Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 217 - 137: Give Old Duan Some Face

Chapter 217: Chapter 137: Give Old Duan Some Face

"Don’t be nervous; this is just a simple use of barriers."

After stepping into the elevator that went straight down to the sixth underground level, Duan Mingyuan explained to the two people, "I’ve only modified their partial memories, making them believe that we are VIP guests of the exchange."

Duan Mingyuan spoke with a calm tone, as though he had just done an insignificant thing.

However, Zheng Liu and Xing remained silent. They thought that Duan Mingyuan had redefined the word "only", instantly changing the memories and perceptions of all the employees at the exchange; it was an ability akin to that of an antagonist boss in a story.

This also made their earlier sacrifices and resolutions seem a bit embarrassing.

In their original imagination, the trip to the exchange was fraught with extreme danger, and they may have had to sacrifice themselves to enable Duan Mingyuan to bring news of this place out. However, it now seemed that Duan Mingyuan was intending to solo clear the Shanqi Commerce Association.

"And this? Is this also the effect of a barrier?"

Zheng Liu pointed to the "∞" on his lapel pin. In less than a minute, he and Xing had transformed from nearly dying with less than seven hours left to live to becoming the wealthiest people in the Chamber of Commerce. The change came so fast that it left them feeling unreal.

Both of them were insignificant characters in their organizations; the Shanqi Commerce Association could crush them as easily as stepping on ants.

To perish silently should have been their fate, but...

They now had a real-life version of a video game character by their side.

When the security personnel of the exchange blocked their way, the character called Feng Lingyueying hacked backstage to modify the code, changing their status to "VIP customers" and their chips to "9999999" with the click of a button. Zheng Liu had never encountered such a thrilling situation, even in a game—after all, changing too much data in a game could lead to bugs or corrupt save files.

"No, this is all thanks to the enthusiastic help from the people at the exchange."

When talent, ability, and inspiration became tradable commodities, Duan Mingyuan realized that supernatural phenomena were at play behind the scenes at the Chamber of Commerce, and all evidence pointed towards the "Goddess" mentioned by the young man.

All transactions had to be conducted under the supervision of the Goddess.

Only a true deity could strip these intangible things away and turn them into goods for trade.

This also explained why gamblers who ran out of chips in the casino didn’t die natural deaths but were instead drained of their Life Energy, as if an invisible hand had seized their throats and stole everything from them.

This too was the power of a god.

"This proves that the Goddess worshiped by the Shanqi Commerce Association truly exists, and she is the real ’house’. Chips draw from her, rules are made by her, and everything that happens here is under her control."

To bestow and to take away, both are divine powers.

"As long as we understand the principle behind this, the rest becomes much easier to handle. Since She can leave you with only seven hours of chips, She can also grant you unlimited chips. I actually haven’t done much, just asked Her to give Old Duan some respect."

"Old Duan."

Zheng Liu placed his hand on Duan Mingyuan’s shoulder; he felt increasingly that there was something off about Duan Mingyuan, so off that he had completely lost touch with common sense.

In his understanding, asking for divine protection would naturally involve devout worship. The mere notion of asking a god to give oneself respect was a severe violation of common know-how.

What was even more outrageous was that the Goddess worshiped by the Shanqi Commerce Association actually did give Old Duan that respect.

"Stop pretending, Old Duan. You’re a god, aren’t you?"

Zheng Liu thought it through—reviving the dead, modifying memories, changing humans directly into other objects—all these abilities belonged to the realm of a creator within belief systems. "Is there anything in this world that you can’t do?"

"That’s too much."

Duan Mingyuan waved his hand, feeling that Zheng Liu was killing him with kindness.

Only by constantly maintaining a humble attitude of learning could one improve, "For example, in the field of tail and ear care for the Fox Demon, there are still many things I need to study. In addition, I have only recently started to read the book ’Ecology and Origin of the Fox Demon’."

In this world, there were still too many things he didn’t know, not to mention the even vaster universe.

"Yes, what he could do, if he so desired, was to instantly kill everyone here in a moment."

Xing suddenly spoke up.

Her voice had changed, and amber glints shone in her pitch-black pupils. Although her appearance had not changed, her demeanor had undergone a drastic shift, exuding a sense of divinity and authority. As Zheng Liu was gazed upon by those radiant eyes, he felt an urge to kneel before her.

"Don’t worry, I am just borrowing her body temporarily."

"Xing" carefully examined Duan Mingyuan, as if she wanted to imprint everything about him in her eyes, "Since this dangerous element has spoken to me, I suppose I must do him the courtesy."

That one sentence clearly revealed her identity.

"He Ya, that is the name they have given me."

This was a name even Zheng Liu had heard of.

He Ya, the goddess of commerce and trade.

This was a deity depicted in the mythological system of the Flashing Star. During his high school days, he had read a magazine about cosmic civilizations that had dedicated one issue to this lost civilization.

The Flashing Star was so named because its surface was rich in metallic minerals. The people of the Shan Clan accumulated their initial wealth by selling these minerals. With resources provided by companies, they once turned the Flashing Star into a trade center of the entire universe, amassing unimaginable wealth. The books said that at the peak of the Shan Clan’s prosperity, they had purchased seven planets from the indigenous peoples.

That lasted until a catastrophic metal fission swept over the entire Flashing Star, turning the once-thriving commercial hub into a radiated Dead Star filled with radiation in less than three days.

It was from that moment on that the planet’s residents were forced to leave their homes. Some of them joined the companies, while others took their vast accumulated wealth and wandered through the universe.

"You, you are the goddess of trade!"

Zheng Liu’s voice trembled. Even if he spoke of what was happening right now, saying that he had seen He Ya herself, others would only think he’d lost his mind.

"That’s all in the past."

He Ya let out a light chuckle, "After the fall of the planet, the Universe Company has given beings like us another term."

As she spoke, she kept her gaze on Duan Mingyuan. The goddess of trade clearly had no interest in Zheng Liu and did not expect him to understand her words.

But Duan Mingyuan was different.

According to some intelligence she had, Duan Mingyuan had not long ago visited the Imperial Court and had had some unpleasant run-ins with the Universe Company.

She believed Duan Mingyuan must have guessed the scientific name the company had given them; after all, the entire universe would turn pale at the mention of this topic.

"I hope I am the first ’Cocoon’ you have ever seen."