Chapter 398 - Cao Xu!

Of the equipment collected, more than 10 pieces were Level 50 Dark Gold-grade, each with an estimated market value of at least 1,000 gold. There were another 70 pieces with decent properties that would sell for a significant sum too.

All the equipment the players from Asskickers United dropped had been retrieved.

“What are our casualties?” Nie Yan asked.

Paladin of the Elegy did a headcount. “We lost around 1,000 people. Most of them died to area-of-effect magic.”

“How many jars of Black Gunpowder were destroyed?” Nie Yan asked. He had heard several explosions during the battle.

“Five. the remaining ones are all accounted for,” Paladin of the Elegy replied in a somewhat guilty tone. Even though most of the jars were safe, they had still lost enough of them that he didn’t have the face to report back to Guo Huai.

The remaining jars of Black Gunpowder were all neatly gathered together. Transporting so many of them at once was by no means an easy feat. Each jar contained 20 lbs of gunpowder. Including the weight of the jar, that was 30 lbs altogether. Even the strongest Warriors would eventually get tired after transporting such heavy goods. And since having two people carry a jar at the same time wasn’t really practical, the only solution was to have people take shifts.

“It’s fine, five jars isn’t too big of a loss,” Nie Yan comforted Paladin of the Elegy. There were still 17 jars of Black Gunpowder remaining, enough to last them until they could produce their own.

Sun, Bladelight, and the others approached Nie Yan. There were over 30 top-ranking players from Asskickers United altogether. Were it not for their arrival, the forces ambushing them might not have left so willingly.

“We were late,” Bladelight said apologetically. When they were rushing over on horseback, they had heard the sounds of explosions in the distance. At that time, they were extremely anxious and feared all the jars of Black Gunpowder had been destroyed.

“Better late than never.” Nie Yan chuckled. Even though the loss of five jars pained him, it was still better than losing everything.

Nie Yan decided to have the transport team stay put until reinforcements arrived. They only had around 1,000 players remaining. It would be troublesome if they encountered another ambush.

After a while, the 5,000 players Guo Huai dispatched as reinforcements arrived, immediately bolstering the strength of the transport group. Only then did they resume their trek to United City.

About an hour later, Nie Yan and the others finally arrived at United City. United City was connected to the Cripps Stronghold via a transfer point, allowing them to teleport the jars of Black Gunpowder between both places.

Guo Huai recruited 5 Advanced Tinkerers, 1 Advanced Alchemist, 2 Advanced Runecrafters, and 1 Advanced Enchanter and had them all sign non-disclosure agreements. A secret workshop in the Cripps Stronghold was specially prepared for them, and they were provided with ample resources to help them get settled in.

Nie Yan handed over the Goblin Magic Cannon Blueprints (Rank 1) to them, whereupon they immediately got to work. In an estimated six days, Asskickers United would have their first Goblin Magic Cannon.

Nie Yan looked around the secret workshop. It was located deep underground right behind the guild headquarters with only a single secret entrance. The interior was a gorgeous and spacious hall. There was no sense of claustrophobia at all. All sorts of crafting tools and appliances were placed throughout the hall, along with several hundred kinds of materials which were restocked on the daily. The nine players who had reached the Advanced rank in their respective crafting professions were all busily working.

After everything was prepared, only then did Nie Yan feel at ease. Checking the server clock, it was time to log off.

Nie Yan took off his game helmet and crawled out of bed.

It was a brand new morning. Today was Xie Yao’s birthday. Her birthday party would be taking place at the Dragonsoar Financial Group owned Moro River Banquet Hall at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. All of Xie Yao’s close relatives and family friends would be attending. Nie Yan felt a bit nervous, but he knew he would have to meet Xie Yao’s parents eventually, so he forcefully calmed himself.

Nie Yan pondered on what sort of gift he should get Xie Yao. He made a trip to a jewelry store and finally settled on a necklace.

Driving to his father’s company, memories of old and new filled his mind. He had already received the acceptance letter from the Top Military Academy. He could choose to enter any one of the two Ace departments, Command or Interstellar Travel. This was a privilege allowed only to those who ranked in the top three. In this life, he had fulfilled his father’s only dream. There were no more regrets.

When Nie Yan arrived at his father’s company, he went to chat with Ah Chen. The growth of the War God Tribe was progressing smoothly, having recently captured one of the strongholds belonging to a guild under the Tuoba Family. This was only the start of their campaign to take over Nisode City.

The War God Tribe’s rise to glory was nothing short of amazing. There were several more newcomers rising up in other cities, the most famous of which were the God Punisher Sword and Darkbright Empire guilds.

Nie Yan recalled their names. God Punisher Sword was a guild based in Moonlight City. They were still weak, for now. It would take at least a month for them to solidify their foundation. As for Darkbright Empire, they were a Calore-based guild in the previous timeline. He believed his interference in this life had caused them to disappear from the river of history. Who knew they had run off to Blaze City, and it seemed they were doing even better than they ever had in the previous timeline.

History had deviated greatly ever since Nie Yan returned to the past.

It appeared Asskickers United would have many rivals in the future.

Nie Yan hung around at his father’s company until the clock struck one before driving to the Moro River Banquet Hall.

With a six star rating, the Moro River Banquet Hall was the most famous restaurant in Huahai. It was a sleek building with a total of 167 floors, each floor capable of rotating independently. The floors could also be combined and altered with ease, allowing for the perfect view of the scenery outside. Just below was the biggest commercial street in the world. The moro in the name was taken from a religious scripture and meant dream. Every shop on the street had a unique design and displayed all sorts of fantastical oddities, making one feel as though they’d been transported to a magical world.

This was a place for the rich. Just the Moro River Banquet Hall alone was valued in the excess of several hundred billion. This gave an idea of how powerful the Dragonsoar Financial Group was. Even all of the Nie Family’s assets combined wouldn’t amount to an odd scrap of the Dragonsoar Financial Group’s capital.

Nie Yan arrived at the entrance and showed his invitation. A woman in a qipao came up to greet him.

“Sir, please follow me,” she said in a melodic tone.

“Okay.” Nie Yan nodded before following behind her.

The woman led Nie Yan to an elevator, where they rode up to the 131st floor. After passing through a red carpet lined corridor, he arrived at a large banquet hall. Even though it was still early, there were many people present. They were chatting and smiling with each other. The men were dressed in suits while the women wore gorgeous flower dresses. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to say that practically all of Huahai high-class elites from both the government and business world were gathered here.

This banquet hall would have no problem fitting several thousand people. Nie Yan walked around but didn’t see any familiar faces. So, he found a secluded corner by a window and sat down.

This was the first time Nie Yan had participated in such an extravagant event. He was a good-for-nothing in his prior life, so his father naturally didn’t bring him to these sorts of gatherings. When his father passed away, he had even less of a chance of going.

Even though he felt a little out of place, Nie Yan remained clam. He ordered a glass of juice and stared out the window. He could see the beautiful sea in the distance, where azure waters met clear blue skies.

Nie Yan’s gaze wandered around the hall. As for how many of these immaculately dressed upper-class elites were gathered here, he couldn’t tell. There was no lack of beautiful women, each alluring figure clothed in skin-tight, low-back halterneck dresses. It was like a field full of blossoming flowers, each vying for your attention.

Some of these women were accompanied by big-bellied men several decades older than them. It was akin to a beautiful rose inserted into a pile of dung.

Nie Yan could understand why so many of his schoolmates were heartbroken, despising that they couldn’t be born several decades earlier, after learning that Jiang Yingyu had married a wealthy older man.

Looking at his watch, it was almost 2 o’clock. Xie Yao would be arriving anytime now.

Nie Yan quietly sipped on his juice. The atmosphere settled down as people stopped chattering and looked toward the front of the hall, where a beautiful young lady had appeared. She wore a strapless white dress which looked elegant and dazzling under the lighting, accentuating her lithe figure and showing off her delicate, pale white shoulders. She looked like a flawless sculpture carved out of the finest jade without a single blemish.

She resembled a beautiful fairy that had descended from the heavens.

As soon as Xie Yao entered the hall, everyone’s gazes focused on her. Many people couldn’t help but secretly let out sighs of admiration. Her presence dimmed the beauty of all other women in the banquet hall, causing jealousy to surface in their hearts. Right now, Xie Yao was only 18 years old. One could imagine how beautiful she would become in a few more years.

Xie Yao was holding the hand of a tall man who looked to be around 40 years old. One could see some of his facial features in her, making it obvious he was her father. Her mother would be arriving a bit later.

There were also a few others nearby. They were Xie Yao’s close kin.

Everyone clapped, and Xie Yao politely responded with a smile. Her gaze scanned through the crowd as if she were searching for someone. When she couldn’t find who she was looking for, a hint of disappointment crossed her face.

The birthday celebrations were beginning.

Seeing so many people crowding around Xie Yao and her relatives, Nie Yan felt It wouldn’t be too suitable for him to approach her right now.

Nie Yan’s gaze swept past all the guests before focusing on a figure sitting across from him on the other side of the hall by a window. His mind trembled, his hand shaking on his glass, betraying the inner turmoil in his heart.

That person was around 40 years old. His tall stature gave him an imposing look. He wore casual attire, making him stand out among the crowd of finely dressed people. Even so, he still had a dignified air about him. Two men in black suits stood on either side of him. Concealed under their clothing were muscular bodies that could burst into action at any time. With but a glance, one could tell they were battled-hardened veterans. These were his two bodyguards.

Nie Yan couldn’t be more familiar with this face. After all, it was the focus of his hatred in his past life!

Cao Xu!