Money and Principles

A million was quite a lot.

Mo Fei sneered inwardly. An ordinary boss account was not actually worth much. In the game, even a first-tier Skeleton Tier boss could be created for just a hundred thousand credits.

However, like hero characters, boss characters became more expensive the higher their tier. A first-tier Terror Tier boss started at five hundred thousand, a first-tier Disaster Tier boss started at 2.5 million, and World Tier bosses had not yet been opened for creation. Going by that ratio, they would probably cost 12.5 million.

Although there were quite a few world bosses in the game at present, not a single one was being played by a player.

One had to know that the death rate during a boss's advancement was extremely high. To advance, one had to fight campaign battles, which were usually showdowns between heroes and bosses. The winner advanced, while the loser died. If one died in a campaign battle, they were truly dead. So-called scripted deaths meant that campaign battles were basically battle royale mode.

Out of a hundred Skeleton Tier bosses, perhaps not even one could successfully advance into a World Tier boss.

The Black Dragon boss he had raised had already reached the fifth tier of Disaster Tier and was about to advance into a world boss. A world boss! It might not be able to take on an entire nation alone, but destroying a city by itself was entirely possible.

He had put an extraordinary amount of effort into raising his Black Dragon character to this point. It was not merely his skill; luck had also played a huge part. On top of that, competition had not been so intense when the game had first launched, allowing for all kinds of clever tricks. Even if he started over now, he was not very confident he could raise another account like this.

A wealthy player had once offered ten million to buy his account, but Mo Fei had been forced to refuse despite the pain because of the platform's regulations and contract terms.

And now they wanted to take it back with one million plus an ordinary boss account? Were they trying to fob off a beggar?

Mo Fei cursed inwardly, but he kept smiling. "Heh, I'm sorry, Young Master Wang, but this isn't about money. I've poured too much effort into this account, and I've also formed a bond with my viewers. If I suddenly stopped streaming, it really wouldn't be right. The platform would suffer a huge loss too."

"That's not a problem. We'll still stream under the name Black Dragon Lord Mephisto. After all, a dragon's voice won't change. The viewers are here for Black Dragon Lord Mephisto, not the streamer. So, give me a straight answer. Are you in or not?" By the last few words, Wang Ziheng was already showing some impatience.

Mo Fei cursed the man's shamelessness inwardly. He could more or less imagine what Wang Ziheng was thinking—I'm the young master of Starlight Group. I've spent all this time negotiating with you nicely, which is already giving you plenty of face. Don't mistake kindness for weakness.

But with his interests at stake, he truly could not compromise.

"I'm sorry, but I can't agree. This isn't about money. It's a matter of principle."

Wang Ziheng looked at him, then suddenly smiled. His smile was exceptionally friendly—so friendly that it made Mo Fei's skin crawl.

"Ha ha, then forget it. I was just asking. Carry on. I won't disturb you anymore." With that, he turned and left.

Yet Mo Fei could not relax. If Wang Ziheng had pointed at his nose and cursed him out, he would have felt more at ease. He got cursed by viewers all the time while streaming anyway. They were all working stiffs; being cursed was being cursed, and he could endure it. But the more the other man acted as if nothing had happened, the more uncertain Mo Fei felt. He understood people like this. The dogs that bit did not bark.

But things had already come to this. He could not exactly chase after him and take back his words. He could not afford to lose that much face.

He probably won't go too far, right? Mo Fei thought. This was his own family's business, after all. Mo Fei was his employee and had made money for him.

The supervisor shook his head beside him. "Mo Fei, what were you thinking? What do you mean it isn't about money? Why are you acting so high-minded? If you wanted more compensation, you should've said so. I could've helped negotiate for you. Adding a few million more wouldn't have been difficult. How could you just refuse like that?"

Mo Fei thought, Of course it isn't about money when he only offered a million! If you want to bury me in money, then throw more money at me! If you offered eight or ten million, would I still refuse?

He was the young master of the company, for crying out loud. How could he be so stingy?

"I'm sorry, but it really isn't about money. I have principles. Some things can't be measured with money."

The supervisor froze for a moment, then could not help showing an admiring expression. "All right. You're something else."

He turned and hurried out the door, taking quick little steps as he caught up to Wang Ziheng, who was about to leave.

"Young Master Wang, about this... Mo Fei's usually pretty sensible. Maybe he just hasn't adjusted after ending his stream. How about offering him a higher price?"

Wang Ziheng merely smiled faintly. "Heh, there's no need. I may be a rich second-generation heir, but I don't like wasting money. If I can spend less, naturally I should save where I can. Why spend money on something I can get without paying?

I've looked into Mo Fei. He wasn't particularly well-known before this. He only gained some popularity by streaming the Black Dragon. Besides, he can't show his face in the game, so he himself isn't important. What matters is his game character.

His contract is about to expire. No matter what, we have to keep a character with this much popularity. Find all of Mo Fei's past stream recordings and have the audit department examine them carefully. See if there are any issues, then report back to me."

When Mo Fei returned home, Wang Ziheng's words and expression still surfaced in his mind from time to time. He was somewhat worried, but given their difference in status, there was nothing he could do if the other man truly decided to make a move against him. Then he thought about how his contract would expire in a few months. Once that happened, he would be free.

He had signed a five-year streaming contract back then. For the first four years, he had not gained much popularity, until the mysterious game Skyworld burst onto the scene.

A fully immersive virtual reality game—it was technology that seemed to exist only in science fiction novels. When he first heard about it, he had thought it was an April Fool's joke. Yet the game had actually done it. Even now, Mo Fei still found it somewhat unbelievable.

That had not stopped him from making his choice. He had entered the game immediately. Since he could not afford a high-tier account, he could only use a Monster Template, exploring the world bit by bit as a black dragon hatchling. To his surprise, his luck had been pretty good. Combined with his thorough understanding of the game's mechanics, he had stumbled his way into becoming the top streamer in the Monster District.

In the final few months of his streaming career, he had reached the peak of his career.

But as his popularity rose, so did the troubles. Being cursed by haters in the game was one thing, but reality was full of scheming as well. He had even been reported several times. He did not need to guess who was behind it. Now this had happened too, and Mo Fei could not help feeling the urge to quit. Maybe I should just resign once the contract expires. I've made some money over the past six months. At least I won't be short on spending money anytime soon. Even if I worked in the game to make money afterward, I could still support myself. Why put up with this aggravation?

He comforted himself with those thoughts, lay down on the bed, and quickly fell asleep.

Although the game helmet's manual claimed that it used deep-sleep technology and that playing the game was equivalent to sleeping, Mo Fei always felt exhausted after every stream, as if he had truly transformed into the Black Dragon and fought for an entire day. Each time, he had to sleep deeply for a long while before recovering his energy.

Mo Fei slept soundly now, yet his consciousness was hazy. He found himself standing in darkness. At first, he did not realize he was dreaming, until a pair of flame-like eyes appeared in the darkness, staring straight at him with a complicated emotion.

"Insignificant human, we meet again."

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