"Still want to reason with my brother Han Fei?"
He shook his head, retracted all the nuclear bombs,
And signaled to the others, striding into the ruins.
"..."
The others swallowed their saliva upon seeing this,
This guy was truly a model of reasoning with people...
Inside the starry ruins,
The Star Spirit remained still. Even without eyes, one could sense its resentment.
"Um, Brother Han Fei, our resources..."
At this moment, the ten people from the Snow Country looked fearful and said, "Due to time constraints, it may take two days for them to be delivered."
"No problem."
Chen Shu waved his hand and said with a smile, "I trust you won't go back on your word."
He didn't actually trust them, but rather himself... and his nuclear bombs.
With his current immense strength, the aid of various miraculous potions, and his "Han Fei" personality, even powerful factions with King-level Beast Tamers dared not provoke him.
"Thank you, Brother Han Fei..."
The ten people rejoiced, fearing that Chen Shu might get displeased and drive them out.
"Alright, the checkpoints are about to open, prepare yourselves!"
The twenty people's expressions stirred, and they all nodded, anticipation in their eyes.
Chen Shu smiled slightly, "Don't be too nervous. As long as you've paid, I'll take special care of you."
"..."
The Star Spirit beside him remained silent, but it had a feeling that:
It had been sold out...
Buzz buzz buzz—
The starry sea blazed, stars descended from the sky, transporting the twenty people to their respective checkpoints.
Meanwhile, Chen Shu and Zhang Dali headed to the core of the ruins, silently overseeing the upcoming challenges.
According to the rules set by the Star King, Chen Shu could not interfere within the checkpoints, but he could ensure everyone went to a checkpoint suited to their abilities.
This wasn't his first time doing such a thing, so he was naturally adept at it.
In the core of the ruins, Dali was diligently cooking, leaving Chen Shu and the Star Spirit leaning against each other.
The Star Spirit's gaze was filled with resentment, regretting its naivete in choosing Chen Shu at first glance...
However, regret or not, it still decided to try its best to change the "Han Fei."
The Star Spirit said softly, "The ruins' power is dwindling..."
"Yes, I know that."
Chen Shu nodded and said, "That's why I haven't summoned giants anymore."
"..."
The Star Spirit was silent for a moment. Did he summon them willingly?
Didn't he fail to summon them?
"Once the starlight is depleted, the ruins will collapse..."
"Don't worry, I know my limits!"
"..."
The Star Spirit's heart twitched. "Then why did you flood their checkpoints..."
If he continued like this, the ruins wouldn't last another ten years.
"Little Star Spirit..."
Chen Shu turned his gaze towards it, speaking with a serious tone, "What is the primary purpose of the ruins?"
"To cultivate talented human Beast Tamers."
"And what am I doing now?"
"..."
The Star Spirit's mind reeled, and for a moment, it couldn't speak. It seemed to make sense...
"But... you also took benefits. You're... lining your own pockets!"
"Where did you learn that phrase?"
Chen Shu glanced at it and asked, "What am I taking benefits for?"
"For yourself."
"Exactly!"
Chen Shu did not refute, but smiled and said:
"I'm cultivating myself. I'm also a talented Beast Tamer, and isn't that also the core purpose of the ruins?"
"..."
The Star Spirit's mind went completely blank. It vaguely felt something was wrong, but it couldn't refute it.
"I know..."
Chen Shu said earnestly, "You want to pursue sustainable development and don't want the ruins to collapse so quickly."
"That's right!"
The Star Spirit quickly nodded, finally finding its own thought.
"But this is a chaotic era..."
Chen Shu sighed, "If we don't rapidly improve our strength, humanity might be destroyed in this generation. What meaning would your ruins have then?"
"..."
The Star Spirit was once again rendered speechless, its thoughts wavering.
After a while, it tentatively said, "There are so many humans, they can't all be wiped out."
"That's true, especially the strong Beast Tamers, who can at least protect themselves."
Chen Shu nodded. "But at that time, ferocious beasts will become the rulers, and humans will be reduced to street rats. Even with the ruins' power, can they turn the tide?"
"..."
"If that's the case, why not use all available forces while the situation is still good and take a gamble!"
Chen Shu's eyes were resolute, saying, "Isn't that better than your prolonging your existence?"
"..."
The Star Spirit remained silent, not expecting Chen Shu to see things so clearly, and to be so spirited.
"But what if we lose... the ruins are gone, and hope is gone..."
"If we lose, we run."
Chen Shu blurted out, "You don't need to worry about this; I've already planned the escape routes, so survival is not an issue."
"???"
The Star Spirit's heart instantly froze. It had truly thought Chen Shu was prepared to fight to the death, but it turned out he had already planned to flee.
"Then what was the point of the ruins' sacrifice..."
"It increases our chances of survival!"
Chen Shu smiled faintly and said, "The ruins are merely a tool to enhance strength, not hope. Humanity is hope!"
"To meticulously preserve a tool while sacrificing the people who use it, isn't that utterly foolish?"
"I..."
The Star Spirit wanted to say something, but for a moment, it couldn't refute.
Chen Shu's words had directly changed its way of thinking...
The Star King, the owner of the ruins, also believed that the ruins should be sustainably developed, nurturing generations of human geniuses.
But Chen Shu was different; he wouldn't leave any hope for future generations.
"Little Star Spirit, the situation has changed."
Chen Shu said faintly, "This is the greatest beast crisis in a thousand years. Preserving the ruins is no longer meaningful!"
"However, you don't need to worry too much. I won't strip away all of the ruins' power."
Chen Shu wasn't going to be completely ruthless and said:
"But before we reach that bottom line, hand over all other power to me!"
"..."
The Star Spirit remained silent but had already accepted Chen Shu's words in its heart.
Faced with Chen Shu's verbal onslaught, it felt its own reasoning was untenable and was completely swayed.
"I believe my words have touched your soul. Think it over carefully."
Chen Shu's lips curved upward, and he thought to himself, 'Little one, can't I even win you over?'
Several days later,
Chen Shu was sitting below the starry sea when a prompt echoed in his mind:
[Explosion Potion proficiency has reached 100%, the illustration book for enhanced explosion potions can now be opened.]
"Huh?"
Chen Shu blinked slightly, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
In five days, he had concocted a thousand bottles of explosion potions, successfully completing the official mission.
"Free unlock for the enhanced version?"
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow; it was an unexpected pleasant surprise.
But when he opened the illustration book, his expression froze.
[To unlock the illustration book for the enhanced explosion potion, 10,000 guiding points are required.]
"???"
Chen Shu's mouth gaped open. Even unlocking it cost money? Were they that desperate for cash?
Ten thousand guiding points were roughly equivalent to one hundred billion in resources, which was no small sum.
"What's going on with this system recently?"
He muttered to himself. Previously, all rewards were free, but now it was asking for top-ups.
Was it possible this was just another online game masquerading as free-to-play?