Chapter 89: Japanese Server Doubles Fees, Sakura Shrine Pays in Tears

It took a full six hours for Lin Ye to receive a reply to the Korean Server package price list he had sent to Yamada Ichiro.

It wasn't that Yamada Ichiro didn't want to reply; it was that after reading the agreement Kim Hyun-tae had signed, he had sat in the Sakura Shrine guild territory for an entire afternoon.

When the vice-guild leader asked him what was wrong, he pushed the tablet over for him to see for himself.

After reading it, the vice-guild leader also fell silent.

The Korean Server basic package was 100 million gold coins per year, and the exclusive guild package was 500 million gold coins per year.

The additional terms included distributing 30% of the guild warehouse materials to casual players, the guild leader himself serving as the casual player protector for three years, and a breach of contract triggering a permanent pig-squealing debuff.

Kim Hyun-tae had signed this agreement, pressed his handprint, and stamped it with the Goryeo War God Temple's guild emblem.

The vice-guild leader returned the tablet to Yamada Ichiro and asked cautiously: "Guild Leader, shall we sign?"

Yamada Ichiro did not answer immediately.

He stood up and walked to the window of the guild territory, looking out at the streets of Edo City, the main city of the Japanese Server.

Casual players were setting up stalls on the street, and guild members were gathering to prepare for dungeon runs; everything looked normal.

But he knew this calm would not last long.

Kim Hyun-tae had signed the agreement, and the Korean Server had completely quieted down.

Lin Ye's next target was either the Japanese Server or the US Server.

He opened the cross-server channel to see Lin Ye's latest activity.

As soon as he clicked it, he saw a pinned announcement.

The announcement was posted by Lin Ye himself, and the content was simple and direct.

"Japanese Server Sakura Shrine, due to participating in the ambush on Chinese Server players, the cross-server protection fee is doubled. The basic package is 200 million gold coins per year, and the exclusive guild package is 1 billion gold coins per year. Limited to twenty-four hours; no exceptions after the deadline."

Yamada Ichiro's knuckles turned white as he gripped the tablet.

Doubled.

The Korean Server only paid 100 million, while the Japanese Server had to pay 200 million.

The Korean Server guild package was 500 million, while the Japanese Server was 1 billion.

He turned his head to look at the vice-guild leader, his voice low: "What does William say? Has the US Server also been doubled?"

The vice-guild leader shook his head: "The US Server hasn't been doubled; it's still the original price.

Brother Ye's meaning is very clear.

The Japanese Server is being charged more because we also participated in the ambush on Chinese Server players, while the US Server didn't participate, so it's the original price.

He is treating us differently; whoever committed the act pays more."

Yamada Ichiro threw the tablet onto the table: "Different treatment? You call this different treatment? This is killing the chicken to warn the monkeys!

Kim Hyun-tae is that chicken, and both we and William are the monkeys.

It's just that Kim Hyun-tae jumped first, and we can still hop around for two more days."

He took a deep breath, picked up the tablet again, and posted a message in the guild channel.

"All elite members of Sakura Shrine, gather at the Edo City teleportation array.

Bring your best equipment and strongest weapons.

I want to let Lin Ye know that the Japanese Server is not the Korean Server, and Sakura Shrine is not the Goryeo War God Temple."

Three hundred elite Sakura Shrine players quickly completed their defensive formation around the Edo City teleportation array.

Yamada Ichiro stood directly in front of the array, gripping a katana that emitted a pale blue light.

This sword was a Japanese Server-limited SSS-rank divine artifact, with the additional attribute: "Doubles damage against cross-server targets and has a certain chance to trigger spatial imprisonment."

The three hundred elites behind him had all changed into their best equipment.

Some brought magic-sealing scrolls unique to the Japanese Server, some prepared spatial lockdown traps, and others buried trigger-type high-explosive runes around the teleportation array.

For this battle, Yamada Ichiro had emptied out the guild warehouse's savings accumulated over several years.

He opened the cross-server channel and sent a message, his tone much tougher than Kim Hyun-tae's had been.

"Lin Ye, I do not accept you doubling the fees for the Japanese Server.

The Korean Server is the Korean Server, and the Japanese Server is the Japanese Server.

Kim Hyun-tae is afraid of you, but I am not.

If you come to the Japanese Server alone, I will use three hundred people to tell you that Sakura Shrine is not a soft persimmon."

As soon as the message was sent, the teleportation array lit up.

It was not the dark red light of a cross-server teleport, nor was it the black-purple light from the Korean Server incident.

It was a deep purple light that Yamada Ichiro had never seen before—so purple it looked black, like congealed blood.

The light dissipated, and more than twenty figures appeared on the teleportation array.

It wasn't just Lin Ye; there were over twenty of them.

Standing at the very front were the Lord of Corrosion and the Lord of Destruction from the Chinese Server's Abyssal City.

The two Abyssal Council members stood left and right like two black walls.

Behind them were the Lord of Shadow and the Lord of Flame from the Korean Server's Abyssal City, and further back were the local Lord of Dark Erosion and the Lord of Frost from the Japanese Server.

The six Abyssal Council members stood in a row, each nearly four meters tall, covered in dark scales, with different colored flames burning in their eyes.

How did they get here?

Yamada Ichiro didn't have time to think about that.

The Lord of Dark Erosion from the Japanese Server's Abyssal City lowered its head and said in stiff human language: "The Master told us to come, saying someone wanted to block him."

The Lord of Frost added: "Our employment contract states that while the Master is cross-server, the local Abyssal Lord is responsible for clearing the area."

The katana in Yamada Ichiro's hand almost fell to the ground.

The three hundred elite players behind him had already begun to retreat.

Someone accidentally stepped on a trigger-type high-explosive rune they had buried themselves.

The rune exploded, but the six Abyssal Council members didn't even blink.

The teleportation array lit up again.

This time it was the normal light of a cross-server teleport.

Lin Ye walked out of the teleportation array, followed by Su Qinghan and Fatty Wang.

He glanced at Yamada Ichiro and the three hundred pale-faced elite players behind him, then looked at the six Abyssal Council members, and turned to the Lord of Dark Erosion.

"Who told you to come?"

The Lord of Dark Erosion lowered its head and replied: "The order was given by the Abyssal Director.

During your cross-server period, we are responsible for clearing the area.

The Director said you gave it cross-server dispatch authority when you signed the contract, so we came."

Lin Ye was silent for a moment.

To think that the Lord of the Abyss had actually taken the time to arrange his cross-server security while mining in the depths of the Abyss.

This Director's sense of performance appraisal was even stronger than he had imagined.

He turned to Yamada Ichiro.

"Guild Leader Yamada, is your team still going to fight?"

Yamada Ichiro opened his mouth, but the sound from his throat was no better than the pig-squealing sound Kim Hyun-tae had made.

He turned to look at his three hundred elites, and all three hundred of them retracted their weapons into their inventories in unison.

Some tore up their magic-sealing scrolls, some dismantled their spatial lockdown traps, and some squatted on the ground, digging out the high-explosive runes they had buried one by one.

Not a single person dared to make a move.

With six Abyssal Council members standing opposite them, making a move was equivalent to seeking death.

Yamada Ichiro sheathed his katana, his voice hoarse: "Brother Ye, can the doubled amount be negotiated?"

Lin Ye looked at him: "Why didn't you talk about negotiating when you were ambushing Chinese Server players?"

Yamada Ichiro couldn't answer.

After a long silence, he lowered his head: "Can you let the Abyssal Council members go back first?

We can talk inside the guild territory.

In front of so many people, Sakura Shrine won't be able to survive in the Japanese Server in the future."

Lin Ye turned to look at Su Qinghan, and Su Qinghan nodded slightly.

Lin Ye took Su Qinghan and Fatty Wang toward the Sakura Shrine guild territory.

The six Abyssal Council members did not follow them in but stood in a row at the entrance of the guild territory.

The Lord of Dark Erosion even straightened the decorative cherry blossom tree at the entrance.

The conference room in the guild territory was large and in a Japanese style, with low tables and cushions on the tatami mats.

Yamada Ichiro knelt on one side of the low table, and the vice-guild leader knelt behind him; both of them kept their heads lowered.

Lin Ye sat down opposite them, Su Qinghan opened her tablet to record, and Fatty Wang stood at the door.

"Brother Ye, the Sakura Shrine guild treasury is not as deep as the Goryeo War God Temple's.

This time, we spent a huge sum on equipment for three hundred people and runes for the teleportation array.

We really can't come up with 200 million gold coins."

There was no defiance left in Yamada Ichiro's voice, only heartache.

Lin Ye looked at him without speaking.

Yamada Ichiro gritted his teeth and continued: "Can we pay in installments?

Pay half first, and pay off the remaining half within three months.

The interest will be calculated according to the standard interest rate of the Japanese Server Chamber of Commerce."

Su Qinghan quickly calculated the standard interest rate of the Japanese Server Chamber of Commerce on her tablet, then shook her head slightly.

Lin Ye understood as soon as he saw Su Qinghan's expression.

"Installments are possible; pay it off in three installments over three months.

Pay half in the first installment, and one-quarter for each of the remaining two installments.

The interest will be calculated at twice the standard interest rate of the Japanese Server Chamber of Commerce."

The corner of Yamada Ichiro's mouth twitched, but he nodded: "Fine.

Double it is.

What about the additional terms?

Distributing materials from the guild warehouse, me serving as a casual player protector—are these the same as the Korean Server?"

"Distribute 20% of the materials from the guild warehouse to casual players every month."

Lin Ye paused after saying this.

Yamada Ichiro was stunned for a moment, thinking he had misheard: "20%?

Kim Hyun-tae in the Korean Server was 30%, why is ours even less?"

"Kim Hyun-tae monopolized the Korean Server material market for over half a year and scammed casual players too hard; 30% was the debt he owed.

Although your Sakura Shrine also participated in the ambush, you haven't reached the level of monopolizing the market in the Japanese Server.

20% is enough for you to pay off your local debts."

Yamada Ichiro was silent for a long time.

He had thought that doubling the fees meant all terms would be harsher than the Korean Server's, but he hadn't expected the compensation for casual players to be 10% less than the Korean Server's.

He lowered his head, his voice hoarse: "Thank you, Brother Ye."

Lin Ye pushed the tablet in front of him: "Sign it."

Yamada Ichiro signed the agreement, pressed his handprint, and stamped it with the Sakura Shrine guild emblem.

After signing, he looked up at Lin Ye, hesitated, and asked: "Are you going to the US Server now?"

Lin Ye stood up: "William hasn't replied yet.

I'm going back to Dawn City first.

Whenever he wants to talk, he can come find me at the Unscrupulous Business Center.

The rule of 'no exceptions after the deadline' applies to everyone."

Yamada Ichiro stood up and walked Lin Ye to the entrance of the guild territory.

The six Abyssal Council members were still standing there, and the Lord of Dark Erosion had already swept the fallen leaves off the stone path at the entrance.

Lin Ye took Su Qinghan and Fatty Wang toward the teleportation array and disappeared into the dark red teleportation light.

Yamada Ichiro stood at the entrance of the guild territory, staring blankly in the direction of the teleportation array.

He opened the cross-server channel and sent a private message to William.

His tone was calm, but every word carried weight: "William, don't hold out anymore.

Brother Ye has a complete record of us discussing how to deal with him in the group chat.

I just paid the doubled protection fee, and I've seen Kim Hyun-tae's agreement too.

If you keep dragging this out, don't blame me for not warning you when the double becomes triple."

After sending it, he closed the cross-server channel, turned back to the guild territory, and began organizing the first batch of materials to be distributed to casual players from the warehouse.