Chapter 499: Chapter 499 The Price Of Partnership
Elder Adrianne’s words brought silence to the room.
Atkinson Samson’s face darkened with rage. He shot Elder Adrianne a cold glare and snapped, "Our Great Saint Sect is going to crawl to them for talks? If word gets out, what happens to our reputation?"
Elder Adrianne rushed to explain, "Sect Master, there’s serious trouble brewing in the Great Saint Sect, especially with the clans!"
"They expected the Great Saint Sect to protect them, but we’ve brought them nothing but disaster. If we keep this up, our reputation will take an even bigger hit!"
Atkinson Samson’s brows knitted together as he listened.
Elder Adrianne had a point. Keep going like this, and nobody would want anything to do with the Great Saint Sect.
Atkinson Samson stayed quiet for a beat, then said slowly, "What makes you think Mason Raymond will say yes?"
Elder Adrianne replied, "I’m not sure. So we can only... roll the dice."
Atkinson Samson said nothing, clearly weighing his options.
After a while, Atkinson Samson looked at Elder Adrianne.
He said grimly, "Fine, we’ll do it your way, but... keep it under wraps. Don’t let this leak."
Elder Adrianne nodded. "Got it."
Elder Adrianne immediately had someone reach out to Mason Raymond.
Getting hold of Mason Raymond wasn’t hard - they sent word through the Divine Alchemist Pavilion.
When the Second Elder heard about this, his jaw dropped.
"Is the Divine Alchemist Pavilion throwing in the towel?" the Fifth Elder gulped.
The Second Elder said firmly, "Has to be a trap. Mason Raymond killed so many Great Saint Sect people - no way they’d just let it slide!"
"I think we should let Mason Raymond decide for himself," said the Fifth Elder.
The Fifth Elder pulled out his phone and called Mason Raymond right away.
He filled Mason Raymond in on what the Great Saint Sect wanted.
"Mason Raymond, watch yourself. I smell a trap," the Fifth Elder warned seriously.
On the other end, I stayed calm. "Don’t worry, I’ve got this handled."
Then I hung up.
Right now, I was sitting in a restaurant, slurping noodles.
I set down my chopsticks and couldn’t help but grin.
"Finally," I chuckled.
Everything I’d done was to get this shot at talking with the Great Saint Sect!
If I’d made the first move, those arrogant Great Saint Sect jerks would never have given me the time of day.
With these sect families, they only think about talking when they’re backed into a corner.
After thinking it through, I finally decided to use the media as my weapon.
But any regular media outfit would be too scared to mess with the Great Saint Sect. So I had to find a media company with real power and pull to do the interview.
Pyro was huge, and the Great Saint Sect, strong as they were, couldn’t shut everyone up.
There were bigger fish out there, and plenty of people who didn’t fear the Great Saint Sect.
My first pick was Sea City.
As one of the biggest cities in the country, Sea City packed almost as much punch as Capital City.
Actually, it was loaded with powerful clans and major families!
"Looks like I need to take a trip to Sea City," I thought.
The biggest family in Sea City was the Barnes family.
The Barnes family didn’t just have billions in assets - their connections were off the charts.
But compared to Capital City’s elite families, the Barnes family’s fighting power was pretty weak.
Word was that in the entire Barnes family, the strongest was just a half-step Martial Marquis.
After mulling it over, I decided to ask Jerry Sean for help.
Lucky for me, Jerry Sean was tight with the Barnes family.
"Back in the day, the Barnes family owed me a favor. If I step up, they should hear me out," Jerry Sean said over the phone.
I stayed quiet for a moment, then said, "Alright, I’ll wait for your call."
Half an hour later, Jerry Sean called back.
He said, "All set. Tonight at eight, Steve Barnes will see you at his place."
"Great, thanks," I replied.
——
Night fell.
Mason Raymond arrived at the Barnes family estate.
Inside the Barnes family’s massive mansion, only a few maids were tidying up.
Mason Raymond sat quietly, waiting for the Barnes family members to show up.
About ten minutes later.
A middle-aged man in a bathrobe came down the stairs. It was none other than the Barnes Family head, Steve Barnes!
As soon as Steve Barnes appeared, several maids greeted him. "Master."
Steve Barnes nodded slightly and walked straight to Mason Raymond, looked him over, and said, "You’re Mason Raymond?"
"Good to meet you, Mr. Barnes," I answered.
Steve Barnes smiled faintly. "You’ve been making waves lately. Even here in Sea City, people are talking about you."
I laughed. "Mr. Barnes, you’re being too nice."
"Cut to the chase - what brings you to me?" Steve Barnes said coolly.
I laid out why I’d come.
After hearing me out, Steve Barnes couldn’t help but laugh.
He snuffed out his cigarette and said casually, "Mason Raymond, how green can you be?"
My brows furrowed as I asked, confused, "What do you mean, Mr. Barnes?"
Steve Barnes let out a mocking laugh. "If you were the Jerry Sean of old, I might’ve been able to help, but now..."
Steve Barnes shook his head without spelling it out, but his meaning was crystal clear.
I opened my mouth to say something, but Steve Barnes waved his hand and said, "Just meeting with you is already doing him a solid."
With that, Steve Barnes waved his hand again, basically telling me to get lost.
After a moment of silence, I smiled and said, "Mr. Barnes, maybe I need to pitch this differently."
"Oh?" Steve Barnes raised an eyebrow.
I said, "We could work together."
"Work together?" Hearing this, Steve Barnes burst out laughing.
"What kind of partnership could we possibly have? What makes you think you’re qualified to work with me?" Steve Barnes asked with a raised eyebrow.
I wasn’t in any rush. I smiled calmly. "While the Barnes family is big and rich, your fighting power has always been pathetically weak - your strongest is nothing more than a half-step Martial Marquis."
"And no matter which elite family in Capital City you’re talking about, they don’t just have money - they control martial power too. That’s exactly why the Barnes family can never beat the Sean family."
Steve Barnes’s brows furrowed slightly.
Even though the words stung, they were dead-on accurate.
I stood up and said coldly, "I can fill that gap for the Barnes family."
Hearing this, Steve Barnes laughed dismissively. "You? If you were a Martial Marquis, I might think about it, but you’re just a half-step Martial Marquis. Where’s this confidence coming from?"
I said calmly, "Even though I’m not a Martial Marquis, I made the Great Saint Sect - which does have a Martial Marquis - bow down, and left the high-and-mighty Sean family frustrated!"
"That’s my confidence."
At my words, Steve Barnes looked interested.
He stroked his chin, thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "I can help you this time, but... we need to make a deal."
"I’m listening, Mr. Barnes," I said.
Steve Barnes chuckled. "If you can take down the Great Saint Sect within a month, I’ll recognize your skills and agree to whatever you ask."
