Chapter 200: Development: Part 3
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Lin Sheng sat down and continued to ponder his next plan. “Building my own influence from zero is too slow. I must leverage the local group by making a deal with them to get what I want. But what can I offer them in exchange?” He began to assess the resources in hand. Quickly, he thought of a feasible plan that might worth a try.
“I don’t only need money for the summoning ceremony but also more resources for other types of rituals and experiments. I need to solve the funding problem quickly.” After determining so, he continued with his study.
…
Adolf drew his woman in his arms, looked down at her, and planted a fiery kiss on her lips. High on liquor and tempted by expensive handbags and jewelry, the woman became Adolf’s latest playmate.
As the son of the owner of Chriss Group, Adolf was destined to inherit an enormous wealth from his father in the future. At least that was the perception in the eyes of outsiders. Indulging in glitzy nightlife and sleeping around, he was living a life of extravaganza that the average people could have never dreamed of. No one except himself knew the tedium and emptiness of such a way of life. What was more, he did not like the slightest bit of it. But he could not help himself as there was nothing else that could fill his emptiness, especially after he learned of Zeon, who, just like him, was the son of a wealthy family. However, Zeon had broken free from the shackles of his family and lived the life that he wanted. On the contrary, Adolf could not.
Although the Zeon family’s Yuandu Corporation and his family’s Chriss Group were the top companies in this part of the world, Adolf’s father and elder sister always told him not to befriend the Zeon family, as if they were beasts and scourges.
An hour later, Adolf pushed the woman away and asked her to leave. The woman took the bankcard that Adolf gave her as a matter of course. She kissed him, put on her clothes, and left, leaving the door slowly shutting close behind her while Adolf sat in bed and fell into a daze. If he had a choice, he would not choose to live a life of indulgence. But he had been used to it all these years. He had thought of not letting down his elder sister and seeing the disappointed face of his father. But what could he do? He had tried very hard, but he was just not cut out for it. He had failed despite all the advantages he had over others, leaving his elder sister and father wholly disappointed. At last, he realized that he was a dead loss. So he gave up on himself and sank into depravity.
“I look a mess…” He rubbed his face with his hands, put on night robe, and went into the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, he lowered his head and was about to wash his face. Just then, a creepy chill suddenly swept up his spine and spread throughout his body.
“Poor kid, I can see your pain and empty spirit.” A strange man, whose face fully covered in bandages, carrying a long silver sword on his back, stood at the bathroom entrance looking at him with his arms folded.
“Who are you?” Just when Adolf was about to alert his bodyguards, he was suddenly transfixed when the strange man transformed into a plume of black smoke and reappeared within feet from him.
“Who are you?” He asked again, eyes-wide-open, unsure of what to make of it. He quickly pinched his thigh, thinking that he was in a dream. But the pain sensation told him that he was not dreaming.
The strange man’s head slowly drew close, a pair of keen eyes seemingly peering through the layers of bandage and piercing into the deepest part of his heart.
“I see your discontent, your depression, and your emptiness…”
“Who are you? What do you want?” Adolf swallowed and took a step back, his back pressing against the sink and his eyes filled with explicable anticipation.
“Who am I? I am just a small fly working for an organization in search of talent.” The strange man answered with a hoarse voice.
“Talent?” Adolf was startled, pointing at himself. “Are you talking about me?”
“You sounds doubtful.” The strange man smiled. “But it is none of my business. I come to offer an opportunity, as you have been preselected to receive the endowment of Sacred Power. You may turn down the offer, of course. If you decline, I will leave immediately.” Adolf was not the only option that the Ironfist Society had, so Lin Sheng did not really care. This man might seem like a perfect match for Sacred Power, but this was not Lin Sheng’s main concern.
Adolf’s breathing became heavy. He did not choose to live in degradation, which was just a natural and helpless outcome of his constant failure in life. He had no idea why he was selected for the mysterious endowment. What was more, this was the first time he saw someone capable of turning into a plume of black smoke. An extraordinary world suddenly opened up before him. He would be admitted if he agreed, and it was that simple.
“At what price? What can I get in return?” At lease, Adolf still had some degree of mental awakeness and rationality.
“Price? Return?” The Blackfeather swordsman sneered under the control of Lin Sheng’s consciousness. “You really think you could get anything you like just because you have talent? Talent is only the beginning. You must spend time and work your butt off before you could get to the highest point. Of course, the passing down of Sacred Power calls for sacrifice, which is only an insignificant price to pay. What you really need to sacrifice is perseverance and having the spirit of never giving up.”
With the speed of the Blackfeather swordsman, Lin Sheng had selected many people in just one night. But out of all these people, he was most satisfied with three, whom he was about to test and take them in. He realized that the Ironfist Society could not solely depend on him and the summoned creatures; he must gain enough support from influential people. Once he found the one he wanted, he would give the other two candidates a pass.
It was not that Xylond had no supernaturals. That was why he did not want to conduct his recruitment exercise in a high-profile manner only to offend the local forces of influence. He already had enough to deal with Heaven’s Spire; the last thing he wanted was to have any more problems, especially with Xylond.
Adolf could hear his own breathing. He could vividly sense the attitude of the man, which seemed to tell him that he was not indispensable and that he could be easily replaced. And he was right in this regard. Lin Sheng indeed had many options. Adolf might be the best person whom he had ever met to fit the criteria beautifully, but it was not as quick as collecting souls. So he could not have cared less if Adolf said no. After all, he did not recruit members for propping up his combat strength but for securing resources and connection.
“I—I do!” Adolf agreed at once. He suffered a miserable loss in his last gamble, but he wanted to gamble again simply because he chose to believe it one more time.
