Chapter 77
Good things only reveal their true value after being fought over.
Although Lu Chuan had long considered Star Guild to be firmly in his pocket, the ease of it all had made him a little complacent.
But with Greedy Wolf Star’s sudden reappearance, Lu Chuan instantly regained his fighting spirit.
Indeed, sometimes people need a rival.
Though he hadn’t faced Greedy Wolf Star directly yet, he was beginning to sense the man’s methods.
Back to business: Lu Chuan’s financial and reimbursement systems within Star Guild were now widely accepted by its players. Once finances improved, they noticed Morningstar City’s appearance and infrastructure also became better. City management and quality of living had clearly improved. Even those who’d resisted at first stopped complaining.
So when word spread that Lu Chuan had bought land to build and sell housing, opposition shifted into gradual acceptance. With Lu Chuan tirelessly promoting it, and even Shen Li—newly on the Grandmaster Ranking—lending his name, the project should have been unstoppable.
But right after that post analyzing Shen Li went viral, problems began to surface.
First, the players who had expressed interest in buying homes suddenly backed out.
Their withdrawals naturally triggered suspicion in others.
And with rumors flying everywhere, Golden Luxury Estate quickly became the hot topic.
“Why aren’t you buying a place there? Weren’t we going to be neighbors?”
“You really have to ask? Word is [Greedy Wolf Star]’s younger brother also bought land to build houses. That’s clearly a countermeasure by the higher-ups. Instead of betting on both sides, better to offend neither—I’m not buying either.”
“Yeah, Shen Li’s foundation is still too shallow.”
“Besides, Greedy Wolf Star’s brother said his homes will only be sold to players. Plus, if their dungeon team needs new members in the future, recruitment notices will only be posted in their community.”
“They’re still recruiting? That’s amazing!”
“Exactly. Living with ordinary people would just cause chaos. Better to wait and see.”
…
The promising momentum faltered the moment Greedy Wolf Star’s brother joined the fray.
Compared to Lu Chuan’s calm composure, 888 couldn’t stand it.
[Host, they’re getting too arrogant. Let’s teach them a lesson.]
In the Infinite Realm, 888 believed it could handle them easily. Whether cracking Greedy Wolf Star’s private accounts or monitoring his home systems, it was all within its power.
“No need to use a sledgehammer to kill a chicken.” Lu Chuan clenched his hand. “These people are just used to throwing their weight around. They think their fame gives them the right to suppress us. Fine. I’ll show them what it really means to have the people’s support. Alright, tomorrow Golden Luxury Estate officially goes on pre-sale!”
[Host, if you start pre-sales so soon, what if nobody shows up?]
“Then we hire scalpers to queue, pump up the hype, and create the atmosphere.” Lu Chuan waved it off. “I’ll also make a few calls. Now’s not the time to be stingy with connections.”
He was eager to see the reaction when word got out.
He loved nothing more than when people hated him but couldn’t get rid of him.
Volunteering themselves as stepping stones, letting him climb higher and add some color to his otherwise dull life—these weren’t enemies, they were his dutiful sons!
Seeing Lu Chuan so full of fighting spirit, 888 unexpectedly felt a twinge of pity for the enemy.
Lu Chuan really could stir up trouble when he wanted.
Meanwhile, in a hidden office somewhere—
“Sir, many players no longer want to buy into Lu Chuan’s Golden Luxury Estate.”
“Hmph. Just a mere newcomer. He’s been in Star Guild for how long? Did he really think with Shen Li alone he could overturn the heavens?”
“Our guild still has to rely on you and the great master, sir.”
…
If Lu Chuan were here, he would’ve recognized that the group of lackeys clustered around the man in the central seat were the very same old foxes he and Starry Shasha had once swindled to settle debts.
Those old foxes strutted around arrogantly in front of Lu Chuan, but before this man, they looked utterly servile.
“It’s not time to celebrate victory yet.” The man in the middle waved his hand. “My brother is currently fighting gods. If he clears it smoothly, his ranking on the Master-Ranking will rise again. At such a crucial time, for Shen Li to try and overturn the table through Lu Chuan—absolutely not. Still, I’ll be sure to tell my brother of your loyalty.”
“Of course.”
“Only Greedy Wolf Star is the guild’s true hope. Back then, several mid-sized guilds banded together to try and drag us down. If Greedy Wolf Star hadn’t rushed straight onto the Master-Ranking, who knows what would’ve become of the Star Guild today?”
“Lu Chuan isn’t worth worrying about. But Shen Li’s wild ambitions—he’s the one we must guard against.”
…
The man in the middle said no more and soon dismissed the old foxes.
Heh. These geezers only wanted to see his brother and Shen Li tear each other apart.
In truth, whether it was Shen Li or his brother who rose to be Guildmaster, their days wouldn’t be easy. The only difference was, if his brother rose, players’ welfare would still be secure. But if Shen Li took the seat, then players’ rights would inevitably be ceded to ordinary people. Between the two, they chose his brother. But even so, they couldn’t be trusted completely. If Shen Li offered them promises, they’d wag their tails and run to him without hesitation.
“Brother, these people are worthless.” The man pulled out a communication tool and spoke to his brother inside the dungeon. “When you become Guildmaster, you must root out these parasites. The Star Guild has been unable to thrive precisely because of these old fools.”
“Of course,” the voice on the other end replied. “Once the Star Guild falls into our hands, we’ll impose militarized management, and the guild will definitely rise again.”
They were sick of this easygoing atmosphere.
Only blood and tears could forge a truly powerful guild!
*
At the Golden Luxury Estate pre-sale center, people were lining up at dawn.
The queue stretched out of sight, while newspapers and media crews had staked out the place since early morning.
The reporters were stunned at the sight of the massive crowd.
“Weren’t we told lots of players didn’t plan to buy? Why are there still so many lining up?”
“Guess we’ll have to ask.”
The reporters rushed forward, swarming the buyers to ask what they were thinking. Could they really accept living alongside ordinary people in the community?
“Living with ordinary people doesn’t matter—the key is whether I can draw a slot.” One player being interviewed looked anxious. “I’ve been here since dawn, but who knows if I’ll get one? If they sell out, I’ll have to pay scalpers.”
“Sir, what we meant was—why did you want to buy Lu Chuan’s property?” the reporter asked again.
“Of course it’s for my kid!” The player pulled out a small flyer, carefully holding it. “You don’t know? Last night, Lu Chuan had this sudden idea: he wants to set up a youth program inside Golden Luxury Estate, with Newcomer Ranking List geniuses giving lectures. People like [Eye of Rebirth], [Hand of Rebirth], even [Messiah]! Once my kid heard, he cried and begged to move here to meet his idols!”
The camera zoomed in for a close-up of the flyer.
The words were crafted to stir the heart:
“Still worried your child won’t make it as a player?”
“Still hoping your child will suddenly awaken into a genius?”
“Can you accept your child being just another face in the crowd?”
“Live in the Golden Luxury Estate, enjoy the life of a high-level player!”
The reporters were silent for a moment—then suddenly thrilled.
“Really? Those Newcomer Ranking List prodigies will really lecture here?”
“No offense, but can players from other guilds also buy property here? If not, we’ll just switch guilds!”
“There’s such a good deal? Why wasn’t this made public?”
“Of course it wasn’t.” A player further back couldn’t help but interject. “If other guilds’ players heard, loads of ordinary players would transfer here. That would mean even more competition for us! Mr. Lu Chuan kept it quiet to benefit us old Star Guild members. You don’t get it.”
“Exactly. Lu Chuan’s the guild’s finance director—money is the last thing he needs. He built this housing project just to cut us a deal.”
“Ha, those players who hesitated and gave up—they’re stuck at the back of the line now.”
“We ordinary players usually only have one child in our lifetime. If not for the kid, who else would we do this for?”
“I don’t have kids, but my relatives do. One said he’s got seven or eight—if just one of them becomes a player, he’ll scrape together money to buy from me.”
“…I’m buying as an investment. I really believe in the future of this community.”
“Mr. Greedy Wolf Star is indeed strong, but those two prodigies from Resurrection Guild are still young. Even if they only come once a year, they’ll be around for a long time.”
…
After interviewing, the reporters found that the players had all sorts of motives.
Most wanted their children to study, become prodigies, and make the Newcomer Ranking List.
After all, the benefits were clear. Lu Chuan himself was the perfect example—he’d risen from a shabby shantytown background, far below guild kids, yet now he was a big shot, Shen Li’s disciple, and possibly a future Master-Ranking candidate. If their child could achieve even half that, they’d sell everything to support them.
Greedy Wolf Star and his camp had focused on elite players, overlooking the fact that the Star Guild was mostly made up of ordinary, skilled players. They might not solo high-level dungeons, but with the right teams, they could clear mid-level ones just fine.
And Lu Chuan’s real audience was never the elites.
Elites always had egos, always liked to posture. Some truly had skill, but many were just mediocre—Lu Chuan had no patience for them.
But ordinary players? He valued them.
Besides, who said they didn’t have elite relatives?
In every world, no one lives outside society.
Say there’s an S-rank player. If all his friends and family side with Lu Chuan, unless he wants to cut all ties and stand alone, won’t he still have to bow his head and cooperate?
And what bound those ordinary players to Lu Chuan? Houses, cars, and children.
The higher a player’s level, the lower their fertility, and the greater their reproductive divide from ordinary people.
Many could only have a single child when they were young, raising them with all their might. Ordinary people might have more kids, but only a few turned out exceptional.
Now, with Lu Chuan offering them equal resources through home ownership—how could they refuse?
Even if they couldn’t afford it now, they could always ask their player relatives to buy.
And of course, some anxiety had to be stirred up.
888 had been very useful in this regard.
For example, it spammed thousands of posts across forums:
“I’m a player but my kid’s stupid—what if he ends up ordinary?”
“My neighbor moved to the slums.”
“I’ve got spare cash, but what should I invest in?”
“Can’t afford items—what else can I buy?”
“Houses are the best item!”
“I’m old but my child is young—what legacy can I leave that won’t be stolen?”
“Better than leaving wealth is leaving opportunity.”
Successfully seeding panic everywhere.
For older players, it fueled age anxiety—too old to level up, kids showing no promise, even if they left them items, the kids might just get swindled. What then?
For younger childless players, it fueled skill anxiety—stuck at their level, no training opportunities, how could they improve?
For elite players, it fueled wealth anxiety—though rich in items and gold, with more and more players emerging, their wealth was being diluted. How to preserve it?
As long as they were human, they feared the future.
And with enough anxiety, add a dash of hope—and you could easily steer their next move.
There were more and more posts like this. Account #888 even directed and acted in its own little play, replying to some of them to trick unsuspecting players into clicking in.
As long as they entered the thread and saw all sorts of “discussions” inside, they would easily come to one conclusion:
Buy a house in the Golden Luxury Estate!
Whether it was for investment and appreciation, or for their children’s future schooling, they absolutely had to buy one first.
If Shen Li died, there was still Lu Chuan.
If Lu Chuan died, the geniuses who had agreed to attend his classes would still continue to come.
Even paying money just for a meet-and-greet with those geniuses was worth it.
Thousands of words could be summed up in one sentence: Buy a house in Golden Luxury Estate—there’s no way to lose!
Standing at the window, Lu Chuan looked at the endless line of people outside and felt much better.
As expected, the tricks that worked in the last world also worked here.
Even if those homebuyers knew that Lu Chuan was just using the kids as leverage, so what? In the end, it was an open scheme—everyone knew what he was up to, but no one could resist the temptation.
As for Cynthia and Lilus, well, Lu Chuan had told them, “You just need to show up once a year and say a few words. As payment, if you spot any promising talent, you’ll get the first chance to recruit them.”
Cynthia and Lilus never imagined that Lu Chuan would actually give them such authority. For a moment, they even wondered if he was out of his mind—if they really found good seedlings, would he actually let them go?
“Of course I’ll let them go, as long as they agree themselves,” Lu Chuan said with conviction. “I can even sign a Seal of Contract with you.”
He wasn’t the least bit worried about talents running away.
Come on, the Resurrection Guild really was strong, but if these seedlings wanted to leave, could they afford the cost?
Lu Chuan certainly didn’t plan to let the kids’ parents buy the houses outright. He only accepted loans.
When their mortgages weren’t even paid off yet, did they really think they could just switch guilds? Dream on!
Even if they did transfer, the items those kids earned monthly in Resurrection Guild would still have to be funneled back to Star Guild to cover the interest.
Wouldn’t that mean he could openly poach Resurrection Guild’s resources?
Of course, in theory, as long as he performed well enough, he could eventually conquer and acquire Resurrection Guild and the other guilds too. At that point, there wouldn’t be any “us” or “them.”
Everyone would be one big family, no need to keep it separate.
Lu Chuan saw a bright road ahead!
“System, the Divine Loan item is exactly what I need right now. It might even be unattainable in the future. The way the Main God System understands me is terrifying,” Lu Chuan said as he fiddled with the item.
[Host, don’t be fooled by the Main God System’s sugar-coated bullets. Think about the Burial Squads—they specifically prey on gods. The Main God System must have used this trick on other gods before.] #888 was panicking. [The number of gods in the Evil World game is frightening, but they’re all suppressed tightly by the Main God System. Something is definitely off.]
Lu Chuan chuckled. Of course.
“Don’t worry, System. My system will only ever be you.”
And it could only be you.
It was precisely because #888 was so dumb and silly that Lu Chuan felt at ease. A sharp, terrifyingly shrewd system like the Main God System—he’d never dare to use it.
If the enemy tried to hand him sugar-coated bullets, he’d lick off the sugar and throw the bullet right back.
His motto: never take a loss!
The line at Golden Luxury Estate grew longer and longer.
Unfortunately, they could only register their intent to buy first, pay a deposit, and then earn the right to enter the lottery draw.
Yes—Lu Chuan was so ruthless that he only released 200 housing slots in the initial phase.
120 for players, 80 for ordinary people.
And all 120 player units were large-size apartments, while the ordinary ones were all small.
The players felt this was only natural. The ordinary folks accepted it too—they were long used to the gap between themselves and players. Just having 80 slots available for them already made them happy.
Once the buying fever had been stirred up enough, Lu Chuan revealed his newly obtained Divine Loan item, and publicly announced: Golden Luxury Estate houses would not accept full cash payment—only loans with monthly interest!
Monthly interest at 15%, one unit per person, one loan per person. All tenants were prohibited from committing violent incidents inside the community. And any homeowner had to be the actual occupant—no transfers or re-sales allowed within ten years. They also had to comply with the Golden Luxury Estate Community Rules, which were written into the mortgage contract.
When the S-class item was revealed, everyone was stunned.
Just how deep were Shen Li’s pockets, to actually give such a powerful item to Lu Chuan?
All just for selling houses?
In the normal world, a monthly interest rate this high would get cursed to high heaven.
But in the Infinite Realm, 15% a month was completely normal. Using an A-class item outside could easily cost more than 15% interest—often you’d need several B-class items just for one use.
Here, only 15% interest to sign a contract with an S-class item?
Could there be a better deal?
People rushed to line up. Not only would they come tomorrow, they were determined to drag all their relatives and friends along too.
In their eyes, Lu Chuan was truly giving benefits to his guild members!
