Rise Of The Infinite Sovereign-Chapter 453: Renegotiation

One by one, they follow, each passing through the portal with varying degrees of hesitation.

Thus initiating the next stage of their adventures.

Exiting on the other side of the portal, the entourage gasps while stepping into their new reality.

With the last of them, Frederick arriving, the portal promptly closes off.

Glancing at one another, Ezra appears from nowhere to stand beside them.

The entourage is greeted by a stark, metallic expanse.

AlphaNova’s headquarters is located on a small floating metal base.

It is an imposing structure of cold machinery, a sight the likes of which they had never seen before.

The metallic platform they stood on was suspended in an endless expanse of twilight sky, the faint glow of distant stars reflecting off the polished surfaces.

Surrounding them were massive structures of intricate machinery—rotating gears, and conduits emitting a faint, pulsating hum.

The entire base seemed alive, a marvel of engineering and technology far beyond their comprehension.

Frederick, the last to step through, adjusted his footing as the portal vanished behind him. "This... this is incredible," he muttered, his voice tinged with both awe and unease.

Clapping his hands, Ezra grabs their attention before gesturing to someone walking towards them.

Here came a walking lizard with white skin in a white tuxedo and with monocles on.

"This is Sidal. He’s a Lizardman" Ezra introduces. "These are the people I told you about"

Nodding, Sidal makes a slight bow, lowering his head. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance"

....?

Unfortunately, the entourage who only recognized his words as incomprehensible gibberish, simply gave him strange looks.

Understanding the problem, Ezra leads them to a compartment and hands them both the latest versions of communicators and interpreters.

Explaining the uses of both items, Ezra then explains that they are required to stay with Sidal for the next three weeks so as to complete their identity creation process and more importantly, to attain better understanding of the galactic society and more importantly, the universe at large.

While the siblings groan, Ezra threatens to take them right back to Orion if they decide to do their own thing.

That would have to wait until they demonstrated that they clearly understood the galactic society and the surface level of its intricacies.

As a boon, Sidal will be taking care of the miscellaneous arrangements and is responsible for paying for whatever meals they ate and they could go shopping once each week.

Ezra did consider taking other Transcendents from other planets, but without any understanding of their personalities, he decided that it would be best if his own people would be the forerunners, heading the force, with the others being their subordinates.

Thus setting a preliminary hierarchy in place.

With that, Ezra says a brief goodbye, citing that he had other things he was busy with and that they should hurry up if they intended to catch up to him.

And with this, he leaves, vanishing from sight like smoke.

—---------

The Rosveller foundation, the set of people that had invested in Ezra back when he was Rank Three Transcendent.

At that time of their agreement, they had agreed on shifting the amount depending on whether or not he rose in cultivation within a year and settled on paying him 15 million Cryst per month till he reached nascent rank in exchange to have him retrieve artifacts from the nascent level secret realms of their choosing.

But at that time, none of them could have anticipated that Ezra would become a nascent within just slightly more than a year.

’Now that I think about it. Did we finalize the number of secret realms I would be sent into?’

Such concerns now arose because his latest matter is related to this issue.

Sidal had informed him that the Rosveller foundation was summoning him, most likely to fulfill his own end of the bargain.

Of course, Ezra didn’t intend to take such matters lying down, he knew his worth.

In the first place, his position back then and now are worlds apart.

They would have to cough up a massive sum before he would agree to do their bidding.

Thinking to the point, Ezra chuckles.

’Back then I was a Rank Three Transcendent, now I’m a third step Nascent. The correlation is surprising’

In anycase, during his short mental conversation, Ezra had arrived in front of the building hosting the council.

Remembering his first time here, Ezra subconsciously looked forward to the experience.

Gaining entry with ease, he walks down a fairly long passage before confronting a door

Before he has the chance to do anything, the doors slide open with a hiss, revealing the familiar chamber filled with representatives of the Rosveller Foundation.

The council members lay seated each behind a curved desk made of polished obsidian.

Above them, holographic displays projected data streams and the Rosveller insignia—a radiant star encased in a hexagon.

Ezra’s gaze swept across the room, noting familiar faces, though he couldn’t quite remember any names.

"Mr. Sylvester" called the familiar spokesperson, his tone much respectful now "Please, have a seat"

Ezra obliges, settling into a sleek chair at the center of the room.

He leans back slightly, exuding an air of relaxed authority, but his mind was already swirling.

Wasting no time, he goes right into the heart of the matter.

"Let’s get straight to the point. As you know, Mr. Sylvester. Our agreement stipulated that we would provide you with financial support during your early Transcendent stages, and in exchange, you agreed to retrieve artifacts from secret realms we designate."

Ezra raised an eyebrow, allowing a faint smirk to play on his lips. "Agreed is a strong word. I’d say the terms were... circumstantial."

A flicker of annoyance flashes across the faces of certain board members, and Ezra doesn’t miss it.

Composing himself, the spokesperson continues.

"Regardless, the time has come to honor that agreement. Mr. Sylvester—your advancement to the third step of Nascent is nothing short of extraordinary. This makes you uniquely suited to explore a certain secret realm that has been haunting us for years" freeweɓnøvel.com

"I hear you" Ezra says, casually nodding. "But I hope you don’t expect me to do such work with just the meager payments we’ve been given"

The spokesperson readily nods, "Yes. The council understands your claims and has duly discussed this matter beforehand" he pauses. "They have decided to renegotiate the proposed monthly investment—to 80 million Cryst!"

Reading this part out loud, the spokesperson lips form a slight smirk, feeling confident about the proposed amount.

That is before he heard what Ezra said next.

"Increase it to 140 million and we have a deal"

"WHAT?!" The spokesperson almost threw out a curse, before Ezra hadn’t finished talking.

"I know, I know, it’s a significant increase, yes" he says, before staring straight at them. "But not nearly enough. You’re asking me to risk my life for artifacts you will sell for triple, if not quadruple, the value of that sum.

He continues "And let’s not forget, I’m not the same person who first walked into this room. My cultivation level, my connections, my influence—all of it has skyrocketed. If you want me to step into that ruin and give it my best to get you those artifacts, you will simply have to do better"

The chamber goes silent immediately as each council member weighs their options.

When suddenly, one of them stands, a female dwarf with a slender body.

"Unfortunately Mr. Sylvester, we will not be able to agree to such a large price tag. Instead, I will offer you something else"

"I’m listening" Ezra replies.

She gestured, and the holograms shifted again, this time displaying detailed schematics of a ship.

"This is the Eclipse Vanguard, one of the most advanced personal vessels in our fleet. Should you agree to the mission, it will be yours to command."

"Hmm..." Ezra’s voice trails off. "I can work with this, but I won’t accept this vessel"

Her eyes sparkle. "Is it another vessel that you want then?"

"I don’t need a spaceship that fancy" he says, standing as well. "Instead of one item, let’s do this."

Pointing at the council members, he continues. "I will accept two items. of value from each one you, and in exchange, we keep the monthly investments at 80 million"

"Mr. Sylvester" the dwarf calls, her voice grating. "Aren’t you being a bit too greedy?!"

Ezra laughs in response, "Not in the slightest. Aren’t we all businessmen? In exchange, I will do everything in my power to bring out as many artifacts as possible. You have my word"

And with that, Ezra reclines into his seat.

A murmur of low voices filled the chamber as the council deliberated. Some members gestured animatedly, while others remained silent, their faces etched with deep thought. Ezra watched them impassively, his mind already calculating the possible outcomes.

Finally, the female dwarf spoke again.

She had all but retired the actual spokesperson.

"You’re right about one thing, Mr. Sylvester. We are all businessmen and women here, and this isn’t a charity. While your demands are steep, your record speaks for itself."

She glances around the room, her eyes locking with several other council members in silent communication. "Very well. I propose a compromise."

Ezra raised an eyebrow, gesturing for her to continue.

"The council will agree to your terms—with some adjustments.

Each member will provide you with one item of significant value, handpicked to suit your convenience.

Additionally, we will increase your monthly investment to 90 million Cryst, provided you return with at least five high-value artifacts from the secret realm.

Anything less, and the deal reverts to the original terms"

Ezra gives a succinct reply.

"Deal"