73: Chapter 73 You call this a failure punishment?

Chen You felt a buzz in his head.

Monster Siege!

The birth of any new power would attract scrutiny and covetous glances...

He instantly understood why the system suggested that 'establishing a Guild requires a team of at least ten people.'

That was not because the prerequisite quest was too difficult!

The true hurdle was the first priority after establishing the territory—defending the city!

That meant...

Chen You stared intently at Burn's impassive old face, his voice somewhat dry as he asked, 'If... if we can't defend it, what happens?'

Burn's murky eyeballs shifted slightly, and a formulaic smile stretched across his lips, like a pre-set answer.

'If you cannot defend it, your power will not be established.'

'All your efforts will be meaningless, and that piece of the [Land of the Chosen] will naturally vanish into thin air.'

Ten thousand gold coins, ten billion huaxia coin, just gone like that?

No, that wasn't the important part.

Chen You's heart clenched, but immediately, a stronger sense of unease surged into his mind.

Something was wrong!

But what was wrong?

Establishing a Guild, failure itself was the biggest penalty.

What else was there?

Chen You took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

He took a step forward and asked again, word by word, 'Nothing else?'

In Burn's still eyes, a slight lag, as if 'database retrieval was in progress,' finally appeared.

He seemed to ponder for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

'What I can say is just this much.'

After speaking, he lowered his gaze, adopting a posture that clearly meant, 'Don't bother me if there's nothing else.'

Chen You stared at him hard for a few seconds before finally turning and leaving in silence.

Leaving the Guild Administration Office, Chen You's expression was grim.

He was one hundred percent certain that Burn was concealing the most crucial information.

He didn't log off directly; instead, he headed straight for another location—the Supreme Tower.

Burn was the executor of the 'rules,' whereas Hill was more like the guide and explainer of the 'rules.'

She should know more.

...Inside the Supreme Tower, the familiar faint sandalwood scent that soothed the body and mind was still present.

Hill, dressed elegantly with a sweet smile, immediately stepped forward upon seeing Chen You.

'Respected supreme member, how may I be of service to you?'

'Hill,' Chen You cut straight to the chase, his expression serious, 'I need to ask you a question.'

He repeated Burn's words and asked in a deep voice, 'If the Monster Siege fails and we can't defend it, besides the territory disappearing and the gold coins going down the drain, is there any other penalty?'

The professional smile on Hill's face froze slightly; she was clearly somewhat surprised that Chen You would ask in such detail.

She tilted her head, her slender fingers tapping her chin, seemingly accessing deeper layers of information.

A moment later, she replied with a smile, 'You truly are a very cautious Adventurer.'

'Administrator Burn's statement is basically correct. If the defense fails, the Guild cannot be established, and the [Land of the Chosen Contract] you purchased will also be consumed.'

Hearing an answer almost identical to Burn's, Chen You's heart sank sharply.

Was he overthinking things?

Just as he frowned in thought, Hill suddenly added another sentence.

'However, Administrator Burn probably felt you wouldn't need it for now, so he didn't tell you one detail.'

Here it comes!

Chen You's spirit lifted, and he immediately pressed, 'What detail?'

Hill waved her fair hand, and the illusory projections of two badges emitting different glows appeared before them.

One was a simple, unadorned stone badge, while the other had a strange groove in the center, as if something could be inlaid into it.

'This is the civilization pedestal,' Hill explained. 'After your territory design is complete, you need to place a pedestal like this in your real world as a coordinate.'

'The pedestal also comes in two types.'

'One is ordinary, and the other can additionally house the [shattered world stone] you obtained earlier.'

Hill pointed to the badge with the groove.

'When the [shattered world stone] is placed in the pedestal, your territory will gain a massive Civilization attribute bonus, and its future development potential will far surpass that of an ordinary territory.'

'When you decide where to place the pedestal, Burn will offer you these two choices.'

So that's how it works!

Chen You suddenly understood.

The [shattered world stone] was used like this!

No!

The chill in Chen You's heart did not dissipate; instead, it grew even stronger.

He still felt like he was missing something.

It was like the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle—it was right before his eyes, but he couldn't find where it was supposed to go.

He stared intently at Hill's sincere smile and, almost instinctively, asked again, 'Nothing else?'

'Hmm?'

This time, Hill was genuinely stunned, her beautiful blue eyes filled with confusion.

She didn't quite understand what this mysterious rich man was still worried about.

She had already laid out all the risks and the details that shouldn't have been mentioned.

'Respected supreme member, I don't quite understand what you mean... What else do you want to know?'

Hill's tone was extremely sincere.

Looking at her genuine expression, Chen You fell into thought.

Could it really be that he was just being overly cautious?

Perhaps the cost of failure was really just ten billion huaxia coin?

'Failure...' Chen You subconsciously chewed on the word.

'Hill, you just said the penalty for failure is for the 'Guild' and the 'Territory,' right?'

'Yes,' Hill nodded instinctively.

'Is there absolutely no... penalty for the 'player'?' Chen You's voice began to tremble slightly.

'Yes,' Hill replied even more certainly.

To reassure this major client, she even gave an example.

'Even if you fail, you will not suffer any loss in attributes or level, please rest assured about that.'

Rest assured?

Impossible!

He paced back and forth, frantically sorting through all the information in his mind.

Land of the Chosen, Monster Siege, Reality Projection, civilization pedestal...

These words collided and combined repeatedly in his mind.

Wait!

Reality Projection!

Pedestal!

Just as Chen You was about to give up and prepare to log off to report to Director Li Guoan, a flash of lightning-like inspiration suddenly cut through all the fog in his mind!

He turned around abruptly, his eyes bloodshot, staring fixedly at Hill.

He asked the most fatal question he hadn't managed to recall before, word by word:

'If... I mean, if!'

'If the Monster Siege fails, and the territory in the Source Realm disappears...'

Chen You's voice became hoarse; he swallowed hard and managed to say:

'Then... will the 'projection' in the real world, or rather, that 'pedestal,' disappear along with it?'

The moment the last word fell.

The professional, sweet, and pleasant smile on Hill's face froze inch by inch.

The air seemed to be sucked out at that moment.

The gentle warmth belonging to a 'customer service representative' faded from her blue eyes for the first time.

What replaced it was a complex emotion mixed with terror, pity, and disbelief.

She looked at Chen You as if watching a pitiful person who was actively walking toward a cliff, curious about what was at the bottom.

After a long pause.

Her red lips parted slightly, her voice as light as a breeze, yet it stirred up a colossal wave in Chen You's ears.

'The pedestal will not disappear.'

'Because the pedestal is the... target of the demonic assault.'