Watching Long Mei Er's back recede until it melted into the hazy night, Richard let out a breath.
He sat down on a stone atop a small dirt mound, his expression turning serious.
He was thinking. Seriously considering Long Mei Er's proposal.
He had to admit that Long Mei Er had shown the utmost sincerity in trying to "recruit" him, and the terms offered were indeed tempting.
Long Mei Er's personal example—having killed a Gold Ring of the Truth Society and suffered no consequences—had deeply moved him.
After all, what Richard had done to the Truth Society was merely destroy its East Coast branch—twice; kill two Silver Ring managers; and kill over a hundred Iron Ring members.
He might have won in terms of numbers, but Long Mei Er far surpassed him in quality—the other man had killed a Gold Ring. As far as Richard knew, Gold Rings were extremely rare throughout the Truth Society, numbering no more than twenty at most. Excluding those dispatched to remote locations such as the depths of the sea, even fewer remained on the continent.
Of course, this was not a competition. Who won and who lost was unimportant. What mattered was the attitude Long Mei Er had shown: as long as Richard was willing to join, the past could be forgiven. As long as he sincerely pledged allegiance, he could make up for his past deeds through merit.
From that perspective, if the Truth Society were willing to give him room to work, he could guarantee benefits greater than those of ten East Coast branches.
And with the Truth Society's full support, he would no longer need to sneak around. He could openly conduct all kinds of research, resolving his doubts more efficiently and more quickly. It was even possible that many questions