I'm not just human!

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, was playing with the triangular gold badge in his hand, the badge that represented the identity of a member of "Destiny Carnival".

As expected, the fat boss kept his word and gave him an extra 32,000 gold pounds and 16,000 gold pounds, which were 10% of the first two transactions respectively.

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.