TGA Chapter 104

Shi Zhuoqu had always struggled to deal with Chu Qianli. He pondered for a few seconds but didn’t press the issue. Instead, he lowered his voice and said, “Even if your workplace is indeed special, we believe that past backgrounds don’t matter. Everyone has the right to pursue better opportunities, and Lin also believes that the future is more important.”

“That’s an interesting statement.” Chu Qianli rubbed her chin. She turned to Tan Muxing and complained with dissatisfaction, “Xingxing, they think we’re double agents and that money can shake our beliefs.”

Tan Muxing frowned slightly and said seriously, “President Shi…”

Chu Qianli, however, was intrigued and continued, “Our Xingxing is very expensive. How much are you planning to spend?”

Tan Muxing: “?”

Seeing her change her tune in just one second, Tan Muxing thought that maybe it wasn’t entirely wrong for others to assume they were double agents.

“If you’re interested, you can discuss it with Lin in detail.”

Shi Zhuoqu led the way, guiding them forward.

Leaving behind the lively banquet, Chu Qianli looked ahead at Shi Zhuoqu and casually asked, “So, Xiao Shi, are you here for better conditions too?”

The two had met Shi Zhuoqu while dealing with the Shi family’s incident and had learned a little about his family background.

Tan Muxing spoke sincerely, “President Shi’s family background is already far beyond most people’s.”

“But people always strive to move upward. Only by stepping out of the environment they were born into can they become better. If I had stayed at home, at most, I would be a hotel operator. But here, it’s different.” Shi Zhuoqu hinted, “I think you two shouldn’t give up a bigger platform either.”

“We’re here.”

Shi Zhuoqu stopped, lightly knocked on the door, and signaled them to enter.

Inside the room, Lin saw them enter and was still dressed in formal attire. He stood up warmly, smiling brightly as he said, “Welcome, both of you. Please, have a seat.”

This was their first time having a face-to-face conversation with Lin. Previously, they had only had brief encounters.

“Your performances in the second round of selection were truly outstanding. I’m finally getting a chance to have a proper chat with you today,” Lin said with a smile. “The badge-awarding ceremony was much too rushed.”

Chu Qianli said, “I thought you didn’t even watch the selections and just let your subordinates handle everything.”

“How could that be? I’ve been keeping a close eye on all of you. I even took note of the suggestions you made during the preliminary test. Everything has been carefully considered and implemented. I believe you’ve seen the changes in the later stages.”

Tan Muxing asked, “You invited us here alone—what is it that you want to discuss?”

“As you’ve probably noticed, our team has just been formed. Experts from all over the world have gathered here. But as with any team, we need leaders,” Lin said. “To be honest, I didn’t reveal everything in the last conference. The ruins in H-country are extremely dangerous and require seven keys to open.”

“Keys?”

“That’s right. You two are close to Ms. Mei, so you should know that she was granted direct entry without testing. The reason was that she possesses a Ying Stone relic that came from the ruins—one of the seven keys.”

Chu Qianli and Tan Muxing exchanged glances in surprise. Neither of them had expected the Ying Stone artifact to be a key!

Thinking about it this way, it made perfect sense that the Mondeson Group had granted Mei Rujing an exemption from the selection process. Without the key, they wouldn’t even be able to open the ruins.

“This team does have many members, but only a few can use the keys.” Lin smiled. “We don’t want hidden talents to go unnoticed. We have been gathering the keys from all over the world in hopes of solving the mysteries of the ruins.”

Chu Qianli was silent for a few seconds before testing him, “Oh? Does that mean you’ve collected all of them?”

“We’ve already located most of the keys. The rest is just a matter of time. If you don’t mind, I can show you some of them.”

Lin gestured with his eyes, and a nearby black-suited bodyguard carefully retrieved some antiques from a safe, placing them in front of the three of them. These objects were secured under strict protection. Only after gently lifting the velvet cloth covering them were their true forms revealed.

A smooth, full crystal ball emitted a red glow. At the connection point between the sphere and its base, Ying Stone was inlaid, causing the transparent, colorless crystal above it to refract red light under the illumination.

On another velvet cloth lay dozens of thin stone tablets, each inscribed with ancient, mysterious symbols. The engraved grooves also shimmered with tiny red flecks.

Tan Muxing asked, “This is…”

Chu Qianli quickly understood. “A crystal ball and Runestones—both are tools for divination.”

Lin looked at her with appreciation. “You’re well-versed.”

“But there are only two of them,” Chu Qianli pointed out. “Didn’t you say there were seven? How does this count as ‘most of them’?”

“Ying Stone technology could potentially change the structure of the modern world. Many key owners are unwilling to give up their keys, so we’ve brought them into our team instead. To be honest, their abilities are far inferior to yours, yet they hold these crucial keys without understanding their secrets.”

Lin narrowed his eyes and hinted, “I believe the keys should be in the hands of those with greater skill. That’s why I wanted to have this private conversation with you both.”

Chu Qianli suddenly realized what was happening. Lin didn’t trust the key holders. He had included them in the team but wouldn’t allow them to take control.

Those who held keys couldn’t solve the mysteries. Those who could solve the mysteries didn’t have keys. And since the ruins were located in H-country territory, the Mondeson Group had deliberately divided everyone, ensuring that they retained control.

This was a clear strategy of checks and balances.

Chu Qianli smiled and asked, “So the remaining key holders don’t agree with you?”

Lin’s expression faltered slightly before he casually replied, “Why do you say that?”

Chu Qianli said, “You want us to be your weapon to suppress the opposition, right? But it’s too late to look for a weapon now. If you’re trying to swap out the old one, that must mean it’s not working well anymore. You’re looking for a last-minute replacement.”

Lin and his people didn’t understand mysticism. They needed to recruit a high-level practitioner to prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.

Lin raised an eyebrow. “You’re quite sharp. I’ve heard that in China, Ziwei Doushu is considered an ‘Imperial Study.’ It seems that evaluation isn’t baseless—the practitioners are indeed different from other diviners.”

“Why did you come to us?” Tan Muxing asked. “Based on cultural backgrounds, you clearly have more choices.”

“I heard from Zhuoqu about your identities, but to be honest, we couldn’t find any records of you.” Lin spoke calmly. “Even if you do have a background, I don’t think it’s a big deal. After all, even national identities are temporary. There are countless possibilities for the future.”

“More than two hundred years are enough for a country to become one of the world’s top powers—who can say for certain what will happen in the next two hundred? You two study fate and destiny, so you should understand this best. Behind countless concepts lie struggles over resources and interests. As long as we become the controllers of these resources, why should we be bound by existing frameworks?”

Tang Muxing lowered his eyes. “The grand bourgeoisie doesn’t care about nations, only about the multiplication of their assets?”

The Monderson Group’s influence surpassed that of some countries, and in many nations, elections were essentially battles between interest groups. No wonder Lin had no concept of a nation. For a massive conglomerate, they could already control countries—just like H Nation, where the ruins were located.

Lin said, “Simply calling it asset multiplication isn’t quite accurate. Perhaps we are making history.”

Chu Qianli sneered. “Alright, cut the nonsense. Let’s just get to the point. You want us to help suppress others and decipher the secret of the ruins’ key—how much are you paying?”

“Since you said even the key holders don’t know how to use it, studying these things will take time anyway. We need to figure it out first.” Chu Qianli reached out to touch the Ru’en Stone, but her hand grasped at nothing. A black-clad bodyguard had already lifted the tray holding the key.

Lin was surprised. “I didn’t expect you to be so straightforward. I thought we’d have to negotiate for a while.”

“The last guy who overcomplicated things got replaced. I’m a simple person—if the money’s right, I’m easy to talk to.” Chu Qianli blinked innocently. “You guys took the key away, so how am I supposed to research it?”

“You won’t get the key just yet. But if you prove your abilities, once all the keys are gathered, we’ll hand one over for you to study.” Lin half-joked, “If you take the key and turn against us, wouldn’t that be a waste?”

Chu Qianli was relaxed. “Even with the key, you still couldn’t set foot on H Nation’s land.”

“That’s true.” Lin nodded. “If you two perform well in the upcoming selection, I should be able to trust your sincerity and give you one of the keys.”

“Of course, aside from the selection, I also want you to keep an eye on someone—the Taoist carrying a peachwood sword. I don’t want him to stand out too much among the candidates.” Lin’s gaze was deep as he hinted, “After all, you’re fellow countrymen. You wouldn’t go easy on him, would you?”

Xu Zaiyuan’s background was rather tricky. Lin couldn’t allow him to gain an advantage, and this was also a test of Chu Qianli and the others’ true stance.

Chu Qianli immediately agreed. “Perfect! I don’t want him stealing the spotlight either—it’ll get in the way of my performance!”

Tang Muxing hesitated and looked at her. “?” What kind of villainous remark was that?

Lin was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Chu Qianli to be so cooperative—completely different from Abner, who was always preaching about humanity. After a brief hesitation, Lin asked in a low voice, “So, it’s settled?”

Chu Qianli lazily wagged a finger. “Nope, you forgot a crucial part. Since we agree that behind everything are resources and interests, we need to establish the terms of our mutual benefit first.”

Lin’s tone grew serious. “How much do you want?”

“A history-maker shouldn’t be bothered by a little wealth, right?” Chu Qianli smiled. “First, a deposit of one billion dollars today—wired to an overseas account, processed cleanly. With all the banks under Monderson, this should be nothing to you.”

“Then I want 10% of the profits from the infant stone mine, along with most of the antiques from the ruins.”

Lin’s gaze turned cold. Facing her outrageous demands, he said incredulously, “Don’t you think that’s too much?”

Chu Qianli protested, “Unbelievable! You people don’t care about nations, but now you’re haggling over a little money?”

Lin outright rejected, “The deposit is fine, but 10% of the profits is impossible. You don’t even have a key—you’re just here to decipher the ruins.”

“Then go find the key holders.” Chu Qianli leaned back, arrogantly crossing her legs. “Do you think they’d settle for just 10% once they realize the antiques in their hands are keys? They’ll probably think the ruins belong entirely to them.”

Lin fell silent. That was exactly what Abner believed—the ruins belonged to all of humanity.

Lin conceded slightly. “The deposit can be wired to you first. As for the 10% share, we’ll discuss it after the next selection round. We need time to build trust.”

“Trust doesn’t wait. The price is final tonight—tomorrow, it’s a $2 billion deposit and 20% profit!” Chu Qianli decisively smacked her thigh. “If you can find a better deal out there, I’ll admit defeat!”

Lin’s brow twitched at her blatant extortion. “…I’m suddenly unsure about my decision.”

Chu Qianli sneered. “You find believers too troublesome, and you think money-minded people are too worldly. But in the end, everything has its price—you can’t have it all.”

“If you think this is unfair, you can always go back to the old guns. I’m just a greedy person.” Chu Qianli spread her hands carefreely, completely indifferent.

After a moment of silence, Lin finally let out a slight smile. “Then I admire your greed.”

“Good.” Chu Qianli asserted, “I expect to see the deposit in my account before the next selection. And the 10% share and ruins’ antiques aren’t up for negotiation.”

A while later, Chu Qianli and Tang Muxing left. They didn’t return to the banquet but instead headed home.

Lin swirled his wine glass, watching the liquid ripple. He sneered, “Not even that old, but such a big mouth.”

“Are we really giving her 10% of the profits?” Shi Zhuoqu didn’t expect Chu Qianli and the others to be recruited, let alone demand an astronomical figure—10% of the infant stone profits might be enough to establish a country, just like some nations that got rich off oil.

Lin replied indifferently, “One step at a time. But the more she demands now, the more reassuring it is for us. Compared to the unpredictable Abner, at least we know exactly what she wants.”

Chu Qianli wanted money. So they would give her money. As long as they grasped human nature, things became simple—just a matter of negotiation.

In the villa district, Chu Qianli and Tang Muxing didn’t take the shuttle cart. Instead, they walked back to Xinhua Residence, slowly making their way through the night.

Tang Muxing: “He is not a man of his word. He disregards the concept of nations, which means contracts and laws are meaningless to him as well.”

“It doesn’t matter—we’re not people of our word either!” Chu Qianli chuckled. “One step at a time. Let’s spend the deposit first. If we don’t take anything at all, that would actually make them suspicious.”

“I already said I’m willing to be a gun, but no one’s decided who this gun will fire at yet. The first to reveal their true intentions loses. They think they can control us, but they don’t even know what we really want.”

After saying that, Chu Qianli let out a dramatic sigh and feigned self-pity. “Xingxing, do I really look that much like a villain? I think I look patriotic enough—so why does everyone assume I’m only driven by profit?”

Tonight, she had first obtained the Lilith paper fragment and was then secretly approached by Lin and the others. It seemed like everyone around her had already concluded that she was greedy for money and lacked firm convictions.

Thinking of the impoverished Professor Pan, Tang Muxing admitted honestly, “…Maybe it’s just a matter of aura?”

“Alright, fine. Humans are so easily deceived by appearances. And here I thought I had strong ideological awareness.” Chu Qianli lowered her head and started scrolling through her phone. Suddenly, she brightened up. “Let me think about how to spend this dirty money first. Isn’t there a convoy heading to H Nation soon? No—wait, I mean a fleet of planes!”

“…”

I am just a novice translator and Chinese is not my native language. I try my best to translate the chapters as accurate as possible.
If there are any mistakes then kindly comment and remind me. Your support means a lot.