Junior, Interested in a World-Creation Loan? (Long Chapter, Three in One)

Outside the Creation Hall, voices filled the air.

As soon as Gu An stepped out, he noticed that rows of booths had appeared along both sides of the once-spacious corridor. He had no idea when they had been set up.

Advertising screens floated in midair.

[World-Creation Growth Plan for Newcomers]

[World cultivation, resource procurement, civilization development planning]

[Ten-day potential assessment: helping newcomers get a winning start!]

The various slogans made Gu An's eyelids twitch.

This style...

Why does it suddenly feel like I've gone back to a training institute's recruitment fair in my previous life?

As he was thinking, a clear, pleasant female voice rang out from ahead.

"Junior brothers and sisters, let's get to know each other first!"

Gu An looked toward the voice.

A young, beautiful woman stood in front of one of the booths.

She looked to be around twenty, wearing a fitted white blouse. Her long chestnut hair fell smoothly behind her shoulders, and her features were radiant. When she smiled, she had the approachable air of the big sister next door.

"My name is Shen Tang. I graduated from Linjiang No. 3 High School too, so I suppose that makes me your direct senior."

Smiling, the woman pointed to the employee badge on her chest.

"I work for the Star-Origin World-Creation Resources Company now. It wasn't easy getting a booth at the school today, so I came back especially to bring you juniors some benefits."

She raised the brochure in her hand.

"First of all, congratulations to everyone on officially obtaining a personal world of your own!"

"But I have to remind you, juniors, successfully creating a world is only the beginning. What truly determines how far a world can go is how it's cultivated afterward."

"Think about it. Even among worlds that have only just been born, some will have cultivated legendary dragons, founded magic empires, and even begun nurturing gods of their own ten years from now."

"But for others, ten years will have passed, and they still won't have figured out how to raise their first living beings."

Shen Tang sighed softly, as if she truly felt sorry for those world creators.

"Is that gap entirely due to talent?"

"Of course not."

She changed tack, her smile growing even sweeter.

"Sometimes, it's simply because people can't bear to invest early on, and they miss a golden opportunity for their worlds to develop."

"Especially you juniors. Your first potential assessment is only ten days away. I hear the high-end origin the school has prepared as a reward is enough to make even me envious."

"So save where you should, but don't be too reluctant to spend where you need to. Invest a few resources now, and once your world grows, the returns might far exceed what you put in today."

As she spoke, the woman unfolded the brochure in her hand.

"As it happens, our company has prepared several world-growth plans for newcomers, all professionally evaluated. If you're interested, come take a look. It doesn't matter whether you buy anything. I won't eat you."

Quite a few students nearby were immediately drawn in.

Standing outside the crowd, Gu An listened with considerable feeling.

This senior really was talented.

First, she congratulated everyone on becoming world creators. Then she reminded them that they might fall behind in the future. Finally, she told them she just happened to have a solution.

The whole routine was practically flawless.

In his previous life, she probably would have been a salesperson with pretty impressive results.

Even so, he wasn't in a hurry to leave.

The goods at the booth had genuinely caught his interest.

Ordinary Creation Origin, elemental crystals, all kinds of materials for cultivating life, and even some costly high-end resources.

The sheer variety was enough to dazzle Gu An.

He was just in need of Creation Origin.

Since he had come across it, he naturally wanted to check the market.

With that thought, Gu An approached the booth and studied the product list.

Meanwhile, Shen Tang, who had just finished her pitch, quickly noticed the young man standing in front of the booth.

Her eyes brightened slightly.

"Junior, you've been looking for quite a while. Has anything caught your interest?"

"Ordinary Creation Origin."

"Ordinary origin?"

Shen Tang blinked, then gave him an even warmer smile.

"Oh, you're quite ambitious, junior! You've only just finished creating your first world, and you're already preparing to cultivate it further?"

She walked over to Gu An's side with practiced ease and brought up a product list.

"But I should warn you: ordinary origin has a wide range of uses, but without a suitable evolution plan, even a huge investment might not produce good results."

"What type of world do you have, junior? If you don't mind, you can tell me about it."

"I'm no world-creation master, but I've encountered quite a few types of worlds over the years. Maybe I can help you save some origin."

Hearing that, Gu An couldn't help smiling.

"Thank you, senior, but my world's circumstances are rather unusual. For now, I only need ordinary origin."

"I see..."

Shen Tang gave him a thoughtful look.

She didn't press him any further.

"All right, then I won't recommend things at random. It is your world, after all. What resources suit it depends on what you actually need."

She quickly brought up the price of ordinary Creation Origin.

"Here, take a look, junior. Our company's origin is all purchased through legitimate channels, so both its quality and provenance are guaranteed."

Gu An lowered his head and glanced at it.

[Ordinary Creation Origin: Star Coins / unit.]

Gu An stared at the string of numbers for a moment.

Sixty-eight thousand.

He had long known that Creation Origin was precious, but only when he saw the price did he realize that cultivating the Supreme Great Wilderness would probably cost even more than he had imagined.

It wasn't as though his parents had left no savings at all.

But he still had a younger sister at home.

Daily living expenses and treatment costs all required money.

He couldn't just pour every last bit of the family's money into his own world-creation plan.

Besides, one unit of ordinary origin was only the beginning.

The three thousand demon gods, Pangu splitting open the heavens, and even the true evolution of the Primordial World...

Those were where the real expenses lay.

Gu An suddenly felt that being the creator of the Supreme Great Wilderness perhaps wasn't as glamorous as he had imagined.

Shen Tang had been watching his reaction all along.

Seeing this, the smile on her face didn't fade. Instead, it grew even warmer.

"What's wrong, junior? Do you think the price is a little high?"

"Senior, that price isn't just a little over my budget."

"So it's a lot over?"

"Way over." Gu An didn't deny it.

"Oh, that can't be helped." Shen Tang sighed softly.

"Creation Origin isn't an ordinary material, after all. Naturally, the price can't be all that low."

"But, junior, you shouldn't give up on your world-creation plan so easily just because you're short of funds for now."

Gu An raised an eyebrow.

Why does that sound... a little off?

Sure enough, the next moment, Shen Tang smoothly picked up another set of promotional materials from beside her.

"Actually, outstanding newcomers like you who have just finished creating their first world have other options besides buying resources outright."

She handed the materials to Gu An.

"Our company currently works with several legitimate world-creation financial institutions to provide growth support services specifically for promising newcomers."

Gu An looked down.

[Newcomer World-Creation Credit Plan]

"..."

Gu An's eyelids twitched.

Sure enough, there was no such thing as enthusiasm without a reason.

Back in his previous life, those financial advertisements encouraging young people to spend ahead of their means had all sounded sweeter than the last.

Invest in the future, seize opportunities, don't let present difficulties limit your dreams.

And now, look at this.

You could even take out a loan to create a world.

What's more, the beautiful senior before him had a sweet smile and a pleasant voice, and everything she said made it sound as though she had his interests at heart.

If it were a student with little experience of the world, a few coaxing words from her might be enough to make them feel that not borrowing money would be a disservice to their talent.

Gu An immediately grew somewhat wary.

"Senior, are you planning to talk me into taking out a loan?"

"How can you call it talking you into one?" Shen Tang widened her eyes slightly, looking quite innocent.

"I only thought I'd tell you about it because you seemed to need it."

She paused, her tone growing a little gentler.

"Besides, junior, whether a loan is a good idea depends on the circumstances."

"If you borrow money to buy things you don't need at all, of course it isn't worth it. But you're different. You've already succeeded in creating your personal world, and right now is exactly when you need resources."

"Let me ask you, junior: don't you want to get a good result in the potential assessment ten days from now?"

"Of course I do."

"Then there you go." Shen Tang smiled and clapped her hands lightly.

"If you want a good result, you have to give your world some chance to grow, don't you?"

"Think about it. If your world has good potential but can't complete a crucial evolution before the assessment just because you're short of origin for the moment, wouldn't that be a shame?"

"Especially with the high-end origin reward this time. Never mind you new students; even I want to compete for it."

The woman spoke with a perfectly serious expression and considerable earnestness.

"Of course, I'm not saying you're guaranteed to win a prize if you borrow money. When it comes to world creation, nobody can guarantee the outcome."

"But at least, with a little help from outside resources, you wouldn't have to give up an opportunity you could otherwise have tried for just because of your current money problems."

Gu An had initially intended to refuse, but hearing this, he couldn't help falling into thought.

He had to admit, this woman really knew how to talk.

She was clearly selling loans, yet she could make it sound so high-minded.

And on closer thought, she wasn't entirely wrong.

He really was short of Creation Origin right now.

And the school assessment in ten days really did concern that precious high-end origin.

If he could invest some resources in advance and bring Mythic Chaos into its next stage...

It did seem worth considering. Mainly, he was very confident in his world. If a small loan could advance his world-creation progress, he definitely wouldn't lose out.

Of course, that was assuming the terms were reasonable.

After all, he had transmigrated from modern society.

He had seen his share of loan promotions and consumer traps.

If he muddleheadedly took on a debt he could never repay just to compete for some high-end origin, that wouldn't be bold.

It would mean his brain was full of water.

"Senior, what exactly are the terms of this growth support plan?"

At his words, Shen Tang's beautiful eyes immediately brightened.

"Interested, junior?"

"I'd like to hear about it first."

"Oh, then you've come to the right person!"

The woman immediately perked up, her tone considerably livelier than before.

"The financial institutions we work with have special newcomer credit for first-time world creators. As long as you've successfully created a personal world and meet the credit requirements, you're eligible to apply."

"As for how much you can apply for, that depends on your individual qualifications."

"For students like you, if your theory grades are excellent, you can usually go through a special assessment, and the terms will be a little more flexible."

At this point, Shen Tang thoughtfully added:

"But don't rush into a decision, junior. I can first help you check whether you're eligible, then work out the fees and repayment terms clearly."

"If you think it's suitable, go ahead. If not, forget it. There's no charge for a consultation anyway."

She blinked and looked at Gu An with a smile.

"Well? Will you give me a chance to show what I can do?"

Looking at the beautiful woman before him, Gu An didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

She was clearly the one trying to make a sale.

How had she made it sound as though he would be a little heartless if he didn't give her a chance?

Then again, there was no harm in looking at the terms first.

"All right, let's hear about it first."

"All right!" Shen Tang beamed at once.

"Don't worry, junior. I'll definitely help you pick a suitable one!"

As she spoke, she deftly pulled up the newcomer credit data.

Her movements were so brisk that the corner of Gu An's eye twitched.

Just then, a familiar silver-white figure approached from the other side of the booth.

Lorina held a shopping list of moonlight materials, evidently having finished her own consultation.

She was about to leave, but her gaze lingered for a moment on the credit data in Gu An's hand.

"How surprising."

The girl's voice was cool and calm. "I remember someone previously thought my Silvermoon World was too extravagant."

She glanced at the loan data. "It seems you're much more lenient with yourself."

Gu An smiled. "After trying it myself, I found that creating a world really does cost quite a bit."

Lorina did not pursue the subject. She put away her data and left the booth.

Gu An did not explain himself either. After all, she was right.

He had criticized the enormous investment in the Silvermoon Elf World before, yet today, having just finished creating his own world, he was already preparing to take out a loan.

But Lorina could hardly have imagined

what his seemingly empty chaos was actually nurturing.

"Junior?" Shen Tang's voice sounded beside him again.

"Do you know that pretty junior who was just here?"

"She's my classmate."

"I see." Shen Tang smiled and did not pry any further.

After all, she had more important business to discuss than the relationship between her junior and a pretty girl.

"Oh, right, junior, what's your name? Let me check whether you qualify for credit first."

"Gu An."

"Gu An..." Shen Tang entered his name and casually asked:

"Linjiang No. 3 High School, Gu An..."

"Wait." She suddenly stopped what she was doing, then looked up at Gu An in surprise.

"You're the Gu An who ranked first in the grade in theory?"

Gu An was taken aback. "If there isn't another one at school, that should be me."

"Oh!" Shen Tang's eyes lit up at once.

"Junior, why didn't you say so earlier?"

Shen Tang's gaze was noticeably warmer than before as she looked at Gu An.

"First in the grade in theory—that's no ordinary qualification!"

"I was just thinking about how to get you a better credit limit, but now it looks like I don't have to worry too much."

Gu An looked at her beaming face and could not help finding it amusing.

"Senior, isn't that change in attitude a bit too obvious?"

"Is it?"

Shen Tang blinked with an innocent expression.

Then she was the first to laugh.

"Oh, come on, junior. Who doesn't like an excellent student? Besides, you have so much potential. Of course I hope you'll do better and better in the future."

She paused, then added with a smile:

"When you really make it big, just remember to give me plenty of business."

Gu An could not help laughing. "You certainly have foresight, senior."

"Of course." Shen Tang answered without a hint of hesitation.

"In business, you've got to take the long view."

"I don't want to make money off you just this once."

Gu An: "..."

Well, well.

She had already figured out how to keep making money off him in the future.

Still, he had to admit that Shen Tang was an interesting person.

Her head was clearly full of business, yet she could speak so warmly and naturally.

She did not even try to hide the fact that she was thinking about making money off him next time.

Yet somehow, he could not bring himself to dislike her.

"Here, junior." Shen Tang turned her attention back to the data.

"Let me check the specific terms for you first."

She brought up the official application portal in front of Gu An and gestured for him to complete the identity verification and authorization himself.

Gu An had been a little worried that applying for a creation loan would require him to make his world public.

Fortunately, newcomer personal credit mainly required verification of identity, credit history, and an official record of creation.

As for what exactly was being nurtured inside his own world, that was not part of the personal credit review.

Of course, applying for a world operation loan with a higher limit was another matter.

Gu An was quite satisfied with this.

After all, the things in his chaos were not yet suitable for others to know about.

Shen Tang selected two plans for which he qualified and pushed the data for one of them in front of him.

"Junior, your grades do give you an advantage, but I'd still suggest you borrow according to what you actually need."

"The credit limit is the maximum you can borrow. It's not as if you have to borrow all of it."

"If you borrow too much, it'll be a hassle to pay back later. I wouldn't want you to do business with me for the first time, then block my contact details the second time because you can't pay it back."

Gu An found that rather amusing.

Even when advising someone to limit their borrowing, this woman was still thinking about future business.

But her advice was sound.

He only needed one unit of ordinary creation origin right now. There was no need to take on extra debt just to borrow more.

Gu An carefully checked the fees, the repayment period, and the conditions for early repayment.

There was no so-called free origin, nor any promise of guaranteed profits without loss.

But the overall terms were reasonable enough.

Even if he failed to win a reward in the evaluation ten days from now, he would not immediately be caught in repayment difficulties.

As for future income...

With a world of their own, creators had access to far more ways to make money than the little bit of reward the school handed out.

Gu An thought for a moment and finally made his decision.

"This one, then."

"Are you sure?" Shen Tang's eyes brightened slightly.

"Mm."

"Then I'll submit it for you."

The rest of the process went even more smoothly than Gu An had expected.

After his identity was confirmed, the contract signed, and the final resource transaction completed, a line of text soon appeared on the light screen.

[Credit application approved.]

[Resource purchase complete.]

[Ordinary creation origin × 1 unit has been transferred to the creator's resource account.]

At the same time, a portion of pure origin flowed into Gu An's sea of consciousness through his authenticated connection to his world, quietly waiting for him to direct it.

Gu An looked at the last line of text and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He had finally gotten it.

It was only one unit of ordinary origin.

But for the Mythic Chaos in its current state, it was enough to meet the minimum requirement for the next round of evolution.

As for the future... he would have to keep finding ways to make money.

"Congratulations, junior!"

Shen Tang was smiling particularly brightly.

"You've got your first batch of creation resources! Now make sure you cultivate your world well and aim for a good result in the evaluation ten days from now."

As she spoke, she naturally pulled up her contact information.

"Oh, right, junior, how about adding me as a friend?"

"Whether you want to buy creation resources or there's something you don't understand, you can come directly to me."

"Our company has plenty of channels. Sometimes, if we come across the right supplier, we can even save you some money."

Gu An thought it over and did not refuse.

"Sure."

"But let's be clear beforehand: I won't necessarily buy something every time."

"Oh, what does that matter?"

Shen Tang smiled. "Business takes time, junior. You have so much potential, and I trust my own judgment."

The two exchanged contact information.

Shen Tang looked at her newly added friend, clearly in a good mood.

"Then it's settled!"

"Junior Gu An, make sure to give me plenty of business in the future!"

Gu An smiled and agreed, then turned and left the booth.

After walking a few steps, he could not resist looking back.

Shen Tang had already put her sweet smile back on and was enthusiastically greeting the next student who came for a consultation.

Watching how practiced she was, Gu An was rather moved.

He had known perfectly well that she was selling to him.

Yet after listening to her, he really had borrowed money.

He could only say that this woman did have some skills.

Still, on reflection, the deal was not a loss.

After all, he needed the resource, and he had accepted the terms only after careful consideration.

Gu An shook his head and put away his phone.

Just then, deep in his consciousness, a familiar line of golden text quietly appeared.

[Available creation origin detected.]

[Creation objective: manifestation of the daos of chaos]

[Current origin: ordinary creation origin × 1 unit]

[Minimum investment requirement for this round of evolution has been met.]

Gu An's steps paused.

Then a smile rose unbidden to his lips.

Finally.

The Mythic Chaos could enter its next round of evolution.

Shi Chen had already awakened.

The Time Dao had truly manifested in this chaos.

And besides time, a full three thousand innate dao seeds were being nurtured in that vast expanse.

Some of them might also be close to awakening.

Gu An was looking forward to it.

But there was no rush right now.

He raised his head and looked toward the street beyond the school gates, where dusk was gradually falling.

Xiao Xi had said a couple of days ago that she wanted fish. He could stop by the market and buy one before heading back.

At that thought, Gu An quickened his pace.

As for the creation origin he had just borrowed...

Once he got back, he would see what changes it could bring to the Supreme Great Wilderness.

After all, the three thousand chaos demon gods were still waiting to be born.