64: Chapter 64 Ally Su Wan

"Just how far has this Lin Tian developed? This resource throughput..." Lord Su Wan was shocked to the core, and her assessment of Lin Tian's strength rose once again.

At the same time, her determination to form an alliance with him for the Secret Realm challenge grew firmer—a Lord with such vast resources and an army was definitely a powerful ally.

After calming her mind, she quickly took stock of her inventory and replied:

[Lord Su Wan]: "Great Lord Lin, you've really... opened my eyes this time. (A funny 'bowing to the boss' emoji) I have 8,000 units of moon birch spirit wood. As for the healing potions and holy lotus fruit, I have about 1,700 units of each. For the other spirit rice, fruits, and vegetables... I'll bundle them for 5,000 Spirit Crystals. That's 19,800 Spirit Crystals in total. What do you think?"

Lin Tian replied readily: "No problem! We can trade right now. Alright, now tell me about your business?"

Seeing how straightforward Lin Tian was, Lord Su Wan didn't hesitate anymore: "I... had pretty good luck today and opened another Gold Treasure Chest."

"Opened *another* Gold Treasure Chest??" When Lin Tian saw these words, his eyes twitched violently, and the joy from the large transaction he had just settled froze for a moment.

Looking up at the rafters of the warehouse, he ranted inwardly: "Another? Another Gold Treasure Chest? Here I am leading thousands of people to fight for our lives every day, and I barely see a few silver treasure chests, while she's over there farming and growing flowers, getting Gold Treasure Chests one after another? Where's the justice? Where's the law? Is my 'unlucky soul' luck really hard-wired into my genes?!"

A faint, bitter feeling known as 'envy, jealousy, and hate' welled up in his heart, but it soon turned into self-mockery: "Forget it, everyone has their own fate. I don't understand the world of the 'European Emperor.' Having the Fusion talent probably used up all my luck... Hm, thinking about it that way, I feel balanced!"

Shaking off that bit of melancholy, he looked at the item information Lord Su Wan sent.

[secret realm challenge token (One-time use)]: Can be used for solo or two-person team challenges. Difficulty is adaptive. Rewards are unknown (Produced from a Gold Treasure Chest). There is no real penalty for dying during the challenge. Rewards are split equally in two-person mode.

"Secret Realm challenge? Two people? Rewards split equally?" Lin Tian stroked his chin, analyzing quickly. It was definitely a good item, and the risk seemed controllable (no actual death), but here was the problem...

Lin Tian: "The token is a good item. However, how do I get to your territory to use it with you? This involves teleportation and trust issues. How do we ensure safety in each other's territory or inside the Secret Realm?"

[Lord Su Wan]: "No need to worry about that. Remember when we traded the holy moon ancient wood and I said I had a way for you to support me? I can tell you now."

She then sent over the information for another item—[Ally Contract Scroll (Gold)]: Allows up to five Lords to form an equal alliance. Alliance members can authorize teleportation to each other (requires consent from the receiving party). The contract is protected by the rules; alliance members cannot harm each other, and those who violate the core covenant will be severely punished by the rules.

"Ally Contract? Equal alliance? Forced peace?" Lin Tian's eyes lit up as he carefully read the scroll's description. He had vaguely heard people mention this kind of item in the regional channel, but it was all hearsay; he didn't expect Lord Su Wan to have one! "As expected, the 'European Emperor's' backpack is bottomless... The value of an item that can establish a stable and safe cooperative relationship is probably higher than that of a pure combat treasure!"

Previously, he had only heard of the unequal, coercive master-servant contracts like the 'Subordinate Lord' ones. But this equal alliance contract perfectly solved the issues of trust and travel; it was practically a 'divine tool' for cooperation between Lords! Although there was a limit on the number of people teleported (five hundred at a time) and it required the other party's consent, this actually made both sides feel more at ease.

[Lin Tian]: "I see. You want us to use this scroll to become allies, and then I'll teleport over to use the Secret Realm token together?"

[Lord Su Wan]: "Yes. Only with an ally relationship protected by the rules can we fight side-by-side with peace of mind and share opportunities. This is also the only way I could think of for us to cooperate safely. What do you think?"

He hardly hesitated. In his cooperation with Lord Su Wan so far, she had shown good credit, and the resources she provided were crucial. Now there was an opportunity to explore a Secret Realm together and obtain unknown, rich rewards, with rules guaranteeing safety—why not? He replied immediately.

[Lin Tian]: "Alright! I agree. I'll take you as an ally! Let's sign the contract now. I'll bring people over to meet you tomorrow morning to use the token."

The heavy stone in Lord Su Wan's heart finally fell, and a relieved smile appeared on her face: "Great! Then I'll initiate the contract."

[System Prompt: Lord 'Lord Su Wan' has invited you to sign an 'Ally Contract'. Do you accept?]

[Lin Tian]: "Accept."

A flash of light appeared in Lin Tian's consciousness, as if invisible threads of rules were connecting him to another distant coordinate.

Opening his panel, he saw that sure enough, next to his friends list, an [Ally] list had appeared, with the name 'Lord Su Wan' hanging there alone. He studied the teleportation function, found the settings for the population limit and the requirement for consent, and nodded: "Very reasonable. This way, everyone is at ease."

[Lin Tian]: "The contract is complete. Ally Lord Su Wan, see you tomorrow morning."

[Lord Su Wan]: "See you tomorrow morning, Ally Lin Tian. I look forward to our first cooperation."

Ending the conversation with Lord Su Wan, Lin Tian leaned against a grain sack and let out a long breath. Tonight had truly been a night of massive information and great harvest.

He had secured the core materials for future army expansion (Refined Iron, black-yellow stone), stockpiled a massive amount of basic building materials, prepared enough food, medicine, and special wood, and now... he even had an ally with decent strength, heaven-defying luck, and unique production, as well as a Secret Realm challenge they were about to explore together!

"As expected, more friends mean more paths," Lin Tian mused.

Unknowingly, time was approaching midnight.

"It's almost time..." Lin Tian's eyes narrowed, his laziness vanishing, replaced by a sharp battle intent. He stood up, brushed the grass clippings off himself, and walked out of the warehouse.

The night sky was clear, the bright moon hung high, and the cold moonlight spilled onto the brand-new city walls, plating them with a silver edge. Outside the protective shield in the distance, those familiar, unsettlingly heavy footsteps and low growls seemed to be drawing near.

Lin Tian did not return to the Lords Mansion to rest; instead, he strolled up to the open-air balcony on the second floor of the Lords Mansion. The night wind was slightly cool, carrying the scent of vegetation and a faint hint of blood unique to the distant jungle.

Leaning against the railing, his gaze was like a torch, cast toward the surging darkness in the distance. There lay the next trial he and the entire territory were about to face, and also the 'experience pack' to test recent results and obtain more resources.

"Rotting Skeleton Giant Bear... you've been noisy for so many days, it's time for some peace and quiet." He whispered to himself, a confident and slightly excited curve hooking the corner of his mouth. He subconsciously clenched his hands, as if confirming his own strength.