Mavis, as she was stunned. She stared at Lu Yin in shock. "An ally?"
Lu Yin nodded and proudly stated, "Elder Yunying just proposed making an alliance, and not even with the Great Eastern Alliance, but with me personally."
Yuhua Mavis frowned. "Why would we form an alliance with you?"
"No idea. Maybe because it's me?" Lu Yin guessed.
Yuhua Mavis then quickly settled the matter of Lu Yin’s quarters and hurried away.
Lu Yin watched as she left. She had been clueless about the proposed alliance, and it was possible that the other family members were also ignorant. In that case, Yunying Mavis had made this decision without informing her clansmen. That indicated that this proposed alliance was either a trivial matter for the family or something that Yunying Mavis could not explain.
Judging by Yuhua Mavis's reaction to hearing about the proposed alliance, it seemed more likely that Elder Yunying could not explain the motives behind this proposition to others. In that case, why propose an alliance at all? The Mavis family had no reason to fear the Great Eastern Alliance, and it seemed even more improbable for her to want Lu Yin’s assistance in the Mavis Bank’s standard development.
Even if the Great Eastern Alliance fully united the Innerverse and Outerverse, it would still be impossible for them to move against the Mavis Bank, as doing so would incite chaos throughout the entire Fifth Mainland.
In that case, what was the real motivation behind this proposed alliance?
Lu Yin raised his hand to call Huan Sha.
"Alliance Leader, there really isn’t anything wrong with the proposed terms. This is a perfectly normal alliance agreement, and there are actually some terms that are clearly in our favor," Huan Sha replied.
Lu Yin’s voice dropped a bit, "Are you sure? Check again. Maybe there’s some small print that even you can’t see."
Huan Sha was left speechless. "Alliance Leader, we’ve already checked everything."
Lu Yin then called En Ya, as well as Wei Rong, and even Shui Chuanxiao. Each of them gave him the same answer: there was no problem with the proposed terms.
Wei Rong even showed a bit of surprise. "Why would the Mavis family’s matriarch take the initiative to ask for an alliance with you? These terms clearly offer them very little, and the protection terms that they’re requesting are basically irrelevant. What sort of protection can you offer a force as powerful as the Mavis family?"
This was completely true. At least in the short term, Lu Yin did not possess the strength to offer the Mavis family any sort of protection. Were they looking at his backing? That was even more unlikely. The Mavis family was strong enough to not fear anyone in the Fifth Mainland aside from Semi-Progenitors, and Lu Yin was not someone who could order such powerhouses around.
Neither Arch-Elder Zen nor the Chief Justice would listen to Lu Yin’s requests. If either of them decided to attack the Mavis family, Lu Yin alone would be far from enough to convince them to change their plans.
However, the more the terms of the alliance proposal seemed to favor Lu Yin, the more uncomfortable he became with the whole thing. Eventually, he simply called Arch-Elder Zen.
After not being able to get through to the old man, Lu Yin instead called Mu En to ask to speak to the Chief Justice, but he was again unable to get through. Lu Yin was so worried about this alliance proposal that he almost wanted to speak with Shaman God and get another opinion.
Elsewhere, Lulu had already returned to the divine tree, though she was still surrounded by members of her family. All of them believed that the Ancestor Turtle had turned to look at her.
However, Lulu had already started to consider the possibility that the Ancestor Turtle had not been looking at her, but rather at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin decided to spend a few days on the divine tree. The very next day, he tried to call Arch-Elder Zen again. The old man picked up this time, but he did not have a clear opinion on the Mavis family’s alliance proposal, and he simply said that the decision was Lu Yin’s to make.
Lu Yin finally was able to get in touch with the Chief Justice.
"This is your business.” The Chief Justice was completely indifferent to the matter.
Lu Yin complained, "But Senior Brother, the Mavis family specifically sought me out to ask for an alliance! I can’t help but feel that there has to be something wrong, and I really don’t want to get tricked."
The Chief Justice remained silent for a bit, and just when Lu Yin thought the man was about to say something, the call simply ended.
The corner of Lu Yin's mouth twitched. His senior brother was really irresponsible.
Yunying Mavis stopped by to speak with Lu Yin. "Well, Alliance Leader Lu, what do you say? Do you want to form an alliance with us?"
Lu Yin gritted his teeth, and he once again weighed the pros and cons. However, no matter what, he simply could not resist the temptation of so much money. “Let’s do this."
Yunying Mavis seemed quite amused by Lu Yin’s reaction. "This proposal doesn’t benefit my Mavis family, but rather greatly favors you. Why is there so much hesitation, Alliance Leader Lu?"
Lu Yin took a deep breath. "Since you’ve asked, Elder Yunying, I’ll be honest and forthright. I just can’t understand why you would want to establish an alliance with me. Also, it seems like the other members of your family don’t know about this."
Yunying Mavis smiled. "Though there are indeed other members of my family who can weigh in on various matters, I am the family’s great elder and therefore have the authority to make decisions regarding all important affairs. Why should I discuss such things with them?"
"Then tell me, what benefits can your Mavis family receive from forming an alliance with me?"
"Nothing at all."
"Then why ask for an alliance?"
Yunying Mavis’s eyes locked onto Lu Yin. "Because of you."
Lu Yin became even more confused.
Yunying Mavis thought for a while before continuing. "Allow me to put things this way: it’s because you’ve received the God of Death’s inheritance."
Lu Yin's expression tightened. "The God of Death’s inheritance?"
Yunying Mavis stared out at the Ancestor Turtle's long neck that stretched out into the distance as she delved into old memories. "When Elder Lingzhi was still alive, I vaguely remember her saying something about how the God of Death indeed existed during the time of the ancient war."
Lu Yin listened in silence.
"The God of Death was an incomparably powerful Ancient Progenitor, though the Ancient Progenitors have always been treated as legends, and no one has ever been able to prove their existence. In fact, even though I thought that the elder was speaking of myths, after watching the last match of ZENITH, I became fully convinced.” At this point, Yunying Mavis looked back at Lu Yin. "The God of Death did indeed once live, which is why I now believe that the other legends that Elder Lingzhi spoke of were true as well."
"According to Elder Lingzhi, the God of Death was unfathomably powerful. The Progenitors of that ancient era were incomparable to the Progenitors of our time. If you truly do possess the God of Death’s inheritance, then I am absolutely confident that if you become a Progenitor, you will be the most powerful person in the entire universe. This is because, even in legends, the God of Death was considered to be one of the most powerful Ancient Progenitors."
"So, are you saying that you’re betting on my future? You’re really forming an alliance with future me?" Lu Yin felt like he finally understood.
Yunying Mavis nodded. "I am investing in your future. No matter if I consider your inheritance from the God of Death or the likelihood that you possess a peerless innate gift, either one is worthy of my investment."
Lu Yin suddenly thought of something. "You know of my Lu surname."
Yunying Mavis smiled. "It's just a primeval surname. While this place hates those with primeval surnames, the bearers of those names are not hunted down and killed. In essence, while the primeval surnames did indeed abandon the Fifth Mainland, they are not the actual enemies."
Lu Yin smiled. "Let's make an alliance."
Yunying Mavis also smiled. "Let’s make an alliance."
Lu Yin had not heard anything suspicious in Yunying Mavis' words. He had been testing her at the end, but it did not seem like she was aware that he was a direct descendant of the Perennial World’s Lu family. This was good, as if she became aware of such a thing, the Mavis family might lose all interest in forming an alliance with Lu Yin. After all, a relationship with a member of the Lu family was not too beneficial for them.
