Chapter 285.1 - The Importance of a Backer
Calming himself down, Ma Dong replied tentatively, "In order to find items for the auction, I went to scour the black markets where I bumped into a strange fellow, who insisted on taking me as his disciple. I felt that there was something wrong with his brains, so I told him to scram off, however, he continued to follow me. Since I couldn't defeat him, I told him that if he could obtain something for me to auction, I might consider it. Afterwards, he sent me an item. The people from those two families might have been called over by that fellow."
Tumo Assassin exchanged glances with a few elders and thought, Is this little bastard a pig? It's a miracle that he's still alive!
"Cough cough. Ma Dong, the senior who was wearing the clown mask that you've met is an expert. In the future, you have to show more respect to him. If he wishes to take you as his disciple, that is your good fortune. The family, cough cough, will definitely support you with all we have!" Tumo said. He did not greedily want the stone slab, as he knew that possessing such an item would only incite the jealousy and wrath of others. If one did not possess the strength on the level of the ten great families, anyone who held the slab would have an impending disaster on their hands.
Some of the elders could not help but laugh out as they said, "Truly worthy of being a person nurtured by our Assassin Family. Ma Dong, don't have any ill feelings about this competition in your heart. This is simply a test set for you and Teslan set by your family. Think about it, if we truly didn't think that you were any good, why would the family leader give you a chance? He even arranged for the auction to be held in Tianjing. A jade that isn't polished would not shine. This time, you didn't let us down!"
"Ha ha. When this little fellow had gone to the headquarters, the family had said that this person is a rare talent in our family, possessing brains and responsibility. At that time, I didn't quite believe it, however, it seems like our family's leader's all seeing eye is as bright as ever."
"There's still luck involved. A person would not be able to accomplish great things just by relying on talent and hard work. Having luck is also extremely important."
A few elders turned from being petrified to a state of close intimacy, their gazes towards Ma Dong similar to one that they would send to their close grandchildren.
Tumo Assassin breathed deeply. Normally, he squinted his eyes when looking at younger generations, however, he really had to open them wide this time and showed off a pair of tiger like eyes, bright and full of expression. At this moment, a sliver of a smile appeared on his face, something Ma Dong had not seen before. Tumo Assassin said, "It's extremely hard to possess such capability and luck, however, don't slack off or become arrogant. In the future, Tianjing City will become the important development of our family. I will be relieved to hand this to you."
Just this statement by him had sealed Ma Dong's fate.
"I'll leave this auction's final decisions to you as you should know the importance of this matter," Tumo Assassin advised.
Respectfully bowing, Ma Dong replied, "Family leader sir, rest assured. I know the circumstances. This deal is really between the clown masked person, Stuart and Musk. We're just the middleman, therefore the best thing we can do is to obtain the greatest benefits. That's all."
The elders nodded their heads in satisfaction at Ma Dong's response. "When you meet that Sir Fate Master in the future, make sure to show him respect. Don't let him feel like our family members don't have any upbringing."
Tumo Assassin waved his hand and interjected, "Don't constrain him and let him follow his character. Being too deliberate isn't good. Maybe he caught the attention of the other party due to this."
"Family leader is wise!"
"Since this is the case, you do not need to report his matters to us unless they concern the livelihood of the family or are urgent requests," said Tumo. This was the act of a genuine old fox. An existence like the Fate Master was the hardest to guess and predict. Therefore, he did not wish for some small matter to break the relationship that Ma Dong had with the latter.
Hearing this, a few elders nodded in agreement. This was truly the spiciness of an old ginger. At the same time, their hearts sighed in admiration. Such a massive reversal was truly too miraculous! This brat Ma Dong might really have good fortune sticking to him.
What was the most important factor in accomplishing a good task?
Intelligence? EQ? Status? Strength?
No, the most important factor was luck. If one was unable to control this, even those who possess god sent abilities would be hard pressed to escape the miserable outcome that awaited them.
Respectfully bowing, Ma Dong replied, "I'm willing to contribute the best of my meager abilities for the glory of the family!"
Ma Dong replaced Tony and concluded the auction by inviting Darwin and Musk to convene a three way meeting. What happened after that was clearly not something the public needed to know. Strictly speaking, it was best that people did not know the result.
Although the curious audience was discontent about this move, there was not a single person that dared to comment. There was simply no need to conduct such a large matter in front of so many people, as there would definitely be negotiations between the parties involved. Although the two great families would definitely haggle and compete, neither of them would do anything resulting in severe repercussions. The price would definitely have to be reasonable, otherwise pulling off a scheme would be much better than coming into negotiations.
It was clear that Tumo was extremely satisfied with Ma Dong's actions as he was precise in his judgement, while still being able to weigh his current position. This was the reason why he had been willing to give the youth a chance in the first place.
Finally, Musk compromised at 8 billion, a piece of land and a holographic image of the Golden Stone Slab in the Stuart Family's possession. As for Darwin, he promised that the Stuart Family owed the Musk Family a favor. Between great families, such a favor was considered to be a most valuable thing. The auction had finally reached a middle ground that both parties agreed on. Naturally, Darwin and Ma Dong would have a detailed conversation on the matter of the transaction. This would not be purely just a transaction, as it would allow Ma Dong to enter the sights of the higher ups in the Federation. At the very least, they won't be unfamiliar to his name.
A grand banquet followed the auction, with the masses naturally wanting to participate. From the happy chatting between the great figures, they could tell that the transaction had completed. Musk had achieved his goal for the trip. Knowing that the Stuart Family would definitely fight to the bitter end for the Golden Stone Slab, having them owe the Musk Family a favor without paying any price was already considered a huge contribution to his family.
Most people with ordinary backgrounds could only see those figures from afar, none of them daring to go closer and find trouble for oneself. As for those with higher statuses, all of them gathered at Darwin's side, including John and Campbell who were invited by Teslan. Although these two were also members of the ten great families, they could only be yes men in front of Darwin. Regardless of the statuses of their respective families as well as prestige and fame, the two of them fell far behind by a great margin.
Towards these two, Darwin and Musk still gave them quite a lot of face and spoke a few words with them, while politely declining the rest. As for Ma Dong, Darwin had waved him over.