Chapter 161
So this is what a free win feels like?
Lu Chuan touched his forehead—no fever.
But his luck turning this good all at once still felt strange.
Faced with the vice guild master’s advice, Lu Chuan inwardly wanted to agree right away—but he had to put on appearances.
“Finding the guild master has always been your goal,” he asked curiously. “Can you really just give up? If I don’t go, then no one in the guild will ever be able to meet him again.”
“That’s exactly why you can’t go.” The vice guild master shook his head firmly. “Starry Ming is gone, the guild master hasn’t shown up. If you disappear too, where will I find another candidate for guild master?”
The guild’s rise was almost entirely thanks to Lu Chuan. If he went missing, all their progress would collapse, and recovering would be even harder next time.
And personally, though the guild master mattered deeply to him, he had known Lu Chuan for so long he now regarded him like family. How could he send him to a road of certain death?
“That’s final.” The vice guild master slammed down his decision. “At most three years—no, two years. If Starry Ming still hasn’t come back by then, you’ll be ready to take the guild master’s seat. You wanted to build an auction house, right? Go ahead. It’ll be good preparation for when you’re guildmaster.”
Lu Chuan left the office dazed.
[Host, I also think it’s best not to cross the God of Time.] #888 was ecstatic. Just thinking about Lu Chuan possibly diving into the Forbidden Zone of Humanity dungeon had terrified it. If he really had, it would never have been able to relax again—it would have had to watch over him every second.
“I never planned to fight that god,” Lu Chuan shrugged. “The Main System itself can’t deal with them—what could I do? As long as it doesn’t get in the way of my money-making, I don’t care if it’s the God of Time or whatever. They can all step aside.”
Making money—that was what mattered most.
Now that Lu Chuan had the backing of the five major guilds, he could finally start preparing his auction house.
Grabbing Shen Li, he used the key to enter the Golden Dragon dungeon world.
He had promised to let Shen Li help build the Golden Tower, and he wouldn’t go back on his word.
But when Shen Li followed Lu Chuan into the so-called Golden Dragon world, his jaw nearly dropped.
The moment they stepped onto its territory, they saw in the distance a massive golden dragon standing on the ground, head raised to the sky. Its wings stretched wide in the wind, ready to beat and soar into the heavens at any moment.
It would exist on this land forever.
“Shocking, isn’t it? When I first came in, I felt the same. This is an artwork too. Sure, if I melted it down, I could trade it for several tons of gold, but leaving it here isn’t a bad idea either.”
Now that Lu Chuan was rolling in wealth, he didn’t care much about the form gold took.
Before their eyes lay a colossal golden dragon — after death, its entire body had turned into gold.
That had been its wish in life.
And Lu Chuan could sense an intense aura of fortune radiating from the dragon.
It was an indescribable feeling, like sticking out one’s tongue to lick a gold ingot — strange, yet not unpleasant.
According to Cang Jiu and #888, the golden dragon was an embodiment of the “Seed of the God of Wealth,” much like the money tree in Lu Chuan’s hand, both merely manifestations of the God of Wealth’s aura. If Lu Chuan wished, he could transform the golden dragon back into a Seed of Wealth. But since the dragon was dead, the seed was unusable; it could only dissolve back into fortune and merge with Lu Chuan’s body, hastening his progress toward becoming the God of Wealth.
Of course, he could also leave the dragon here, letting it serve as the foundation that supported this Infinite World.
All the mobs and bosses here had already been cleared by Cang Jiu, and the dungeon itself had been closed, leaving only an isolated pocket of space. The Main System had erased this place, making it quite safe. But that also meant there was no power maintaining it, and it might collapse. If the golden dragon remained, it could help hold the world together.
“You’re not seriously thinking of using it to build your Golden Tower, are you? That’d be a waste,” Shen Li couldn’t help saying.
The dragon looked too real — every scale lifelike, its expression clear.
It felt as though, in the next moment, it might wake and soar skyward again.
“Of course not. Brother Shen, look at the mountains around us, and the ground under our feet,” Lu Chuan shook his head without hesitation. “I’ve already explored below — it’s all gold ore!”
After the golden dragon died, its fortune aura soaked into every corner of this world, spawning countless veins of gold.
Everywhere they looked, raw, unrefined gold gleamed.
Honestly, when Lu Chuan had first entered this world with the key, he’d almost wanted to call Cang Jiu and ask if he had any ulterior motives — the gift felt too extravagant to accept.
It was #888 who had persuaded him: What could the God of Desire possibly lack? He wouldn’t care about something like this. He’s not even fighting you for the authority of the God of Wealth; these things are useless to him. You don’t need to be so moved.
Lu Chuan had found that reasonable, but he’d still sternly scolded #888 for his wording.
“What do you mean, useless? The fact that he’s willing to give me this world means he sees me as one of his own.” Lu Chuan said righteously. “From now on, if I have food, Cang Jiu will have food. From this moment, he’s my brother-in-arms. If he ever goes against the Main System, I’ll definitely back him!”
The host had been utterly dazzled by the world’s gold.
Even if Lu Chuan were asked right then to pledge his body and soul, he would have agreed.
Shen Li placed a hand on the ground, testing it with his [Creation] ability. Sure enough, a lump of gold was drawn out a moment later.
“…It really is a gold mine.” Shen Li gasped. “How did this even come about? Be honest, Lu Chuan.”
“A gift from an Executor friend,” Lu Chuan stuck to that story. “He didn’t need this world, and I felt awkward using it, so he gave it to me.”
“…Even if he killed you and offered this as compensation, you’d forgive him.” Shen Li said seriously. “Be careful — that Executor friend of yours is too generous. Something’s off.”
Then Shen Li looked Lu Chuan up and down, muttering, “You’ve got decent looks, solid build… you might have potential as one of those ‘romantic route’ players. From a certain angle, you might even be better suited than Messiah…”
“What nonsense are you babbling?” Lu Chuan rolled his eyes. “Anyway, just focus on building the Golden Tower. How long will it take?”
“At least three months,” Shen Li replied.
“That long?” Lu Chuan frowned. “Shouldn’t it just bam — a grand Golden Tower shoots up instantly? You’re a Top Player, aren’t you? Can’t handle something this simple?”
“What you’re describing might be possible for a high-level deity. Me? No way.” Shen Li’s face drooped, his gaze not exactly kind. “All this ore is still underground. I’ll have to purify the impurities first. Extracting enough refined gold for the tower will be exhausting — only my special ability makes it doable at all. After that, sure, the construction’s straightforward. But your design is full of flashy details; I’ll need to alloy the gold with other metals to adjust its texture and color. Otherwise, it won’t meet your specs. If you asked anyone else, ha, even with a full team, they’d need twenty years!”
Three months was only possible because Shen Li planned to camp out here and work overtime nonstop.
Lu Chuan could do the math; a grin instantly spread across his face.
“Hey, Brother Shen, I just didn’t realize,” Lu Chuan said with a fawning smile. “I did the math just now — it’s a huge workload. But you can’t do it alone. Think of anyone whose abilities could help; I’ll drag them here.”
Shen Li thought, then conjured pen and paper, scribbling a long list of names. “These people would be useful. Bring them over. If they all come, three months is doable. If not, maybe four.”
He lifted his head proudly. “Why do you think I became squad captain in the Star Guild? My ability is incredibly practical — easy to use too. Even combined, most people’s skills can’t compare.”
While this ability wasn’t much use inside dungeons — since [Creation] mostly produced things with scientific basis, whereas dungeon monsters defied science — in the real world, for practical projects, Shen Li’s skill was perfect. Alone, he was worth several construction companies.
If Shen Li had lived in Lu Chuan’s era, any nation would have courted him once they learned of this ability.
“Exactly, exactly, Brother Shen is always impressive,” Lu Chuan nodded. “I entrusted this crucial site to you — see, I didn’t bring anyone else, only you. That shows how much I trust you.”
He followed with a stream of compliments until Shen Li, beaming, thumped his chest, promising to handle everything perfectly.
Lu Chuan finally felt satisfied.
“Then it’s all yours, Brother Shen. I believe in you.” Lu Chuan smiled brightly.
Shen Li gave him a long look. “Since your flattery’s put me in a good mood, don’t worry. But my labor fee isn’t cheap — remember to wire me at the rate of 100,000 per hour.”
“…Wait, labor fee?” Lu Chuan, about to leave, froze, displeased.
“Don’t you pay people for work?” Shen Li was baffled. “You rescued me back then and cleaned out all my savings, remember?”
That was something Shen Li would probably bring up for life.
“100,000 an hour is outrageous,” Lu Chuan grumbled. “That’s 2.4 million a day. Three months is about 100 days — over 200 million!”
“Are you serious? I’m building you a massive Golden Tower, plus purification, modification, everything. Isn’t that worth it? Anyone else would charge not two hundred million but twenty billion — and even that’s charity.” Shen Li was firm. “I’m broke. You’re the rich one.”
Lu Chuan nearly coughed blood, but he tearfully agreed.
Fine, just two hundred million. He could afford it.
Damn it, Shen Li had spent too much time with him — now even he was getting stingy.
***
That night, Lu Chuan returned home, still discussing with #888 how best to construct the auction house for maximum profit.
#888 helpfully offered many ideas, quite a few of which Lu Chuan adopted.
As they talked, the host and system drifted onto the topic of the Guild Master, Starry Ming, and that God of Time.
“System, what would you do in a place where the timelines are all tangled?” Lu Chuan asked curiously.
[I don’t know either, Host. The God of Time is troublesome to begin with. Entering a series dungeon where the timeline is chaotic means you’re dancing right on Their home turf — there’s no way to win. It’s like if the God of Time came into the God of Wealth’s domain: They couldn’t defeat you either. For example, if you locked the God of Time in a golden prison made entirely of fortune, at most They could turn the prison back into fortune — They’d still be trapped. Same principle.]
To be called a “true god” meant that, within a certain concept, they were at least the highest existence.
Every god had areas of strength and weakness. To recklessly intrude on another’s domain was sheer suicide. Even gods wouldn’t overextend themselves like that — at most, they’d descend briefly into a believer’s body or send an avatar formed from one of their seeds to gather intelligence in another god’s realm.
Lu Chuan’s guess didn’t hold water at all.
“I don’t know why either, but ever since I learned about the God of Time, I keep feeling the urge to go see Him.” Drowsiness was overtaking Lu Chuan, and he spoke casually. “It’s like there’s this voice in my heart telling me I must go. Strange… must be I’m overthinking it. I’ll sleep a bit, and when I wake up, it’ll naturally pass…”
[Host, what did you just say? Host?] #888 started to question him, only to realize Lu Chuan had already fallen asleep.
#888 decided not to disturb him.
The host was tired too.
It noticed Lu Chuan’s blanket wasn’t properly covering him. Just as it was about to use its power to gently pull the quilt up, a hand suddenly stopped it.
Somehow, Lu Chuan had woken up.
[Host, why are you awake again?] #888 asked curiously. [Are you cold? I was just about to cover you.]
But the Lu Chuan awake at that moment only listened quietly to #888’s words without responding.
[Host.] #888 felt something was off, though it couldn’t pinpoint what. [Host, why aren’t you speaking?]
“I just haven’t seen you secretly tucking me in for so long. I missed it.” Lu Chuan’s voice was soft. “#888, turns out you care about me even more than I remembered.”
[Host, why say such things?] #888 grew embarrassed. [You’re my host—it’s only natural I take care of you.]
#888 never thought it a burden. In fact, it felt this kind of life was exactly what it had always dreamed of.
“#888, I must go to the ‘Forbidden Zone of Humanity’ dungeon. I made a promise with Him—when I return, I have to meet Him.” Lu Chuan suddenly said.
[Host, didn’t you just say you wouldn’t go there? You…] Even #888, slow as it was, sensed something was wrong. [Host, are you sleepwalking?]
It had heard that sleepwalkers sometimes spoke or acted unconsciously. But Lu Chuan looked fully lucid.
Lu Chuan smiled, snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, a new memory fragment appeared in #888’s database.
“Long time no see, #888.”
“The me with 100 sanity can’t appear right now.”
“Don’t tell Lu Chuan.”
***
The memories surged through #888’s system, leaving it stunned.
This Lu Chuan—was he the 100 sanity version?
If #888 had eyes, they’d be wide open.
Only now did it notice the difference.
The Lu Chuan it knew brimmed with vitality and ambition—nothing could keep him down. A glimpse of gold, and he’d spring back to full energy.
But this Lu Chuan… seemed gentler.
His eyes carried nostalgia and serenity. Looking at him alone calmed the heart, as if time and distance stretched between them. Perhaps many, many years later, today’s vibrant Lu Chuan would also change into this one—tempered by time and power.
Divine.
And closer to the image of a “true god.”
Yet #888 still wished its host could remain carefree, chasing wealth forever.
Because this Lu Chuan… looked a little sad.
As if he had lost something irreplaceable.
[H-Host, didn’t you say it’d be a long time before we met?] #888 almost stuttered. It had no idea how to face the 100 sanity version of its host, and this Lu Chuan felt strange.
“I didn’t expect it either. But now I’ve run into the ‘Forbidden Zone of Humanity’ dungeon sooner than planned.” Lu Chuan sighed. “Too many things have changed this time. But I’m happy to see those changes—and happier still to see you.”
#888 felt its data core heating up.
Such a completely different feeling.
This host felt more like the God of Wealth it had envisioned.
It almost wanted to cry.
But systems don’t cry.
“The current me wouldn’t voluntarily enter the Forbidden Zone. But he must. Don’t worry—the God of Time and I have an agreement. He won’t kill me.” Lu Chuan smiled. “At most, He just wants to see how far I’ve come. After all, doesn’t the current me still carry a Money Tree?”
Unbelievable—his 60 sanity self was actually progressing the fastest.
Not only had he obtained divine seeds in such a short time, but his soul had already become divinized. Most absurd of all, this universe’s version of himself had gotten close with the God of Desire—and apparently on good terms too.
Ridiculous.
In other universes, the God of Desire was always the God of Wealth’s bitterest rival for power.
But here, it was different.
Was it simply because this universe’s him had lower sanity, and so his desires diverged?
And yet—who could say it wasn’t a good change?
At least this #888 looked genuinely happy, not burdened like in his memories.
[I think… unless it’s life or death, Host won’t use the Money Tree.] #888 said seriously. In fact, it felt even in death, Lu Chuan would be reluctant to throw the Money Tree away—he’d rather shoulder the danger himself.
…Ah?
How was it supposed to hide this now?
The host clearly didn’t want to go to the Forbidden Zone, and #888 couldn’t lie. What now…
In the end, #888 brought up the dungeon panel and manually set the “Forbidden Zone of Humanity” as the next dungeon.
Then somehow, Lu Chuan operated something—suddenly the dungeon name changed into “Rise of Heroes.”
Huh?!!
#888 was floored.
The 100 sanity host could even rename dungeons? Not only that, but he re-hidden the Forbidden Zone, waiting for seamless transition when Lu Chuan next entered.
How?!
Even exploiting loopholes in the Main God System?
#888’s worldview was breaking apart.
“Just treat this dungeon as if the Main God System intentionally arranged it for me.” Lu Chuan grinned slyly. “That way, the current me won’t suspect a thing. He’ll just curse the system for screwing him over, never guess it was me.”
…Different as they looked, that ruthless streak of scamming even himself was unmistakably Lu Chuan.
[As long as Host doesn’t notice, it should pass.] #888 answered, emotions tangled.
Host would never notice.
The Main God System would shoulder this blame—completely, with no way to shake it off.
“Goodnight, #888.” Lu Chuan soon lay down again. “Let’s hope this time, we both succeed.”
