"Haha, nice to meet you, Brother. My name's Su Xing Yu. I'm a new lord as well, but I've had the opportunity to be around for a while—actually, for over two years," Su Xing Yu said with a chuckle, leaning back comfortably.
Ram blinked, masking his surprise.
Two years was quite a long time for a "new" lord to survive in such a competitive domain.
Su Xing Yu seemed to read his thoughts and grinned. "Surprised? I get that reaction a lot," he chuckled. "But I figured out the basics quickly enough and my father is also a high-level Lord in Red River Domain. That opens...a few doors."
Ram's expression didn't change, but his mind raced. 'Fuck, it's a rich second-generation kid,' he thought dryly. It made sense now—the confidence, the carefree attitude, even the lavish house in the city. This guy had someone powerful backing him up.
"Must be nice having someone to rely on," Ram commented, his tone neutral.
Su Xing Yu only shrugged, unfazed. "Maybe. But it also means expectations, you know? My old men not exactly thrilled with me wasting time."
Ram narrowed his eyes slightly, watching Su Xing Yu, he still didn't know why he was interested in him, he raised an eyebrow, intrigued yet cautious. "I don't know what you mean when you say you'll guide me," he replied, keeping his tone even.
Su Xing Yu leaned back on the luxurious sofa, a playful smirk creeping onto his face. "Oh, it's nothing much. You see, a few of my friends and I formed a small alliance. We help each other grow faster through resource sharing and information exchange." He paused, studying Ram's expression. "I don't know if you'd be interested in joining us?"
Ram considered this for a moment. An alliance could be useful, especially with the looming threat of the Battle of Gods and the alien lords. But trusting someone so quickly, especially a well-connected newcomer like Su Xing Yu, felt risky.
"What's the catch?" Ram asked, eyebrows raised. "There's always a catch."
Su Xing Yu chuckled, "You're sharp, I like that! No catch, really. Just a commitment to share what you learn and share resources when you can. We all benefit from it. And besides, it's not so easy to survive as you think."
"There are many ways to improve your strength, but as far as I know, the quickest way for you is to buy a Mature Ancient Tree of Elves on the space trading channel," Su Xing explained.
His eyes sparkled as he spoke, clearly excited about the potential of such a powerful resource. "These trees, although need more resources, they can give birth to various types of Elves with intermediate and high potential, and strong fighting ability."
"An Ancient Tree of Elves?" Ram repeated, feeling a mix of awe and curiosity. "How much Source Power are we talking about?"
Su Xing shrugged, his expression shifting to a more serious tone. "It can vary greatly based on its age and health, but prices can range from a few thousand to tens of thousands of Source Power points, depending on the seller and the tree's specific traits. They're rare and highly sought after, even other lords try to grow one or two, the potential of elves is not small."
"Great," Ram sighed, his shoulders slumping a little. "And here I thought I could get by with a few basic plants."
Su Xing chuckled softly. "It's all part of the game, brother. The sooner you accept that resources have their costs, the better prepared you'll be."
"But don't be discouraged! If you start networking and joining forces with others, you may be able to pool resources together to acquire one. And with your talent, you can grow it into something truly powerful."
"Pooling resources, huh?" Ram considered the idea. "That might actually work. I just need to find some trustworthy allies first."
"Exactly! Building relationships is key," Su Xing affirmed, leaning back with a satisfied grin, this is his motive from the beginning, to give hope and then show the reality.
So that they can understand it easier and consider joining the alliance. "I don't know if Brother is okay with joining our alliance?"
Ram raised an eyebrow, he somehow felt like all the talk he had with this fatty so far seemed to direct it for this moment, but he remained calm and spoke back. "You're pretty straightforward about it, aren't you?"
Su Xing chuckled, his demeanor remaining relaxed. "We're just looking for members who want to grow and succeed together. It's more beneficial for us to have more members and a diverse group of talents to help each other."
"Okay, that does sound appealing," Ram admitted, nodding slowly. "But I still need to understand what I'd be getting into. What does being part of this alliance mean? Are there any advantages?"