97: Chapter 97 Mentioning money hurts feelings

Qinling, Second Command Center.

Chen You synced the problem he encountered in the Source Realm: the need for 'Guild Honor' to upgrade the guild, which couldn't be directly recharged.

"Can't recharge?"

tactical team leader Zhang Yunhai frowned, seemingly unable to comprehend.

From the national team's perspective, shouldn't the Source Realm be conquerable through sheer spending?

"It's possible to buy items exchanged for Guild Honor through an NPC called the 'Mysterious Merchant' using Gold Coins," Chen You added.

"Random refresh, uncertain time, uncertain location," Data Team Leader Sun Feng immediately pointed out the crucial details.

"Sending out bounties to search ourselves is too inefficient, and the information is hard to verify," Pan Yu spoke up.

"So, I plan to issue another bounty."

Pan Yu immediately shook her head: "With your 'super tycoon' persona, throwing down a fortune to bounty an NPC will increase the number of prying eyes and false information geometrically. The cost of filtering will be extremely high."

"We don't lack money, but there's no need to waste time on such things."

Chen You nodded, thinking that was indeed possible.

"So..." Chen You looked towards Director Li Guoan, who occupied the main seat.

Director Li Guoan's calm voice rang out: "So, we look for the Moon Gods Radiance Guild."

"As one of the Three Great Divine Races guilds, their intelligence network is far beyond what solo players can match. Let them filter the information; we just need the results."

Right!

He had forgotten about this ally!

"Then... how much should we offer?" Chen You asked the question that concerned him most.

Director Li Guoan held up one finger, his tone indifferent.

"One thousand Gold Coins."

"One thousand?" Chen You was stunned. "It's just buying a piece of information; isn't that too much?"

To buy an NPC's coordinates, even for the national team, seemed excessively... wasteful.

"We just want them to fail to understand it," Director Li Guoan's gaze was profound.

"This style of action, which cannot be judged by common sense, is itself a form of deterrence."

He paused, then added, "Also, random refresh—does that mean the Merchant might appear in other main cities?"

"Your main story quest is currently stuck in Zhao City. Although you can travel there, you might not unlock fast travel between cities later on."

"Ask how long it will take to clear the main story. If it's not long, do that first."

"Having exploration rights for one more main city doubles the probability of finding the Merchant."

"Understood."

Chen You instantly grasped the higher-ups' thinking.

Dual approach, maximizing efficiency.

...

Source Realm, City of Eternal Night.

Unlike White Jade Capital, which had just been completed and was full of vitality, this Elven main city, bathed in eternal moonlight, was currently shrouded in a depressing atmosphere.

Moon Gods Radiance Guild Hall.

On the cold, smooth obsidian throne, Arrow of the Moon rested her bare, jade-like feet, quietly listening to the elders arguing below.

A rare trace of annoyance appeared on her usually cool face.

"...The attempt at Destruction Mode must be suspended! Over the last two days, we have already committed over a thousand elites! But there isn't even a shadow of success!"

"Exactly! We've even shelved the pioneering efforts for the new dungeon. Is this worth it?!"

"But the outside world is watching us and laughing! As one of the Three Great Guilds, if we are the first to back down, the guild's prestige..."

"Can prestige be eaten? Don't forget, the Guild War is coming soon!"

The arguments were endless, buzzing like countless flies around her ears.

Arrow of the Moon felt mentally exhausted.

Ever since that man named Chen You burst onto the scene, everything she was familiar with seemed to be spiraling out of control.

Even the rules of the dungeon were forcibly rewritten by him, yet her proud guild couldn't even touch the threshold of the new mode.

This sense of powerlessness caused her, the Guild Leader who commanded Moon Gods Radiance, to experience self-doubt for the first time.

[Ding—]

Just then, a crisp notification sound rang by her ear, interrupting the clamor in the hall.

It was a private message from a friend.

Arrow of the Moon subconsciously opened it. When she saw the familiar name that made her feel so conflicted, her pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

[Chen You].

Why was he contacting her?

A sense of anticipation, inexplicable to her, rose in Arrow of the Moon's heart as she opened the chat window.

[Chen You]: Guild Leader Yue, are you busy? I have a small business deal I'd like to discuss with you.

A small business deal?

What kind of business could he call a 'deal'?

Arrow of the Moon waved her hand, signaling for quiet in the hall, then delicately tapped her fingers in the void.

[Arrow of the Moon]: Guild Leader Chen, please speak.

[Chen You]: I will offer 1000 Gold Coins to buy the location of an NPC. The Mysterious Merchant, you should know him, right?

"..."

Arrow of the Moon looked at the message and fell silent.

One thousand Gold Coins.

To buy an NPC's location?

She even suspected she had misread the number.

The elders in the hall noticed the change in their Guild Leader's expression, stopped arguing, and cast questioning glances.

Arrow of the Moon ignored them; her brain was working at high speed.

This man... did he really have the same concept of money as a normal person?

No matter how rich he was, one didn't squander it like this, did they?

This wasn't just squandering; this was... a realm she couldn't comprehend.

No! That wasn't the point!

As the helmsman of Moon Gods Radiance, her perspective was naturally not narrow.

A thought flashed through her mind like lightning.

Right, why should I insist on imitating him, on chasing after him?

Why can't I... just ride his coattails?

In a flash of lightning, Arrow of the Moon made her decision.

She looked at the words "1000 Gold Coins," her eyes brighter than ever before.

Gold Coins?

One thousand Gold Coins was indeed extravagant, but compared to that, there was something more important to choose.

She tapped the light screen with her fingertip.

[Arrow of the Moon]: Guild Leader Chen is joking. It's just finding an NPC; offering money hurts our relationship.

Chen You was also taken aback when he saw this reply.

Did we have a relationship?

Was this... refusing payment?

Helping for free? Was there such a good thing in the world?

He subconsciously recalled Pan Yu's warning—be wary of any attempt to substitute a transaction with favors.

As expected, the other party's next message followed immediately.

[Arrow of the Moon]: Moon Gods Radiance Guild is very willing to provide this small amount of insignificant help to our ally. However, we also have a bold request.

Here it comes.

Chen You understood instantly.

[Chen You]: Speak freely.

[Arrow of the Moon]: When Guild Leader Chen challenges the next dungeon, I hope he can bring a few members of Moon Gods Radiance with him.

The next dungeon?

Chen You instantly understood the other party's intention.

Moon Gods Radiance was clearly stuck on the 'Destruction Mode,' and they wanted to learn his 'clearing techniques' by observing up close.

Or perhaps, they had already given up on learning and chose to 'hug a powerful leg,' directly taking a share of the spoils.

For Chen You, this was not an issue at all.

Bringing a few people was no different from bringing a few dogs.

However...

Chen You tried to put himself in Director Li Guoan's shoes.

Bringing them along, sure, that was possible. After all, no one could guarantee being that fast every single time, right?

Chen You nodded, yes, it must be that.

After all, he was quite good at acting too.

Moreover, he didn't even know what the next dungeon was or where it was.

Exchanging a vague promise for the full operation of a top guild's intelligence network—this deal... wasn't a loss.

[Chen You]: Deal.

Seeing those two words, Arrow of the Moon let out a long sigh of relief, feeling her mood instantly improve.

She immediately ordered the elder beside her: "Pass down the order to everyone in the guild! Mobilize our informants in all main cities and find an NPC named 'Mysterious Merchant' for me!"

"Yes!"

As the command was issued, the massive Elf God Clan began to operate frantically for Chen You's 'small business deal.'

Having resolved the pressing matter, Chen You was in a good mood.

He remembered Director Li Guoan's other instruction and casually asked an extra question.

[Chen You]: By the way, Guild Leader Yue, can I ask something. After clearing all the main story quests in Zhao City, roughly how long will it take to qualify for unlocking the next main city?

The message was sent.

In the City of Eternal Night, Arrow of the Moon, whose relief had just settled after reaching the cooperation agreement, suddenly tensed up the moment she saw this message.

Clearing the main story?

Going to the next main city?

Why was he asking about this?

The next main city...