Chapter 64: Fifty Million Contribution Points

Apart from the issue with Peach Blossom Valley, matters concerning his father were far more complicated than what the authorities had revealed. Lin Grape had experienced it firsthand, and now, at last, Yi Shen knew the truth.

At that time, they were exploring a secret realm called Moon-Chasing within the Moonlight Lands, an alternate dimension. High-level worlds differed greatly from low-level ones; the higher the level, the greater the intelligence of the monsters, and in the loftiest realms, even entire civilizations emerged. The Moon-Chasing secret realm was a particularly unique place, and Peach Blossom Valley had spent an entire year attempting to conquer it.

This time, they had reached the sixth elite monster in Moon-Chasing. But for reasons unknown, during the assault, the whole secret realm suddenly erupted with a violent red aura. At first, the team was prepared for all sorts of emergencies, so the elite monsters could still be handled and retreated from gradually. Yet, to everyone’s shock, after they exited the realm, the monsters didn’t disappear; instead, they followed them out, and cracks formed in the realm itself.

Immediately after, the elite monsters went berserk. Some members of the team even began to emit the red aura, turning on Zhao Weimin and Yi Qinfei. Zhao Weimin was the main damage dealer, while Yi Qinfei was the primary frontliner. With Yi Qinfei controlled, the monsters shifted their focus to Zhao Weimin. Coupled with various restrictions, Zhao Weimin perished on the spot within the Moonlight Lands.

Yi Qinfei, meanwhile, led his squad to cover the main group’s retreat. Amidst the chaos, Lin Grape managed to escape to Blue Star.

Lin Grape had her suspicions that perhaps an insider had tampered with the realm, causing such an anomaly. But to this day, nothing had been uncovered. Yi Shen speculated that Blood Massacre might be involved, and after some thought, Lin Grape admitted it was possible.

…

After hearing his mother’s account, Yi Shen felt a headache coming on. Originally, he had planned to raise his level and see if he could solve the problems one by one through force. But the more he learned, the trickier it all became.

Setting aside his father’s situation, even within Peach Blossom Valley, aside from a few obvious leaders contending for the legitimate position due to differing ideals, there wasn’t any evidence of internal sabotage against the organization.

“If we want to legitimately gather Peach Blossom Valley under our banner, is there any way?” Yi Shen asked his mother. “After all, Dad poured his heart into Peach Blossom River, we can’t just let it go.”

He could investigate the matters concerning the Moonlight Lands later; Anqing would be a good starting point. But if multiple factions wanted independence, brute force was hardly the answer. Not to mention whether Yi Shen could eliminate everyone under Battlefish’s watchful eyes—even if he did, if the members didn’t accept him, reclaiming Peach Blossom Valley would be meaningless.

“Difficult,” Lin Grape shook her head. She had pondered many solutions, but the current situation was insoluble.

“For example, what if someone could prove Anqing was the instigator behind Peach Blossom Valley’s downfall, or if Anqing died?” Yi Shen asked directly, startling Lin Grape—she hadn’t expected her son to talk so openly about life and death.

“Don’t get any crooked ideas. There are people watching from above; they won’t let us act recklessly,” Lin Grape cautioned. “I’ve heard rumors that someone is planning to target Anqing. But if he does die, it’s not easy to handle. South Star doesn’t have much real power, and now other guilds are getting involved. Even if I went over, there’s no guarantee I could accomplish anything…”

Midway through her words, Lin Grape paused and looked at Yi Shen.

“There might be one way to save Peach Blossom Valley.”

“What way?” Yi Shen asked, curious.

“If you marry Zhao South Star, perhaps some of the old guard would step forward. Most members of Peach Blossom Valley were influenced by your father and your Uncle Zhao. Together, you two would be more legitimate than Anqing, and you’d garner more support.”

The idea had only flashed through Lin Grape’s mind, but when she spoke it aloud, it sounded logical enough to leave Yi Shen stunned, as she slipped instantly back into her motherly role.

“I discussed this with your father and Uncle Zhao before. We used to joke that if Uncle Zhao had a daughter, we’d arrange a childhood betrothal. But he never married, so that fell through. Zhao South Star is his niece, though, which is close enough. She’s only four years older than you, which is practically the same age.”

“???” Yi Shen’s expression became peculiar.

Just moments ago, they were strategizing how to handle Peach Blossom Valley’s perilous predicament and discussing how to turn the situation around. Suddenly, his mother was talking about matchmaking—it clashed so oddly with the atmosphere.

“I’ve barely even met her…” Yi Shen protested.

“No need to resort to arranged marriage,” he sighed, changing the subject. “Mom, how much money do we still have?”

He needed a large sum of contribution points to buy equipment and skill points. Before, since he couldn’t find his parents, he made money by hunting monsters and working as a black mage dismantling other people’s materials. Now that he was home, he definitely wanted to know the family’s assets, to see if he could boost his own strength further. If he could get a million or two in contribution points to buy materials and skill books, his power would soar.

His greatest advantage was converting contribution points into real strength in the shortest possible time. Now that his mother was back, Yi Shen certainly wanted to make use of the family resources.

“Are you short on money now?” Lin Grape asked curiously. Yi Shen had told her he had a friend and a team backing him, so she thought they lacked funds.

“A bit,” Yi Shen nodded.

Lin Grape calculated and said, “Most of our important equipment is with your father, and some skill books are in his inventory. What I have wouldn’t be useful to you, nor would it fetch much. If we don’t touch the shares and dividends in the Peach Blossom Valley trade association, my available cash is about fifteen million. I need to keep five million for networking, but if you really need it, you can take ten million, no problem.”

“At the moment, that’s all. If you need more, it’ll take time to liquidate assets. Afterward, we can turn out another fifty million,” Lin Grape explained, as if thinking that amount was rather paltry.

“Fifty million?” Yi Shen was momentarily bewildered.

So the family was this wealthy after all?