Chapter 159
“Little System, that god really was weak,” Lu Chuan muttered in amazement.
He had barely touched Yu Cheng, and the boy had woken.
If he hadn’t been a stranger to both Yu Cheng and Guan Hong, the general might have thought the whole thing was staged.
[Host, don’t underestimate yourself,] #888 reminded. [Master-ranked players are already strong, but you’ve divinized your soul, condensed a fertility seed, and strictly speaking, you’re already at the same level as that Mother of Fertility you faced in the last dungeon. Plus, you’re allied with the God of Desire and bear his mark. Together, that’s enough to scare off any low-level god.]
At this point, Lu Chuan could easily rival a mid-tier god.
For a low-level god, there was no point in fighting him over half a soul.
Top players might beat such a god in direct combat, but when it came to tricky divine manipulations like this, they’d be helpless.
Lu Chuan, however, had the best of both worlds—player power and divine power.
“I get it. From now on, I should stage a proper ritual, otherwise people might think it’s too easy and I won’t be able to charge a fair price.” Lu Chuan said seriously.
[Wise as always, host,] #888 flattered.
“Teacher?” Yu Cheng blinked awake, still groggy. “Why are you here? Wasn’t I still in the dungeon?”
“Call the doctors immediately—have him undergo a full examination.”
“You’ve already left the dungeon long ago, but you were in a coma. He saved you.” Guan Hong gestured toward Lu Chuan, reluctantly acknowledging him.
The ease with which Lu Chuan solved the problem made all their earlier efforts seem meaningless.
“You’re ‘Arrival of the God of Wealth’? I know you! I’ve heard so many stories about you!” Yu Cheng’s eyes lit up, unlike his teacher who was too proud to show admiration.
To the younger generation, Lu Chuan was like a living legend.
According to one survey, among teens, Lu Chuan’s popularity dwarfed the second place—an absolute landslide.
“Haha, it’s nothing. Just work hard, and maybe someday you’ll catch up to me,” Lu Chuan said warmly. Looking at such a young boy, he felt his attitude shift a little.
Now that Yu Cheng had woken, he could finally discuss terms with Guan Hong.
“Yes, Mr. Lu. I’d also like to learn from you—about dungeons…”
“That’s enough, Yu Cheng. Lu Chuan and I have matters to discuss. Focus on your check-up and rest. We still have work to do.” Guan Hong quickly cut him off, unwilling to see his guild’s juniors fawning over an outsider.
Yu Cheng also looked a little embarrassed.
“Sorry, I lost control for a moment.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine — you’re young, that’s normal.”
Lu Chuan waved generously, then turned to Guan Hong.
“General, how about we sit down for a good talk after this?”
Guan Hong, true to his word, also wanted to hear exactly what Lu Chuan was planning.
But after they sat together and Guan Hong finished listening, the hand holding his teacup trembled slightly.
At first he’d thought: Lu Chuan, a player ranked on the Master-Rank List, having a hobby for business was normal. Many top players had unstable sanity values, so odd hobbies were common. Lu Chuan was just unusually good at business. No matter how reckless he got, the Star Guild could cover him.
But after hearing Lu Chuan’s wildly ambitious plan, Guan Hong thought: The Star Guild just lets him run wild like this?
What was this about setting up an auction hall with NPCs from the Infinite Worlds?
As a Master-Rank List player, owning territory and becoming a lord was normal; even if Lu Chuan’s territory was big, it wasn’t unthinkable.
But Lu Chuan said… he had an entire Infinite World?
Guan Hong almost thought he’d misheard.
Yet Lu Chuan pulled out his instance key and dangled it before him.
Whether he believed it or not didn’t matter — he had to.
It was outrageous.
How long had Lu Chuan even been a player? With a whole Infinite World, if he just built houses there and allowed immigration, countless strong players would abandon their current identities to live there. But Lu Chuan didn’t care about that. He only wanted to run an auction — and bring NPCs in too.
“Even if high-level NPCs can leave their own instance zones, they won’t necessarily obey our terms,” Guan Hong said after a pause. “And why would they casually enter your territory?”
To step into a claimed domain was to entrust one’s life to its lord. If the lord turned hostile, wouldn’t they be powerless?
“That only applies before trust is built,” Lu Chuan said calmly. “Once we establish enough trust, it’s fine. Worst case, we sign treaties, put the rules right on the Golden Tower’s gate. Once fixed, even I as lord must obey.”
The Golden Tower already had a reputation and many NPC employees. Any high-level NPC asking around would learn Lu Chuan’s business dealings were famously fair.
“But they might not put their goods in your auction. And even if they did, what could we give them?” Guan Hong pressed.
“Money, supplies, of course.” Lu Chuan didn’t hesitate. “Customs differ between Infinite Worlds. Even if some elite NPCs can cross between worlds, they’re limited in what they can get. But our auction will be different — we’ll deliver what they need straight to their zones.
For example, in a medieval instance, we could send modern entertainment products and fine crafts. In sci-fi instances, we could provide fresh organic vegetables…”
The auction owner, armed with this “information gap,” could charge sellers, charge buyers, and reap huge profits in between.
Once everyone joined the system, Lu Chuan was confident he could grow it into a giant industry rivaling even the Extreme Evil Loan Company.
At first, he’d planned to hunt the God of Exchange by joining that loan company inside an instance and undermining it from within. But considering his pace toward godhood, he decided to speed things up — why work for someone when he could be his own boss?
And if the auction thrived, maybe he could even steal the loan company’s business.
“This sounds like pure fantasy,” Guan Hong said bluntly. “If you go that big, gods will take notice. One safety mishap at your auction, and it all collapses. You’re a Master Ranked player, yes, but not strong enough to keep order. Unless your guild’s Wen Renxu steps in, I doubt top players will dare come.”
Every major power in the Infinite Worlds had a god backing it. Even mid- or low-tier gods could dissolve a faction overnight if things went wrong.
Lu Chuan was only #99 on the Master-Rank List. He might attract moderate clients, but real heavyweights wouldn’t trust his auction yet.
“Maybe I don’t have gods guarding my auction,” Lu Chuan smiled, “but I have Executors — high-ranked ones. On opening day, I’ll have them attend. Even gods won’t rashly intrude on an Executor’s ground.”
Guan Hong stared in shock.
“General, take your time. No rush. I want all five big guilds involved — not to hog it all.”
Lu Chuan stood, smiling slightly.
“It’s time for our five guilds to change. We’ve worked alone for years, but what have we reclaimed? Have we expanded inside the instances? No — instead, gods from those worlds keep invading our reality. Yu Cheng from your guild is just the beginning. If we only defend and never attack, we’ll stay consumables forever.”
Lu Chuan didn’t say more; he soon bid Guan Hong farewell.
These older veterans always wanted stability — but players diving into Infinite Worlds couldn’t cling to safety.
If the other four guilds agreed, then even if the Abyss Guild disliked it, they’d scramble to join rather than be excluded. Being left out of the five guilds would be pure stupidity.
After meeting Guan Hong, Lu Chuan led Shen Li and the others to wander the dungeon.
To be fair, there were plenty of specialty goods there. Lu Chuan found them fascinating, bought many, and thought they’d make great gifts for the department’s end-of-month evaluations.
“I’ll step out for a bit, you all have fun,” Shen Li suddenly sighed.
“Brother Shen, just ignore him,” Lu Chuan shrugged. “Or let Shasha deal with him?”
“He’s got it tough,” Shen Li waved. “Shasha, don’t listen to everything Lu Chuan says.”
Starry Shasha stayed silent.
Seeing that, Shen Li said no more, slipping out to a nearby alley.
“Come out,” Shen Li said helplessly. “You’ve been tailing us for days. Lu Chuan noticed long ago — the fact he hasn’t mentioned returning your item means he doesn’t plan to.”
A black shadow inside a crate slowly took human form — who else but Wang Feng?
“I know I won’t get my item back,” Wang Feng said ruefully. “I heard Starry Shasha and Edith from your team are also aiming for the Master-Rank List, so I wanted to watch you — see if you have some secret method for becoming ranked.”
Wang Feng’s strength was close to Shen Li’s; reaching the list as a “filler” shouldn’t have been hard. He’d just been unlucky, always missing his shot.
Shen Li had been the same — now he’d stayed on the list a long time.
Even Shasha and Edith reportedly had high points and ratings, preparing to challenge the list. That hit Wang Feng hard.
With so many succeeding, how could he not wonder if Lu Chuan’s team had a trick? So he’d been tracking them, hoping to copy their method and, controlling all variables, get the system’s call-up himself.
“…There’s no such thing, just luck,” Shen Li sighed. “And being on the list isn’t as great as you think. Haven’t you noticed I’ve aged?”
“You say that because you’re already on it,” Wang Feng replied. “If I could make it, I’d gladly age.”
At that point, Shen Li had nothing more to say.
“Oh, one more thing — our General, Wen, wants to meet Lu Chuan,” Wang Feng added. “Not business, private. Just him alone. Tell Lu Chuan — he can decide whether to come. If yes, I’ll take him.”
“…Next time, lead with the important stuff.” Shen Li spun and rushed back, whispering to Lu Chuan.
Lu Chuan thought for a moment, then nodded.
If Wen Zhi wanted to meet, there was no reason not to — and Lu Chuan had a good idea why.
Wang Feng led Lu Chuan and the team to a hidden crossroads, then stopped.
“General Wen wants only you to go up. We’ll wait here,” Wang Feng told them.
Shen Li and the rest had no choice but to stay outside.
“Brother Shen, the restrictions here are really severe. I feel like I can’t use any of my abilities at all.” Starry Shasha tugged on Shen Li’s sleeve, speaking cautiously.
Edith also nodded, indicating that she couldn’t use her abilities either.
Shen Li tried it himself and discovered he was completely suppressed.
“This… this is General Wen’s domain? How could he possibly bring a domain into reality?” Shen Li found it unbelievable. After all, domains were supposed to exist only in dungeon worlds, yet Wen Zhi had somehow brought his into reality.
If it were just some ordinary rule-type item, it would make sense that Starry Shasha and Edith couldn’t use their abilities. But Shen Li was already a Master-Rank player, carrying some buffs of his own, and yet even he couldn’t use his abilities. That was truly strange. Unless… this was Wen Zhi’s personal domain.
“I don’t know the exact method either, but General Wen’s domain is portable. And this isn’t actually the real world, but inside a massive item,” Wang Feng explained, knowing they would be puzzled but seeing no need to hide it. “The General said the topic he and Lu Chuan must discuss involves deities, and only within this kind of domain could they avoid being discovered.”
Shen Li frowned. What could Wen Zhi possibly want to discuss with Lu Chuan?
The only connection between them was Xi Jiangyuan.
Unless… it had to do with the deity connected to Xi Jiangyuan.
To be honest, after what happened with Xi Jiangyuan, Shen Li had already felt that Lu Chuan seemed to be carrying some extra secrets. But as long as Lu Chuan didn’t say anything, Shen Li chose not to pry. All he needed was to make sure Lu Chuan bore no ill intent toward the guild. As for other secrets, when the time came, Lu Chuan would naturally reveal them.
But what was Wen Zhi’s angle? Shen Li thought perhaps he should ask Lu Chuan properly about what had actually happened, otherwise if something went wrong, he would be left completely in the dark.
Anything to do with gods rarely turned out to be good news.
When Lu Chuan entered the room, he naturally sensed the strangeness as well.
Even his connection with #888 was flickering in and out.
But to avoid exposure, Lu Chuan decided not to speak with #888 for now. Who knew whether his bond with #888 would be detected inside a personal domain? Better safe than sorry.
“Please, sit.”
Wen Zhi sat before a low table, several types of drinks laid out on it. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I prepared a little of everything. You can try whatever you want.”
This was, in fact, Lu Chuan’s first proper meeting with Wen Zhi.
Previously, in Xi Jiangyuan’s dungeon, they had rushed everything just to clear it. Lu Chuan had hardly interacted with Xi Jiangyuan’s former teammate. In fact, after Lu Chuan collapsed, Shen Li and the others had dealt more directly with Wen Zhi.
“General Wen, no need to be so polite. You called me here so secretly—there must be something important you want to ask me.” Lu Chuan got straight to the point. “This is your personal domain, isn’t it? How did you bring it into reality?”
“This house is a massive item. My personal domain is rather special—it can move with me. So I nested the domain inside this item. You could say I exploited a loophole.” Wen Zhi didn’t hold back, answering seriously. “I looked into it. Mr. Lu, your domain is the one with a truly impressive reputation.”
“You flatter me.” Lu Chuan sat down and casually took a sip of tea. “It’s getting late. General Wen, just say what you want to say.”
“My former teammate, Xi Jiangyuan—his true body died inside a dungeon because he carried a Seed of Desire.” Wen Zhi looked deeply at Lu Chuan and spoke without reservation. “For certain gods, the Seed of Desire is a beacon that draws all their fire. That’s why, whenever the captain entered a dungeon, we so often ran into mutations. Teammates kept dying and being replaced. Only when I joined did the team begin to stabilize, and over about two years many of us had grown strong enough to rank on the Master-Rank Leaderboard. Ordinary mutated dungeons couldn’t threaten us anymore.”
“But soon we encountered a chain of dungeons,” Wen Zhi continued. “As soon as one ended, another began. And within those, the gods grew freer and stronger with each successive dungeon. Almost all our teammates died. In the end, only I survived. When the Seed of Desire inside the captain fully erupted, I finally understood why his teammates had died so often. I think the captain realized the truth before he died as well, which was why his sanity plummeted.”
After Wen Zhi buried his teammates with his own hands, he later discovered—over a decade later—that the captain, because of the Seed of Desire, had spawned a bizarre new dungeon even after death.
“When we cleared it, the captain’s legacy to me did not include the Seed of Desire. None of his teammates got it either. I assumed the true Seed had disappeared with him back then, so I didn’t pursue it further. Until yesterday, when I learned that you, by merely placing your hand on Yu Cheng’s forehead, made him recover his senses, didn’t you?” Wen Zhi’s gaze sharpened. “Gods have strict hierarchies. They don’t fear players who can kill them, but they do fear higher-ranked gods.”
“You’re human—I’m sure of that. Which leaves one explanation: you carry the Seed of Desire. That’s why lesser gods fear you.”
Truth be told, Wen Zhi’s logic wasn’t flawed.
Divine seeds were rare, and the one Lu Chuan was most likely to have was none other than Xi Jiangyuan’s Seed of Desire.
That was likely why Wen Zhi had called him here.
“The Seed of Desire belongs to the God of Desire. That god is mysterious—though legends say it is dead, other gods occasionally stir up trouble in its name.” Wen Zhi’s brows knitted, even mentioning the name seemed to trouble him. “If you really carry the Seed of Desire, I urge you to discard it quickly. Maybe in the short term, you can use its power to grow fast, but in the end it will drive you to the same fate as the captain. Even if not for yourself, think of your teammates.”
“General Wen, your words make sense, but I truly don’t have the Seed of Desire.” Lu Chuan looked helpless. “What I actually have is the [Seed of Exchange], which I obtained in a dungeon.”
And not only that—he also had the [Seed of Fertility]. As for the Seed of Desire, if he really wanted one, he could just ask Cang Jiu. It wasn’t even that hard.
“If you don’t have the Seed of Desire, then why is your sanity so low?” Wen Zhi pressed. “Your sanity has already dropped below 70, hasn’t it?”
Author’s Note:
Lu Chuan: Honestly, you might not believe it, but it’s rarely ever been above 70.
