The guild was still in a frenzy, with everyone incessantly discussing the events that unfolded at Sinful Gorge.
Although Nie Yan's group had only succeeded by exploiting the winding terrain, such a paltry excuse couldn't cover up the immense humiliation suffered by Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return.
Nie Yan gathered the elite figures of his guild together in the headquarters to deal with the administrative affairs.
"What were our guild's losses like?" Nie Yan inquired, turning his head towards Guo Huai.
"They were in the acceptable range. 300 of our brothers managed to hole up in a cave and hold off their attackers. In addition to that, another hundred or so found hideouts and rode out the storm that way. We did loot tons of equipment, far more than what we lost. The only real losses were our players' levels, but luckily the Buried History patch made leveling up much easier. They'll be able to grind back up in no time," Guo Huai answered. Asskickers United could definitely afford these losses. After all, just killing so many Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return players already far outweighed any losses they suffered.
"What about Holy Empire and Sapphire Shrine?" Nie Yan asked. His allies' casualties were definitely not so light.
"Not many of their people survived, but such losses shouldn't be too bad for them. Their foundations shouldn't be shaken at all," Guo Huai judged. A guild that went into an uncertain conflict like the one in Sinful Gorge would obviously know there was a high chance of failure. Major guilds like them had deep pockets and oceans of people. So what if a bunch of them died once?
"Properly compensate the players who died. We can't let them lose out," Nie Yan instructed. Fair and just post-battle arrangements were critical, leaving no one with reasons to complain. As for distributing the merit points everyone had earned, Nie Yan simply tasked Guo Huai with doling them out.
"Don't worry, I've got it covered," Guo Huai promised. The current Asskickers United had quite a few administrative personnel. The guild's ability to run smoothly was in no small part due to them. When divvying out rewards, the system would provide a lot of helpful data. Coupled with additional oversight from these managers, problems of unfair distribution rarely surfaced.
"Before I forget, you should also hand out the equipment prizes I promised," Nie Yan added.
"That reminds me, there was something I had to tell you. While you were fighting in Sinful Gorge, some of our members came into conflict with Bloodlust Blades, Alliance of Mages, and Divine Protectors."
"What was the result?"
"We lost over 200..."
Nie Yan's heart sank. He thought for a bit before giving his verdict. "If you can get me their exact coordinates, report it immediately. If not, don't worry about it. They're not a threat to us for the time being, anyway."
"I understand, but don't brush them off. We've always been competing with Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return, and our losses haven't been small. If we're dragged down by our current rivals, the gap between us and those three will only increase. They've already started to take control of strongholds and they're close to or already Rank 6 guilds. If we don't develop faster, and they bring the fight to us, we'll be the ones to suffer a loss."
Nie Yan nodded solemnly, fully aware of the grim reality. Guo Huai's thoughts weren't alarmist paranoia, but the truth.
"I also heard Century Financial Group and the Kalon Fund teamed up to acquire 36% of Angel Corps. Even though that's not a controlling share, it's enough for Century Financial Group to have some say in their affairs," Guo Huai reported. He was aware Nie Yan had some kind of conflict with Century Financial Group, so he thought his brother might be interested in this piece of news about them.
Angel Corps? Nie Yan was surprised. After Century Financial Group failed to purchase Radiant Sacred Flame, they had withdrawn from Calore. Although he knew they were bound to invest somewhere else, he hadn't expected them to turn to the Satreen Empire.
The Angel Corps of the previous timeline was even stronger than Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame! Against this number one guild of the Righteous Faction, even at its peak Victorious Return couldn't hold a candle to them.
During its strongest hour, Angel Corps had in their ranks well over 30 players who stood at the very peaks of their respective classes. Below them was a veritable sea of experts, allowing them to hold an extravagant 526 strongholds! Their glory was in plain sight, for all to see.
Although Angel Corps was in the distant Satreen Empire, this new development sprouted a sense of danger in his heart. That was a monstrous behemoth!
With this distant foe added to the Bloodlust Blades, Alliance of Mages, and Divine Protectors in front of them, Asskickers United clearly had their work cut out for them.
"However strong Angel Corps is, they still can't just fly here willy-nilly." Guo Huai, noticing Nie Yan's troubled expression, tried to pacify him. At least until flying mounts became prevalent, Angel Corps had no way of sending troops into the Viridian Empire.
The Satreen Empire's beastmen used different classes and skills from the humans of the Viridian Empire, so Nie Yan was now clueless as to how the future would unfold.
"Keep me updated on every move the Century Financial Group makes. No matter how small, I want to hear about it!" Nie Yan ordered firmly. He would never underestimate the Century Financial Group. But since they had shifted their focus to the Satreen Empire, Asskickers United finally had a little breathing room. After all, the two empires were so far apart that it would be a long time before their respective powers met.
After settling the guild affairs, Nie Yan received some information from Sleepy Fox.
「I was just told by the chief administrator of Calore that the stronghold battle will be pushed back by five days,」Sleepy Fox said. Even though Holy Empire had also suffered heavy losses, the stronghold battle was an absolute must for the growth of their guild. He didn't expect it to be delayed so suddenly.
「Were you given a reason why?」Nie Yan asked with a hint of a surprise.
「Apparently a Paladin from Radiant Sacred Flame received the position of Red Garbed Chaplain from the Holy Shrine, and requested for the stronghold battle to be postponed due to his ceremony. Chief Administrator Telus agreed,」Sleepy Fox replied. He didn't know what sort of significance this title held.
「Oh? So be it, we wait five days then,」Nie Yan replied. Red Garbed Chaplain was a title granted by the Holy Shrine. It was somewhat inferior to his own Demon Hunter title, and was far from being comparable to a Grand Scholar. But since it signified a member of the Holy Shrine, it held a lot of sway in Calore. He didn't anticipate Nightbreak Trickster would take advantage of this development to postpone the stronghold battle.
「There's word going around that Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return don't dare to stir up trouble for us any longer. I guess those bastards finally learned their lesson,」Sleepy Fox added. The sudden delay of the stronghold battle wasn't enough to influence his mood. There was no harm in waiting a few days.
Nie Yan figured that the players from Asskickers United should take some time to recoup after going through such intense battles of late. After all, their enemies weren't merely limited to Victorious Return and Radiant Sacred Flame. If they wished to stay on top of things, they would have to properly allocate the time they were given from now until the start of the stronghold battles
He chatted awhile longer with Sleepy Fox about future matters before hanging up.
Nie Yan checked up on the Starry Night Potion Shop and Union of Assassins. Seeing that both were growing steadily, he felt reassured. The other virtual property he had bid on was the auction house to the north of Calore. So far, three of the four auction houses in the city were owned by him. As for who the remaining one belonged to, he wasn't privy on such details.
The day the real-world currency exchange went live was fast approaching, and with this would inevitably follow sweeping changes to the entire game. Nie Yan had already finished his preparations. The large financial groups entering the playing field would definitely bring about changes to the future structure of Calore. The guilds that received their investments would undergo a brand new period of unprecedented growth.
"Nie Yan, Nie Yan, wait up!" Guo Huai ran up to Nie Yan in all haste.
"What is it?" Nie Yan asked. What sort of matter would make Guo Huai so nervous?
"Do you remember what I told you about the Dragonsoar Financial Group?"
"I do, what about it?" Nie Yan asked. Wasn't it the financial group owned by Xie Yao's grandfather?
"Dragonsoar Financial Group just contacted us and inquired about investing in our guild. I don't know how to respond. What are your thoughts?" Guo Huai asked. The initial offering price given by Dragonsoar Financial Group was very alluring. By gaining such a strong backer, the future of Asskickers United was all but secured. This was an incredible opportunity for immense growth!
Dragonsoar Financial Group was an entity that rivalled the likes of Century Financial Group!
When Nie Yan previously declined the investment offer of Century Financial Group, Guo Huai felt a tinge of regret. Who could've known that just a few days later, they would be approached by Dragonsoar Financial Group. Those with quality goods would never lack buyers!
"What are their terms?"
"They want at minimum a 30% stake in the guild. If we're willing, they'd like to enter a 10-year cooperation agreement where they'll provide us continuous financial support and help us reach the peak! In addition to this, they want to dispatch a person over to supervise the affairs of the guild," Guo Huai replied. Dragonsoar Financial Group's terms were extremely generous. This made him endlessly excited. If they signed into an agreement, Asskickers United's future was guaranteed to be bright.
"Let me think it over," Nie Yan responded. Asskickers United was established single-handedly by him, so he had absolute shares. There was no harm in selling some shares off to Dragonsoar Financial Group. Since he, Guo Huai, Tang Yao, and Zhao Li would still own a majority stake, he wasn't worried about a hostile takeover. Besides, with Dragonsoar Financial Group's support, Asskickers United would be heading towards a glorious future.
There was also a faint indescribable feeling in Nie Yan's heart. If he accepted Dragonsoar Financial Group's investment, there would be another connection between him and Xie Yao.
"Start up negotiations. We're willing to sell 30% at most, nothing more. As for how much they're willing to invest, try to fight for as much as possible. Draft up a contract for me to see," Nie Yan ordered. Haggling in business wasn't his strong point, so he would leave everything to Guo Huai. The final draft of the contract would have to go through him before it could be signed anyway.
Guo Huai became exhilarated after receiving Nie Yan's approval. He immediately went about negotiating with Dragonsoar Financial Group.
This new development didn't come as a surprise to Nie Yan. With the previous accomplishments of Asskickers United, even if Dragonsoar Financial Group didn't show interest, other financial groups would definitely approach them. The only worry on his mind was the supervisor Dragonsoar Financial Group wished to send over.
I hope they won't be too difficult...