18: Chapter 18: Refusing the Contract with a Subordinate God, Never Working Undercover for a Tycoon

Lin Yuan picked up the white porcelain cup and downed it in one gulp.

As the tea went down his throat, a refreshing coolness slid down his esophagus into his abdomen.

The next second, a slight tremor came from the core of his Divine Domain deep within Lin Yuan's mind.

The nerve-stinging pain caused by the high-intensity deduction earlier was smoothed away.

Even the upper limit of his mental power had loosened slightly.

Tea costing 100,000 faith points a cup was indeed good stuff.

Lin Yuan set down the teacup, the porcelain colliding with the warm jade tabletop to produce a crisp sound.

He lifted his eyelids, looking at Chu Yunxuan opposite him.

"Young Master Chu, you've spent a lot. Everyone's time is precious; if you have something to discuss with me, just say it."

There was no flattery, nor was there any fear or trepidation.

Chu Yunxuan looked at the empty teacup, his smile undiminished: "Brother Lin is a straightforward person. Then I won't beat around the bush."

He set down the purple clay teapot in his hand, his originally gentle gaze suddenly becoming profound, "Brother Lin is a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush."

"On the leaderboard on the big screen, your total points are first, but you might not know."

Chu Yunxuan leaned forward, his voice low: "My kill count is actually higher than yours. I just found the time afterwards too boring and pressed the forfeit button early."

Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

During the assessment phase, the footage of Chu Yunxuan's Divine Domain had only flashed on the big screen once.

The other party bringing this up at this moment was clearly not for simple bragging.

Chu Yunxuan raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lightly in mid-air.

The floor-to-ceiling window on one side of the private room darkened, turning into a holographic projection screen.

Cruel scenes of the Abyss front line appeared on the screen.

Ruined fortresses.

Scorched earth shrouded in dark red poisonous miasma.

Mountains of monster corpses, and the believers of lower-tier gods struggling to trek through the piles of corpses to collect crystal cores.

"Brother Lin, you really stole the show at the training ground today. The Military Representative even gave you a private sponsorship."

Chu Yunxuan spoke calmly, his voice echoing in the spacious private room, "But do you know why the military values your mutation theory so much?"

Without waiting for Lin Yuan to answer, Chu Yunxuan tapped his slender fingers on the table and continued: "Because the Abyss War is a bottomless pit that can never be filled."

"To maintain the operation of the front-line defense, the Federation has set a war resource tax as high as eighty percent."

Chu Yunxuan calmly stated a number that would make ordinary gods despair.

"This means that civilian gods work themselves to the bone at the front line with their believers, and the monster crystal cores and Abyss specialties they trade their lives for must mostly be handed over to the military."

The image on the big screen shifted, cutting to a magnificent fortress floating above the Abyss.

The fortress was engraved with ancient emblems.

It was full of energy, radiating light, completely isolating the poisonous gas of the Abyss, like a Divine Kingdom where gods reside.

"And top conglomerates like our Chu Family possess special exemptions." Chu Yunxuan pointed to the fortress, "We control the core Abyss purification technology and high-level law weapons."

"A significant portion of the military front-line logistics relies on our output. Therefore, we pay very little tax, and the military even has to rely on us for some face."

"You are a smart person and should understand the gap."

Chu Yunxuan stared at Lin Yuan with burning eyes, carrying a sense of condescension in his gaze.

"A civilian war god without a background is ultimately just slightly higher-level cannon fodder. Your Wasteland mass-production style is indeed stunning, even if you can raise the individual combat power of your Obsidian Goblins to the Silver grade in the future."

"But you cannot bear the high maintenance costs brought by a large base, and you cannot bear the skin-peeling and tendon-cramping tax of the Federation."

"When you reach the front line, you will find that the legion you are so proud of is just working under the table for others. The harder you fight, the more you lose."

Chu Yunxuan paused, giving Lin Yuan enough time to digest the information.

The dagger was revealed.

He leaned forward and threw out his final bargaining chip.

"Sign the Chu Family's [Guest God Contract]. Become my subordinate god."

Chu Yunxuan's voice was incomparably confident, as if this were a blessing Lin Yuan had cultivated for several lifetimes.

"The conditions are very simple: Your Divine Domain must be opened to the Chu Family Research Institute to share your mutation evolution data."

"In return, the Chu Family will give you a basic resource quota of three million faith points per month. The military tax will be paid by the Chu Family for you. Most importantly..."

Chu Yunxuan stared fixedly into Lin Yuan's eyes, enunciating every word, "When you reach the peak of a Demigod and are preparing to ascend to a True God, the Chu Family will provide you with a complete Lower Godhead!"

If this condition were released, it would be enough to drive ninety-nine percent of the students in the school crazy.

A monthly salary of three million, plus a guaranteed path to the True God realm.

This was equivalent to obtaining a ladder to ascend above one's class.

Even those second-generation rich kids with C-grade and B-grade Divine Domains.

To grab this quota, they would fight until their heads were broken.

The private room fell silent.

Lin Yuan looked at Chu Yunxuan's face, which showed he was in control of everything, but his heart didn't ripple at all; instead, he wanted to laugh.

The routine of making empty promises is the same in every world.

Share Divine Domain data?

This meant that the Chu Family's Demigods or even True Gods could recklessly spy on the core of his Divine Domain.

His Obsidian Goblins were, after all, monsters stitched together by [Creation Extraction].

Once the Divine Domain was opened, the secret of Creation Extraction would be completely exposed.

In the eyes of the conglomerate, what kind of guest was he?

Nothing more than a lab rat with research value.

Once the Chu Family cracked the secret of the mutation, or discovered the truth about his talent.

Lin Yuan's fate would only be more miserable than that of the cannon fodder who died in the Abyss.

His lifeline must be held in his own hands.

"Young Master Chu's conditions sound very tempting."

Lin Yuan stood up and pulled back the chair.

His movements were relaxed, but there was no room for compromise in his words.

"But I have a hard backbone and am not used to living off someone else. I also don't like opening up my Divine Domain core for others to see."

He put his hands in his pockets and looked at Chu Yunxuan.

"Sorry."

Being rejected to his face, the hand holding the teacup paused slightly.

A flash of undisguised surprise crossed his eyes.

He had imagined that Lin Yuan would bargain, ask to increase the resource quota, or require a deposit to be paid in advance.

But he never expected that Lin Yuan would refuse so decisively.

The crushing pressure of class disparity and the massive profit of a True Godhood could actually not stun this poor student who came out of the Slums?

Chu Yunxuan did not, like Zhao Tianze, fly into an impotent rage because he had lost face.

He was just stunned for a moment, then smiled.

Like a spring breeze.

"You have backbone, I like that." Chu Yunxuan put down the teacup in his hand, and the smile on his face became even stronger.

"If the deal doesn't work out, the friendship remains. The Chu Family is most willing to befriend geniuses. Since Brother Lin has his own considerations, I naturally won't force you."

As he spoke, Chu Yunxuan's fingers swiped lightly on the terminal on his wrist.

A faint light flickered on the warm jade tabletop beside him.

A black metal card with purple crystals embedded on the edges was pushed in front of Lin Yuan.

There were no extra decorations on the card, only a lifelike dark pattern of a magic dragon.

"This is the purple gold admission ticket for the underground Star Net [Black Market Auction]."

Chu Yunxuan looked up at Lin Yuan with sincere eyes, "Since Brother Lin wants to take the path of independent development, you definitely cannot bypass the Federation's taxes."

"You should be able to use this kind of lawless place that no one manages. You can buy many 'dirty goods' that cannot be seen on the market, and you can also monetize the resources in your hands that cannot see the light of day."

"Consider this ticket as making a friend."

Lin Yuan took a deep look at Chu Yunxuan.

This is the truly terrifying kind of aristocratic family descendant.

If one strike doesn't hit, he doesn't fight you to the death, but turns around to plant the seeds of goodwill.

He doesn't make enemies to his face, using a ticket that is irrelevant to himself to continue maintaining a faint connection.

Always maximizing benefits.

Lin Yuan did not pretend to be polite.

He reached out his right hand, took the purple gold admission ticket from the table, and slipped it into his pocket.

"Thanks. I'll make this friend."

Lin Yuan nodded slightly and turned to walk towards the door of the private room.

Until the door of the private room closed silently behind him, Lin Yuan gently exhaled a breath of turbid air.

"Black Market Auction?"

Lin Yuan walked along the warm jade-paved corridor of the Cloud Peak Club, his palm rubbing the cold purple gold card through the fabric.

An auction is always a good place.

Lin Yuan muttered to himself: "Just right, I can go take a look when I have time."