Only I Am A Reader

"...You?"

"Is it that surprising?"

With a confident smile on his face, Leo felt a thrilling wave rush through his body as he stated his current standing. As childish as it seemed, he enjoyed this situation quite a bit.

Nothing could beat a good old status reversal!

Though different from the common 'Face slapping' and far less dramatic than a 'CEO reveal' or something similar, Leo considered this the equivalent of his last laugh in this world.

He, as a reader, was also one of the few masterminds who manipulated things to their advantage!

Not only did Saja Dokja pull a fast one on everyone, but by doing what Leo planned to do today, it also felt like he was rubbing their face in it.

'Of course, that is all in good intention…'

"Well to be more specific. I didn't come here as part of the Heavenly Strength Society. Instead, I'm here representing someone else to set a deal between our two organizations."

Putting his playful thoughts aside, Leo directly dove into the matter at hand. His clock was still ticking and this matter had to be dealt with as perfectly as possible.

After sending out the letters to the potential reinforcement sources with Yeon, Leo had personally written a letter for Zhuge Gun to come to this bordering city in hope to meet him before his 24 hours would run out.

Thankfully, time was less tight than expected. However, there was still no time to waste.

"Is that what you meant by 'Granting a mean to salvage Murim'? A Deal?"

Zhuge Gun sounded very skeptical, but there was no mockery in his words. He was holding back all detrimental emotions to the very end for the sake of the hope that he came for.

"Indeed, as long as we agree on a few points, I wouldn't mind filling up the Murim Alliance's dried reserves to your heart's content."

Though hardly noticeable, Zhuge Gun's eyes slightly flinched under Leo's observation. Typically, after throwing such a hook, a trickster would prolong the conversation as much as possible, but Leo had no such plans.

Tuck.

"This should guarantee my claim."

Throwing an object over to the table in front of Zhuge Gun, Leo waited for him to digest all the information that he fed him. The following part was still the most important.

"Shadow Star…"

The object was none other than Shadow Star's exclusive card. Unlike the basic one that Leo received at first, this one exuded far more charm and majesty through its golden linings.

For someone to possess one of these, they needed to at least be as rich as a whole bank! Someone else would be confused when they saw that, but the Head of the Murim Alliance grasped the situation within seconds.

"First of all, you need to peacefully coexist with the Heavenly Strength Society. As long as they don't do anything out of bounds they shouldn't be treated as the public enemy just because they are 'Demons'. You who have witnessed what we did in the battle against the invaders should know what we really stand for."

"Controlling the actions of the Righteous Faction isn't something I'm currently capable of. This card could indeed put down some raging fires within the Alliance, but resources aren't enough to return everything as it was."

"Of course. This card doesn't just equate to resources, it also represents the prestige of the person who possesses its matching pair."

Following Leo's introduction, Yeon took out an identical card inscribed with the same golden dragons. They had specifically taken a detour before coming here to get this pair!

Despite it being Yeon's first visit to one of Shadow Star's outlets, she didn't show any reaction. Rather, she returned to being as silent as she was in the old days…

"Naturally, we are not asking you to use our name, neither would we allow it. Instead, you get to use our freshly formed network of 'friends'."

While Zhuge Gun hadn't personally attended the battle just now and the negotiations that followed it, that didn't mean he wasn't aware of what happened. Even if it was a ruined one, the Head of the Murim Alliance naturally had his own 'eyes'!

In addition, seeing a second card in Yeon's hand definitely got a more notable reaction out of him. It seemed like the scope of the wealth that he was imagining was a little bit too limited.

"This is also to make sure things deviate from the main target. Both great organizations get to split the wealth left behind by the gentleman known as Saja Dokja without being lumped together or apart. There is no need to be afraid of public opinion."

The wealth that Saja Dokja had accumulated was just too mind-blowing even for Leo himself. At this level, it just didn't make sense to give it all away. As someone who never forgot who raised him, Leo wanted to contribute to his home by maintaining the Society's resource flow!

"...It does seem that you have what it takes to keep your promise, but is this single condition truly all that it takes for us to receive all of this? I'm not-"

"Right, this brings me to the second condition. This broken Murim… fixing it, isn't that what you dream of doing?"

"I… But I can't fix it."

"Right, it's good that you know. You are neither a wishing genie nor a brainwashing machine. However, you are fairly capable of acting as this world's painkiller."

"Painkiller?"

"It's a… Forget it, what I'm trying to say is that you can act as medicine. It might taste bitter to everyone, but it's good for them. At least you can keep the whole thing from falling apart because of the mess that the monsters and Geochin had made. This is my second condition."

"These conditions-"

"Just remember one thing, I'm giving everything to you who had earned my trust through your past actions, not to the Murim Alliance. So don't let anyone use that as an excuse to swindle you of your hard-earned resources. I believe in you."

"I…"