Chapter 90: Gathering Manpower

"Well, we will see who is ugly after I break your face" refuted the guard as he charged towards Chase and launched a powerful fist towards his face.

However what happened next shocked everyone apart from Adam, as the guard broke his wrist against Chase's hardened face.

The guard's strength and resistance compared to that of Adam was similar, but his punch was at an angle and he wasn't expecting Chase's face to be so hard, causing him to break his wrist as he followed through the punch with all his strength.

Adam couldn't help but chuckle at the guard who was too arrogant and was howling in pain after punching Chase in the face.

"Good job Chase" praised Adam as he put his arm over Chase's shoulder.

Adam couldn't help but praise Chase who he could see had increased his strength slightly since battling him.

"What do you think of my subordinate," asked Adam to Elizabeth with a proud smile, as if he was a father with his successful child.

Elizabeth was shocked and in awe of Chase as she couldn't help but feel slightly jealous.

"Chase how about I offer you as much money as you want to join me instead" offered Elizabeth.

Chase ignored her and stood beside Adam with his same blank expression.

"I am following Adam as he can help me increase my strength and is worthy of my attention, but I have no interest in weak useless people who are too arrogant" stated Chase indirectly insulting Elizabeth and the guard as Adam couldn't help but laugh at Elizabeth and praise Chase.

[I will help you increase your strength and your loyalty to me will not go unrewarded] vowed Adam to himself as he appreciated Chase's display of trust and loyalty despite only just meeting Adam.

Adam gave Chase a feeling of superiority, which he unconsciously imbued through his confidence in his strength and potential, but he wasn't arrogant and also treated him quite kindly even after sparing his life.

He also hadn't asked for Chase's methods and wasn't planning on doing so, unless Chase wanted to share them with him, which showed his integrity and trust towards Chase, which Chase naturally reciprocated.

"Chase you will have to put up with Elizabeth and go with her. Help her with her task, but wear a mask and a hood and do not reveal your identity. After you help her today, she will set up a perfect place for you to train in peace and I will come and visit you every few days to check on your progress, and also have a few practice fights" instructed Adam.

"Isn't that right Elizabeth?" stated Adam.

"Yes, you will be treated perfectly and will have your own premises to train with anything you need, as long as you help me this once" reassured Elizabeth, grateful for Chase's help.

Chase nodded his head in approval and acceptance of Adam's instructions as he prepared to leave with Elizabeth.

"Wait before you go, I have something to give you" called out Adam who was being taken back to his apartment in a different car to Elizabeth and Chase.

"What is it," asked Elizabeth, who didn't think it would be anything valuable and it was just Adam playing a prank on her.

Adam handed over to her the half crumpled book and initially, she was about to scold him for getting her hopes up, but after realising what it was, she couldn't help but jump up in joy.

"Is this really a cultivation method" she exclaimed.

"Yes" answered Adam uncaringly as he got into his car.

The method had no value to him and would only give him 500 EXP, which he could gain himself through training. He was also looking in the long term, and knew that it could greatly increase Elizabeth's strength, which would also increase his influence, while the 500 EXP wouldn't do much for him.

"Just be sure to make my motorbike according to my specifications and quickly" called out Adam as he got his driver to drive off.

"I will" stated Elizabeth to herself.

She was extremely grateful for everything that Adam had done for her the entire day, then after helping her the entire day, he not only leant her his subordinate, but also gave her a cultivation method.

'I really am lucky to have made such a useful and incredible ally' thought Elizabeth to herself as she got in the car beside Chase and got the driver to drive to the meeting point that she had set up with the gangs she was hoping to recruit.

Chase sat silently and meditated a monk cultivation method, that he had begun practising, while Elizabeth was enthralled in reading the method that Adam had given her.

She could tell that it was only an E Rank Method, which meant it was quite low quality and its progress was capped at rank 5 of the Novice Grade, but she was still overjoyed with it and was struggling to find a method to give to her men to cultivate.

She had been looking for weeks for a method that she could buy, without buying it from one of the large families for an inflated price, but she hadn't succeeded in doing so with the large cultivation families having a monopoly over all cultivation businesses in their territory.

But Elizabeth knew that a war in the underground world of cultivation was coming soon, and she wanted to arm herself and her organisation, ready to protect herself while also leeching off the conflict.

Driving to the meeting point, that she had prepared in advance, Elizabeth had many contingencies prepared in case any other organisations or police attempted to crash it, but she was looking forwards to gathering more manpower.

In a warehouse on the edge of the city, Elizabeth had prepared her men and was planning to gather together all the men that Adam had bought over.

However, she knew that too many people joining her organisation at her current size would be a problem, without the finance to supply them all with an adequate salary and without the influence to do so without others suppressing her because of her becoming a threat to their own positions.

While if too many people joined, there would be too many people to oversee, which she currently couldn't do, and there would be more leakages of their plans and information.

She would filter out the people, and would only take in people who had already begun cultivation or had any military training, while she was also looking for young people that she could nurture and instil loyalty into.

There were many factors that she had to consider while gathering manpower, but she was aiming to gather at least 100 individuals to join her organisation and help grow it.

Within a month, after training her new men and refurbishing her auction house, Elizabeth was planning to reopen the Silver Moon Auction House, but not only as an auction house, but as an organisation that could trade and form alliances with other organisations within the world of cultivation.

Arriving at her location, the rowdy men were only quiet after the masked and hooded Chase revealed his strength by battling against one of the men that weren't listening.

Elizabeth and all her men had worn masks and left no traces of their organisation, only revealing who they really were to those that they had chosen to take with them.

Altogether she gathered 130 men that were all either talented and determined, or had already begun cultivating and knew of what it was.

A simple way to measure the talent of somebody that had never cultivated was to release a wave of energy before them, by a cultivator emitting their energy towards them, and if they were able to feel or sense something, they had an affinity and sensitivity towards energy, which signified their potential and how quickly they would be able to absorb energy.

Taking them to her auction house, in many large vans that she had prepared, Elizabeth got them to sign contracts that she could use legally, but also gave them each a payment and an ID Card as a member of the Silver Moon Auction House and they were all allowed to leave.

The auction house was the base of operations for her organisation and was quite a large building, as those that had joined the Auction House were overjoyed with their payment and treatment, and were excited to begin their training as guards.

But Elizabeth wasn't looking for only guards, and after the Silver Moon Auction House reached the heights that she was planning for, she planned to also make the Silver Moon Auction House an organisation that accepted requests.

It could be all kinds of requests such as a protection request, a delivery request or even an assassination request and she could choose whether to accept or not, and who to delegate the task to if she did accept.

It was a way to not only increase her influence, but also the strength and power of her men, all while increasing the wealth and contacts of her organisation.

However, currently, she didn't have the influence, manpower or money to be able to do so successfully.

The Silver Moon Auction House was her life's work and also carried the wishes of her ancestors, as she planned years ahead and prepared for any obstacles.

She knew that without Adam it would be hard for her to get her Auction House back on track after the Wolf Fang Gang's attempted robbery, and because of that, she had made it part of her plan to repay Adam and become an ultimate backer for the special lone cultivator.

Everything was finally on track for Elizabeth, while for Adam after a long day of work had a dungeon waiting for him to hunt in during his sleep.