Chapter 8: The Issue of Money and Principles

A million, quite a sum indeed.

Mo Fei couldn't help but sneer internally. If it were just an ordinary BOSS account, it actually wouldn't be worth much. In the game, you could create the lowest-rank one-stage BOSS, a skeleton, with just a hundred thousand game credits.

However, like hero characters, the higher the BOSS rank, the more expensive it becomes. A Terror Grade one-stage BOSS cost starts from five hundred thousand, while a Disaster Grade one-stage BOSS starts at two million and five hundred thousand. World Grade BOSS creation hadn't been unlocked yet, but extrapolating from this ratio, it would probably be twelve million and five hundred thousand.

Thus far in the entire game, although the number of World BOSSes was not small, none were played by players.

One must know that the death rate during a BOSS's rank advancement was quite high because advancement required battling in storyline campaigns, which were typically showdowns between heroes and BOSSes. The victor advanced; the vanquished died. If one died in a storyline campaign, it was truly the end—the so-called "plot kill." In essence, participating in storyline campaigns was akin to playing a battle royale game.

Out of 100 skeleton-grade BOSSes, maybe not even one would successfully evolve into a World Grade BOSS.

And the Black Dragon BOSS he had trained had already reached Disaster Grade five-stage. It was on the verge of ascending to a World BOSS—talking about World BOSSes, it's not as if one dragon could oppose a country, but annihilating a city was certainly possible.

The level his black dragon character had reached, nurtured to such a degree, was not the result of mere effort. It relied on his skill, a significant component of luck, and the fact the competition had not been so fierce just after the game was launched, allowing for many crafty plays. Even if he were to try again, he wasn't sure he could train another account to such a caliber.

Once, a tycoon had offered ten million to buy his account, but Mo Fei, constrained by platform regulations and contract terms, refused painfully.

Now, they wanted to take it back with just a million plus an ordinary BOSS account—were they dismissing him like some beggar?

Mo Fei was cursing inwardly, his face, however, still bore a smile, "Hehe, I'm sorry, young executive, it's not about the money, really. I've just put so much into this account, and I've also developed a bond with the viewers. Suddenly stopping streaming just wouldn't be right, and the platform would suffer a significant loss too."

"That's not an issue. We will still stream under the name of Black Dragon Lord Morphis. After all, the dragon's voice won't change. The audience comes for Black Dragon Lord Morphis, not the streamer. So, how about it, give me a straightforward answer, can you do it or not?" Towards the last few words, impatience had crept onto Wang Ziheng's face.

Mo Fei silently cursed the other's shamelessness, pretty much guessing what was on the opponent's mind—'I, the venerable scion of the Starlight Group, have been negotiating with you respectfully for long enough to save your face. Don't be so arrogant.'

But when interests were at stake, he really couldn't compromise.

"Sorry, I cannot agree. It's not a matter of money, it's a matter of principle."

Wang Ziheng looked at him and suddenly erupted into laughter, friendly in an unnervingly pleasant way that made Mo Fei's skin crawl.

"Haha, then forget it. It was just a question anyway. Continue with your work, I won't bother you anymore," he said, then turned and left.

However, Mo Fei couldn't relax. Had Wang Ziheng really chewed him out, he would have felt more at ease. After all, he wasn't unaccustomed to being berated by viewers during live streams as a working man—what difference did it make who did the scolding? But such a nonchalant reaction made him even more uneasy. He knew the type. The dogs that bite don't bark, as the saying goes.

Yet with things as they were, he couldn't very well run after him and take back his refusal, could he? He couldn't afford to lose that much face.

They wouldn't go too far, would they? Mo Fei thought. After all, it was his own family's business, and he was their employee, making money for them.

The supervisor shook his head and said, "Mo Fei, what in the world are you thinking? It's not about money? Why are you putting on airs? If you wanted more compensation, just say so. I could negotiate on your behalf, adding a few million more isn't that difficult. How could you just refuse like that?"

Mo Fei thought to himself, fuck, if he had only offered a million, then it wasn't really about the money, was it? If he had thrown out ten or eighteen million, I would actually have a reason to refuse, wouldn't I?

After all, he's a junior executive of the company, how could he be so stingy?

"Sorry, it really isn't about the money. I am a man of principles, and there are some things that can't be measured with money."

The manager was taken aback for a moment and couldn't help but show an admiring expression, "Alright, you're awesome."

He turned and chased out the door, following Wang Ziheng with quick, short steps, who was preparing to leave.

"Young Executive, about this matter... Mo Fei is actually pretty reasonable usually, he might just not have shifted his mindset after finishing his stream. How about we offer him a higher sum?"

Wang Ziheng, however, smiled slightly, "Hehe, there's no need. Although I'm a second-generation rich kid, I don't like to waste money. Of course, I'll save where I can. Why spend more when you can spend less? Why spend at all if I can get something for free?

I've done some research on Mo Fei. He wasn't very famous before and only got some popularity because of streaming the black dragon. Moreover, he can't show his face in the game, so his persona isn't that important. What's important is his gaming character.

His contract is about to expire, and we have to keep such a high-profile character no matter what. Go find all of Mo Fei's past live stream recordings, have the review department thoroughly check them, and look for any issues, then report back to me."

——————

When Mo Fei got home, he still occasionally recalled the words and expressions of Wang Ziheng. He was somewhat anxious, but due to his status, if the other party really moved against him, there was nothing he could do. On reflection, his contract would expire in a few months, and then he would be free.

When he first signed the five-year streaming contract, he didn't have much of a following for the first four years until World of Sky, this mysterious game, came out of nowhere.

Holographic virtual gaming, it was like something straight out of a science fiction novel. When he first heard about such a game, he thought it was an April Fool's joke. He couldn't believe the game was actually made, he was still somewhat in disbelief even today.

However, that didn't stop him from making a choice. He entered the game as soon as he could. Without the money to purchase a premium account, he could only play using a monster template, starting as a little black dragon whelp and exploring the World bit by bit. Unexpectedly, his luck turned out pretty good. Coupled with a relatively in-depth approach to the game, he accidentally ended up as the top player in the Monster Zone.

In the last few months of his streaming career, he reached the pinnacle of his career,

However, with popularity came more troublesome affairs. Being targeted for criticism in the game by trolls was one thing, but the real world was full of backstabbing and underhanded tactics. He had been reported several times – without guessing, he knew who could be behind it. Now faced with another incident, Mo Fei couldn't help but have the thought of retiring. He thought to himself that once the contract expired, he might as well resign. He had made some money over the past half a year, and he wouldn't be short of money in the short term. Even if he had to work in the game to make a living, it would be enough for his own needs. Why bother putting up with these unnecessary frustrations.

He comforted himself, lay in bed, and quickly fell asleep.

Although the Gaming Helmet's manual boasted the use of Deep Sleep Technology, claiming that playing the game was as restful as sleeping, Mo Fei always felt exhausted after streaming, as if he had truly been fighting as a black dragon all day. Every time, he had to sleep deeply to recover his energy.

Now, Mo Fei slept soundly, yet his consciousness was vaguely aware, finding himself standing in darkness. At first, he didn't realize that he was dreaming, until a pair of flame-like eyes appeared in the darkness, staring straight at him with a complex mix of emotions.

"Insignificant human, we meet again."