Chapter 59: Cooperation

Li Mochen was also curious about how the cowgirl beside him had managed to blast through those five layers of caverns. Logically, a ninth-level magic hunter shouldn't have that ability.

But he understood once he walked out of the mine. Beside the skull motorcycle lay several detonators and over twenty pounds of C4 explosives.

Then Li Mochen recalled Eliza's profession—a ninth-level magic hunter. Setting traps was a hunter's specialty. It was inevitable she'd pick up some explosive skills by analogy.

"Li Mochen, Li Mochen—"

Eliza Targaryen mulled over the name, then showed a look of understanding: "I know who you are now. So you really are one of the Wiltons. We were actually relatives once, you know. The old big families loved intermarriage. My great-grandmother was also a Wilton."

Li Mochen glanced sideways at her, and she shrugged: "Atlanta's magic circle is big and small at the same time. Especially your father, a powerful fifteenth-level outlaw. Though he's shunned by the whole circle, many in Ghost City know him."

Li Mochen asked no more. He casually tossed his canvas bag onto the back seat of Eliza's motorcycle and sat down without ceremony.

"Take me to Ghost City. You know where to sell these, right?"

Eliza tidied up a bit and mounted the bike: "There's an old guy named Joe who buys this stuff at a fair price. But honestly, your haul won't sell for much. It's all large-scale farming now. There are several big farms near Ghost City. The only value is the word 'wild.'"

Li Mochen grunted: "Do I look like a rich man to you?"

He figured he at least needed to earn back the ticket to the dark world and the cost of bullets, preferably with some pocket money left over.

Once he signed the sponsorship deal with Nathan Sports Group, they'd cover his food, clothing, and housing. But he'd still need money for other things—lots of it. According to the rules, Nathan couldn't provide that directly.

"True enough. Even if you join NMOSA to make big money, that's later."

Eliza smiled slightly: "How about we cooperate? I rarely meet someone as skilled as you. I feel even outlaws might not match you. We could try expanding our range to 250 kilometers out. That's where the real money is. Magic and dark creatures above level nine can't be farmed on a large scale yet. Even if we hunt just one a day, we'd make at least a thousand dollars. I'm especially familiar with Black Rock Volcano and the Blackfire Wasteland. If you can fight like today, I guarantee at least ten thousand gold shields a day, and safety too. Don't think it's little—that's after splitting between us."

Li Mochen's expression shifted, and he fell into thought.

Cooperation? It seemed feasible.

The cowgirl's magic profession could compensate for some of his weaknesses and provide support.

She'd clearly been in the dark world for a while and could serve as a guide for his current stage.

Ten thousand a day was far more than he'd expected.

But Li Mochen didn't agree immediately. Instead, he asked, "Aren't you part of a hunting group? They seemed strong—at least four outlaws."

"I fell out with them. Worked like a dog all day and barely made eight hundred gold shields."

Eliza's face darkened: "That would be fine, but they wanted to go after a pair of twin-headed hydras. They took me for a fool, wanted me to lure them out with my sniper rifle. A bunch of crap! Those are sixteenth-level twin-headed hydras with curse magic."

Li Mochen had already noticed the magic sniper rifle slung across Eliza's back. He coveted it too.

From what he knew, it was the best weapon for leveraging the 'Divine Cloud Spirit Fortune Purple Gold Tower.' But he could only look. Even the cheapest magic sniper rifle cost at least 520,000 gold shields—the price of a cannon. That didn't include high-precision night vision scopes, wind sensors, and other accessories.

"I'll think about it. Even if we cooperate, it'll have to be on weekends. I still have classes on weekdays."

"Your swordsmanship and marksmanship are already this good, and you still go to class?"

Eliza found it baffling: "Trying to get into college? If you make it to the Georgia state finals in the high school MOS individual competition and do decently in the team event, the Ivy Leagues will line up to recruit you."

Li Mochen couldn't be bothered to respond. He thought, that's not the same thing. Besides, he was genuinely interested in this world's knowledge.

"Fine, it's your call."

Eliza pouted helplessly: "How about we try tomorrow? We won't go far—just test the waters in the Arcane Forest. Normally, I'd expect about five thousand gold shields there. But if we're lucky and run into that herd of spirit-blood musk deer that recently migrated there, we'll hit the jackpot. Musk and deer blood are very valuable. Wild deer blood costs four times more than farmed—rich folks buy it as an aphrodisiac. Hardly anyone knows about this yet; the map companies haven't updated."

Seeing no reaction from Li Mochen, she continued tempting: "I can lend you some gear—a used motorcycle, a set of level-five light armor from Nathan Military Equipment. Hmph, you're really bold, going into the deepest part of Icefall Mine without armor."

Li Mochen fell into thought. He was tempted by what Eliza said.

Originally, he'd planned to go deeper after a week. As the saying goes, sharp tools make good work. He'd intended to wait for the sponsored armor, boots, and weapons from Nathan Sports Group before exploring further.

Li Mochen was never reckless. In the Primordial Sky Realm, he'd been used to advancing step by step. And before this, he hadn't considered having a partner.

"Trying it out isn't impossible."

A strange glint flashed in Li Mochen's eyes: "But the profits will be split thirty-seventy. You get thirty, I get seventy."

"Thirty-seventy?"

Eliza bristled: "Why should it be like that? I have the intel, I'm the guide. Why thirty-seventy?"

Li Mochen shook his head emotionlessly: "But I'm the main combatant, right? What use is your intel if you can't take down the prey?"

"Then I'd rather not go!"

Eliza's tone was firm, but she secretly watched Li Mochen's expression in the rearview mirror. Seeing him unmoved, she finally slumped after ten seconds: "At most forty-sixty. Cooperation requires sincerity, doesn't it?"

"Thirty-seventy."

Li Mochen reasoned expressionlessly: "Cooperation needs to be sustainable. Otherwise, I'll ditch you and go solo within a month. But if you let me have my way, I guarantee we can work together for half a year, even if I occasionally skip class."

"Fine, thirty-seventy it is! You devil. You're so young, why are you so wicked?"

Eliza looked dejected at first, then perked up: "Hold tight, boy. I'm speeding up. Don't fall off."

She stomped on the accelerator, and the skull motorcycle kicked up a huge cloud of dust on the road.