Chapter 70
Before Lu Chuan’s [Eye of Wealth] wore off, Cynthia and the others arrived.
Yet the moment Cynthia, Messiah, and the others saw the scene, their eyelids twitched hard.
Shen Li had been parasitized by an unknown force, wounded Edith, and fled.
Meanwhile, Lu Chuan’s eyes were blood-red, streaks of blood trailing from the corners.
With his cold, frightening expression, at first glance he looked more like the parasitized one.
“Edith must’ve told you about Shen Li. I’m worried you might also be parasitized, so I needed to confirm it early,” Lu Chuan explained at once. “Just stand still—I can barely keep this going.”
Starry Sasha’s furry ears quivered violently at the sight of Lu Chuan’s cold demeanor. “B-brother Lu, what happened to you? I heard from Edith that you even wanted to kill Captain Shen?”
Of everyone, Sasha had found Edith’s claim the hardest to believe.
How could Brother Lu possibly attack Captain Shen?
Their relationship was good.
Even if Captain Shen was parasitized, at worst Brother Lu would extort him—maybe con him into handing over his money—but never outright try to kill him.
But now, seeing him with her own eyes, Sasha realized she had been naïve.
The Brother Lu before her had changed.
His eyes were colder, and he no longer smiled when he looked at her.
Was this some item’s side effect? Or had her ability’s awakening negatively affected him somehow?
Her mind spun into chaos.
“Big sis.” Lilus broke composure the instant he saw Cynthia, his voice betraying grievance.
Sensing her brother’s distress, Cynthia offered a comforting look, then calmly asked Lu Chuan, “You called us so urgently—what do you need us to do?”
Lu Chuan lifted his gaze, scanning Cynthia, Messiah, and the two other players.
Other than Messiah, whose aura was almost inseparable from god power, the rest were normal.
But when Lu Chuan’s eyes passed over them, each one felt for an instant like prey caught in a beast’s sights—their scalps tingling.
Messiah felt it most keenly.
He looked back at Lu Chuan with horror, unsettled.
The way Lu Chuan looked at him just now… was uncannily similar to how the God of Desire used to look at him.
Fortunately, Lu Chuan’s state didn’t last. Soon the crimson faded from his eyes.
[Eye of Wealth has expired]
#888 felt pained for its host. The Eye had been active far too long, past what Lu Chuan should’ve been able to endure.
The old Lu Chuan would’ve howled in agony by now, complaining nonstop.
“I just used a special item to check you all. Time was short, so I needed you here fast.” Lu Chuan lied smoothly. “There are some side effects—that couldn’t be helped.”
The others nodded, not pressing.
Everyone had their secrets. As long as the explanation made surface sense, that was enough.
“The most urgent matter is deciding our next step,” Cynthia frowned. “We don’t know how long that power in Shen Li will last. But if we can clear the dungeon early, once he leaves, the god’s hold on him will weaken. With the Star Guild’s strength, saving him won’t be too hard.”
“If your guild can’t manage, our Resurrection Guild can try,” Cynthia added.
Lilus shot Lu Chuan a proud look.
Hmph.
What you can’t do, we can.
Lu Chuan ignored him, unbothered.
“Really?” Sasha perked up, excited. Lilus nodded, feigning modesty.
“It’s possible. But since we’ve exposed the God of Desire’s backhand in Shen Li, it likely won’t show itself again soon. Messiah, do you have a way to find it?” Lu Chuan turned to him.
“I haven’t heard its voice these past two days.” Messiah shook his head.
Perhaps… some special method would be needed.
Lu Chuan thought coldly.
Messiah was the God of Desire’s betrothed.
If Messiah cooperated, drawing the god out wouldn’t be hard.
“Messiah, we need you to lure the God of Desire out,” Lu Chuan said directly. “Special times call for special measures—this is the best option.”
“…If I’m gravely wounded, on the verge of death, it will definitely come to save me.” Messiah admitted after a pause.
Of course he understood what Lu Chuan meant.
“Hold on—Lu Chuan, what’s with you today?” Lilus couldn’t take it anymore. “You were greedy before, sure, a bit ruthless—but now you seem way too cold.”
Lu Chuan’s treatment of Shen Li had already been inhuman.
And now he wanted to use Messiah as bait—did he not consider what Messiah would suffer afterward?
“This is the fastest, cleanest solution,” Lu Chuan retorted bluntly. “Would you rather Messiah stay bound to that god forever? And weren’t you the one who stopped me from shooting Shen Li just now? If we destroy the god, Shen Li can return, and Messiah will be free. Isn’t that killing two birds with one stone? What do you think this is, Lilus—playtime?”
“You—!” Lilus exploded, ready to brawl on the spot.
“Lu Chuan, did your sanity drop, or rise?” Cynthia cut in, stopping her brother.
Lilus froze, then suddenly realized.
Right—maybe Lu Chuan’s change in behavior was due to his sanity shifting.
But if it’s enough to affect one’s behavior, then that means the sanity fluctuation must be at least around 20 points!
“Up by 22.” Lu Chuan admitted without hesitation. “I think I feel pretty good right now.”
If his sanity could rise by as much as 22, then that meant his previous value had definitely been under 78.
“Brother Lu, if I told you I’ve got thirty million in private savings and want to hand it all over to you right now, what would you think?” Starry Shasha asked. The money was part of the two hundred million Lu Chuan had given her before, but since she was always spending on props, food, and drinks, aside from the portion locked away in forced savings, this was all she had left in liquid assets.
“What would I need your money for?” Lu Chuan frowned. “I don’t lack your little stash.”
Starry Shasha sucked in a sharp breath.
Damn—Brother Lu doesn’t even care about money anymore. That’s definitely not normal!
No wonder he’s changed so much.
For a moment, even Starry Shasha could forgive Lu Chuan for going after Shen Li’s life.
If Brother Lu doesn’t even love money anymore, how could anyone expect him to show mercy to Brother Shen?
Cynthia sighed.
The world really is full of strange things.
She had thought her and her brother’s sanity values were already low enough, but she hadn’t expected to see someone even lower.
What was even more unexpected was that Lu Chuan turned out to be the type whose personality flips when his sanity rises.
But that kind of type wasn’t unheard of in their guild’s history.
For example, there was once a player—when his sanity was above 95, he was a full-blown maniac and villain. But once it dropped below 80, he would loathe his former self, confess every crime, and even beg the guild to judge him.
“Let’s leave it for now.” Cynthia rubbed her forehead, clearly drained. “Everyone’s tired today. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it tomorrow after some rest. No matter how urgent it seems, it’s not worth losing our sleep.”
This time, Lu Chuan didn’t argue.
Because he noticed that compared to him, the others seemed more inclined to agree with Cynthia.
“Fine.” Lu Chuan nodded. “I’ll head back to rest. You all carry on.”
He knew his thinking wasn’t aligned with theirs, and he had no desire to linger.
[Host, maybe they just need some time to adjust to the new you.] #888 said flatly. Even it couldn’t get used to him.
“They just can’t handle my true self.” Lu Chuan said indifferently. “Before, I had weaknesses, so they felt I was approachable. Now that I’m flawless, they feel fear—that’s only human.”
#888 didn’t know how to reply.
Still, what he said had some truth.
A person who is too rational can hurt those around them.
Humanity itself exists in the weave of reason and emotion.
If one could become absolutely rational, that would be no different from a machine.
“#888, only in this state can I become the God of Wealth the fastest.” Lu Chuan declared.
[Yes, Host.] #888 couldn’t deny it.
If one compared Lu Chuan in different sanity states, the one at 60 was too unstable, putting money above his own life—not qualified at all as a host.
But at 80, where he stripped away excess emotions and acted purely rationally, he was clearly more fitting to appear as a god.
But why was that?
#888 couldn’t help but think.
Now he only called it “#888.” Before, he had called it affectionately “System” (System bro).
As a system, it shouldn’t have its own emotions.
Yet now, it missed the Lu Chuan who called it “System.”
After Lu Chuan left, the stiff atmosphere finally broke.
“Big Sis, I can’t get used to this Lu Chuan.” Lilus was the first to speak. “He’s smart, sure, but he doesn’t feel human anymore.”
“…In the eyes of many players, you’re not human either.” Cynthia replied coolly. “We have to be ready—Lu Chuan is one of those whose behavior changes drastically with sanity levels. This kind of thing might happen often. We just need time to adapt. By the way, when my sanity rises too high, I actually become overly merciful.”
“Big Sis, when your sanity’s high, you’re just gentler, that’s all.” Lilus countered.
The siblings usually hovered between 70–80 in sanity.
It wasn’t that the guild couldn’t raise them higher, but when they did, their behavior became strange.
Cynthia would turn excessively nurturing, unable to control the yandere tendencies of Lilus, which worsened with higher sanity.
On the other hand, when their sanity dropped, Lilus would be completely dominated by Cynthia.
For the Resurrection Guild, this current balance suited them best.
“If we had met this version of Lu Chuan from the start, we’d have adapted. His change isn’t really that big—it’s just that we’re not used to it yet.” Messiah reasoned.
Edith and the other minor players didn’t think much of it.
Starry Shasha, however, looked utterly dejected.
“I even snapped at Brother Lu just now… I just want the old him back. If he came back, I’d give him all my savings.” She was the one who struggled the most.
She couldn’t accept that Lu Chuan would actually go after Shen Li, nor could she accept this cold, distant Lu Chuan before her.
Meanwhile, Lu Chuan went straight to the [Church of Omniscience]. The Paladin Order and several minor bishops were already waiting.
Of course, he wasn’t going to place all his hopes in teammates. More often than not, he only trusted himself.
Since he now held the power of the Church of Omniscience, why wouldn’t he use it?
“Pass the word down—have the believers track Shen Li’s whereabouts.” Lu Chuan said calmly. “Also, expand the Paladin Order. If blessings are needed, increase prayers. Bishops, you’ll help too. If funds are lacking, I’ll allocate more…”
Once the whole church mobilized, its power was immense.
Lu Chuan couldn’t understand why his past self would ignore this, choosing instead to build some golden skyscraper. No matter how much money he made in this dungeon, he couldn’t take it with him!
“#888, how much has the God of Wealth’s Currency skill consumed so far?” Lu Chuan asked. Even though he looked down on his former self, deep inside he still wanted to know how much wealth remained.
[Host, so far it’s burned through 600 million. But I prioritized using the gold gifted by your believers—none of the cash. You told me draining cash flow would hurt your ability to earn.] #888 explained, proud of its thoughtfulness.
The “gold from believers” naturally came from offerings to Lu Chuan from the Church of Omniscience. Since they noticed his fondness for gold, they instinctively offered it.
But since only a small portion of dungeon gold could be carried out, Lu Chuan had decided to forge a golden house out of it inside his new skyscraper.
That way, even if the gold couldn’t be taken, it would still sit on his land—pleasing to the eye.
#888 had thus used that first.
So when the lower-sanity host returned, he wouldn’t face an empty account.
“Alright then.” For some reason, Lu Chuan felt relieved. “Keep the skill running. Once the believers’ offerings run out, use the church’s funds. I won’t need them after leaving this dungeon anyway.”
[Yes, Host.] #888 also relaxed.
It seemed the host, deep down, still knew not to touch his retirement money.
Once Lu Chuan had arranged everything, he finally went to rest.
There were plenty of hard battles ahead.
The [God of Desire] was stirring too much trouble, and even with the [Infinite Divine Pistol], Lu Chuan hadn’t had the chance to use it yet—clearly the enemy had more in store.
And why was Shen Li being moved into play at this very moment?
Lu Chuan still couldn’t figure it out.
There were far better ways to use Shen Li as a trump card.
Drowsiness overtook him.
A vast power quietly seeped into the Church of Omniscience’s domain.
The paladins standing guard outside his room froze in place.
Then, as one, they turned toward his door, craning their necks as if trying to see him inside.
They tried to step closer, but something restrained them, leaving their bodies twisting and trembling in place.
Lu Chuan did not sleep soundly.
He felt something was coiling around him.
Suffocating.
Painful.
It was as if endless streams of information were flooding his mind, but the volume was too immense, so his brain blocked it all out.
For a time, his mind became blank.
The only things he could faintly remember—
Were towering mountains of gold, and a breathtaking humanoid figure watching him intently.
[Host! Host!]
[Host, wake up!]
#888 was almost in tears.
The last trace of Number 9’s mark on Lu Chuan’s forehead had vanished.
Now, what entwined him was a different divine power altogether.
The [God of Wealth’s Currency] skill was also burning through wealth like crazy.
#888 could see the piles of gold and jewels Lu Chuan had marked and stored in the warehouse vanishing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Meanwhile, on the bed, Lu Chuan was being bound tighter and tighter by divine power.
But this force still couldn’t overcome him. Instead, thanks to the [God of Wealth’s Currency], the two sides remained locked in a deadlock.
Still, this couldn’t go on forever.
Even if the skill could consume money and wealth to resist backlash and harm, wealth was finite. Sooner or later, it would all be burned away.
And the power entwining Lu Chuan seemed shocked that it still hadn’t subdued a mere mortal after so long, and thus quickened its erosion.
In his dreams, Lu Chuan felt worse and worse.
He saw another version of himself, bawling over a pile of gold.
He also saw that Executor, coldly watching him.
“Are you even capable of this? Wuwuwu—”
“My money, my money!!!!”
That other self looked ready to strangle him on the spot.
Lu Chuan felt suffocated.
[Host… host…]
Why was #888’s voice here too?
Lu Chuan jolted awake.
Opening his eyes, he saw his body was being bound and entangled by a strange, unknown force.
And the [God of Wealth’s Currency] skill was still burning wealth like mad.
Without hesitation, Lu Chuan pulled out the Infinite Divine Pistol and fired a round straight at the force wrapped around him.
[Sanity –5. Player sanity: 78.] The system’s prompt chimed in his ears.
At last, the handgun revealed its true might as one of the top five offensive items.
Its bullets were like blazing suns, like roaring flames, able to burn away all filth in existence.
Its power was terrifying.
The force binding him was blasted to the ground, soon condensing into a bizarre entity—like a worm sculpted crudely from clay.
Outside the window, Lu Chuan’s Paladin Order prayed in unison:
“My Lord Omniscient, who knows all hidden truths of this world.”
“My Lord Almighty, who understands the mysteries of life and death.”
“Grant us your mercy, O great Omniscient One, let me see my own flaws.”
“Send down your rain, to nourish the wasteland of my soul.”
…
As the chants grew louder and more numerous, the entity on the ground swelled, threatening to burst the room apart.
It was the God of Omniscience!
In that instant, all the clues clicked together.
Why had Shen Li’s power suddenly spiraled out of control?
Because the God of Desire wanted to draw the true God of Omniscience’s gaze!
Earlier, Lu Chuan had deliberately avoided praying, never taking up the Pope’s mantle, always hiding behind other believers, mumbling just enough prayers to get by—all to minimize the god’s attention.
With Number 9’s mark shielding him, he had managed to sideline the Omniscient God entirely.
But now that was impossible.
The God of Desire had dragged the God of Omniscient here.
Once noticed by a god, escape was nearly impossible.
There was no way out.
No matter how loyal the Paladins were, the god they worshipped could effortlessly tear through their defenses.
The Omniscient God wanted Lu Chuan’s body—Or rather, to devour him.
A high-level player was the best kind of sacrifice for a god.
Even if he couldn’t merge perfectly like Messiah, he was still far stronger than ordinary mortals.
“A god without even a body dares try to eat me?” Lu Chuan sneered, raising the handgun and firing again at the writhing mass.
Whiz—
The bullet shot out, striking the hidden entity.
Both Lu Chuan and the Paladins outside heard a soul-wrenching scream.
The Paladins couldn’t withstand it. Tears and snot ran uncontrollably down their faces before they collapsed unconscious.
Meanwhile, blood seeped from Lu Chuan’s eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, giving him a tragic, almost unearthly beauty.
But he still refused to fall!
Sanity dropped to 73.
The Omniscient God’s expanding form shattered under the second shot, dispersing into countless motes of light.
The handgun absorbed this divine energy, condensing it into five bullets.
[Host, be careful! The gun’s power is too great, you won’t be able to withstand it!] #888 cried in panic.
So the handgun not only consumed sanity, but also harmed the wielder himself.
Even its recoil was enough to kill. If not for the [God of Wealth’s Currency] skill absorbing most of the backlash, Lu Chuan would have been finished after a single shot.
Not even the vice guildmaster who gifted the gun could have imagined that Lu Chuan, still ranked on the Newcomer Ranking List, would already be facing off against a god head-on.
If he had gone through a few more dungeons to toughen his body, he might have barely been able to handle the gun.
“What’s there to fear, System? Let’s see who devours who.”
#888 froze, nearly bursting into tears.
The host… called it “System” again?
Lu Chuan fired a third shot.
The immense force of the bullet filled the room with blinding light.
The flash was so intense it woke Starry Shasha and the others at once, who rushed to his room.
Sanity dropped to 68.
The gathering mass of light was annihilated, dispersing into five more bullets that streamed into the gun.
The prayers outside stopped.
When Cynthia and the others reached Lu Chuan’s room, they found Paladins collapsed everywhere, as if in deep sleep.
From the window came Lu Chuan’s heart-rending scream, “My money ahhhhhhhhhh!”
Author’s Note:
Lu Chuan at different sanity levels = limited edition skins. From the summary you know he’s 90% unhinged anyway.
You’re howling over 80-san Lu Chuan? Just wait—90 and 100-san Lu Chuan are still in the gacha pool, queued up for their turn.
