"Not yet," Kelikuch instinctively replied.
"That's even better, isn't it?" A smile immediately spread across Morin's face. As long as there wasn't a deal yet, there was plenty of room for him to maneuver. "What kind of offer did the man who invited you make? Was it money or some other treasure?" Morin inquired.
"Money," Kelikuch answered. He didn't specify the amount Beyond had offered. Instead, he wanted to wait and see how much Morin would propose. Since both parties needed him to explore new lands, he could compare offers and choose the best one.
"Fifty billion jenny." Morin held up a hand.
Kelikuch was contemplating how to maximize his benefit when he thought he heard a number. "How much?!"
He looked incredulously at Morin and couldn't help but rub his ears. He wondered if he had misheard or misunderstood the number. Surely Morin's offer should match Beyond's, which was fifteen billion, right? Did he hear it wrong?
"Fifty billion jenny," Morin repeated, enunciating each word clearly to ensure Kelikuch understood.
Kelikuch fell silent. Then, visibly, his body began to tremble. "Is it really fifty billion?!"
His eyes were now as bright red as the lit sign above an operating room. "Send me your bank account details," Morin said, without further ado.
Kelikuch tightly gripped his pant legs, his voice a bit hoarse as he recited his account number. "Alright," Morin said, casually operating his phone to complete the transfer. Ah, the versatility of an Isshucube phone!
"Wow?" Kelikuch's phone rang immediately. "It's real..." he muttered, staring at the account information, momentarily lost in thought. It was indeed a full fifty billion!
"I believe the offer from the person who invited you wasn't as high as mine," Morin said, crossing his arms confidently.
"If you're willing to accept my invitation, this fifty billion jenny is my employment offer," Morin continued, rubbing his hands together to produce a Hunter License. "This is the Hunter License you sold back then. I've retrieved it for you."
Morin handed the license to Kelikuch. "This is a token of my sincerity in inviting you."
"When you decide to accept my invitation and join my team to venture into that unknown land, go to Saba City and find a place called the Laxative Tavern. Look for a man named Tonpa."
"Just mention my name and your purpose, and he'll know what to do. The location is written on your Hunter License. I didn't have any suitable paper at the time, so I hope you don't mind."
With that, Morin turned and left without hesitation, as if his entire visit had been solely for that conversation. The fifty billion jenny he transferred seemed as casual as water splashed out.
Kelikuch stood there, staring at Morin's departing figure, gripping his phone and the long-lost Hunter License tightly. "Morin, huh?" He etched the name into his memory.
He fell into deep thought, staring at the message about the fifty billion jenny. After a long while, the red light above the operating room went out, and his phone rang at the same time.
"Hello, Mr. Kelikuch, have you made your decision?!" Beyond's familiar cheerful voice came through the phone. "I think my offer is quite sincere. Everyone else is offering the same number."
---
"Yes, it does seem quite sincere..." Kelikuch said softly. He noticed the doctor removing his mask and walking out with an excited smile, which told him the outcome of the surgery.
"So, what have you decided?" Beyond's voice was confident, as if he was sure Kelikuch would join his team.
"Yes, I've made my decision!" Kelikuch took a deep breath. "Mr. Beyond, your offer is indeed very sincere..."
He said this, but before Beyond could respond with another laugh, Kelikuch continued, "But someone else made an offer that's even more sincere than yours."
"So, I'm sorry, Mr. Beyond." With that, Kelikuch hung up the phone and walked briskly towards his sister, who had just been wheeled out, his face showing a mix of concern and relief.
"The surgery was a success!" The doctor shook his hand excitedly. Seeing a patient escape death's grasp was always a joyous moment for a doctor.
"That's great!" Kelikuch exhaled deeply, the image of Morin flashing once more in his mind. "Saba City, Laxative Tavern, Tonpa... I'll be there."
A genuine smile, one he hadn't shown in a long time, spread across his face. The fifty billion jenny was enough to clear his debts, cover his sister's recovery expenses, and ensure she had a comfortable life.
All of Kelikuch's worries seemed to vanish at that moment. However—
He was relieved, but not everyone was.
"Someone made an offer more sincere than mine?" In a luxurious room provided by the Kakin Empire in the Dark Continent, Beyond raised an eyebrow at his phone.
"More than fifteen billion? I wonder which big spender made such an offer. It's just like that Battera, who spent over two hundred billion jenny on a game, almost half his assets, and then offered five hundred billion for game-clearing information. It's hard to understand the whims of the wealthy."
Beyond mused about the eccentricities of the rich as he casually tossed his phone aside. It was just one person he hadn't recruited, so he wasn't too concerned. After all, his elite team was initially set at twenty-five members, and he already had over a dozen who met his criteria and accepted his invitation. One more or less didn't matter.
Beyond's team heading to the Dark Continent was about twenty-five people, just right. Any more, and the team would become unwieldy. But Beyond had prepared for years, recruiting more than just those few. Extra personnel would blend in with the Hunter Association participants under the guise of the Kakin Empire's influence. But that's a matter for the future.
Beyond had gathered a team of talents to explore the Dark Continent, paying a significant price in wealth, reputation, and treasures, just as he had once supported Morin. Beyond might have a unique charisma that attracted attention, but to truly gain loyalty, he had to offer tangible benefits. Only relationships built on mutual interests were reliable and unbreakable.
Most of those Beyond recruited were no exception. Those he valued had their remarkable qualities, each possessing the special skills needed to face the unknown and harsh environments. Some were even Hunter Association specialists, discovered and recommended by Pariston to Beyond. Those who joined Beyond's venture into the Dark Continent were primarily drawn by the generous rewards he offered.
Some might already possess what others could only dream of, exploring the Dark Continent for different reasons, like Pariston and Beyond. But most sought wealth and fortune, the promise of a lifetime. Hunters risked everything for money, joining Battera's game recruitment or Beyond's team for a mere ten billion jenny, facing life-threatening dangers like the Bomber and the Dark Continent.
If Beyond could recruit talent with money, why couldn't Morin? With the capital Morin currently had, anything solvable with money was no problem. Money? With the "Compound Interest Bank" at his disposal, money was the least of Morin's concerns. Morin's assets had grown so vast he couldn't even remember the exact amount, measured not in billions but in trillions, quadrillions, and beyond—units like quintillions, sextillions, and even higher.
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