84: Wang Chongshan's Ambition

As he stepped into the City Lord's Mansion once more, the NPCs' attitude toward Lin Yue had undergone a massive shift.

Having cleared Demon Dragon Mountain in a short time and exposed the hidden forces behind Xuanwu City, Lin Yue's Fame had already spread throughout the City Lord's Mansion.

Along the way, the mansion guards all looked at Lin Yue with deep respect.

The strong often command a natural sense of awe.

"Come, come, little brother White Emperor, this is top-quality tea. Have a taste."

Before he had even entered the hall, Wang Chongshan greeted him with a beaming smile and warmly invited Lin Yue to take a seat.

He personally poured a cup of steaming tea for Lin Yue. After taking just a small sip, Lin Yue's expression became one of disbelief.

"Ding! You have tasted Top-grade Biluochun. Your Casting Speed has permanently increased by +0.1."

"Good stuff!"

He drained the cup in one gulp. It was rich and mellow, with a lingering fragrance and a slight sweetness—a rarity even in the real world.

"Ding! You have tasted Top-grade Biluochun. Your Casting Speed has permanently increased by +0.1."

"Ding! You have tasted Top-grade Biluochun. Your Casting Speed has permanently increased by +0.1."

...After three full cups of tea, Lin Yue's Casting Speed had increased by a total of 0.5. Drinking more had no further effect, so he finally set down his cup.

"Would you like some more?"

Wang Chongshan was full of smiles, personally refilling Lin Yue's tea like an elder brother.

As the lord of a city, such an attitude was truly unusual.

"No need, that's enough."

Lin Yue waved his hand. He was already very satisfied with gaining 0.5 Casting Speed.

Since leaving the Novice Village, his Casting Speed had reached its limit; this was the first time he had increased that cap through the use of a special item.

You should know that this 0.5 points of Casting Speed was not something free attribute points could make up for.

Even if you had tens of thousands of attribute points, there would be no way to stack it further.

"This tea probably isn't cheap," Lin Yue remarked.

Special items that could Breakthrough the limit like this were rare even in the Land of the Final End.

"Those three cups of tea you just drank are each worth a thousand gold. They are from the City Lord's personal collection; money alone isn't enough to buy them."

The Butler stroked his goatee and bowed low with a humble expression.

A thousand gold per cup—three cups meant three thousand gold!

Lin Yue was stunned. No wonder it could increase Casting Speed; it was certainly not something ordinary people could afford.

"Noisy! What's a few cups of tea for my little brother White Emperor?"

Wang Chongshan glared, his presence naturally commanding authority.

"I deserve to die, it's my loose tongue."

The Butler was terrified, kneeling on the ground and slapping his own face.

Watching the two of them play off each other, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, Lin Yue didn't know what to say for a moment and could only watch their performance silently.

"Cough, cough..."

Seeing Lin Yue just sitting there silently without speaking, Wang Chongshan coughed awkwardly.

"Prepare the banquet."

With a grand wave of his hand, eight maids dressed in gauze and exotic attire brought out exquisite delicacies.

Rare dishes, fine wine, and beautiful women—the atmosphere became quite lively.

Lin Yue ate the food bite by bite. Unlike the Biluochun, this food did not increase his attributes; it was simply delicious.

Eating the delicacies calmly, Lin Yue was in no hurry. He wanted to see exactly what Wang Chongshan was up to.

"Little brother White Emperor, is the food not to your taste?"

Wang Chongshan raised his wine cup, drained it, and looked at Lin Yue with slightly hazy eyes.

"It's very good."

Lin Yue smiled and returned the toast with a cup of his own.

"Go, help my little brother relax."

Thinking Lin Yue was dissatisfied, Wang Chongshan gave a signal, and two maids with devilish figures sat down on either side of Lin Yue.

"My Lord, please relax. Let me massage your shoulders."

"My Lord, this fine wine shouldn't be wasted. How about I feed it to you myself?"

Sweet, chirping voices rang in his ears. Lin Yue smiled faintly, pushed the two women away, and stood up.

"City Lord, the tea is drunk and the food is eaten. Let's skip the 'Big Sword' treatment."

Although the NPCs in the Land of the Final End were no different from people in reality, Lin Yue was currently in no mood for such things.

"'Big Sword'? What is little brother talking about? My mansion has no big swords."

"That's not important. What matters is that the City Lord's hospitality is so overwhelming that I feel unworthy. Why don't we get straight to the point?"

Lin Yue's attitude was clear: if there's something to say, say it. Don't bother with these elaborate tricks.

He was about to take up a post in the Royal City; logically, he shouldn't be so polite to Lin Yue.

When things are this abnormal, there must be a catch. Since Wang Chongshan wasn't initiating, Lin Yue had no choice but to ask himself.

"Ah, little brother, you underestimate me. I, Wang Chongshan, am not an ungrateful man. You helped me so much; this little bit of hospitality is nothing."

He waved his hand, dismissing all the maids, and set his wine cup on the table. His expression turned serious.

"However, I do indeed have something to discuss with you."

In the next second, the mood shifted abruptly, and Wang Chongshan's tone became heavy.

"Please speak, City Lord."

Lin Yue felt a slight sense of relief. He wasn't afraid of the honey trap; he was only afraid that the other party had no requests at all.

"In that case, I'll be blunt. My appointment to the Royal City this time is largely thanks to you, White Emperor."

"But the waters in the Royal City are much deeper than in the main cities. If I want to establish a foothold and secure my position, I still need certain conditions."

"Oh?"

Lin Yue's eyes narrowed.

"For example?"

"For example, I need you to become one of my men, to help me build my legacy and earn war merit."

Wang Chongshan's eyes gleamed with intensity, and the wine cup in his hand was unconsciously crushed out of shape.

Good heavens!

Even Lin Yue couldn't help but take a deep breath.

This Wang Chongshan wanted to recruit an Adventurer as his subordinate!

"Aren't you afraid that we Adventurers won't be of one mind with you?"

Lin Yue asked curiously.

In his past life, there were NPCs who tried to recruit players, but the player base had its own thoughts and found it difficult to truly align with NPCs.

Those NPC factions that had recruited players were eventually betrayed by them.

Yet Wang Chongshan wasn't afraid and was openly trying to recruit Lin Yue.

"Besides, I'm just one Adventurer. If you want to build a legacy, you should expand your forces and get more subordinates."

"No, it's completely different."

Wang Chongshan sighed. If he had deep enough roots right now, he wouldn't have to take such a risky gamble.

Adventurers were indeed mavericks, but they had one distinct advantage.

An Immortal Body!

This was what Wang Chongshan truly valued. If he could cooperate with an Adventurer of White Emperor's caliber, he could sit securely on his throne without any worries.

He might even have a chance to glimpse a shot at the Imperial Throne!

"I'm sorry, I refuse!"

Without any hesitation, Lin Yue refused outright.

The landscape of the Land of the Final End changed in the blink of an eye. Tying himself directly to an NPC faction was a very unwise decision.

No one knew how powerful the opponents Wang Chongshan faced were.

Lin Yue had no desire to wade into these murky waters.