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

Faced with Irving's proposal for cooperation, the ancestor of the Smith family did not immediately respond.

After a prolonged silence, the ancestor finally spoke slowly.

"I am willing to cooperate with you, but you must agree to three conditions."

Irving didn't agree immediately. Instead, he decided to hear out the ancestor's conditions.

"You can tell me what your three conditions are. If I find them acceptable, I will agree. If not, then it seems we won't be able to cooperate."

Irving's words were straightforward. He had no intention of pretending to cooperate, only to betray the ancestor at a crucial moment like Elder Seville would.

The ancestor of the Smith family slowly laid out their three conditions.

"The first condition is very simple for you. I want you to ensure Vicky's safety. After all, Vicky is my descendant, and she is now the head of the Smith family."

Irving could easily agree to the first condition. experience NovelFire,le,mp,yr content

"No problem at all. Even if you didn't ask, I would still protect Vicky."

"My second condition is that you must do your utmost to eliminate the members of the Night Blades upon returning to the real world."

Irving readily agreed to this condition as well. To him, Elder Seville and the Night Blades were already mortal enemies. There was no way he would let them go.

"The third and final condition is also quite simple for you.

You possess a Taikoo Flame Pearl within your body. I want to know where you obtained this Taikoo Flame Pearl and the story behind it."

When the ancestor mentioned the third condition, Irving was taken aback. He clearly remembered that he had never mentioned the Taikoo Flame Pearl to anyone. How did the Smith family ancestor know about the Taikoo Flame Pearl within him?

As Irving pondered the question, he suddenly recalled that the ancestor had just mentioned the power of the Taikoo Divine Clan to him.

It seemed that the Smith family ancestor had a certain understanding of the Taikoo Divine Clan. But did the ancestor also know anything about the Dark Sovereign? And if the ancestor truly had deep knowledge about the Taikoo Flame Pearl, why hadn't they utilized it during their previous attempt to resurrect through Irving's body?

A series of questions swirled in Irving's mind, preventing him from immediately agreeing to the ancestor's third condition.

The ancestor seemed to sense Irving's doubts and thus offered an explanation for his knowledge about the Taikoo Flame Pearl.

"You don't need to worry too much. The reason I know about the Taikoo Flame Pearl isn't because of you. I learned about its existence a long time ago. I also know that the Taikoo Divine Clan created it to combat a terrifying entity that once threatened to destroy the world."

The ancestor's words piqued Irving's interest.

"When did you learn about this information?"

"When I obtained that artifact, I became aware of these things. The artifact not only provided me with immense power but also with nearly endless streams of mysterious information. It is precisely because of this almost infinite knowledge that I ended up in my current tragic state," the ancestor explained.

Irving grew even more puzzled by the ancestor's words. To Irving, the ancestor's current situation hardly seemed tragic. After all, the ancestor should have been deceased for a very long time. A person who had been dead for so long and still had opportunities to seek resurrection—didn't this imply that the ancestor could achieve some form of immortality under certain conditions?

Before Irving could voice his doubts, the ancestor's voice came through once more.

"I know what you're thinking. You believe that my continuous attempts at resurrection indicate that not only did I gain immense power from the artifact but also that the artifact ensures my immortality. But I must tell you, all your assumptions are wrong. I never intended to be resurrected. I am merely a remnant soul of the true ancestor of the Smith family.

You may have encountered someone identical to me before, but I must tell you, that person was not me. That individual was merely a persona simulated by the artifact using my remnant soul."

After hearing the words of the Smith family ancestor, Irving's lingering questions were finally answered. Not only were his current doubts resolved, but some past mysteries were also clarified.

In the unknown space beneath the Benevolent Sanatorium, the reason the ancestor had been so insistent on resurrecting through Irving's body, disregarding Vicky's life, now made sense. This was because the ancestor wasn't real; he had no familial bond with Vicky and thus didn't care about her wellbeing.

With this new understanding, Irving began to trust the ancestor. After all, if the ancestor knew about the Taikoo Flame Pearl and had malicious intentions, he would have surely used its power to cause trouble for Irving.

"Alright then. I will tell you everything about how I obtained the Taikoo Flame Pearl. There's a lot to cover, and it involves the Taikoo Divine Clan as well."

With that, Irving began to recount everything he knew about the Taikoo Flame Pearl to the ancestor of the Smith family.

Meanwhile, Elder Seville was growing increasingly impatient. He paced back and forth, glaring menacingly at Vicky.

"If Irving has used this opportunity to escape, I will tear you to pieces," he threatened.

Vicky's face remained expressionless in the face of Elder Seville's threat. She didn't believe that Irving would abandon her. Vicky felt that Irving was merely caught up in some trouble. In her heart, she kept praying that Irving would be safe.

Elder Seville could no longer bear the waiting. He turned his gaze to Benjamin.

"You, yes, you," Elder Seville pointed directly at Benjamin. "Irving hasn't come back for a long time, which means he might have died in that building. I need to send someone else in. You go now!"

Following Elder Seville's orders, two members of the Night Blades pushed Benjamin towards the eerie, foreboding building.

Despite Benjamin's resistance, his efforts were futile. All of his weapons had already been confiscated by the Night Blades, and in the presence of Elder Seville, Benjamin's strength was insignificant.

"Stop struggling. It's useless," Elder Seville said coldly to Benjamin. "As long as you enter that building and bring back the information, I will reward you handsomely. Whatever you desire, I can provide."

Elder Seville wasn't someone who relied solely on threats. His strategy was a mix of intimidation and allure. After threatening Benjamin, he also dangled the promise of rewards before him.

Benjamin's lips curled into a cold smile upon hearing this. "Do you really think your words can deceive me?"

Benjamin's remark infuriated Elder Seville. "If that's the case, don't blame me for being rude!" he snarled, delivering a swift kick to Benjamin, sending him sprawling towards the eerie building.

Both Vicky and Anna were enraged at the sight. Vicky shouted angrily at Elder Seville, "Didn't you promise to cooperate with us? Is this how you treat your partners?"

Elder Seville turned his icy gaze towards Vicky. "Cooperation? You misunderstand the nature of our arrangement. This is about survival and achieving our goals. If sacrifices are necessary, so be it."

Anna, standing beside Vicky, clenched her fists. "This isn't what we agreed upon. If you continue down this path, you'll lose all of our trust," she warned.

Elder Seville's expression darkened. "Trust is a luxury we can't afford right now. The mission comes first."

Meanwhile, Benjamin, now at the entrance of the foreboding building, took a deep breath. He knew that arguing or resisting further would only worsen his situation. With a final glance back at Vicky and Anna, he steeled himself and stepped into the unknown.

As the heavy door creaked shut behind him, Benjamin felt an eerie chill run down his spine. The building's interior was shrouded in darkness, with only faint, ghostly lights illuminating the way. He could hear his own heartbeat, pounding loudly in his chest.

Determined to survive and uncover the secrets within, Benjamin began to navigate the labyrinthine corridors. Each step he took echoed ominously, amplifying the tension in the air. He knew that whatever lay ahead, he had to face it head-on, not just for himself, but for the sake of everyone involved.

Vicky's words drew a hearty laugh from Elder Seville. "You actually believed we were partners? I can't believe someone who has risen to the position of CEO of the Ocean Group could be so naive and childish."

With that, Elder Seville ordered his men to bring Anna before him. "It looks like Benjamin won't be able to retrieve the crucial information alone. You should join him."

Elder Seville kicked Anna, sending her sprawling next to Benjamin. Both of them now stood at the edge of the ominous building, their bodies gradually becoming transparent, a sign that they were about to be absorbed into the structure.

Unable to tolerate any more of this, Vicky dashed towards Benjamin and Anna. But before she could get far, Elder Seville intercepted her. "I won't let you do anything foolish. Others may die, but you are too valuable to me. I still need you to provide clues to find your family's artifact."

Vicky's anger boiled over. "I will never let you find our family's artifact! You can forget about it! I'd rather it disappear forever than let it fall into your hands."

Her tone was resolute, and her words only served to further enrage Elder Seville. "It's not up to you! Do you think you and your idiotic companions can stop me? You've underestimated me. I never relied solely on you. My men and I are perfectly capable of finding the Smith family artifact on our own."

With that, Elder Seville handed Vicky over to his subordinates. "Irving and his companions are nothing but fools. We will have to carry out the rest of the mission ourselves. Keep a close watch on her."

Elder Seville barked orders at the members of the Night Blades, his fury evident.