Rebirth of the Thief Who Roamed the World

So long as Nie Yan stayed vigilant, Shadow Killer couldn’t do anything to him. He had taken great strides along the path of a Shadow Dancer, significantly improving both his awareness and technique. Add to this his outstanding equipment such as the Glimpse of Darkness and Zennarde’s Sword, and he wouldn’t lose out to anyone!

Nie Yan was undeterred by Shadow Killer’s provocation.

Nie Yan chuckled lightly at the staggering bounty of 3,900 gold on his head. He never expected to be held in such high regard. It was more than double that of Sleepy Fox for example. This was testament to his position in the hearts of the players. And with Shadow Killer’s recent failure, this bounty was set to increase.

Nie Yan noticed that the current membership of the Union of Assassin had finally broken through to 20,000. Almost every notable player in the professional gaming circle had joined, including even those from other cities. Such a gathering attracted clientele from all walks of life, who issued requests with rewards ranging from just a few gold to upwards of tens of thousands. This incited the members to furiously raise their own rank within the organization.

The Union of Assassins currently had 1 Marquis, 3 Earls, 1,200 Viscounts, and 7,000 barons. All these players generated a mountain of gold for the Princes every day.

The Union of Assassins’ profit would only rise as it gained more recognition among the players. Yesterday’s total revenue was more than 5,000 gold. Today it broke through to over 10,000 gold. An enormous money-making machine had taken form, and it was currently displaying its might!

10,000 gold every day was a lot, even when divided among the shareholders.

Some players with backing tried to establish organizations to rival the Union of Assassins. But the vast majority of them ended up failing. Some even attempted to embezzle the commission fees from their players, raising even more doubt over these upstarts. The professional players soon came to a consensus. Outside of the Union of Assassins, the vast majority couldn’t be trusted. The Union of Assassins controlled an overwhelming 98% of the market. In this sort of environment, it was almost impossible for another organization to emerge. Even if one did manage to pop out of the woodwork, under the suppression of Sleepy Fox and Fa Lan, they would have no chance to grow.

Naturally, the Union of Assassin’s development wasn’t without its bumps. Some people accused the organization of stealing money from commissions, trying to cast doubt over them. However, Sleepy Fox came out with the records of every transaction, which had all been noted down by the system. All those who were trying to stir the pot immediately shut up.

The Union of Assassins had experienced numerous incidents. For it to have grown to this stage wasn’t easy.

Nie Yan looked over the list of top-ranking members in the Union of Assassins. Some of them were familiar names. In the previous timeline, they were all famous professional players. He sent each of them an invitation to join Asskickers United, promising them a host of benefits. It would be a win even if just one or two of them accepted.

In fact, many of these players were elated after receiving Nie Yan’s invitation. A lot of them had yet to make a name for themselves. Although some had a tiny bit of fame, it was nothing compared to his prestige. He had personally sent them an invitation! This action held significant meaning. It meant they had gained his recognition!

As for how many of them would join Asskickers United, Nie Yan could only wait and see.

Nie Yan glanced at the mission boards. There were over 60,000 missions available. Professional players could sort through the categories and pick whichever one interested them. When the Union of Assassins first started up, there were maybe a dozen or so missions every day. It was a stark difference.

Nie Yan issued several requests on the mission boards.

Mission: Assassinate the guild leader of Bloodlust Blades, Bloodlust Mad Blade.

Reward: 2,300 gold

Mission: Assassinate the guild leader of Victorious Return, Heaven Breaker.

Reward: 1,200 gold

Mission: Assassinate the guild leader of Radiant Sacred Flame, Nightbreak Trickster.

Reward: 2,100 gold

Their bounties naturally wouldn’t be higher than his own. Otherwise, wouldn’t that be admitting they were above him in status?

Nie Yan dealt with a few administrative tasks, then closed out of the Union of Assassins chat server. He didn’t know if anyone would take up his requests. He would check back and see later on.

At this moment, Nie Yan received an explosive piece of news from Sleepy Fox. He was currently in a secret meeting with Nightbreak Trickster, who expressed interest in joining the alliance with Asskickers United. The relationship between Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return was never that great in the first place.

Nightbreak Trickster didn’t wish to become a puppet of Bloodlust Blades, Alliance of Mages, and Divine Protectors. But circumstances forced him to their side. He was more than willing to make peace with Asskickers United, especially if it meant that the strongholds Radiant Sacred Flame controlled in Calore would no longer be under threat. However, as a guild leader, he naturally had his own considerations. He first needed Asskickers United to make a few promises.

Nie Yan snapped out of his daze midway through listening to Sleepy Fox’s narration. He realized his previous way of thinking was flawed! In his past life, Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return only became Cao Xu’s lackeys after being acquired by the Century Financial Group. He subconsciously classified them as mortal enemies. But in this life, Century Financial Group was forced to abandon their plans in Calore due to the emergence of Asskickers United. Heaven Breaker and Cao Xu were business partners in reality, so it would be hard to shake up their relationship. But what sort of relationship did Nightbreak Trickster have with Cao Xu?

The answer was simple, absolutely none! None of their interests were tied together, nor did they share any sort of friendship!

If Radiant Sacred Flame jumped ship, Victorious Return would be left to suffer all alone in Calore. They would no longer have any hope of making a comeback. It was entirely possible they would even disband. From then on, Calore would only consist of Asskickers United and its allies. Bloodlust Blades, Alliance of Mages, and Divine Protectors’ plans of using Radiant Sacred Flame and Victorious Return as chess pieces to deal with Asskickers United would be ruined!

「Don’t spare any effort to try and win Radiant Sacred Flame over. Show them our sincerity. Let them put forward their conditions. As long as they’re reasonable, agree to all of them. We have to get Radiant Sacred Flame on our side!」Nie Yan replied to Sleepy Fox.

Radiant Sacred Flame definitely had a price. They wouldn’t easily betray their allies. Since it was like this, all Nie Yan had to do was agree to their conditions. Their defection would have far-reaching effects on the power balance of the Viridian Empire!

「Sleepy Fox, invite Fa Lan to this call. I have something important to talk about,」Nie Yan said to Sleepy Fox. He had come to a few realizations.

At present, Asskickers United was far and away the top guild in Calore. Both Holy Empire and Sapphire Shrine heavily relied on them. Not just their top brasses, but also the average player in their guilds had become blind followers. Asskickers United had already firmly established its position. Sleepy Fox and Fa Lan understood it would be impossible to have a falling out with them. However, if things continued on like this, Holy Empire and Sapphire Shrine would inevitably be swallowed up. To counter this outcome, they would exclude Asskickers United too at times to ensure some semblance of independence. The relationship of the two sides was extremely complicated.

Before receiving the support of the Dragonsoar Financial Group, Asskickers United’s position was already secure. Their growth after receiving the support of the Dragonsoar Financial Group made others even more envious.

Nie Yan understood this logic.

「Alright,」Sleepy Fox replied. He invited Fa Lan to join the voice call.

「I want talk to talk about our alliance. Previously, the Dragonsoar Financial Group purchased shares in Asskickers United. I’m sure you all already know of this by now. For a guild, receiving a backer will aid in their growth. The supervisor from the Dragonsoar Financial Group recently told me they wish to invest in your guilds, and have me act on their behalf. What do the two of you think? Would you be interested?」Nie Yan asked. He planned to borrow the name of the Dragonsoar Financial Group to acquire Holy Empire and Sapphire Shrine. It was stealing a rafter and replacing it with a column. Like this, he could fully control Sapphire Shrine and Holy Empire.

As for why he was borrowing the Dragonsoar Financial Group’s name, it was to prevent a negative reaction from Sleepy Fox and Fa Lan. After all, both sides had their own personal disagreements.

He currently made more than 7,000 gold a day from the auction houses, Starry Night Potion Shop, Union of Assassins, business estates, and other sources of income. He had almost 60,000 gold saved up in his private account. There was also an additional 40,000 gold he could withdraw from the guild at any time. Add to this his daily income, and he had more than enough to buyout Holy Empire and Sapphire Shrine.

Sleepy Fox and Fa Lan pondered for a moment.

「What are their requests?」Fa Lan asked. In reality, it was really difficult to get by as a guild without the support of a financial group. For example, Sapphire Shrine only made roughly 2,000 gold a day. The guild’s daily upkeep was high, not to mention having to constantly spend gold on strengthening their strongholds and providing guild members with mounts. In comparison to Asskickers United who had received the investment of the Dragonsoar Financial Group, the gap between them was growing larger and larger. It would be impossible for him not to feel a little anxious.

「The Dragonsoar Financial Group wants a 35% stake in your guild under the name of their supervisor, and another 25% in my name. You guys will still be the leaders of your respective guilds. They won’t interfere with your decisions either,」Nie Yan said with a straight face. Sleepy Fox and Fa Lan would definitely suspect him of having his own motives. After all, asking for 60% right off the bat was quite ruthless. However, this was a financial group acquiring a guild. Of course it would at least be 60%, just like with how Century Financial Group acquired the five major guilds in the previous timeline. The Dragonsoar Financial Group only requiring 30% shares in Asskickers United was a special case.

Fa Lan’s eyes flashed.「The 35% stake, will it really be controlled by the Dragonsoar Financial Group?」