Electric Meter Reversal: Paying the Reward
After wrapping Two Trays of Dumplings, it was already evening.
Lin Yu saw off Hannah's sixth uncle, who had taken all the food and gifts, thus completing the payment for the [Guest Appearance Invitation].
Of course, although it was called a payment, in reality, Lin Yu actually made a profit overall.
After all, all Lin Yu had to do was prepare some ingredients and cook a meal—and those ingredients were even bought by Stiller.
The gifts he brought himself, as well as the items the God of Banquets gave him to deal with the "God of Desire," were all genuine [Item].
And their functions are all quite powerful.
And most importantly...
These [Item] not only have connections with the gifts that the God of Banquets gave the first time.
Even... it seems that the Card and the God of Banquets also realized that Lin Yu had taken away more than just the "God of Desire".
Besides "Desire," Lin Yu's gains from this trip also included a fragmented "Authority of Ocean" that he had pieced together using his "Fraudster" abilities.
Many of the "gifts" that Card gave away were related to the "Ocean".
"This Chosen of God is easier to talk to than I expected, probably because of Hannah," Stiller said thoughtfully after washing pots and pans diligently at the kitchen sink, his hands covered in foam. "Anyway, it's great that this reception went smoothly."
Lin Yu, who was drinking tea next to Stiller, nodded.
"Yes, and I'm very gratified that this Chosen of God has recognized my skills..."
Stiller said, "That's because your skills are truly superb, boss."
"But then again, boss," Stiller paused, "Now that a Chosen of God from Other Worlds has appeared here, and you've already used my Anchor Point, won't that attract some unnecessary attention?"
"Will this place no longer be safe? Should I Xingyi and erase all traces of myself?"
Stiller asked.
Although he demonstrated exceptional competence tonight in areas beyond security, ultimately, Stiller's core job remains "security."
Therefore, he keenly realized that after his "Safe House" for Lin Yu was activated ahead of schedule tonight, the "Security Level" might have been lowered considerably.
Hearing Stiller's words, Lin Yu shook his head slightly.
"No need for that. I see you really like it here, don't you... then you can continue your vacation here."
As Lin Yu spoke, Stiller, however, did not accept it.
"That won't do... Although it's certainly very pleasant here, I absolutely cannot let my 'pleasure' and my 'vacation' interfere with our important business."
Ultimately, my 'vacation' was just a cover; we shouldn't put the cart before the horse.
Lin Yu looked at Stiller: "Who told you your vacation was a 'cover'... That kind of thinking is putting the cart before the horse."
"My initial intention in giving you the leave was genuinely to give you a vacation and let you rest for a while—leaving you as Anchor Point so I can easily evacuate or take temporary refuge in case of an emergency was just a side benefit."
As Lin Yu spoke, Stiller clearly seemed to have some difficulty understanding as well.
After all, such a leader simply doesn't exist in City That Never Sleeps.
Even Stiller, who was well-versed in interpersonal relationships and knew a lot about workplace etiquette, was stunned for a while when faced with this completely unfamiliar situation.
Then, he slowly began to speak.
"Uh... well, thanks then, boss."
Then, Stiller spoke up, "But for me, relocation isn't really a troublesome or unacceptable thing, otherwise I wouldn't have proposed this plan."
Lin Yu looked at Stiller and said, "If you're already planning to move to another city, I certainly don't mind... but if you're comfortable here and want to stay regardless of my influence, then staying here is fine too."
"To be honest, although a Chosen of God has descended here and I am here as well, it's hard to say whether we'll be exposed or if someone is watching me," Lin Yu said, looking around. "Maybe this place hasn't been exposed at all yet."
"Besides... even if I were exposed, it wouldn't be a big problem—I wasn't necessarily going to be in such a sorry state that I needed to flee to your place anyway."
Lin Yu paused for a moment, then said, "Although when I told you a few days ago there was indeed a high probability that I would need a shelter like yours as a backup, in these few short days, the probability that I would need to 'escape' under the current circumstances has become increasingly smaller."
After all...
Although only a few days had passed in the Real World, Lin Yu had been entering different [Instance] worlds almost non-stop during those days.
This left him with almost no breathing room, keeping him in a state of high tension, which also brought Lin Yu...
Rapid growth in strength.
Putting aside the unlocked [Map] access and the ability to build his own base in the City That Never Sleeps, the newly acquired [Item] and newly learned Supernatural Power alone made Lin Yu feel...
Even if I really encounter a dangerous situation, I have more and more ways to save my life and escape.
Therefore, the possibility of using Stiller's approach, which is roughly equivalent to a "Ultimate Means of Evasion," is becoming increasingly rare.
Even at such a crucial juncture as the "Player Mutual Aid Society" election, and even knowing that the situation beneath the surface in Shenzhen had become incredibly complex, Lin Yu remained increasingly confident in himself.
His speed of improvement was simply too fast, even exceeding Lin Yu's own expectations.
Therefore, it doesn't matter if Stiller gets a little attention here.
After all...
This place can serve as a "refuge," but it can also be used as... a trap.
Stiller also noticed his boss's confidence.
The most obvious characteristic of professionals from the Three Great Corporations in the Nightless Entertainment District who have received formal training is that they will never disobey their superiors and leaders.
Having clearly understood Lin Yu's intentions and will, Stiller naturally had no intention of going against Lin Yu.
"Then, as you suggest, I should continue my Village Head... right?"
Stiller asked tentatively.
Lin Yu nodded. "As long as you want to stay here, your vacation will continue... Is there a problem?"
"Of course, no problem," Stiller quickly replied. "I'm just vacationing here, what problem could there be... I could stay here for a year without any problem."
Hearing Stiller's words, Lin Yu smiled and said, "You don't need to stay that long... your vacation will be over soon anyway."
"Moreover, we might return to the Barren Realm again soon, and visit the City That Never City That Never Sleeps once more."
After all... the "materials" needed for his [Exclusive item] were simply [Whale's Tear] collected with the help of cards.
Although the amount of [Whale's Tear] might be excessive, Lin Yu couldn't possibly use [Whale's Tear] to replace other materials.
Therefore, he may still need to go to the Barren Realm again.
After all, one of the remaining materials he needed, the [Poetry Flower], was found in the Barren Realm.
Moreover... after seeing Nightless Sky Yong Shang in the Eternal Prison, it is indeed necessary for me to return to the Barren Realm again and use this opportunity to negotiate with the respected Family Head.
Incidentally, this also allows her to develop a relationship with the Simulator Version of Fu Luo.
Certainly...
All of this will have to wait a while. After all, I only went to the Barren Realm not long ago, and I even took [White Bone Flowing Light] with me, causing quite a stir. If I go there again in the near future, there's no guarantee that the World Will in the Barren Realm won't target me starting the very next day.
Although he hasn't officially advanced to the "Tier 3" yet, and can't even touch the threshold of the "Tier 4," Lin Yu already knows a lot and is quite experienced in how to make good use of [Map] permissions, how to allocate time in the Ten Realms, and how to avoid being World Will Rejection.
"Enjoy your vacation... Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I probably won't bother you any further."
After patting Stiller on the shoulder and saying goodbye...
Lin Yu, along with Hannah, activated the [Mind-State Teleportation Gun] again.
He re-disguised himself as "Zhu Ming" under the [Mask] and returned to Shenzhen using the temporary Anchor Point he had previously set.
Emerging from the Alley, the Shenzhen, though already late at night, was bustling with activity.
Lin Yu fiddled with his phone, noticing that the "Freedom Alliance" Group Chat messages had reached 99+, and there were also many notifications specifically tagging him in the notification bar. He roughly knew...
The "Comedian" and the "Fishing Man" have probably already embellished their stories and told them to the other members of the "Freedom Alliance" at the God of Cookery's house.
Those people must have also sent this information to the group chat, to make sure the "Mountaineer" and "Designer" who weren't there knew what had happened—and probably also to shock them.
Moreover, once in the Group Chat, Li Nian would inevitably embellish the story again, making seemingly correct but actually exaggerated additions to certain details, thus shocking the others once more.
He scrolled through it and found that it was indeed mostly the same content.
There's nothing particularly nutritious besides that.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Yu, as promised, sent the video he had taken for "Fishing Man" Chen Le to the group chat, and then logged out of "Zhu Ming's" Socializing account.
He logged into the one with the name "Yayu".
Then, as expected, Lin Yu saw a number of messages sent by "A'yu".
"Something terrible has happened, you know? The Celestial King and the Ling Xian suffered a huge loss in the Nether Void Realm!"
"Although they were essentially dealt with by 'Order,' it's also said that the 'Freedom Alliance' tricked them!"
"They were furious—they'd heard that people from the 'Freedom Alliance' also intended to get involved in the 'Player Mutual Aid Society's' mess..."
"So, they might not be able to resist taking action against the 'Freedom Alliance' at that point!"