2: Chapter 2 The Devil's Contract

The cafe on the hospital roof was empty, clearly booked out for a private meeting.

Zhao Wuyong turned the tablet toward Lin Yuan, displaying a screen filled with dizzying dynamic charts, scrolling divine script, and numbers.

"Mr. Lin, let's keep this brief. We've investigated you. A former gold-medal financial analyst with a keen sense of smell, especially skilled in risk hedging and discovering undervalued assets. In this new era, your talents are severely underestimated." Zhao Wuyong took an elegant sip of his coffee. "Lingxiao Capital appreciates talent and is even more willing to give desperate talent a chance."

"What kind of chance?" Lin Yuan's voice was a bit dry, but his gaze was fixed intently on the other man.

"A chance to become a 'Deity'." Zhao Wuyong's words were startling.

He tapped the tablet, pulling up a complex list of assets. "With the recovery of spiritual energy and the return of myths, 'Gods' are no longer immutable. The new era requires new 'divine positions,' and new fields of faith are constantly being born. The Heavenly Court—or rather, the underlying rules of the Heavenly Dao—allows new 'godhoods' to be condensed and conferred. Of course, this requires astronomical amounts of 'Initial Faith Power' and 'Rule Compatibility'."

He paused, looking at Lin Yuan. "One of the core businesses of Lingxiao Capital is identifying potential 'quasi-godhoods' for angel investment. We provide the startup Faith Power to help them condense their godhood and receive official registration. In return, the investee signs an agreement to repay this 'investment' with a certain percentage of their future faith dividends."

Lin Yuan immediately grasped the key points. "What's the interest rate? What's the collateral? And... what if I can't pay it back?"

Zhao Wuyong smiled, seemingly appreciating his directness. "The annual divine breath is three hundred percent, compounded. The collateral is your future godhood itself, along with everything you own—including your memories, emotions, and even your soul seal. If you fail to pay the divine breath on time, according to the 'General Terms for Compulsory Enforcement of Heavenly Court Debt Divine Rights,' we will have the right to forcibly liquidate your godhood and reclaim the collateral. At that time, you will lose everything, including your existence as 'Lin Yuan'."

Three hundred percent! Compounded! This wasn't an investment; this was the most brutal form of usury!

"This is plunder!" Lin Yuan felt a chill rise up his spine.

"No, Mr. Lin, this is 'risk pricing'." Zhao Wuyong remained unmoved. "Most of what we invest in are high-risk 'fringe godhoods' or 'innovative divine positions' with a failure rate as high as 99.8%. High risk naturally corresponds to high returns. Besides..."

He pulled up another file, showing a 3D model of a dim, crack-filled, strange orb of light, surrounded by numerous red warning symbols.

"What we've selected for you isn't an innovative divine position starting from scratch, but an existing godhood that is about to be 'delisted'—the 'Nameless God'. It is ancient, but its faith has almost completely vanished, its godhood is on the verge of shattering, and its rating is 'Decayed'. Because of this, its 'acquisition price' is extremely low, and the corresponding 'investment' is much smaller than condensing a new godhood. For you, this is the only threshold you might be able to reach. In the words of your financial world, this is a 'junk bond' that no one cares about and could drop to zero at any moment."

Zhao Wuyong leaned forward, his voice full of temptation. "But a junk bond is still a bond. It is, after all, a complete godhood once recorded in the Heavenly Court's genealogy. As long as you can regain faith for it, even a little bit, it can survive. And once you successfully pay the first three installments of divine breath and show potential, Lingxiao Capital will consider providing you with further faith traffic support. This is your only chance, Mr. Lin. Use your wisdom and courage to bet on a miracle. For your sister."

Lin Wei's pale little face appeared before Lin Yuan's eyes. That weak cry of "Brother."

He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his palms. His logic was screaming that this was suicide, a trap that would lead to eternal damnation. But his emotions—that surging poison called "hope"—were drowning him.

"The contract," Lin Yuan heard his own voice rasp. "Show me the detailed contract."

Zhao Wuyong's smile deepened as he swiped the tablet, revealing an electronic contract shimmering with golden light, its terms as dense as a spiderweb.

"Godhood Loan VAM Agreement."

Party A: Lingxiao Capital.

Party B: Lin Yuan.

Subject Matter: Decayed-level Godhood [Nameless God].

Investment Amount: 1,000 Standard Faith Units (approximately equivalent to 1 billion secular currency).

Special Terms: Party B must pay the first installment of divine breath, 30 Standard Faith Units, within 30 natural days after successful registration. Failure to pay on time, or the complete shattering of the godhood, will be deemed a breach of contract by Party B, and the collateral will automatically belong to Party A...

Lin Yuan read through the terms one by one, each line of cold text whipping his nerves like a lash. This was an indenture contract where he was putting everything he was on the gambling table.

"I... agree." After an unknown amount of time, he looked up, his eyes bloodshot but burning with a flicker of terminal resolve.

Zhao Wuyong nodded with satisfaction and handed over a pen that seemed to be condensed from light. "Then, please sign. Use your true name and soul imprint."

Lin Yuan took the pen; the light was searing hot. He took a deep breath and steadily wrote his name in the space for Party B's signature.

As the final stroke fell, the contract burst into flames, turning into two streaks of light. One merged into the space between Lin Yuan's brows, and the other flew into the tablet in Zhao Wuyong's hand.

A sharp pain hit him, as if something had been forcibly embedded deep within his soul. Simultaneously, a very faint "sense of connection," as if it could snap at any moment, emerged in his consciousness.

"Congratulations, Lin Yuan... no, perhaps I should call you," Zhao Wuyong stood up, his smile still perfect, "Your Excellency 'Apprentice Deity.' The godhood binding process has started and is expected to complete within 24 hours. At that time, you will officially step onto the true stage of this new era. Good luck; I look forward to your first installment of divine breath."

He nodded slightly and turned to leave, leaving Lin Yuan sitting alone in the empty cafe, feeling that "junk bond" godhood slowly reviving yet heavy as a mountain in his soul, along with a line of translucent prompts only he could see:

[Godhood Binding... 1%]

[Faith Reserves: 0.001 (Dissipating State)]

[divine breath Countdown: 29 days 23 hours 59 minutes...]

The gamble has begun.