Unequal Treaties!

"Xiao Chen, I know you want to make a name for yourself as a newcomer, but that doesn't mean you can give fake reviews! That's irresponsible to the players, you get that? Our company hires professional game reviewers, not clickbait trash editors. We just went public, we need a solid reputation in the industry, and you're ruining it, you know that?"

Inside the teleportation circle, Xiao Chen lowered his head with an apologetic smile. "Boss, it's really not like that!"

"Hmph!" The middle-aged man at the front snorted in disbelief. A private developer making a game with five-star graphics? Who would believe that? Maybe five-star gameplay was possible—after all, there were hidden geniuses out there with wild imaginations. But graphics were about fundamentals: high-end virtual engines and top-tier art assets. How could someone with those resources be just a private designer?

"Welcome to the Star Sea, brave explorer! Come, sign the contract and become a subject of the great Lord Xi Ye!"

The NPC rattled off the same old spiel—a pretty cliché opening. For a professional reviewer, that one line alone was enough to gauge the creative team's lack of originality.

But none of them had the mind to dwell on that now. The middle-aged man who had just scolded Xiao Chen stood there, dumbfounded, while Xiao Chen, even having seen it once before, still wore a look of awe.

"Th-this..." The middle-aged man stared around in disbelief. With over twenty years in the industry, he'd seen countless premium games, but none had ever hit him with graphics this stunning.

Two old men? Both bald?

Under his helmet, Xi Ye's face showed a flicker of displeasure. As a lord, he wanted to recruit vigorous young laborers, not these bald old-timers. He couldn't muster much interest.

Unless they were high-end technical talents from special races—like Holber plant masters, Bronzebeard blacksmiths, Clockwork Clan experts in Hextech Electromechanical Systems, or Wood Spirit doctors. For those, lords naturally preferred the older the better, since technical talent only improved with age...

But this planet's backward tech made Xi Ye completely indifferent to their so-called experts. What he needed was a bunch of fit young people, who, after his biological modifications, could become useful miners!

"Honorable Lord, how do we sign the contract?" Unlike the young guy before them who'd logged off in a hurry, these two old men, after witnessing the incredible visual fidelity, wanted to see how much the designer had developed in terms of gameplay.

Xi Ye lifted his eyelids slightly, glanced at them, and felt unmotivated. But the AI promptly transmitted to him: Honorable Lord, every bit counts. Even if they're older, after biological modification, they can still be used.

"They can be used, but... it's a waste of the gene bank," Xi Ye replied via Telepathic Transmission.

True, older people could undergo biological modification, but their cells were already declining. Their absorption and evolution capabilities were far below a young person's. Even if the modification succeeded, the genes they could assimilate would be limited...

"What does it matter, Lord? You bought the cheap stuff anyway, didn't you?"

Xi Ye's mouth twitched. What kind of company made this lousy AI? He'd have to warn his junior disciples in the group chat not to buy the same model. Otherwise, spending hundreds of thousands of years drifting through the universe with only this sharp-tongued thing to talk to—just thinking about it was exhausting!

But it was right. The gene bank he'd bought was all cheap stock. What could he do? He was broke.

"Honorable Lord?" Seeing the NPC silent for so long, the two middle-aged men frowned. Was this game just a shell with no substance?

"Ah..." Xi Ye snapped back to reality, looking down at them. "You've made the wisest choice of your lives!"

With a wave of his hand, a stack of beautifully designed contracts appeared before the three. He continued, "Sign your names, and from now on, you will be my subjects—the great Lord Xi Ye's people! After signing, I will perform biological modifications on you, turning you into excellent cosmic species!"

Contracts? The three blinked, then flipped through them with interest.

Clause 1: Upon signing, Party B becomes a lawful subject of Party A and shall fulfill labor obligations, tax obligations, military service obligations, and population production obligations as stipulated by the Lord. Details as follows:

Blah blah...

Clause 2: Party B's citizen benefits are entirely determined by Party A. As Lord Xi Ye's nation is newly established, specific welfare and compensation standards have yet to be defined. Everyone is welcome to look forward to them.

Contract Validity: Indefinite years!

Note: During the contract term, Party B may not defect, betray, or violently resist Lord Xi Ye for any reason, or face sanctions from the Great Universe Federation!

What a shameless contract!!

The three reading it were stunned. Xi Ye put on a calm face, but inside he was sweating bullets.

He couldn't invade Planet D right now—no military force for slave colonization. So he had to use contracts. Celestial Group contracts were protected by Great Universe Federation law. Once signed, there was no backing out. If these guys later caught on and rebelled, he could apply for Federation armed intervention.

It sounded a bit underhanded, not befitting a great lord, but he had no choice. Those biological genes, cheap as they were, still cost money. If this AI's method of tricking humans got exposed later, and these guys ran off with the genes he'd bought, where would he cry about it?

But the contract the AI had drafted was a bit too much. It looked almost like slavery. Who would be dumb enough to sign it?

"Uh... if you think it's unfair, you can raise some points..."

"Lord, what happens after we sign?" the three asked eagerly.

"Uh..." Xi Ye choked. They'd signed that unequal treaty so readily? This lousy AI's method actually worked?

"Ahem!" Xi Ye coughed, then swiftly swiped the contracts back. After confirming their signatures, he discreetly stored them in his private space and said in a low voice, "Follow me!"

"Lao Yang, look at these instruments, the details—man, it's so sci-fi!"

"Yeah!" The man called Lao Yang nodded. "So refined. Even Rainstorm's 'Titan' can't compare!"

"No comparison at all! This game could become legendary on graphics alone. We need to contact the creator ASAP and secure the agency rights!"

"What's this, great Lord?" Xiao Chen, at the front, asked.

"This is a biological tool machine." Maybe out of a small guilt for tricking them into signing away their lives, Xi Ye answered patiently for once. "Here, I'll back up your brains, then clone your original bodies. After that, I'll perform biological modifications on the clones. If your clone body dies, the moment your brain is damaged, your consciousness will be instantly transmitted to the backup brain. Don't worry—this technology was refined by the Clockwork Spirit Clan from the Ancient Lich Phylactery principle in the 14th cosmic era. It's very mature now, no accidents!"

"Cool!" Xiao Chen's eyes lit up. That brief explanation alone hinted at a vast world background. He'd underestimated the game's creative team!

Now, what genes to use?

Xi Ye opened his gene bank, staring at the pile of cheap stock, and pondered. Finally, he decided: for the first test, he'd go with the cheapest—the Green Titan Gene.