Chapter 36
Hubbard and George were veterans in business. Hearing this, they felt a surge of hope.
So Lu Chuan was still willing to cooperate with them?
Of course—he had no other choice.
Even with Lu Chuan’s powerful backing, this city was remote, far from the central cities, and lacked major players. Unless he stayed and developed Golden Tower himself, its success would still rely on them. Of course, they had to perform well, or others would try to replace them as his partners.
“If you can present a plan I’m satisfied with, I know only you two in this city, and since we’re old friends, we can continue to cooperate. Past issues are forgiven. I don’t care about your business or bad debts. What matters is your influence in this city. I believe you can make a comeback and be trustworthy. But if you fail to present an effective plan, I’ll regret it—perhaps the old friends I knew with such skills are gone.”
Lu Chuan crossed his legs and reached for a teacup on the table, but Hubbard was quick and poured the tea first.
“Little Lu, please have tea. George and I will discuss first,” Hubbard said, his attitude transformed so fast even #888 was impressed.
[That was way too fast!] #888 exclaimed. [They weren’t like this when they first came in.]
“System, bankers are like this. When the performance review is intense, they’ll even open accounts for ex-spouses. If a stray dog could scan a QR code, they’d issue one too,” Lu Chuan said to #888, sipping the tea Hubbard poured. “Hubbard is sensible. Look, with one defector, even George can’t resist.”
Lu Chuan was right—George truly couldn’t resist.
“What are you doing?!” George thought. “Weren’t we supposed to confront Lu Chuan together? You go first without even signaling me?!”
George mentally cursed Hubbard for being unreliable.
But George had more experience than Hubbard, who spent most of his life managing bank deposits and loans.
Soon, George had a plan.
“Golden Tower has a prime location and plenty of space. I know some big merchants from outside; I can organize a gathering and invite them to see it. By bringing in different brands to open branches, I believe Golden Tower’s popularity will rise. For example, the prime first-floor spots could host large supermarkets, jewelry, watches, and luxury bags—people I know. Initially, we can offer some rent concessions.”
George knew many people.
Hubbard, anxious, added, “For other brands opening stores, initial renovation and marketing costs are high. I can offer low-interest loans and introduce high-yield investment firms to Little Lu. With daily profits in Golden Tower, it’ll be useful.”
Hubbard was good at flattery, and Lu Chuan loved hearing it.
“Hmm, anything else? You’re only outlining the basics. Work out the details,” Lu Chuan said, glancing at his watch. “Here’s the plan: go back and contact the people you mentioned. I’ll stay in this city for three months—any longer, I doubt it. I’ll inspect other industries. I’ve already wasted nearly a month, leaving two. Try to give me a satisfactory plan before I leave. Once confirmed, we can prepare Golden Tower for opening.”
Two months left, and time was tight.
If you want to open for business, then it’s best to call over all those brand representatives within the next few days.
This was no small task!
George and Hubbard knew this might cost them all the connections and resources they had built up over the years.
What if this was a scam…
Both George and Hubbard felt a little uneasy inside.
“My account will soon be unfrozen. There should still be some money in it that can be used.” Lu Chuan thought for a moment, then took out a Seal of Contract. “Do you recognize this?”
“Of course. The Seal of Contract! That’s something only truly powerful figures use when forming partnerships, and no one can break it.” Hubbard was the first to speak. “I used one before when working with a big merchant, but the level of that one seems much lower than yours.”
“Under the witness of this artifact, no one can lie. I couldn’t possibly deceive you either.” Lu Chuan smiled. “Now you can rest assured, right?”
If they had harbored even a trace of doubt before, once the Seal of Contract appeared, all suspicion vanished.
No one understood better than them how formidable this mysterious power was.
“By the way, let’s also invite Father Eddie.” Lu Chuan thought for a moment, then chuckled. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him.”
“He’s now Bishop Eddie,” George finally spoke, “but I’ll persuade him to come.”
“Much appreciated.” Lu Chuan nodded. “I still have things to do, so I won’t keep you two.”
George and Hubbard then respectfully took their leave.
Once they stepped out of Lu Chuan’s house, they glanced at each other and simultaneously snapped, “You wanted to hog the benefits for yourself?” “Nonsense, weren’t you the same?”
“This time we must cooperate properly. We can’t let others swoop in and take advantage.”
“Someone who can casually produce both the ‘Cross of Godslaying’ and the ‘Seal of Contract’ must surely have powerful figures behind him,” George mused after a pause. “Looks like we really do need to give our all.”
“Let’s invite Bishop Eddie,” Hubbard agreed. “If this really is some demonic deception, Bishop Eddie, as a clergyman, should be able to tell.”
“Mm.”
[Host, aren’t we going to the Golden Tower right away to bind it?] #888 finally dared to speak freely to Lu Chuan again. Before, it had only whispered a few words, afraid of breaking his concentration.
“What’s the point of sneaking off there alone?” Lu Chuan stroked his chin. “And didn’t you hear Shen Li earlier? The Noah Guild and the Abyss Guild will organize teams to enter the dungeon instance. If I remember right, some of the top players in the Abyss Guild hold important positions in the in-game church (see Chapter 4).”
#888 thought back—yes, that was true. Abyss Guild members often chose to serve in churches.
“If it’s the same church, I can establish ties with Bishop Eddie here, and later I’ll be able to gather intel from the Abyss Guild. If it’s a rival church, well, nothing knows you better than your enemy. That will make digging up information even easier.” Lu Chuan said lightly. “It’s just planting a seed now. Who knows when it will come in handy. But if it might, I should invest early—it won’t cost me much effort anyway.”
#888 was awestruck.
As expected of its host! Signing Lu Chuan had been the luckiest break imaginable.
With this vision and ability, how could he not become the God of Wealth?
—
A week later.
George and Hubbard had barely slept these days. Dark circles ringed their eyes, but their spirits were high.
They had even asked Father Eddie to cast a few refreshing spells on them, just so they could get everything done according to Lu Chuan’s instructions.
Bishop Eddie, of course, remembered Mr. Lu vividly.
Back when he was still just a priest, he had suffered setbacks at Lu Chuan’s hands. Now that he was a bishop, he saw that this same Mr. Lu had become someone George and Hubbard were bending over backwards to please.
It was hard to believe.
But thanks to George and Hubbard’s sleepless efforts, the investment gathering for the Golden Tower was finally underway.
Everyone who received an invitation was a social elite. Even if they themselves weren’t especially powerful, the families and businesses behind them were forces to be reckoned with.
Naturally, the surveillance and guards around the Golden Tower had all been withdrawn, and hundreds of designers had been working overtime to decorate the building. Everything was being readied for Lu Chuan to host a grand ribbon-cutting at its opening.
George and Hubbard had truly staked everything they had.
Lu Chuan took in the scene and finally felt in better spirits.
With a glass of wine in hand, he mingled confidently with the crowd, putting investors at ease.
But what drew his attention most was Bishop Eddie.
Interesting.
This instance was useful. Due to the mutation, not only had the local NPCs sprouted extra organs, even NPCs coming from outside who weren’t strong enough couldn’t resist mutation. Those strong enough to resist naturally understood what was happening in this city and blended in accordingly.
In this world, there were too many mutated places to count—it was nothing remarkable.
But here at this party, Bishop Eddie bore no extra eyes or arms.
Which meant he had just hooked a big fish!
“Wow, System, what a pleasant surprise,” Lu Chuan thought luck itself was smiling upon him. “This Bishop Eddie’s level must be much higher than we guessed. He’s grown a lot these past five years. He’s a normal human, and people around him don’t even suspect.”
[Exactly, Host. This instance has already mutated into an A-rank. For Bishop Eddie not to mutate means his NPC level must be at least A-rank. At minimum, he’s a key NPC of an A-rank instance.] Number 888 hadn’t expected Lu Chuan to stumble upon such a catch.
Delighted, Lu Chuan walked toward Bishop Eddie. “Long time no see, Bishop Eddie.”
Eddie turned his head and his eyes flickered. “Mr. Lu, it has been many years.”
“Perhaps we should talk out on the balcony?” Lu Chuan glanced around and extended the invitation.
“It would be an honor.”
They stepped out to the balcony under the starry sky.
“I thought you might’ve grown a third eye, Bishop, but no—you haven’t.” Lu Chuan chuckled. “That’s a surprise.”
“No, Mr. Lu, it is you who surprise me more. So you are a powerful Traveler.” Bishop Eddie easily recognized Lu Chuan’s player identity. “Back when we first met, I never noticed.”
At that time, Eddie had yet to encounter anything related to Travelers, and Lu Chuan had acted no different from an ordinary businessman, so Eddie had assumed he was just that. Seeing him again now, he understood.
His two friends had been duped once more.
“The Golden Tower is already mine. I just came back to take a look.” Lu Chuan smiled cryptically. “But you—you’re so strong. Why stay here?”
“I’ll soon be transferred to the central city. My appointment letter is on the way.” Eddie answered without hesitation. “This place is full of that Being’s aura. It’s no longer suitable for my cultivation. Fortunately, because that Being came and caused this place to mutate, the Holy See discovered my divine talents. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be heading to the Holy Land so soon.”
Lu Chuan’s heart stirred. That Being?
He thought back to the Executor who had hunted him in Li Family Village.
If the other had really investigated him, then his past instances would’ve been probed too. And if memory served, the Executor had the ability to read memories.
“The Burial Squad?” Lu Chuan whispered.
Eddie’s face darkened. “Don’t utter those three words here, sir.”
So it was them!
Lu Chuan hadn’t expected that stunningly beautiful Executor to have been investigating him from the start. He would need to be even more cautious from now on.
Fortunately, he hadn’t made much use of the Eye of Wealth skill, leaving little trace behind.
“Looks like we’ll have plenty of chances to deepen our acquaintance, Bishop.” Lu Chuan raised his glass.
After a brief pause, Eddie drank.
The central city was full of complicated factions. Perhaps this Mr. Lu could indeed be useful.
Lu Chuan smiled. As expected, Bishop Eddie was a smart man. Once allied, they would surely be able to help each other in the future.
Returning to the place where his dreams began had indeed brought great rewards.
One must never forget one’s original heart.
Meanwhile—
In Li Family Village, a special letter arrived.
“The Golden Tower is about to open. Please come and open a fruit shop here.”
Signed, Boss Jin
