The Era of Gods

Chapter 416: Chapter 416 Concerns

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The Prince, who ranked seventh, was previously inconspicuous, but during this tumult, he inexplicably gained support and managed to defeat several brothers in one fell swoop, claiming six provinces and suddenly becoming the third most powerful force in the Empire.

The Church, too, smelled something unusual amid the chaos and dared not relocate the local Church’s military force, causing the situation at the plane level to become stagnant for a time.

For Lin Xiao, this was good news. The more chaotic the world, the more time he would have to make ample preparations.

That day, Lin Xiao once again met a familiar face in the Temple of Wisdom.

Xinhua and a few companions clenched their fists over their chests and gave a slight bow to the figure seated on the throne above the hall, speaking in a deep voice:

“It has been many years since we last met, Brother Rore has become even more powerful.”

Lin Xiao’s gaze swept over Xinhua then settled on the beautiful figure standing next to him. Noting the teardrop mole between her eyebrows, he smiled and nodded:

“Miss Lisha, it’s been a long time.”

The beauty was none other than Lisha, whom he had encountered at the Advent Base. She spoke with a complex expression:

“A golden scale was originally but a trifling thing in a pond, but once storms arise, it transforms into a dragon. I didn’t expect that after your descent into this world, Brother Rore, you would encounter such fortune. Now, you are the most powerful in the entire plane.”

Lin Xiao smiled and replied:

“Of course, when the faith of an entire Kingdom is devoted to me, naturally I will become more powerful.”

The others all showed expressions of unabashed envy as Xinhua asked:

“Brother Rore, are you preparing to walk the path of Divine Enthronement through faith?”

Lin Xiao pretended to sigh and raised his hands, Life Force appearing as he spoke:

“In this plane, there’s nothing at all, faith can replace Deity Indwelling Power, but I lack all other means to light up my talents, so I have no choice but to follow the path of Divine Enthronement.”

Xinhua nodded in understanding:

“It’s indeed a pity. If there were no Holy God, one could first collect the Power of Faith and use it after leaving the plane. Alas.”

Lin Xiao shook his head:

“There are no ‘what-ifs’ in the world, if I could ‘what if,’ I wouldn’t be standing here.”

He quickly changed the subject:

“By the way, brother Xinhua, what brings you here this time…?”

Xinhua smiled and said:

“My visit this time is to ask for Brother Rore’s support with troops.”

Before Lin Xiao could speak, Xinhua extended his hand and continued:

“Please let me finish talking before you decide whether to offer your support with troops.”

He paused for a moment, then sat down to listen.

“You might have guessed it, Brother Rore. We play a part in Saernos Empire’s internal strife, and our supporter is none other than the seventh Prince. Now with Saernos Empire in a three-way standoff, external forces are needed to break the deadlock, so I have been entrusted by Elder Brother to come seek Brother Rore’s….”

“Hold on a second.”

Lin Xiao directly interrupted him, saying:

“Get to the point. What are the benefits for me? You need to know that we are so far away from the Saernos Empire, needing to cross a country for a military expedition. If the payoff isn’t substantial enough, please forgive me for declining.”

Actually, he had no intention of agreeing at all, as crossing an entire country for a military expedition was, frankly, a joke.

But he couldn’t outright refuse, so he chose to lay out his conditions bluntly first.

However, Xinhua spoke with such confidence that he could persuade him, which puzzled Lin Xiao.

Xinhua said:

“Before I mention the conditions, let me first tell Brother Rore a secret. When the Plane Will awakens and the Element Tides surge, if one has enough strength to forcibly push them and enlarge the scope of the surge, until a certain point is reached, it can briefly shake the underlying fundamental rules of the universe. At that moment, the universe’s Crystal Wall will exhibit slight fluctuations, creating minuscule fissures, allowing brief communication from the inside of the universe to the outside.”

At this juncture, Xinhua looked at Lin Xiao and continued in a tempting tone:

“Brother Rore might not know what this means, but it signifies that we can briefly break through the blockade of the Totem Universe and communicate with the Gaia Will, thus establishing a Gaia Node.”

“Once a Gaia Node is successfully established, the feedback from the Gaia Will will massively enhance our True Body’s strength and grant us unimaginable benefits. Even if your True Body is a Demigod and you wish to be enthroned, regardless of your level, even if you are just an ordinary Son of God realm, the feedback from the Gaia Will is enough to rectify all your past deficiencies, achieving instantaneous Divine Enthronement, and your potential will be no lesser than those elites from the high-level colleges.”

Xinhua spoke passionately, his words full of enticement. Honestly, if it were someone else, they might have been easily swayed by his rhetoric.

But Lin Xiao didn’t listen to his sales pitch. Instead, he waited for the real offer and asked the question that cut to the heart of the matter:

“If I commit troops, what do I get?”

Xinhua hesitated for a moment before replying:

“If you commit troops, once the matter is successfully concluded, you will receive half of our gains in this plane, and we can help you unify the neighboring countries, expanding your realm of faith. How does that sound?”

“And what else?”

Lin Xiao’s mouth was slightly ajar, a hint of displeasure in his heart.

However, even Xinhua faltered slightly before saying:

“Isn’t that enough?”

“No, it’s not!”

He expressed his rejection with an emotionless face.

What a joke. Benefits? That was just treating him like a fool.

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Do they need me to unify the surrounding area? I could do it myself. It would only take some time.

Half of all gains after success? After success, the territory and profits I occupy would already be more than all of theirs combined. If I develop even better by then, am I expected to return a part to them?

And most importantly, he didn’t mention the core interest. As for who gets the primary credit for establishing the Gaia Node, he didn’t even bring it up. Clearly, he is insincere.

Lin Xiao suppressed the urge to curse and said:

“I’m sorry, I’m not interested in this.”

After he spoke, the room fell silent, without anyone speaking.

Xinhua’s face turned somewhat ugly, but he found himself at a loss for words for a while. Then, forcing a chuckle, he said:

“Brother Rore, won’t you consider it? If the offer seems low, we can discuss it further.”

At this moment, one of his companions spoke up unhappily:

“Fifty percent of the gains isn’t enough? Aren’t you being too greedy? Do you want to take it all?”

Glancing at the speaker, Lin Xiao wondered if he really understood the matter of the Gaia Node. If not, the idea was normal. But if he did, that would make him just as bad.

Regardless of what they said, Lin Xiao firmly shook his head in refusal:

“Every man for himself; heaven and earth annihilate those who do not fend for themselves. I have struggled to secure my current territory. If you were nearby, I would help out, but asking me to pay a huge price to assist across countries is impossible.”

Pausing for a moment, without waiting for them to respond, Lin Xiao continued:

“It’s like the rules within the Adventurer Organization. Mutual aid is premised on not affecting another’s interests and within one’s own capabilities. Your request exceeds my abilities and would impact my interests significantly, so I refuse. It’s perfectly reasonable.”

After this, the others were left speechless. The other female Descender and the beautiful Lisha had been silent the whole time, not even speaking when Xinhua was persuading them. It seemed they were not on the same side.

Seeing his resolute stance, Xinhua naturally had nothing more to say, spreading his hands with a forced laugh:

“If that’s the case, then it’s a pity. Let’s talk about something else.”

After a few exchanges, Xinhua quickly resumed a normal complexion as if the displeasure from before never occurred. He then said:

“Since Brother Rore cannot send troops, could you sell us some materials? We will pay for them.”

Lin Xiao did not immediately agree but first inquired:

“May I ask which materials you wish to purchase?”

“A thousand Beast Potions, five hundred Enhanced Beast Potions, two hundred Giant Compounds…”

“Hold on.”

Lin Xiao cut him off:

“Five hundred Beast Potions, fifty Enhanced Beast Potions. There are no more Giant Compounds, and don’t even mention the Advanced Giant Compounds. Such good stuff, I’ve used up long ago.”

What a joke, demanding a thousand Beast Potions and five hundred Enhanced Beast Potions as a start. How could he possibly give out so many of these trump cards that allowed him to crush native kingdoms? This would only bring trouble upon himself.

“Five hundred is quite low. How about nine hundred.”

“Only five hundred, no more.”

Lin Xiao patiently explained:

“To have so many of these good things in stock is already remarkable. I need to keep some for personal use. If I give them all to you, what will I do?”

“But five hundred is too few. Let’s step back a bit, how about eight hundred?”

“Five hundred.”

“Then seven hundred?”

“Five hundred.”

“Brother Rore, I’ve come down from nine hundred. Can’t you budge a little? How about six hundred?”

“Five hundred.”

Xinhua….

“Alright, five hundred it is. You really know how to do business.”

“No, I don’t know how to do business; I really only have that many. I wouldn’t have any more to give you.”

Two days later, watching Xinhua and another Descender carrying a box departing, Lin Xiao turned to Lisha and the other female Descender:

“Come, I will take you to my great church.”

They didn’t leave with Xinhua. They had come with him this time intending to join Lin Xiao.

That didn’t mean working under him; rather, their previous subordinates and territory had already perished in the continuous conflicts. Now they were commanders without anything to their name. Moreover, both being women, they weren’t as interested in warfare as men. So, after discussing, they decided to come here to ask him for a piece of land for evangelism.

It was merely the right to evangelize, with no need for land or to establish an army. They planned to ignore the affairs of the plane and focus solely on evangelism, gathering some Power of Faith to replace the Deity Indwelling Power. After leaving this plane, as long as they gathered enough materials to illuminate their Talent, they could quickly increase their strength and become Official Totem Masters.

As long as they had no other motives, Lin Xiao was welcoming and did not skimp on offering a piece of land.

He carved out an entire province from the last Kingdom he conquered, withdrew the Priests he had assigned there, and divided it into two, giving each of the women a region for their mission work.

It was simply a mission area, with the province’s government institutions remaining unchanged.

He wasn’t afraid of any schemes they might have. No matter what, as long as the military power was in his hands, any ulterior motives wouldn’t be able to stir up trouble. By law

Of course, they truly had no other intentions, only the simple desire to find a safe place to accumulate some Power of Faith.