Nie Yan indeed needed to seek some reliable allies. The existence of the Assassin Alliance had already made the interests of the Bull Tribe and the Holy Roman Empire closely related. Both guilds were also under pressure from the Triumph Empire and the Radiant Holy Flame. Nie Yan had considered that, in order to resist the Triumph Empire and the Radiant Holy Flame, the Bull Tribe and the Holy Roman Empire would inevitably form an alliance. The key question was how to form such an alliance!
“We can cooperate in many ways. Additionally, we can establish mutual trust by exchanging guild shares,” said Ban Xing De Hu Li, testing Nie Yan’s stance.
Exchanging shares? Back then, when Cao Xu’s funds flowed into Faith, he rapidly took control of five super guilds, including the Triumph Empire and the Radiant Holy Flame, precisely by acquiring shares. These five super guilds united to form an unbeatable giant. Guilds like the Holy Roman Empire and the Jialan Temple, which refused to be acquired by Cao Xu, were forced to adopt a defensive posture.
Indeed, shareholding was the best way to build trust!
Seeing Nie Yan remained silent for a while, Ban Xing De Hu Li continued, “What you’ve seen of the Triumph Empire is just the tip of the iceberg. The Triumph Empire has many branches in other cities; they just haven’t arrived here yet. Once everyone has mounts in the future, they can gather from various places. At that time, the strength of the Triumph Empire will multiply several times. The Radiant Holy Flame is the same. I can’t be sure exactly how many members they have. The reason these big guilds have existed for so long without being replaced is not without reason.”
There was a warning in Ban Xing De Hu Li’s words. The Bull Tribe was indeed red-hot, having made the Triumph Empire suffer a defeat in Meltfire Forest. However, if Nie Yan thought that the Bull Tribe could now rival the Triumph Empire, that would be a naive idea that could destroy the Bull Tribe.
Nie Yan naturally understood how powerful and dominant the Triumph Empire had been at its peak. However, he was confident that the Bull Tribe would surpass the Triumph Empire in the future.
“Tell me about your cooperation plan,” Nie Yan said, wanting to hear what Ban Xing De Hu Li had to say.
“I will exchange 10% of the Holy Roman Empire’s shares for 30% of the Bull Tribe’s shares,” Ban Xing De Hu Li replied, adding, “The Holy Roman Empire I refer to here isn’t just the one in Carol City, but the entire Holy Roman Empire in the Grailand region.” Ban Xing De Hu Li was reminding Nie Yan that the Holy Roman Empire had deep foundations and was not making an unreasonable demand by proposing a share exchange with the Bull Tribe.
Nie Yan smiled slightly and asked, “How many branches and members does the Holy Roman Empire have?”
“Thirty-two branches, with at least 300,000 members in total. However, they are spread across various cities and will only play a role in the future,” Ban Xing De Hu Li explained. These branches were the forces the Holy Roman Empire had planted in different cities, which could be gathered together once large-scale wars broke out. The Bull Tribe’s forces, however, were concentrated solely in Carol City.
Nie Yan had his own considerations. Carol City was the capital city, the focus of everyone’s competition, where over 90% of the elites gathered. In the future, the Bull Tribe wouldn’t expand as wildly as the Triumph Empire or the Holy Roman Empire. What good was having more people? In the future, when vying for dominance, it wouldn’t be about numbers, but about the core strength of the entire guild. Just like the Crazy War Alliance, which had blocked the armies of the Triumph Empire and the War Blade Bloodthirsty with only 50,000 players against 600,000. For the Bull Tribe to dominate in the future, 100,000 players would be enough.
Nie Yan remained noncommittal about Ban Xing De Hu Li’s words and smiled faintly, saying, “Don’t you think it’s a loss? The Bull Tribe has only 50,000 members, while the entire Holy Roman Empire has over 300,000. In the future, the Bull Tribe will never exceed 100,000 members, but the Holy Roman Empire will surpass a million.”
In the future, the Triumph Empire, the Radiant Holy Flame, the Holy Roman Empire, the Jialan Temple, and others would all become super guilds with over a million members. Nie Yan’s goal, however, was only 100,000, continuously refining them into an elite force. Transforming 100,000 into an army capable of resisting a million—that was what Nie Yan aimed to do.
“Isn’t the Bull Tribe planning to recruit a large number of players?” Ban Xing De Hu Li asked in surprise. In his view, given the Bull Tribe’s growth rate, it would soon surpass 60,000 or 70,000 members. Becoming a super guild in the future wouldn’t be difficult.
“The future Bull Tribe will never exceed 100,000 members, maybe even fewer. Numbers don’t mean much,” Nie Yan replied. With fewer members, each could enjoy more guild resources. Combined with Nie Yan’s strong financial support, every member of the Bull Tribe would become an elite in the future.
Ban Xing De Hu Li pondered for a long time. Why wasn’t the Bull Tribe seizing the opportunity to expand? What was Nie Yan’s plan? He couldn’t quite grasp Nie Yan’s thinking.
“In my opinion, just you alone is worth 5% of the Holy Roman Empire’s shares. I’ll exchange 10% of the Holy Roman Empire’s shares for 20% of the Bull Tribe’s shares. How about that?” Ban Xing De Hu Li compromised, offering a little. For some reason, he felt Nie Yan had confidence in defeating the Triumph Empire, though he didn’t know where that confidence came from. Still, he thought it was worth taking a gamble on Nie Yan.
Nie Yan smiled and said, “You still don’t understand me. The future Bull Tribe will be absolutely unique. I won’t sell off large portions of the Bull Tribe’s shares. Even exchanging 30% of the Holy Roman Empire’s shares for 10% of the Bull Tribe’s shares, I wouldn’t do it. As for shares, the Bull Tribe can offer up to 3% at most, no more. We can, however, discuss cooperation. The Holy Roman Empire and the Bull Tribe still have many common interests. We rise together and fall together.”
Ban Xing De Hu Li hadn’t expected Nie Yan to refuse. Was Nie Yan really that confident in the Bull Tribe? This made him reflect and reassess the Bull Tribe. He thought for a moment and said, “Since you’re unwilling to give up too many shares, how about the Holy Roman Empire exchanging 5% of its shares for your 3%? You could take an honorary elder position in the Holy Roman Empire.” The 5% and 3% were merely symbolic and didn’t involve any real interests. The second half of his statement was the most important part. Ban Xing De Hu Li wanted to use Nie Yan’s reputation as the Rogue King to enhance the Holy Roman Empire’s prestige. That name carried more weight in the players’ minds than 5% of the shares.
Nie Yan considered it. Taking an honorary elder position in the Holy Roman Empire without any obligations involved wouldn’t be a problem.
“Alright, I agree,” Nie Yan nodded, then discussed specific cooperative matters with Ban Xing De Hu Li, including mutual defense pacts, formalized through agreements. If one party was attacked, the other could not remain neutral.
To avoid provoking the Triumph Empire and the Radiant Holy Flame, the two guilds did not immediately announce their alliance. However, Nie Yan’s appointment as an honorary elder in the Holy Roman Empire would inevitably spread quickly.
Nie Yan also informed Falan and Love Injury of the situation, though there was no substantial cooperation yet. He glanced at the Assassin Alliance channel. The Assassin Alliance had expanded well, with over 5,000 members, including over 300 Barons and more than 20 Viscounts.
Daily income exceeded 100 gold coins. Nie Yan, Ban Xing De Hu Li, Jialan, and Love Injury all received significant profits. Nie Yan’s earnings had surpassed 300 gold coins. He took out over 200 for himself, while the rest was used by Gu Huai for the Bull Tribe’s development.
Nie Yan informed Gu Huai about the cooperation with the Holy Roman Empire, and Gu Huai took care of the related arrangements.
Nie Yan arrived at the Lianwa spawn point and met with Yaoyao, Yulan, Killer No Die, and others.
“Boss Nieyan, you’re finally here. We’re still waiting for you to take us leveling,” Killer No Die said excitedly upon seeing Nie Yan.
“Nieyan, you’re here,” Yaoyao greeted him happily. For some reason, seeing Nie Yan brought her a sense of joy and happiness.
Yaoyao’s rosy cheeks were like morning clouds. For some reason, seeing Yaoyao’s bright smile reminded Nie Yan of Xie Yao. For a moment, he felt as if Xie Yao were standing right in front of him. He quickly shook his head, dispelling the strange thoughts. In a few days, he would see Xie Yao again, and a faint sense of happiness filled his heart.
“I’ve watched the video of you in Meltfire Forest. It was amazing. Yue’er told me you’re her idol. Many of my classmates know you now,” Yaoyao said, feeling proud of Nie Yan. The Rogue King’s name was surely now known to everyone, wasn’t it?
Seeing Yaoyao’s cheerful expression, Nie Yan felt a warmth in his heart and asked, “What level are you now?”
“I’m level 25. It’s really fast leveling up here. When I say you’re amazing, you don’t seem proud at all?” Yaoyao asked in surprise, seeing Nie Yan’s usual calm expression.
“What’s there to be proud of?” Nie Yan smiled.
Yaoyao pouted, dissatisfied, saying, “You’re as boring as a twenty-five or twenty-six-year-old uncle.”
What she didn’t know was that beneath Nie Yan’s youthful appearance lay the heart of an old soul. These things really weren’t worth getting excited about.
Players like Xiachong Yubing gathered from various places. Seeing Nie Yan, they all came to greet him: “Boss.” “Hello, Boss Nieyan.”
“Hello,” Nie Yan nodded, smiling.
Yaoyao’s clear eyes looked at these team members and then at Nie Yan. She was surprised. Before, when she interacted with Xiachong Yubing, Killer No Die, and others, she found them very strong. Seeing Nie Yan, they all showed excitement and genuine respect. How did Nie Yan manage to bring together these proud and independent players under his banner? Nie Yan was truly an amazing person, and in her heart, she began to feel a bit of admiration and curiosity towards him.
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