Rebirth of the thief who roamed around the world (BOOK 1)

Chapter 97 - Fog and Lighthouse

"Still, if it weren't for your help, we would've never made it here," Sleepy Fox said.

During the journey, many members started to view Nie Yan in a different light. Their gazes were still filled with a complicated emotion, but more than anything, they were feeling deep admiration. Now, they heeded his every word with almost absolute faith. His leadership had borne excellent results.

The fact he was able to bring them to this point alone was already ample proof of his ability to command.

People like Nie Yan were destined to become legends.

"Brother Nie, are you absolutely certain you don't wish to join our guild? Even among the other guilds, our Holy Empire is ranked quite highly. If Brother Nie is willing to join, then our treatment would be just as good as, if not better than, the other guilds'. If that still isn't enticing enough, then how about you enter our guild as an honorary member for now? You won't even be obligated to do anything. All we'll ask is that you keep in contact with us." Sleepy Fox tried throwing out another one of his recruiting pitches. Nie Yan didn't bear any sort of emblem on his body, which meant he shouldn't be a member of any guild. This was rare for a player as skilled as Nie Yan, so he wasn't willing to give up just yet.

"That won't be necessary," Nie Yan lightly chuckled as he politely declined the offer. He understood that Sleepy Fox was simply trying to rope him into becoming involved with the guild. Once he was an honorary member, Sleepy Fox would gradually attempt to change his mind until he became a full-fledged member of Holy Empire. Although honorary membership would grant him many benefits, he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. He didn't want to spend his time being a dog for some guild.

"Eh... Alright, then so be it," Sleepy Fox replied, clearly disappointed.

"However, if any opportunities arise in the future, we should look to cooperate again," Nie Yan added. This virtual world would birth countless legends of financial windfalls. More than just being a second world in name, this game turning into one would become a reality. It would be viewed by numerous figures as a new land of growth and opportunity. In his previous life, when Cao Xu was at the peak of his power, he had five large guilds at his beck and call and owned various businesses spread across Calore, Nisode, and Radiant City. Not only that, but the industries under his control were quite diverse as well, covering over ten different markets. As a result, his assets in the virtual world were valued in the hundreds of billions. Nie Yan needed to become more powerful than Cao Xu, powerful enough to thoroughly crush him. He needed to become so powerful that Cao Xu would be forced to think twice before acting against him. Only then would his mind be at ease. Nie Yan wouldn't allow the events of his past life to repeat themselves in this one. This, however, was impossible to achieve alone, which was why he needed to gradually build up a network of reliable contacts. The person who currently stood before him, Sleepy Fox, was one such person who was worthy of developing a relationship with.

"Of course, I'd be glad to." Sleepy Fox believed Nie Yan was merely talking about running another dungeon together. Never did Sleepy Fox consider that he might've actually meant something else.

However, Nie Yan didn't bother expanding upon this any further and instead turned his attention back to hunting down the Manticores.

"Seven Nights, I want you to expand our coverage by scouting out the southeast. Be wary of the traps, especially the quagmires," Nie Yan said. Seven Nights Showstopper was the weakest Thief on the team, a handsome young man who had just turned twenty. Currently he didn't amount to much in Sleepy Fox's eyes, but his talent and potential weren't bad. According to Nie Yan's past life, this man was to mature into the guild's number one Thief in the future. Though Seven Nights was very quiet and reserved, which made it hard to gauge his thoughts, he had a gentle personality, so Nie Yan had a good impression of him. Because of this, Nie Yan had subconsciously favoured Seven Nights a bit more than the other Thieves when issuing orders.