Chapter 1201: Non-Aggression

Featherfall Willow glanced at his Leader with a worried expression. The team was pretty low on money. Their lack of funds was one of the reasons why they targeted new teams. New teams also didn't have a lot of money, but they were the only reliable source of income for them.

Featherfall Willow had enough money to pay the insurance fee, but it was a big chunk of money. An Adept Immortal needed to consume 2,500 Grade Nine Energy Stones to become a Minor Immortal, and he had to pay 10% of that. He had encouraged the team to attack, but he hadn't made the choice. He had also followed the Leader's plan.

"He supported the choice, but the Leader has the true control," Adamantine Warden transmitted to the two of them. "80/20 is reasonable in my opinion."

"Do you agree?" the Leader transmitted to Featherfall Willow.

Featherfall Willow took a deep breath. He wasn't truly happy with the choice, but he had to admit that it was fair. "Fine."

In the Excursion Lobby, 50 Grade Nine Energy Stones appeared in front of Featherfall Willow. At the same time, 200 Grade Nine Energy Stones appeared in front of the Leader. 80% of the fee would come from the team finances, while 20% would come from Featherfall Willow's personal finances.

Featherfall Willow gathered the Energy Stones and gave Green permission to access them. It was better to finish payment with the Avatars in the Excursion Lobby. Not all teams were in the Excursion Lobby. If they lost another battle on their way back, they might not have the opportunity to pay within the Excursion Lobby. One could say the team was using their bank card to pay directly instead of using the limited cash they had on hand. If they were forced to pay in cash in the future, they might not have enough cash left if they paid with cash now.

250 Grade Nine Energy Stones appeared within Kyle's Soul Space. When he saw how many there were, he almost couldn't keep himself from smiling.

'That's almost as much as I've made in the Screening by selling all of the materials,' Kyle thought.

"Do we split them according to our established rules?" Kyle asked the other two.

"50% go to the team. 10% go to the biggest contributor. The remainder is split between the Avatars on the Excursion," Abyssal Depths transmitted. "I've agreed to this split when we founded the team. I'm fine with it."

"I'm also fine with it," Sebastian answered.

"Good," Kyle transmitted before splitting the Energy Stones. 125 Grade Nine Energy Stones were added to the team's finances, increasing their shared wealth to 175 Grade Nine Energy Stones. As the greatest contributor, Red received 25 Energy Stones. Finally, Red, Blue, Abyssal Depths, and Sebastian received 25 Energy Stones each.

When Kyle saw his newfound wealth, he got a bit excited. 'Black has about 260 Grade Nine Energy Stones. The Karmic Hammer Team has around 103 Grade Nine Energy Stones. If I wanted to, I could advance. I need twice as many Energy Stones to advance, but I'm also still officially a New Immortal. I only need 200 Grade Nine Energy Stones to advance.'

Green glanced at Abyssal Depths. 'Sadly, while she's part of the team, I can't tell her about this. Our finances need to make sense. She and everyone else believe that I'm a Beginner Immortal, and as a Beginner Immortal, I need 500 Grade Nine Energy Stones. I also can't mix the Energy Stones between my teams. If I advance too early here, people will become suspicious, and the same thing will happen if I advance too early with the Abyss Hammer Team.'

'I have to earn enough Energy Stones on both teams.'

'I still need to earn 400 Energy Stones with Red and 250 more Energy Stones with Black to advance without breaking my disguise. That's kinda crazy. I only need 200 Energy Stones to advance, but I need to earn a total of 1,000 Energy Stones, split evenly between both teams. That makes things quite a bit harder.'

Kyle glanced at Featherfall Willow. 'But the Excursion has only just started. We can earn a lot more.'

"We accept this payment in exchange for your freedom. You may leave," Kyle transmitted to the Growing Grass Team.

Featherfall Willow moved back to his team, and for a moment, the two teams just looked at each other.

"Can we sign a non-aggression pact?" the Leader asked Kyle.

Kyle looked at this team mates, waiting for their input.

"Ankylosaurus," Sebastian transmitted to Kyle and Abyssal Depths.

"You're taking our name very seriously," Abyssal Depths commented.

"More like the opposite," Kyle answered with a chuckle. "It's a good strategy, but it's also fun to roleplay sometime."

"Then, we've made a choice and should stick to it," Abyssal Depths transmitted as she closed her eyes in acceptance.

"We can," Kyle transmitted to the Leader. "We will not swear any oaths, though."

"Nobody wants to swear oaths lightly," the Leader answered. "A promise is good enough."

"Then, Team Ankylosaurus promises that we will not attack you as long as you don't act in a way that would make it reasonable for us to attack you," Kyle transmitted.

This was a promise without named stakes. Breaking such a promise had far greater costs than merely lying. However, it wasn't nearly as bad as an oath. At most, the team would lose a level of Karmic Luck.

The Growing Grass Team made an identical promise.

The Ankylosaurus Team's first non-aggression pact had been signed, and it wouldn't be the last. As an herbivore, an Ankylosaurus wouldn't actively seek out a fight unless something was threatened. Food, safety, family...

"We hope that this will bury all enmities between the teams," Adamantine Warden transmitted to everyone.

"Everything's good," Sebastian answered. "We're not actively hunting other teams. If some teams try to steal our food, we might strike, but we won't attack them as long as they're not bothering us."

"Then, we wish you good luck in your search for natural treasures," the Leader transmitted.

"Thank you," Kyle answered. "Sadly, I can't wish you the same."

"I understand," the Leader answered. He knew that what they were doing was seen in an unfavorable light. They were literally preying on the most vulnerable people in the Immortal Dimension.

Then, the two teams split up. There was no need for goodbyes since both teams were in the Excursion Lobby. They could just talk to each other again.

"What's the info?" an Immortal from another team asked the Leader of the Growing Grass Team. "You've lost?"

"We've made a non-aggression pact," the Leader answered.

The other Immortal frowned. "Sure," he transmitted before focusing back on his own Excursion.

Naturally, almost everyone had noticed it when 250 Grade Nine Energy Stones went from the Growing Grass Team to the Ankylosaurus Team. The Growing Grass Team wasn't a new team. They had met several other teams already. They had some non-aggression pacts and even alliances with other teams. These other teams were interested in Kyle's team since they might find them as well. Having more info would allow them to make more informed decisions.

Sadly, telling other teams something that could endanger Team Ankylosaurus would count as lightly breaking the promise. They wouldn't lose an entire level of Karmic Luck, but they would still lose quite a bit.

That was why the Growing Grass Team refrained from telling the other teams about Team Ankylosaurus.

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