"Mr. Reeve! Mr. Reeve!"
Seeing this familiar face again put Sona on high alert. Her first instinct was to call out to Lucas Reeve in her mind.
"Don't be nervous, I'm here."
It had to be said.
The compensation this company was offering Sona was extremely generous. A transfer fee in the tens of millions, plus a hefty prize bonus for every win. This kind of treatment might not be much for top-tier Knight Major competitors—after all, Lucas Reeve had seen online that a famous runner-up from the Championship had a transfer fee as high as a terrifying five hundred million. Compared to that, a few tens of millions didn't seem like much.
Seeing Sona spacing out.
The steward thought Sona was stunned by the price he had quoted. But, thinking about it, that was normal. After all, two months ago, this little squirrel was just a pathetic underground knight. If the Chamber of Commerce hadn't suddenly lifted the restrictions on Infected participating in official matches, this little squirrel really wouldn't have had the chance for such an instant reversal of fortune. It could be said that the times create the hero; her luck was good.
To be honest.
The steward himself was sighing a little in his heart. Frankly, as long as this little squirrel was obedient, she would definitely earn even more in the future. He himself, as a secretary, probably couldn't earn tens of millions even if he worked until retirement.
"You can take your time to consider, Lady Flametail Knight. There's no rush. However, you can't delay for too long. After all, there are several other knights in the other city-districts who have also entered the playoffs with winning streaks, so...."
The steward was playing hard to get. He didn't think it was possible for this little squirrel to refuse. After all, the price offered was too generous. In fact, this steward knew better than anyone in his heart that capital could make you instantly rich and a cut above the rest, but it could also instantly drag you down to the bottom and devour you until not even your bones were left. Offering such a high price meant that if the little squirrel were to stumble and lose her value in the future, she would probably have to pay it back ten or a hundred times over. At that point, death might truly be preferable to living.
After all, in all the years of the Knight Major, there had been countless stunning and brilliant talents. Many had become famous overnight like the Flametail Knight, with a promising future. Yet, in the end, the only ones who reached the pinnacle were the Black Knight and the Radiant Knight. The lucky ones among the rest were a flash in the pan, earning a large sum for retirement and fading away. However, that was already the best possible outcome. The vast majority of those flashes in the pan who rashly accepted capital investment ended up in miserable straits.
However, it couldn't be helped.
Even knowing it was a trap, the temptation of such vast wealth would make them jump in resolutely. After all, these knights who had once lived hard lives and suddenly shot to fame, a carp leaping over the dragon's gate, always felt that they were the chosen one, the only one. Especially an Infected knight like this. After he said these words, as long as she was smart enough, she would definitely agree in a hurry. After all, a full tens of millions in transfer fees... you'd have to be an id....
"Okay, I'll think about it. I'll contact you by phone if I decide."
*Slam.*
The door to the house instantly slammed shut, the wind from it ruffling the steward's hair.
Steward: "?????"
Why... why aren't you playing by the script??
"Phew...."
After closing the door, Sona leaned back against it and let out a heavy sigh, then returned to her room.
"I thought I'd never see him again in my life. Is there something wrong with these companies? The last chairman sought me out, and now that the last chairman is dead, the next chairman is coming to find me...."
Lucas Reeve said jokingly: "How about we take him out, too?"
Of course, this time he was purely joking.
The last time, killing him wouldn't be discovered, but if he killed this one too, then even a fool could lock onto Sona as the murderer. Besides... after Sona had demonstrated her strength time and time again, perhaps the special investigators would begin to consider the possibility that Sona was the killer. However, Lucas Reeve wasn't bothered. So what if they knew.
"No thanks, Mr. Reeve!"
Sona also knew what was at stake. The first time, she might not be suspected as the killer, but killing this time would basically be a 100% confirmation that she was the murderer.
"So, do you want to accept their invitation?"
Sona quickly shook her head: "Of course not."
The little squirrel was well aware of the pros and cons. If she accepted their invitation, she would basically lose her freedom and become their puppet. Many famous knights in the past, after signing with related companies, had disappeared without a trace after losing too many matches. Therefore, she would never accept an invitation from a big corporation.
"But, there's a problem, Sona. Since you've decided to help the Infected yourself, the most practical way is to find a way to improve the Infected's lives. And you can't just rely on the tiny bit of prize money from placing in the top three. Moreover, if a knight doesn't accept sponsorships, they won't make much money even if they win the championship. And don't forget, the Knight Major now is different from many years ago. The Knight Major today is completely controlled by capital. They can set whatever rules they want. They can even send in extra opponents who aren't even on the official roster, like those two Sarkaz knights before."
Sona said: "But... but the Radiant Knight didn't have any back then!!"
Lucas Reeve smiled faintly: "So, what was the Radiant Knight's result? She had the Nearl family behind her, but the Radiant Knight still couldn't escape the fate of being forced to leave Kazimierz."
"Do you know about Raythean Industries?"
Sona was stunned, then nodded confidently: "Of course I do. The biggest company in Columbia, and the biggest company in the world. I've heard people say that Raythean Industries' total annual revenue exceeds that of many countries."
"Raythean Industries also has a large branch in Kazimierz. It's probably second only to Raythean Industries' Columbia headquarters. However, it's always kept a low profile in Kazimierz and has never interfered in the affairs of the Knight Major or the Chamber of Commerce. I'm *a little* familiar with the absolute upper management of Raythean Industries. I can pull some strings for you, Sona. As for whether you can get Raythean Industries' sponsorship, that will depend on your performance. And if you get Raythean Industries' sponsorship, you will have ample funds to help the Infected and improve their lives, to firmly grasp the Infected of Kazimierz in your hands."
"This...."
Sona didn't know Lucas Reeve's specific origins, and Lucas Reeve had never taken the initiative to say. But this special state of existence and his omniscient knowledge reserve... Sona knew in her heart that Lucas Reeve must be anything but simple. She never expected he could even directly contact Raythean Industries. Sona actually knew that "pulling some strings" was probably just a modest way of putting it.
"It's fine. Remember what I told you before? My help isn't free. I just haven't thought of what I want you to do yet. I'll tell you when I think of it in the future."
"Now, I have a mission to entrust to you, Sona."
When Sona heard Lucas Reeve was actually giving her a mission, she suddenly brightened up. She preferred an equal exchange. This kind of unconditional devotion from Lucas Reeve sometimes made Sona feel very uneasy. She wasn't afraid of Lucas Reeve harming her; after all, with Lucas Reeve's ability, if he wanted to harm her, she wouldn't be able to resist at all. She was uneasy because of the discomfort of being helped by others for free too many times.
Now that she saw there was truly something she could do to help Lucas Reeve, Sona was suddenly overjoyed.
"I need you to continue participating in the Knight Major, including the Spring Season, and even the Championship. And then, gather the Infected of Kazimierz. However, you need to do it in my name. You don't need to tell the Infected who I am, you just need to let them know that above you, there is someone helping in the shadows."
The Prayer Power resources from Kazimierz's Infected would be the final step for Lucas Reeve to condense a physical body. As long as the process went smoothly, coupled with the mass-produced Oripathy-alleviating medication later on, he would 100% be able to harvest a huge amount of Prayer Power.
"Yes!!!"
Sona nodded excitedly.
Because the thing Lucas Reeve was asking her to do was also what Sona herself had always wanted to do. She just never had the means...
But now, the opportunity had come!!
The next day.
The steward paid a second personal visit. Yesterday, he went back and thought for a whole night but couldn't figure out what was wrong with his wording. There didn't seem to be any problem. Any normal person would understand what he meant by that. Finally, the steward thought of a possibility. Maybe this little squirrel was just completely straightforward and thought he really meant for her to think about it.
The door opened.
Sona looked speechlessly at the steward standing at the door.
This person was a bit... too persistent...
"How is your consideration coming, Lady Flametail Knight? Besides a super-corporation like ours, no other company would be willing to give such a generous signing fee at this stage. You must know, even the signing fee for a Spring Season champion knight wouldn't reach sixty million. And there's also a large bonus on top of that. The most famous of those Spring Season champion knights only had a signing fee of fifty million. So, you have to think about it carefully. This is a rare opportunity."
"Mhm."
Sona nodded and said calmly.
"I thought about it for a long time yesterday. I don't want to sign with you. I like freedom, and I want to participate in the competition as a free knight."
The steward smiled and nodded: "Is that so. Very well, then please just sign these..."
"Hmm??"
Suddenly.
The steward froze.
He paused, wondering if he had misheard.
She actually refused!!
"You're not misspeaking, are you, Lady Flametail Knight?"
"I'm not."
Sona shook her head confidently.
The steward was so shocked he couldn't speak. He couldn't understand for the life of him why this little squirrel would refuse his invitation. The price offered was almost the highest possible, and other big companies of the same level already had their own knights. Moreover, the Flametail Knight's current value was still an unknown. Although her popularity was high right now, the higher the popularity, the faster it would plummet with just one loss. If she didn't even win the playoffs, it was questionable whether she could even retain one-tenth of her current popularity.
The more you hype someone up, the higher everyone's expectations become. Just one fall, and all the previous worship will be shattered to pieces.
Therefore.
Sona was currently an unstable bomb for all the major corporations.
As the secretary of a super-corporation, he had his own pride. Seeing Sona refuse directly, and refuse twice at that, he no longer extended the invitation. Instead, he maintained his smiling face.
"Is that so. Then I will go back and relay the message. I hope you can go further. We are one of the largest arms companies in Kazimierz."
After saying that, he left directly.
The meaning of that last sentence before leaving was extremely obvious. By refusing Apperton Arsenal, given Apperton Arsenal's status in Kazimierz, no other company would dare to extend an olive branch. Moreover, in the following matches, Apperton Arsenal would very likely use its influence in Kazimierz to cause trouble.
Lucas Reeve, hidden within Sona's body, just snorted.
An arms company...
Hmph...
————————
In the conference hall of the Chamber of Commerce building.
"Oh? That little squirrel actually refused your invitation?"
One of the directors hummed in acknowledgment, and the others were also quite surprised. As the new chairman of Apperton Arsenal, Taylor's younger brother, Taylardel, nodded. In truth, the purpose of this invitation was obvious. As one of the important components of the Chamber of Commerce, Apperton Arsenal's invitation this time represented not only itself, but the entire Chamber of Commerce.
Since Sona had refused Apperton Arsenal, it meant she had refused the entire Chamber of Commerce.
"Very tough. But I wonder how long she can stay tough. Maybe the recent fame has gone to this pathetic little Infected squirrel's head, making her feel like she owns the world, that she's the only one. Does she really think she's the Radiant Knight? And even if she were the Radiant Knight, so what...."
"The Blood Knight has already completely bowed to us. Since the little squirrel, who was meant to be a backup, won't agree, then she has lost her value. Have her fall from her 'pedestal' in the next match. Such huge popularity can build her up, but when that ladder of popularity breaks, the fall will be even harder. No one can refuse our invitation. Have *that person* be the little squirrel's opponent in the next match."