The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

Irving noticed the look of surprise on Wendy's face and directly asked her, "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? You're about to pop your eyes out."

Upon hearing Irving's question, Wendy's expression softened a bit.

She replied in a tone that was slightly incredulous, "Aren't you being a bit too calm? Even as a professional assassin, I can't remain this composed. After all, the last mission failed entirely because of the members of the Angel Guild. You should be cursing them right now. That would be a normal reaction."

Upon hearing this, a forced smile appeared on Irving's face. "Cursing the members of the Angel Guild won't help us at all. So I won't waste my energy on such meaningless things."

After saying this, Irving revealed a weary expression. "The mission is over, regardless of its success or failure, and we've already reviewed what happened. You can go take a break now. I also need to rest properly."

With that, Irving turned and headed back to his bedroom. Wendy watched him until he closed the door behind him. She still couldn't shake the feeling that Irving couldn't simply forget about the failure of the mission.

"Is he just putting on a brave face? Should I go comfort him?" Wendy murmured to herself as she stood at her own doorway, feeling a mix of emotions.

After thinking for a moment, Wendy ultimately decided against taking any rash actions. "Irving is right. All I need to do now is rest. I'll think about other things once I've had a good break!" With that, she returned to her room.

During the earlier mission, Wendy had been on high alert, so she hadn't realized just how exhausted she was. But once she was back in her room, she completely relaxed. The feeling of fatigue quickly overwhelmed her, and she drifted off into a deep sleep.

Irving, however, did not fall asleep as easily as Wendy. Although he had calmly analyzed the reasons for the mission's failure and hadn't directly cursed the members of the Angel Guild, he was still deeply frustrated.

He felt he had placed too much trust in his allies. Without their assistance, he knew it would be nearly impossible to face the threats posed by the Night Blades and the impending arrival of the Dark Overlord.

Although Irving was very tired, he found himself unable to drift off to sleep. After tossing and turning for a while, he decided to do something more meaningful. He called Sophia to inquire about the current situation in Starling City.

The call connected quickly, and on the other end, Sophia spoke in a lowered voice, "Irving, is there something very important you need? If it's not urgent, can we talk later? I'm currently tracking down my family's enemies. They're working with the Night Blades, and I might be able to locate their hidden forces in Starling City."

Upon hearing Sophia's words, Irving replied, "I see! Then you should take care of the more important matters first. What I wanted to discuss isn't that urgent." After hanging up, Irving stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, reflecting on everything that had happened.

He recalled the experience of escaping from the Night Blades during the shelter game with Sophia, as well as the various crises he and Vicky faced in the real world. He also remembered the diverse characters he encountered in the shelter game. Some of them constantly threatened him, while others provided him with help.

After reminiscing about all of this, Irving felt he could no longer afford to wallow in his frustration. "I need to get my emotions in check quickly! Even if my collaboration with Aron and the Angel Guild can't continue, I can still work with others."

With this determination, Irving left his home. Since Wendy was utterly exhausted, she was sleeping very deeply and didn't notice his departure at all.

Irving's first destination was, of course, the Green Ivy Company.

Although he hadn't trusted James much before, the failure to partner with the Angel Guild made the Green Ivy Company and the Green Ivy Group essential partners that he needed to take seriously.

James was somewhat surprised by Irving's sudden visit, but he welcomed him into his office nonetheless. "I've heard about what happened in the Desolate Canyon. The failure of the mission isn't your fault. You shouldn't be too hard on yourself or feel too much pressure," James said to Irving in a gentle tone.

James believed that Irving had done his utmost during the operation in the Desolate Canyon. Although the mission ultimately failed, no one could rightfully blame Irving for it.

Irving shook his head. "I've long since moved on from that issue. I didn't come here to discuss that with you. I'm here because I have something more important to talk about."

Irving's words caused James to adopt a very serious expression. "Are you talking about a collaboration? Just say the word, and I can provide you with help in the shelter game at any time. I won't hold anything back; I'll give it my all," James said, his tone earnest.

James wanted Irving to understand that he was fully capable of collaborating perfectly with him.

The biggest difference between James and Aron was that James possessed a keen sense of insight. He had recognized early on that Irving was exceptionally talented. Therefore, he had sought to collaborate with Irving through his sister.

After witnessing Irving's extraordinary strength, James decided to pursue a partnership with him directly. He believed that to empower himself and his guild, a deeper collaboration with Irving was essential.

Until now, James had not had the opportunity for such a partnership. With the relationship between the Angel Guild and Irving reaching a low point, James finally saw this opportunity, and he was determined not to let it slip away.

Irving was surprised by James's response, but he had to admit that James had indeed provided him with significant assistance in the past, and he had never betrayed him. "I believe you will do everything in your power to help me. What I want to discuss with you this time is actually related to the shelter game."

As soon as Irving finished speaking, James immediately closed the office door. "What you're about to say must be very important. I need to ensure that what we discuss remains confidential," James explained his reasoning for this action.

Irving was quite satisfied with James's approach. "You are indeed cautious enough. I've recognized your prudence, which is why I chose to collaborate with you on the new shelter's location."

Irving then directly stated the matter he wanted to discuss with James. After the failure of the operation in the Desolate Canyon, Irving felt that the Night Blades would soon seek revenge against him. Therefore, he needed to relocate the shelter to a new location as quickly as possible.

Upon hearing Irving's words, James immediately responded, "The situation at the castle has been handled by my subordinates. The castle has been thoroughly cleaned, and there are threatening monsters in the surrounding area."

James provided an update on the current state of the castle.

Irving had great confidence in James and his subordinates. "I have no doubts about your actions. I came here to discuss this matter because I want to move the shelter to a new location immediately."

James was somewhat taken aback by Irving's urgency. "Are you really that anxious? Even though the castle has been cleaned, we still need to prepare more," he said with a hint of exasperation.

"Not only does your shelter need to move into the castle, but all the affiliated shelters surrounding yours must also relocate there. You should know that completing the transfer of all shelters quickly will take a lot of time.

Furthermore, during the relocation process, our shelter will be extremely vulnerable. If the Night Blades take advantage of this opportunity to attack us, we won't be able to defend ourselves. So I hope you can think it over and make a careful decision."

What James said was true. The potential dangers he mentioned were certainly ones that Irving considered likely. However, Irving couldn't afford to wait much longer. "I understand that what you're saying is the reality. But the Night Blades won't give us more time. We must expedite the relocation of the shelter."

Irving spoke with a firm tone. James realized he couldn't convince Irving otherwise.

So he asked directly, "Do you have a specific plan? I'm more than willing to do everything I can to help, but you need to have a reasonable plan in place first."

James's request was not unreasonable. It would be absurd for Irving to demand the relocation of the shelter without any sort of solid plan.

Irving nodded. "Of course, I have a perfect action plan. However, I will need about a week to prepare it. I came here just to ensure you can get everything ready for the shelter's relocation."

Irving's words eased James's concerns a bit.

With renewed confidence, James replied, "Don't worry! A week is enough time for me to prepare everything for the shelter's move! As long as your plan is reasonable, we'll be ready to start the relocation in a week!"