Chapter 69 – Sulgata’s Shadow (1/2)

Chapter 69 – Sulgata’s Shadow

Nie Yan’s act of generosity proved effective at persuading this Apprentice Alchemist’s heart, though the unbridled manner in which he spent his money held a much more devious purpose. The further he invested, the further Bird would become irrevocably bound to his ship, thus making it all the more difficult to leave. In the event Bird truly wanted to get off, he’d have to pay an exorbitant price to do so, and considering his financial situation, trying to break away was basically impossible. In other words, Nie Yan had accomplished another one of his objectives.

By the end of his shopping spree, he had bought Bird ten silvers worth of alchemy recipes and a vast quantity of ingredients and materials, filling all five bags completely.

“Here, use these supplies for now. Even when I’m not around, focus hard on raising your skill,” Nie Yan said. These alchemical ingredients were sufficient to last Bird a long time.

Seeing the bags packed to the brim with various plants and recipes, Bird couldn’t help feeling emotionally moved. No matter how much of an idiot he believed himself to be, he could tell these ingredients were more than enough for him to rank up to a Junior Alchemist. After being expelled from the Dark Hero guild, his experiences with Nie Yan felt like being pulled out of the depths of hell and placed into heaven. There were even several times where he believed this was all simply a dream.

“For showing me such kindness… I don’t really know how I could ever repay you. So for now, I’ll simply say thanks,” Bird said, his voice trembling in gratitude.

“Enough of that, these lines are getting too cheesy. It’s not like I recruited you solely from the kindness of my heart; there was a purpose as well. As long as you’re able to become an Alchemy Master or even Grandmaster and earn me more money, that’ll be the best way to repay me,” Nie Yan replied, waving him to stop. He couldn’t help but ponder over a certain problem. After returning to the past, this was the first time he significantly changed history. Without Victorious Return’s support in this timeline, would Bird still be able to become a Grandmaster Alchemist? At the moment, he couldn’t be sure since there wasn’t a clear answer. He could only try his best to make it happen. After all, every investment held their risks. “Now that everything’s settled, go and improve your Alchemy. I still have a lot of other business to attend to.”

“Gotcha, boss! I’ll be excusing myself then,” Bird answered. If he failed to attain any results even after spending so much of Nie Yan’s money, he simply wouldn’t have the face to show himself again. From being kicked from his guild to being picked up by a stranger, an ember of hope and a certain desire had arisen from the ashes of his despair. Thus, he felt nothing but grateful towards this savior of his.

He expressed his gratitude once more and took his leave.

…

Nie Yan paused for a moment and began to ponder. Such a chance encounter was analogous to having picked up a gem off the streets. Even if Bird couldn’t reach the Grandmaster level in the future, only reaching the Master level wouldn’t be too much of a loss either.

He planned to slowly gather a few people to serve his purpose in the future. Medicine King Bird from his original timeline had become the first among these individuals he successfully recruited.

After returning to the past, he was filled with wild ambition. Establishing his own elite team, acquiring an alchemy shop, recruiting a Master Tailor… there were many things he wished to do. Perhaps one day, he would even be able to establish his own guild! He might not interact alongside them all the time but there were other methods to manage the guild as well. By using his knowledge of the game and future events, he could still develop his elite forces from afar.

Many mysterious and wondrous new areas would be released in future patches. Included, of course, would be new dungeons, crafting materials, and other items as well.Furthermore, there would be intense struggles over strongholds and enormous guilds wars beyond the scope of one’s imagination. Even cities, provinces, or entire nations could get involved in these virtual battlefields.

In the previous timeline, countless financial firms across the globe had established their presence within the game. The potential commerce and booming economy within the game left many of these firms watering at their mouths. These major figures were itching to get the biggest slice while dividing up this enormous cake. They opened stores, established guilds, took over cities, and even became the powerful lords reigning over their regions.

Armed with the knowledge of the future, he was absolutely unwilling to be resigned to surviving in the cracks and crevices these numerous figures overlooked. Therefore he required his own power and influence in order to contend against them. He might not have any significant influence at present, but do remember: great oaks grew from the smallest of acorns, and even the tallest skyscrapers were built from the ground up. The foundations to realizing his wild ambitions were already steadily being built.