Chapter 158 Regret
"Mr. Bonner, are you trying to use the Titan Consortium's investment in the friendship I built to resolve the feud between myself and the Free Blade Mercenary Corps?" David asked, looking seriously at Young Master Bonner in a deep voice instead of drinking his tea.
Hearing this, Young Master Bonner was slightly startled. He noticed the mismatch in David's choice of words. What he had just referred to as a "conflict," David had instead called a "feud," and the difference between the two was vast.
Young Master Bonner immediately recalled the origins of the incident. He realized that the intelligence obtained by the Naan Chamber of Commerce was sparse, consisting only of the fact that the Free Blade Mercenary Corps had dispatched multiple armor-warriors to ambush and attack David, resulting in the failure of their operation.
Following that, Galen Transcendental and Alvin Transcendental stepped forward to take action against the Free Blade Mercenary Corps together, while also lodging a protest with the Naan Chamber of Commerce.
Yet, the most crucial part of the incident—the details of David being attacked—had no specific intelligence attached to it. Could it be that the event at the time was not a simple ambush, and that something else had transpired?
In truth, because of communication troubles and Commander Isaiah's reluctance to admit defeat, the specific intelligence regarding the events in the underground network had not been transmitted back to the Naan Chamber of Commerce. Coupled with the lightning-fast speed of the Armored Special Operations Team led by Helena, Shelter C117 had been rapidly occupied, with all the mercenaries of the Free Blade Mercenary Corps either killed or captured, leaving no subsequent intelligence to be fed back in time.
"David, I am representing the Naan Consortium today. The commander of the Free Blade Mercenary Corps has already been removed from his post, and we will deal with the relevant personnel accordingly. If you have any further demands, feel free to voice them!" Young Master Bonner had no choice but to continue the negotiation. Having accepted favors from the Naan Chamber of Commerce, he naturally could not let the matter end just like that.
"Mr. Bonner, I will inform Uncle Galen that I no longer intend to pursue this matter. This is also my way of expressing gratitude to the Titan Consortium!" David said, looking solemnly at Young Master Bonner. Upon finishing, he slowly stood up and continued, "I have experienced too much today, so I will take my leave now!"
Not until David had departed did Young Master Bonner recover his wits.
He had just heard the way David addressed Galen Transcendental. Normally, calling someone "Uncle" was nothing extraordinary, but when used in the context of a clear master-disciple relationship, continuing to use that form of address carried profound implications.
Furthermore, he had also perceived the hidden meaning behind David's words: the favor owed to the Titan Consortium was settled as of this moment.
Even worse, David had not regarded him as a representative of the Naan Chamber of Commerce at all; he had only spoken with him out of recognition of his identity as a member of the Titan Consortium.
"Did I make a miscalculation somewhere?" Young Master Bonner asked himself softly.
"Young Master Bonner, David has left," Mr. Boone gently pushed open the door and reported softly to Young Master Bonner.
"Let him leave then. I suppose I've fulfilled the Chamber of Commerce's commission," Young Master Bonner exhaled a long breath, expelling all his pent-up depression, and spoke.
"Young Master Bonner, I have just received detailed documentation regarding this incident. Would you care to review it?" Mr. Boone continued.
"The Chamber's intelligence network really needs a thorough purging. Such vital intelligence is only arriving now!" Young Master Bonner said as he received and opened the file.
As the moments passed while he perused the document, his expression grew increasingly gloomy.
"Damn that Hume! He was toying with me, sending me the intelligence only *after* my negotiation with David had concluded!" Young Master Bonner slammed his hand down, flinging the teacup before him across the room, and cursed furiously.
His loss of composure was not without reason. He was reading how David, single-handedly, had annihilated an elite armor-warrior squad of the Free Blade Mercenary Corps—a squad that had even deployed two Tier 2 grade weapons.
And David had only just passed the armor-warrior qualification assessment of the Armor-Warrior Association, yet possessed such a horrifying combat record.
This was no mere matter of talent or potential; this was truly a monstrous existence.
The document also mentioned that David's mastery of the spear had reached the Grandmaster level, which sent a dull, lingering ache through Young Master Bonner's heart.
Had he received this intelligence earlier, he would never have squandered such a monstrous favor for the sake of meager, immediate gains. That favor should have been gradually deepened until David matured completely, at which point he would have brought enormous benefits to the Titan Consortium.
But what about now? Judging by the expression David wore when he just left, the Titan Consortium had not only exhausted that favor, but had turned it into outright hostility.
Mr. Boone stood quietly to the side, not daring to speak. He could see Young Master Bonner's explosive rage, though for some reason, a faint, indefinable feeling had sprouted within his own heart.
When David returned home via public transit hover-car, it was already past ten o'clock in the evening.
His exoskeleton armor and several Tier 2 grade weapons were all placed neatly in the main hall—access privileges he had granted to Furness.
Ignoring those items for the moment, he applied to connect to Galen Transcendental's identity bracelet communicator.
"David, you're home?" The figure of Galen Transcendental appeared on the identity bracelet, and he smiled as he spoke to David.
"Uncle Galen, I've just returned home," David replied, feeling the warmth of his concern.
"Furness taking you into the underground network was with my approval, though I hadn't expected it to put you in danger. You performed exceptionally well, and I am proud of you!" Galen Transcendental continued.
Had it not been for his consent, Furness would never have taken David into such a dangerous place. No matter how strong David was, he was still nothing more than an underage child.
Yet, Galen Transcendental had agreed to let Furness lead David into the underground network precisely so David could witness the dual nature of this world.
Once David became his disciple, he was no longer an ordinary person. To give David a clearer understanding of this world, it was necessary for him to comprehend every facet of Naan City.
"Uncle Galen, Bonner of the Titan Consortium sought me out today, and I agreed to drop any further pursuit of the Free Blade Mercenary Corps. You won't blame me, will you?" David asked with a trace of embarrassment.
"David, you did the right thing. Favors are best repaid sooner rather than later. In the past, without a foundation, you might have needed the support of the Titan Consortium, but now you no longer have any need for such things. As you grow stronger, those unrequited favors will only become a burden to you!" Galen Transcendental laughed heartily.
He possessed firsthand, bitter experience when it came to the matter of favors.
Favors from years past—whenever someone came to collect on them, it was never a simple matter.
The only favor he could never truly repay was the one owed to David's father, Hans; though, of course, that had long since transformed into an unbreakable friendship.
The primary reason Galen Transcendental treated David with such exceptional kindness was because of Hans. Having no offspring of his own due to his cultivation, ever since Hans had entrusted his son to him, Galen had regarded David as his own flesh and blood.
Otherwise, why would a transcendental powerhouse personally bother to instruct a high school student?
He only needed to dispatch any random subordinate, and that person would have been more than qualified to train David.
"Uncle Galen, my decision won't adversely affect your interests, will it?" David asked, still somewhat uneasy.
"What interests could possibly be affected? David, once you grow truly powerful, you'll realize that these so-called interests are mere trifles!" Galen Transcendental waved dismissively.
How could matters within Naan City possibly be concealed from Galen Transcendental? He had known from the very beginning that Young Master Bonner had invited David to a banquet.
As for how the Free Blade Mercenary Corps was handled, he merely wanted to deter certain elements; he had never intended to completely wipe the Free Blade Mercenary Corps out of existence.
When all was said and done, the Free Blade Mercenary Corps was also an important combat force for the defense of Rock Star, operating under the regulation of the Naan Chamber of Commerce.
Of course, this did not mean he intended to let the matter drop entirely; the benefits David had earned were something he would not relinquish.
David's growth required resources, and in this regard, he could assist David. However, David also needed to establish his own industries. Shelter C117, for instance, was precisely one of the assets he had prepared for David.
Having concluded the call with Galen Transcendental, David finally found the time to focus on today's harvest.
During the battles within the underground network, a total of fourteen armor-warriors had perished, nine of whom were killed by his own hand, while five fell to the Armored Special Operations Team.
The exoskeleton armor and Tier 1 grade weapons he had acquired were all handed over to Helena for processing, while he kept the Tier 2 grade great shield and Tier 2 grade heavy axe for himself.
One could say that among the weapon types commonly used by armor-warriors, he now possessed Tier 2 grade weapons across the board.
This was directly tied to his combat experiences. For an ordinary armor-warrior squad to kill an elite squad wielding Tier 2 grade weapons, they would at least need numerical parity, meaning the spoils of victory would have to be shared among many. How could anyone compare to David, who reaped such massive rewards by slaughtering his enemies entirely alone?