"Wait a minute."
His eyes shifted. Manipulating his Spiritual Power, he took the "Grief" Nirvana Origin back from Bai Yimo’s hand.
’Losing 20 is acceptable.’
’Losing 200,000?’
’Wouldn’t that make me a total sucker?’
The previous agreement with the Star Travel Merchant was purely verbal. Before any transaction, either party could back out without consequence. Besides, Shi Ming had another unused Nirvana Origin from Bai Yimo that he could cash in.
The "Grief" Origin had now significantly increased in value.
’With just a bit of planning, I could make an extra 200,000 Cosmic Crystals, and maybe even get a few extra surprises out of it.’
’What’s not to like?’
’There might be a conspiracy behind all this, but who’s to say the roles of hunter and prey couldn’t be reversed?’
He saw a business opportunity.
When Bai Yimo saw her "boss" take back the Origin, she assumed Shi Ming had discovered the bounty and was calling off the plan.
’That figured. After all, whoever put up a million Cosmic Crystals had to have a major figure backing them, perhaps even with the approval of this Cosmic Country’s Sovereign. That person would be a Pillar Stone-level expert. It was only natural for a greenhorn like him to want no part of that.’
"What? You’re not going to sell it anymore?"
Shi Ming shook his head.
"It’s not that I’m not selling it. We just need to sell it strategically."
In an instant, Shi Ming had already formulated his plan. He could see a million Cosmic Crystals, like a sea of stars, beckoning to him. His dream of getting rich overnight was about to come true—
’Since Bai Yimo has already established a foothold in the Assassination Star organization and has access to high-level bounties, she’s the perfect person to lead this plan. Besides, she’s an Elder Ancestor of the Desire Demon Race. She has more than enough tricks and schemes up her sleeve. Even if something went wrong, I’m sure she could handle it.’
’And as the boss, shouldn’t I delegate and let my employee show some initiative?’
’That’s the plan!’
Shi Ming toyed with the "Grief" Nirvana Origin in his hand.
"Your information was very valuable. Coincidentally, this Nirvana Origin is called ’Grief,’ and it’s the legacy of that very member of the Dark Star Race. I already killed him. I never expected he’d fetch such a high price after death. He’d probably be pleased if he knew. Now that you’ve established yourself in a high-end organization, your status is bound to soar if you complete a mission no one else can. This will only benefit your future plans."
"So, I’ve decided to give this chance to be in the spotlight to you, free of charge."
’A chance to be in the spotlight... for me?’
’Ha! Men. He just wants me to work for free, doesn’t he?’
’Is he even trying to hide it?’
’Then again, it really wasn’t a big deal. The Assassination Star organization might span the entire northwest region of the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country, and its leader, Giant Mountain, might be ranked sixth in power, but the Treasure Star branch had no Nirvana-rank experts. She wouldn’t have to waste much effort on conquering those creatures. A single glance, a casual display of her charm, and she could become the perfect partner every male dreamed of. Manipulating everything from the shadows would be child’s play.’
’There was no challenge in it at all.’
’Compared to conquering creatures hollowed out by lust and greed, Shi Ming was far more alluring. He was the true prize she had set her sights on long ago.’
’The conquest would be incredibly difficult,’
’but the ecstasy of success would surely surpass anything that came before.’
A dazzling smile graced her lips.
The surrounding stars seemed to dim in comparison.
"Since it’s an order from my boss, how could I possibly refuse?"
"As your employee, I will naturally give it my all. Of course, as you know, my current enterprise is still in the initial stages of a comeback and is in desperate need of funding. So, regarding the bonus, shouldn’t it be increased? You have to invest in cultivating exceptional employees, don’t you think?"
Shi Ming considered it for a moment,
then agreed in a low voice.
"Of course. I’m very generous in that regard. Of the full one-million-Cosmic-Crystal bounty, I’ll take 800,000. The remaining 200,000 is yours to do with as you please. A fortune of 200,000 Cosmic Crystals... even the ruler of the second-wealthiest planet in the Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country probably couldn’t produce that much liquid capital on short notice. Wouldn’t you call that generous?"
’Oh?’
’He’s giving me 200,000 out of a million?’
’Where did a million come from?’
’I thought it was only 500,000?’
Bai Yimo paused in thought, and then it dawned on her.
’He’s planning to sell me out!’
’When it came to selling out—oh, no, *selling* one’s own people to collect a bounty, she was quite experienced. She didn’t need Shi Ming to spell it out for her; a small hint was enough to grasp the deeper meaning.’
The plan hadn’t even begun,
yet the two of them had already divided the spoils.
Shi Ming handed the "Grief" Nirvana Origin back to Bai Yimo.
On Treasure Star, or even across the entire Thirty-Seventh Cosmic Country, two wielders of numbered Nirvana abilities were more than enough to stir up a storm. And so what if they provoked some powerful backer or even the Sovereign of the Cosmic Country himself?
Shi Ming wasn’t afraid,
and Bai Yimo was naturally happy to watch the show.
’If the show went well, she stood to profit and would have some fun. If it flopped, it didn’t matter. She had escaped from the clutches of a Law Enforcer unscathed before; could the Sovereign of some remote Cosmic Country really banish her to the Cave of the Stars a second time?’
’A fortune of 200,000 Cosmic Crystals was an amount that she, a Desire Demon desperate to stage a comeback, simply could not refuse.’
’It was also the capital she would need to one day take revenge on her enemies.’