163: Chapter 163 The 360 ​​Million Contract

Not long after the meeting ended, Grace, having finished handling the initial handover matters, came to the lounge alone.

She walked up to Zhou An and once again performed a solemn bow.

"Lord Zhou An, the general situation is settled. On behalf of the entire White Feather Guild, I once again extend my highest respects to you."

"Sit. No need to be so reserved."

Zhou An pointed to the sofa opposite him, took a sip from his teacup, and then got straight to the point.

"Since the internal trouble is resolved, we should discuss business. Aside from Xila's request, the main reason I took the risk of offending the entire fleet to pull you out is that I want to know how to obtain LV6 core components."

Grace was clearly prepared for this; without any concealment, she answered with a solemn expression:

"As far as I know, there are currently only two ways to obtain LV6-level core components."

"The first is conventional exploration. On those vast, energy-rich undeveloped sky islands, there is an extremely low probability of obtaining core components from ruins or lords. But in the Cangyun Airspace, undeveloped sky islands are becoming fewer and fewer. Back when our White Feather Guild was at its peak, over two thousand elites explored continuously for three whole months before we finally managed to gather a set of LV6 upgrade cores."

Speaking of this, Grace paused, a flash of apprehension in her eyes:

"The second way is to dive beneath the fog. Many terrifying, oversized creatures lurk in the depths of the fog, but that is also where high-level resources are most concentrated. I once forced a dive; it was a near-death experience, but I ultimately brought back a rare core component."

As she spoke, Grace flipped her wrist and took a rhombus-shaped crystal emitting a deep, ghostly blue light from her personal storage space, placing it gently on the coffee table.

"This [Warp Star Core Fragment] is the trophy I brought back from beneath the fog after that near-death experience, and it is also one of the essential core components for upgrading to an LV6 Star Abyss-class fortress. If you need it, please accept this fragment as a small token of gratitude from Grace."

Zhou An's eyes lit up as he looked at the crystal swirling with starlight. Knowing its value, he didn't bother with politeness and reached out to store the [Warp Star Core Fragment] into his system space.

"Thanks. I am indeed in urgent need of this."

Zhou An glanced at the progress bar on the upgrade panel and calculated silently.

"Now that the hardest part, the star core, is in hand, I only need the final ten thousand units of Cangyun Eternal Gold."

Late at night, the lights in the guest room were dimmed to a soft, warm hue.

On the large, soft bed, Zhou An leaned against the headboard, while Luo Ning curled up in his arms like a lazy kitten. Zhou An held her slender waist with one hand, while his other hand naturally toyed with her silky long hair, his fingertips twirling the strands.

"You said earlier that you only need ten thousand units of Cangyun Eternal Gold to upgrade to LV6?"

Luo Ning squinted her eyes comfortably, enjoying Zhou An's caresses, and asked softly.

"Mm."

Zhou An nodded, his gaze turning slightly profound.

"Strategic resources like Cangyun Eternal Gold cannot be mined on ordinary sky islands. If there's no other way, I might have to go beneath the fog myself in a few days."

Upon hearing the words "beneath the fog," Luo Ning opened her eyes wide, propped herself up from Zhou An's arms, and frowned tightly.

"No! Absolutely not! Going down there is too dangerous!" Luo Ning pressed her hands against Zhou An's solid chest, her tone firm.

"Wealth is sought in danger, right? Otherwise, where would I find those ten thousand units of Cangyun Eternal Gold?"

Zhou An looked at her nervous expression and chuckled, pinching her cheek.

"But that doesn't mean you should risk your life!"

Luo Ning's eyes rolled around, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossing her mind, and she slapped her thigh.

"Aren't you stuck in a cognitive trap? We have a ready-made 'work crew' right now!"

"A work crew?"

Zhou An raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! The Winged Race's White Feather Guild!" Luo Ning analyzed excitedly.

"Look, even though they are severely weakened, they still have over six hundred battle-hardened elite warriors and more than thirty LV5 warships. That is a massive force for exploration!"

Luo Ning became more and more excited as she spoke: "Their guild treasury is dirt poor right now, with only over twenty million level-five units of resources left. What do they lack? They lack money! What do we lack? We lack materials, but we have plenty of resources and money!"

She lay back down on Zhou An's chest, looking up with a small face, her eyes sparkling with cunning: "We can cooperate with Grace and directly issue a high bounty! Using our vast resources as backing, we can let those six hundred Winged Race elites dig through every inch of the major sky islands to find Cangyun Eternal Gold for us! As long as the price is high enough, they will definitely work harder than anyone! Isn't this the typical… capitalist 'money power'!"

"That's right."

Zhou An kissed Luo Ning firmly: "You're the thoughtful one."

The next morning, the fragrance of tea drifted through the lounge of the wind chaser.

After a night's rest, Zhou An sat on the sofa, refreshed. Grace had changed into relatively professional casual attire.

"Lord Zhou An, did you rest well last night?" Grace asked gently.

"Quite well. Grace, I'm looking for you today to discuss a deal."

Zhou An picked up his teacup and, without any preamble, got straight to the point.

"I want to hire your entire White Feather Guild to 'work' for me."

"Work… work for you?"

Grace's hand, as she poured tea, paused slightly, and a rare look of embarrassment and awkwardness appeared on her stunning face.

"Lord Zhou An, it is the honor of White Feather to serve you. It's just… you've seen the state of our guild; our treasury is practically empty. If the whole guild were to mobilize to work for you, the energy consumption of the warships and the provisions for the personnel alone would be a significant sum that we really cannot afford right now…"

"Money is not an issue." Zhou An waved his hand nonchalantly, interrupting her concerns. "How many LV5 warships and captains can you actually mobilize right now?"

"Counting the two squadrons that ran off yesterday, there are thirty-six LV5 captains who will absolutely follow my command. Including the six hundred elite warriors under them, this is all we have left." Grace told him truthfully.

Zhou An calculated briefly in his mind.

"Thirty-six LV5s, right? Fine."

"For each person, I'll allocate a budget of ten million units of resources. Thirty-six people, that's 360 million. As the operating funds and deposit for hiring the White Feather Guild, is that enough?"

"Cough… cough, cough, cough!"

The moment she heard this number, Grace choked violently on a mouthful of tea, her graceful and noble image shattering instantly.

"3… 360 million?!"

Grace couldn't even bother to wipe the tea stain from the corner of her mouth. Her deep blue eyes widened, her breathing became rapid, and her high chest heaved violently.

"Lord, Lord Zhou An, 360 million level-four units of resources… this is absolutely a massive sum! Even at our guild's peak, we might not have been able to scrape that together! Are you sure you want to provide so much…"

"Wait a minute, who told you it was level-four units?"

Zhou An raised an eyebrow, interrupting her.

Grace froze, her brain briefly crashing, and then she asked, stammering: "Could it… be… be level-three?"

"What are you thinking?"

Zhou An leaned back against the sofa, his fingers tapping lightly on the table. "I said, 360 million level-five units of resources."

"Clatter."

The white porcelain teacup in Grace's hand dropped directly onto the carpet.

"Lord Zhou An, for such a terrifying hiring fee, what… do you need us to do?"

"My requirement is very simple." Zhou An held up a finger. "I need your entire guild to mobilize, go to the various undeveloped sky islands, and help me collect all the core materials for upgrading to LV6. Besides the Cangyun Eternal Gold I mentioned yesterday, I need the others too."

"And, I don't need just one set." Zhou An's gaze swept past the door. "Lao Zhang, Muzi, Luo Ning, Xingyue, Xila, and myself. I want you to help me gather a full six sets of LV6 core upgrade materials."

Hearing this quantity, Grace gasped, but she was visibly stunned when she heard the last name.

"Xila? But… isn't Xila from our White Feather…"

"She is my person now." Zhou An explained casually. "When I saved her beneath the abyss, we signed a Subordinate Contract. Since we signed the contract, she is a core member of my Cloud Top Fortress, so I naturally have to take care of her until the end. She must have an LV6 vehicle."

Hearing the words "Subordinate Contract," Grace completely understood. She looked deeply at Zhou An, her eyes welling with indescribable gratitude.

She knew very well how tyrannical that kind of contract was, but Zhou An not only didn't treat Xila as cannon fodder or a slave, he was actually willing to spend an astronomical price to pave a smooth path for her to reach LV6.

"Mr. Zhou An's great kindness, Grace and the White Feather Guild will never forget!" Grace stood up again and performed a solemn, ancient ritual.

"Alright, enough with the thanks. It's only right to do the job when paid."

Zhou An waved his hand with a smile.

"From now on, we are in a formal alliance partnership. With your fleet around, if I encounter trouble with overwhelming numbers, I won't always have to run away with the fortress; I can just call for backup and have a group fight. Let's sign a cooperation agreement first."

"No problem! I will draft it immediately!"

Upon hearing "sign an agreement," Grace instantly perked up, and even her walking pace became much lighter.

In less than three minutes, a detailed electronic contract was generated on the holographic projection.

Zhou An sat upright on the sofa reading the agreement, while Grace stood obediently to the side. At this moment, where was any of her former dominance and majesty? Her hands were nervously twisted together, her deep blue eyes occasionally glancing nervously at Zhou An, a hint of pitifulness in her gaze—she looked exactly like a young girl who had just entered the workforce and was afraid of being stood up by a big client at any moment.

After all, this was a "super sugar daddy" with 360 million level-five resources. If Zhou An backed out, where else could she find so much food for the fleet!

Zhou An looked at the dense terms on the holographic screen, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table. A moment later, he suddenly stopped his movement and placed the electronic signature pen in his hand gently on the table.

"Clatter."

This slight, crisp sound fell into Grace's ears like a thunderclap on a clear day. This queen, who had been planning the blueprint for her guild's revival just a second ago, instantly tensed her back in nervousness.

"Lord, Lord Zhou An, is there something in the terms that you are not satisfied with?"

Grace quickly stepped forward, her tone revealing a hint of panic she hadn't even realized herself. "If you have any additions, we can modify them at any time!"

Watching Grace's anxious, young-girl-like appearance, Zhou An couldn't help but chuckle: "The terms are fine, but I think that since we are going to be tied together long-term, a simple employment agreement is not enough. How about we add a personal private cooperation agreement?"

"A private agreement?"

Grace was taken aback.

"Yes, limited to long-term cooperation plans between the two of us."

Zhou An leaned back on the sofa and added clearly, "Including non-aggression, priority resource exchange, and absolute confidentiality clauses where neither party will disclose the other's background or intelligence to any third party. This way, we can be more open with each other in future cooperation. What do you think?"

"Of course! It is my honor!"

Grace's hanging heart instantly settled back into her stomach; she was not only not resistant but actually pleased. Being able to reach a private ally relationship with such a powerful figure with unfathomable background and heaven-defying means was absolutely beneficial and harmless to her and the White Feather Guild.

Soon, the supplementary terms were drafted. The two of them straightforwardly signed with their respective biological wavelengths.

The moment the contract was established, Zhou An didn't even blink and directly opened the system's transaction panel.

"Ding—"

"Account notification: You have received [Level-five units of resources: 180,000,000] transferred from the designated account."

Listening to the cold system notification sound in her ears, Grace stared fixedly at the long string of numbers on the guild account that was enough to blind anyone. She felt a strong sense of dizziness, and her body couldn't help but sway.

A full 180 million!

Because they were born with flight abilities and extremely high combat talent, the Winged Race had always believed in "supremacy of force" in the Cangyun Airspace. As for logistical development skills like infrastructure, production, and planting, they were completely clueless and relied entirely on heaven for food, searching everywhere for sky islands to mine or hunting alien beasts.

Since the founding of the White Feather Guild, even at its peak, the resource reserves in their guild warehouse had never broken the one hundred million mark!

"I'll pay half the deposit first. Once you have gathered the first three sets of LV6 core materials, I will pay the remaining half in one lump sum."

Zhou An stood up and adjusted his collar.

"Un… understood." Grace took several deep breaths before she could barely find her voice. "Lord Zhou An, I will convene a high-level ship-wide meeting right now and immediately arrange for personnel to execute the mission!"

"Fine, go ahead and get busy, don't mind me. I'll go walk around your LV6 warship and take a tour while I'm at it."

Zhou An waved his hand and leisurely walked out of the lounge.