Signing Chao Bafang

Chapter 41: Signing Chao Bafang

Yang Shan had not made the decision on a whim.

Having been a lone wolf for three years in his previous life, Yang Shan knew full well that, as a highly interactive online game, Battle Through the Heavens had many resources that could not be obtained alone.

Yang Shan had suffered plenty because of that in his previous life.

There was no way he would suffer the same loss again in this life.

Of course, Yang Shan had no intention of establishing some large guild.

Guilds were far too bloated. You needed trustworthy people at every level, or internal problems would easily arise.

Yang Shan did not have the time to manage all that.

But choosing not to establish a guild did not mean Yang Shan would not find ways to sign players with exceptional combat ability.

Yang Shan knew exactly which players had consistently stayed at the forefront of each version in his previous life.

Give those players a bit of resources to help them get started faster, and Yang Shan would not need to worry about the rest at all! Just like Chao Bafang—at the beginning, Yang Shan had merely helped him complete the first two purple quests after the server opened and taught him some relatively basic combat techniques.

Chao Bafang could now solo Tier 2 Elite magical beasts on his own!

Leaving aside a monster like Yang Shan, Chao Bafang was absolutely one of the Top Players of this opening version!

All Yang Shan had to do later was occasionally provide some resources and guidance. Most of the time, he could leave him entirely to his own devices.

If Yang Shan had already signed seven or eight players like Chao Bafang, he would even dare to lead a team directly against a Tier 3 King of Beasts!

They could definitely cut down a Tier 3 King of Beasts! However, when Yang Shan said he wanted to sign Chao Bafang, Chao Bafang hesitated.

Yang Shan said, "What kind of expression is that? Constipated? If you have something difficult to say, spit it out."

"Great God, I actually signed with a large guild two years ago when I was playing Eternal Calamity Purgatory."

Chao Bafang seemed to recall some unpleasant memories, and his face grew somewhat melancholy. "I fell out with that guild a year ago. Not only did I have to return all the money I earned, I even lost another hundred thousand. Ever since then, I decided never to sign another contract."

Yang Shan truly had not known that Chao Bafang had gone through something like that before. "Did you fall out because of internal guild conflicts or something?"

"Internal conflict would have been one thing. The key is that the company behind that guild was fucking full of bloodsuckers! They wouldn't stop until they'd gnawed a mouthful of fur off every rat that passed by!"

Chao Bafang gritted his teeth. "Fuck, the guild barely gave me any benefits all year, and I farmed all my own equipment and items in the game. Yet in the end, even my damn account wasn't mine anymore!"

By this point in the development of virtual games, the standardized contracts formulated by the courts and other legal authorities had become quite comprehensive.

When these contracts were used, the rights and obligations of both signing parties were protected, and any issues could be handled directly through legal proceedings.

But the relatively weaker party was still the signed player.

Under normal circumstances, the game account of Party B—the signed player—would no longer belong to Party B personally, but would instead become a game asset of Party A.

However, Party B would also receive substantial compensation from Party A.

The contract details were, in fact, not much different from an employment contract between a company and an employee.

Yang Shan also remembered that in his previous life, a Top Player in Battle Through the Heavens who had signed with a mid-sized guild chose to terminate the contract after being exploited too severely by the guild.

As a result, all of that Top Player's equipment and every game item in his backpack, including Spirit Stones, were stripped away.

Even the Strange Water he had worked so hard to obtain was taken by the guild and auctioned off! There were also Top Players under guilds who betrayed their guilds. Although they paid exorbitant breach-of-contract penalties, they also left those guilds so badly weakened by their rivals that they never recovered.

Therefore, whether guilds or players, everyone was exceptionally cautious when it came to signing contracts.

It was perfectly normal for Chao Bafang to have reservations.

Yang Shan merely said lightly, "The contract I'm signing with you is a Freelancer Contract!"

Chao Bafang immediately jumped three feet into the air in excitement.

"Fuck! A Freelancer Contract? Is it really a Freelancer Contract?"

It was no wonder Chao Bafang was so excited.

A "Freelancer Contract" could be said to be the rarest type of contract in the online gaming world.

This contract would not alter Party B's game account.

After it was signed, Party A would pay Party B a small salary.

During the contract period, Party B would become a member of Party A's company or guild, refrain from any in-game actions that harmed Party A's company or guild interests, and fully cooperate with Party A's company or guild operations.

Of course, Party A would pay Party B a certain amount of compensation based on their contribution to those operations.

Although all virtual items obtained by Party B in the game belonged to Party B, Party A had priority purchasing rights.

Naturally, the contract also contained various other terms and conditions.

But even so, this was by far the contract that offered Party B the greatest degree of freedom.

Generally speaking, few companies or guilds would sign Freelancer Contracts with players.

Because the terms of this contract did not directly harm the core interests of the signed player.

If the profit distribution under other contracts was 80% for Party A, the company, and 20% for Party B, then a Freelancer Contract could basically reach 60% for Party A and 40% for Party B.

Chao Bafang was genuinely tempted this time.

Then he saw the monthly base salary listed beneath the contract:

Two thousand.

Chao Bafang's eyelids twitched wildly. "Great God, I'm only worth two thousand?"

Yang Shan said, "Freelancer Contracts already come with low base salaries. Even Top Players only get ten or twenty thousand. How about I switch you to a standard contract and pay you fifteen thousand a month?"

After all, the current Chao Bafang was not yet the super first-rate expert he would become three years later.

Nor was Yang Shan running a charity. There was no way he would offer Chao Bafang a contract based on standards from three years in the future.

Besides, Freelancer Contracts generally came with base salaries of eight hundred or a thousand. Two thousand was already considered quite generous!

Compared to the base salary, Chao Bafang had a more straightforward thought in mind:

"Once I sign the contract, I can follow Great God openly and properly!"

During this period, anything connected to Yang Shan had brought Chao Bafang considerable benefits.

This contract shook Chao Bafang's resolve, and he secretly thought, Why the hell did I make that vow before? This contract is so good!

Seeing the change in Chao Bafang's expression, Yang Shan immediately took a Body Tempering Pill and three bottles of Gathering Yuan Pills—thirty-six pills in total—from his Storage Ring.

"Signing bonus. Whether you sign or not is up to you."

"Gathering Yuan Pills—holy crap! A Body Tempering Pill!"

Chao Bafang's mind buzzed. Did I ever make a vow before? No, I didn't!

Afraid Yang Shan would change his mind, Chao Bafang completed the iris scan, facial recognition, fingerprint verification, and handwritten signature. The contract took effect immediately! From this moment on, if Yang Shan told him to go east in the game, Chao Bafang had to go east!

Even if it was a Freelancer Contract, the client still gave the orders while the contractor did the work.

So even if Yang Shan told him to go hack Medusa to death, Chao Bafang would have to grit his teeth and do it! That was the power of a contract!

Yet Chao Bafang was still counting himself lucky to have found such a good boss. These days, what boss would even offer a Freelancer Contract?

Chao Bafang grinned. "Hehe, Great God, I'll be following you from now on. Should I call you Boss from now on?"

Yang Shan thought for a moment. "I don't really like being called Boss."

Chao Bafang said, "Then I'll keep calling you Great God. I'm used to it already."

Yang Shan said, "Sure. I'm used to hearing it too."

Chao Bafang immediately began gossiping. "Great God, what's our guild called? How many people have we signed so far?"

Yang Shan answered casually:

"Oh, I'm not planning to establish a guild for now. But I'll start a company later on. I haven't decided on a company name yet. You're the first person I've signed."

The smile on Chao Bafang's face instantly froze, and he thought to himself:

Holy shit, did I just board a pirate ship?