Chapter 54 Guild Protection Packages Selling Well; Major Guilds Start at Ten Million Yuan Annual Fee

The Commoner Supermarket's business grew larger and larger, but Lin Ye knew in his heart that the casual player market was ultimately limited. The real profit lay with the guilds.

This morning, Fatty Wang was organizing orders behind the counter when he suddenly received a private message from a stranger. He clicked it and saw it was from the leader of the main city's third-largest guild, the 'War Soul Hall.' The ID was 'Guild Leader Zhanhun Longfei,' Level 45, ranked in the top fifty server-wide. Fatty Wang froze for a moment before rushing upstairs to find Lin Ye.

"Brother, the leader of the War Soul Hall is looking for us; he says he wants to talk about a partnership."

Lin Ye took a look at the private message, a vile smile curling at the corners of his mouth. "Finally, they're here."

He had long expected this day. The popularity of the protection fee packages and Vile Power-leveling had already made the guilds across the server restless. With casual players now having a backer, they were no longer at the mercy of others, and the guilds' monopoly was facing an unprecedented challenge. Rather than fighting against the Commoner Supermarket, it was better to cooperate. This was the choice of a smart person.

"Let him come. I'll wait for him on the third floor."

Half an hour later, Guild Leader Zhanhun Longfei appeared at the entrance of the Commoner Supermarket. He was a man in his thirties with a burly build, wearing a set of golden Epic equipment and carrying a greatsword that shimmered with a seven-colored glow. Behind him followed two vice-leaders, a Mage and a Priest, also in top-tier gear. The three of them stood at the supermarket entrance, attracting a large crowd of casual players.

"Holy crap, the leader of War Soul Hall? What is he doing at the Commoner Supermarket?"

"He's definitely here for Brother Ye. With the Commoner Supermarket being so popular lately, even the big guilds can't sit still."

"He's not here to wreck the shop, is he?"

"Wreck the shop? Are you crazy? Brother Ye even took down the Black Market Guild; who would dare wreck his shop?"

Guild Leader Zhanhun Longfei ignored the discussions of the onlookers and led his two vice-leaders straight into the Commoner Supermarket. Fatty Wang greeted them, saying with a grin, "Leader Longfei, please head upstairs. Brother is waiting for you."

The three went upstairs to find Lin Ye already sitting on a sofa by the window. He had his legs crossed, holding a cup of virtual milk tea with a lazy expression. Seeing Guild Leader Zhanhun Longfei enter, he tilted his chin. "Sit."

Guild Leader Zhanhun Longfei sat down while the two vice-leaders stood behind him. He got straight to the point: "Brother Ye, I've come this time to discuss a partnership. War Soul Hall wants to buy your guild protection package."

Lin Ye took a sip of milk tea and didn't speak. Fatty Wang pulled out a small notebook nearby, ready to take notes. Su Qinghan also walked over from the next room, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed, watching the negotiation.

"Which tier do you want?" Lin Ye asked.

Guild Leader Zhanhun Longfei had clearly done his homework. "Your packages are divided into four tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond. I want to know exactly what services the Diamond tier provides."

Lin Ye nodded to Fatty Wang. Fatty Wang flipped open his notebook and read, "Diamond Package, annual fee of ten million gold coins. Services include: exclusive anti-ambush protection, priority alerts for dungeon resources, hostile guild deterrence, 50% discount on material purchasing services, Brother Ye's squad personally escorting important activities, joint liquidation of enemies, and official channel connection privileges."

After hearing this, Guild Leader Zhanhun Longfei's eyes lit up. The two vice-leaders behind him also whispered to each other with excited expressions.

"Ten million gold coins is not cheap," Guild Leader Zhanhun Longfei said.

Lin Ye smiled. "It's not cheap, but it's worth it. Think about it: how much does your guild lose in a year due to ambushes, resource theft, and dungeon blocking? At the very least, it must be tens of millions. Is it a loss to spend ten million to buy peace and enjoy various privileges?"

Guild Leader Zhanhun Longfei was silent for a few seconds, then gritted his teeth. "Fine. I'll buy it. Diamond Package, ten million gold coins. When does it take effect?"

Lin Ye set down his milk tea cup, stood up, walked over to him, and extended his hand. "Now."

The two shook hands. A system notification popped up—

[System Notification: Guild [War Soul Hall] has purchased a Diamond-tier protection package. Annual fee: 10,000,000 gold coins. Service period: 365 days. See contract attachment for service details.]

As soon as the news broke, the entire server exploded again. War Soul Hall was the third-largest guild in the server; their purchase of the Diamond Package meant that the Commoner Supermarket's guild protection business had officially opened up the market. As the news spread, the leaders of other guilds couldn't sit still.

That afternoon, the leader of the main city's second-largest guild, 'Lingxiao Pavilion,' came in person. Lingxiao Pavilion was even larger than War Soul Hall, with over ten thousand members, and was an established guild second only to the Heavenly Temple. After the Heavenly Temple disbanded, Lingxiao Pavilion showed signs of becoming the server's number one. The leader's ID was 'Guild Leader Lingxiao Jiutian,' a middle-aged man in his forties who spoke slowly and deliberately, but had very sharp eyes.

"Brother Ye, Lingxiao Pavilion also wants to buy the Diamond Package," Guild Leader Lingxiao Jiutian said straightforwardly.

Lin Ye nodded. "Welcome. Ten million gold coins for the annual fee. The terms are the same as War Soul Hall."

Guild Leader Lingxiao Jiutian hesitated for a moment and said, "The terms are the same, but I want to add one clause."

"Speak."

"Lingxiao Pavilion is in a competitive relationship with War Soul Hall. If one day the two of us start fighting, who will you help?"

Lin Ye smiled. "I won't help either. The protection package only prevents third-party ambushes; it does not interfere with normal competition between guilds. Whether you two fight to the death is your business. But as long as someone from the outside interferes, then it becomes my business."

Guild Leader Lingxiao Jiutian thought about it and nodded. "Fine. Deal."

Another ten million gold coins entered the account. Fatty Wang was grinning from ear to ear behind the counter, and Su Qinghan was also checking the ledger with a smile on her face. Qin Wentian stood at the door, watching the guild leaders come and go, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Back when he was the leader of the Heavenly Temple, he had also thought about starting a guild protection business, but back then he wasn't thinking about protection, but about collecting protection fees. He would attack anyone who didn't pay. Lin Ye was providing a service, a win-win situation. That was the difference.

After the news of War Soul Hall and Lingxiao Pavilion buying Diamond Packages spread, small and medium guilds also couldn't sit still. The Bronze Package was ten thousand gold coins a year, Silver was one hundred thousand, and Gold was one million. This price was nothing to large guilds, but for small and medium guilds, it was a significant expense. However, by gritting their teeth, they could still afford it.

[world channel]

[Player 'Iron Blood Alliance Leader': Give me a Bronze Package! Ten thousand gold coins, bought!]

[Player 'Wind and Cloud Pavilion Leader': Silver Package, one hundred thousand gold coins. Brother Ye, I'll be relying on your protection from now on!]

[Player 'Casual Player Alliance Leader': Gold Package, one million gold coins. Although we are a small guild, we still need our dignity!]

In just three short days, over fifty guilds across the server purchased protection packages. Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond—all four tiers were selling out. Fatty Wang was so busy his feet barely touched the ground, and Su Qinghan also came down to help sign contracts. Qin Wentian was responsible for interfacing with the large guilds; he knew many people from his time as the leader of the Heavenly Temple, and now those connections were coming in handy.

On the fifth day, an unexpected person arrived.

Qin Wentian was maintaining order at the door when he suddenly saw a figure walking over. He was stunned—the newcomer was Pojun, his former confidant and the vice-captain of the Heavenly Temple. Pojun was wearing a set of Purple equipment; his level wasn't high, but his gaze was firm.

"Leader," Pojun called out, standing before Qin Wentian.

Qin Wentian opened his mouth to say something, but his throat felt as if it were blocked. He hadn't expected Pojun to come, let alone that Pojun would still call him 'Leader'.

"Pojun, you... why are you here?"

Pojun smiled. "To buy a protection package. I've started a small guild called 'Daybreak.' There aren't many people, just a few dozen brothers, all old-timers from the Heavenly Temple. We wanted to buy a Gold Package, but we didn't have enough money, so we can only afford Silver. Leader, can you help me talk to Brother Ye and see if we can get a discount?"

Qin Wentian's eyes reddened. He hadn't expected that the brothers he had 'abandoned' not only didn't hate him but had even started their own guild and wanted to buy a protection package. He took a deep breath and said, "Wait here, I'll go talk to Brother Ye."

He went upstairs to find Lin Ye and explained Pojun's situation. After hearing it, Lin Ye set down his milk tea cup and looked at Qin Wentian.

"You want me to give a discount?"

Qin Wentian nodded. "The brothers of the Daybreak Guild are all old-timers from the Heavenly Temple. They followed me through life and death, and I failed to give them a good ending. Now that they've started their own guild, I want to help them out."

Lin Ye was silent for a few seconds, then stood up and patted Qin Wentian on the shoulder. "No need for a discount. Tell them that the Daybreak Guild's Gold Package is on me. I'll give it to them every year. As long as Daybreak exists, this package will always be free."

Qin Wentian was stunned. He hadn't expected Lin Ye to be so generous. Giving away one million gold coins just like that, and every year at that.

"Brother Ye, this..."

"Say no more," Lin Ye interrupted him. "I'll help you pay back what you owe them. But you must remember—this isn't charity, it's an investment. The brothers of the Daybreak Guild will be my people from now on."

Qin Wentian's eyes grew red, and he nodded heavily. He turned and went downstairs to tell Pojun the news. After Pojun heard it, he was stunned for a long time, then he smiled. As he smiled, tears began to fall.

"Leader, what kind of person is Brother Ye?"

Qin Wentian said, "He's a good person. A person ten thousand times better than me."

Pojun wiped away his tears and smiled. "Then from now on, we are Brother Ye's people."

That evening, the revenue data for the Commoner Supermarket came out. Fatty Wang's hands were shaking as he looked at the ledger.

"Brother, today we sold twenty-three Bronze, fifteen Silver, eight Gold, and two Diamond guild protection packages. Adding in materials, equipment, protection fees, and power-leveling, the total daily revenue is—twenty-eight million gold coins."

Su Qinghan calculated, "That's equivalent to fifty-six million in real-world currency."

Fatty Wang jumped up in excitement. "Brother, are we the richest people in the whole server now?"

Lin Ye smiled. "Not the richest person, but the richest team. The four of us are all the richest."

Qin Wentian stood at the door, and hearing those words, his heart felt warm. When he was the leader of the Heavenly Temple, he had also earned this much money, but back then he was alone, and his brothers were just his tools. Now it was different. Now he had Lin Ye, Su Qinghan, and Fatty Wang by his side, as well as Pojun and the brothers of the Daybreak Guild. He wasn't alone anymore.

Lin Ye walked to the window, looking at the distant lights of the main city. Su Qinghan walked up and stood beside him.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked.

Lin Ye said, "I'm thinking about that anonymous account. He hasn't been online for five days."

"Do you think he's planning something?"

Lin Ye nodded. "It's always calmest before the storm."

He turned to go downstairs, leaving behind one sentence: "Keep an eye on the overseas servers. The storm might come from there."

Su Qinghan looked at his back and nodded. The night was deep, and the starlight was dim. The lights of the main city swayed in the wind like a golden ocean. And on the other side of that ocean, undercurrents were surging.