Henriet was ecstatic today!

  As the owner of FC Schalke 04, he had led the club to achieve its century-old dream.

  Most importantly, he had just concluded very productive talks with the Football Association.

  Bayern had agreed to loan players to FC Schalke 04 free of charge.

  What did this mean?

  That was business acumen at its finest.

  Sell a player for a massive fee, then get a couple of freebies from Bayern as part of the deal.

  As long as they could avoid relegation, the profits would be astronomical.

  The chubby Henriet had laughed himself silly at the celebratory dinner more times than he could count.

  Although the $2 million championship prize money stung a bit, compared to future earnings, Henriet immediately considered it money well spent.

  Su and Hao stood bored at the banquet.

  Honestly, this kind of Western-style event wasn't quite to Chinese tastes. While they weren't enjoying themselves, Annan and Baumann were having the time of their lives - the banquet was full of local models and starlets looking to mingle, and the two players were happily chatting them up one by one.

  Raul was surrounded by so-called gentlemen, all raising their glasses and engaging him in what appeared to be pleasant conversation.

  When Henriet finally finished his speech, Su and Hao sneaked out.

  Truth be told, these formal affairs really weren't their scene. The two would have been much happier with some root beer and kebabs.

  By the time they got home at 1 AM, Su's parents were already asleep.

  Su went straight to his room.

  The SYSTEM had prompted him after the championship.

  Closing his door and entering the system, Su discovered that the previously dormant honor module had finally activated.

  A Bundesliga logo now appeared in his honor bar.

  "Congratulations HOST for unlocking the honor module: Bundesliga Champion!"

  "Reward: Ultimate Attribute Points*5!"

  "Reward: Diamond Treasure Chest*1!"

  Su was stunned by the generous rewards.

  Damn - Ultimate Attribute Points? That sounded impressive just from the name!

  The system's explanation confirmed his suspicions:

  "Ultimate Attribute Points: Regardless of current caps, can directly increase HOST's attributes by five points each!"

  No upper limit restriction!

  This was absolutely game-breaking.

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  This meant even his already-maxed 100 passing could be increased further!

  105 passing - what kind of realm would that be?

  But Su decided not to use them immediately. His 100 passing was already more than sufficient.

  These precious points could be saved for other attributes.

  His speed was approaching 90, and once it reached that threshold combined with his Wind-treading Combat Boots, it would become another maxed-out attribute.

  Next came preparations for improving other attributes.

  If he went to La Liga, he'd need to boost his ball control. If he chose the Premier League, physical attributes would take priority.

  In any case, everything would wait until the transfer was finalized.

  After examining the Ultimate Attribute Points, Su turned his attention to the Diamond Treasure Chest!

  He had seen gold and silver treasure chests before, but a diamond one was truly a first.

  Just hearing the word "diamond" made Su sense the tantalizing promise emanating from the chest.

  He couldn't wait to open it!

  After a burst of dazzling light...

  Finally!

  "Dingdong!"

  "Congratulations HOST for obtaining Diamond Grade Equipment: Pet Reins!"

  "PS: 1. The pitch is a battlefield - fighting alone leaves you vulnerable. Finding the right pet will change your experience completely!"

  "2. Exclusive binding item (cannot be changed after binding). Boosts pet's overall attributes by 5%. While on field, HOST gains Strong Hit Aura: +2% to all attributes, with chance to trigger Aura Blitz: +10% to all attributes for 10 seconds!"

  "3. Pets are man's best friends. SYSTEM hopes HOST treats pets kindly. Rein Snapping will be triggered at appropriate times!"

  Su froze.

  This... What was this?

  The SYSTEM was getting more outrageous by the day. First the "Men's Extreme Small Set" was bizarre enough, and now these pet reins? Come on! This was supposed to be a soccer SYSTEM, not some online game SYSTEM.

  What kind of nonsense was this?

  Pets? How was he supposed to get a pet?

  Was he seriously expected to leash Hao?

  Wait... Raul!

  But sister-in-law would probably kill me.

  Or Baumann?

  Hmm...

  Baumann might work, but he likely wouldn't be on the same team next season.

  Oh well!

  Still, the item's attributes and special effects were truly impressive - a flat 2% boost to all attributes? He knew exactly how hard it was to improve overall stats.

  Just being on the field would give him that 2% boost, plus the potential 10-second blitz effect.

  If during those 10 seconds his overall rating exceeded 100... He didn't even dare imagine how overpowered that would be.

  Fine!

  He'd figure it out later. Maybe his new team would have someone like Baumann - simple and loyal. Or he could just leash some random troublemaker.

  Better yet, find one of those pitch villains and let him bite opponents when needed...

  After the championship rewards, Su checked for season-end and Champions League rewards.

  But the SYSTEM hadn't updated yet.

  He guessed calculations wouldn't complete until after the final two league matches when everything was settled.

  Anyway, this season was effectively over. Magath had already said Hughes would lead the team for the last two away games, with call-ups from the youth squad.

  The first-team players were all on vacation.

  It was effectively an early end to their season.

  Carvajal was busy negotiating transfers - not just for Su, but also for Vardy, Baumann, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar... Essentially, every first-team player who had performed well was being approached.

  The FC Schalke 04 supermarket had officially opened for business.

  Su, too lazy to think about all these troublesome matters, simply turned off the lights and went to bed.

  ............

  At the same time, in the hotel Carvajal had booked, Wu and Zhang lay awake in their beds.

  The scenes of Su and Hao's championship celebration had deeply affected them.

  They could no longer suppress their desire to go abroad.

  "Zhang! Do you think you have a chance? I heard your contract with Guangzhou Evergrande has very high termination fees!" Wu suddenly broke the silence in the hotel room.

  "I'm not sure if I have a chance! But I've decided - I'm going overseas, even if it's to the 2. Bundesliga or a lower league. If the club won't release me, I'll buy out my own contract!"

  "Huh?"

  "Pay the release clause yourself?"

  "Yeah! I've saved some money over the years, and I'll sell my apartment. If that's not enough, I'll borrow from Zheng - he can help me!"

  "I've made up my mind too. I'll tell Master tomorrow - he shouldn't stop me!"

  "But where would we go?"

  "Why don't we ask Hao and Su to recommend us tomorrow?"

  "Wouldn't that be too forward?"

  "For our dreams! Who cares about pride at this point!"

  "Okay! We have to make this move now - any later would be too late!"

  Meanwhile...

  Carvajal, who had been working until the early hours, finally ended his last phone call.

  Rubbing his aching back, the old agent shuffled toward the bedroom.

  Click!

  Huh?

  The door was locked?

  This...

  What the hell!

  It really was locked.

  ....................