650 Chapter 650 - A Workshop’s Modus Operandi (2/2)
”You've got my number?” Gu Fei was puzzled.
”I asked your dad!” Eternal Dominion answered.
”Ah... Have you contacted them?” Gu Fei got right down to business.
”They asked me to go over, but I told them that I'm waiting for you. They told me to head to a street barbecue joint once you arrive; they'll be waiting for us there. Do you know how to get there?” Eternal Dominion asked.
”Why didn't you ask them if you don't know how to get there?” Gu Fei randomly picked one of those people and asked how to reach the Fourth Street, departing with Eternal Dominion in tow.
At Yueye City's Fourth Street, the Remarkable Flair workshop's barbeque joint was one of the more popular locations. Both men saw a very eye-catching flag outside with the word 'Barbeque' sewn on it. Walking over, they messaged Proud Sovereign. ”We're here.”
The door to the joint was flung open just as the message was sent, and they saw Overgrown Foliage walk right out and look around; the two quickly waved their hands and hastened their steps. The expression on Overgrown Foliage's face did not seem to be as joyful as before, plainly saying 'please come in' when he saw them before he took the lead to bring them into the store.
The smell of barbecued meat, as well as all sorts of alcohol, permeated the inside of the store. This style of store, which allowed patrons to eat and drink at the same time, was far more popular to the players than the taverns, allowing the business to thrive well. Gu Fei lifted his eyes and glanced at the menu pasted all around the walls and saw that the names listed, such as 'Grassland Wild Boar,' 'Uni-horn Wolf,' 'Three-eared Grey Rabbit,' and 'Redtail Snake,' had their prices written, as well as the level of said monsters, right below. The higher the level, the pricier the meat, making it seem as if the players were not eating it for the taste of the meat but its level.
As player-operated stores, Remarkable Flair and Ray, the owner of a bar in Yunduan City, shared the same idea of partitioning rooms from the main hall. However, there were evidently more talented people in Remarkable Flair's workshop as the overall arrangement in the barbecue joint was a lot more curated, unlike the tables and benches that were carelessly strewn about at Ray's Bar when it opened. The style of the entire store was very different from the taverns that players would often spend their time and coins in, letting people know the moment they stepped in just what this store was about.
Overgrown Foliage led the way and brought the two to a room that was in the furthest corner of the establishment. Gu Fei stepped in and saw that it was not just Proud Sovereign seated within; another player was present as well. Like Overgrown Foliage, Proud Sovereign's expression was gloomy, but that instantly changed into one that exuded warmth and passion the moment he saw Gu Fei and Eternal Dominion step in. ”Gentlemen, please take your seats.”
Gu Fei nodded in acknowledgement, and he seated himself next to Eternal Dominion at one side, while Proud Sovereign and Overgrown Foliage sat right across them. Meanwhile, the new player whom they had not been introduced grandly took up the seat at the head of their table.
”Gentlemen.” This person took the initiative to greet. ”Let me introduce myself; I am a director from Remarkable Flair who is in charge of six cities: Yunduan, Yueye, Baishi, Hongyan, Muyu, and Chenhui. You may call me Five Nights.”
”Oh, hello there.” Gu Fei and Eternal Dominion greeted the man back. Gu Fei caught that flash of contempt in that glare Overgrown Foliage and Proud Sovereign shot at Five Nights' introduction, elucidating the relationship quite a bit instantly. This workshop was truly institutionalized, and it was apparent that Overgrown Foliage and Proud Sovereign would get quite the outstanding achievement, reward, and possibly promotion if they successfully sealed the deal on this acquisition. Meanwhile, this Five Nights, the self-proclaimed director of six cities, looked to be a direct superior of Proud Sovereign, and for the man to intervene at this time, he clearly intended to steal a good portion of their labor, so it made perfect sense why both men had such a disgruntled look to them now.
This organization's members competing over rights and profits in this manner was very similar to how the guilds in this game would have disputes and bad bloods, which made it difficult to distinguish who was in the right and who was in the wrong. Proud Sovereign and Overgrown Foliage were staring at Five Nights' action with great disdain, but who was to say that when the two were sitting in his position, would they not do the same when dealing with such a potentially large business? Everyone, whose survival depended on the system, would mostly end up assimilating into the said system, while those who chose to grit their teeth and reject the system would either be eliminated or become the protagonist...
This unexpected discovery had let Gu Fei realize that this collaboration was no longer something small-scale like what one would find between players, which was ultimately done for the sake of entertainment. With such a huge business deal on the line, if they really wanted to negotiate this out, they might perhaps need to sign some legal contract that bound either party. Gu Fei did not have too clear of an understanding toward the game, but he at least still had this bit of common sense.
”Uh… With regard to the future prospects of the efficient monster grinding routines, I believe Proud Sovereign and Overgrown Foliage have already given you a very clear overview, right? Right now, I'd like to listen to what thoughts either of you have about this, and please don't mince words; say whatever comes to mind.” Five Nights did not preamble and immediately began to bluster, and his attitude in which he was doing this was far more pompous.
There was without a doubt that Gu Fei and Eternal Dominion possessed the capability to develop efficient monster grinding routines, but Five Nights believed that it was definitely impossible for these two to attain a level of propagation that could reach the entire Parallel World without the promotion from a workshop. Despite it being Remarkable Flair that had approached these two now, it did not mean that they would be begging for their cooperation in this matter. This business might be impossible without these two, but similarly, there was no way that the two men could maximize their profit without Remarkable Flair's support; meaning, either party was indispensable to each other. If they were to give off the look that they were pleading for this collaboration, it was unavoidable for the other party to negotiate for a higher price; this was why Five Nights had purposely acted a bit more high-handed in an effort to let the two men realize their worth to the workshop, not to overvalue themselves. At the same time, Five Nights was entertaining another thought in mind: Why are Thousand Miles Drunk and Eternal Dominion able to develop these efficient monster grinding routines? If I can get a hold of the key to this knowledge, I can completely kick these two to the curb. Even if the contract has certain restrictions to this end, it doesn't mean that we can't take the initiative on this front.
Five Nights' thinking was not mistaken, but it was a pity that he simply did not have a clear understanding of Gu Fei and Eternal Dominion; the mentality and concept of value these two martial artists shared was entirely different from the average player.
Gu Fei had no need for money, and what he was pursuing was something spiritual and not material. Thus, no amount of money offered would tempt him. Meanwhile, even though Eternal Dominion lacked money, he shared the same pursuit, which was beyond material gains. As such, he might be tempted to have enough money, but no matter how much money was being offered on the table, that temptation would not scale accordingly. Eternal Dominion already said, ”I don't even need that much…” when he first heard that he could earn 148.5 million RMB. The average person might think that he was silly for saying that, but the truth was that it was this martial artist's concept of value which made him say something as simple-minded. To them, satisfaction, happiness, and contentment were things that money could never buy, so what was the need for money? It was nothing but a means to guarantee survival.
No matter how high-handed Five Nights acted, could it be more elevated than Gu Fei's attitude of sheer disregard? Hearing Five Nights' question, he turned his head and glanced at Eternal Dominion. Gu Fei had no such pursuits, so when it came to actual money matters, he left it for Eternal Dominion, who was the one in need, to decide. In the end, Eternal Dominion gulped, looking a little nervous, and opened his mouth to say, ”You go…”
Gu Fei was not one to hesitate and drag things out, so the moment Eternal Dominion gave him full control of this conversation, he did not bother to be courteous. ”We don't have any thoughts about it. We just wish to hear your conditions.”
”Conditions? Ha….” Five Nights chuckled, feeling as if these two men really had no talent when it came to negotiations. To be so direct, did that not reveal just how anxious you are? Perhaps we can lowball such sort of people… With such a thought in mind, Five Nights began to expound, giving a description of how they operated as he poured out his grievances to the two. When drawing them in, these workshop employees boasted of how incomparably capable their organization was, but once it came to the actual negotiations, each part of the process was 'truthfully related'. This was an attempt to inculcate the belief that their workshop was essentially on the verge of collapse to the other party. Mixing all sorts of fake and real reasons, he aimed to communicate to them all the difficulties they faced on their end; how they must show some understanding and be more cooperative and how important it was to show sincerity. Now that they were also very sincerely offering a price, it was the two's turn to show good faith.
At this point, if the other party was convinced by the confusing litany of words, they would feel embarrassed to give a high price, as if doing so would reveal a lack of sincerity and offend the others, only worsening the situation.
But after saying so much, all Gu Fei did was turn his head to ask Eternal Dominion, ”How much do you need?”
”Wait a minute; let me do the math. The current expenditure for my three meals every day, daily expenses…” Eternal Dominion crouched over the table and began making calculations.
Gu Fei threw him a scornful look. ”F*ck! Must I find out how many years you want to live, too?”currency used in China. 7RMB ~ 1 USD