Chapter 4411 — A Rich Reward Makes a Brave Man

If it was to be a simulation of real conditions, then it had to be restored to the most authentic situation possible. Ordinarily, it was Golden Core escorts who went out on assignments, so naturally it had to be Golden Core escorts who took the field here as well. Otherwise, if every agency desperately pushed its strongest hands to the fore, the whole exercise would be meaningless.

If Nascent Soul experts were sent into the fray, then even a victory would fail to reflect the true escorting standards of the great agencies, and the five agencies that ultimately prevailed would never be able to command the public's trust.

"The time limit is one stick of incense. If, within that stick of incense, the defending side can successfully protect the cargo, all four escorts survive, and the opposing side is wiped out completely, then the defenders score eighty points. For every man the defending side loses, ten points are deducted; for every man of the raiding side who survives, ten points are likewise deducted.

"Conversely, if the defending side fails to protect the cargo, they score zero, and the raiding side instead scores eighty. By the same logic, for every man one's own side loses, ten points are deducted, and for every man of the enemy who survives, ten points are likewise deducted.

"In this round of competition, all thirty-two agencies will each receive one opportunity to defend and one to raid. Added together, that constitutes your total score for this round. I trust the rules are clear to everyone?" Zhao Bufan addressed the crowd in a ringing voice.

"Clear!" the assembled escorts answered in unison, with remarkable accord.

"These rules sound a bit brutal," Wei Zhao could not help but click his tongue in secret dismay. This first round of competition was less a contest between rivals than a mutual slaughter—and one scored by heads, no less, forcing you to kill whether you would or no!

Henceforth, whether defending or raiding, for the escorts about to enter the contest there was but one overriding principle: ensure your own survival as far as possible, and all the more, kill your opponents as far as possible—for only thus could high scores be won!

Ever since arriving on Cloud Terrace Island, Wei Zhao had taken part in no small number of trials and competitions of every size and description. They too had encouraged mutual rivalry and confrontation, but never before had any contest used a head-count score to force you into killing.

All of this could only be attributed to the environment and its atmosphere. Compared with this sort of killing contest, the trials and competitions of the Threefold Pavilion of the Northern Island were nothing but child's play in a hothouse—far too comfortable, far too unchallenging.

Whether it was a trick of the mind or the simple truth, from this moment on the many escorts of the thirty-two agencies suddenly seemed cloaked in a layer of chilling, murderous resolve. The atmosphere across the whole field turned abruptly and unbearably grave, as though they were deathsworn soldiers about to march to war. As if to match the mood, layer upon layer of dark clouds drifted overhead, pressing down upon every head.

"Brother Qi, what's your plan?" Wei Zhao glanced at Qi Wenmo, then turned his head to look at the other agencies around them.

Because the rules of the Southern Continent Escort Gathering changed every year, they had only just learned them now. The heads and brains of every agency were at this moment busily drawing up their formations.

This was the first round of the great gathering. Whether they could win the opening battle would directly determine the morale of the entire agency and indirectly shape the course of the contests to come. It was therefore of the utmost importance, and no failure could be permitted.

At Wei Zhao's question, the escorts of the Sky-Holding Escort Agency all turned their eyes to Qi Wenmo as well. Chief Escort Qi Mingyuan was seated on the platform as a judge, so the disposition of forces for this gathering had fallen entirely upon the young master Qi Wenmo, and with it the future and fate of them all.

"Brother Ling asks well. At every Southern Continent Escort Gathering, though the forms of competition differ, the agencies that ultimately achieve good results have all employed one and the same strategy—without exception." Qi Wenmo smiled somewhat mysteriously.

"Oh?" Wei Zhao's interest was piqued.

"The strategy is simple enough: a rich reward makes a brave man!" Qi Wenmo glanced at the escorts around them, lowered his voice, and confided to Wei Zhao: "The old master gave his instructions long ago—no sparing the prize money in this contest. That's why I began making preparations well in advance. Otherwise, would I have needed to scrape and borrow so long to pay back that three hundred thousand spirit jade we lost to the Hong family last time?"

Wei Zhao was suddenly enlightened. So it really had been preparation long in the making.

"Listen well, everyone! In this round, whether you defend or raid, win or lose, any man of our agency who takes the field will receive a reward of fifty thousand spirit jade!" Qi Wenmo announced to them all.

The moment the words fell, the escorts of the Sky-Holding Escort Agency drew a collective sharp breath, and even Wei Zhao felt somewhat shaken. Fifty thousand spirit jade was no small sum; many an escort could toil desperately for over a decade and still never amass such savings. The Qi father and son had truly spared no expense!

Yet on reflection, in a killing contest this cruel, every contestant who stepped onto the field was staking his life, and once on the field it meant nine chances of death to one of life. This was no idle talk—without sufficient profit, who would willingly risk his life for nothing?

Only under a rich reward would men become deathsworn. Nor was it only the Sky-Holding Escort Agency; the rewards the other agencies present offered their contestants were all incomparably generous. To contend for a good ranking at this Southern Continent Escort Gathering, this was the barest minimum of outlay.

Of course, for the various agencies this outlay was not entirely without return—quite the contrary. If one could win in the contests, and even cut a brilliant figure, the returns would be far richer than ordinary folk could imagine.

This referred not to the contest prizes, but to the great merchant guilds specially invited to witness the proceedings on site. All of them had made verbal commitments beforehand: many of their large orders to come would be signed on the spot with the agencies of the winning side!

When that time came, the interests involved would be far from a matter of a few tens of thousands of spirit jade—they would be nothing short of astronomical, enough to sway the rise or fall of any escort agency whatsoever. Even the Five Great Agencies were no exception.

These orders were not only astonishingly profitable but directly determined market share—crucial, in a word. So Qi Mingyuan and Qi Wenmo, father and son, even if only to preserve this influence, had to spare no expense and strive for certain victory!

Fifty thousand spirit jade! Faced with such a lavish reward, the escorts of the Sky-Holding Escort Agency one and all began to breathe heavily. To be sure, every other agency had likewise offered generous rewards, but those reaching the figure of fifty thousand spirit jade were few and far between.

After all, compared with the Sky-Holding Escort Agency, one of the Five Great Agencies, those other agencies fell far short in capital. Fifty thousand spirit jade per man—counting four defenders and four raiders in the first round, that came to four hundred thousand spirit jade in all, equal to a whole year's profit for those agencies. How many of them could afford it? (Yunhai Shuku**yrn22, official interest tribe of mobile QQ, "The School Beauty's Close-Range Guard," welcome to follow!) (To be continued...)

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