Chapter 223: Close Combat

……

"But since it's a gift, I guess I won't be getting design fees or a share of the exclusive product, right?"

Li Mochen shook his head, looking quite emotional: "Truly a heartless capitalist."

This exploited his ability to drive sales among fans without paying him a cent in endorsement fees—indeed very heartless.

Carl Holton laughed heartily: "There is a design fee, around two million gold shields. Anything above that might be reviewed by the NHSAA competition committee. Besides, if it's compensation, hasn't it already been given to you? This ring is worth thirty-seven million gold shields, and now it's yours."

"But its ownership isn't mine; I only have the right to use it, don't I?"

Li Mochen clicked his tongue but still put on the 'André's Emerald Angel' ring: "The problem is, how much have you already made just from the lucky bracelet?"

"Current statistics show about one hundred two thousand units. The cost of this lucky bracelet plus various operating expenses and your endorsement fee is roughly over ten thousand gold shields, meaning our net profit so far is five hundred ten million. Additionally, the sales surge caused by Amo has brought at least two billion gold shields in revenue to our company."

Carl spoke these figures frankly. Ever since his conversation with Dwight Payton about dragons and fish, he knew that with someone like Li Mochen, honesty and sincerity were best.

"But the copyright for this ring's design belongs to you; you can license it to other jewelry companies. I guess given your current situation, it won't be long before jewelry and clothing brands come to you for endorsements. That falls outside the jurisdiction of the NHSAA competition committee—they only prohibit excessive involvement by sports goods companies."

Li Mochen's eyes narrowed, lost in thought. Since he had lost at one turn, he now had to consider gaining at another.

The comic publication had hit a snag, so endorsement fees from jewelry and clothing brands had to be factored into his considerations; otherwise, he would face a significant shortfall in legitimate funds.

"I suggest Amo sign with a few more brands. Don't mind the trouble; it can bring you great benefits. With these commercial giants backing you, both the betting companies and your opponents will think twice before making any moves. The current state of NMOSA is very dark—rampant with drugs and various insidious secret arts. Let me give you an example: a year ago, our endorsed fighting star Eskell was expected to win last season's gold belt. But in the most crucial match, he was cursed. Our Nathan Sports Group exhausted all resources but couldn't break it before the fight. In the end, Eskell fell in the third-to-last match before the gold belt. But if Eskell had had more powerful conglomerates besides us to rely on, he might not have been so unlucky."

Carl's voice was full of regret: "But Amo, you first need to sign a reliable agent—someone conscientious, familiar with the industry, who can fight for your interests. The commission split isn't something to fuss over."

"I'm waiting."

Li Mochen smiled wryly. This was the third time Carl had brought up the agent topic, but the agencies and individual agents that had approached him so far were unsatisfactory.

"Don't rush. Once you defeat Cadio Rhode, the big agencies won't be able to sit still; they'll cling to you like madmen."

Carl knew Li Mochen's situation and only mentioned it casually without urging. Then he remembered something: "Amo, when you called yesterday, you wanted to hire through our channels a close-combat professional of at least 17S level within two days, willing to take private work, right?"

"Before this, I sought help from the Red Finch Club."

Li Mochen frowned: "But they were reluctant, saying they'd get back to me in a few days."

The key was that he couldn't wait. He had dismantled Antonio's peripheral forces and estimated that within two to three days at most, he could find Hazel's location.

If not, he would use the 'Zhou Tian Divine Mechanism Xuan Shu Lock Star Secret Method' for divination guidance. Burning the drugs and destroying the Revelers Club yesterday had earned him immense merit; now the merit light on the 'Shenxiao Lingyun Purple Gold Tower' had exceeded its previous peak by at least twenty percent.

However, yesterday he had fired four consecutive shots with 'Dragon Might' but failed to kill the Bloodrage Aonzo, which weighed heavily on his mind.

This sniper rifle, with its permanent high-level Greater Disjunction, Magic Dispel, Dragon's Prophecy, Ignore Defense, Aura of Destruction, Death Judgment, Ultimate Arrow Enhancement, and Ultimate Sharpness spells, was powerless against this mere level 16 berserker—a cause for alarm.

Li Mochen was still confident he could defeat Aonzo in direct combat, but the latter's undying body made him an insurmountable obstacle.

So beforehand, he had to find a sufficiently reliable helper to contain this man.

"That's a bit difficult."

Carl looked troubled: "I've already inquired about this, Amo. A close-combat professional of 17S level—money alone can't solve it. They're close to legendary and value the hope of further advancement more than wealth. Short-term hire is possible, but you need it urgently, and there's no suitable candidate in Atlanta right now. However, we can bring in a 17S-level individual contractor from Manhattan within three days for about five hundred thousand gold shields."

"Only short-term hire?"

Li Mochen was a bit disappointed but could accept it.

This rescue mission required his personal involvement. But with a short-term hire, he would have to reveal various abilities in front of an outsider.

Fortunately, there were soul contracts, so confidentiality wasn't a major concern.

"Besides that, I need three A-rated medium-sized mercenary companies deployed in Atlanta on standby. But the Red Finch Club can only provide two."

This was to prevent Antonio from hiring mercenaries on the fly. Previously, he hadn't done so because he had the Blood Hand Gang as backup, with absolute power still above Li Mochen. But now the situation was different; Li Mochen had to take precautions.

Of course, he would have to pay gold shields for this. Even the 'deployed on standby' status counted as hiring. An A-rated medium-sized mercenary company, without actual combat involvement, cost at least five hundred thousand gold shields per day.

"Amo, you're looking for a 17S-level close-combat professional?"

At this moment, Angela suddenly interjected: "I know someone. She's in Atlanta. If it's you, Amo, you can definitely recruit her, but it might require a small sacrifice."

The girl smiled with narrowed eyes, looking like a little fox.

Li Mochen was puzzled. Did he have such charm that a near-legendary powerhouse would willingly serve him?