When Jony heard what Irving said, he could see that the admiration he had for this young man seemed to diminish somewhat.
This was not surprising.
Providing three hundred high-grade pieces of equipment would be seen as an impossible feat by any other player!
"Jony, I am not joking with you." Irving said with a serious expression.
The atmosphere once again fell into dead silence.
Jony's aged eyes rested on Irving, his expression incredibly complex. He could tell that Irving was not the kind of person who would speak without thinking, but three hundred pieces of equipment far exceeded his understanding.
Just as he was still doubting the truth of Irving's words, Sophia suddenly spoke up.
"Dad, Irving is telling the truth." Sophia continued, "I saw it with my own eyes during the second disaster. At that time, there were piles and piles of equipment dropping in front of me. It took almost an hour just to pick them all up. I was exhausted."
There was even a hint of complaint in her tone.
"Sophia, what did you say!" This time, Jony could no longer control his emotions and couldn't help but exclaim.
Even if he was unwilling to believe it, hearing his daughter say it herself made him realize it couldn't be false.
Picking up equipment until her hands were tired... For a moment, Jony felt a mix of emotions and felt like something was stuck in his throat, unable to speak.
For ordinary players, each round of disaster was a test of life and death. Although a large number of exotic beasts would appear, every player prayed for them to leave quickly. Even if they were killed, they wouldn't drop much equipment, and the quality was usually very low.
This was directly related to the equipment drop rate.
After two rounds of disasters in the Other World Game, although player levels had improved significantly, facing low-level exotic beasts like pigmen no longer instilled fear. However, high-grade equipment was still extremely rare, and any piece could be sold for a high price in the forum trading section.
At this moment, Jony suddenly recalled a mysterious player on the forum with the username [Lucky Pretty Boy], who once publicly sold nearly a thousand pieces of equipment, causing a stir in the forum.
Many families had offered huge rewards for information about this [Lucky Pretty Boy] player.
Unfortunately, for unknown reasons, the post selling a thousand pieces of equipment was suddenly deleted, leading many players to speculate it might have been a publicity stunt. After all, posting on the forum was easy, and no one had seen those thousand pieces of equipment.
However, Jony had no idea that the mysterious player sought by countless families was sitting right in front of him.
Regardless, for the Green family now, if they could provide every guild player with a full set of equipment, they could quickly form a powerful team in a short period.
This would solve the most troublesome problem for Jony.
"Irving, if what you say is true, I would be happy to cooperate with you. However..." Jony, who had managed family businesses for decades, naturally understood the implications of cooperation. He asked, "What does the Green family need to provide in return?"
Hearing this, Irving let out a hearty laugh.
He was not a philanthropist. Even with his connection to Sophia, it was impossible for him to expend such a significant amount of effort to support a family without reason, especially since the apocalypse was drawing nearer, and time equaled life.
"It's simple. From now on, I will need to take 50% of the profits from the mines and agricultural bases controlled by the Green family." Irving stated.
The 50% share was slightly reduced out of consideration for Sophia. For another family, it would have been much higher. However, he was only providing equipment. The Green family would still need to cover labor and other costs, so he couldn't be too demanding.
The foundation of cooperation is mutual benefit.
Of course, Irving held the absolute advantage. Given the equipment he was providing, once word got out, even if he raised the share higher, many families would still be willing to cooperate.
"Agreed!" Jony understood the value of the equipment and immediately nodded. "As long as you can supply enough equipment, a 50% share is acceptable. I hope we can have a successful partnership!"
"A successful partnership indeed." Irving replied, feeling a sense of relief.
Given his current strength, it was unrealistic for him to control Starling City alone. Many domestic and foreign forces had their eyes on this prime location, not to mention the official government presence.
However, this didn't stop him from laying the groundwork in advance. The Green family still held some influence in Starling City, and this cooperation would help solve supply issues in the post-apocalyptic world.
"Irving, when can we expect to receive the equipment?" Jony asked, a bitter smile on his face. "You know the Green family's situation. We can barely protect ourselves right now. Recruiting players will take time, and I fear something might happen in the meantime..."
Last time in the secret realm, the team of mages led by Vite was just an elite squad of the Night Group. Tonight's events made it likely that the Fox family would seek revenge.
"Tonight is impossible..." Irving frowned and continued, "How about this: tomorrow night, I will provide you with at least a hundred pieces of equipment. Use these to recruit some players first, and I will supply the rest later."
Irving's nonchalant tone, as if the equipment was insignificant, stunned Jony once again.
As someone with experience, Jony gleaned two pieces of information from the recent conversation: first, Irving currently doesn't have that much equipment; second, Irving will be able to obtain at least a hundred pieces of high-level equipment by tomorrow night.
In just one day, even a powerful guild gathering all its players and working nonstop might barely collect a hundred pieces of equipment, and the quality couldn't be guaranteed.
After all, the higher the grade of the equipment, the lower the drop rate.
"Hopefully..." Jony couldn't help but doubt Irving's words again, but everything would be verified by tomorrow night.
After chatting for a while longer, Irving gained a better understanding of Starling City's situation. Besides the Green family, many other families were struggling in dire straits, facing the dual threats of the apocalypse and increasing foreign forces.
As for the official leadership of Starling City, they were struggling to even take care of themselves, let alone worry about the survival of these families.
This confirmed what Irving had said before: in the face of a global catastrophe like the apocalypse, the government was just another large power. Many small countries' governments had already been replaced.
Jony wanted Irving to stay the night, but he declined.
When Irving left the Green family mansion, it was already past eleven at night. Given the current situation in Starling City, he decided to leave Sophia there. After all, she was an ice mage, and this wouldn't affect the progress of the Other World Game.
Late at night, a Maybach sped along the highway toward the capital. Wendy was driving, occasionally glancing at Irving through the rearview mirror.
"Irving, are we heading straight back to the villa, or..." Wendy asked.
Though she had only been to the villa in the suburbs once during the day, she noticed that Irving didn't seem to live there regularly. Such attention to detail was a basic skill for a professional assassin.
"Let's head back to the villa first." Irving replied. seaʀᴄh thё novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
He then took out his phone and made a call.
At that moment, Vicky was sitting on the couch at Irving's house, watching TV. She occasionally glanced at the clock on the wall, her brows furrowed, unable to resist checking her phone.
Just then, Irving's call came in.
"Irving, where are you? Why aren't you back yet?" Vicky asked with concern.
Since Irving mentioned he had some errands to run during the day, he hadn't been seen. Vicky had bought some gifts for her grandfather's birthday at a nearby mall and had been waiting for Irving to come home ever since.
"I won't be coming back tonight. Send me the address of your grandfather's nursing home. I'll be there on time tomorrow." Irving said.
"But..." Vicky hesitated, then swallowed her words and obediently nodded, "Alright."
After hanging up.
Vicky set down her phone and glanced at the prepared dishes on the table, a hint of helplessness on her face—a natural reaction from a woman.
However, she quickly adjusted her mindset. She knew that a man like Irving would achieve great things in the future, and her only hope was to stay by his side.
At the villa.
James had already had the burnt living room redecorated. Since it was mostly just furniture that had been destroyed, replacing it didn't take much time.
"There are other rooms upstairs. Choose any one you like and settle in." Irving said to Wendy before collapsing onto the sofa.
The past few days had been exhausting—first the secret realm, then the battle in the villa, and finally the rush to Starling City. All this had left Irving thoroughly worn out.
Instead of heading upstairs, Wendy went to the fridge, took out the whiskey they had opened during the day, poured a glass, and handed it to Irving with a thoughtful smile. "Let me join you for a drink..."