333: Chapter 333 Invitation to the Real Game

On the early morning of the third year of the New Universe Era, Lin Chen was pruning flowers and plants in his small courtyard.

Sunlight spilled through the sparse clouds, falling on those nameless wildflowers. In the distance, a few small birds hopped between branches, letting out crisp chirps. Su Qingyu was brewing tea inside; the fragrance drifted out with the breeze, mixing with the floral scent, making one feel drowsy.

Lin Chen clipped the last redundant branch, stood up straight, and looked at his handiwork with satisfaction.

"My skills are improving," he muttered to himself.

Just then, a golden light suddenly exploded across his retina.

It wasn't a pop-up, not an email, nor any conventional communication. It was a message projected directly into the depths of his consciousness, ignoring all firewalls, bypassing system permissions, and disregarding all the protective measures he possessed as the New Universe Founder; it appeared just like that—abruptly and forcibly.

Sender: True Game Committee.

Content:

"Congratulations on passing the 'Capital Era' trial and obtaining qualification for the 'True Game' closed beta.

Your opponents: Top-tier existences from three thousand worlds, including but not limited to: Causality Law Controller, Space-Time Sovereign, Fate Weaver, Chaos Spokesperson, Logical Paradox Body, Emotion Harvester...

Stakes: Everything you own—assets, permissions, memories, emotions, interpersonal relationships, and everyone you care about.

The game will begin 72 hours after you read this message.

Please be prepared.

Note: Some of your associates have been invited in advance to ensure you will not refuse to participate."

Lin Chen stared at those lines of text, silent for three seconds.

Then he smiled.

That smile made Su Qingyu, who was walking out holding a teacup, feel a tightening in her heart—she was all too familiar with this smile; every time Lin Chen was about to do something big, he would smile like this.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Chen didn't answer, simply projecting the message for her to see.

After Su Qingyu finished reading, her expression changed slightly.

"True Game? Existences from a higher dimension?"

Lin Chen nodded.

"It seems so."

He opened the system and pulled up several familiar names.

Arrogant Dragon: Status Abnormal (Consciousness copied, original body in deep sleep)

Morgana: Status Abnormal (Consciousness copied, original body in deep sleep)

Alpha: Status Abnormal (Consciousness copied, original body dormant)

Zhang Hao: Status Abnormal (Consciousness copied, original body in deep sleep)

Su Qingyu's face turned even paler.

"They..."

"It's fine," Lin Chen interrupted her. "Only a copy of their consciousness was made; their original bodies are still here. This so-called 'True Game' is using the copies. If we win, they return; if we lose, the copies vanish, and the original bodies will never wake up."

He paused and smiled.

"They haven't finished paying back the debts they owe me yet, so how could I let them stay asleep?"

Su Qingyu fell silent.

She knew Lin Chen would definitely go.

Three seconds later, she looked up into his eyes.

"Come back alive."

Lin Chen took her hand.

"I will."

He opened the system and began operating.

First task: Transfer all assets—shares of New Era Development, permissions for the Reincarnation Mutual Aid Society, and permissions as the New Universe Founder—to the temporary joint management of Su Qingyu and Yuanshi.

Second task: Back up the core code of the 'Capital Law' and give it to Alpha's original body for safekeeping—although Alpha's body was dormant, the backup system was still running.

Third task: Send a reply to the True Game Committee:

"I accept the invitation. However, I have one condition: my family and friends must not suffer any form of additional harm during the game. Their current state is the limit of what I can accept. If anyone attempts to use their safety to threaten me, I will use my own methods to let you know the meaning of 'Capital Retaliation'."

Three seconds later, the other party replied:

"Condition accepted. Welcome to the game, Lord of Capital."

A gate of light appeared out of thin air in the middle of the courtyard.

The gate had no frame, no energy fluctuations, and not even a color; it just "existed" there, like a spatial fragment cut from a higher dimension. Beyond the gate, one could vaguely see an arena composed of pure data and rules, with countless points of light flickering within, each representing a player.

Lin Chen turned and looked at Su Qingyu.

"Wait for me to return."

Su Qingyu nodded.

"I know."

Lin Chen smiled and stepped into the gate.

The light gate slowly closed behind him.

When the last ray of light vanished, Su Qingyu stood in place, not moving for a long time.

In the distance, those small birds were still hopping between branches, letting out crisp chirps.

Everything looked the same as before.

But everything was already different.

On the other side of the light gate.

Lin Chen stood on a massive arena.

Surrounded by countless floating points of light, each flickering with a different color. Directly above him, his initial chips and ranking were displayed:

[Player: Lord of Capital]

[Initial Chips: Capital Law (Complete Version), Reincarnation Mutual Aid Society President Permissions, New Universe Founder Permissions]

[Current Ranking: 1st (Due to reverse operations before entering)]

[System Note: This player has already improved their ranking through capital operations before entering, triggering the 'Special Player' status. The Novice Trial difficulty will be adjusted based on their ranking.]

Lin Chen looked at that note and smiled.

"Difficulty adjustment? Then let me see what kind of tricks you can pull off."

As soon as he spoke, a new prompt popped up from the system:

[Welcome to the 'True Game'. It has been detected that you are a Special Player; the Novice Trial content is as follows:]

[Trial Name: City of Capital]

[Trial Objective: Become the largest asset holder in the 'Novice Village' within 24 hours.]

[Trial Rules:]

1. There are a total of 17 core assets in the Novice Village (Bar, Weapon Shop, General Store, Clinic, Stable, Mine, etc.).

2. Players can acquire asset ownership through trading, mergers, competition, etc.

3. The player with the highest total asset value at the end wins.

4. Winning Reward: Direct promotion to the 'Elite Sector' and acquisition of the 'King of Capital' title.

5. Failure Penalty: Elimination (Permanent deletion).

[Special Tip: This trial allows free trading, alliances, and betrayals between players. All commercial behaviors are legal. Have fun playing.]

Lin Chen finished reading the rules and looked around.

He was now standing at the entrance of the Novice Village, with the light gate behind him and a dilapidated Western-style main street in front of him. Yellow sand filled the air, and old wooden houses were teetering. On the street were over a dozen "new players" just like him, each face filled with confusion and vigilance.

Gunshots and monster roars came from the distance.

A typical game opening.

But Lin Chen didn't rush to explore like the other players, nor did he look for quest NPCs.

He simply stood in place and opened the Novice Village's 'Asset List'.

On the list, detailed information for the 17 core assets was clear at a glance:

[Bar]

Owner: System

Appraised Value: 800 Game Coins

Current Earnings: -50 Game Coins/hour (Loss)

Holder Privilege: Can set in-store rules and obtain player intelligence.

[Weapon Shop]

Owner: System

Appraised Value: 1,800 Game Coins

Current Earnings: +120 Game Coins/hour (Profit)

Holder Privilege: Can adjust weapon prices and monopolize equipment supply.

[General Store]

Owner: System

Appraised Value: 600 Game Coins

Current Earnings: +30 Game Coins/hour (Profit)

Holder Privilege: Can sell special items and influence player supplies.

[Clinic]

Owner: System

Appraised Value: 1,500 Game Coins

Current Earnings: +80 Game Coins/hour (Profit)

Holder Privilege: Can provide medical services and master player health data.

...

Lin Chen quickly scanned the list and locked onto his target: the Bar.

Not because the bar was valuable, but because it was the only loss-making asset—a loss meant the original owner was eager to sell, which meant it could be acquired at a low price.

More importantly, the bar was an intelligence center. All players would go to the bar; by controlling the bar, he would control the flow of information.

He opened the trading system and entered:

"Purchase ownership of 'Novice Village Bar', offer: 500 Game Coins (on credit)."

System prompt: [The bar's appraised value is 800 Game Coins; your offer is lower than the appraised value. Do you wish to apply for the 'Bargaining Procedure'?]

Lin Chen clicked 'Yes'.

Three seconds later, the system replied: [The bar owner (System) has accepted the bargaining; final transaction price: 600 Game Coins. Your current balance: 100 Game Coins (initial issuance), insufficient to pay. Do you wish to apply for an 'In-Game Loan'?]

Lin Chen smiled.

A loan? He loved loans the most.

He clicked 'Yes'.

The loan interface popped up:

[In-game loan interest rate: 10% per hour, calculated with compound interest.]

[Maximum loan amount: 5,000 Game Coins (appraised based on your initial chips)]

[Please select loan amount: ___]

Lin Chen entered: 600 Game Coins.

The loan arrived instantly.

Adding the initial 100, he had a total of 700 Game Coins.

Paying 600, he bought the bar.

Instantly, the ownership of the bar changed.

System prompt: [Congratulations on becoming the new owner of the 'Novice Village Bar'. You may visit the bar at any time to check business conditions or set rules.]

Lin Chen didn't go to the bar immediately.

He opened the asset list and found the Weapon Shop.

The Weapon Shop was appraised at 1,800, and its current profit was good; the original owner wouldn't easily sell.

But Lin Chen had a way.

He sent a message to the Weapon Shop owner (System):

"Hello, I am the new owner of the bar. I would like to rent the 'Advertising Space' at the entrance of your Weapon Shop for 100 Game Coins per day. Do you agree?"

Three seconds later, the system replied: [There is no advertising space set up at the entrance of the Weapon Shop. Do you wish to add a 'Billboard' function? Addition fee: 200 Game Coins.]

Lin Chen smiled.

He paid 200 and added the billboard.

Then he sent a message to the Weapon Shop: "The billboard has been set up; it can be rented now. 100 per day, renting for three days, pay first before renting. Agreed?"

System reply: [Agreed. 300 Game Coins have been deducted.]

Lin Chen received 300, making a net profit of 100.

Using the same method, he set up billboards in front of all core assets like the General Store, Clinic, and Stable, and then rented them all to himself.

Billboard cost: 200 × 17 = 3,400 Game Coins.

Rental income: 100 × 17 × 3 = 5,100 Game Coins.

Net profit: 1,700 Game Coins.

Adding the remaining 100 from before, he now had 1,800 Game Coins.

Enough.

He opened the trading system again and initiated an acquisition of the Weapon Shop:

"Purchase ownership of 'Weapon Shop', offer: 1,800 Game Coins (full payment)."

Three seconds later, the system replied: [Transaction successful. Congratulations on becoming the new owner of the 'Weapon Shop'.]

Lin Chen's total asset value instantly soared.

He continued operating, using the Weapon Shop's earnings as collateral to loan and acquire the General Store; using the General Store's earnings as collateral to loan and acquire the Clinic...

Three hours later.

Of the 17 core assets in the Novice Village, the ownership of 14 had changed to 'Lord of Capital'.

The remaining three were owned by other players—they were also trying to acquire them, but their speed was far behind Lin Chen's.

Lin Chen looked at the asset list and smiled.

Then he opened the Novice Village channel and sent an announcement to everyone:

"Attention all players, I am Lin Chen, the owner of the Bar. From this moment on, all core assets (14/17) belong to me. I announce the following rules:

1. Commodity prices for all assets will be discounted by 20% for 'Members'.

2. How to obtain membership: Pay a 100 Game Coin membership fee or complete a 'Business Mission' issued by me.

3. For non-members purchasing commodities, the price will increase by 50%.

4. Membership fee income will be used to acquire the remaining three assets.

Have fun playing, everyone."

After the announcement was sent, the Novice Village channel exploded.

"Holy crap?! It's only been three hours!"

"How did he do it?!"

"Membership! I want to join!"

"I'll pay the 100!"

Lin Chen closed the channel, leaned behind the bar's counter, and poured himself a glass of wine.

Outside the window, yellow sand still filled the air, and the roars of monsters were still vaguely audible.

But for him, he had already cleared this Novice Village.

He looked up at the sky, where the real-time ranking was floating:

[Player 'Lord of Capital' Total Asset Value: 14 Core Assets + Cash Reserve of 32,000 Game Coins]

[Ranking: 1st]

Below that was a line of small text:

[21 hours remaining until the end of the trial. Current Progress: Victory has been secured in advance.]

Lin Chen looked at that line and said softly:

"Secured in advance?"

"I've only just begun."

He opened the trading system and began planning the next step—acquiring the remaining three assets, then monopolizing all resources, then...

He paused, thinking of the people waiting for him on the other side of the light gate.

Su Qingyu.

Arrogant Dragon.

Zhang Hao.

Morgana.

Alpha.

And that Lin Xiao who had just started his business.

He smiled and continued operating.

The yellow sand outside the window seemed to have faded slightly.