Chapter 302: A Business Deal.

Kael didn’t respond immediately, prompting Jonas to continue speaking.

"Then I started thinking about something else." He looked directly at Kael. "Your strength."

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"Ever since your awakening, your growth has been rather extraordinary. You’ve managed to accomplish things most Hunters your age wouldn’t even dare. And now, on top of that, your Guild is preparing to auction off items that even some major organizations would struggle to obtain."

He smiled faintly. "When I put those things together, I came to a rather interesting conclusion. I believe you, Mr. Kael, are climbing the Tower on Hell difficulty."

The room fell quiet for a moment.

Kael looked at Jonas without saying anything.

Jonas, meanwhile, seemed to be watching his reaction carefully.

"Think about it," he continued. "It would explain quite a few things. Your explosive growth in strength, your unusual abilities, and most importantly, your access to resources that shouldn’t be so easy to obtain."

He spread his hands slightly.

"Of course, I’m not saying that’s definitely the case."

Kael remained silent.

"I could be completely wrong," Jonas admitted. "For all I know, you might have some powerful individual or organization backing you behind the scenes."

He chuckled lightly.

"That would also explain a few things, although I must admit I’m having a difficult time imagining what sort of backer could provide you with everything you’ve displayed so far."

Kael couldn’t help finding the situation a little amusing.

Jonas had clearly spent quite some time trying to figure out the source of his strength and resources.

And to be fair, his reasoning wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

However, there was one rather important detail the Vice President had no way of knowing.

Kael’s Infinite Reward Multiplier.

That was the real reason he could obtain resources at a rate that would seem completely absurd to most people.

Even if Jonas somehow discovered his actual Tower difficulty, it still wouldn’t explain everything.

After all, not everyone climbing the Tower under the same conditions would receive the kind of rewards Kael did.

Naturally, Kael had no intention of explaining any of that.

He simply continued listening.

Jonas studied him for another moment before smiling.

"Anyway, whether my guess is correct or not isn’t particularly important."

He leaned back in his chair.

"The point is that you’ve clearly demonstrated an ability to obtain valuable resources, and that’s something the Association is currently very interested in."

His expression grew slightly more serious.

"So, regardless of whether you’re climbing the Tower on Hell difficulty or receiving support from someone else, I came here today hoping we could reach an agreement."

Kael looked at him.

"An agreement?"

Jonas nodded.

"That’s right. A deal."

He paused, allowing his words to settle before continuing.

"So, what do you say, Mr. Kael?"

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Would you be interested in doing business with the Hunter Association?"

Kael fell silent for a moment as he considered Vice President Jonas’s proposal.

Doing business with the Hunter Association was certainly an attractive prospect. In fact, considering the Association’s influence and the resources it controlled, establishing a proper business relationship with them could benefit the Mothlight Guild enormously.

However, that didn’t mean Kael was going to agree immediately.

There was a difference between doing business with the Association and granting them special privileges over the Guild’s resources. The latter was something he needed to consider carefully, especially when he had no idea what Jonas intended to offer in exchange.

After thinking about it for a moment, Kael cleared his throat.

"Well, Vice President Jonas, you see, the Mothlight Guild is an organization I established to trade resources with anyone who has something worthwhile to offer."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Now, wouldn’t it be a pain in the ass if I suddenly started offering exclusive deals to certain people? I’m sure you can understand why that might be a little troublesome."

Jonas stared at him.

For a moment, neither of them said anything.

Then, without warning, the Vice President burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

His laughter was loud enough that Kael briefly wondered whether the people downstairs could hear him.

"You greedy motherfucker!"

Jonas shook his head, looking thoroughly amused.

"So that’s how you want to play it, huh? In other words, you want the Association to offer you something good enough that nobody else can compete with it. Is that what you’re saying?"

Kael looked at him calmly.

He didn’t confirm or deny the accusation.

However, the expression on his face was more than enough to convey his answer.

Seeing that, Jonas laughed again.

"Haha! I knew it. You really don’t like losing out on anything, do you?"

Kael merely smiled.

He didn’t see anything wrong with wanting to get the best possible deal for his Guild.

After all, the Association wasn’t some charitable organization coming to help him out of the goodness of its heart. They wanted something from him, and he was simply making sure he received something equally valuable in return.

Jonas eventually stopped laughing and leaned back in his chair.

"Well, obviously, I wouldn’t have come all the way here if I hadn’t already prepared something that might interest you."

"Oh?"

Kael raised an eyebrow.

Jonas smiled.

"How about expansion?"

Kael frowned slightly.

"Expansion?"

"That’s right."

Jonas nodded before continuing.

"Now, I don’t know everything about your plans for the Mothlight Guild, but I’d like to think I understand a few things."

He looked at Kael thoughtfully.

"Someone like you, with access to valuable resources and enough wealth to establish a Guild without much difficulty, probably didn’t create one simply for the sake of making money."

Kael remained silent.

Jonas continued. "Of course, profits are important. Nobody runs an organization without expecting something in return. But I suspect you have another objective in mind, something deeper than money."

He paused briefly. "Influence, perhaps?"

Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"So, I imagine you’d be interested in expanding the Mothlight Guild’s operations into the other Safe Zones as well, wouldn’t you?"