222. Price Tag on Everyone
"Red Party pig, are you in a bad mood?" Khmara Bohdana asked as she looked up at Beno Alder, who was resting with his eyes closed.
"A little bit," Beno sighed and casually explained the predicament he had encountered.
"What do you expect of the Red Party? If it treats its members as human resources"—Khmara made special emphasis on the word 'resources'—"what do you think about how it treats others? Anyone outside of the Party is an enemy," Khmara Bohdana said as she pouted her vermilion lips.
"Red Party pig, Friend Alder, your talent is good and your temperament is excellent, so why compromise yourself in this devilish organization?" Khmara said. "If you remove the seals on my body and help me escape from here, I can recommend you to become a disciple of my Horizon Dawn."
Khmara Bohdana was courting death, and Beno had no interest in joining her suicidal venture.
When poor, one should focus on self-preservation; the urgent matter at hand was how to improve himself.
After careful consideration, Beno didn't buy any Yin-Yang Immortal Flowers, but instead spent all his savings to purchase ten Mana Stream—a more potent version of Atherflex, an elixir that contains large quantity of essence.
This life has essentially reached a dead end.
After all, I have no intention of repaying the loans, nor am I willing to waste decades of my life as a workhorse. When the loan term expires, I'll surely die without even a proper burial place.
Therefore, I must use this time to improve myself as rapidly as possible!
Beno Alder had already made up his mind that when he restarted in his next life, he would choose Realm. To prepare for this, he needed to quickly raise his essence reserve to a higher level.
I don't want to be seen through by Xin Liu who would inspect me at the time—a Realm level this high would raise suspicions. Beno pondered: He must have been quite close to First Realm perfection to break through to Wave Realm so quickly. I need to advance my training to that level and acquire an aura concealing technique. Only then might I be able to deceive him.
According to his calculations, ten Mana Stream plus the beneficial conditions of the formal member housing should be enough for him to break through to First Realm perfection. This was, in fact, the Realm level of most Party members—they relied on time and seniority to improve, ultimately getting stuck at the Wave Realm bottleneck and reduced to being the Party's mules.
Without any unexpected windfall, Beno would inevitably become one of them.
However, in this lifetime, he possessed another variable in his hands: the Innate Dao Essence.
With a thought, a stream of swirling white essence appeared in Beno's hand, transforming at will—sometimes taking the shape of a sword, sometimes becoming thick smoke.
According to Xin Liu, the greatest function of Innate Dao Essence was actually to help break through bottlenecks. It had definitely contributed to his breakthrough to the Wave Realm.
If Xin Liu could use it to break through to Wave Realm, I should have no problem using it to reach First Realm perfection. This way, my current life won't be wasted, and my next life will have a better starting point.
A moment later, there was a knock on the door.
His Mana Stream had arrived.
Beno opened the door and saw a woman standing outside wearing a white dress, with beauty no less than Khmara Bohdana and an even more voluptuous figure.
"I am Maiden Pristine, greetings to Comrade Alder." The woman curtsied gracefully, then laughed softly, her laughter possessing an almost magical quality that seeped into one's heart, making people involuntarily feel favorable toward her.
"I've been ordered to deliver the Mana Stream you purchased. Please present your badge for verification."
Beno knew the procedure and complied immediately.
During their exchange, Maiden Pristine delicately probed, "Comrade Alder, being able to purchase so many elixirs at once—might you have come into wealth recently?"
"How could that be, madame?" Beno shook his head with a suffering expression. "I've just taken out several loans, hoping to improve my training so I can accept higher-paying missions."
"I see." Maiden Pristine nodded, looking concerned. "Comrade Alder needn't be so modest. Which of us formal members doesn't have a few loans?"
"However, if I may be frank, Comrade Alder, you need to learn to be flexible."
"Oh?"
Seeing Beno's interest was piqued, Maiden Pristine smiled slightly. "There are only so many Party missions available. How could one possibly clear so many loans by relying on missions alone?"
"In the Red Party, if you only follow the conventional path, it's impossible to get rich," Maiden Pristine said softly. "I thought Comrade Alder might have discovered some treasure trove left behind by vampires or past Realm Breakers, benefiting from their legacy to make a fortune—which is why I inquired so boldly. I didn't expect that wasn't the case."
"Treasure trove…" Beno lowered his eyelids, his eyes calm as still water, yet his tone feigned interest. "I'm slow-witted. Please, madame, tell me more."
"Comrade Alder, do you know why the Party moved its European headquarters here? Because the Alps are filled with treasures."
Maiden Pristine said calmly, "Within the Alps, many Realm Breakers and great vampires once ventured. Great battles were fought, and many forerunners have fallen."
"Yet after they perish, their possessions remain undisturbed in the depths of the Alps. Though there are certain risks, each site presents an opportunity. Even the smallest discovery can be exchanged for a substantial amount of contribution points!"
"If Comrade Alder is interested, I recently discovered a relatively safe cave dwelling of a previously perished vampire fighter."
Really? I don't believe a single word of this!
Beno inwardly sneered, recognizing that Maiden Pristine's persuasive manner was strikingly similar to Xin Liu's—the same person who had previously tricked him into practicing the Innate Dao Scripture.
This is a trap!
What "cave dwelling" opportunity? It's just bait.
It seems I've revealed my wealth, and seeing that I, a newly admitted member, have purchased so many elixirs, she wants to lure me out and kill me to take them for herself.
With that thought, Beno feigned interest and replied, "I need to consider it."
"There's no rush." Maiden Pristine nodded. "The verification procedure is complete. Comrade Alder, you may contact me after you've thought it over."
"I've thought it over. I'm not going." Seeing that the procedure was complete, Beno took the vials containing Mana Stream and returned to his house without another word, leaving Maiden Pristine standing alone outside.
"???" A moment later, Maiden Pristine's face contorted with rage, her teeth nearly grinding to pieces as murderous intent filled her beautiful features. "This Beno Alder... how dare he toy with me like that!"
Turning to leave, Maiden Pristine swiftly made her way to another, more opulent house.
Inside the house, a young man in luxurious clothes had been waiting for some time.
Seeing Maiden Pristine's displeased expression, he immediately frowned as well. "Unsuccessful?"
Maiden Pristine shook her head. "This person... is far too cautious."
"And Comrade Zhao, he borrowed money but didn't purchase Yin-Yang Immortal Flowers. Instead, he bought Mana Streams. I suspect he never intended to repay the loans."
"He wants to default? In his next life, perhaps!" Xuhe Zhao laughed coldly and shook his head. "Don't you know that the Party has already secretly assigned a price to every newly admitted member?"
"And the amount a member can borrow within the Party will never exceed their assigned value, ensuring that no matter what happens, the Party can recover its costs. Flesh, internal organs, soul... these are all valuable commodities, more than sufficient to repay their debts."
"He wants to improve his Realm? Let him."
"As long as the person remains, higher Realm only makes him more valuable." Xuhe Zhao grinned, his teeth and lips seemingly dripping with bloodlust. "At that time, not only will we not lose out, we might even turn a profit."
"Besides, he may have the money to buy Mana Streams, but does he have the life to use them?"
"You mean…"
Xuhe Zhao nodded slightly, saying suggestively, "Many things, as long as they aren't discovered, are perfectly fine."
Upon hearing these words, Maiden Pristine's beautiful eyes immediately lit up.