I Don't Agree to the Terms

"Because the Evil God promised those higher-ups, they would become divine."

The existence of the Godslayer Alliance was something Wang Qi had heard about, a powerful force formed by many sea-people dedicated to fighting against the Divines and gradually filling in their own disadvantages, making the Divines retreat step by step. It was the force he thought of joining after becoming a sea-person.

"You are talking nonsense, the Godslayer Alliance is working hard to eradicate the Divines, and you're a Divine, that's why you slander them," Wang Qi rebutted immediately.

"You say that, and it does seem quite sensible, but have you ever thought that since the emergence of the Godslayer Alliance, more Divines have appeared? It's because the Godslayer Alliance has secretly been orchestrating it. The reason the Divines are retracting is fundamentally to cooperate with the Godslayer Alliance, and this is also a reward given to them."

The voice spoke again, this time with a hint of bewitchment.

This silenced Wang Qi. Initially, the Godslayer Alliance was very strong and could suppress the Divines from causing trouble. Now, it was indeed the case, but the number of Divines had not decreased but continued to grow.

"You are a Divine, can you remove my status as a ground citizen?" Wang Qi knew that to verify whether the Divine named Shanyuhai was telling the truth, he had to go see for himself. If it was true, it was very likely that the top levels had already sided with the Divines.

"No, I've been sealed, and besides, even if I help you, you'd have to believe me, right?" The voice from the White Jade Gourd sounded lazy.

This further confused Wang Qi. It seemed that what the other party was saying was not a lie.

If they really had any schemes against him, they would surely use this reason to manipulate him, instead of rejecting him so decisively.

"Do you have any solution?"

"No, you could find a place to bury me or just leave me be. I think it's quite nice now. Anyway, you as a ground citizen don't have the power to send me back. Think of it as having an extra neighbor, we can chat every day," he said.

Wang Qi was surprised. The Divine inside the White Jade Gourd seemed to have given up the idea of returning to his original body.

"You don't want to go back?" he asked tentatively.

"Either way, it's all the same to me," the voice carried an indifferent tone.

"Why? Didn't you say before that you wanted me to send you back?" Wang Qi, after realizing that the Divine inside the White Jade Gourd couldn't threaten him, became much bolder.

"That was before. You, a ground citizen, can't even leave the island and can't possess Transcendent abilities, so I don't expect much from you. Are you really going to hand me over? Aren't you afraid that the Royal Family on the island will execute you to keep a secret?" The response was mocking, completely addressing Wang Qi's situation and mentality.

Wang Qi was stunned and then sighed.

"Alright, let's just be neighbors," he said weakly.

What else could he do? His status as a ground citizen was like a shackle.

"By the way, aren't you going to eat dinner? I remember ground citizens have three meals a day, right?" The White Jade Gourd brought up another vexing topic.

Wang Qi's face darkened, and then he said, "I'm sorry I haven't had dinner."

"Why are you sorry to me? I don't eat. You're only letting yourself down. But in this regard, I could help you out."

Hearing this, Wang Qi instinctively became vigilant. He suspected that the other party wanted him to offer tributes to the Divines.

"You can go scavenging. I can sense that not far north from here, there are some unclaimed foods. As you know, being a Divine, I have some special abilities," the voice from the White Jade Gourd was completely different from that of Wang Qi.

"To the north? How far?"

"Well, not sure, but if you run fast enough, you should be able to get it and come back before the sun sets into the sea," the other party was vague: "I'm just a small part, being able to sense this much is already quite good. I can't help you too much."

Wang Qi, looking somewhat skeptical, replied, "Then I'll go take a look. If it's true, then thank you very much."

Having said that, Wang Qi dashed out.

He was cautious of the Divine in the White Jade Gourd, but he was truly hungry and took this opportunity to test whether the other party really had good intentions.

After all, he knew the nature of the Divine—they often ate sea people and destroyed islands.

As he walked north, he indeed found a severely injured rabbit. Such a creature was rare. After looking around and seeing no one, he noticed that the rabbit was covered in wounds, likely bitten by hunting dogs. It must have escaped from the Royal Family's hunting grounds.

Realizing this, he quickly tucked the rabbit into his coat. This was something he couldn't let anyone discover. Being alone and without any power, if someone found out, they would definitely take it from him.

The commoners' lives were secured, but only those who were wealthy. The area where Wang Qi lived was notoriously a slum where going hungry was the norm.

As for the so-called three meals a day for the commoners, it was a joke initially set up to attract sea people. Now that his island had an abundance of commoners, it naturally became obsolete.

"Hey kid, in such a hurry, what are you up to?" On his way back, a tall figure blocked his path.

Three more people also surrounded him.

Wang Qi recognized these four as infamous local ruffians.

"Brother Li, it's getting dark, I... I was just heading home," Wang Qi stammered. These four usually ignored him because he was poor and had nothing worth extorting.

Unexpectedly, he was bumped into this time.

"Huh, you think I'm blind?" Brother Li the ruffian slapped Wang Qi on the face, sending him rolling on the ground like a tumbleweed, and the rabbit in his coat was exposed.

The man walked over, picked up the now-dead rabbit, and sneered, "Looks like you're in luck, kid. Next time you get something like this, remember to pay tribute to me, got it?"

As he spoke, he slapped Wang Qi two more times, swelling his cheeks and causing blood to trickle from the corners of his mouth.

The remaining three henchmen also kicked him a few times as a warning.

"Also, remember, you called me Brother Li? Next time we meet, remember to call me Mr. Li, otherwise I'll cut off your tongue to teach you about hierarchy, get it?" Brother Li the ruffian said disdainfully as he lifted Wang Qi.

"I, I understand," Wang Qi murmured weakly.

"Haha, good to know." The man chuckled proudly, then threw Wang Qi out, covering him in mud, before saying, "Now scram, unless you want to stay and lick Mr. Li's boots."

The remaining three ruffians also laughed and jeered.

Seeing this, Wang Qi could only hurry to his feet and leave. He did not show any resentful look or utter the proverb, "Thirty years on the east river bank, thirty years on the west; do not despise the poor youth," because he knew that any hint of such sentiment would definitely not spare him, and they would eventually kill him.

Yet, a blaze of anger ignited within him.

Why should he suffer such maltreatment for no reason?

Unfortunately, after the anger came powerlessness. He was just a commoner without any Transcendent abilities, and he appeared somewhat weak due to malnutrition. He was no match for the four ruffians, especially since there were rumors that the ruffians had some connections backing them, which made them so arrogant.

After a beating and losing his dinner, Wang Qi felt quite despondent.

The sky also darkened gradually—having no choice, he could only head back home, as it was not safe outside.