307: Chapter 307 The Fire Seed Project Settlement Day! Governor's Authority in Hand

Three days later, Epoch Administration Bureau Headquarters.

Lin Chen stood before the white building suspended in the void, with representatives from major civilizations across the universe behind him—watching this moment through a live broadcast. Arrogant Dragon and Zhang Hao stood to his left and right, their three figures projected onto countless screens across the myriad worlds.

Zhang Hao whispered, "Boss, I'm a little nervous."

Lin Chen ignored him.

Arrogant Dragon gripped his sword hilt. "What's there to be nervous about? It's not like we're going to fight."

"It's precisely because we're not going to fight that I'm nervous," Zhang Hao said. "If you lose a fight, you just run. If you lose in a setting like this, it's all over."

Lin Chen finally spoke: "We won't lose."

As soon as he spoke, the building's main gates slowly opened.

Behind the gates was a massive circular meeting room, with twelve lights of varying colors suspended around the perimeter—those were the Bureau's executors, from No. 001 to No. 012. Each light emitted a terrifying pressure, the power of laws accumulated over three million years.

In the center of the meeting room, Yuanshi sat on a chair composed of pure energy.

He wore a smile as he looked at Lin Chen.

"Welcome, final victor of the Kindling Project."

Lin Chen walked in, followed by Arrogant Dragon and Zhang Hao. The three passed through those lights, every step landing on the void, causing faint ripples beneath their feet.

Reaching the center of the room, Lin Chen stopped.

He did not sit in the chair Yuanshi gestured toward, but stood there, scanning the executors before finally fixing his gaze on Yuanshi's face.

"Enough nonsense. Where are the rankings?"

Yuanshi smiled.

"Impatient."

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A massive projection screen instantly appeared in the center of the room, data appearing line by line, each number shimmering with golden light.

[Kindling Project · Final Rankings]

1st Place: Lin Chen (Dead Silence Star Domain + Spiritual Energy Star Domain)

Dead Silence Star Domain Preservation Rate: 92%

Spiritual Energy Star Domain Preservation Rate: 89%

Overall Score: 94.7 points

Reward: Epoch Kindling Governor Authority + Distribution rights for the Administration Bureau's remaining resources

2nd Place: Morgana (Icebound Star Domain)

Icebound Star Domain Preservation Rate: 31%

Overall Score: 79.2 points

Reward: Permanent protection rights for Frost Laws + Autonomy of the Icebound Star Domain

3rd Place: Alpha (Data Star Domain)

Data Star Domain Preservation Rate: 23%

Overall Score: 71.5 points

Reward: Data Civilization Revival Fund + Virtual Heaven Reconstruction Resources

4th Place: Qingyunzi (Eliminated)

Spiritual Energy Star Domain (Original) Preservation Rate: 0%

Overall Score: 0 points

Reward: None

The moment the data appeared, the live broadcast channel completely exploded.

Countless comments flooded the screen frantically:

"Lin Chen won! Lin Chen really won!"

"92%! The Dead Silence Star Domain only had an emotional concentration of 0.7 back then!"

"How did he do it?!"

"Lord of Capital! Lord of Capital!"

In the Dead Silence Star Domain, survivors embraced and wept. Those beings whose emotional concentration had once been only 0.7 now saw it soar to 6.2. Looking at the numbers on the screen and the man standing in the Administration Bureau headquarters, they truly understood for the first time what it meant to be "alive."

In the Spiritual Energy Star Domain, those Cultivators who hadn't joined the uprising knelt across the land, kowtowing toward Lin Chen. They had once doubted this merchant, once wavered, but now, only awe remained.

In the Icebound Star Domain, the young girl stood before the ruins of the icebound throne, watching the broadcast. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly as she whispered, "See, he did it."

In the Data Star Domain, Alpha's data-form suspended over the ruins of Virtual Heaven, watching the points of light flicker back to life one by one. It said nothing, but deep within its calculation core, something was warming slightly.

Yuanshi waited for the cheers to die down slightly before speaking leisurely:

"Lin Chen, congratulations. According to the Bureau's rules, from this moment on, you are the Epoch Kindling Governor, with the authority to mobilize all remaining resources of the Administration Bureau to rebuild the civilizations damaged in the Zeroing Storm."

He raised his hand, and a golden light flew out from his palm.

The light condensed in mid-air, gradually taking shape—it was a palm-sized medallion, composed entirely of pure rule-power. Countless tiny runes flowed on its surface, each representing the civilization heritage of an epoch.

The medallion slowly descended in front of Lin Chen.

Three characters were engraved on it: [Kindling Order].

Lin Chen reached out and took it.

The moment his fingers touched the medallion, a vast amount of information flooded his mind—all the data accumulated by the Administration Bureau over three million years: civilization archives, resource distribution, rule loopholes, executor lists... countless pieces of information were instantly received, categorized, and stored by his consciousness.

A system notification sounded in his mind:

[Congratulations! You have obtained 'Epoch Kindling Governor' authority!]

[Authority Description:]

1. Can call upon all remaining resources of the Administration Bureau, valued at approximately 1.7 quadrillion dimension points.

2. Can determine the priority and distribution plan for post-disaster reconstruction without requiring Bureau approval.

3. Can temporarily requisition resources from other star domains in emergencies (requires subsequent compensation; compensation standards determined by the Governor).

4. Possesses oversight authority over Administration Bureau executors, with the right to review their performance records at any time.

5. Possesses one 'Rule Immunity,' allowing for the temporary modification of any rule, provided it does not violate underlying laws.

[Special Note: Governor authority is non-transferable, non-inheritable, and cannot be used as collateral. If the Governor dies, authority automatically reverts to the Administration Bureau.]

Lin Chen finished reading the long list of authorities and raised an eyebrow at Yuanshi.

"Oversight authority? No power to appoint or remove?"

Yuanshi smiled.

"The Bureau's executors are a three-million-year heritage; they cannot be replaced at will just because of a Kindling Project. You can oversee them, but you cannot remove them. This is mandated by underlying laws, which even I cannot change."

Lin Chen laughed.

That smile made Yuanshi frown slightly—he had seen countless victors; some ecstatic, some in tears, some overflowing with gratitude, some kneeling in thanks. But Lin Chen's smile was a first for him.

It was half-smiling, half-mocking, as if saying, 'I knew you'd have a trick like this up your sleeve.'

"Oversight authority is fine," Lin Chen said. "Then I shall exercise my oversight authority now."

Yuanshi froze for a second.

"Now?"

"Now." Lin Chen opened his system and projected a list. "I demand an audit of all of the Administration Bureau's accounts from the past three million years."

The list was densely packed with—

Resource distribution records (370 million entries total)

Civilization screening standards (127 versions total)

Executor performance records (3 million years per person, 36 million entries total)

Usage frequency of the hand of formatting (17 times total, each requiring a justification)

Zeroing Storm trigger records (3 times total, each requiring trigger basis)

Internal Bureau expenditures (including but not limited to: executor salaries, equipment maintenance, Yuanshi's personal consumption)

Every entry was marked with 'Original vouchers required.'

Yuanshi's smile froze.

The twelve executors behind him began to fluctuate violently, their lights flickering as they clearly engaged in intense internal communication.

"Lin Chen, you're—"

"Oversight authority includes auditing rights, doesn't it?" Lin Chen interrupted, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather. "According to Article 38 of the Administration Bureau Charter, the Governor has the right to audit the Bureau's historical accounts. Article 38, Chapter 3, Section 7—did I recite that correctly?"

Yuanshi remained silent.

Three seconds later, he took a deep breath.

"An audit is possible. But it will take time."

"How long?"

"Three months."

Lin Chen smiled.

"Three days."

"Lin Chen!" Yuanshi's volume rose a notch. "Three million years of accounts—how could an audit be finished in three days?"

Lin Chen looked at him with an innocent expression.

"That's your problem. I only care about the result."

Yuanshi's face turned ashen—if he had a face.

One of the executors behind him suddenly spoke, its voice raspy like rusted machinery:

"Yuanshi, agree to it."

Another executor also said: "Three days then. We have nothing to hide."

A third executor remained silent, but the frequency of its light flickering betrayed its guilt.

Yuanshi grit his teeth.

"Fine, three days. In three days, I will give you the audit report."

Lin Chen nodded and put away the medallion.

"Then I'll see you in three days."

He turned to leave.

"Wait," Yuanshi called out to him.

Lin Chen stopped but didn't look back.

Yuanshi's voice came from behind, carrying unreadable emotions:

"Lin Chen, do you know why you were able to win?"

Lin Chen didn't answer.

Yuanshi continued: "It wasn't because of your Capital Law, nor was it because of your flashy operations. It was because you had people."

"Morgana used her life to buy you time; Alpha used hibernation to preserve your data; that reincarnated girl chose to believe in you; even that Lackey by your side—"

He pointed at Zhang Hao.

"He used the Fourth Wall to eavesdrop, letting you know my trump cards in advance. And Arrogant Dragon, he used his Immortal Emperor Body to stand at the very front, tanking three fatal attacks for you."

"These people are the reason you could win."

Lin Chen was silent.

Zhang Hao and Arrogant Dragon also fell silent.

In the live broadcast channel, countless viewers held their breath.

Three seconds later, Lin Chen turned around and looked at Yuanshi.

"So?"

"So—" Yuanshi stood up and walked over to him. "I admit, you are stronger than me."

"Not stronger in power, but stronger in the hearts of people."

He extended his hand.

"I hope you use the Governor authority well and make life better for those surviving civilizations."

Lin Chen looked at that hand.

A hand made of pure energy, suspended in the void.

He was silent for three seconds.

Then he shook it.

"I will."

The two released their grip.

Lin Chen turned and left with Arrogant Dragon and Zhang Hao.

From behind, Yuanshi's voice drifted over:

"By the way, Lin Chen—don't forget your debt."

Lin Chen didn't look back.

"I won't."

The teleportation light flared.

The three disappeared from the Administration Bureau headquarters.

Back in the Dead Silence Star Domain, Zhang Hao plopped down on the ground, panting heavily.

"Boss, that scared me to death just now! I thought Yuanshi was going to flip the table!"

Lin Chen looked at him and smiled.

"Flip the table? He wouldn't dare."

"Why?"

"Because among those twelve executors, three have already wavered."

Zhang Hao was stunned: "Wavered?"

Lin Chen nodded.

"When I brought up the audit request, three of the lights flickered particularly intensely. That was a sign of their guilty conscience. If Yuanshi flipped the table, those three executors might not have stood by his side. He couldn't afford to gamble."

Arrogant Dragon listened from the side, dumbfounded: "Boss, in those three minutes just now, you were observing that too?"

Lin Chen glanced at him.

"What else? Did you think I really just went there for an audit report?"

Arrogant Dragon fell silent.

Zhang Hao muttered softly, "Boss, that brain of yours... just how is it built?"

Lin Chen ignored him.

He opened his system and looked at the newly acquired Kindling Order medallion.

The medallion warmed slightly in his palm.

Below it was a line of small text:

[Epoch Kindling Governor—Lin Chen]

He looked at it for a long time.

Then he closed the system and looked up at the distant starry sky.

There, the Dead Silence Star Domain was slowly being rebuilt, the Cultivators of the Spiritual Energy Star Domain were resuming their training, the new ambassador of the Icebound Star Domain was explaining things to tourists, and the Virtual Heaven of the Data Star Domain was reorganizing its points of light.

Everything was getting better.

But Lin Chen knew that the real test had only just begun.

Because that debt of 967 trillion still hung over his head.