Chapter 59: Stupid sis

Damon smiled. "So you know?"

There was a slight flicker of surprise on Phoenix’s calm face, but the woman quickly hid it. "There is nothing to know. This was only expected."

Blood Wraith looked between the two, struggling to follow the conversation. "Are you guys talking about the gold coin conversion? Big bro, I almost forgot to tell you. Don’t spend your gold coins yet. We heard that there is going to be a major patch to the game. They will enable selling in-game currency for USD!"

"Our friends told us that the top politicians in the US got some sort of special deal for it. There is a rumor that even the President logged into the game and he got a God’s blessing right from the beginning!"

Damon’s expression froze for half a second. "The President?" he repeated, his voice unreadable. "With a God’s Blessing?"

Blood Wraith nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! It’s crazy, right? They’re saying the whole US economic model is going to be tied to Earth Online soon. Like, literally. Taxes, trades, influence points, citizenship perks—all linked to the game."

"That’s enough." Phoenix glared at the guy. "Very interesting. You knew about the currency exchange, and yet you did not know about the other things. May I know how you came across this piece of information?"

Damon remained silent.

"It doesn’t matter." Phoenix continued. "You might know someone influential or have a friend like my brother who can’t keep a secret. But no matter who it is, they will never be able to provide the backing that our family can."

"Is that so?" Damon said quietly. "And what exactly is your family, Phoenix?"

Phoenix tilted her head, not answering immediately. "A family that can change the President of any country at our whim."

Blood Wraith let out a nervous chuckle. "We’re kind of big deals. Like, real-world big. Big bro, please consider. You definitely will not lose out. Even though we are probably one of the richest families in the world, we are not assholes and we don’t betray our own. I can promise you that."

Phoenix added. "Of course, he will consider our offer. After all, we can reach him and his family no matter where he lives."

Damon’s eyes narrowed. He did not like threats. "And what if I say no?"

Phoenix didn’t flinch. "Then we become rivals."

Blood Wraith’s smile faltered. "Wait, sis—he helped us. He’s, like, our guy. Don’t talk rubbish. No big bro. Nothing like that. She is just being stubborn."

"I like him," Phoenix replied, calm and cool. "But that doesn’t change the game board. You’re either part of the empire, or you stand in its way. Like I said... we can reach you no matter where you live. Here, inside the game, you might be a big shot, but out there, no matter which corner you live in, you’re still flesh and blood, and I can reach you or your family whenever I want."

For a moment, silence settled between them like a heavy fog. Blood Wraith looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole. Phoenix was unshaken—her expression confident, cold, and final. But Damon... Damon just smiled again.

Not the warm smile he had shown when Mark was struggling. Not the polite one he’d used when accepting their trade. It was a cold, indifferent smile. "Good to know," he said. "But my answer is still no."

With that, he no longer entertained the brother and sister duo. He disappeared from the vicinity and dissolved the party.

Blood Wraith was livid when he saw that they had exited the party. "Ahhhh! Sis! Why did you do this? I thought that you were the smart one in the family. You shouldn’t have outright made him our enemy."

Phoenix didn’t respond immediately. Her gaze lingered on the empty space where Damon had stood, her composure still intact—but there was the barest twitch in her jaw. Not anger. Not regret. Calculation.

"He was never going to join us," she said after a long silence, her voice soft. "Not someone like him."

Blood Wraith groaned, running both hands through his hair. "But he liked us! He trained with us! We laughed, we fought, we... argh! Why did you have to go full mafia princess on him?!"

"It’s fine. He has a soft corner for you. You can kiss his ass and make up."

Blood Wraith gritted his teeth. "Stupid sis."

Phoenix simply laughed. A beautiful laugh that could make many men drool over her. "What I did right now was important for many reasons. You will not understand. I only tested his limits today to see just how much confidence he has. Now I wonder just what he is so confident about."

Blood Wraith flopped down onto a nearby bench, staring at the sky as if it might offer him answers. "Yeah, well, you might’ve just poked a dragon, sis. Let’s hope he doesn’t breathe fire next time we meet."

Phoenix didn’t reply right away. She was deep in thought, her finger idly tapping her lips. Damon’s refusal hadn’t rattled her—but it had intrigued her. He hadn’t hesitated. Hadn’t bargained. Hadn’t even asked what was in it for him. He’d simply said no, smiled, and walked away.

That level of confidence... was dangerous.

"He doesn’t just have power," she murmured to herself. "He knows something."

Blood Wraith glanced over. "You’re not gonna try to kill him, are you?"

"No," Phoenix said, eyes gleaming. "Not yet. He’s too useful alive. For now, let’s try our best to be allies with him. Send him another message. Tell him that you are sorry for your sister’s actions and that you will pay him compensation of another 10,000 gold coins."

Bloodwraith opened his mouth in surprise.

"A million dollars in a day should be enough to make him see we’re serious about building bridges, not burning them."

Blood Wraith blinked. "Sis, are you sure?"

"Yes," she replied smoothly. "Consider it... an investment in information. If we can’t buy his loyalty, we can at least try to measure the weight of his principles."

Blood Wraith looked uncertain, but he opened his interface anyway. "Okay, okay. Message incoming..."