Yes, I became a god just by exercising.

Chapter 135 The Gate of Stars, finally obtained!
Outside Rum, on the Baron Sea, an extraordinary market.

The Extraordinary Market was as lively as ever. Even at dusk, it was still bustling with people, fog people, giants, and blade people... Okay, I'll stop rambling.

To Shafa's surprise, he also saw the royal family of Sremus, whose faces had mouths on both sides.

And a demi-human with a golden cloth bag on its back, but an unusually short stature and golden skin.

There are even many other strange and peculiar... well... demi-humans, each with their own unique characteristics.

It seems that the Fog Carnival will only get more lively as the seven days go by.

Humans and demi-humans from the entire Wright Starfield are expected to arrive one after another to participate in this once-every-five-years carnival.

Although the most important carnival activities are over, isn't shopping and enjoying delicious food the real meaning of carnival?
Xia Fa had already changed his body shape and appearance. This time, he still chose the same two-meter-tall but thin as a bamboo pole body. He still wore a wooden clown mask on his face, with his eyes curved and his mouth forming a creepy and eerie smile.

Due to the urgency of the situation, and the uncertainty of when the nameplate at Risel Thirteen would change from iron to wood again—which would mean that Dick Tudor would leave again—Shafa headed straight for the location of the secret trading shop.

This time, however, upon arriving at the entrance of the secret trading shop, the fat shopkeeper was nowhere to be seen; the area behind the counter was empty, with not a single person in sight.

Xia Fa found it strange; with no one guarding the place, wasn't he afraid someone would steal things?

But he immediately realized that with the Secret Trade Shop's ability to operate on every inhabited planet in the Wright Starfield, they probably weren't worried about anyone stealing their things.

Xia Fa shook his head, preparing to switch to another store for the transaction.

"Haha, please take care, sir. Come again next time, come again next time."

A burst of laughter rang out from the shop's corridor, and the portly shopkeeper smiled as he saw a customer dressed as an aristocrat out.

The noble guest made no attempt to disguise his physique or appearance, not even wearing a mask. He simply swaggered out of the store and glanced at Xia Fa casually as he passed by.

The portly boss suddenly noticed Xia Fa, his eyes widening slightly.
"Guest, it's only been half a day. Are you here to buy something, or have you finally raised enough money?"

Xia Fa continued to feign indifference:
"No, I'm here to sell things."

His idea was simple: to expedite the transaction, using the identity he had at noon would be faster, since that identity had already established a basic level of trust with the fat boss.

If trouble arises after this, I can simply abandon this identity altogether.

The portly boss, true to his business acumen, reacted swiftly. He spat into each hand, smoothed his slicked-back, center-parted hair, and immediately bowed, gesturing for the customer to come in with a warm welcome.
"Haha, no problem, guest, please come in~"

Xia Fa chuckled inwardly, always feeling that this chubby boss seemed happier receiving things than selling them.

He didn't bother with formalities and strode along the corridor formed by the two rows of oak cabinets deep inside the store, eventually arriving at the fat boss's bedroom.

The familiar smell of sweat and grease wafted over, and Xia Fa sat down across from him at the tea table with practiced ease.

The fat boss flipped the pillow over, slightly affecting the flow of time in the small bedroom, and sealed the space with living iron powder.

Then, he sat down opposite Xia Fa, rubbed his short, chubby hands together, and said with a gleam in his narrow eyes:
"What does the customer want to sell this time? Is it another high-level secret contract?"

Xia Fa didn't speak, but indifferently stretched out his withered hands and wiped them on the tea table.

Fifty-nine sharp fangs of the binding chains, the heart of the binding chains, nine high-level secret contracts, a transparent tube disguised as a giant lizard, a decoy flesh flower disguised as a giant lizard, a spirit-eating tree frog inside an ice ball...

An extraordinary array of items, filling an entire tea table, appeared before the portly boss.

The fat boss shuddered, his body jerked backward, and he almost fell off the bench.

He quickly grabbed the edge of the table with both hands, straightened up, and stared wide-eyed at the extraordinary items on the table.

Then, he swallowed hard.

"Lord, guest, where did you get all this from?"

The fat boss was clearly a connoisseur; he immediately grabbed the fangs with his left hand and the heart with his right, instantly recognizing it.

"The teeth and heart of the demigod-level supernatural being 'Chaining Chains'?"

He put it down, then picked up one extraordinary item after another, examining them and marveling at their beauty:

"Lord, the spirit-eating tree frog! And the spirit tube disguised as a giant lizard! Wait, the Secret Pact of the Crow's Eye?"

Xia Fa remained unmoved, calmly watching him, as if the things he had taken out meant nothing to him.

After a while, the chubby boss finally finished inspecting the goods. He looked up, his face crinkling with laughter, and held up three short, chubby fingers:

"Sir, you must be knowledgeable in this field. A fixed price of 320,000 gold pounds, what do you think?"

Xia Fa was slightly taken aback, because he realized that it was just a little bit off.

He previously had 170,000 gold pounds, and now these extraordinary materials and high-level secret contracts can be sold for 320,000 gold pounds, which is... exactly 10,000 gold pounds short!
After thinking for a moment, Xia Fa decided to use the same trick again, deliberately remaining silent to show his dissatisfaction with the price, hoping to get the fat boss to raise the price on his own initiative.

Unexpectedly, the chubby boss suddenly said something that surprised him:

"Of course, if the customer is willing to agree to one condition—or rather, agree to one condition—I can make the decision to give you an extra 10% discount on purchases and sales indefinitely."

Xia Fa's gaze suddenly turned to him, his voice remaining indifferent yet carrying a hint of inquiry:
"What do you mean?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the fat boss dropped his mercenary expression and suddenly became inscrutable.

The chubby boss suddenly sat up straight, adjusted his glasses, and his gaze was calmer than ever before, even carrying a hint of...intimidation.

At that moment, Xia Fa felt as if someone who was used to wearing a clown mask and welcoming guests had suddenly revealed their true self.

That true side was like revealing only the tip of an iceberg of past experiences, and that massive iceberg... was enough to make one feel suffocated.

The fat boss's calm voice rang out, but beneath it lay a treacherous undercurrent; it didn't sound like a transaction, but rather like a negotiation.

"It means that for this transaction, I can give you an extra 32,000 gold pounds, or even make up the difference from last time and give you another 16,000 gold pounds. However... you need to agree to join us, or rather, have the person behind you cooperate with us when necessary."

Xia Fa narrowed his eyes slightly, vaguely guessing what was going on, but remained silent.

In fact, as early as when he took out the fangs and heart that bound the chains, he had thought that someone would definitely connect his current skinny, bamboo-like physique with the three-meter-tall metal doll that had signed the Silver Throne in the Mist God Hunting Grounds.

He just didn't expect that the fat boss had thought even deeper than him, regarding him as the agent of the extraordinary person who signed the Silver Throne.

However, it was all actually Xia Fa himself...

The portly boss tapped lightly on the mahogany table with one hand, making a tapping sound, his gaze fixed directly into Xia Fa's eyes:
"Let me be frank, you don't need to hide it anymore. A future transcendent monarch has appeared in the Mist God Hunting Grounds, and moreover, he signed the Silver Throne, a hegemonic-level secret contract. I already know about this. We have people in both the Silver Church and the Church of Nature, and coincidentally..."

He leaned forward slightly, making the oppressive aura he exuded even stronger.
"Our next operation will require the abilities of this future extraordinary monarch... the secret power of the Silver Throne."

Xia Fa thought to himself, "As expected," but outwardly remained calm and said:
"What about the other conditions?"

The fat boss stopped tapping his fingers on the table. Below his fingers, a triangular gold badge had appeared, engraved with an exquisitely crafted half-decayed World Tree.

Shadow gold is a rare metal. Due to its extremely limited production, often less than 100 grams can be mined from a single vein, making it extremely expensive.

Even a piece of gold the size of a coin would be worth at least 50,000 gold pounds.

The fact that this organization can use this metal to make badges demonstrates its financial resources.

"There are no other conditions. Our organization holds a dream conference every now and then. The scope can be as small as Rum City, or as large as the entire Wright Starfield, or even the entire universe."

"The person behind you can come or not, and then they will cooperate with us when necessary."

"As for the benefits, all you need to do is get the person behind you to attend one dream meeting, and I believe he will be reluctant to miss any of them."

The fat boss's tone was as calm as the water in a deep pool, yet it carried the allure of a whisper from the abyss. With a flick of his finger, the shadow gold badge engraved with the half-decayed World Tree fell into Xia Fa's arms.

"Let the person behind you think about it. Not to mention in the Kingdom of Augu, even in the entire Wright Starfield, or even the entire universe, there are only a handful of people who can sign the Silver Throne, a hegemonic-level secret contract."

He withdrew his gaze from Xia Fa's eyes, his tone softening slightly:
"But we won't force him. If he's willing, he can wear the badge under the moonlight tonight at midnight. If he's not willing, he can return the badge."

Shafa held the shadow gold badge in his hand, which was as light as a feather yet incredibly hard, and looked up, saying:
“I am someone he can absolutely trust, so I want to ask on his behalf what the name of this organization is and what its purpose is?”

The portly boss seemed to have anticipated his question, and smiled, but it wasn't a mercenary smile; rather, it was a sigh of wistfulness, as if he had experienced many, many things in the past.
"Our organization is called... Fate's Carnival, and as for our purpose..."

His gaze held even more sighs:
"I don't know if you've ever heard a physical 'bard' recount the history of our universe, or if you've learned about the past of our world elsewhere, but have you ever thought about..."

He took a deep breath and, almost word by word, uttered a sentence:

"...Why is it that our universe is only 30,000 years old?"

Rumble!
In that instant, it was as if lightning had cleaved the calm surface of water, giving Xia Fa a sudden jolt.

Previously, whenever he learned about the history of this world, he had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

But now, the fat boss's words suddenly woke him up.

Yes, that's the history of the entire universe, how could it only be 30,000 years?
Putting everything else aside, the evolution from ancient apes to humans alone took at least several million years!

As for the birth and evolution of life, having received a modern scientific education, he understands that these are all measured in hundreds of millions of years.

"The scholars of the major churches are tight-lipped about this, even though according to the latest scientific research, we humans are very likely to share a common ancestor with monkeys, and the evolutionary time is at least two million years. This is also another purpose of our organization: to explore certain necessary truths, after all..."

The portly boss sighed softly:
"...What we know is only the tip of the iceberg of this world."

……

Xia Fa eventually left the store.

Behind him, the portly boss resumed his enthusiastic demeanor, acting like a shrewd citizen running a small business who dared not offend anyone, bidding farewell to Xia Fa and telling him to come again next time.

Xia Fa, however, fiddled with the triangular gold badge in his hand, the badge representing his membership in "Destiny's Carnival." The fat boss, true to his word, gave him an extra 32,000 and 16,000 gold pounds, respectively ten percent of the first two transactions.

In this way, he not only raised 500,000 gold pounds, but also had more than 30,000 gold pounds left over.

only--

"Should I join this organization or not...?"

To be honest, the fat boss's words were very appealing to him, especially since he pointed out a key point that he had previously overlooked.

Why is this universe only 30,000 years old?
And why do the nine righteous gods all sound like they appeared out of nowhere?
For some reason, he thought of the words he heard from that unknown being when he first signed the secret pact, in that pitch-black space.

"The nine true gods of this world... are all fake!"

"The [Nature Monarch] is fake! The [Silver Universe] is fake! [First History] is fake! Even [Absolute Defense] and [Supreme Law]... are all fake!"

Previously, he thought that these were words deliberately used by the trapped, unknown being who claimed to be the true "Nature Monarch" to lure him out of control.

But now, considering the questions raised by this portly boss, and the history recounted by the bard himself...

Xia Fa shook his head violently, as if trying to shake off all these distracting thoughts.

In any case, Absolute Defense did indeed single-handedly eliminate all the Great Old Ones and protect humanity and demi-humans throughout the universe.

Then, all life-bearing planets in the universe, and even all beings in the strange realms of civilization clusters, lived peacefully for over 30,000 years, leading to the prosperous and peaceful era we have today.

Even if the origins of the nine righteous gods are truly unknown, or even if they are fake, Xia Fa decided not to delve too deeply into it for the time being.

However, it is also necessary to acquire as much information as possible.

This allows him to make timely judgments and choices when critical moments arrive, especially when there are changes that could affect the entire universe.

As for ways to obtain more information... at least, the so-called "dream meetings" of the carnival of fate should provide some.

Xiafa gripped the triangular badge in his hand, his fingers tracing the relief of the half-decayed World Tree. The shadowy gold texture was as smooth as luxury-grade silk, and cool to the touch.

He decided to try joining this organization called "Destiny Carnival" first.

……

Lost in thought, Xia Fa found himself standing at the door of number 13 Risle Street without realizing it.

Even when he returned to Rum City by small boat from that large island, he didn't pay much attention, and was lost in deep thought the whole time.

Only now did he put aside his wandering thoughts and look at the number 13 Risle Street.

Fortunately, the doorplate was made of iron and didn't turn back into wood.

"The door's unlocked, come in."

Dick Tudor's languid yet all-knowing voice rang out, reaching directly into Xia Fa's ears.

For some reason, the moment Xia Fa heard His voice, he felt a strange sense of peace.

Anyway, at least when I'm with Dick, it's safe, right?

After all, this is an extraordinary monarch, an extraordinary monarch among rulers!

Xia Fa pushed the door hard, and with a creak, the heavy wooden door opened, revealing the old-fashioned living room.

A sofa with peeling paint, a blackened fireplace, a chair with a broken leg...

Xia Fa pursed his lips and stepped inside.

The view suddenly opened up, revealing a magnificent palace supported by Roman-style columns. Priceless paintings hung on the snow-white walls, and exquisite patchwork Persian carpets covered the floor. The tables and chairs were meticulously inlaid with gold trim.

Dick Tudor, however, was sitting on the sofa, holding a bottle of brandy and gulping it down.

He seemed a little drunk, but his eyes were exceptionally bright. Seeing Xia Fa walk in, he couldn't help but smile and say:
"Please sit wherever you like. What brings you here today? Many people are looking for you, the future extraordinary monarch."

Xia Fa did not sit down without permission, after all, he had come to ask for a favor. He stood not far from Dick Tudor and said:

"I recently... discovered something related to Pompeii, um... something rather serious."

Suddenly, Dick Tudor opened his mouth and spat out a slice of lemon, casually tossing it onto the expensive carpet. He then smiled and said:
"You mean the ruler behind him? I also discovered Him when this ruler trespassed into the Fog Carnival."

Xia Fa was slightly startled:
"You knew all along?"

Dick Tudor shook his head:
"How could that be? If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have entrusted you with killing Pompeii. But don't worry, our agreement is still valid. However, you'll have to let me know before you make your move."

As he spoke, He flicked one hand, and a candy wrapped in colorful striped paper flew through the air in a graceful parabola before landing in Xia Fa's hand.

"This is called [Call for Help Candy]. It's my secret ability. As long as you crush it before you make your move, I can help you trap that ruler for a period of time, allowing you to kill Pompeii with peace of mind and then leave."

Xia Fa gripped the candy, but a strange expression appeared on his face.

Not long ago, Prince Justinian... also gave him and the noble students a similar candy.

Wait, candy?
This means...

"You really signed the 'Fairy Tale World' exclusive, top-tier secret agreement?"

For some reason, every time he faced Dikto, Xiafa would forget that Dikto was an extraordinary monarch, a ruler among rulers, and would always act without restraint.

"Cough cough..."

Dick Tudor coughed twice more, then suddenly sighed:
"Fine, I can't hide it from you anymore. Let me tell you, the overlord-level secret contract I signed is indeed 'Fairy Tale World'. There is another person in the Augu Kingdom who signed the same overlord-level secret contract as me, and he is already an angel, just one step away from becoming a transcendent monarch."

Xia Fa replied without hesitation:
Prince Justinian?

Dick Tudor laughed:

"It seems you have already met Him."

He paused slightly, as if deliberately trying to teach Shaphat something, and added:
"In the entire Kingdom of Augu, besides you and Prince Justinian, only one other person has ever signed a supreme-level secret treaty. Can you guess who it is?"

Seemingly recalling how Shafa had been going in and out of His doorway the last time, just to experience the attic turning into a palace, Dick Tudor added a reminder:
"By the way, that person wasn't me. After all, strictly speaking, I'm not from the Kingdom of Augu."

Xia Fa wanted to complain a bit. Of course he knew that person wasn't Dick Tuoduo; he wasn't stupid.

However, this crucial piece of information made him think.

In the entire Augu Kingdom, besides himself, only two other people have signed a hegemon-level secret pact.
It should be noted that the Kingdom of Augus, on the surface, has two rulers: His Majesty Octavian, the Emperor, and Gaius, the Marshal of the Armed Forces.

As for angels, Prince Justinian, Duke Shoals, Duke Oberon... these are all angels. I've also heard there are angels such as the Privy Councilor and the Admiral of the Navy.

As for demigods, there are quite a few of them.

As a result, among so many powerful individuals, only two had signed a hegemon-level secret contract, and each of them only signed one contract.
Xia Fa suddenly realized that he seemed to have overestimated the probability of signing a hegemonic-level secret agreement.

He had originally assumed that the rulers and angels of the Augu Kingdom each possessed a supreme-level secret covenant...

"Is that His Majesty Octavian?"

Xia Fa tried to speak.

Dick Tudor smiled:

“Clever. Octavian is not only a monarch of mortals, but also a monarch of extraordinary beings. Isn’t that interesting?”

He changed the subject and said:
"By the way, you came to see me about this, about the ruler behind Pompeii?"

Xia Fa shook his head:

"No, um, I..."

When the moment came, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed to speak.

After all, the two had already agreed that he would kill Pompeii and retrieve that item for Dicketto in exchange for Dicketto selling him the Gate of Stars or the Primal Stomach at a low price.

But now, before he has even received the item, he is already trying to buy it at a low price, even though Dick Tudor has already given him a silver throne worth three million gold pounds for free.

Dick gave him a strange look:
"Just say what you want to say. Don't worry, even if I have to refuse you, I will be very polite."

As he spoke, he began to drink again, and after drinking half of it, he put a slice of lemon in his mouth and continued to gulp down the brandy.

Xia Fa gritted his teeth:

"I'm willing to spend 500,000 gold pounds to buy the 'Gate of Stars,' a supreme-level secret contract from you. After it's signed, I'll find an opportunity to kill Pompeii and retrieve that item for you!"

"Cough—, cough cough—"

Dick suddenly stopped drinking, coughing up the wine and lemon slices, which covered him in the liquid.

But He seemed to disregard all that, suddenly standing up from the sofa, his eyes widening like never before.

"What did you say???"

"You can sign a second hegemon-level secret contract?!"

(End of this chapter)