Negotiation

Kaka, being quick-witted, immediately spoke up in a loud voice: "Lord Gangke, the leader wants you to come and see him."

The cloaked figure glanced at Kaka, who lowered his head in intense awe and retreated to the side of the old goblin.

Gangke's footsteps grew closer. Soon, the first person to fall victim to the Aurora Blast appeared in sight. Although some time had passed, it was clear that Gangke's injuries had not fully healed, and his spirit appeared quite lethargic.

Gangke usually had a booming voice, but upon seeing the cloaked figure, his volume dropped instantly. The Servant Demon beside Gangke stepped forward, his expression slightly arrogant, and asked: "Are you the leader of the Cloak Society, Agulie?"

The cloaked figure said nothing more. He simply raised his hand and spread his fingers toward a wall ten meters away. A massive, spherical white light shot out at high speed. The ground along its path cracked repeatedly, and the sturdy wall was instantly pierced by the light orb, leaving behind an exaggerated, fissure-filled hole. The sound of debris caused by the destruction continued to echo from behind the wall for a long time before finally subsiding.

The power of this strike was astonishing. The Servant Demon watched, dumbfounded, his imposing manner suddenly cut in half. Beside him, Gangke recalled the scene from that night and was overcome with fear, his sturdy body trembling slightly: This is that very power! This level of might is at least that of a Mid-tier Demon, and it is definitely not a common Greater Devil's innate ability—it is likely a mutated talent. It seems surviving that night was purely a stroke of luck. Fortunately, I haven't made things difficult for that old goblin or the Cloak Society during this time.

The members of the Cloak Society revealed expressions of excitement, though more of it was awe toward the cloaked figure. They had only ever heard his name but never seen him; now, it was clear that the rumors did not do him justice. With such a powerful leader, the Cloak Society's name would likely resound throughout the Darkmoon Territory in the future.

Only the old goblin Didi felt a pang of heartache: Master, please don't tear down the courtyard as soon as you arrive. This is all Magic Crystal Coin...

"Lord Agulie, it was Naji who was presumptuous just now, please forgive me." This display of the Aurora Blast stripped away all of the Servant Demon's arrogance, his attitude performing a three-hundred-sixty-degree turn as his words became polite. "Today, Gangke and I are here representing the sheriff, General Allen, to discuss a matter with Lord Agulie."

Although Naji was wary of the cloaked figure's power, he remained calm and asked: "I have never heard the name of Lord Agulie before. May I ask where you are from? And what important business brings you to the Darkmoon Territory?"

"My hometown has always been the Darkmoon Territory, but I haven't returned for several hundred years. This time, I am out to gain experience under my teacher's orders, so I stopped by Darkmoon while I was at it." The cloaked figure was naturally Chen Rui, and this explanation was a deliberate smokescreen to make Agulie's origins appear even more mysterious and unfathomable.

Teacher? There is actually a powerhouse behind Agulie! Naji was shocked once more. As for Agulie's origins, there were no major red flags; several hundred years ago, Darkmoon was a famous and prosperous place where many powerhouses gathered. However, after the Beelzebub Royal Family rebelled and was quelled by Emperor White Night, it began to decline, and many families migrated elsewhere. It was very likely that Agulie belonged to one of those branches.

Naji wanted to get to the bottom of the power behind Agulie, so he probed: "If I may be so bold, your teacher..."

"My teacher's name is not something you are worthy of knowing," the cloaked figure said coldly. "Even Allen's father, Legu, the patriarch of the Kalon Family, does not have the qualifications to ask."

Naji's shock deepened. He had not expected the other party to remain so arrogant even while clearly aware of the Kalon Family's influence. His background must be extraordinary. He swallowed the threats he had prepared, became even more cautious, and asked: "Since you are a reasonable person, I will be blunt. You are well-traveled and should know that every place has its own rules. Now that you have established the Cloak Society in the city, you must follow the rules of Darkmoon. By paying a small monthly fee, General Allen can provide protection as long as no major incidents occur."

"I do not need this so-called protection. My teacher once said that if anyone dares to touch me, he will make their entire family vanish into dust. I have no doubt about that." These words caused the expressions of both Naji and Gangke to change. It seemed this person was determined to turn hostile, and judging by the power he had just shown, it would be child's play for this Agulie to kill them both.

Then, the cloaked figure's tone shifted: "However... you are right, every place has its own rules. I came to Darkmoon just to see my hometown, and to gain experience and cultivate. I do not wish to divide my energy, and the Cloak Society was only established to collect some resources for my teacher. I can follow the rules of Darkmoon, but you must never provoke me, otherwise..."

Naji breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said: "Rest assured, my lord. As for the fee, it is calculated based on the number of members. One Purple Crystal Coin per member per month. Your Cloak Society... with about ten or so people, that would be ten Purple Crystal Coins a month."

Due to his fear of Agulie, Naji had already offered the lowest possible price. Chen Rui looked at the little cloaks around him; there were at least twenty or thirty of them, so it seemed this guy was at least sensible. To maintain his air of mystery, he suppressed his heartache and tossed a Black Crystal Coin to Naji: "I will give the Kalon Family this much face. Don't bother me for the next ten months."

Naji was overjoyed. In truth, Allen only required them to keep the organizations in the city in check; the rules regarding fees were something Naji and his ilk had invented themselves, and they mostly pocketed the money, only needing to offer a tribute to Allen from time to time. As the only son of the Kalon Family, Allen naturally didn't care about such small change, and as long as no major incidents occurred, he was happy to turn a blind eye.

Relying on the name of the Kalon Family, Naji had always had smooth sailing, but this Agulie clearly had a massive background and was not afraid of the Kalon Family at all, so this trip could be considered a complete success.

"Many thanks for your generosity, my lord," Naji said, pulling Gangke along as they bowed. "If you ever need us to exert any effort in the future, we will certainly do our best."

Chen Rui nodded without speaking further, and Naji tactfully pulled Gangke away. The old goblin saw the little cloaks around him staring at their master with glowing eyes and shouted: "All of you, get out of here! Don't disturb the leader's rest!"

The Dark Goblins and Lesser Devils woke as if from a dream and scattered, their expressions filled with excitement and joy after witnessing their leader's might.

The old goblin said respectfully: "Master, please, have a seat inside."

Chen Rui said nothing, strode into the room, and sat on the chair in the center.

"Master..." The old goblin laboriously held out a handful of Purple Crystal Coins, about thirty or forty of them. "Master, the three Purple Crystal Coins you gave me initially, Didi has turned into thirty-eight. I now offer them all to you."

Thirty-eight Purple Crystal Coins? Chen Rui's heart stirred, and he asked: "Why did my friend say yesterday that you had earned over ten?"

"It is like this, Master," the old goblin was now completely certain of the deep friendship between the human scribe and his master. "Lord Chen Rui was correct; there were only fourteen yesterday, but I bet on the arena last night and won another nineteen. Adding the five earned today, it totals thirty-eight. Please check, Master."

Seeing that the old goblin kept his accounts clearly, Chen Rui nodded inwardly and asked: "What is this about the arena?"

Seeing that his master had not taken the money, the old goblin felt even more anxious and carefully replied: "There are several fighting matches in the arena every day, and you can place bets on the outcome. I heard that the arena used to be the liveliest place in all of Darkmoon, packed to capacity for every match, but it is much more desolate now. Unless there are major events like the recent Master Challenge or the aerial competitions, the audience is usually less than thirty percent full." Chen Rui had been to the arena twice and knew that it was quite large; if full, it could hold tens of thousands of spectators, so even at less than thirty percent, there were still over a thousand people.

Chen Rui became interested in the fighting matches the old goblin mentioned. Upon asking, he learned that the supervisor of the arena was Alaux, one of the "Three Scythes" under Joseph. Those with strength and confidence could sign up to compete. The winner of each match could receive a generous prize, and the loser could also receive a meager payment. However, these fights were quite dangerous, with no regard for life or death; fatalities occurred almost every day.

Last night, the Poison Dragon had also said that Chen Rui's various attributes had stabilized to a certain degree, and his rate of progress had begun to slow down. It would be best to gain further experience and stimulate his potential through real combat, then return to summarize and improve during special training; that was the most effective and fastest way to progress.

Chen Rui pondered for a moment and had already made his decision. He said: "My human friend mentioned your efforts to me. Since that is the case, I will give you a chance. If you can truly meet my requirements, you will be my official servant, and the Cloak Society can become a force truly under my protection."

The old goblin was overjoyed and offered the Purple Crystal Coins with both hands again, but Chen Rui did not take them. Instead, he took out two Black Crystal Coins and added them to the pile: "Take these as operating funds. You are not allowed to participate in gambling at the arena in the future. I want you to accomplish three things: first, use the Cloak Society to master all intelligence in the city, big or small, and report to me whenever I need it; second, learn more about business methods instead of cheating and extortion, and prepare to open a shop; third, try to collect Fluorescent Shadow Stones—the higher the quality, the better—along with some other materials. I will have my friend give you a list."

The old goblin had not expected his master to trust him so much, and even gave him two more Black Crystal Coins. This time was completely different from the previous "test"; it was a true delegation of responsibility. He had originally only wanted to attach himself to a powerhouse to avoid being bullied, but now it seemed that this path was the right one. With Master Agulie, the Cloak Society would no longer be an empty shell and could naturally develop with confidence.

As for business, that was the old goblin's specialty. It seemed his master was giving him room to shine, so he bowed deeply: "Didi will certainly fulfill Master's instructions!"

Chen Rui was anxious to go to the arena to see the situation and did not want to linger here any longer. He said: "Chen Rui is my most trusted friend. His words are my commands; you must treat him with the same respect you show me! I am going to a secret place to cultivate now. If there are any important matters in the future, I will have him relay them."

The old goblin already knew about the friendship between his master and the human, so he quickly agreed. He saw his master suddenly turn around, and a gritted-teeth voice came: "Also! I never want to hear that rumor about your daughter being a concubine again, otherwise, I will be the first to wipe out the Cloak Society!"

Hearing his master be so decisive, the series of strong recommendations the old goblin had prepared regarding his daughter had to rot in his stomach.

After leaving the Cloak Society, Chen Rui did not take off his cloak and did not stop along the way, arriving at the arena.