I Don't Agree to the Terms

"Working with clients like you is just so comfortable; no nitpicking, and you settled on the first version right away," Gu Shanhai said as he put his things away.

"By the way, are you interested in joining us..." Shura started to say once Gu Shanhai finished packing.

"Oh, no, I'm a lifestyle player, I generally don't get involved in dangerous things," Gu Shanhai cut him off without waiting for him to finish, giving his direct refusal.

Joining two players who clearly fit the mold of main characters to run an instance would definitely mean facing challenges above my level.

He was powerful and had various tricks up his sleeve, but he just didn't want to go; it didn't fit his plans.

"Then I won't insist," Shura wasn't foolish; he saw that Gu Shanhai didn't want to go. To them, Gu Shanhai's strength was definitely not weak; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to block their talent probes.

"But, do you two take commissions?" Gu Shanhai expressed he didn't want to adventure with them, but he could still employ them.

"Commissions? What kind of commissions?" Little White was the first to speak up, naturally interested, while Shura kept quiet but was also looking at Gu Shanhai, indicating he was willing to listen before deciding.

"I'm very interested in the Divine beings of this world; could either of you help me capture one or gather related intelligence? I'll trade you with permanent stat elixirs," Gu Shanhai said as he pulled out a large bottle of permanent stat-boosting +1 elixirs.

The two of them caught their breath at the sight; the stuff could be used up to level 500, meaning if they got enough, they could reach the attributes of a level 500 while only level 460, and after level 500, they would possess strength far surpassing that level.

"No problem, but how do we value this?" Shura calmed down and asked. First off, they'd need a substantial quantity for it to matter; a small amount was meaningless since one had to stack to the attribute limit of level 500.

"There are a thousand pills in one bottle; I, for one, will settle by the bottle at the least. If you can capture a Divine being, I'll give you a hundred bottles, of course. If you exchange intelligence because you can't capture one, the minimum is also one bottle, though the intelligence has to be substantial and not overlapping," Gu Shanhai didn't care much about this.

These discontinued models were plentiful to him; previously, he'd been using them to feed Little White, but Little White couldn't just stuff them into his stomach like Gu Shanhai. If he ate too much, Little White would feel sick, so it was just the time to clear out his stock.

"You have a deal!" Little White immediately agreed, and Shura quickly followed suit.

"Alright, hiring you two experts, I can't be too stingy. Here, take a bottle each as a down payment," Gu Shanhai was quite generous, handing out a thousand pills per person.

Naturally, the two had no thought of refusing and took them without hesitation.

"I just arrived and heard about the perks being handed out. Can I get a share too?" A man pushed the door open and entered; the ID over his head read "Peaceful District - Mr. Qin," though he was not some old man but a young one.

Gu Shanhai searched his memory and quickly found the relevant information. He was a player who focused on the bizarre and peculiar. In this phase, his strength was comparable to Shura and Little White. His profession should be "Master of Thousands of Deceits," and his talent seemed to be "Life of Many Faces," allowing him multiple identities.

Based on what he recalled, it seemed Mr. Qin rose to prominence in a mid-level area called "Mom's Note." It was a region of bizarre rules, which he somehow broke through and entered a larger area. Right, that area was Peaceful District, then he used his multiple identities to gradually consolidate control over the district, eventually making it his territory.

This Mr. Qin's situation was similar to Heavenly Immortal's drunken frenzy; both specialized in a mid-level area. The difference was that his abilities were stronger. With the help of "The First Epoch," he colonized that world, and now it has been opened as a high-level world by "The First Epoch."

He seemed to already have the makings of a world of his own. As long as he took the entire high-level world into his hands, he would basically become the top person aside from Gu Shanhai. Both Shura and Little White couldn't compare, but it would probably take quite some time.

And this business center probably included a share of his investment as well.

After all, there were many talents within those mysteries, and after being subdued by Mr. Qin, they would be thrown into various worlds to help with operations.

As for the outcome, Gu Shanhai had little memory of it. After all, in his past life, he was a lone wolf, not paying much attention to these matters, and the information he collected only mentioned that there were problems with the profession of the Master of Mysterious Tricks, but he had no clear details.

Seeing Mr. Qin arrive, Shura and Divine Creatures wore a cautious expression.

Mr. Qin's own strength was not great, but the rule-based oddities he summoned were very troublesome, especially the undying nature and the certain death nature. The former meant that one could not completely erase the opponent, as they would lock in health, while the latter meant that as soon as you triggered the opponent's killing condition, if you didn't have a corresponding rule-based oddity on you, you would be instantly killed.

Of course, there were also quite a few restrictions, such as when the rules-based oddity reached locked health they would crash, and the killing conditions were very bizarre and heavily constrained.

"Do you want it too? That's no problem, but these two have accepted a commission," Gu Shanhai casually tossed a bottle to Mr. Qin.

After catching it, the other party's heart skipped a beat. He had seen a lot of the world, but this was something he had never encountered.

A casual thousand consumables of level 500 with permanent attribute +1 were truly enticing.

"I'll take this commission. Just say the word, and I'll move heaven and earth for you," said Mr. Qin, who had heard that the thousand were just a deposit, with more to come later.

Gu Shanhai thus repeated his request.

"No problem, but I can't do this alone. I'll need the help of both Shura and Divine Creatures," Mr. Qin admitted he could monopolize the task, but it would mean offending both Shura and Divine Creatures, and it was necessary to weigh whether it was worth it.

Better to make the cake bigger and share it with everyone. Not only would it save trouble, but it could also foster friendship.

Actually, Mr. Qin favored puzzle-based gameplay more. He really wasn't good at fighting, and besides, capturing Divine Beings was a task suited for combat-oriented players.

"Decide among yourselves. I don't mind either way," Gu Shanhai expressed indifference; it didn't matter who did it, he only cared about the result.

Although Shura and Divine Creatures were not pleased with Mr. Qin's approach, as it meant their rewards were diluted, they had to begrudgingly accept it.

If the three of them shared the load, they could indeed save a lot of effort, especially with Mr. Qin having influence in the Azure Sea World.

"That's settled then. Just wait for our good news," said Mr. Qin, who didn't have much knowledge of this world. Originally, it wasn't he who developed the commercial district of this world; he had only sent some rule-based oddities here to help.

Nevertheless, he wasn't concerned. For him, a world opened eighty years before was doing well if it had level 300 characters, and he was level 459 now. Plus, with two top players guaranteed at 460+, could three top ten-ranked players not take down such a world?

As for Gu Shanhai's reasons for coming to this world and his interest in Divine Beings, Mr. Qin was disinterested. The other party was a life-oriented player; perhaps he had some useful skills, and maybe they could even leverage this commission afterward for some extra benefits.

Moreover, casually inquiring about other players' strengths and weaknesses was generally a taboo among players, almost equivalent to preparing to make a move on someone; otherwise, why bother prying into others' business.

"If you dig up something more valuable, especially something eye-poppingly sensational, I won't nickel and dime you. I'll reward you generously. Shura and Divine Creatures know my reputation," Gu Shanhai dropped another bombshell.

All three brightened at the prospect, reaching an indirect consensus, a consensus that Gu Shanhai had hammered out with resources.