Chapter 30: War Must Be Waged, and Business Must Be Done!

"Hah!"

Sword-Draw took a sudden step forward.

Draw!

Slash!

A pale blue circle of light instantly enveloped all the Golden Ant Soldiers.

[Successfully killed 10 Golden Rank 3 Dark Flame Ants, EXP +15,000!]
[Successfully killed 30 Golden Rank 5 Dark Flame Ants, EXP +45,000!]
[Successfully killed 20 Golden Rank 3 Dark Flame Ants, EXP +30,000!]
...

The system’s notifications rang incessantly in Su Mu’s ears. Su Mu remained expressionless, walking step by step toward the Ant Queen on the dais. As for the battle being waged by Sword-Draw, he didn't need to pay it any mind. Sword-Draw was now a Diamond-rank expert; fighting against a hundred or so Golden-rank enemies was an absolute crushing victory.

"Damnable human! What do you think you’re doing? Halt!"

The Ant Queen let out an angry shriek. Suddenly, she brandished her scepter and shouted, "Frost Banshees, kill him!"

Two Frost Banshees burst from the Queen's staff, flanking Su Mu from left and right.

[Species: Frost Banshee]
[Strength: Platinum Rank 3]
[Skill: Arctic Breath (A single breath can freeze everything within a five-hundred-meter radius)]

Under the gaze of the Holographic Eye, all the information on these two Frost Banshees flashed before Su Mu’s eyes.

"Activate Guardian Shield."

"Die!"

Su Mu first activated the Guardian Shield to reduce the Frost Banshees' attack power by 50%, then brandished the Great Flame Sword he had seized from a Flame Giant, swinging it with a ferocious strike!

BOOM!

A brilliant flash of flame streaked through the air.

[Congratulations, you have successfully killed 2 Platinum Rank 3 Frost Banshees. EXP +8,000.]

The system's voice echoed in Su Mu’s ears. A satisfied smile played on his lips—a one-shot kill. This was the strength he, Su Mu, ought to possess.

"Ant Queen, will you choose to submit to me, or will you choose death right now?"

By this moment, Su Mu had already knocked the weapon from the Queen’s hand and held his blade against her throat. Both the Ant Queen and Su Mu were Platinum Rank 6, but for a combat expert like Su Mu, the Queen was clearly no match; it took only one move for him to disarm her.

Hence, the current scene.

"Human, just kill me. I am a subordinate of Queen Natasha. If I betray her, I will meet my end regardless. You might as well grant me a quick death." The Ant Queen was resolute, posing with an air of defiance.

"Refusing to betray is merely a matter of the price not being high enough. One hundred million Spirit Stones—will you lead your forces to pledge loyalty to me for ten years?"

Su Mu spoke unhurriedly, not in the least bit worried that the Ant Queen would reject his proposal. He understood dark creatures all too well; they were immensely greedy beings. Given enough Spirit Stones, they would sell the very rope used to hang them.

Sure enough, upon hearing Su Mu’s offer, the Ant Queen’s face turned to one of shock. She stammered, "You... do you have that many Spirit Stones?"

"Many!" Su Mu replied with absolute certainty. He held up five fingers and waved them before her, adding, "Guess how many this represents?"

"Five hundred million?" the Ant Queen asked tentatively.

"Fifty billion," Su Mu said calmly.

"Ah!"

Upon hearing this sum, the Ant Queen gasped. Suddenly, she knelt on one knee before Su Mu, her expression one of utter devotion. "Respected Lord, Whitefrost, Queen of the Golden Ant Clan, is willing to pledge loyalty to you."

"We shall accept the price you proposed. Give me one hundred million Spirit Stones, and my Golden Giant Ant family will serve you for ten years."

"This contract can be renewed indefinitely. As long as you have need of us, my family will be at your beck and call."

"Hahahaha!" Su Mu laughed heartily. This was the benefit of wealth.

In the Dark World, as long as you possess enough Spirit Stones, you can buy anything—even a legion of dark creatures to fight for you. Even the noble Ant Queen now knelt obediently at his feet.

"Rise, Whitefrost. From now on, we are partners. Tell me, how many ant soldiers does your family have that I can call upon?" Su Mu asked with a deep, thoughtful look.

Since they were now in a partnership, Su Mu naturally wouldn't make things difficult for her. After ordering her to stand, he signaled for Sword-Draw to cease his attack. After all, these Golden Ant soldiers would be his own subordinates; it would be a shame to kill them.

"I have a total of thirty thousand soldiers: twenty-five thousand Silver Ant soldiers and five thousand Golden Ant soldiers. I had sent most of them out to battle."

"Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to take my nest so easily today."

The Ant Queen spoke with a look of frustration. After saying this, she looked at Su Mu nervously and asked, "Are you lying about the one hundred million Spirit Stones? If you want to hire my Golden family, I must see the stones first."

"Once I see the stones, I will sign a Soul Contract with you. Rest assured, it is a contract governed by the supreme laws of the Dark World; even a Tier 11 Lord would not dare to violate it."

Su Mu’s brow furrowed slightly. The Spirit Stones he mentioned were his total reserves, not ready cash. He currently only had twenty million on hand, which was far from one hundred million.

Su Mu smiled slightly. "There is no rush to sign the contract. I haven't yet assessed your soldiers' combat capabilities. If I spend my stones to buy them and they refuse to fight for me with their lives, wouldn't I be at a loss?"

The Ant Queen’s expression soured. "You humans are truly cunning. Then, according to you, what should we do?"

Su Mu chuckled. "How about this: I will give you ten million Spirit Stones first, and you give me your ten thousand strongest soldiers for a one-year trial period. If I am satisfied, I will sign the ten-year contract with you. How does that sound?"

The Ant Queen’s expression flickered, as if she were calculating. After a moment, she nodded slightly. "Very well. But I must see the ten million Spirit Stones in person first."

"Do you have a Spirit Stone scanner and a small teleportation array here? I can provide the stones right now."

Su Mu was taken aback for a moment, then immediately agreed with excitement. To him, this deal was an incredible bargain. Because he possessed the Holographic Eye, he knew exactly where to find rich mineral deposits. As long as he directed these ant soldiers to help him seize two mineral veins, he would earn that ten million back in no time. For the remainder of the time, these ants would be fighting for him for free.

"Of course we do. It’s in our Golden Ant Clan’s treasury. Follow me."

The Ant Queen seemed even more eager than Su Mu. She immediately led him toward the treasury. One had to wonder—as an Ant Queen, what did she even need so many Spirit Stones for?