Everything progressed swimmingly under Nie Yan and Sleepy Fox's careful supervision.
Fa Lan yielded in the end, allowing his guild members to join the conflict. The players of Sapphire Shrine fought Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame with extreme ferocity. Considering they were fighting a force which numbered over 5,000, their losses were of course substantial.
Fa Lan was powerless to stop the enmity that had sparked between Sapphire Shrine and both Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame
Sleepy Fox brought news of this development to Nie Yan the instant it occurred, laughing heartily in the voice chat.「That old dog Fa Lan tried hard but couldn't escape boarding our pirate ship in the end! Let's see if he can still remain so laid-back like before!」
Nie Yan was satisfied as well. With Sapphire Shrine being forced to ally with them, they had the manpower to rival Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame.
The overall balance of power now vastly differed from the previous timeline. Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame were no longer untouchable superpowers.
「Don't celebrate too early. We'll have to iron out the details of our alliance with Fa Lan first,」Nie Yan said.
「When the duck is thoroughly cooked, is there a need to worry about it flying away? I'll get him to send some elites to join the stronghold battle,」Sleepy Fox chuckled sinisterly. If Fa Lan were to join, victory was virtually assured; Radiant Sacred Flame would crumple beneath the three-pronged assault of Asskickers United, Holy Empire, and Sapphire Shrine.
「Go ahead.」Nie Yan was slightly distracted when his voice chat lit up with a call from Guo Huai.「Let's talk later.」
「No problem.」Sleepy Fox started up his own call with Fa Lan.
「How are the losses?」Nie Yan asked after picking up. He was wondering how Asskickers United was doing, since they were in an ongoing battle with Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame.
「Not too bad, though things could be better. We've had about 10,000 casualties on our side, but the enemy has suffered three times as much. Our forces are quite fierce. We've looted so much equipment that our treasury is almost full!」Guo Huai replied. They maintained a constant 3:1 kill-death ratio against the enemy. All that could be said was that the players of the guild were simply too strong!
「Good! When you dole out the merit points, give everyone a little extra!」Nie Yan nodded in approval. The members of Asskickers United were the creme of the crop among the player base. Coupled with the boost in morale from their recent successes, this was the least he expected.
「One other thing. Cao Xu, the chairman of Century Financial Group, contacted me. He said he wishes to purchase shares in Asskickers United, and if we agreed, the Century Financial Group was willing to let us set a price we would be satisfied with. How should I respond?」Guo Huai asked. It would be a huge help to the guild's development if they received an investment from such a large financial group.
Nie Yan's expression darkened. In the previous timeline, Century Financial Group employed this exact method to take out any potential rivals, controlling guild after guild through their massive capital. And now, they wanted to get their grubby hands on everything that he had built up.
「Asskickers United will not sell any shares to the Century Financial Group, under any circumstances. Reject their offer!」Nie Yan spoke in a grave tone.
「Understood.」Guo Huai nodded. He was slightly puzzled by the traces of anger he detected in Nie Yan's voice. Why did he sound so emotional when I mentioned Century Financial Group? Is there some history between them?
「Pay close attention to the movements of Century Financial Group from now on! Take note of which guilds have been bought by them!」Nie Yan instructed. He had no choice but to prepare some countermeasures now that Cao Xu had set his eyes on Asskickers United.
「Alright. Don't worry, you can leave this to me,」Guo Huai replied.「On a final note, about that thing you asked me last time… Well, I've gathered some information on Xie Yao.」
Nie Yan's heart skipped a beat.「Tell me.」
「You know, she's got quite the background. Have you heard of the name, Xie Pei?」
「Xie Pei… the business tycoon, the chairman of the Zheng Rong Financial Group?」Nie Yan replied after blanking for a moment.
「Yeah. Xie Pei is Xie Yao's uncle, and her mother is the daughter of the Dragonsoar Financial Group's chairman. That's definitely quite the lineup. It's also been reported that on the day she was born, she was given 12% and 28% of each respective company's shares, bringing her net worth to nearly ¥10,000,000,000. This young lady was born with a diamond spoon. That said, her family doesn't seem to be living very extravagantly. Her parents don't keep a high-profile, rarely interacting with the administrative staff of their companies. They're currently living in a villa at Huahai,」Guo Huai informed. He had no idea what he was getting into when he first agreed to Nie Yan's request. As soon as he started his investigation, he nearly shit his pants in fright. Such a deep background even left someone like him speechless.
Nie Yao was stunned as well. Zheng Rong and Dragonsoar were top financial groups in the country, only second to Cao Xu's Century Financial Group. Why didn't he hear anyone mention Xie Yao's background in his past life?
Most of Nie Yan's classmates knew Xie Yao was from a wealthy family. But he doubted they knew to what degree. Even during its peak, his father's company was still easily dwarfed by the Zheng Rong and Dragonsoar financial groups—this was the sheer size of these two titans!
「I've heard Xie Yao's parents donated all their shares to charitable organizations, save a portion for Xie Yao herself. They don't particularly care who their daughter marries so long as she likes him. So cheer up! You still have a shot!」Guo Huai comforted. It was truly impressive for Xie Yao's parents to give up so much wealth.
Although Xie Yao's background shocked him, Nie Yan wasn't deterred. True love knew no boundaries, especially not one made of money. Even after two lifetimes, Xie Yao's silhouette still remained deeply engraved into his heart.
Memories of the previous timeline floated in Nie Yan's mind. Regardless of Xie Yao's background, he knew one thing. He wouldn't ever let her go again.
「Don't sell yourself short! I have faith in you!」Guo Huai reassured. If this brother of his wasn't good enough for Xie Yao, who was?
Nie Yan's mood couldn't help but perk up at Guo Huai's encouragement.「I'll be cheering you on too.」Of course, he was referring to their former class president.
「Hey? Can you not always bring up this embarrassing thing?」Guo Huai laughed.
The two chattered on for a while longer before hanging up, whereupon Nie Yan refocused his attention on the expedition.
While Nie Yan was directing everyone, Yao Yao walked up to him.
"Nirvana Flame, I have a Priest quest I'm stuck on half-way. After we finish the stronghold battle, can you help me?" Yao Yao asked, her bright eyes sparkling with anticipation—a pair of glittering diamonds with a captivating tint.
Nie Yan slightly averted his gaze. "What quest?"
"Karsi's Blessing. The reward is a Templar Magic skill book," Yao Yao replied.
"You received the Karsi's Blessing quest?" Nie Yan asked in shock. In truth, he really didn't have the heart to refuse Yao Yao. Besides, with what he knew, helping her complete the quest would be a simple effort. He nodded. "Sure, just remind me later."