Gods of the Nation: You worship the God of Longevity, I worship the King of Hell!

Chapter 107 The Plague Emperor Arrives! A Bleak Start...

As the two entered the factory, the sight before them left Lu Chen somewhat stunned.

“I’ve combined three factory buildings, each with a floor area of ​​8,000 square meters, and the two floors together cost 16,000 square meters. I’ve put all the equipment you requested on the first floor, and you can arrange the upstairs as needed.”

As Sun Yourong walked, she introduced the products and casually took a sample of ghost money from a basket beside her and handed it to Lu Chen: "I purchased three sets of ghost money making equipment. They are all high-end models used for making illustrated brochures, so making ghost money shouldn't be a problem. This is a sample made by the designer based on the design of 10,000 yuan ghost money. What do you think?"

"Was this created through scanning?"

"Yes, the image has been entered into the system. To me, it looks almost identical to the original."

Lu Chen carefully examined the sample in his hand and nodded: "It is indeed very close, and it can be used perfectly!"

"So, can we just burn it and use it? Will it be effective if we burn it?"

"Of course not, there's still one crucial step missing." Lu Chen smiled mysteriously.

He has not yet recited the scriptures of the underworld for these ghost money.

It's equivalent to not getting a certificate of conformity.

Even if you burn it, it's just a pile of waste paper, completely useless.

Upon hearing this, Sun Yourong did not press the matter further, thinking that it made sense if it were really that simple.

In that case, the business of selling ghost money will be completely ruined within a month.

"Sister Sun, thank you so much. If it weren't for your help, I don't know how long it would have taken me to get this stall sorted out."

"It was nothing, compared to the kindness you showed in saving my grandfather."

"How is the rent calculated? What about the equipment costs?"

“One room costs 500,000 a year, so three rooms would cost 1.5 million a year. You can give me 1 million, rent two and get one free. As for the equipment, each set costs 20 million, which is close to the cost price. The market price is 30 million per set, so the total is 61 million. But this money isn't urgent. We can talk about it when you have more money.”

Lu Chen couldn't help but smack his lips.

— More than 60 million.

After careful calculation, he had exactly around 60 million on hand.

The previous deal with the Sun family totaled over 20 million, while the Longhu County task was 20 million, with an additional 50% bonus, making it 30 million.

After seven days of slaying demons and monsters, the earnings could double to around 20 million.

The prize money for the Academy of Rebirth is 20 million.

The prefect's task also involves 20 million.

After doubling, the two tasks can generate 80 million.

But I haven't received it yet.

All things considered, Lu Chen currently has a net worth of 150 million yuan.

So, even though the military merits were only half of what they were worth.

However, the funds available for those who became new elites were more than 80% less.

After paying these sixty million, the difference is still far from being reached.

"Sigh, it's so hard to become a new elite!" Lu Chen complained to himself.

"Sister Sun, I'll transfer the money to you later. I'm still relatively well-off right now."

Lu Chen thanked them for their kindness, but he couldn't very well ask them to help him and then pay for it himself.

Upon hearing this, Sun Yourong did not refuse.

"By the way, my grandfather has been wanting to invite you to his home for a meal to thank you in person. When would be a convenient time for you?"

"Uh... I need to arrange a time, or... I'll let you know later."

"You're quite the busy person," Sun Yourong chuckled, then changed the subject: "Now can you tell me what exactly happened with the Prefect's wife?"

Lu Chen no longer concealed anything and briefly recounted the background and consequences of the prefect's mission. As for his experience in Chenghuang Street, he felt it was unnecessary to mention it, so he skipped it.

"The heavens have sent a deadly attack!" Even just hearing this, Sun Yourong couldn't help but gasp: "I didn't expect you could handle a mission of this level!"

She couldn't help but look Lu Chen up and down, and exclaimed, "If I were faced with a mission like this, I would definitely give up immediately. You're really brave, and incredibly stubborn!"

"There's no other way. We've already paid the deposit, so we have to give it a try. After all, we're a small business, we can't afford to lose anything," Lu Chen said with a helpless shrug.

Sun Yourong said seriously, "Actually... don't underestimate some missions just because they're not high-level, only S-rank or A-rank. Once they involve celestial deities, their difficulty is often much higher than that of demon dungeons of the same level. That's why many spiritual practitioners have given these kinds of missions a special name."

"What's the name?"

“A dead end!” Sun Yourong’s expression turned serious. “But I never expected that you would actually break two dead ends in a row. The previous rain-seeking in Longhu County was essentially a dead end as well, and many spiritual practitioners returned empty-handed.”

"Hehe, just lucky, purely lucky."

"Cracking one might be a fluke, but cracking two in a row is no accident. It seems your method of worshipping obscure deities is indeed unique. By the way, how many military merits do you have now?"

"28200."

"Just 21800 short. Once you've raised enough funds, you can become a new tycoon. You're really... a monster!"

Sun Yourong couldn't help but swear: "It's only been a few days, and you've already covered the distance that others take decades to cover. At this rate, you'll probably have enough military merits in another month or so."

"I hope so!" Lu Chen's eyes revealed longing: "After all, who doesn't want to climb up the ladder? To be as awesome as you guys, striving for it!"

Sun Yourong chuckled and said reproachfully, "What are you saying? Well then, I wish you a speedy promotion to a new VIP. When that happens, our Sun family will definitely prepare a generous gift."

"Okay, I'm looking forward to it!"

After that, Sun Yourong had to leave first.

Lu Chen carefully inspected the factory.

The second floor has an office area, including a private office for him.

Sitting in his boss's chair, Lu Chen couldn't help but sigh, "I'm going to be a boss now."

With this "old hen" that lays golden eggs.

This will greatly alleviate future financial problems.

However, there is still a problem that urgently needs to be solved – a shortage of manpower.

It's not just about selling ghost money.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, there will be more business related to Plague Pills next.

Without sufficient manpower, all of this will be nothing but castles in the air.

"Sigh, we can only take it one step at a time. Good things come to those who wait!"

Lu Chen decided to communicate with the Plague Emperor before making any further plans.

Let's see what benefits we can get from the other party first.
As for the next task, it's not too late to consider it after these troubles are resolved. After all, expanding the operation too much will only become a burden.

After inspecting the factory.

Lu Chen drove the pink "princess car" that Sun Yourong had given him and first went to Jiangcheng No. 3 Middle School to submit two S-level tasks.

Amidst the uproar, he hurriedly returned to his villa at Cloud Peak to prepare to create a complete statue of the deity and pray to the Plague Emperor for blessings.

However, the pain of making the simple idol last time is still fresh in my memory.

One can imagine what a hellish experience it would be to create this complete statue.

pain!
Heartbreaking pain!

The incision was made not long ago.

Lu Chen felt as if all 96,000 pores on his body were being pricked by needles at the same time.

Afterwards, there was even more torment and pain, such as misaligned meridians, separation of bones and flesh, and even crushing of internal organs.

This caused Lu Chen to complain bitterly.

In excruciating pain, he had no choice but to call Chen Tiansheng for help, asking if he had gone mad with demonic possession.
Otherwise, how could it be in so much pain?
Upon hearing this, Chen Tiansheng on the other end of the phone laughed heartily: "Xiao Chen, this is normal. Making images to communicate with gods is an act against the heavens, how can one not suffer inhuman torment? Moreover, you invited the Plague Emperor, a star lord of the level of the Eighth Division of Gods, so the pain is naturally several times more intense than that of other gods."

Lu Chen said painfully, "Uncle Chen, is there really no way to alleviate the pain? I really feel like my whole body is about to explode!"

Chen Tiansheng explained, "Xiao Chen, you don't know this. Our Chen family has the bloodline of shamans. This bloodline not only enhances the inspiration during spiritual communication, but also plays an important role in strengthening the physical body."

"Why is the process of creating an image for spiritual communication so agonizing? Ultimately, it's because during the process, the soul experiences immense pressure, while magical power surges within the body, causing continuous damage to the physical body. This double burden is what makes it so excruciating."

“You are not a member of the Chen family, you don’t have that bloodline, so naturally your pain will be more intense.”

"I see, okay."

Sun Yourong had actually mentioned to him long ago that the Chen family had shamanistic bloodlines.

Lu Chen just didn't expect that the bloodline of the shaman would also greatly enhance the physical body.

"So, the only way to alleviate the pain is to further refine both the physical body and the soul?"

"That's right! This is the fundamental principle. You must understand that cultivation is like crossing a sea of ​​suffering. In the sea, the physical body is the boat, and the soul is the person on the boat. The boat carries the person to the other shore. Therefore, to successfully cross the sea, cultivating the physical body and enhancing the soul are both indispensable."

"Your cultivation is still shallow and your magical power is not high. When you reach the fourth or even fifth rank in the future, and your physical body and soul become stronger, this pain will naturally be reduced a lot."

It's worth mentioning that although the process of creating an image to communicate with the divine is indeed painful, your soul will be greatly tempered during this time, and both your magical power and spiritual awareness will surpass those of others at the same level. This can be considered a reward after the pain.

"As for the physical body... it can only be gradually strengthened as cultivation level increases. After all, our magical power comes from the remnants of divine power or blessings bestowed upon us after offering sacrifices to the gods. As our cultivation level increases, our physical body will naturally become stronger and stronger."

"Okay, I understand, Uncle Chen, thank you!"

After hanging up the phone, Lu Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At least it confirmed that I hadn't gone mad.

Speaking of which, the cultivation rules for this universal deity system are pretty messed up.

In this world, there are only two ways for spiritual practitioners to improve their cultivation: either by worshipping the gods and absorbing some of their divine grace;
Or they pray for blessings from the gods.

It's nothing like what's written in those fantasy novels, where they can absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, temper their soul and body, and become self-reliant.

There is absolutely no such thing in this world.

This indirectly means that the power of a spiritual being can only be deeply bound to that of a deity.

But demons and monsters roam freely everywhere.

What are the reasons for their increasing strength?

Surely they don't worship gods too, do they?

Could it be... karma?
Lu Chen thought about it for a long time but couldn't come to a conclusion, so he simply shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

"Let's get to work first!"

Looking at the statue that was only one-third complete, he gritted his teeth.

Fight!

Awesome!!!
……

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Looking at the completely completed statue of "Plague Emperor Haotian" in front of him, Lu Chen was almost exhausted and let out a long breath.

"Finally finished!"

These three days were a nightmare for him.

Lu Chen quickly used [Huai Lan's Tone] to recover.

An hour later, when he felt a little better, he got up, lit a stick of incense, silently recited a secret incantation, and inserted it into the furnace.

We await the arrival of the Plague Emperor Haotian.

"Whoo~"

A strange gust of wind suddenly swept through the once quiet living room.

The next second, a miasma suddenly swept over the surrounding area.

Suddenly, two beams of golden light shot out from the eyes of the statue, as if it had opened its eyes and come to life.

Lu Chen felt a chill run down his spine.

Previously, when I communicated with the God of Wealth and the King of Hell, there was no such reaction.

This Plague Emperor Haotian is so different from others.

Could it be... this is the prestige of a Star Lord?
Lu Chen was about to bow and pay his respects.

The Plague Emperor's cold voice rang out first: "Boy, have you been cursing me a thousand times in your heart all this time?"

Lu Chen: "..."

This opening... isn't going well.

　Chapter Three is still being written.

　　Today's update is 8,000 words.

　　I have moved on to the next chapter as quickly as possible.

　　But there are some things I have to write.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)