I Don't Agree to the Terms

"The amplification is so minor as to be negligible; if it weren't for the visible benefits, I'd consider abandoning the project altogether."

Gu Shanhai sensed the Twin Flowers within him intertwined with one another, a special state formed through the mutual growth of primitive Spiritual Energy and primitive Ghost Energy, which was the seventh level called Twin of his "Plant Cultivation Guide," no, rather, the "Green Emperor Longevity Scripture."

The initial stages—seed stage, sprouting stage, root formation stage, leaf expansion stage, blooming stage—were all but groundwork; the real benefits lie in the final fruiting stage.

The fruits borne by the Twin Flowers embodied the concepts of life and death.

Fortunately, the initial investment had been completed, and Gu Shanhai no longer needed to worry; he just had to quietly wait for the Twin Flowers to bear fruit.

But the required time was not short; judging by the current progress and the Secondary Ghost Energy Aura and Secondary Spiritual Energy Aura provided by the virtual game "Life," it would take at least about ten years.

Gu Shanhai could accept this timeframe. If it were Emperor Navia, ten years would be nothing to him; he would accept even a hundred or a thousand years.

"Speaking of which, it seems there has been quite some progress at the Royal Research Institute."

It had been ten years since the Royal Research Institute and the Princes went to the cancer universe. These ten years had been quite miserable. Prince Tulip had returned several times, trying to lure Gu Shanhai into joining the battle there.

Fortunately, there were zero casualties, and lucky for them, the cancer universe did not perish, and as long as one entered, enjoyment awaited; otherwise, these Princes might have fled back long ago, beaten and bedraggled.

Meanwhile, numerous council members followed suit; after all, there was no death to fear, and being at the front line could boost morale... baloney. Morale soared not one bit. Instead, amateurs instructing experts led to mishaps whenever a council member waved their hands, and the subordinates took the fall.

Luckily, the council members eventually came to their senses, not interfering without related benefits. With the Royal Family acting as a counterbalance, the initial chaos subsided, and things are much improved now.

However, too many deaths could cause issues, leading to bodily changes such as the growth of bone spurs or tumors.

But faced with the concept of immortality and eternal life, everyone was fearless.

And so, they built a city near the passageway, surviving solely on logistical supplies and sheer recklessness, daily resisting the onslaught of cancerous lifeforms, akin to a beast tide.

In recent years, they even captured many cancerous lifeforms and brought them back to the Navia Empire for experimentation, but unfortunately, once inside the Navia Empire, these lifeforms lost their immortality, casting the researchers into deep distress, nearly to the point of tearing their hair out.

The same conclusion was reached by all: researching immortality was only possible within the cancer universe; it was impossible in the Navia Empire.

This was precisely why Emperor Navia's interest in the cancer universe had significantly waned.

Otherwise, after ten years, there should have been some reaction; the lack of any suggested a lack of interest, or perhaps he was simply waiting to reap the final results.

On the contrary, it seemed like the council members started to see the cancer universe as their pleasure ground, planning to establish a power base there to leech off the entire Navia.

Price inflation over the past ten years was indeed largely a result of Jile Technology's monopoly, which in turn was foundationally a consequence of the council members shifting their focus.

This had been a ten-year war, never ceasing for twenty-four hours, with resources burning continuously; coupled with the council members' indulgent lifestyles, the daily consumption neared one-tenth the value of war materials.

Such drain, even without Jile Technology's monopoly, would still impact the economy of the Navia Empire.

However, Emperor Navia likely intervened in the domestic economy to prevent more than just simple price increases, or else a financial crisis would have ensued.

The method of intervention was certainly traceable, and Gu Shanhai didn't pay it too much mind.

He recognized that Emperor Navia cared less about the state of the Empire and more about his own kingly rights, savoring the lonely sensation of invincible power.

Gu Shanhai did not maliciously break this mindset. Instead, he presented himself and Jile Technology as posing no threat to imperial power, groveling before it, while gradually eroding the entirety of the Navia Empire.

With a shield that enabled stable development, Gu Shanhai saw no need to disturb the status quo.

Emperor Navia had considered taking Jile Technology for the Royal Family but found no way to do so; its scale was now too large, plus public opinion hindered any forceful acquisition.

Moreover, the Royal Family had assessed that acquiring it would not result in a tremendous asset but a colossal liability, equivalent to taking on someone else's problems.

When Gu Shanhai offered interest-free, zero-down-payment loans for basic and intermediate Jile packages, Jile Technology's books looked great, but in reality, they were full of uncollected debts.

And then, the virtual game "Life," which should have been highly profitable, became a loss-making project when Gu Shanhai opened up the channel to redeem Gold Coins.

As for closing this channel, if he dared to do so, the game "Life" would end its own existence.