What Is the Price?

The virtual space before him gave Xiao Yu a strange sense of familiarity. Although it wasn't a game world, it was strikingly similar to a place he had seen in a game, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen it before.

"Good afternoon, Xiao Yu, or perhaps I should address you as—Mr. Azathoth." A voice suddenly sounded behind him.

Xiao Yu turned around and saw a figure completely shrouded in a black robe appear before him in the Void.

"It's you!?" Xiao Yu was taken aback. This person was actually the black-robed leader of the Council of Sages.

At least the person in front of him looked exactly like the leader of the Council of Sages. This person was actually a player, which was something Xiao Yu hadn't expected.

Please have a seat.

As they spoke, the man in black casually summoned a few chairs, and the two sat down.

"Did you need something from me?" Xiao Yu asked.

The man in black robes smiled slightly and suddenly said, "I know what happened during the day."

Xiao Yu was taken aback, thinking, "Really? You know something like this?" "What do you know?"

"I know everything. I know you made a deal with the game company, and I know the details of your deal. You must be wondering why I know all this, but that's not the point of my visit today. The point is, do you think they will pay you as agreed afterward?"

Xiao Yu thought to himself, "Of course not, because I'd turn on you beforehand!" Of course, he couldn't say that aloud, so he deliberately feigned surprise and asked, "What exactly do you mean?"

As you've probably noticed, those guys at the game company are utterly despicable and unscrupulous when it comes to profit. For them, games are just tools for making money. Liu Wei is a typical good-for-nothing who's good for nothing. I know him inside and out. The fact that he was chosen to handle this matter indicates that it's not as simple as it seems. Did you see any other people from the game company there? No, right? If something goes wrong in the future, the game company can simply say that this was Liu Wei's personal behavior, a commercial crime he committed for personal performance goals, and then you'll have absolutely no recourse.

Liu Wei will certainly be punished; he might be imprisoned for a few months, or he might only be fined. This is nothing compared to what they gained, while your final result will be nothing—you lost the game and received no compensation.

Xiao Yu thought to himself that it was indeed possible, but unfortunately, he was a cut above the rest and had already taken drastic measures. Before they could scheme against him, he was the one who would outsmart them. However, Xiao Yu was very curious about what the man in black robes meant by telling him all this.

So what you mean is...?

"I have a way to help you win the competition," the man in black said confidently.

Xiao Yu didn't believe there was such a thing as getting something for nothing in the world.

"So what is the price?"

"All of this!" the man in black robes said, as he removed his hood, revealing an unusually serious face, as if there was something special about him. However, he looked like an ordinary old man, probably in his fifties or sixties, with graying temples. His face still vaguely showed that he must have been a handsome man when he was young, but apart from that, Xiao Yu couldn't see anything different about him.

"Huh?" Xiao Yu asked, puzzled.

"Haha, just kidding." The man in black robes suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had thought of something very funny. He pulled up his hood to cover his face again, but the mysterious aura he had previously exuded had completely vanished.

"Hmm, where were we? Oh right, we were talking about the price. To gain power, you must pay a price. Your thinking is correct. I will bestow upon you unimaginable power, and what you will have to pay is—"

"Hey boss, let's stop with all this mystical stuff, okay? Just tell him directly," Merlin said, somewhat exasperated.

The man in black waved his hand, finally stopping his childish antics. "Alright, alright, enough joking. My proposal is simple: I'll help you become the final boss of this expansion. In return, you'll have to do three things for me in the game, and these three things definitely won't be detrimental to you. What do you say?"

"What makes you so boastful?"

"Oh young man, this game holds many secrets, and I know them all. With just a little guidance, I can grant you unprecedented power. What are expansion bosses compared to that? With my help, destroying the world will be no problem."

Xiao Yu thought to himself, "This guy is talking so confidently, could he be Shen Yuan, the game developer who got fired? Give me a break, I'm not getting involved with you guys."

He already knew these guys were going to cause trouble in the game, but he didn't intend to get involved, and he believed he was skilled enough to win the match.

So he shook his head. "No need. I don't know you, how would I know if what you're saying is true or false? I still think Liu Wei is more reliable. Unless you tell me everything you're going to do, I can't decide whether to agree to your proposal. Otherwise, forget it."

The man in black robes nodded noncommittally. "A very reasonable request, but unfortunately I cannot tell you."

"Then I'm afraid I cannot agree."

The man in black didn't press the issue. "Of course, this was just a suggestion. But if you ever encounter trouble or need help in the future, you can always come to me. My conditions still apply. Here's my phone number; call me when you've thought it through."

Xiao Yu shook his head. "No, I don't think we'll ever see each other again."

The man in black robes smiled slightly. "On the contrary, I have a premonition that we will meet again soon." With that, he placed the number directly in front of Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu ignored him and left, but he subconsciously memorized the number.

"Boss, are you just going to let him go like that?"

The man in black shook his head. "This was all part of my plan. Whether he agrees or not is not important. What's important is leaving a thorn in his heart so that he'll come back to me when he fails in the competition."

How do you know he's bound to fail?

"I don't know, but someone will always fail. After all, there can only be one winner. How could those powerful bosses who weren't chosen be content to be cannon fodder for the next three years? They'll naturally find someone they can use. Now, bring Abbas to me."

Xiao Yu returned to his virtual space, still somewhat puzzled. Who exactly was this man in black robes? He certainly had a big mouth. If it was Shen Yuan, should he speak to the game company about it?

But thinking about what happened today made Xiao Yu angry, so he simply ignored it and focused on preparing for the competition.