Chapter 248 Cooperation (Part 2) Jimminx's Thoughts

Chapter 248 Working Together (Part 2)

As the they sat in silence, it was obvious that Ye Ci’s behavior was a direct contrast to Fluttering Red Feather. Unlike the lively atmosphere of the bar, the table was deathly quiet. Laura, who was sitting between the two, was not familiar with Ye Ci. She knew that Ye Ci was a top-tier player, but as long as a she had the courage to cross the Black Plum Family, then she was an enemy.

Laura’s anger flared as Ye Ci’s silence continued, “Gongzi You, are you going to give us an answer? Do you think we invited you over just to enjoy the wine?”

Despite her beauty, Laura was a very blunt person with a fiery temper. As a high ranking member in her guild as well as a decent player, Laura was never tactful in her conduct, and her brash nature was always a source of trouble. Due to his good relationship with Ye Ci, Fluttering Red Feather brought Laura along, but not without warnings to be mindful of her words. He had never expected that Laura would explode into rage due to Ye Ci’s silence.

Ye Ci was slightly taken aback by Laura’s work. She then stared at Laura, who was apparently displeased that she was stopped by Fluttering Red Feather. The girl’s facial features became even more beautiful due to her anger. At that moment, Ye Ci finally realised who Laura was. Isn’t she the top Priest player in my last life, Laura? Laura was known for her skills as a player, her beauty, and her bad temper. She was known as the Raging Priest by players in Fate, and her actual name was rarely used. This was why Ye Ci herself had forgotten the name of such a famous player.

Ye Ci had even had the opportunity of facing off against Laura. Neither of them was able to gain the upper hand in a long and protracted fight. Laura was a skillful player, and her character class meant that she could constantly heal herself up, which made her a difficult opponent for Ye Ci. As a top player, however, Ye Ci did not lose the fight. Despite her fiery temper, Laura had a good character. She did not hold a grudge against Ye Ci, but this did not stop her suitors from pouring their hatred on Ye Ci.

Based on this fact alone, it could be say that Laura was an opponent worthy of respect.

However, the two of them did not have many interactions and were not close. At the time of Ye Ci’s reincarnation, Laura was already a famous player in the Southern Continent.

Who would’ve thought that we would meet in this life under such circumstances? Ye Ci was not angry at all despite Laura’s outburst. She wouldn’t be known as the Raging Priest if she’s polite.

Ye Ci laughed and glanced at Laura before shifting her gaze to Fluttering Red Feather, “Let me guess, you found an abandoned city or a stronghold, which was also discovered by the Isle of Heroes at the same time, am I right?”

Fluttering Red Feather raised his eyebrows, but he was not at all astonished. Gongzi You was a top-tier player in Fate, and she was very intelligent. It was certainly not difficult for her to make such an accurate guess.

The silence from Fluttering Red Feather confirmed Ye Ci’s words, and she continued, “Both of you faced a difficulty in your fight to capture this city or fortress. If I’m not mistaken, there is huge number of monsters in the place, and its walls are very sturdy. The only way you can make your way in is to scale the walls with the use of grappling hooks. A common Cat Claw is too slow, which is why you need the Mobile Cat Claw that my guild makes. This is why… You’re looking for me.”

This elicited a slow clap from Fluttering Red Feather, “That’s right. It’s exactly as you say. So what do you think of our cooperation, Gongzi?”

Ye Ci set her wine on the table and stared at Fluttering Red Feather calmly, “Red Feather, despite our close relationship, we’re still leaders of two different guilds, and we must act in the best interest our guilds.”

Her words rang through. Their friendship should not be taken into account when the benefits of their respective guilds were involved.

“You’re saying that…” Ye Ci’s answer did not surprise Fluttering Red Feather. After all, it was not a good deal in the long run. Of course, Fluttering Red Feather knew nothing of the Goblin Engineering books that were in Ye Ci’s possession, and was only taking the Mobile Cat Claw into account. He knew that Ye Ci would lose a lot of customers in the Southern Continent if she agreed to the deal, but his opinions were based on the fact that Upwards Ho! had nothing better to offer other than the Mobile Cat Claw. This was why he arrived at the conclusion that their deal would not affect Upwards Ho! even on the long run.

“I’m sorry, Feather. I can’t agree to your proposal.” Ye Ci refused Fluttering Red Feather’s proposal without even the slightest hesitation.

Of course, such a response was also expected by Fluttering Red Feather, “Gongzi, don’t you think you being a little too rash?”

“Why is that?” Ye Ci raised her eyebrows.

Fluttering Red Feather immediately pointed out Ye Ci’s predicament, “You refuse to cooperate because you’re afraid of losing the wider market in the Southern Continent, am I right?”

“That’s right.” Ye Ci did not deny his statement.

“But Gongzi, have you ever thought about the future? What if you’re unable to get good recipes from dungeons?” Fluttering Red Feather smiled faintly. He was no pushover when it came to scheming for the sake of benefits. “You might say that there was no way that you will be that unlucky, and even if there are no drops, you can always buy them from somebody else.” he continued with a chuckle “That might be the case, but if I’m not mistaken… Upwards Ho! do not have the backing of any financial groups…. And how do you think such a guild can complete with the other guilds? Don’t you think that it’s a wise choice to earn as much as you can now? The future is important, but I’m sure you’ve heard of the saying ‘changes always go beyond plans’?”

A smile formed on Ye Ci’s face. Fluttering Red Feathers is indeed no pushover. He’s right about Upwards Ho! She had, however, no intentions of dragging out the conversation, “Feather, you are not necessarily wrong, but are you certain that I do not have anything else that I can bring onto the table?”

Fluttering Red Feather was stunned when he noticed Ye Ci’s smile. Is there something that I’ve missed?

Ye Ci spoke while Fluttering Red Feather was still confused, “If I’m correct, you wanted to see me so badly because the Isle of Heroes have made preparations to begin talks with Timely Rain and the others.”

This matter was of a very secretive nature that was known only to a selected few in the Southern Continent. Fluttering Red Feather’s plan was to form a deal with Upwards Ho! before the talk between Isle of Heroes and Timely Rain could even begin. If Timely Rain knew nothing about this, then Gongzi You should logically not have known about it as well, but due to reasons unknown, she was able to make her guess correctly.

“You plan to form an agreement between our guilds before Isle of Heroes could conclude their talks with Timely Rain, and you hope to accomplish this through our relationship. You can then take over the empty city or fort and raise the level of your guild, am I right?” Ye Ci stared down at Fluttering Red Feather

The darkened expression of Fluttering Red Feather was a sign to Ye Ci that her guess was correct. “I’m impressed. I would’ve done the same if I were you. But I’ll have to remind you that the benefits of our guilds had nothing to do with our friendship. Upwards Ho! has nothing to do with whatever that’s going on between Black Plum Family and the Isle of Heroes. We’re friends, but we’re not allies. Don’t you think that it’s not fair for me to sacrifice the benefits of Upwards Ho! for the sake of Black Plum Family?”

Fluttering Red Feather spoke after taking in a deep breath, “Think about it, Gongzi… I will definitely offer you a good price. This is a one in a million chance for Upwards Ho!.” he was quick to realize that benefits was the best method of persuasion in a business talk with Gongzi You, “With the money, Upwards Ho! can definitely expand itself…”

Ye Ci cut Fluttering Red Feather off with a wave of her hand before he could even finish his sentence, “Feather, I’m sure you know that Golden Era is coming in the near future. The last thing you want is a collaboration with Golden Era. My guild is small, but a small guild like us has a better chance of surviving their onslaught. The Black Plum Family was not the largest guild in the Southern Continent, and if you refuse to compromise, things will be bad for you when Golden Era arrives.”

Fluttering Red Feather’s expression darkened even further. He needed Ye Ci’s help to acquire the abandoned city so that his guild would be the top guild in the Southern Continent. With that, he would have the strength to fight against Golden Era when they eventually arrived.

“You do not have a say in this at all. I am the one with the high ground. Of course, our relationship is not bad so I will not be ripping you off this time, but it does not mean that I would sacrifice my profit and benefit for your sake, do you get me?” Ye Ci’s voice was quiet, calm, and emotionless. Even Laura herself could feel a chill creeping down her spine as she observed the conversation between the two This girl is a rather intimidating person.

Fluttering Red Feather spoke up after a long moment of thought, “Then what do you want?”

“I will definitely not agree to your plan to monopolize on the Mobile Cat Claws. The best I can do is to sell 500 of them to you, and make them available to the rest of the Southern Continent guilds at a later date. Of course, the 500 units I will be selling you won’t be cheap. They’ll cost you just as much as the price you intend to pay to enjoy a monopoly.”

“That’s too expensive.” Laura, who was the treasurer of the Black Plum Family, was the first to respond. If they could not gain a market monopolisation, the price that they were prepared to pay would be no different from daylight robbery.

“Think about future profit. This shouldn’t be much.” Ye Ci continued with a faint smile, “You’re not wrong when you said that Upwards Ho! need the money. But… I don’t have to get it from you, am I right?”

Fluttering Red Feather’s heart clenched, but he knew that Ye Ci was right. His bid to become the number one guild in the Southern Continent would fail if he did not seize the opportunity. “Gongzi, you’re ruthless as ever.” he said with a grimace.

Ye Ci responded with a smile, “Well, wouldn’t it be a waste if I don’t bite down on the meat that you send my way when I’m starving?”

“Feather, are you going to agree to this? This price... Is just too high…” Laura frowned. She was not able to stop a decision made by Fluttering Red Feather, but she was still a fairly influential person in the guild.

Fluttering Red Feather shook his head as an indicator for Laura to remain silent, “I hope that you wait for 15 days before you start selling the Mobile Cat Claws to the rest of the Southern Continent guilds.”

Ye Ci shook her head, “I can only give you 10 days at most.”

“Why are you being so difficult, Gongzi?”

“I can’t hold back my own growth as well, Feather. Don’t you think I should build up a strong customer base before Golden Era arrives?” said Ye Ci with a smile, “Ten days. I believe that the Black Plum Family can take that abandoned city in ten days.”

“It’s not as easy as that. We have to attack the city and fend off attacks from other guilds at the same time as well.” Fluttering Red Feather furrowed his eyebrows.

“How do you plan to be the number one guild in the Southern Continent if you can’t do even that?” Ye Ci smiled at the man, “The price you have to pay should be as big as your imbition.” and she raise her glass after filling it up with wine, “To a pleasant partnership.”

Despite the discontent in his heart, Fluttering Red Feather knew that the Black Plum Family was already backed into a corner. He was forced to accept Ye Ci’s proposal, and toasted her unwillingly, “I hope that we’ll have a pleasant partnership.”

With her mood greatly improved, Ye Ci finished her wine, set the glass on the table, and headed out of the bar, “I’ll leave the drafting of the contract to you. Send it over to Timely Rain once you’re done with it. I’ll make sure that my people get you what you need.”

She then walked out of the bar and disappeared into the night.

“That girl…” Laura gritted her teeth. Gongzi You had taken a huge bite out of their coffers, and thinking of it only served to fuel the flames of Laura’s anger, “Feather, why did you agree to her proposal? You could’ve tried to stall and we might get a better deal out of it.”

“Time is something that she has in abundant, but not for us.” Fluttering Red Feather took in a deep breath, his eyebrows furrowing as he gazed at the lightings hanging from the ceiling of the tavern, “Golden Era is coming. If a guild like ours don’t grow strong fast, we’ll definitely fall prey to Golden Era. Laura, we do not have much time…”

Laura sighed as well. She patted Fluttering Red Feather and offered him a consoling smile, “All shall be well, Feather. All shall be well.”

“I hope so.” a sudden sense of fatigue washed over Fluttering Red Feather. He was very, very tired.

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Hiya minna-san! It's been *almost* a week since I last posted, I feel so bad... Please forgive me... Here's a chapter that I hope you people will enjoy.

If you wish to reward(?) me for my hard work translating this novel, hit that "Donate" button at the right side of the page if you're on PC, and the bottom of the page if you're on mobile! You can also support me on Patreon!!

Link to my Twitter is also at the side, I'll probably put one up for Discord as well someday in the future. Hop into Volare's server and look for the roth-desu-vult channel! Ask anything you want but spoilers will have to go to DMs.

Don't forget that we have a teaser next page!!