World Online

[Bonus Chapter because of the castle that has been gifted by Jason_Thomes. Thank you for the gift. Words cannot describe how happy I am.]

Immediately, sharp eyes fell on Jake.

"You know about this. Don't tell me. Is Bright Horizon one of the guilds of the inner circle? Which corporation do you represent?" one man asked in a heartbeat.

Jake smiled.

"Why do you want to know? I mean, it is clear that you guys didn't do your research before coming here. I mean, you should know that I am not that easily threatened. I even got this dear young lady to part with her wealth." Jake chuckled.

"I thought that he was a single player. Looks like he has backing. Fine. We are willing to enter an alliance with the corporation that backs you. But we are willing to pay cash. Ten Million Dollars for twenty percent of your guild. You are going to be valued at Fifty Million from the get go." the man in front said.

"I have no intention of earning more money in the real world. All of that is useless. You should know that. Why else would everyone in the world start liquidating assets and going all in on this game? I don't want cash. And like I said, I will never sell a stake in the guild until I want to." Jake said.

"Fine then. What do you mean by an alliance?" Phoenix interrupted him.

"Simple. The new update that came out caught me by surprise. Expeditions to search for the Western World. If we do get to the western world, and we are the first guild to do so, then surely, we will both be able to share the benefits from that." Jake smiled.

"How are you so confident that you are going to be the first guild to do that? There are so many more corporations with deeper pockets than yours."

"But who else has a stable foundation in this world. You guys forget. The amount of gold coins in circulation is almost nil. Thirty thousand went out and that is the only gold that is circulating right now. None of you have more money, and more networth in the game itself than I do." Jake said.

"Then how much are you worth?" someone asked.

"Why the hell would I reveal that to someone who is not even my ally? Forget that. Even an ally would have to prove their loyalty before I tell them what my cards are. But let me just give you a small example. See this? This store? I can do much better than this." Jake said.

"Huh! I know how much this little store of yours is worth, boy. Sure, you were first, but we have our own stores around Gaia as well now. Don't think that the store gives you anything at all." the man in front scoffed.

"Do you think that the store is a flex for me? Don't kid yourself. This is just a small time establishment." Jake shook his head.

"Fine. Venur is still interested. What do you want in the alliance?" Phoenix interrupted.

"I don't want anything. I just need Venur's guild to be ready at all times so that when we start going on expeditions, we will have someone to support us." Jake said.

"Fine. But we want something in return. Information. As long as Bright Horizon gives us enough benefits, and you know what we are talking about, then this deal is sealed in stone." she nodded.

"But I do not trust stone, Young Miss. I trust only paper and pen. Please, sign here." Jake tapped a few things on his user panel, and a virtual pad appeared in front of Phoenix.

"You have to be kidding me. You don't trust me even that much?" she looked at him provocatively. The temperature of the place immediately rose as everyone looked at Phoenix with red faces.

"Shut up and sign." Jake rudely said.

"Is this how you treat a lady?" Phoenix raised her eyebrows, but she still signed the virtual agreement.

"Good. Now that one thing is done, if you will please, there are nine others that I need to talk terms with." Jake said.

"You are so ambitious? Even after getting an alliance with Venur, you are looking for someone else?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Please, calm down. There are a lot of benefits. Imagine this, gentlemen. Right now, you can see that my words are law in this store. In the city, my reach spreads far. There isn't a person who knows me and doesn't want to curry favor with me. Imagine if we could do that for an entire kingdom, for an entire empire." Jake smiled.

"How ambitious. So you want to take over an entire empire with this alliance that you want us to create?" someone chuckled.

"As I thought. I knew that Horace would be interested in my offer." Jake smiled.

"The CEO has only one condition, and as long as you satisfy that, he will sign this agreement of yours and help with the expeditions that you are planning." this middle aged man with glasses said.

"I wonder what that is." Jake smiled.

"The CEO wants to meet you. As long as he is impressed, the deal is set in stone." he said.

"And I wonder where the CEO is, currently. The Black Stone Kingdom, I presume?" Jake said.

"You truly are the best at collecting information. The CEO will wait for you then. As long as you reveal your identity in the guild, they will let you in. I won't take any more of your time then. There are a few who will need some negotiation here, clearly." the man smiled as he left the room.

"What are you still doing here? I thought that the deal has been completed?" Jake looked at Phoenix, who was now standing.

"I am going, alright? Jeez. Such terrible hospitality."

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