Chapter 493

Chapter 493: Signing the Contract

“Uh…”

Morris felt a bit troubled.

Being busy meant having very little free time.

If he wanted to ask Mares for help, he would naturally need to offer a higher price.

However, there was no choice; no matter how high the price, he still had to ask.

After a moment of hesitation, he spoke honestly, “I am currently on a mission for the foreign affairs department in a star cluster outside of our main region.”

“This place, even with my strength realm, makes me feel invincible. But unfortunately, the targets I need to find are skilled in stealth techniques, and I have been unable to track their whereabouts.”

“So, I wanted to ask you to help me to see if you can find them.”

“Don’t worry, it won’t take much time. The humanity here in this star cluster is a vassal race of our Tree-Dwelling Tribe, with an average strength realm so low you can hardly imagine. The main reason they are accepted as a vassal race by the Tree-Dwelling Tribe is that they possess a powerful troop transportation capability.”

“They have a weapon called a Large Battleship that can travel from the super star cluster to this outer star cluster in just two months.”

“In other words, the round trip only takes four months at most, so it won’t waste much of your time.”

“Uh…”

Mares hesitated, showing a conflicted expression.

It was just a few months of time, which he wouldn’t mind.

No matter how busy he was, a few months wouldn’t make a big difference.

However, he had significant experience in helping others.

He knew that when one wanted to decline, it was best to be straightforward.

The more he agreed to help, the more he needed to act as if he found it very difficult.

Only then could he make the other person owe him a more significant favor or gain more benefits.

“We were teammates, and we’ve braved life and death together. Besides, we had good conversations; you really can’t refuse this favor.”

Morris quickly expressed his frustrations, “Without your help, it will be very challenging for me to complete my mission for the foreign affairs department, and I’d have to stay in this outer star cluster.”

“Just like you said, we’ve been through thick and thin; if you run into trouble and ask for my help, I will certainly find a way to assist you. The problem is, I’m also overwhelmed with my own tasks, and it’s genuinely hard to find free time.”

Mares scoffed internally, feeling a bit disdainful that Morris hadn’t offered any terms and was instead trying to appeal to their friendship to make him take this trip.

It made it seem like they were very close.

However, he wasn’t foolish enough to say this directly and continued to act conflicted.

“How about this? I will quickly finish the tasks assigned to me by the War Department. Once I complete them, I’ll let you know right away.”

“How long will it take?” Morris asked.

“Hard to say, the tasks are a bit tricky, mainly because the other party is very good at escaping. Our team has tried to track them down multiple times but they always manage to escape.”

Mares explained, “If things go smoothly, I might resolve it in a few months.”

“…”

Morris felt speechless.

He understood.

If everything went smoothly, it could be resolved in a few months.

However, it implied that if things did not go well, it might take years or even decades to resolve.

There was a chance that during that time, the foreign affairs department would have other tasks.

Trying to get Mares to come over without offering a price and merely asking for a small favor was definitely impossible.

He gritted his teeth and said, “My tasks have already dragged on for too long. Here’s the deal: you put aside what you’re working on and come here for a few months to help me finish my tasks.”

“I will cover any losses on your side.”

“Well…”

Mares hesitated, waiting for Morris to make an offer.

Morris felt a headache coming on.

He wanted Mares to state his terms first, but it was clear that Mares held the initiative and was also waiting for him to make an offer.

There was no other option.

“How about this: I have invested all my resources and treasures into a significant deal. I can’t provide any high-quality resources right now, but you can have all the profits from my territory for the next thousand years as compensation for your losses.”

Mares’ eyes lit up.

He knew that Morris’s strength reached level 210 and that his territory was substantial.

The profits from the territory over a thousand years would be quite considerable.

“Well, while the profits from the territory over a thousand years are substantial, it does require a thousand years…”

Mares still looked troubled.

“I can only offer the future profits from my territory as compensation. How about this? You can have all the profits for the next two thousand years—this is the best I can do.”

Morris gritted his teeth.

“Alright! We have braved life and death together; if you’re in trouble, I will definitely help you at any cost. Let’s not settle for the two thousand years of profits; just the profits for the next thousand years will be enough to cover some of my losses.”

Mares suddenly agreed straightforwardly and cut the terms Morris had offered in half.

This was typical of him.

Leave some space for others.

Build good connections.

With the Tree-Dwelling Tribe’s rare tracking and searching techniques, he had plenty of opportunities to earn extra rewards, and he possessed a lot more resources and treasures than other strong individuals of his level.

Thus, he always sought a balance between relationships and benefits.

He even didn’t mind helping friends for free.

In his eyes, relationships were more valuable.

Especially since the Tree-Dwelling Tribe followed the causal path.

Making someone owe him a significant favor could bring unexpected benefits in the future.

With someone like Morris, whose connections were average, he would first try to draw out the other party’s bottom line.

Then, when the other party accepted that line for compensation, he would suddenly offer to take half away.

This way, he would get the benefits but the other party would still owe him a significant favor.

“Great! When can you come? I can arrange for a Large Battleship to pick you up at any time.”

Morris was overjoyed, clearly not expecting Mares to proactively offer a discount.

Although his territory’s profits had already diminished under his management, saving a thousand years’ worth of profits was still a saving.

“Give me a few days to take care of some urgent tasks, and then I can set off.”

Mares smiled.

“Alright, I’ll draft a contract and send it to you via the communication stone. Once you sign it, let me know after you finish your tasks.”

“Well… that works!”

Mares was taken aback that Morris wanted to sign a contract.

But considering it was their first collaboration and that the other party’s bottom line involved the profits for the next two thousand years, it was clear this task was urgent and important.

To be safe, in case he had to back out at the last minute, having a signed contract was a reasonable request.

He didn’t think too much and readily agreed.

“Then I’ll start drafting the contract now!”

Morris was thrilled. Once Mares agreed, he quickly ended the call.

Then, he drafted the contract as fast as he could and sent two identical contracts to Mares via the communication stone.

After reviewing the contract contents and confirming there were no issues, Mares input his Perception Ability into both contracts.

He then sent one back to Morris using the communication stone.

Receiving the contract, Morris felt a great weight lift from his heart.