I Don't Agree to the Terms

"I'm back, why didn't you bring back any food?" The Divine within the White Jade Gourd seemed somewhat puzzled.

"There was an incident." Wang Qi wiped the dried blood from the corner of his mouth and said nothing.

"That's really too bad," the other party said with regret and then continued, "There's no good food left around here anymore."

"Alas." Upon hearing these words, Wang Qi didn't say anything and just sighed. He didn't know why things had turned out this way, he could only blame those despicable thugs.

As a result, he could only tighten his belt and gulp down some cold water to quell his hunger.

"If... I mean, if I offer Tribute to your true form, can I shed my identity as a Groundling and become a Sea Dweller with Transcendent abilities?" Wang Qi suddenly spoke up.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't recommend you do that. After all, your life is miserable right now, but at least you're not in mortal danger. Those Evil Gods prefer feasting on Sea Dwellers. To them, you Groundlings are more like a clump of mud that's hard to swallow," the Divine in the White Jade Gourd advised kindly.

Hearing this, Wang Qi's eyes widened in disbelief. When things were spelled out like this, wasn't the Divine supposed to ease out of the topic?

"But I don't want to live like this," Wang Qi's face crumpled with frustration. He was diligent and yet had nothing, while those four thugs did nothing but cause trouble and still ate their fill of fish and meat every day. How was he supposed to accept this?

"Oh, then work harder. Like, do more work or study something. That way, you can enjoy life."

Wang Qi couldn't help rolling his eyes at these words. Young he may be at only fourteen, but he was no fool. How could he believe what the other had said?

If he really took his advice, then the happiest beings would be the donkeys that turn the millstones and the oxen that till the fields.

"You seem not to know my situation," Wang Qi said exasperatedly.

"So what if I know? You live a hard and hopeless life and then you plan to rely on paying Tribute to a Divine to change your fate. Yes, this can indeed change your situation, but the problem is, is this really what you want? I think you should strive and study diligently, then you can be successful," the Divine in the White Jade Gourd kept dishing out motivational advice as if it were endless chicken soup, feeding him grand promises.

Wang Qi was so stuffed with these platitudes that he didn't know what to say. It was his first time encountering such a Divine.

At that moment, he also came to understand that this Divine named Shanyuhai was a Good God, not one of those Evil Gods. Otherwise, why wouldn't it concern itself with Tributes?

"With that kind of thinking, no wonder you got sealed inside a Transcendent object," Wang Qi now let down his guard somewhat.

"I think it's quite good. Though I've lost my physical body, I've also escaped from the Godslayer Alliance. Despite being trapped, these past few days I've at least had someone to talk to, which is much better than before."

"Sigh, if I had known not to listen to them back then, I wouldn't have lost all my power now. If I still had a sliver of Divine Power, I could have used some plants to conjure roasted chickens and ducks for you. Maybe then you could live a bit longer."

The other party's tone was filled with regret, as if Wang Qi's life would not last much longer.

"Wait a second, what do you mean 'live a bit longer'?" Wang Qi was puzzled. Why did the conversation suddenly turn to this?

"Eh? You didn't know? I thought you were aware," the voice sounded puzzled and then paused: "Due to prolonged hard work and the erosion by the sea breeze among other factors, your blood has undergone a bad change. In about a month or two, you'll start showing early symptoms and given your living conditions, wealthier people might endure the agony for three to five years. You, on the other hand, given your miserable situation, have at most a year to live, and you won't have to worry about suffering from illness."

"So, I suggest you prepare some burial funds in advance to avoid being thrown into the sea after death. Otherwise, your soul would suffer eternal torment under the sea, for you are a Groundling."

"..." Upon hearing this, Wang Qi had the sinking feeling that his future was bleak.

Before, it was just a miserable existence, but now life was on the line, and after death, even his soul wouldn't find peace in the sea.

Meanwhile, he also felt a chill run down his spine. It seemed that no one knew that the bodies of Groundlings thrown into the sea after death were subjected to torment. Perhaps only those who exist like Divines would know.

After the death of island Groundlings, they were all supposed to be thrown into the sea so their corpses wouldn't pollute the island, and only the Royal Family was privileged enough to be buried on the island after death.

However, if a new Royal Family replaced the old one, the previous corpses would be dug up and thrown into the sea because of limited space.

"You're not lying to me, are you?" Despite feeling uneasy, Wang Qi couldn't help but question it.

"Why would I lie to you? I'm not planning on treating you anyway. Considering we've been chatting for a while, I'm just giving you a heads-up, so you don't die without knowing why," the other party's tone was indifferent, showing no concern for Wang Qi's well-being.

"Alright, it's getting late, and you haven't eaten, so go to sleep and save some strength. Maybe it'll even let you live a few days longer. Don't overwork yourself lately, since you're about to die anyway."