Chapter 1897: Domineering New Money
“The world heart?” Sikong Myriad Treasure smiled easily. “That’s just something worth a bit of enigma stones to Starcatch Tower. Profit that is readily at hand is not worth considering.”
Nightmare blinked. Since she wasn’t a grand supreme, she wasn’t able to consider issues from their vantage point. In her eyes, the world heart was the most important thing in a Dark World. Although treasures abounded within the world, there was nothing else that could compare.
“Starcatch Tower wishes to build a branch in the Dark World. Once it is established, it will be able to communicate with headquarters even after the world closes. We will receive an endless stream of the Dark World’s resources.
“Compared to the profit of an entire world, what does a world heart matter?”
Nightmare’s eyes went wide with shock. She looked incredulously at Lu Yun.
He shrugged noncommittally. He’d never been to one, so he didn’t know what was available on a Dark World. Although the ghost cultivator had introduced the Dark Worlds to him along the way, he still wasn’t sure what the true meaning of a Dark World was.
Its resources?
To the current Lu Yun, there was nothing more important than enigma stones and ancestral veins of heaven and earth. Those plainly weren’t produced in a Dark World. Hence, he remained quiet during the exchange. Nightmare could make her own decision in the matter.
The world heart was what was important to him. Obtaining it meant making progress toward refining eighteen levels of hell and creating the orders of hell dao.
Only when a Dark World coalesced a world heart did it open up; the process took roughly one hundred million years. The world remained closed during this time, but not entirely sealed off. Its denizens could emerge from the world through various methods and harass the rest of the realm, whereas chief world outsiders couldn’t barge in for revenge.
……
Nightmare had to determine her own course of action given Lu Yun’s lack of guidance. She was his subordinate, and he didn’t like having subordinates that required his input in everything.
Apart from the Infernum, all of his subordinates could be relied on to fully manage their own duties. His ten Yama Kings had exited the World of Immortals to be headmasters of Formula Academies on ten different major worlds while still leading armies against the chief worlds.
If Nightmare couldn’t handle such a minor matter, then Lu Yun would wipe her memory and erase her name from the Tome of Life and Death.
“I can do that!” Nightmare understood Lu Yun’s intention. “I can help Starcatch Tower establish a branch in the Dark World, but you must help me obtain the world heart!”
“Naturally. We seek something, so we must give something in return,” Sikong Myriad Treasure nodded. It was just a world heart. If his merchant company could take root in the Dark World, they would be the first to obtain the world heart when it emerged.
Even without Nightmare desiring it, they could still sell the world heart for a good price if they found no use for it. Although they possessed grand supremes among their ranks, they were merchants to the core of their being.
“One more thing!” Nightmare raised. “If Starcatch Tower really establishes a branch in the Dark World, I want thirty percent of the profits! The cut goes to me, not the Ghost Sect!”
The grand supreme arched a brow. He hadn’t expected Nightmare to propose that kind of condition—thirty percent was no small sum.
Before deciding on this path of action, Starcatch Tower had made a most stringent series of calculations. Their method? Formula dao.
Starcatch Tower was among those who sent their disciples to cultivate immortal dao in the World of Immortals. One of them successfully learned formula dao from those endeavors and was now a senior executive in the merchant company. Starcatch Tower sought out Nightmare after calculating how much profit was to be had from the Dark World. The merchant company was even willing to give up the world heart for it, but who would’ve thought this would be her requirement for partnership?
It’d be one thing if she was representing the Ghost Sect, that would mean the two factions would be allies. It would be a partnership of equally matched greats as there were also grand supremes in the sect.
But just a singular Nightmare for thirty percent of the profits from the Dark World?
She wasn’t worth it. Not by far.
She wasn’t a necessity to their goal either. Her sect possessed many more cultivators like her. Even the ghosts of the Dark Hell could replace her.
Thirty percent was too much.
“If Senior Myriad Treasure cannot satisfy this condition, then Nightmare will be unable to perform as requested.” Nightmare smiled brilliantly.
“In that case, the two young friends are free to do as you wish.” Sikong Myriad Treasure left with a flourish of his robes.
“Thirty percent isn’t that much, but Myriad Treasure is more of a merchant than cultivator. He will decline if a deal doesn’t reach his desired profit margin.” Lu Yun watched the grand supreme leave. “Let’s go.”
“Mmhmm,” Nightmare nodded.
“Grand overseer, are we letting them go just like this?” Someone hesitantly approached Sikong Myriad Treasure after the two visitors left.
“Thirty percent of a Dark World’s profits… One Nightmare and Zhu Lingyan is not worth that price,” the grand supreme sighed. “Crown Prince You Haoyue of the Dark Hell is also on Darkstar. Bring him in for a meeting.”
“Understood.”
……
Inside the Wind and Cloud Pagoda.
“Oh my heavens, the illustrious master is finally here!” A gaudily dressed woman swanned over as soon as Lu Yun and Nightmare set foot into the Wind and Cloud Pagoda branch on Darkstar. She swept them into the heart of the building.
Although Lu Feng had created the organization, all core members of the auction house knew that there were two masters of the Wind and Cloud Pagoda: Lu Feng and Lu Yun.
And while the rest of the realm might not know who Zhu Lingyan was, how would the senior executives of the Wind and Cloud Pagoda be in the dark? They sensed his arrival the moment Lu Yun set foot on Darkstar and swiftly closed shop for the day.
They readied themselves for Lu Yun’s arrival and indeed, he came as soon as he left Starcatch Tower.
The pagoda’s foundations were far inferior to the tower’s. In fact, the Wind and Cloud Pagoda was a crass example of new money compared to Starcatch Tower. But… this uncultured upstart was simply too rich for words.
The modified Lifeline Talisman and now Resurrection Talisman pushed them to new height after height. Their boss also happened to be a grand supreme who was a spacetime traveler. When Lu Feng established the Wind and Cloud Pagoda, he’d torn apart countless grand supremes to ensure that the pagoda would be domineering and secure in its position at the apex of the chief worlds.
If Starcatch Tower had the ability to help Nightmare deploy the strength of a high supreme in the Dark World, then so would the pagoda. Lu Yun had to use everything available to him in order to obtain the world heart.
