Chapter 103: Buying into the Partnership

“The Sword of Purification!”

Fan Bei watched the footage as Lin Zhongqing ruthlessly cleaved the wild wolf into seven or eight segments. Yet, that still wasn't enough to satisfy her fury. She continued to hack the beast into a pulp before burning it to ashes.

In the end, she left behind a large, pale golden orb, which she promptly picked up.

Well, when a wealthy person loses control, they truly are terrifying.

He tallied the consumption from the steward system’s manufacturing page and found that Lin Zhongqing had expended a total of 1.34 million points of spiritual energy in that battle.

In other words, that ferocious wolf required a master of golden rank, wielding million-level spiritual energy and employing million-level techniques to be slain.

From a human perspective, it could indeed be called a king in its own right.

But having just witnessed the grandeur of that estate, Fan Bei was quietly shaken. Even a wild wolf serving as a guard required top-tier human combat strength supported by the system to be dealt with. No wonder these creatures held humans in such disdain.

One could say that if not for a few with ulterior motives, humanity might have already been wiped out.

He recalled Bai’s earlier self-introduction. At the time, he thought much of it was deception, but now it seemed some of it was true—they might indeed be a small group exiled to Earth, with unfathomable depths behind them.

Afterward, he stood up and left the master bedroom.

Da Bai was ruthlessly tormenting an iron ball, rolling it back and forth to vent his earlier frustration at being abandoned.

“Ah, your master is out! Give me some face!” Xiao Bai seized the opportunity to shout.

“Master, are you alright?” Da Bai instantly transformed into a loyal dog and approached.

“I’m fine. That giant claw belonged to a wild wolf. Before that merciful one could act, Lin Zhongqing had already dealt with it,” Fan Bei said, patting Da Bai’s head.

“That woman is really fierce...” Xiao Bai said with envy, then took the chance to crush Da Bai’s tail. “Da Bai, you must work hard. Don’t waste your talent and luck.”

“I’m already trying my best, but there’s nowhere for me to fight monsters and level up. I can’t even complete daily tasks and get zapped by Tong Ge every day,” Da Bai complained.

“That’s a problem. With the evil tide gone, only one or two evil spirits occasionally appear nearby,” Fan Bei nodded. “Alright, I’ll help you check if there are any clustered evil spirit nests nearby.”

After soothing Da Bai, Fan Bei took out a walkie-talkie and relayed the news to everyone.

…

Upon receiving the news, Steward Huo was ecstatic, then quite surprised.

She hadn’t expected the valley lord to know the outcome so soon. After Chairman Lin disappeared, no news had come through at all.

As for the possibility of deception, she didn’t even consider it. There was no way he would lie about such a matter.

Without further thought, she addressed the crowd still gathered in the open field:

“Everyone, rest assured! The owner of the giant claw has already been eliminated by our Chairman Lin!”

At that moment, Lin Zhongshi had just completed his sacrifice, staring intently at the place where Lin Zhongqing had vanished.

…

Hearing Steward Huo’s announcement, an expression of disbelief flashed across his face before he closed his eyes and concentrated deeply.

He felt the shadow that had long weighed on his heart slowly dissipate.

This was enough proof that the fierce adversary who had been haunting him had been slain.

His emotions were complex; the gap between him and his sister was indeed vast beyond measure. Facing such an enemy, he could only flee in disgrace, while she could chase and kill the foe outright.

Others were momentarily stunned, then erupted in cheers, each feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

Only Chen Gang and those who had previously provoked trouble wore awkward expressions. Soon, some quietly approached Chef He to plead on their behalf.

If the iron ball’s owner wasn’t strong enough, they would find someone else who could help.

In the wasteland world, these people had no shortage of thick skin. They had just argued with Chef He and were now asking for his help.

Chef He was helpless but, given their past relationship, he could only grit his teeth and petition Steward Huo.

After a cold snort, Steward Huo’s expression darkened but she said, “We’re not heartless. Since you don’t want to stay here and won’t work wholeheartedly, you can go to Copper Fort. The Starry Sky Guild will hire you there, but only as temporary workers. Your future promotions will depend on your performance.”

Chen Gang and his group felt as if granted amnesty and quickly expressed their gratitude, “Thank you for your magnanimity, Steward. We won’t let you down.”

Steward Huo said nothing more. In this apocalyptic world, manpower was precious. Recruiting a few more strong laborers to the guild was beneficial. Of course, life in Copper Fort wouldn’t be as comfortable as it was now, and these people would soon learn their lesson.

Before long, Lin Zhongqing returned safely from the vanished space.

The crowd was about to offer their praise when they noticed her sullen expression—there was no joy at having eliminated the culprit.

“Sister, what happened?” Lin Zhongshi stepped forward and asked.

“Nothing,” Lin Zhongqing’s face quickly calmed upon seeing everyone, then she said coldly, “The owner of the giant claw has been killed. This is what it left behind.”

She then showed them a pale golden orb, about the size of a fist, in her left hand.

Most couldn’t understand its significance, but a few recognized what it meant and were deeply shaken.

A spiritual core of this level would never drop from an ordinary evil spirit and had never appeared on the market before.

Lin Zhongshi immediately sensed the aura—it was indeed from that very being.

“Thank you,” he said earnestly.

“Cut the nonsense. Don’t forget my hundred million payment,” Lin Zhongqing snorted and turned to fly away.

Lin Zhongshi stared blankly at her departing figure, sensing her haste and urgency.

Having defeated such a powerful foe, she showed no arrogance or complacency, only a fierce determination to strive harder.

No wonder he could never catch up to her...

His emotions were mixed. He then gathered everyone to begin the cleanup.

…

The next day, Steward Huo found Fan Bei and began reporting.

“Mr. Fan, the Starry Sky Guild from Copper Fort has sent a formal letter, hoping to continue our previous cooperation. They will continue to send agricultural experts and invest here to assist in developing our agricultural base.”

“That’s good news. But I heard the Silver Guild is also developing an agricultural city. Could there be conflicts in the future?” Fan Bei asked.

“Exactly because they are developing the agricultural city, Chairman Lin decided to strengthen cooperation with us. We can’t let a single group control the food supply,” Steward Huo analyzed seriously.

“You handle these matters yourself. I need to focus on my cultivation. For similar issues in the future, deal with them on your own and only come to me for major problems,” Fan Bei said impatiently, trying to avoid the topic.

At this moment, he resembled a cultivator who, having been recently provoked, was determined to work harder.

Steward Huo fell silent for a moment before gently advising, “In that case, Mr. Fan, I think we could use our land and settlement as shares in the Starry Sky Guild. They currently need land for development. One Copper Fort is not enough for them. Besides, Chairman Lin’s strength was clearly demonstrated yesterday, rivaling the big bosses of the Silver Guild.”

Fan Bei was silent, considering the pros and cons.

In truth, he sighed inwardly. This was the flaw of a dualistic system. Steward Huo belonged to Lin Zhongqing and was bound by the steward system; she wouldn’t betray her professional ethics or harm him, but at crucial moments, she would naturally prioritize her master’s interests.

However, her proposal aligned perfectly with his own thinking—to appear normal, to blend a drop of water into the ocean without revealing too much of his uniqueness.

To be low-profile yet diligent in self-development—this was how a normal person should face an apocalypse. And now, facing such a crisis, finding a strong backing was only natural.

With this in mind, he nodded. “Your proposal is good. But my cultivation requires a large amount of resources. If I only hold shares without receiving regular dividends, it’s meaningless. I want monthly dividends to cover my cultivation needs, and most importantly, I don’t want unnecessary disturbances.”

“Understood, Valley Lord. I will negotiate on this and ensure your satisfaction,” Steward Huo said with a pleased expression.

Over the past month, she believed she had thoroughly understood Fan Bei’s temperament.

This man sought personal strength and safety, cared little for the development of factions, and hated having his cultivation interrupted by trivial matters.

Actually, there are many like him—most common of all.

Since being hired, she had been quietly pondering how to better enable this promising settlement to serve its true master.

After these days of diligent effort, coupled with the recent giant claw incident, she seized the opportunity and finally succeeded in persuading him.

To effortlessly and safely bring an entire settlement into the guild system was undoubtedly a great achievement.

She believed her standing in her master’s heart would greatly improve.

The End.