After speaking, Amei Zhu swayed out and returned with another tray, this time carrying four cups of tea.
She set the cups down one by one before slamming the door shut behind her.
"What kind of attitude is that? Absolutely unbelievable. If she’d stayed a second longer, I would’ve given her a piece of my mind. Hilarious," Xie Shaoning couldn’t help but complain.
Jinwen Xingmang Yue shot back, rolling her eyes so hard they might’ve gotten stuck. "Oh, hilarious? Then go ahead and die, who’s stopping you? Why didn’t you say anything earlier? Want me to call her back for you?"
Cheese Milk Cap 80% Sugar stepped in to defuse the tension. "Brother Ning was just trying to keep the peace earlier. After all, it’s rare for us to have a cross-zone gathering at a station. Whirlwind Boss, did you just pay 200 Survival Coins? Let’s split it evenly."
With that, she handed over 50 Survival Coins.
Jinwen Xingmang Yue and Xie Shaoning followed suit. Truthfully, a pot of tea only cost about 20 or 30 Survival Coins—dropping 200 was just plain wasteful. What a reckless spender, this Invincible Black Whirlwind.
But since they were about to collaborate, no one wanted to sour the mood over something trivial, so they all silently handed over their 50 coins.
Qi Xu didn’t care about such a small sum—it was practically pocket change—but of course he’d take it. Fairness was the foundation of cooperation.
Jinwen Xingmang Yue cut straight to the chase. "Let’s get to the point—the treasure map. No more wasting time."
Xie Shaoning took a small sip of tea. "First, let’s get the unpleasantries out of the way. I paid a heavy price for this, so when it comes to rewards, I get first pick."
"Okay, okay! Brother Ning, thank you for bringing me along~"
But Qi Xu and Jinwen Xingmang Yue remained silent, leaving the atmosphere awkwardly cold.
Xie Shaoning hurried to explain, "Don’t worry about the rewards. When I got the treasure map, I confirmed that the final distribution will satisfy everyone. Otherwise, we can’t leave the secret realm."
Only then did Qi Xu and Jinwen Xingmang Yue nod. "Fine."
Xie Shaoning exhaled quietly. He’d been worried the two might bail before they even started.
"Here’s the notification and attributes of the treasure map. You can check it yourselves—no point in me explaining when you won’t believe me anyway."
"Fair enough."
Qi Xu scanned the yellow scroll on the table with his light screen.
[Treasure Map · Star Raft’s Legacy]:
"This map is the key to the unseen, unopenable without the Twin Harmonious Jades and the gathering of eight sages. Those who dare venture forth must form two groups of four, each composed of the finest. These individuals must have claimed the top spot in their respective domains’ monthly rankings no fewer than four times to qualify. The treasures of the Star Raft await the truly worthy; relics of time lie in wait for the chosen."
Qi Xu frowned slightly. "Twin Harmonious Jades, gathering of eight sages? Who’s the other group?"
Jinwen Xingmang Yue flipped through the text several times but still couldn’t fully grasp it. "What kind of lunatic writes a treasure map description like this? It’s giving me a headache."
Xie Shaoning clarified, "There should be two copies of this map. I only have one, so I don’t know who the other group is. But all participants must have ranked first on the monthly leaderboard at least four times. That shouldn’t be a problem for everyone here, right?"
Cheese Milk Cap 80% Sugar visibly relaxed. "Phew, that was close! I just barely qualify—with this month’s ranking, I’ve hit four times now."
Jinwen Xingmang Yue crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "No issue for me. First place is always mine."
Xie Shaoning naturally had no problem either—otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought out the map now.
As for Invincible Black Whirlwind, Xie Shaoning didn’t even bother asking. It’d only invite trouble.
"Brother Ning, when exactly does it start? And since there’s another group involved, we can’t just enter whenever we want, right?"
Cheese Milk Cap 80% Sugar had hit the nail on the head.
Xie Shaoning nodded, giving her an appreciative look, relishing the admiration and dependence in her eyes.
After a pause, he continued, "Yesterday at noon, I got a notification from the treasure map. It said the event will begin in seven days. During this time, we need to pool the activation fee. If we fail to pay, the map becomes void."
He cleared his throat. "You three can split the cost. I’ve already provided the map, and I’m giving you the slots for free."
Jinwen Xingmang Yue’s expression darkened. "How much is the fee?"
"100,000 Survival Coins."
Xie Shaoning’s conscience prickled—this was the real reason he’d sought out Invincible Black Whirlwind and Jinwen Xingmang Yue.
Ordinary players wouldn’t have the funds or the guts to dump so many coins into an uncertain treasure hunt...
Qi Xu smirked at Xie Shaoning, saying nothing. Even if he had money, he wasn’t about to be played for a fool.
Cheese Milk Cap 80% Sugar stammered, "But... I don’t have that many coins! Well, since it starts in seven days, I can try borrowing some and maybe run another dungeon this month to earn extra..."
Jinwen Xingmang Yue slammed the table. "Xie Shaoning, have you no shame? 100,000 coins? You’ve got some nerve!"
Xie Shaoning’s face darkened as he pulled out the map again, pointing to the entry conditions. "I’m not overcharging you. It’s right here."
Sure enough, the text clearly stated: 100,000 Survival Coins.
Jinwen Xingmang Yue reined in her urge to start a fight—but she was still stuck.
A greedy goblin had cleaned her out recently. If not for the weapon’s impressive effects, she would’ve blown the place up.
Right now, she couldn’t even scrape together 10,000 coins, let alone over 30,000.
Qi Xu was even more direct. "I don’t agree with this cost split."
Xie Shaoning had expected resistance. "But I’m the one who provided the map—"
"Exactly. That’s the only reason I didn’t flip the table when you demanded first pick of the rewards."
Qi Xu’s tone was icy. With his strength, there was no need to tolerate nonsense—making his stance clear was crucial.
Jinwen Xingmang Yue backed him up. "Right. First dibs on loot and no contribution to the fee? Since when does life work that way?"
Cheese Milk Cap 80% Sugar glanced between them anxiously before murmuring, "Let’s not fight... We still have time to talk this out..."
Xie Shaoning sighed. "Fine. What’s your proposal?"
Without hesitation, Qi Xu laid it out. "Option one: The four of us split the fee evenly. If rewards are also split four ways, you can keep your first pick.
Option two: We split the fee, I’ll cover 10,000 of your share, but then I get first pick of the rewards, and we still divide everything equally."
..........
