Chapter 34
Lu Chuan went straight to the Star Guild’s item management office.
The player in charge of the warehouse greeted him politely.
“Director Lu! What items would you like to select today?” The veteran, also A-tier, was a prominent figure in the guild, though Lu Chuan easily overshadowed him.
Lu Chuan was rated A-tier after three dungeon runs, while the veteran had spent countless survival runs to reach the same. His class was guardian-type, so he was assigned this meticulous position.
“I need an item that lets me enter a specific dungeon,” Lu Chuan said politely, even noticing the veteran’s incomplete wings emerging from his back.
His non-human traits were visible, showing signs of age; no wonder he was assigned this “retirement post.”
The item management system was strict: who could take what, and how many, was clear. Approval was required, and dishonest players had already become the vice-guildmaster’s “spoils.”
Lu Chuan noticed a plant-like object on the veteran’s desk. Its branches seemed unnatural, like a disguised creature.
“System, what’s that?”
[It’s the vice-guildmaster’s ability manifestation. He cares a lot about this warehouse.] #888 replied.
Of course.
Finance in Star Guild had many loopholes, but the vice-guildmaster turned a blind eye. Item management, however, was fundamental, and he held it tightly.
“Director Lu, please show me the item approval form. Once verified, you can make your selection.”
Lu Chuan immediately produced the form he had Shen Li sign.
His rookie dungeon was very low-level; normally, a D-tier item would have been enough.
However, Shen Li mentioned that the dungeon mutated after he left, so he still needed to request a B-tier designated item.
Lu Chuan would never spend his own money—he could use the guild’s funds.
And since Shen Li’s permissions allowed him to sign off on B-tier items, Lu Chuan wasn’t about to miss this opportunity to “farm” a freebie.
“Verification complete, no issues,” the administrator said with a smile. “Our guild still has about a hundred of the items you need. The highest level is A-tier, the lowest is D-tier. You can take any designated item below B-tier.”
“Is there a difference?” Lu Chuan asked.
“Designated dungeon items are considered fixed-player tasks,” the administrator explained. “If you’re entering a new dungeon, I recommend exploratory items—they allow you to bind an extra fixed teammate, giving you an advantage. If you’re returning to an old dungeon, I suggest items with shorter durations; old dungeons don’t offer many rewards, so lingering too long isn’t useful, and it doesn’t count toward task limits. Also, the higher the item tier, the greater the ratio of dungeon time to real-world time.”
“Hmm. Then pick me one for an old dungeon, with the longest stay and the highest time-flow ratio,” Lu Chuan said with a smile. “Next time, I’ll reimburse you for cutting the line.”
“Sure.” The administrator was very familiar with the items’ effects, which spared Lu Chuan a lot of trouble.
Soon, he handed Lu Chuan a B-tier item: [Old Lover].
“This item allows you to stay in an old dungeon for three months, with a time-flow ratio of ten to one. It meets your requirements. However, there is a side effect.”
“What side effect?”
“It may involve some NPCs’ messy romantic entanglements. If you’re unlucky, an NPC could pester you endlessly,” the administrator said helplessly. “High-level items often have minor side effects. Also, the time-flow ratio in a designated returning dungeon depends on the main system’s choice.”
“Fine, I’ll take it.” Lu Chuan wasn’t afraid of NPC entanglements; he actually welcomed it.
“Sign here, and you can take the item.”
Lu Chuan signed with a flourish.
That afternoon, he spent tens of millions to buy jewelry, custom suits, and luxury cars to store in his system space.
Although real-world money couldn’t be used in the dungeon, he could at least bring items in to show off. After all, he could earn the money back.
After handling all this, he sent Shen Li a brief message, took out [Old Lover], and activated it.
[Detected: Player [Arrival of the God of Wealth] uses item ‘Old Lover.’ Select a previously entered dungeon to enter. Repeated dungeons do not count toward task limits. Player acknowledged.]
“Confirm use. Enter dungeon: Construction Site Horror,” Lu Chuan responded.
[Item used. Player [Arrival of the God of Wealth] loading…]
[Dungeon ‘Haunted Construction Site’ has mutated, renamed to ‘Mysterious Building,’ upgraded to A-tier dungeon. Player beware.]
[Dungeon load complete.]
Lu Chuan opened his eyes, once again stepping into the place where his dreams first began to bloom.
*
“I don’t agree! I don’t agree that you reject me! What’s wrong with me that you look down on me like this?”
Lu Chuan had barely registered his surroundings when he noticed a man gripping his sleeve tightly, refusing to let him go.
Following the voice, he nearly jumped in shock.
Oh my God—what is that?
A human with three eyes?
And why is the middle eye horizontal? Couldn’t he take a lesson from Erlang Shen and have it vertical and usually closed?
Lu Chuan worried it might be a strange boss and quickly tried to organize his thoughts.
This must be the side effect of [Old Lover] the administrator mentioned: after using the item, NPCs would cling to him, potentially causing chaos and even prompting NPCs to attack him.
And this NPC had an extra eye…
As he observed, he noticed random passersby. Glancing at them, he realized their expressions were stiff.
Didn’t they notice they had extra body parts, like another eye or arm?
Lu Chuan was stunned.
He remembered that the dungeon had normal human NPCs before, but now the people walking around had all grown something extra, though they seemed completely accustomed to it. Nothing seemed out of place to them.
Aside from these changes, the shops and layout were identical to his first visit.
So the system’s warning about the dungeon mutating referred to this?
Was some neon nuclear wastewater poured into the dungeon?
“System, does the system have a strange aesthetic?” Lu Chuan asked sincerely. “Or maybe as the system, you think humans need more… extras to look good?”
#888, feeling slandered, trembled with indignation. [Host, my aesthetic is perfectly normal! The NPCs in this dungeon have grown new organs because some strong presence in the dungeon’s energy lingered in their bodies.]
“Hmm?” Lu Chuan was curious. “What kind of presence could cause that?”
[The Executor you encountered in the last dungeon. If the real one appears, this would happen.] #888 compared it to someone Lu Chuan remembered. [Even after you become God of Wealth, you won’t be able to move freely in real form. Humans cannot face deities—it’s natural. A simple analogy: humans feel warm in a hot bath, but an ant boiled in it dies.]
Lu Chuan vaguely understood. “So basically, you just can’t withstand the power. I thought I ran into a boss at the start and got scared.”
[Host, be careful. NPCs are gossipy. If love, hatred, or grudges appear, it could be very troublesome.] #888 warned.
“Don’t worry, I’m great at rejecting people,” Lu Chuan replied.
Since the extra-eyed NPC wasn’t a major boss, he relaxed.
He really was good at rejecting people.
Although poor, Lu Chuan was handsome.
The Lu family had always been poor, but their good looks ensured their lineage continued. Ancestors knew their main asset was appearance, so they provided the best nutrition and taught self-care. Wealth might come and go, but beauty was for life.
As Lu Chuan worked various jobs, rich heirs often sympathized and offered to support him. Honestly, he was tempted.
If he could sell himself, he would have gathered these rich heirs for an on-the-spot auction.
However, every time he indulged in such thoughts, misfortune struck: sudden acne, tripping in public, or stress-induced weight gain.
After a few such incidents, he learned to resist temptation, developing his skill in rejecting people.
Now, Lu Chuan had decided what to do and immediately confronted the NPC.
“Sorry, I only like wealth and luxury,” he said sincerely. “You don’t seem rich.”
“I can give you all my money! I’ll work hard—I love you the most!” the NPC pleaded.
“That won’t do,” Lu Chuan shook his head. “If you were rich, would we be talking here on this busy street? Shouldn’t you invite me to a six-star hotel for afternoon tea while we chat? Without money, we can’t enjoy romance; without money, we struggle to survive; without money, my parents wouldn’t approve of us being together.”
[…Host, is this really your way of rejecting people?] #888 was skeptical; even non-humans recognized that was harsh. Yet, if Lu Chuan always responded this way, no respectable person would bother him again.
“This is the fastest and most thorough way,” Lu Chuan said confidently. “Stops people from bothering me.”
[Host, what about your reputation…]
“What reputation? My life isn’t as important as my money,” Lu Chuan retorted.
#888 fully agreed.
“Work hard with me, and we’ll become rich together,” the NPC said, twisting its face and reaching for his hand.
Lu Chuan subtly dodged. Who knew what kind of tricks this NPC had? Physical contact might mark him, so caution was key.
“If you don’t love money as much as I do, you’ll never be rich,” he said with a smile. “Wait until you’re rich—especially richer than me—then we’ll talk. I have work to do now. Keep bothering me, and I’ll call the police.”
When the NPC tried to grope him, Lu Chuan immediately shoved a gold bracelet into his hands and loudly shouted, “Help! Someone’s robbing me!”
A perfect performance.
He had just turned a personal romantic dispute into a criminal case.
#888 was shocked.
“Ah? Host, do you realize what you’re doing? Weren’t you supposed to handle love and hate carefully? You just escalated hatred to the extreme!”
As expected, robbery naturally causes a commotion.
Suddenly, the attention of everyone on the street shifted toward him, and many people started walking in their direction.
The NPC, holding the gold bracelet, was stunned. As the crowd grew, he threw the bracelet at Lu Chuan and immediately covered his face and ran.
Lu Chuan bent down to pick up the bracelet, smiling as he thanked the surrounding people.
“Oh, thank you so much, everyone!”
“I knew my suitor was a fraud, just as I suspected!”
“Thanks for helping out!”
With ease, Lu Chuan got rid of the NPC and even crafted an identity for himself.
“I’m from abroad and didn’t quite understand what was going on… Oh, I’m here applying to the Golden Tower. I saw a job posting in the newspaper—does anyone know where Golden Tower is?” Lu Chuan asked the onlookers with a smile.
“Hey, you’re disabled too.”
“Robbing a disabled person’s money is really unethical.”
The crowd felt sorry for Lu Chuan, who only had two eyes, two hands, and two legs. Such a handsome young man being disabled was seen as unfortunate.
“The Golden Tower is a local landmark, but it’s never been open to the public. You’ve probably been scammed.”
“Yeah, I heard the bank loans were never approved.”
“I heard that the former Mayor Bruce was exposed for corruption, which had a lot to do with the Golden Tower…”
Through the chatter of the passersby, Lu Chuan gradually pieced together what had happened in the dungeon since he left.
In the real world, only a few months had passed since he left, but in the dungeon, five full years had gone by.
In the first year after he left, construction on the Golden Tower was still in full swing. The triangle of relationships between the mayor, banker Hubbard, and George of the Mary Tower was initially stable, and even after Lu Chuan left, none of the three noticed any imbalance.
But problems soon emerged.
By the third year, Mayor Bruce faced re-election. His rival exposed his embezzlement, and the Golden Tower project was evidence of this crime.
Bruce was removed from office, and the new mayor naturally couldn’t continue the project. After losing contact with Lu Chuan, the city considered the project too risky and halted investment.
Without the mayor’s funding, the interest Lu Chuan had previously provided was nowhere near enough to cover the bank loans.
Hubbard had originally planned to pay George for the remaining building costs in installments but could no longer do so, leaving George to try to find Lu Chuan to keep the business going.
But Lu Chuan’s identity had always been fake—he was impossible to track down.
Hubbard soon discovered that the villas and luxury cars Lu Chuan had used as collateral were rented, not his property. The companies he used for credit evaluation were all fake.
At this point, the situation had become a massive scandal.
The three of them had no idea where the “thief” came from, but the deception had been significant.
Lu Chuan’s personal bank account was naturally frozen.
Moreover, Hubbard and the others offered a public bounty, determined to catch Lu Chuan the con artist and vent their anger.
“I heard the bounty is already up to ten million.”
“Yeah, it’s been years, and they still can’t find him.”
“I heard they’ve surrounded the Golden Tower with security cameras, just waiting to catch him.”
Lu Chuan felt a bit tempted by the bounty. If he could get that much money, he might sell himself, claim the reward, and then escape, squeezing Hubbard and the others again.
Unfortunately, he was alone in the dungeon; otherwise, he could have staged this with a partner.
[Host, you messed up.] #888 suppressed its glee. [As expected, the fake cannot become real.]
“It’s just the abnormal time-flow ratio. If I had returned within three years, there would’ve been no problem,” Lu Chuan said, unconvinced. “What kind of genius scam lasts five years without being exposed? Three years is already impressive. If Bruce had stayed as mayor, I wouldn’t have been exposed.”
[So what do we do now, Host?] #888 worried. [The Golden Tower is your territory. To bind it, you at least need to step inside.]
But clearly, everyone was gunning to catch Lu Chuan.
If he went alone, he’d probably be caught immediately.
“Of course, we’re going straight to the front door!” Lu Chuan said, shocked #888. “I used to be poor, but am I poor now? My custom suits, my luxury cars—bring them all out. Let me show you how to turn the tables!”
*
At a private bank.
“Again, scolded by the manager?”
“Don’t worry, Manager Hubbard is about to be transferred. We won’t have to worry soon.”
“I heard he’s being sent to the most remote branch.”
“Yes, I heard that too.”
The employees whispered—everyone knew Hubbard had been punished because he got scammed.
Even though Hubbard tried to prove he was also a victim, the bank suffered significant losses, and he was entangled with the imprisoned former mayor. George also caused trouble occasionally. The head office couldn’t let him stay under this pressure.
The new manager was soon arriving, and Hubbard had to pack up. So even if he was grumpy these days, the employees tolerated it—they knew his hardship was temporary.
While gossiping, the employees heard an engine outside.
It wasn’t even official working hours, yet a flashy luxury sports car almost flew to the bank’s front door, blocking it entirely.
The security guards tried to stop the driver, but a tall, long-legged, handsome disabled man in a suit stepped out, shoved them aside, and charged inside.
The guards couldn’t stop him, and the other employees peeked out to watch. Some senior staff felt his face was familiar… Wait, they remembered.
Wasn’t this the con artist who caused the bank manager to be reassigned and the former mayor imprisoned?
The senior staff quickly recognized Lu Chuan’s handsome face.
“Hubbard, get out here! You slandered me—wait for my lawyer’s letter!” Lu Chuan shouted in the bank lobby.
Hubbard, organizing files in his office, heard the familiar voice and almost thought he was hallucinating.
The voice continued.
Hubbard abandoned his files and hurried downstairs.
Finally, he had found the con artist again?!
“Hubba—Hubbard! I considered you a friend, and you slandered me while I was away? I even brought you gifts—ugh!” Lu Chuan threw a box forcefully in front of Hubbard.
The luxury watch inside rolled to the floor with a crisp sound.
Lu Chuan immediately took control, giving Hubbard no chance to speak.
“I worked hard to reclaim my inheritance, and you put a bounty on me? This is how you treat investors? Pay me!”
