The Black Book: Seven Deadly Sins

Inside the quiet carriage, only the sound of soft breathing remained. With no outsiders around, Zhu Haomiao casually grabbed handfuls of [greed coins] from the void and placed them into the treasure chest that Wilson had prepared in advance.

"This is your development fund. When I awaken, I will be very hungry. I need enough blood food."

"Also, I need a vast network that can capture all the information I want to know, especially intelligence about Duke Ning Mansion and the Third Prince..."

"Lastly, during the time I'm not here, take care of the things I care about. Don't let some cats and dogs reach out recklessly."

"If you encounter a disaster you absolutely cannot cope with..."

"Call me!"

Listening quietly to the young man's orders, Wilson nodded calmly and gracefully.

"Your will."

As they spoke, the carriage rolled out of the Imperial City and into a desolate wilderness where few people tread.

Zhu Haomiao stepped off the carriage alone, following the information sent by Wilson, through a concealed secret passage, to stand before a familiar seven-pointed star bronze gate.

"Tsk... Can't it be a bit sunnier?"

"Every time it ends up looking like the sleeping tomb sealing the Demon King..."

With disdain, Zhu Haomiao pursed his lips and placed his hand on the array node of the bronze gate. Strange and evil seven-colored light streams exploded outward from the center of his palm.

Creak creak~

The heavy, enormous bronze gates slowly opened, revealing the luxurious yet chilling underground palace behind them.

Under the illumination of the ghostly blue candlelight, Zhu Haomiao lay on the wide, soft bed, taking a slow, deep breath.

Invisible gray-white threads materialized out of thin air, layer by layer wrapping around him.

More than twenty [greed coins] mixed with immense power and a faint dark golden light were sealed deep within his spirit and body.

Having completed the final preparations, Zhu Haomiao peacefully closed his eyes.

In the depths of his sea of consciousness, a magnificent and sinister pyramid trembled slightly, an illusory eye outline opening in the air above its apex, countless fragile and slender light strands orbited around, like the light emitted by the eyeball, or perhaps ropes anchoring it!

In the next moment, the young man emptied his consciousness, withdrawing his soul.

Detaching!

Returning!

After the dizzying sensation of weightless free fall, Zhu Haomiao took a step forward, stumbling as he passed through the chaotic membrane between true and illusion, and regained his balance.

In the brightly lit, modernized giant closed space, the young man blinked in confusion, taking a few seconds to shake off the disorienting sense of separation.

Shaking his head, the wooden, dazed eyes regained clarity, and Zhu Haomiao looked up toward two figures who were coincidently staring back at him.

"See, I told you, he should be coming out around now."

Liu Hongbin smiled slightly, approaching with Bai Linglong.

"Little Zhu, how are you feeling?"

Pausing a while to connect with earlier memories, Zhu Haomiao smiled and nodded.

"Pretty good."

"Where did you descend? Is it far from the Imperial City of [Da Zhen]?"

"Right at the foot of the Imperial City palace."

"Oh? That's great!"

Liu Hongbin's eyes lit up slightly, nodding with joy.

"Linglong descended to a remote southwestern province, and her identity is quite sensitive, making it impossible for her to act freely. Short-term, you'll have to manage the big picture alone."

Hearing this, Zhu Haomiao curiously looked over at Bai Linglong.

"What identity did you descend with?"

"A direct daughter of the Yue King Mansion, a delicate sick beauty, how about you?"

"[Pingyang Earl], a good-for-nothing spendthrift."

Hearing the idle chatter between the two, Liu Hongbin quickly reminded them.

"You can reveal your identity among us, but remember to keep it confidential from outsiders to prevent targeting by the malicious."

Zhu Haomiao was slightly startled, asking strangely.

"Even tilling the land will be targeted?"

He thought that tilling was just PVE, with threats only from native NPCs, having not considered the possibility of being ganked by descenders from reality...

Pausing a moment, Liu Hongbin methodically explained in response to the young man's confusion.

"The likelihood of internal issues is very small, but abroad, it's different. Their tilling strategies are completely different from ours, full of madmen and eccentrics too..."

"We develop top-down, using elites as fulcrums, first creating a relatively safe environment and then gradually easing entry requirements."

"The advantage of this strategy is that each step is secure, survival rate is high, solid foundations, becoming stronger as it progresses."

"However, the downside is also obvious, which is high development cost and slow speed."

"Except for us, virtually all other countries adopt a bottom-up tilling strategy."

"Anyone can enter as long as they pay, but... no warranty on survival."

Zhu Haomiao: "..."

"This strategy has many advantages, with flooding allowing natural selection to sweep across the world in no time!"

"But the downside is clear—it tends to ruin people."

"Moreover, these tilling mercenaries and adventurers' disposition, Fate Grid, and strength... cannot compare to prodigies like you, so most of them have undergone unspeakable tragic experiences."

With that, Liu Hongbin pointed at his own temple with sympathy.

"After much torment, 'here' is more or less broken, their personality gradually twisted and deranged, frequently engaging in bizarre... even monstrous actions."

"Anyway, both in Illusion Realm and reality, it's best to keep your identity confidential to prevent being targeted or exploited by others."

Listening to Liu Hongbin's heartfelt advice, Zhu Haomiao solemnly nodded.

Lessons learned!

Apparently, exposing one's identity as everyone does in the First Layer Heaven is not the norm.

That was merely an unavoidable choice during competitions...

Straight away, as he pondered Liu Hongbin's two different tilling strategies, Zhu Haomiao inexplicably thought of the famous K-strategy and R-strategy in biology.

One is to cultivate high-quality, long-lived, excellent individuals with meticulous care.

The other is to cast a wide net, spreading seeds all over, betting survival probability on numbers.

From the perspective of species propagation, there's no rank in quality between the two strategies, but from the perspective of [humans], the latter lacks a human touch...

Shaking off the clutter of thoughts in his mind, Zhu Haomiao then noticed Bai Linglong's eager and confident eyes.

"I've already trained to Black Iron Peak, about to break through to Bronze, how about you?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Haomiao blinked and smiled breezily.

"Silver, almost at Gold."

Snap~

Liu Hongbin sharply turned his neck, and together with Bai Linglong, stared at Zhu Haomiao with twitching, twisted eyes, seeking any hint of a joke on his face.

"Little Zhu, you're joking, right?"

Seeing Liu Hongbin's dry smile, Zhu Haomiao merely calmly lifted aside his coat, revealing a silver-white sheen.

Bai Linglong: "..."

Three days!

Silver!

One energy level a day!

If you're human, I'll eat...