The Pontiff's Edict!

Big!

Very big!!

An area as large as an entire football field had been evenly divided into three sections, separated by thick walls. Countless luminous pearls had been embedded in the ceiling, making the dim underground space as bright as day.

Su Chen activated his Byakugan and looked over. The first area was neatly arranged with various experiment tables, containers, petri dishes, and nutrient solutions. It had basically been recreated to at least ninety percent of his specifications. The walls of this section were embedded with some kind of sturdy alloy, and the ventilation facilities were complete. Soft sofas had also been placed farther away for temporary rests.

The second area was relatively open, with several types of dummies and metal blocks inside. The whole area was constructed from black rock and could withstand most impacts.

As for the third area, it made the young man's expression turn a little strange.

A steaming hot spring, a large bed strewn with flower petals, flowerbeds, and artificial rockeries with trickling water—it was enough to relax one's mind and spirit at a glance.

The outer layers of all three areas were wrapped in tough alloy, along with a familiar barrier of Soul Power.

"This really is extravagant."

Su Chen drew a deep breath and muttered, "An experimental area, a training area, and... a resting area large enough for four people to live in?"

What a massive investment!

It was simply far beyond anything he had imagined.

In seven days, they had created such a complete underground space!

Not to mention anything else, the alloy layer alone, which nearly wrapped around the entire underground area, definitely cost more than four million Gold Soul Coins!

Not to mention the instruments he had requested. Most of them were made from Glazed Crystal Stone, which was transparent, colorless, and excellent at conducting energy, so naturally they were not cheap.

Then there were the nutrient solutions. While the medicinal herbs might not have seemed like much compared to the first two expenses, he had demanded a long-term supply!

The cost of building this entire underground space would have been more than enough to buy a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone. It could even buy two or three, provided they were not especially rare!

Extravagant beyond reason—simply inhumanly extravagant!

Su Chen knew that the Pope thought highly of him and might invest a little more, but he had never expected her to spend this much!

As expected of Spirit Hall! As expected of the Pope!!

"Mm-hm~"

A pleasant chuckle arrived behind the young man along with a fragrant breeze. A delicate hand slowly settled on his shoulder.

"Are you satisfied?"

His Holiness the Pope leaned close to Su Chen's ear and exhaled sweet, warm breath that brushed against his cheek.

Su Chen instinctively wanted to pull away, but he ultimately held himself back.

They had spent so much on him. Refusing to let her touch him a little would have been somewhat excessive.

A triumphant gleam appeared in Bibi Dong's wine-red eyes. Taking advantage of the moment, she directly pinched Su Chen's cheek, the corners of her lips curving into a delighted smile.

This woman... forget it.

Forcibly ignoring the smooth, tender sensation on his face, Su Chen looked at the base and nodded with slight excitement.

"I'm satisfied, very satisfied!"

He was beyond satisfied!

Even back in the Ninja World, he had never possessed such an excellent experimental environment.

Thinking about it made Su Chen feel miserable.

Back then, in order to evade the surveillance of the Third Hokage and Danzo, he and Orochimaru could only set up laboratories wherever they could. They were either caves or abandoned Root bases.

The conditions in those places were truly beyond description.

And after he became invincible in the Ninja World, before he could even build a grand laboratory to fulfill his dream, that damned system had thrown him here.

Damn it, one day I'll stuff this shitty system into an adult-anime world and make it toilet paper!

Su Chen ground his teeth inwardly.

"As long as you like it, little one. From now on, this place belongs to you."

Bibi Dong covered her mouth and smiled, looking utterly enchanting. "However, if you wish to bring anyone in, you'll still need to tell me first."

"Mm, of course. After all—"

Su Chen nodded, only to suddenly realize that this place seemed to be beneath Bibi Dong's private garden.

No, you...

The young man was somewhat dumbfounded.

What was this supposed to mean? Living together with Bibi Dong?

"What? I did this to fulfill your requirements. You said it yourself—you wanted safety. Is there anywhere in Spirit City safer than my place?"

His Holiness the Pope smiled brightly. Her jade finger brushed over her red lips before lightly tapping them, and she blinked at him with complete righteousness.

Su Chen...

He had nothing to say.

There was nothing wrong with that. Indeed, even when Tang Hao had nearly smashed Pontiff Palace in the future, this place had not been affected. In a sense, it truly was the safest place.

Forget it.

The young man shook his head.

Compared to this underground base, that was a trivial matter.

Besides, Bibi Dong was not the Third Hokage. She would not forbid him from conducting human experiments. As long as he produced results, this woman might even actively provide him with materials.

"Thank you for Your Holiness's generous favor. I happen to have gained some insights regarding the Cultivation Method. Now that I have a laboratory, I should be able to produce results within a few days."

Su Chen cupped his hands and spoke earnestly.

He had originally intended to keep it in hand for a while longer, but after seeing this base, the young man changed his mind.

Once he calmed down, he realized something.

Even though Bibi Dong was the Pope, given her current circumstances, it would not have been easy for her to suddenly divert such a large sum of money to him. If things went badly, it might become ammunition for others to attack her.

If it became serious, Bibi Dong's actions could be restricted, and as her openly acknowledged subordinate, he would be implicated as well.

Su Chen had great confidence in his Cultivation Method. It might not be enough to earn him great importance, but it should be enough to shut some people up.

Bibi Dong froze for a moment, her lovely face visibly moved.

This child... was he a little too clever? He had even thought of this?

A warm current spread through His Holiness the Pope's heart, leaving her unable to suppress her emotion.

"Don't worry, it's fine. Take your time."

Bibi Dong let out a soft breath. Her wine-red eyes, as she looked at the young man, were filled with bright gentleness.

Su Chen's words made her very happy.

Thinking of those difficulties and accusations, His Holiness the Pope no longer found them quite so unbearable.

However, at that moment, she could never have imagined what kind of surprise the young man would give her in the future.

"Then I won't disturb you any longer."

Bibi Dong tapped the young man's forehead and chuckled. "Oh, right. To enter this place, you only need to stand in that spot and release your Soul Power. Only the Soul Power of the two of us can open it."

"And this is for you."

As she spoke, she handed Su Chen a metal token.

"Keep this. No one should stop you from now on. Mm, if you encounter danger outside, you can take it out as well."

With that, His Holiness the Pope waved her hand and walked up the stairs. Only after that graceful, slender figure vanished from the young man's sight did he turn his attention to the token in his hand.

But the longer Su Chen looked, the more his expression changed.

The metal token was entirely black, outlined by a circle of silver trim, with several rubies embedded at the top. Most importantly, several relief carvings that Su Chen found extremely familiar were engraved upon it.

A sword, a hammer, a crown, an incomplete humanoid figure, a dragon, and a chrysanthemum.

"This is... the Pontiff's Edict?"

The young man drew a deep breath. Looking at this token, which could be called the highest-ranking token in Spirit Hall, his gaze became somewhat complicated.

Bibi Dong had put it too mildly.

With this token, it would not be an exaggeration to say he could walk sideways through the Heaven Dou Empire.

As if the Pope herself had arrived!

That was the meaning of the Pontiff's Edict.

"This really is..."

The young man helplessly put away the somewhat weighty token.

When this woman had no sense of boundaries, she was truly troublesome. Her temperament was also cold and ruthless, her scheming deep. To achieve her goals, she could abandon everything that could be abandoned.

But once she truly took someone to heart, what she gave them reached a morbidly excessive degree.

Wait...

Su Chen sucked in a sharp breath.

Could this be the legendary yandere?