Chapter 391 - 6: Are You Trying to Bribe Me With Money

’Hmm... It’s just a little help on the side. It won’t get in the way of me killing Evil People, and taking on a side quest seems fine, right?’

’Still, this kid is a bit naive. If I just took his money and ran, there’s nothing he could do to stop me—not that I’d actually break my word, but he doesn’t know that.’

’Besides, logically, he didn’t even need to show himself. He could have just watched me defeat that Mysterious Organization. Why bother running out to pay me now?’

The boy was probably desperate, risking it all on one last bet when he saw me appear—or so Su Zhou figured, which made some sense. As for the boy himself, if worse came to worst, he could serve as bait. That would keep those Evil People from scattering at the first sign of trouble, and the true mastermind behind the scenes would surely make a move, trying to snatch this little guy from my grasp.

After roughly thinking through the plan, Su Zhou decided there was no problem. He let his earlier smile fade and spoke, his face devoid of expression. "Ahem. I’m not interested in any of that... Little guy, what I *am* interested in is how you pulled all this stuff out of thin air."

The moment the boy pulled out the first Magic Book, Su Zhou had noticed. The gray-eyed youth definitely had some kind of Spatial Equipment on him. Otherwise, where could he have been hiding three Magic Books that, combined, were nearly half the size of a person? And spatial materials were one of the very reasons Su Zhou had come to this Otherworld.

As for the form of address, Su Zhou was nineteen at the very most, not much older than the boy. But how could one judge a Transcendent’s age by their youthful appearance? Thus, no one found it strange that Su Zhou called him "little guy," and neither did the gray-eyed youth.

"Are you referring to my Space Ring?"

Hearing Su Zhou’s words, the boy didn’t hesitate. The gray-eyed youth immediately held out his hand, showing Su Zhou a silvery-white ring worn on his thumb.

The silvery-white ring, made of some kind of semi-transparent metal, was a bit large. It was likely designed for an adult, so to keep it from slipping off, the youth could only wear it on his thumb. Its band was engraved with dense, profound Runes that were almost invisible to the naked eye; a normal person would have mistaken them for the metal’s natural grain. They gave Su Zhou a strange, subtle feeling.

"Yes, that’s it!"

The moment he saw the silver ring, Su Zhou’s eyes lit up, and he made no attempt to hide his delight.

——Because the raw material used to forge this ring was precisely the "Subspace Crystal Iron" that Yara had told him about, the key to cultivating the "Personal Space" Divine Technique!

’Is this it, Yara?’ Su Zhou asked excitedly in his sea of consciousness. He couldn’t help but ruffle the leaves of the Wisdom Tree Essence Soul, causing it to quiver in annoyance. ’My luck is insane. I’ve already found one of my three main objectives this quickly!’

’...That’s right, it is.’ Yara confirmed it through Su Zhou’s vision, but it rustled in his hair, a little puzzled. ’But Subspace Crystal Iron requires a world-altering cataclysm, or can only be born at the dawn of creation. This world is on the brink of its doom. Theoretically, none should still exist. After such a long time, any Subspace Crystal Iron native to this world should have long since become inert and useless.’

Although it was a puzzle, it wasn’t something worth dwelling on. After all, the Multiverse was vast and full of wonders. There were plenty of things that defied explanation; this was just one more.

"This Storage Space Ring... I will gift it to you later!"

Seeing how interested Su Zhou seemed in the Space Ring, the gray-eyed youth felt a pang in his heart. He knew he was about to make a huge sacrifice.

But he also understood that the odds of getting this lucky a second time—running into such a powerful Wilderness Wanderer who just so happened to be clashing with those mysterious forces, and had even engaged them in open battle—were practically zero.

Compared to control over the Naisel family’s ancestral Elemental Array, the research on the apocalypse, and the safety of the millions of residents in this Shelter City, Magic Equipment and money were ultimately just worldly possessions. It was rare to find a Wilderness Wanderer who seemed like a decent person—one who was at least willing to fight for ordinary people and for Order.

Someone willing to stand up for ordinary people couldn’t be all that bad. This kind of person was worth gambling on. Otherwise, he would have preferred to remain in hiding, locked in a war of attrition with the Mysterious Organization, rather than take such a risk.

’Sigh... But if this stalemate continues, it’s the residents of Naisel City who will suffer...’ he thought. ’Without a Lord to control the Elemental Array and regulate the Magic Power in each district, the shelter will soon fall into ruin, or even cease to exist.’

The youth’s education from a young age had taught him to put the people of the Great Array’s shelter first; after all, whether it was a civilization, a family, or a faction, the people were its foundation. ’Even though he’s fighting those mysterious people, he might not stick around for long. If things go south, he’ll probably just leave. Or even if he defeats them but has no intention of hunting them down, it’s the same result. A victory for this Wilderness Wanderer would be meaningless for me, because as soon as this powerhouse departs, they’ll just come back.’

At this thought, he nodded firmly to himself, steeling his resolve and suppressing the heartache of his immense sacrifice. ’So, no matter the cost, I have to hire this Elite powerhouse to fight for me for a while—at least until I can stabilize my control over the Elemental Array... He can even leave partway through. But at the very, very least, I must get access to the family’s secret vault and retrieve the most important item: the Doomsday Manuscript!’

"Are you trying to bribe me with money?!"

However, the gray-eyed youth, who felt he had just offered everything he could, did not see the joyful expression he expected on Su Zhou’s face. Instead, he was met with an incredibly stern visage.

At that moment, Su Zhou extended his hand and pointed at the youth’s forehead, scolding him, "I want to refuse, but you’re offering way too much! All right, this Space Ring is clearly a family heirloom; I don’t want it. However, I need a portion of the material used to forge it! And those Magic Books—you’ll have to let me copy them later."

Having said that, he broke into a smile. "As for those Evil People, you don’t have to ask. I was going to kill them all anyway."

In the next instant, the finger pointing at the youth’s forehead lowered, and his open palm was presented before the boy’s chest.

Stunned by the conflict between Su Zhou’s expression and his words, the youth subconsciously reached out and shook his hand.

The contract was sealed.