Soon enough, Nan Lang sent over a communication request.
"Who is it? If you've got something to say, make it quick. I'm busy." Shi Feng picked up the call and spoke with a hint of impatience.
"You... you know who I am..."
Hearing Shi Feng's tone, Nan Lang's anger flared up, but he held it back. After all, this was a directive from above — he had to handle it properly. If anyone else dared speak to him like this, the consequences would be dire.
"If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up," Shi Feng said.
Nan Lang seethed, "Why would I come looking for you if I had nothing to say?"
"Then say it already. I'm busy." Shi Feng's impatience was plain. There was a huge opportunity right in front of him — he had no time to waste on pointless chatter with a stranger.
Nan Lang nearly exploded with rage. A lone wolf player dared talk to him like this? But then he reminded himself — Shi Feng had no idea who he really was or what his status was. That was the only reason he could be this arrogant.
"I need to calm down, calm down," Nan Lang told himself. "Once he learns my identity, he'll be so terrified he'll practically wet himself."
"I am an emissary of the Underworld. I suppose you've never heard of us, because the Underworld is a vast hidden organization. Anyone below a certain level has no right to even know we exist. As for our strength, I can tell you this — even a top-tier assassin like Jue Tian spent three years of effort and only recently earned the right to become an outer member. And even then, he's nothing but bottom tier."
"What? Jue Tian is an outer member of your Underworld?" Shi Feng was faintly surprised.
He had indeed never heard of the Underworld and had no idea how powerful it was. But if even a top-class assassin was merely an outer member, he could tell the Underworld's depth was unfathomable.
Shi Feng didn't think Nan Lang was lying. After all his experiences in the Divine Realm, he could tell a lie from the truth well enough. Especially when Nan Lang had delivered that speech with an air of superiority, like an emperor looking down on commoners — that sort of pride couldn't be faked.
"I hope this isn't about avenging Jue Tian because I killed him," Shi Feng speculated silently. He hadn't found any guild emblem on Jue Tian before and had always assumed Jue Tian was a lone assassin, a hidden expert. He hadn't expected him to have such connections.
Hearing the surprise in Shi Feng's voice, Nan Lang felt a flicker of smugness.
"That's nothing. The Underworld also commands inconceivable power in the real world. The resources and intelligence we control far exceed your imagination. Even an outer member possesses enough influence to make a major corporation in any city tremble. Even the Ice Goddess you're so familiar with, Bai Qingxue, shows deference to our mid-level members, let alone the upper management." Nan Lang laughed proudly. "I'm telling you all this not to boast about the Underworld, but to make clear just how powerful our foundations are. If you don't believe me, go ask Bai Qingxue. Anyone without sufficient strength has no right to know the Underworld even exists."
"The reason I've contacted you is to inform you that you've attracted the Underworld's attention. You are qualified to join."
"Is it because I killed Jue Tian?" Shi Feng asked calmly.
"Yes, you could say that. If you didn't have the strength to kill Jue Tian, you probably wouldn't have caught the Underworld's eye."
Nan Lang was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Shi Feng to be completely unmoved. When most people received this kind of news, they would be overjoyed, practically begging to join immediately. After all, joining the Underworld meant countless opportunities to meet influential figures, tremendous convenience in getting things done, and access to information others couldn't even dream of — benefits for one's future development that were practically immeasurable.
"You're saying that if I agree, I can become an outer member right now?" Shi Feng had weathered far too many storms. He was no longer the naive young man in his twenties, so he remained composed.
In his previous life, as the guild master of Shadow, he had never heard of the Underworld either. But Shi Feng wasn't surprised by that. After all, Shadow had only been a second-rate guild. In the eyes of the top-tier guilds, it was nothing but an ant, not even worth mentioning — let alone this deeply hidden Underworld. They were simply not from the same world. One would probably need to reach at least the level of a first-rate guild to access these kinds of secrets.
"You could say that, but getting into the Underworld isn't that easy. Right now you merely have the qualification. And our Underworld has always operated on a principle: if you want something, you must pay an equivalent price. Only when you've paid the cost of entry can you become a full outer member."
"Can you tell me what exactly I'd have to pay?"
"The cost of entry is steep. Even Jue Tian spent three years. But you're lucky — I investigated you beforehand and found that you possess a type of fire that can dramatically increase attack power and destructive force. Hand over that fire, and pay a monthly membership fee of ten gold coins, and you'll be an official outer member of the Underworld."
"So that's how it is." Shi Feng suddenly understood.
The Underworld was somewhat like a major trading consortium in the real world. To enter their circle, you needed to pay membership fees — but not just anyone was qualified. Within the consortium, members could exchange what they needed, share information and resources, and seize more business opportunities to develop their enterprises, forming a community of shared interests.
"Since you understand, when will you be ready to pay? I can't stay in Red Leaf Town too long — I have plenty of other matters to attend to." Nan Lang smiled. Once he got his hands on that fire — an epic-grade item in Shi Feng's possession — combined with the contributions he'd accumulated over the years, he could officially become a mid-level member of the Underworld. And then he'd have everything he wanted.
"I'm sorry, but I'm declining to join. Find someone else," Shi Feng said firmly.
After what had happened with Shadow, he had no desire to join someone else's organization. And he didn't need to. He had the advantage of being a reborn person — he knew information others didn't, and he understood the direction of the era's development. If the Underworld had come to him as a partner on equal footing, he might have considered it. But becoming a member? That was just working for someone else in a different guise. He had no interest in that.
He could already build a major studio of his own, and founding a large guild was just around the corner. He truly had no need to join the Underworld. The Divine Realm information that was most valuable within the Underworld — in others' eyes it was treasure, but in Shi Feng's eyes it was nothing more than common knowledge. He could produce as much of it as he wanted.
The only reason he'd talked this long was to learn a little more about the Underworld.
"What did you just say?" Nan Lang thought he must have misheard. After all that talking, Shi Feng had flat-out refused.
"I'm not interested in joining the Underworld. Find someone else," Shi Feng repeated.
"So after all that, you're saying you were just stringing me along?" Nan Lang said, his embarrassment turning to fury. "Do you know what the consequences of that are?"
"You were the ones who contacted me. And now that I don't want to join your Underworld, you're going to threaten me into it?" Shi Feng said with a cold laugh.
"How dare you toy with the Underworld like this. Naturally, there's a price for that. Hand over the fire, and I can pretend this whole thing never happened. Otherwise, be prepared to face the Underworld's wrath." Nan Lang's voice was ice-cold.
"Ha ha ha, so the fox tail is finally showing. From the very beginning, your goal was the fire, wasn't it? You learned from Jue Tian that my fire was no ordinary thing and decided you wanted it for yourselves." Shi Feng laughed calmly. "I'll tell you one thing — if you've got the guts, come and get it!"