CHAPTER 404: CHAPTER 391: THE GRATITUDE OF THE ALLIANCE

Chen Gu grabbed the prop and found another excuse to slip away from his teacher. Zhong Yuanbei saw right through him. However, without any equipment at hand, Zhong Yuanbei couldn’t continue his research. So, he glared at Chen Gu and admonished, "Take your studies seriously, and take over your senior brother’s work soon!"

"He’s already delayed his graduation by a year," Chen Gu replied, "I can’t exactly keep him here for another one."

Zhong Yuanbei wasn’t truly clueless. He had long seen through Chen Gu’s intentions: to recruit new students next year, bamboozle a few juniors into joining, and then take over Bai Shengyuan’s work. That way, Chen Gu could lead a carefree life without having to stay by his mentor’s side and endure his "guidance" every day.

Chen Gu kept agreeing, then let it go in one ear and out the other.

Upon leaving Zhong Yuanbei’s presence, he ran into Mao Yisheng, who was accompanied by two middle-aged men in conservative suits.

"Brother Chen," Mao Yisheng hurriedly called out, "I was just looking for you. These two gentlemen are officials from the Alliance; they’re here to see you about something."

The two middle-aged men approached with a smile. One of them shook Chen Gu’s hand, saying, "We really owe a lot to you, Student Chen."

As they shook hands, their gaze fell upon the effeminate "Valkyrie’s Guard" on Chen Gu’s wrist. He instinctively retracted his hand, hiding the bracelet back up his sleeve.

"You are too kind. I didn’t really help the Alliance much."

"You can’t say that. If it weren’t for you detecting the seriousness of this incident early on, the Alliance might have suffered even greater losses. These newcomers might not have been saved."

They weren’t making it up; the President had cleanly slain the newcomers’ giant beasts, but at least this batch of newcomers was preserved.

If these newcomers had encountered further problems, the Alliance’s loss would have been truly severe. Moreover, the newcomers from the three major Star Nations were thriving. In contrast, the Confederation would lack a year’s worth of new talent, inevitably causing them to fall behind in strength. This would have a profound and fatal impact.

They continued, "...So we’ve come here on behalf of the Alliance to thank you, Student Chen." The officials glanced around. "How about we head back to the city and find a place to talk in detail?"

It seemed there was more to this than just gratitude; there was probably something else too, Chen Gu mused.

Chen Gu agreed; anything to "escape" from his mentor was fine. The school’s cafeteria was also destroyed, he thought with some regret. Otherwise, it would have been great to eat there while discussing—after all, the Alliance would certainly reimburse any expenses these two incurred.

Director Xue will also receive thanks from the Alliance, I suppose, Chen Gu guessed. And the officials sent to him will undoubtedly be of a higher rank than these two.

Although Director Xue, accompanied by the Alliance’s professionals and mercenaries, wandered around the protected area for a whole day, they were actually led astray by Gu Bu, Joe Madus’s subordinate, and found nothing.

The officials had a car, but Chen Gu still got into his own, with Mao Yisheng joining him.

The "Ground Palace Generation IV" was still in its understated form. Mao Yisheng saw it and commented, "Brother Chen, going low-key, I see. What happened, swapped the flashy "Black Tortoise III Model" for something this ordinary?"

Chen Gu merely smiled without replying. Once Mao Yisheng settled into the car, he immediately realized something was off with this vehicle!

Touching the exquisite interior, he exclaimed, "Brother Chen, what kind of car is this? It must be even more expensive than the flashy "Black Tortoise III Model," right?"

Chen Gu didn’t elaborate. "It was a gift," he said. "It’s just a means of transportation, so I drive it."

The two Alliance officials had already reserved seats at a restaurant. Mao Yisheng made a point to mention, "Brother Chen has a big appetite." The officials immediately ordered considerably more food. However, Chen Gu inwardly lamented, This little bit won’t even fill the gaps between my teeth.

Be modest, a boy should be modest.

Chen Gu resisted the urge to grab the menu and order three more of everything.

"We won’t indulge in more pleasantries," an official said with a smile. "The Alliance has a special fund to reward friends who have helped us. Before we came, the Alliance specifically allocated a sum from it."

At this point, Chen Gu’s account received a DING notification. He opened it to find that nine million Starshields had been deposited.

Chen Gu smiled slightly, without any great surprise. After all, as a professional, every promotion costs hundreds of millions; this money... can only slowly add up to something significant, he thought.

The officials, seeing Chen Gu’s reaction, were secretly amazed. A college student suddenly receiving a whole nine million Starshields would normally be ecstatic, wouldn’t they? they thought.

The two exchanged a glance, both thinking, Such composure—he’s truly extraordinary.

"Furthermore," the official continued, "Mr. Chen will now be a VIP guest of the Alliance. No matter what match you wish to see, we will prepare a VIP box for you."

For Chen Gu, such benefits were merely optional. He still smiled. "Thank you for your consideration."

The dishes began to arrive, and Chen Gu proactively picked up his chopsticks.

After eating for a while, the other official said, "We hear from Mao Yisheng that Mr. Chen has a very obedient Energy Gathering Mechanical Species?"

Chen Gu glanced at Mao Yisheng, who spread his hands and said sheepishly, "I let it slip..."

Chen Gu shook his head with a wry smile. "I do have one."

"I wonder if Mr. Chen has considered joining the Giant Beast Battle League?"

Chen Gu looked up at them, surprised. The official explained further, "Although the Alliance is always thriving, we are always vigilant and striving to bring new elements into the league to keep the fans engaged."

"We’ve been adding new rules and modes of competition over the years for this very reason."

"To be frank, we’ve actually been trying to incorporate Energy Gathering Mechanical Species into the competition, but previous attempts have failed; those Energy Gathering Mechanical Species were completely uncontrollable."

"If Mr. Chen’s Energy Gathering Mechanical Species is very obedient, we can issue you a wildcard entry to compete."

"If you perform well, we can make you a professional player and officially welcome you into the Alliance."

As he spoke, he opened a contract in front of Chen Gu. "The Alliance takes great care of its star players," he said. "Take a look at the contract and give it some thought."

Chen Gu glanced at the contract. The appearance fee for the first wildcard match was four million Starshields. This was quite high for a wildcard player.

Victory would bring a further reward of two million Starshields.

And if he could become an official player, then everything would follow the Alliance’s rules, with appearance fees and prize money linked to performance.

Not to mention other factors, maintaining a win rate above fifty percent for a season would mean appearance fees and prize money alone could reach a staggering one hundred and twenty million Starshields!

Chen Gu was taken aback. "Alliance players earn this much money?"

The two officials smiled proudly. "The Alliance is incredibly sought after. While youthful dreams are one factor, the substantial income is another major reason."

"And what you see is just the income from matches. In reality, those star players also receive high salaries from clubs, signing bonuses, and even more lucrative endorsement deals."