105 Chapter 105: Negotiation 2

"He declined?!" The crowd was dumbfounded. He just declined a perfectly fair offer.

"Why would he decline?" A disciple from a power could not comprehend Dylan's line of thought at all.

"I- I'm not even sure myself..." The person beside him was confused as well.

"Having a variety of products is definitely beneficial to a business! Even more so to have a joint establishment with these 4 powers is like giving wings to a tiger! Why didn't he choose to accept the deal?" A noble clan sect master felt that it was impractical to waste such​ an opportunity.

"Right. If it was me, I would have accepted the offer without hesitation." Another sect master said.

"If you ask me, he seems just to be an arrogant and miserly tycoon!" A burly man commented severely.

"He must think that gaining the partnership of the Premier Hall will help his business boom just like that! What arrogance!" An old fox analyzed.

...

"Waves of displeasure from the audience came with Dylan's reply but the man was unperturbed from this." The scholarly handsome youth smiled at this scene. He was rather surprised that Dylan replied like that.

"Do you have any ideas why he did not accept the deal?" The cold beauty beside him asked.

"Unfortunately, I don't. It seems that this Dylan Ford is unfathomable. Maybe even more unfathomable than me." The young man mysteriously smiled as a response.

"Hmph, don't try and decieve me, Conor! He's unfathomable? Don't make me laugh! You are the most unfathomable person I know in the entire Mystical Clouds. You wouldn't have been labeled as this country's greatest mind if it weren't for your achievement back at the borders of Magma Rock. You were even labeled as the Puppeteer of Death by the enemy troops! Compared to you, he's just an ordinary man." The beauty reprimanded him. She was very cautious though because she told him this through the Spiritual Transmission.

"Hahaha, I know, princess. You don't have to make me sound so sinister though. But, I was not joking when I said he was unfathomable. My intuition is telling me that he is... special." The man transmitted through Spiritual Transmission as well.

"What makes you say that?" The girl frowned. Conor's intuition had saved their troops and overturned the tides of each skirmish with his strategies that has happened in the past.

"You'll see." The man smiled and this time he replied with his voice. He continued to observe the little show in front of them and seemed to have no intention of discussing any longer.

"..." The cold beauty's curiosity was piqued because of Conor's remark. So, she also focused her attention to Dylan and the four head-level figures of four different sects.

...

"What is the reason for your rejection, Young Noble?" The head of Charon Family had a gloomy face when ha spoke these words.

"I apologize if you were offended by my declination. However, I feel that it would be an unwise decision for me to accept such terms." Dylan nonchalantly apologized in a calm manner.

"Unwise?!" The sect master of the Steelheart Sect gritted his teeth to suppress the anger he was feeling.

The 18 year old businessman just told them that teaming up with them would be disadvantageous to his brand. They were one of the powers that towered above all so this was a direct assault to their pride.

Others would feel gratified to be offered such privilege of cooperating with all of them but this young man just flatly and decisively rejected their fair offer right in front of their faces. He felt that Dylan was being too arrogant if he wants to obtain a better profit than these four.

"I can see that you are quite angry because of what I have said. But I stand firm in my decisions if the terms are remained unchanged. You might think that I am arrogant but I have perfectly sane reasons that compel me from rejecting your offers." Dylan explained himself.

"This is because?" The master of the Quadra Fang Sect questioned him with a shade of anger on his countenance. Dylan's attitude has clearly angered. He was suppressing his anger because it would be unsightly if he were to lose his temper in front of a crowd.

"Are you sure you want me to say it out loud?" Dylan smile was still the same and his expression did not change all throughout the verbal exchange.

"Hmph, there is no need for you to act so mysteriously. If you have something, then say it. Or else you will incur public unrest and the credibility of your store will drown in the waves of criticism by the citizens of the city!" The Firebull Schoolmaster was very straightforward when he spoke.

"Is that so? Then, I will do as you wish. The reason you want to partner up with my business is mainly because of the Premier Hall backing me up and not because of my skills, is it not?" Dylan calmly said with his hands behind his back.

"This~" Such a blunt way of exposing their obvious intention made both the four heads and the bystanders take a step back. This young man was too daring!

"Just from your reaction, I can now confirm this speculation is correct. This means that you want to use me to gain the attention and even gain the favor of the business monolith, Premier Hall, am I right?" Dylan only waited for them to create a reaction so that he can use it as a form of retort. He did not pause a second later and ruthlessly asked!

"That is not entirely true. Yes, we had the intention of gaining the favor of the Premier Hall but we also came because of your talents." The old man of the Quadra Fang Sect was able to come up with a rebuttal.

"Don't treat me like a child, sir Carlos. I know fully well of the abilities I have shown ever since my arrival to the city. The only noteworthy talent I possess is the comprehension and intelligence I have to pass the. Noble Test and gain the inheritance of the Thundercloud Kings. I may have also performed above average compared to the other new seeds of the business society within the city. So, if you were to weigh the value of my talents in both fields, I assume that no one would complain if I were to say I have a better talent in cultivation than in business management." Dylan paused before continuing any further. He wanted to observe the reactions of the four first.

The crowd nodded from Dylan's narrative because his intelligence and comprehension were the only thing noteworthy​ about him right now. Even the four heads could only agree after Dylan's statements.

...

"Clever." Conor smilingly praised Dylan.

"That Dylan Ford? Why?" The princess asked.

"Judging from his actions, I could say that he purposefully said that he knew fully well of the abilities he had shown so far in this city instead of saying that he knew fully well his capabilities he has. He must have planned something but sadly the four did not notice." Conor answered through Spiritual Transmission.

"Is there any particular difference from the original and the paraphrased version you said?" The beauty asked with the transmission.

"It's not a paraphrased version because they don have the same meaning The latter means that he has already shown his full capabilities while the other means that he is still hiding his talents from the public. You can infer these conclusions from the hint he said 'I knew fully well of the abilities I have shown so far'. Do you understand now? " Conor replied.

"So you are implying that... he is still hiding his talents? But in what field?" The girl asked.

"You will know very soon." Conor smiled.

...

'It seems like the four are still too stunned that they did not notice the loophole in my statement. I guess I will just have to continue with the other route.' Dylan thought.

"So, if you were to say that you came for my talents, why did you offer a partnership instead of trying to recruit me into your sects?" Dylan asked the four.

This question woke up the crowd! Indeed, why didn't they? It was just as Dylan said earlier he was the successor of the king's that means his talent in cultivation is terrifyingly high. The appropriate approach for this was to rope him in while he was still in his budding stage.

"It's true that your​ talent in cultivation is devilish but that doesn't mean that we could neglect your​ talent in business is also great. It is as you have said that your talent in business is above average among the new brands in the city. Having talent in both of these fields is quite rare especially when they are already high despite being in your budding stage. Therefore, it would be very beneficial for us to create a partnership with a talent like you." The old man of the Steelheart Sect was able to come up with an explanation also. His intellect has guided his sect to where it is standing right now.

"If that were true, then why didn't you go to Riki Panther, Stone Edge Saint Child, or Wonder Child and form a partnership with either one of them? In terms of cultivation, they are vastly stronger than me. In terms of business, they are also quite successful to have reached the Top 500 of the city despite their young age especially Riki Panther who have recently reached the 300th rank. Based on what you have said regarding talents in both fields, they are a better candidate than I am. Yes, I might have gained the inheritance of the king's but what if I suddenly encounter a bottleneck which would prevent from advancing? We all know that even the geniuses will encounter such bottlenecks so it could very well happen to me as well. If such a bottleneck were to happen to one of the forementioned, they would still be Origin Realm experts while I on the otherhand might never reach such a realm? So why take a risk of creating a partnership with me when you could approach those geniuses instead?" Dylan slowly debated without much hurry as if he was just casually conversing with acquaintances.

"Be-because..." The Steelheart Sect Master's​ mind was blank. He could not think of a single retort to say. Dylan's argument was something of an unexpected perspective that he did not anticipate. He was trying to think of something to prevent himself from losing face.

'Think. Think!' But it was due to this thought that he could not think straight and come up with a response.

The other three were unresponsive because did not expect Dylan to use such a perspective. They could not think of a single excuse because there was only one answer to his​ question​. They felt that they were being cornered by a cunning wolf.

"It seems that you don't want to answer the question. That's fine. I'll just say it then. It was because of my humble background. You came to me because you thought of me as a bumpkin and an inexperienced businessman. That's why you thought that you could manipulate me and make me send a good word to the Hallmaster or the Coordinator so that they could recognize you. By latching onto me, you plan to reap everything that the Premier Hall will provide meand increase your standing in the city as I grow stronger. When you four become strong enough, you plan to use me as a tool that will help you create a joint partnership with the Premier Hall. Isn't what I have said right?" Dylan revelead the plans of the four.

" A monster..." The four heads felt like they were naked in front of Dylan. He revealed their plans against him like the back of his hand. They even suspected that he was there when they organized this plan.

"That's why I said that it would be unwise for me to agree to such a partnership." Dylan maintained his smile from the start to finish. It was as though everything went according to his plans.