Chapter 108: The Grand Wager

Hmm?

Yenir narrowed his eyes and looked at Wang Zheng with clear surprise.

100,000 points is no small amount.

That sum would easily cover the hire of many low-tier Third-Stage Awakeneds. Such an extravagant offer?

“100,000 points?”

“I’m curious—why are you so eager to secure this dungeon prototype? And couldn’t your Merchant Guild find a suitable Third-Stage candidate?”

Yenir deduced that the other party had come knocking because Chen Yong had taken the lead, aiming to get closer to him.

But it certainly didn’t mean they were about to hand over 100,000 points for nothing.

After a brief hesitation, Wang Zheng glanced at Chen Yong. Noticing a slight nod from him, he proceeded to speak:

“Lord Ye Lin, since we’ve reached this point, I won’t hold anything back.”

“Our intention to secure this dungeon prototype is purely driven by the promise of future profits.”

“If we resolve the incident during the prototype phase, then entering it once it’s fully developed is like having a walkthrough!”

“Although the system might tweak some details and even raise the difficulty, having this experience will significantly ease the challenge!”

With a fiery glint in his eyes, Wang Zheng took a deep breath and continued:

“Moreover, as far as I know, many Third-Stage individuals looking to boost their willpower rely on Soul Crystals! And such items only drop from A-Level incidents!”

“In the future, this dungeon will host various types of supernatural entities—in short, it’ll be a gold mine!”

“All you need to do is come with us at least once—even if we fail, we’ll still give you 100,000 points. If you agree to keep this confidential, our Tiancheng Merchant Guild will hand you an extra 300,000 afterward! Plus, you get 70% of the future profits!”

Having finished, Wang Zheng looked at Yenir with undeniable confidence.

His offer was nothing short of generous! If he didn’t trust Chen Yong’s judgment and believe that Yenir was perfectly suited for this venture, he wouldn’t have been so willing to part with such riches. Clearly, his intent was to keep the information firmly in his grasp!

He dared not approach Third-Stage candidates from his Merchant Guild or beyond.

If he managed to resolve it even once, controlling this dungeon would be like owning a gold mine—a solid stepping stone for his bid to lead the Merchant Guild!

In the ensuing silence, behind Yenir’s calm façade, a spark of surprise flickered within him.

No wonder he was so generous—the value of this dungeon prototype must be immense…

It wasn’t surprising that the other party wanted to keep this under wraps; in his past life, major forces and the Military controlled vast resources with precisely this tactic.

Once you know what will unfold inside the dungeon, the difficulty drops dramatically! His previous runs had shown that this kind of intel could sometimes be a lifesaver!

Had humanity not teetered on the edge of extinction, not even the major factions or the Military would have uttered a word!

As for Soul Crystals…

Yenir knew of them, but he hadn’t expected these items to drop from A-Level supernatural incidents.

Although most people had dismissed willpower after the apocalypse, once reaching Third-Stage, resource-rich Third-Stage Awakeneds still sought to enhance it. After all, more powerful skills consume far more energy—who wouldn’t want to be stronger?

But the price was just too high; many would try to improve just a little and then stop.

Items that benefit Third-Stage individuals are ridiculously expensive.

If memory serves, one unit of such an item might be worth around 40,000 points—and raising an attribute even slightly required at least 400,000!

If all went smoothly, factoring in the 300,000 points promised by Wang Zheng, the profits could conservatively hit 500,000 to 600,000, if not more!

With a few extra Soul Crystals, reaching a million isn’t out of the question.

Suppressing his inner astonishment, Yenir admitted that he was indeed tempted.

Whether it was the hefty profits or the Soul Crystals, both were critical to him. If successful, once he completed the task, he’d immediately gather enough Credit Points to max out his level—and then, plunge into the Third-Stage trials!

After a brief pause, Yenir fixed his gaze on Wang Zheng and spoke deliberately:

“I demand 20% of the subsequent profits once the dungeon is fully established.”

Wang Zheng was momentarily taken aback—he hadn’t expected Yenir to ask for even more.

Unconsciously, he glanced at Chen Yong as if seeking his opinion. Although Yenir’s 300,000 seemed like a lot, compared to the future profits it was merely enough for a couple more entries. The real earnings were in what followed.

Besides, the subsequent profits wouldn’t belong solely to him—they were shared with Chen Yong, who was on the same side.

He fell silent.

Listening to Yenir’s proposition, Chen Yong felt a surge of inner conflict.

Should he agree? That wasn’t a trivial sum…

No exaggeration—the profits from controlling a dungeon could underpin the development of an entire faction.

After a moment, with determination in his eyes, he met Yenir’s gaze squarely and said:

“Agreed!”

“Lord Ye Lin, I trust in your character.”

“I can commit to 300,000 points plus 20% of the future profits.”

“Not only that, but I’ll throw in those two swords as well!”

“But you must promise me one thing: this information is absolutely confidential. And if I ever need you to step in, you’re bound to help!”

Sitting nearby, Wang Zheng was suddenly taken aback.

He knew that Chen Yong had loaned Yenir two pieces of equipment, which in total were worth well over 100,000 points! To offer a Third-Stage candidate so much? It was utterly insane!

Disregarding Wang Zheng’s astonishment, Chen Yong took a deep breath and awaited Yenir’s response.

Indeed, this was a high-stakes gamble.

He was betting that Yenir wasn’t the kind of untrustworthy scoundrel—that he’d be there when needed, forging a mutually beneficial alliance. As long as he could secure Yenir on his team, every sacrifice was justified!

Strangely, although he hadn’t known Yenir for long, he sensed that the young man possessed immense potential.

A quiet inner voice assured him he was making the right decision!

After a few seconds, amid the tense atmosphere, Yenir flashed a slight smile and slowly extended his right hand:

“Pleasure doing business.”

…….