If You Really Don't Want to Negotiate with Lin Yu, Then Don't Say a Word

"Let's chat? What do we have to talk about?"

The God of Desire did not readily agree to Lin Yu's invitation to communicate.

He approached the boundary of [Azure Sea Sky Dome], stared at Lin Yu, and spoke with some displeasure.

"Although I have been forced to become your 'vassal,' that does not mean there is a need for communication between us."

"You schemed to make me your accomplice... Admittedly, I do want to survive, and I do need you to survive now, but I never intended to get along with you."

"When you need me to use any of my abilities in an emergency, I will naturally step in. After all, I won't watch you die and get myself killed in the process—but apart from that, there's no need for any further negotiation between us."

"I never had any Desire to negotiate with you in the first place... I neither want to hear nor believe anything you, a mere mortal, utter."

"When you invited me into this [Azure Sea Sky Dome], you also said that you welcomed me to rebel against you at any time... which shows that you also know very well... that I can never be a trustworthy Partner for you."

Lin Yu laughed as he listened to the God of Desire utter a series of words expressing his resistance to him.

He wasn't surprised that the God of Desire would have such an attitude.

"So you're not going to play along with me for a bit?" Lin Yu gently rocked [Azure Sea Sky Dome], watching the God of Desire sway gently with the water sphere's movement. "If you want to betray me, shouldn't you show a willingness to cooperate... and then strike when I'm off guard?"

"After all, holding the Authority of 'Desire'... I can imagine that your methods of rebellion and escape must all be 'behind the scenes'—don't tell me you're actually quite upright at heart."

Lin Yu spoke calmly.

The God of Desire stared at Lin Yu. After the heart-shaped head shrank, the facial features on it looked more like a doll, and the two dark eyes were like two buttons.

"Of course not... It's just that since you're already wary of that, there's no need for me to do these things."

"Rather than having to suppress my displeasure and try to please you, patiently plotting and hoping that you, a shrewd fellow, will be fooled by such clumsy tactics, I might as well... save my energy."

The God of Desire responded.

Lin Yu looked at the God of Desire and nodded, "That could be considered a 'wise move'... I certainly won't be fooled by your actions."

"So don't waste your time. Since you've taken the initiative to ask to talk to me, what are your intentions and plans?" the God of Desire said coldly. "I've already taught you how to use 'Desire' before, and you don't seem to be facing any crisis."

Lin Yu nodded and said, "There's really no danger right now, but what I want to tell you is... I don't intend to only call you out in dangerous situations. I hope you can also assist me in using the 'Desire' Authority during ordinary battles and explorations."

"Although I've learned how to use it from you, I certainly won't use it as smoothly as you do."

After all, in the battle with the "Night Watcher," Lin Yu was able to briefly trap "Tengshe," a top-tier "Tier 4" opponent, while launching a surprise attack, and almost completely defeat three "Tier 3" opponents head-on. This was largely due to the help of the God of Desire, who had the advantage of playing on home ground.

Lin Yu himself could not possibly use the Authority "Desire" to so easily imprison "Robin".

Although the God of Desire's abilities would certainly be greatly diminished without leaving that "home turf," for Lin Yu...

Even with discounts, it's still better than myself.

Just like how Lin Yu is now very skilled at using his Mental Power, if he really needs to do a particularly detailed Mental Power perception scan, he will still delegate this task to Old Zheng.

After all, everyone has their own area of expertise.

To put it another way... having a helper or Summoned Creature automatically help you use your abilities is itself a form of liberation for you.

Just like a hotel Master Chef who has excellent knife skills, if there is a chef who can help with cutting and preparing the ingredients, the Master Chef will naturally accept the job—after all, the time and energy saved can be used to focus on other aspects of the cooking process.

The battles Lin Yu encountered in most situations were definitely more urgent than those in the hotel's kitchen.

He had no reason not to use the readily available and useful helper, the God of Desire.

But...

The God of Desire naturally wouldn't readily grant Lin Yu's request.

"There's no way I can help you—although I am indeed 'living under someone else's roof' now, and you hold my life and death in your hands, you can't force me to do anything."

"Killing me would be a negative for you; keeping me alive, even if I don't cooperate with you or obey your orders, would still be more valuable to you than if I died."

"You paid such a high price and schemed for so long to bring me out of the 'Nether Void Realm,' you won't kill me so easily."

"And you've exhausted all your Mental Energy to bring me out, so you can't set any more 'restrictions' on me to force me to obey you."

The God of Desire looked at Lin Yu. Although He had seemed displeased from the beginning, His tone finally brightened. "If you want me to do anything for you, if you want me to help you... then you have to make a 'fair deal' with me and offer something worthy of my intervention!"

God of Desire spoke, Lin Yu narrowed his eyes.

"You make a good point... After all, even a dog should be rewarded with a bone if it brings back a ball or prey."

Lin Yu spoke softly.

Even though he's not using the "Zhu Ming" face right now, he can still use the "Zhu Ming" identity when negotiating with the God of Desire. Lin Yu has also realized that "Zhu Ming's" approach might be somewhat effective against this Deity, so he's now using some of "Zhu Ming's" way of speaking and adopting "Zhu Ming's" personality traits when negotiating with the God of Desire.

Tough and arrogant.

Upon hearing Lin Yu's words, the God of Desire indeed recalled the events that had just occurred in the Nether Void Realm, and seemed somewhat frightened.

But soon, He regained his composure and began normal negotiations with Lin Yu.

"First of all... if you want me to do things for you on a daily basis and help you use the Desire Authority, then you must respect me," the God of Desire said calmly. "I cannot assist you like a subordinate or assistant, after all... I was once a god."

"Therefore, you should revere me, respect me, and pray to me for my power, like a true believer or Deity," the God of Desire paused, looked at Lin Yu, and continued, "This is what you should do... Moreover, the more you treat me as Deity, the more respectful and devout you are, the stronger I will naturally become—this is the power of 'faith'."

Listening to the words of the God of Desire, Lin Yu knew that what the God of Desire said was not entirely baseless nonsense.

If a "Authority" has been grasped by a Deity and possesses that Deity's will, then if one has a devout faith in that Deity and is already a follower of that Deity, and if that Deity has allowed the other to borrow its "Authority" through Divine Art or other means, then the more one worships and admires that Deity, the more Authority one can exert and the greater the power of the Divine Art.

This is because when Deity incorporates Authority, His existence and will become equivalent to Authority itself.

Belief in Deity can very effectively enhance one's affinity with Authority and gain Authority approval.

But...

These words, spoken by the God of Desire, have a flaw.

Lin Yu stared at the tiny doll floating in the water sphere and said softly, "That's assuming you're still Deity and can still represent Desire —but the question is, are you now?"

Lin Yu suddenly looked at the God of Desire with an almost fanatical expression. "Respected, great God of Desire, I offer you my most devout faith... I worship you! I admire you! I love you!"

As he spoke, Lin Yu revealed a fanatical faith from the bottom of his heart, and at the same time raised his other hand, with a golden light of Desire gleaming between his fingers.

But this Desire Golden Light was no different from before.

Therefore, the fanatical expression on Lin Yu's face vanished instantly, replaced by a blank expression. "You see... even if I did that, there was no improvement."

"After all, you're not Deity anymore; you're just a will clinging to the Authority 'Desire' —while your former Deity Divine Rank might give you some special privileges, if you want to enjoy the Divine Rank of 'faith,' which are only available to Deity... well, you're still a long way off."

As Lin Yu spoke, the God of Desire's expression twisted—even though it was just a pillow's head, Lin Yu could see that the other's emotions were off.

His simple features were contorted, as if Lin Yu had touched a sore spot.

But in the end, the God of Desire did not act out; he simply said coldly, "Then there's even less to talk about, isn't there?"

"On the contrary," Lin Yu wasn't about to end the conversation just as the God of Desire. After all, in Lin Yu's view, meaningful negotiations had only just begun. "It's precisely because you lack the Divine Rank of Deity, and your current understanding of Desire is incomplete... that I have the necessity to negotiate with you."

"Do you remember when we had our last conversation in the Nether Void Realm, I mentioned the 'benefits' of you following me?" Lin Yu looked at the God of Desire, "Given your situation... I can also offer you assistance."

The God of Desire stared at Lin Yu: "You mean... seeking new Authority?"

"Although that wasn't something I said offhand, it still depends on fate," Lin Yu shook his finger, "I was referring to something else I mentioned..."

"I can help you purify the Authority 'Desire' —and right now."