Chapter 304: Roland’s Gamble
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Roland was deeply anxious. He cursed the no-fly zone around Guilar city, but recalled that he had actually voted for it to be set up. He smiled wryly to himself. Greda was too disappointing. His son’s usual troublemaking was tolerable, since other people would be wary of him and leave his son be. But now, Greda had messed with those Jie experts!
Roland had decided to pay the ransom. He would give his son a good smacking, see if he would dare do this again! "To think that he had went against Jie experts because of a mere woman! The stupid boy will die in a woman’s hands if this continues!" Roland cursed inside.
However, the Jie experts were not trying to make things difficult for him. Roland knew this from experience. 80 million might be a tremendous figure for the commoners, but it was only a drop from the ocean for him. Why would Jie experts be in need of money? It would be such a joke. Any aristocratic would pay more than this to the Jie experts. It seemed that the other party only wanted to make a tiny show of punishment to Greda.
Killing at the slightest provocation was not befitting of a Jie expert.
What would Ye Chong and his group think if they knew Roland’s thoughts on them? Roland ran fast. Even though he was Tribe Leader, he was also one of the tribe’s elites when he was young, and had even completed his own ascetic training. He was a formidable fighter in his own right.
Roland’s group was much more formal than Ye Chong"s. Full security measures were taken with the Tribe Leader himself making an appearance, . More than 300 guards clad in black close-fitting combat suits surrounded Roland at the center. The group advanced quickly, but none of them showed any signs of fatigue, evenly breathing as they were. Their procession attracted attention along the way.
Roland arrived just when the crowd’s enthusiasm in requesting acceptance into Ye Chong’s group was at its peak. The guards around Roland noticed the dense crowd, and forced a way through. The people pushed out of the way turned back to glower and yell, but when they saw who it was, they forcefully stopped themselves from uttering their first words.
Roland and his guards entered the scene, and the crowd gradually quieted down to a deafening silence. Anyone who survived long enough in Guilar city would recognise the Jin Gui tribe’s leader. Now that the Tribe Leader was here to save his own son, anyone who made a misstep here will have to bid farewell to Guilar city.
"I am Roland, greetings!" Roland stood formally and bowed. Attaining Jie was no mean feat. Usually, one attained Jie at around 50 to 60 years of age. Hence, Roland chose to speak in a respectful tone.
Ye Chong and his group was about to leave when Roland’s voice grinded them to a halt. Ye Chong took a glance at Greda and signaled to Old Chief Guo. Old Chief Guo took his meaning and walked out of the hotel with deliberate ease.
"To have Tribe Leader Roland himself visiting, you honor us!" Old Chief Guo did not sound very honored.
Roland spoke pensively, "My unworthy son has behaved most inappropriately to offend you and your company, he deserves the harshest of punishments."
Old Chief Guo laughed. "Tribe Leader Roland, you exaggerate. Boys are boys, it is in their nature to be petulant, he just needs a little education. Alright, back on topic, do you have money ready, Tribe Leader?"
The crowd was stunned. A Jie expert was asking for money!
"Here is a billion credits. Please accept it with my sincere apologies." Roland produced a purple-gold card.
A Tribe Leader in all his power and glory was openly negotiating with a group of Jie experts. It was too outrageous!
Most of the people stared at the card, panting greedily. A billion credits was an impossible figure for the average commoner.
However, Roland did not hand over the card to Old Chief Guo. Instead, he bowed down deeply and said, "Roland has a request as well, if all of you would be so kind to consider it!"
"What is this request ?" Old Chief Guo looked at Roland, intrigued.
"Roland’s unworthy son is impossibly stubborn, and Roland acknowledges his inability to educate him any further. However, if he continues like this, he will never succeed in life. Roland would ask for you and your group to accept him as a disciple. Roland would not expect him to be a Jie expert like yourselves, only that you would change his ways for the better."
Taking a disciple? Boss would never agree, Old Chief Guo was certain of it. Before he could reject the man, however, Roland’s next words came like a bomb, "Roland would offer 50 billion credits as the teaching fee for Greda!"
50 billion credits! The crowd went mad! Just what in the world was 50 billion credits worth? A Moonlight mech cost 30 thousand credits. A small-sized stars.h.i.+p was worth two million credits. A mid-sized stars.h.i.+p was 30 million credits. A large-sized stars.h.i.+p was five billion credits.
This was the price of ten large-sized stars.h.i.+ps! Even the powerful Trilobita Mech Squad had only 15 large stars.h.i.+ps, and that was the result of decades of savings.
Old Chief Guo hesitated, and replied, "Please wait a moment, we will discuss this."
The middle-aged man in the crowd sighed, "The old fellow’s cunning."
The handsome young man beside him countered, "He knows nothing about the other party, how could Tribe Leader Roland act so rashly?"
"You don’t understand!" The middle aged man said, "He’s taking a gamble!"
"A gamble?" The young man’s handsome features twisted in confusion.
"Yes. Greda’s upbringing is such that Roland can no longer make his son behave. Besides, the old fellow’s busy with his own work, and has no time to take care of Greda. Roland is gambling with 50 billion credits for a chance to mold his son into a better person. Don’t forget, the Jie experts are mysterious, affiliated with no aristocratic family. If they really accept Greda as a disciple, the Jin Gui tribe might just find themselves an ally. Roland is crafty."
The young man was unconvinced. "But no one knows the background of these Jie experts, why would he feel that his son will be safe with them?"
The middle-aged man took a glance at the younger man and said, "Remember, a man of status must have the right mindset. He can always bear another son, but this opportunity will not present itself again. He is now given a golden opportunity for both Greda and the Jin Gui tribe. If Greda continued the way he was, he will never be a man of substance. Roland loved his son, that’s why he’s willing to invest with 50 billion credits for him, and for the Jin Gui tribe."
The middle-aged man added, "In this world, nothing comes without risks."
The handsome young man pondered for a moment before asking, "If it was you, would you make the same decision?"
"I will," the middle-aged man answered without hesitation.
"Third Young Miss," an old servant came to s.h.i.+ Xin. s.h.i.+ Xin was surrounded by more than a dozen guards. They were either openly or discreetly protecting her .
s.h.i.+ Xin did not turn to look at him. "Uncle Hua, you’re all here." Uncle Hua was one of the people she trusted most. Growing up in an aristocratic family, she would always be accompanied by an attendant. Attendants often come from the families that branch out from the main aristocratic bloodline. They were all excellent in combat and managing tasks, and they were loyal to the aristocratic family. Uncle Hua was s.h.i.+ Xin’s attendant. He had watched over her ever since she was born.
Uncle Hua did not look his age. His skin was smooth and fair despite being over 50 years old. He spoke with a mellow voice, "The stars.h.i.+p that Second Young Miss is on is stranded, should we deploy some men to a.s.sist?"
"No need, they just got in touch with me. I asked them to take their time arriving to Guilar city. The city is in a state of unrest now. Second Young Miss has always been fragile, it will not do for her to be troubled." s.h.i.+ Xin asked, "Uncle Hua, did you bring the card?"
Uncle Hua nodded. "Here. Isn’t this for buying mechs from the Xue Lan clan?"
"It was. Let me have the card for now, we’ll see how it goes. We might not be getting mechs." s.h.i.+ Xin looked meaningfully at the hotel.
Uncle Hua and the rest had just arrived, and was not aware of previous proceedings. However, Uncle Hua did not hesitate and handed over the card to s.h.i.+ Xin.
s.h.i.+ Xin would never imagine that her second elder sister, s.h.i.+ Fuyin had gotten into trouble just then.
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The group chatted amiably. s.h.i.+ Chongming described to Shu Fuyin his ascetic training experience while he was younger, and s.h.i.+ Fuyin could not help but gasped again and again at his misadventures. Rui Bing still looked like her usual cold self, but she was getting eager to try out this strange method that they called ascetic training.
She realized that the annoying but beautiful woman had brought her to unfamiliar territory, a place not part of the Five Galaxies. When she first found out that she was no longer in the Five Galaxies, her first thought was that she might never see Ye Chong again. The thought made her deeply aggrieved.
Perhaps this was her fate. Rui Bing sighed quietly to herself pitifully. She was in no mood for conversation, and maintained her silence throughout the journey. No one dared to approach her for a chat, since she was obviously a cold person. Aside that, ever since her surprising demonstration of her skills that day, any admirer of hers would now be revising their judgment of their own merits.
Just how strong was this cold woman? s.h.i.+ Chongming was very curious.
Nonetheless, s.h.i.+ Fuyin had developed a fondness for Rui Bing, and always entwined her arm with Rui Bing’s. Rui Bing was also sympathetic towards a fragile lady like her. Besides, back at home, Rui Su had always liked to embrace her as well, so the intimacy was not unfamiliar.
On the other hand, s.h.i.+ Chongming was secretly happy to see Rui Bing and the Second Young Miss being so close.
The dry weather had caused the earth to crack beneath them. The deserted plain was only occasionally interrupted by a few crooked gray-brown salix willows.
Rui Bing abruptly halted. Her expression turned severe as she listened intently.
Everyone else was startled.
"Careful!" Rui Bing’s eyes turned sharp.
The group was still confused when they heard a disquieting rustling sound becoming clearer and clearer. Zhi Chongming grew nervous.