The assistance Qin Qianli offered was substantial. On the freshly leveled ground near the spaceship, hundreds of oversized shipping containers were stacked, towering higher than the adjacent mountain.

After setting the containers down, Qin Qianli’s ship departed in haste, not even pausing for a farewell.

“Is this Omni National Management Company some kind of charity?” Zhong Yun murmured, gazing at the mound of containers through the display screen, which blocked out half the sun.

“The Omni National Management Company is the largest management firm in the Omni Galaxy. They do have a charity division, but they are not a charitable organization,” ZER explained to him.

“Oh, right.” Zhong Yun recalled something very important. “Didn’t you say they were supposed to take over management rights for this planet?”

“We signed a different set of terms with them; the management rights are ours now,” ZER stated.

“Really?” Zhong Yun was simultaneously surprised and delighted, but a flicker of concern crossed his face. “What’s the price we have to pay?”

He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If there were no benefits involved, the Omni National Management Company wouldn't be this benevolent.

“The Omni National Management Company relinquishes management rights to this planet. In exchange, we must repay the outstanding balance, including processing fees and interest, over fifty years.”

“They will also provide us with a substantial amount of high-quality loans. That stockpile outside is part of that loan.”

“So, how much do we have to repay them?” Zhong Yun asked cautiously, calculating his projected income mentally.

“In the next year, the amount we must repay is one hundred billion Omni Credits,” ZER replied, his voice unchanged, as casual as if he were discussing one million.

“One hundred billion?” Zhong Yun swallowed hard. “And, if—I mean, if—we can’t pay it back…”

“They will take this planet as collateral.”

“You…” Zhong Yun nearly choked. He pointed a trembling finger at ZER, his expression a mixture of frustration and disappointment, as if wishing iron could become steel. He pointed several times, but the words stuck in his throat.

Finally, he slumped back into his chair, utterly defeated, tears welling up, though he didn't weep. “How did I end up with a spendthrift like you?”

“Are you perhaps worried that we won't be able to repay it?” ZER’s ability to read expressions had improved remarkably; he actually grasped why Zhong Yun was so distressed.

Zhong Yun was furious. At a time like this, how could ZER be offering sarcastic commentary? He sprang up, his finger almost piercing ZER’s physical form. “What are we supposed to use? Sell me or sell you? That’s a hundred billion, not a million! We only have one year. Go and earn it for me.”

What Zhong Yun said was true: earning a hundred billion in a year wasn't inherently impossible. The difficulty lay in concealment. ZER harbored too many astonishing secrets; if any of them were leaked, it would invite endless trouble.

“Forget it.”

After venting, Zhong Yun calmed down and reseated himself. “Worst case, we lose the planet. It was a freebie anyway.”

He realized he had been completely unreasonable in snapping at Xiao Ling. This planet was discovered by Xiao Ling; how he chose to manage it was his freedom. What right did Zhong Yun have to interfere?

All along, it was Xiao Ling who had been helping him. Without Xiao Ling, Zhong Yun might already be dead, unable to continue surviving by possessing this body.

Without Xiao Ling, how could he have gained the knowledge of Jialan? How could he have cultivated the 'Seven Fairies'? And how could he have attracted Liu Yunqi?

It could be said that everything he possessed now was because of Xiao Ling.

Thinking of this, Zhong Yun felt a pang of guilt. “I’m sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper with you just now.” He was straightforward; realizing his mistake, he admitted it generously.

ZER maintained his usual immutable, cold expression, but in the instant Zhong Yun lowered his head, a subtle shift occurred in his otherwise unruffled gaze. However, the change was so fleeting that Zhong Yun missed it.

“We can afford to repay one hundred billion,” ZER stated.

“Oh?” Zhong Yun was calmer this time. Recalling past events, Xiao Ling had never spoken without certainty. He looked at ZER with newfound curiosity.

“Su Xuan Pearl,” ZER uttered just those three words.

“I—” Zhong Yun felt depressed. “So you’re still eyeing my Su Xuan Pearls.”

“At your current level, even if you gathered all the raw materials, it would be impossible for you to synthesize the ‘Youth Restoring Agent,’” ZER stated, dealing a merciless blow.

After weighing his options, Zhong Yun spoke with visible pain. “Is one enough?”

“All of them,” ZER’s tone allowed no room for negotiation.

“I went through so much trouble to make nineteen in total. You want them all at once! Just leave me one, even as a souvenir,” Zhong Yun felt physically lacerated by the request.

“According to incomplete statistics, there are over five hundred Black Mandrakes on Davor that are more than a century old,” ZER countered, shattering Zhong Yun’s meager resistance with a single sentence.

ZER was correct. While century-old Black Mandrakes were rare, they could be acquired with money. The Su Xuan Pearl, no matter how difficult to produce, could be made if enough time was invested.

How precious was a planet suitable for human habitation? The universe held countless worlds, but finding one fit for humans was harder than finding a needle in a cosmic haystack—perhaps not even one in a hundred million.

Zhong Yun understood the relative importance of the two.

However, Zhong Yun grew curious. “Are the Su Xuan Pearls really worth that much?”

One hundred billion Omni Credits was an astronomical figure. Converted to Davor currency, it was over two hundred and fifty billion. On all of Davor, fewer than twenty entities could likely muster that sum.

That much money would be enough to purchase a resource planet of equal size.

Are a dozen or so pearls truly worth that much? It felt ridiculous.

“The Su Xuan Pearl has always been an essential component in many high-level medicinal agents. Since the destruction of Jialan, the supply of Su Xuan Pearls has sharply decreased, and their price has steadily climbed until they are now unavailable on the market,” ZER explained.

“Then we’ve struck it rich?” Zhong Yun muttered.

“What is your current success rate for opening boxes?” ZER shifted the topic.

This question brought a frown back to Zhong Yun’s face. “Maybe one out of ten attempts succeeds, at best.”

“At your current level, opening that box is a bit difficult,” ZER’s mechanical voice held a trace of frustration, surprising Zhong Yun, who had never witnessed any sign of emotion from him before.

Whatever was inside that box must be profoundly important, Zhong Yun thought. “What exactly is inside that box that requires such a structurally complex casing?”

“You will know when the time comes,” ZER kept his silence.

“I notice you’re becoming much more human after the reboot,” Zhong Yun observed him curiously.

P: A brief advertisement for a friend’s new book, The Cockroach Strongman’s Revenge, Book ID 1262596.

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