Then let them show their loyalty!

Chapter 849 Something's not right, something's not right (Seeking monthly votes)
Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, the Star Forging God King showed little surprise.

As if he had anticipated that Qiu Tu might try to bargain, he forced a smile onto his aged face and asked naturally, "Does Lord Qiu Tu think this task and reward are not fair enough?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu smiled and shook his head, "No, I think it's quite fair."

"but"

At this point, Qiu Tu changed the subject, "Who wouldn't want more?"

"Just like you said, this task is indispensable to me, so of course I have the right to negotiate."

Star Forger God King:
To be honest, before today, Qiu Tu had never given the Star Forger God King a second glance.

After all, Qiu Tu had previously fought against the Star Forger God King remotely, and the Star Forger God King had already been defeated by him. Subconsciously, he felt that the Star Forger God King didn't have much ability.

However, after meeting the Star Forger God King today, Qiu Tu gradually became wary of him.

Qiu Tu was already quite adept at guiding the conversation and controlling its pace. However, from the moment he left the side hall of the "Palace of the God of Wine," he was constantly being led into the rhythm of the Star Forger God King.

This shows that the Star Forger God King knows him very well and has calculated every step of the way.

Therefore, Qiu Tu repeatedly tested the Star Forging God King, wanting to see where the limits of the Star Forging God King's calculations lay.

The act of "paying extra" is, to some extent, a test.

At this moment, the Star Forger God King was unaware that he had already attracted Qiu Tu's attention, or rather, that this was Qiu Tu's original intention.

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's "shameless" words, he did not immediately agree, but instead said calmly, "Lord Qiu Tu, when someone becomes irreplaceable, they do indeed possess considerable bargaining power."

"However, if the price offered is too high, it is very likely that the deal will fall through, or even result in damage to one's original interests."

Qiu Tu didn't seem to care at all upon hearing Star Forger King's words. He smiled at Star Forger King and then asked, "Are you threatening me?"

Upon hearing this, the Star Forger God King slightly cupped his hands and said, "Of course I wouldn't dare. I was merely reminding you, sir."

Qiu Tu completely ignored this explanation. He looked at the Star Forging God King and asked, "So... do you accept the increased price?"

Despite Star Forger God King's earlier haggling, he clearly had anticipated being overcharged before even meeting Qiu Tu.

Therefore, when he heard Qiu Tu raise the price again, he didn't hesitate much and nodded slightly, "Of course."

Qiu Tu held up three fingers, “Three resources for advancing to the position of Guardian God King.”

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's outrageous demands, even the Star Forging God King laughed.

He said, "My lord, please don't joke around. Do you think the resources required to guard the God-King are just something you can take out casually?"

"The entire 'temple' system takes decades, even centuries, to accumulate before a single copy can be created."

"Three portions? That'll empty most of the Temple's treasury."

Seeing that the Star Forging God King refused outright, Qiu Tu didn't insist any further. He lowered the price, saying, "Two and a half portions."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, the Star Forging God King had no intention of continuing the conversation. He stood up, looked at Qiu Tu, and said, "At most one and a half portions."

"One portion can support you to cultivate from a second-level God King to a Guardian God King, and the other half can help you upgrade a fourth-level God King with sufficient talent to a Guardian God King."

That's all.

At this point, the Star Forger God King added, "This is the bottom line His Majesty Mitchell set for me before he arranged for me to come here."

"You may consider it, sir."

From the moment the Star Forger God King began speaking, Qiu Tu had been paying close attention to the changes in his expression.

However, Qiu Tu didn't care whether his words were true or false; instead, he wanted to figure out what Mitchell's faction was doing through his behavior.

As for these resources, to be honest, they're enough. He already has his own plans for what comes next. So, seeing what the Star Forging God King said, Qiu Tu pondered for a moment and then said, "Okay. Deal."

Seeing that Qiu Tu had agreed, the old face of the Star Forging God King remained largely unchanged.

He stood there, nodded slightly, and then said, "In that case, please keep your promise at tonight's God King Conference."

After saying that, he gave Qiu Tu a slight bow, then strode out of the room with a cold expression.
Only after leaving Qiu Tu's courtyard did the expression on the Star Forger God King's face slowly relax, like the first snow melting.

His conversation with King Mitchell that afternoon involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

"Qiu Tu is greedy."

"Therefore, to lure him into the trap, the initial conditions must be attractive enough to entice him. So, we must directly offer the price of guarding the God King."

"However, besides greed, Qiu Tu also enjoys and excels at scheming."

"Therefore, after he raises the price, you must not go along with him. You must push the price down to the lowest possible level, only slightly higher than the Guardian God King."

“The more he does this, the more likely he is to let his guard down.”

Thinking of this, the Star Forger God King couldn't help but recall his words and actions during his meeting with Qiu Tu. He murmured to himself, "..."
Besides, Qiu Tu is also inherently suspicious.

'If I act too normally, it might make him suspect that I'm involved in all of this.'

'On the contrary, appearing to be in complete control while revealing some flaws can actually mislead him.'

'This prevented him from figuring out who the mastermind behind the entire plan really was.'

'His temperament and talent are far too dangerous, so we must remain hidden until he dies.'

Thinking this, the Star Forger God-King's eyes became cloudy again. This made him, a high-ranking member of the temple, look like a truly decaying old man.
'I hid it pretty well.'

With those words from the Star Forger King, his figure gradually faded into the distance, eventually disappearing into the sprawling complex of buildings.
at the same time.

The courtyard where Qiu Tu is located.

Qiu Tu was sitting in a chair, quietly thinking with a serious expression.

Within the "Temple - West Branch," the Star Forger God King was superior to Qiu Tu in both status and realm, so normally Qiu Tu should have taken the initiative to rise and see him off. However, this time, Qiu Tu's buttocks seemed nailed to the chair, showing no intention of moving at all.

This was not only another test from him, but also because his mind was constantly replaying the entire process of his confrontation with the Star Forger God King.
As time ticked by, Qiu Tu's expression grew increasingly serious.

'Something's not right.'

As he thought to himself, Qiu Tu's brows furrowed slightly.

'This exchange went too smoothly and comfortably, as if it had been arranged by someone.'

'Even though there were clashes, it all felt incredibly comfortable to me.'

"That feeling is very similar to... 'official ball'?"

As he uttered those three words, Qiu Tu seemed to have caught a flash of inspiration, and a sudden realization crossed his eyes.

"Yes! It's 'official ball'!" "He clearly wanted to lose to me, but he was worried that I would find out, so he deliberately put on a show to prove that he had tried, in order to make me feel better."

So, it's all a setup.

"The Star Forger King deliberately set a trap for me."

Thinking this through, Qiu Tu, who had seen through everything, didn't have much of a smile on his face.

Following this lead, he discovered more details that were difficult to discern without careful thought.

For example, the flaws revealed by Star Forger, Star Forger's provocation, and Star Forger's strategic and commanding demeanor in front of him.
Is it a formulaic approach, or the antithesis of a formulaic approach?

'Was he trying to hide this trap but failed miserably, or was he deliberately trying to make me see through it and lower my guard?'

To be honest, this kind of speculation is hard to verify, since it can be repeated indefinitely.

The Star Forger King might be in the first level, or the second level, or even the third or fourth level.
But the only thing Qiu Tu could be certain of was that the Star Forger God King was no ordinary person. He had likely underestimated him and been careless.

Thinking about this, Qiu Tu couldn't help but recall the recent rapid deterioration of the situation, and the fact that the Star Forging God King had been lying low for so long but suddenly started to move again, and a guess naturally formed in his mind.

'Could it be... that the Star Forger King was behind all of this?'

Although this guess was extremely far-fetched, for some reason, Qiu Tu's intuition told him that he might be right.
Coupled with the long-standing conflict between Star Forger God King and Qiu Tu, and the recent targeting, Qiu Tu's gaze gradually hardened.
'This person cannot be allowed to live; if he is, he could easily become a major threat.'

We must find a chance to get rid of him.

'Moreover, this big pie might hide a big trap. We must be cautious, cautious, and even more cautious.'

'If necessary, the contract can be terminated directly.'

After all, no matter how strong you are, your life is more valuable than anything else.

At this moment, perhaps because he had almost been tricked by the Star Forging God King, Qiu Tu began to re-examine his conversation with the Ink God King.

Actually, after his conversation with the Ink God King, he had always felt that the secret weapon "Heavenly Dao" and the Ink God King's state were a bit strange.

However, because Qiu Tu truly had no understanding of the "Heavenly Dao" and had little contact with the Ink God King, he couldn't find a breakthrough for the time being.

At the time, he thought he might be overthinking things.

However, after experiencing the Star Forging God King incident, Qiu Tu no longer dared to underestimate the heroes of the world.

If even a mere fourth-level God-King of the "Order Path" has such calculations, how much more complex and ambitious must the higher-level God-Kings of the "Order Path" be?

Is everything she says really entirely credible?
After all, she only spoke with him after Elena had left.

In the real world, everyone has their own stance and interests. She may not necessarily want to harm herself, but she is certainly more inclined to protect or fight for her own interests.

Therefore, while the color of ink can be trusted, it cannot be entirely trusted.

'The best approach is to have a serious talk with Elena before the meeting tonight.'

After all, Qiu Tu trusted Elena, a woman with whom he had a certain degree of physical intimacy, more than Mo Se, whom he had little to do with.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu got up and prepared to go find Elena.

However, whether it was someone deliberately preventing Qiu Tu from seeing Elena or it was just a coincidence, when Qiu Tu arrived at Elena's side hall, he only saw Qing'e, who had just returned to her post.

Qing'e looked completely bewildered when Qiu Tu asked to see Elena.

She said, "His Majesty suddenly received a mission half an hour ago, so he went out and is not in the side hall."

"I don't know exactly when she'll be back. She didn't say."

"She only said that she would try to return before tonight's 'God-King Meeting'."

At this point, Qing'e seemed to remember something. She patted her forehead and said, "Look at my memory."

With that, she went back inside, brought out a red box with both hands, and handed it to Qiu Tu, saying, "His Majesty asked me to give this to you before he left."

"She said that because of your abilities, several dignitaries have granted you permission to attend the upcoming 'God-King Conference.'"

"This 'God-King Council' is the highest-level council within the 'Temple'."

"The conveners are usually four Your Majesties, and the attendees are at least high-ranking members of the temple, at the level of a fourth-level God-King or above."

"Although your strength is insufficient, the emperors have still granted you special permission to attend the meeting."

As she spoke, Qing'e smiled and said, "So we can attend the meeting together tonight."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu reached out and took the red box, then nodded.
I opened the red box and looked inside. There was only a simple gold badge, which seemed to be able to be worn on all kinds of clothing.

According to Qing'e, as long as you wear this golden badge on your clothes, you will receive a meeting invitation when the meeting is about to start.

Qiu Tu took out the badge and put it on his chest, then looked at Qing'e and said, "Since Lady Elena is not here, I will wait for her."

At this point, Qiu Tu asked, "Goddess Qing'e, may I wait in your room?"

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's question, perhaps recalling the massage, fried dough sticks, and soy milk she had been given in the tent a few days prior, Qing'e Goddess's adorable face flushed red.

She hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded slightly.

After nodding, she reminded Qiu Tu, "People come and go here, so it's not quiet."

She meant that her office position was too conspicuous, attracting too many people and attention, and that Qiu Tu should not do anything reckless.

But Qiu Tu seemed to be completely out of sync with her and directly misunderstood her meaning.

Qiu Tu nodded. "It's convenient because there are people coming and going."

Qing'e: ?
Elena seemed to be very busy today. Qiu Tu waited and waited in Qing'e's office until evening, but Elena still hadn't returned.

At 7 p.m., when Elena had not yet returned.

Qiu Tu and Qing'e's badges glowed slightly.

The next second, everything around them melted slowly like the first snow, turning into beams of divine light.

In just a moment, the spacious office in front of Qiu Tu transformed into a vast plain composed of divine light.

Qiu Tu paused for a moment, then stepped forward.

He had only taken two steps when he noticed three enormous, towering statues slowly rising to their feet, then gazing at everything before him with indifferent expressions of joy and sorrow.

Meanwhile, one figure after another appeared on this plain of divine light—
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(End of this chapter)