Quadruple split.

Chapter 2930 Stud
"Please excuse me for refusing."

[Nick, who couldn't refuse] twitched the corner of his mouth and said dryly to the smiling young priest, "What I promised you just now was already the limit of my authority. Any more... I can't handle it, I really can't handle it."

"Be sincere, Mr. Dominic."

Mo Tan's gaze sharpened slightly, and he said solemnly, "You should trust me more, just as I still trust you completely."

[Do you really believe they can squeeze as much profit as possible out of me...?]

Dominic sighed and shrugged. "Honestly, Lord Black Vane, you should be able to feel my sincerity. I can even guarantee that among all the 'special agents,' only I would agree to your outrageous request just now."

Mo Tan smiled and said cheerfully, "Yes, after all, you are [the irresistible Nick]."

"I must emphasize that the so-called 'Irresistible Nick' refers to the fact that others find it difficult to refuse Dominic Potts, that is, the humble person standing in front of you, not that I am unable to refuse any request from others."

Dominic spread his hands, both amused and exasperated, and said helplessly, "Otherwise, I should be called 'Sucker Nick'."

Mo Tan spread his hands and said in the same helpless tone, "Unfortunately, buddy, what I need right now is a sucker."

"Since you were able to find the name 'Irresistible Nick,' you should also know very well that even a 'special agent' like me can't escape the annual performance evaluation."

Dominic stroked his white jade thumb ring and said seriously, "Of course, as long as you don't deliberately court death, that level of assessment is not difficult at all. But correspondingly, if someone in my position fails the assessment, the conglomerate will definitely hold them accountable for the significant losses they caused."

Mo Tan nodded slightly: "I know."

"To be honest, I've earned everything I need, and I've been planning to retire and do nothing for the past few years. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to this poor, remote place where there's not much to gain."

Dominic smiled and said sincerely, "So, if you, Lord Black Van, still think that the 'investment' I just promised you is too conservative and there is still room for further increases, you might as well just tell me a number that we can both accept. I can guarantee that as long as it does not exceed my bottom line, I will try my best to achieve it."

Mo Tan laughed and shook his head, saying, "Then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, my friend. After all, my attitude toward this investment is that we must at least complete the content that we have just reached a consensus on. On that basis, my personal principle is... no upper limit."

Dominic paused for a moment: "Does 'no upper limit' mean...?"

"It's up to you."

Mo Tan waved his hand generously and said in a light tone, "Anyway, all I can do is morally blackmail you, but if you want to get you to give more, I think you're better suited to convince yourself. That's all."

After saying that, Mo Tan ended the conversation abruptly and continued to assign tasks under Dominic's astonished gaze, in a concise, clear, and simple manner.

……

Half an hour later
"So..."

After everyone had left, Mo Tan slowly raised his head and looked at Sharia Ain and Dominic Potts, who had both stayed behind, and asked curiously, "Are you two free?"

Why only mention the two of us?

Xia Liya frowned slightly, pointed at Yi Zou behind Mo Tan and Luna next to her, and said irritably, "Aren't they free?"

"Yi Zou is doing what he should do, protecting me, this weak, dull, and cowardly player."

Mo Tan leisurely sipped a tenth of his special cocktail, which was almost empty, and said with a smile, "As for Luna, I've always hoped she could have a little more free time. After all, she's been working too hard ever since she came here."

Yi Zou gave a heartwarming smile: "Senior is amazing."

"As for me, it wasn't harder than before, and I didn't feel like I was working harder."

Luna glanced at Mo Tan, who was holding his coffee cup with great care, and said indifferently, "Besides, even if you look pitiful, there aren't any more special drinks available today."

Mo Tan: "...Hmm."

Xia Liya's lips twitched, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "I get so angry when I see someone like you, who likes to push their luck, pretending to be pitiful!"

"Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand."

Mo Tan sighed, then leaned back in his chair and said leisurely, "So, I pretty much understand why you two stayed..."

Sharia gritted her teeth and said, "So you understand now, right!"

Dominic sighed deeply, "I can only say, he truly lives up to his reputation as Lord Black Van."

"Praising me won't do you any good."

Mo Tan crossed his arms and asked in a light tone, "So, who goes first?"

Dominic turned to Sharia and said politely, "Ladies first."

"Humph."

Sharia, who was quite bothered by the fact that the Skolsk strategist was always hiding his identity, snorted and then said to Mo Tan without any politeness, "Don't you... think what you're doing is superfluous?"

"Oh?"

Mo Tan raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Did I do anything that you found unnecessary?"

"Since you enjoy speculating about people's hearts so much, do I really need to tell you exactly what it is, word by word?"

Xia Liya sneered, then pursed her lips. After a long while, she suppressed her smile and said to Mo Tan seriously, "There's no need, really, I don't think there's any need."

Mo Tan nodded slightly and said calmly, "You mean, I could call you aside to the prayer room in Dunbua City, or the second floor of this hall, at some point after we begin cooperating with Skork, and tell you frankly that I understand your hatred for the Blood Barbarians, I understand your deep-seated resistance, and I can see that you are full of resistance to Skork, whose many members were once affiliated with the Blood Barbarian forces and have not paid the price for their past crimes. But you must prioritize the overall situation and not act unilaterally?"

Is it difficult?

Sharia countered with a question, her tone still somewhat sharp, but without the previous anger and resentment: "I'm not a brat who acts on impulse. I understand what you're saying and I'm open to advice. If you had told me this earlier, the outcome would have been much better than keeping the fact that Skolke still has troops abroad a secret until today."

Mo Tan smiled casually and said softly, "To correct you, it should be 'it will be much better for you'."

Is there a problem?

Xia Liya stared at Mo Tan and asked, "You wouldn't be so bored as to feel better if you couldn't stand me, would you?"

"Of course not. In fact, I want you to be in a good mood more than anyone else."

Mo Tan shook his head, then said in his usual nonchalant tone, "But the problem is, even if I didn't say those things, don't you already know them yourself?"

Sharia: "I..."

"The only thing you don't know is that Skork still has about half of his power remaining outside."

Mo Tan spoke before Xia Liya could finish her sentence, saying calmly, "Besides, as a senior official from Dunbuya City, and as the adjutant of the highest-ranking person in charge, you should understand the true nature of this cooperation better than anyone else. In other words, you yourself know better than anyone what you want me to say and what principles you want me to explain."

Sharia: "..."

Mo Tan sighed silently, raising his eyes to look at the overly intelligent adjutant in front of him: "If that's the case, why wasn't your question earlier 'Why didn't I explain the reasoning to you beforehand?' instead of 'Why didn't I tell you about Skork's other half of the forces from the beginning?'"

Sharia: "..."

"Because you lack confidence in yourself, my clever adjutant."

Mo Tan smiled and said slowly, "Of course, this can also be interpreted as you being a very self-aware and rational person, but no matter how nicely you put it, it can't stop me from having one thought: since you yourself lack confidence in yourself, how can I have confidence in you?" Xia Liya, who had never suffered any injustice in either the City of Light or Dunbua City, only ever bullying others and never being bullied herself, glared at Mo Tan, slightly clenching her fists hidden in her sleeves, and said angrily, "Can't you just…"

“I am your superior, Lieutenant Sharia Ain, not your nanny.”

Mo Tan interrupted Xia Liya and said calmly, "So, given my limited energy, I have no obligation to take care of your feelings. Therefore, if we encounter something like this again in the future, please try to adjust yourself and don't make me do what you call 'unnecessary' things, okay?"

Sharia scratched her head vigorously and asked irritably, "Is this a request, a suggestion, or an order?"

"..."

Mo Tan didn't speak, but simply gazed at the other person with a calm look.

"Feel sorry."

Finally, seeing a hint of weariness in Mo Tan's eyes, Xia Liya lowered her head and said solemnly, "This kind of thing will never happen again."

"Go."

Mo Tan smiled, and after Xia Liya turned and left as instructed, he added, "Don't doubt your own excellence, and don't doubt mine either."

"……Yes."

Without turning her head, Xia Liya responded and quickened her pace, leaving the second floor of the hall.

“To be honest, Lord Black Brahma.”

Dominic nodded to Mo Tan, who turned to look at him, and said slowly, "I've always felt that you're a somewhat contradictory person, or rather... I've always felt that you're forcing yourself."

"I think you're right."

Mo Tan took a sip of the special drink, less than three drops, and said to Dominic, "But there are always times when people are not in control of their own lives. If all problems could be solved by forcing oneself, then the so-called victory would be too cheap. So this is just the smallest problem I have, and it doesn't deserve any special attention."

Having received the other party's unspoken message that "let's get down to business," Dominic stopped meddling and asked directly, "So, Lord Black Vane, how did you figure out my identity?"

"Because you never intended to deliberately hide your identity."

Mo Tan pointed to the white thumb ring on Dominic's thumb and answered quickly, "By the way, I got the more specific information from the Wanderer's Inn. After all, you're not the kind of person who likes to hide your identity, and you've always done business with integrity, so it wasn't that hard to find out."

Dominic chuckled awkwardly: "Mainly because I don't feel I have any value in hiding my identity."

"So, are you waiting for someone to make a move against you?"

Mo Tan's lips curled slightly as he casually asked, "In this way, the attack on the [Steam Consortium]'s 'special agent' can be transformed into a deliberate provocation, directly getting the entire behemoth involved to help achieve its goal, right?"

Dominic: "This..."

"Alright, alright, time is limited, let's stop here for now regarding this digression."

Mo Tan considerately brushed the topic aside, then said in a light tone, "If we win, then in the future, there will be no place for the Gold Coin Merchant Guild in this land where every inch of land is precious."

Dominic was stunned and exclaimed, "So direct?!"

"Since I want you to put in as much effort as possible, I naturally have to show some sincerity."

Mo Tan smiled noncommittally and continued, "If we can get Blood Barbarians out of this land, then the Holy Church Alliance will definitely 'civilize' this land, and the Holy Domain will extend further north. At that time, this vast virgin land with abundant resources and minerals will naturally be very valuable, and the Wealth Cult and its partners should not be able to swallow it all up in one go. In this way... there will be plenty of room for investment."

Dominic: "...Where did you hear all this from, Pastor Black Van?"

“Fiali Graham, the goddess of wealth, was my first angel investor. Although her nature may be closer to the devil, we did have a fairly strong working relationship.”

Mo Tan raised his index finger and shook it gently, then smiled and said, "I can tell you directly that the person who made those demands was Fei Yali. After I told her your true identity, she immediately drafted this extortion clause and asked me to pass it on to you verbatim."

"..."

"By the way, in Fialy's estimation, your bottom line should be an additional 40% investment. Am I right?"

"...If I have the chance, I would really like to meet that awe-inspiring saintess."

"No problem. When we sign the investment agreement, she will be the representative of the Holy Church Alliance. We will meet then."

"Does this mean you've agreed?"

"Not entirely. Actually, there's something else I'd like to add."

“…You say.”

“I think you can invest more.”

“I’m sorry, but Princess Fialy has indeed revealed my…”

"But she overlooked one fact."

"what?"

"She only remembers that you are a 'special agent' of the [Steam Consortium], but has forgotten that you are a member of [Skolk]."

"..."

"You like these rebels, don't you?"

"probably."

"Give me a new number."

"..."

"Don't worry, I can accept whatever you say. Actually, the extra 40% that Fialy guessed is already enough..."

"Double".

"Oh?"

“I’ll give you double the contents of that extortion list.”

"Is everything alright?"

“If I lose, my cumulative losses will exceed 5000% of the total profits of the past three years. I will lose everything and then be quickly killed in some gutter.”

"Is this a huge bet? Maybe we should just forget about it and just pay what we agreed on before."

"I've taken the bet."

"Seriously?"

"As you wish, I'm all in."

Chapter 2921: The End