The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

Chapter 282 The Fragile Foundation of Cooperation

Upon hearing Vicky's voice, Irving quickly turned to her direction. Seeing Vicky made him extremely excited. "I'm here! I can see you! Don't worry, I'll get you out of here right away!"

After saying this to Vicky, Irving turned back and coldly looked at Elder Howard. "What do you mean by this? Are you trying to use Vicky to threaten me? I must warn you, what you're doing is very dangerous."

Irving's tone was filled with anger as he spoke, and his eyes were ablaze with fury. Elder Howard, however, maintained a smile and replied, "Don't be too hasty. Can't you see my sincerity? Vicky is clearly not under hypnosis right now. This means I can let her go directly."

Howard's words softened Irving's expression slightly. However, he still felt that the other party was up to some scheme. "What exactly do you want? Stop beating around the bush! Just tell me your true intentions!"

"My intention is very simple; I just want to cooperate with you. If you can join forces with me against the Werewolf God, once we succeed, I will return Vicky to you," Elder Howard stated.

Irving was not particularly surprised by this declaration. "Why should I trust you? After going through a series of previous crises, I have no trust in you! How do I know you're not deceiving me?"

Irving certainly could not trust Elder Howard. After all, Howard had deceived him time and again and had attacked both Irving and his allies several times.

Elder Howard nodded. "You're right; the trust between us is very fragile. In fact, we have no trust at all! However, that doesn't mean we can't cooperate. If you're worried that I won't keep my promise, I can make a pact with you. I believe you should trust that a pact will ultimately be honored, as it is bound by powerful forces."

Howard's proposal was indeed acceptable in Irving's view. However, after hesitating for a moment, he simply replied to Elder Howard with a question. "Why would you want to join me in fighting the Werewolf God? Isn't the Werewolf God your ally? Has his power surpassed your expectations?"

Irving had already guessed that the power of the blood moon was somehow connected to the Abyss of Death. However, he hadn't anticipated that the Night Blades would choose to eliminate the Werewolf God over this weak connection.

"His power has indeed exceeded our expectations. We absolutely cannot allow him to fully harness the blood moon. The power of the blood moon is far too great; it must not be allowed to fall into the hands of a madman like him."

Although Irving nodded, he didn't fully trust Elder Howard's explanation. "You make a valid point. If that's the case, I can cooperate with you. Let's establish a pact right now. The moment I help you defeat the Werewolf God, you must allow Vicky to leave with me."

Even though Irving didn't trust Elder Howard, he did believe in the power of the pact, especially since the agreement would be backed by multiple powerful forces.

Elder Howard smiled and said, "Don't rush! I haven't finished all my points yet! Before we establish the pact, I must lay out some ground rules. If you expect to attack me after defeating the Werewolf God, that is absolutely unacceptable.

Therefore, this must be clearly stated in the pact. Upon defeating the Werewolf God, the power of the blood moon will belong to me. Moreover, we must part ways quickly afterward. Vicky will be directly returned to the headquarters of Ocean Group by my subordinates."

Elder Howard was very concerned that Irving might try to exploit any loopholes in the pact. Thus, he decided to express his intentions upfront, believing the pact needed to be formulated according to his stipulations.

After a moment of hesitation, Irving ultimately agreed. "I find your terms acceptable. I also don't want a situation where you attack me right after the battle ends. Therefore, let's agree in the pact that after the fight concludes, we'll each return to our respective bases. I will head back to the Ocean Group headquarters, while you must return to the Night Blades' headquarters.

This way, neither of us will have to worry about the other launching an attack."

Irving and Elder Howard finally reached a consensus. Under the witness of chaotic and orderly powers, they established the pact. If either party violated the agreement, they would face complete destruction by the forces of chaos and order, which existed in all things. Therefore, there was no way to evade the backlash of the pact.

According to the terms of the pact, after their battle with the Werewolf God, both parties would be transported to the headquarters of the Ocean Group and the Night Blades, respectively. Meanwhile, Vicky, who was under Howard's control, would also be sent back to the Ocean Group headquarters. Howard promised that Vicky had returned to her previous state and was no longer under hypnosis.

Once the pact was complete, the two could finally discuss the specific plans for their upcoming battle against the Werewolf God.

"Now that the pact is complete, let's discuss the battle plan," Irving said coldly to Elder Howard.

"I believe the battlefield should not be in the ruins of Shadow City. While you would be able to exert greater power there, the Werewolf God could also utilize the power of the werewolf remains beneath Shadow City. I think it would be best to set our battlefield in the primal jungle of the Desolate Canyon. There are absolutely no traces of werewolf tribes there."

Elder Howard nodded seriously at Irving's proposal. "You are right; the battlefield should not be in the ruins of Shadow City. However, I don't think it should be in the primal jungle of the Desolate Canyon either.

In that area, the Werewolf God might use the power of the blood moon to summon some monsters for assistance. There are many creatures in the primal jungle that have gained natural powers, and their strength could very well reach demi-god levels.

Therefore, I believe we should establish the battlefield in the desert region of the Desolate Canyon. In that location, neither the power of the blood moon nor the Werewolf God's inherent werewolf strength can be fully utilized."

Elder Howard's reasoning was indeed more sensible. After pondering for a moment, Irving nodded. "Alright then, let's set the battlefield there. When do you think we should launch our attack on the Werewolf God?"

Irving understood that he had no ability to dictate the timing of the battle. Since he was in absolute opposition to the Werewolf God, he had no opportunity to speak to him, so he could only ask Elder Howard about when to initiate the fight. After all, only Elder Howard could deceive the Werewolf God into going to the desert region of the Desolate Canyon.

Elder Howard did not provide a direct answer. He simply stated, "That depends on when I can convince the Werewolf God. You should be well aware that the Werewolf God currently has no idea that I have formed an alliance with you. I can deceive him into heading to the desert region of the Desolate Canyon, but I cannot raise his suspicions during this process. Therefore, I must persuade him gradually.

I cannot determine a specific time. You need to be ready at all times. I believe that should not be difficult for you."

Irving nodded. "I will be ready for battle at all times. Once you confirm the time for the fight, just let me know! You should know how to contact me!"

After saying this, Irving took one last look at Vicky before quickly leaving.

Irving needed to share what he learned with others. After he left, Elder Howard smiled and looked at Vicky. "For a while, you will have to endure some hardship. You cannot leave this place until we defeat the Werewolf God." After saying this, Elder Howard also left.

Vicky was once again escorted back to a very secluded prison by members of the Night Blades. Elder Howard needed to prepare for the upcoming plans, while Irving had to discuss with his companions whether he had a better strategy to deal with the situation.

When Irving finished recounting his agreement with Elder Howard, Aron, Anna, and Nick were all very surprised. Aron directly said to Irving, "He must be deceiving you! You absolutely cannot cooperate with him. The Night Blades are extremely cunning and treacherous. Partnering with him will only lead to your own downfall."

Aron had always been very distrustful of the Night Blades, so he was completely opposed to Irving's idea. Anna and Nick also felt that Irving's approach carried too much risk.

"Do you really think the Night Blades will ultimately keep their promises? Why do I feel like Elder Howard won't let Vicky go?" Nick asked Irving in a slightly hesitant tone.

Irving nodded and replied, "I indeed don't trust the promises of the Night Blades, but I have already established a pact with Elder Howard. The pact is witnessed by the powers of chaos and order. These two forces are incredibly powerful, and I think Elder Howard wouldn't dare to violate the pact, because he cannot simultaneously overcome the forces of chaos and order."

Irving's response essentially meant that any persuasion from the others was unlikely to succeed. After hearing this, Anna directly asked Irving, "Have you told Benjamin about this decision? Will he accept what you've decided?" Discover hidden content at m,v l'e-NovelBin.net

Facing Anna's inquiry, Irving looked somewhat helpless as he replied, "I haven't told him yet! Because I feel he probably won't accept it! However, I believe as long as I can eventually rescue Vicky, Benjamin won't care about my specific strategy."