Chapter 266: Cooperation

Lin Yun did just that.

Half a month later, the joint exploration team returned to Thousand Sails City. Waiting for them were three days and three nights of celebration. This time, the joint exploration team could be said to have had an unprecedented success. The harvest they earned from Vaughn's laboratory far surpassed what they had imagined, and for a while, Thousand Sails City soaked in happiness.

After their celebration was over, Lin Yun went from house to house to negotiate.

But Lin Yun hadn't foreseen that the negotiation would be extraordinarily smooth. All eight major forces participating in the joint exploration were willing to trade their magic materials.

This included even the Alchemist Guild and the Monchi Family.

After all, the Alchemist Guild was the greatest alchemy force of Thousand Sails City. Without the abnormal Lin Yun, the Alchemist Guild's talents and techniques were higher than the Gilded Rose by a bit. It normally would be unthinkable for them to trade away that batch of magic materials.

There was also the Twin Moons Splendor of the Monchi Family, that was the alchemy store second only to Lin Yun's Gilded Rose. Even if they had already been crushed by the Gilded Rose, there was still some business. Besides, the relationship between the Monchi Family and the Flashing Gold chamber of commerce wasn't particularly good. The shipwreck of Locke Merlin couldn't avoid being linked to the Monchi Family.

Because of this, Lin Yun didn't even think of negotiating with them.

He had planned to go to the few forces he had a good relationship with, such as the Silver Moon Mercenary Group, the Black Horn Auction House, the Sage Tower, the Viper Nest, and even the Flash Arrow Mercenary Group. He hadn't planned on looking for the Monchi Family or the Alchemist Guild.

As a result...

Lin Yun didn't have to look for them as they directly came to him.

On the afternoon of the same day Lin Yun conducted his trade negotiations, Lys ran to the Gilded Rose.

He slammed a table and asked what the Gilded Rose was doing and if they were looking down on the Alchemist Guild. It took Lin Yun coming out and personally apologizing before Lys was finally appeased. They discussed for a while and the materials of the Alchemist Guild were also given to the Gilded Rose, and they didn't obtain golds or items in exchange, but rather, they deepened their partnership.

And just as Lys left, Monchi came over with his son.

Naturally, Monchi brought his eldest son, Ryan. He had already locked Mason in and had someone escorting him even to the bathroom.

Nothing could be done about it, Monchi was afraid.

Monchi seemed to have aged ten years after his trip to the Four Seasons Canyon. His meticulous hair had already started turning white. Monchi was in the prime of his life, yet he could already pass off as someone with one foot in the grave. Monchi had been getting nightmares every night ever since they returned from the Four Seasons Canyon, he kept dreaming of the young High Mage coming to deal with him, dreams of the Monchi Family collapsing overnight, of his sons dying violently.

It wasn't that Monchi was a coward...

The trip to the Four Seasons Canyon had left too big an impact on Monchi.

Fran, a 5th Rank High Mage, looked like a child when facing the then 9th Rank Great Mage Lin Yun, he couldn't even retaliate and ended up with his head in the dirt, being stomped on. That scene alone made Monchi feel cold feet.

And then, something even more shocking happened. Two people of the Mercury Tower came one after the other, one of them was Archmage Suyass, the other was the future master of the Mercury Tower, Karon.

At the time, Monchi thought Mafa Merlin would greatly suffer.

And to be fair, the situation was going in that direction at first as Suyass had a serious conflict with Mafa Merlin and even burnt Solomon. It looked as if a battle was about to start, before Karon appeared.

Monchi didn't know what Karon told Suyass, he only witnessed Suyass taking the initiative to admit defeat and harm his own arm.

Monchi had been stunned.

At that time, Monchi felt that troubles would soon appear for the Monchi Family.

However...

Monchi never imagined that this was just the beginning.

Monchi couldn't follow the joint exploration team in the underground laboratory himself, but that didn't mean that Monchi wouldn't learn of what had happened.

Elder Hansen saw everything with his own eyes and conveyed everything to Monchi after returning, drenching Monchi's shirt in cold sweat.

At the top floor of the stone tower, Mafa Merlin instantly killed an Alpha Thunderbird close to level 40 while they were besieged by a flock of Thunderbirds. Then, in the treasure trove filled with magic materials, he defeated Fran who had reached Archmage realm, and even Suyass, an Archmage who had been famous for a long time, had no other choice but to lower himself in front of Mafa Merlin.

Everything felt like a nightmare to Monchi.

He would have a stomach ache whenever Mafa Merlin's name was mentioned.

If he had realized Mafa Merlin's potential earlier and killed him while he was still a Magic Apprentice, would the Monchi Family be in such a crisis?

If he hadn't followed Solan's instructions and didn't participate in Locke Merlin's shipwreck as well as having Fario try to take the house left behind by Locke Merlin, if he hadn't forged enmity with Merlin in the Black Horn Auction, if he hadn't ignored Mason provoking Merlin time and time again...

If only...

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Mafa Merlin was too influential. He sat on the extremely wealthy Gilded Rose and his strength was already unfathomable. Elder Hansen didn't even dare to guess what realm Mafa Merlin had reached, he only sighed and said that the most powerful mage of Thousand Sails City was no longer Solomon...

And that was without mentioning the fact that all the major forces of Thousand Sails City were currying favor with the Gilded Rose. If Mafa Merlin said a word, those forces that were usually polite with the Monchi Family might immediately bare their fangs towards them without hesitation.

Monchi didn't know what to think now...

He remained scared and on edge ever since he returned from the Four Seasons Canyon, afraid of making a mistake that would attract the attention of that young High Mage on himself.

This kind of life was a torture.

Up until Monchi heard that the Gilded Rose's Mafa Merlin personally went from house to house to negotiate with every major force, hoping they could let the Gilded Rose work on that batch of materials while giving generous conditions in exchange.

Monchi couldn't sit still anymore.

Because Mafa Merlin hadn't looked for the Monchi Family.

Monchi wouldn't have cared before and would have even preferred Mafa Merlin not looking for them.

But Monchi couldn't help being afraid at such a sensitive time.

What was the Gilded Rose's goal?

Looking for all the forces that participated in the joint exploration team, but not for the Monchi Family. Did this mean that Mafa Merlin determined he gained enough influence and could start retaliating against the Monchi Family?

Monchi became alarmed when he thought of such a possibility. He no longer cared about his reputation and immediately called Ryan. The father and son pair hurried to Victorious Return Street.

Only a week after returning from the Four Seasons Canyon, a pale and exhausted Monchi entered the Gilded Rose. Even Lin Yun took some time to recognize him when he saw him.

"Hello, Leader Monchi." Seeing Monchi going in, Lin Yun froze before plastering a smile on his face.

'Perfect timing.'

Lin Yun originally wanted to pay a visit to the Monchi Family before leaving Thousand Sails City to have a discussion with Monchi himself.

He needed to discuss the Twin Moons Splendor's future development and Locke Merlin's shipwreck. Lin Yun already decided that if Monchi was unwilling to cooperate, he would have no other choice but to eliminate the Monchi Family before leaving Thousand Sails City.

Lin Yun wouldn't have to spend a lot of effort eliminating a Monchi Family or two.

Lin Yun didn't even need to do the job himself. As long as he asks, quite a few major forces of Thousand Sails City would be willing to make the effort in his stead.

The only thing he needed to be concerned about was that Solan from the Black Tower.

But before Lin Yun could carry out his plan, Monchi came to his door on his own.

"High Mage Merlin..." Monchi's body seemed a lot worse. He was clearly stooping as he walked, his grizzled hair and anxious gaze clearly displaying that Monchi wasn't in a good state mentally.

"Leader Monchi, is there a problem?"

"I heard that a few of the major forces that explored the Four Seasons Canyon let the Gilded Rose process their magic materials. I wonder if our Monchi Family could have this honor? Being able to cooperate with the Gilded Rose is our Monchi Family's wish. With such a good opportunity, how could our Monchi Family miss it..."

"Eh?" Lin Yun wasn't very surprised by Monchi's strange wording, six other major forces had given their magic materials to the Gilded Rose, how could the Monchi Family not feel that they have been isolated. They only had one path left, but Lin Yun never expected Monchi to lower himself like that.

'It looks like this trip left an impact on Monchi.'

"Haha, so it was like this, I thought too much. I originally thought that with your Twin Moons Splendor, the Monchi Family required a lot of magic materials. I didn't expect the Monchi Family to have so much magic materials stored that even with the Twin Moon Splendor's consumption, you can still take some out to cooperate with the Gilded Rose. Worthy of a millennial family, your foundations are so deep that they can't even compare to ordinary forces..."

"Haha..." Monchi's mouth twitched as he squeezed a stiff smile while feeling dead inside.

That's right, Twin Moons Splendor wasn't short on magic materials.

But due to what?

This wasn't because of the Monchi Family's stored magic materials, nor was it because the Monchi Family was a Millennial clan with deep heritage, it was purely because the Gilded Rose monopolized the market.

'You are talking shit, who doesn't know that the Gilded Rose is a big tumor among the alchemy stores in Thousand Sails City. The monthly alchemy exhibition is already forcing the other alchemy stores to kneel.'

'Every exhibition would have newer and better items. The market would be squeezed once again. The Gilded Rose's alchemy items already stretched across all alchemy domains, from potions to equipments, from puppets to arrays, which domain doesn't bear the shadow of your Gilded Rose? You even offer after sale maintenance and technical support. This undisguised monopoly is a hundred times worse than Locke Merlin!'

'The current Twin Moons Splendor can only get the scraps the Gilded Rose doesn't want. It would be a wonder if their magic materials didn't accumulate after half a year.'

Naturally, Monchi wouldn't say those words aloud.

He was inwardly cursing the Merlins while displaying a smile, "High Mage Merlin, the Monchi Family truly want to cooperate with the Gilded Rose in good faith, but I don't know if we will get this opportunity..."

"Leader Monchi, you speak like an outsider. Whether it's the Monchi Family or the Gilded Rose, they are both forces native to Thousand Sails City. Helping each other is an obvious action, there is naturally no problem in cooperating..."

Lin Yun said that with a smile, which made Monchi's eyes regain their luster, eased up his brows and straightened his back. He was about to say a few kind words, when he was thrown off guard by Lin Yun's smile disappearing, "But it is very unfortunate..."

"Eh?" This sudden change almost gave Monchi a heart attack. At this time, Monchi couldn't even keep his smile as his filled with impatience, "What is it, High Mage Merlin?"

"I can't do anything about it, Leader Monchi. You are also a member of the joint exploration team, so you should know how great was the harvest of the Four Seasons Canyon, the eight major forces gained quite a bit of magic materials, and they are all piled up here. I already used all of the Gilded Rose's funds, and I am still owing a large sum. I'm not going to hide it from you, I had to borrow from Sauss with high-interest."

"..." Monchi thought before inwardly spitting, 'You took a high-interest loan from Sauss? He would run as if his life depended on it to give you golds as long as you stood in front of the Poison Fog Canyon.'

But Monchi also understood the young High Mage's words. It wasn't that cooperating was impossible, it just meant that some conditions were needed.

Monchi felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.