Falling Ink Star Grand Elder
Three months later, the carved wooden door of the top-floor private room of the Heavenly Sound Pavilion was slowly pushed open.
Tang Ping was dressed in a black outfit, his dark hair tied up with a simple jade hairpin, his expression as calm as a deep pool.
His gentle, jade-like face still retained the youthful handsomeness of a young man, but his temperament had become increasingly reserved. Unlike the sharp edge of a strong person, he was like a clear mountain spring, simple yet seemingly able to wash away all the noise and clamor of the world.
"It's time to focus on cultivation," he murmured to himself, turning to walk towards the teleportation array.
"Beep~"
A crisp notification sound rang out, and Babata's virtual figure suddenly materialized beside him.
The little guy flapped his pair of miniature demon wings and tried to tug at Tang Ping's sleeve with his short hands, but his fingertips went straight through his arm. After all, it was just an energy projection and couldn't even grab a wisp of clothing.
Tang Ping raised an eyebrow. "Babata, shouldn't you be busy calculating the details of Earth's demolition compensation? How come you have time to slack off here?"
Babata, hands on hips, fumed. "It's all because the master came looking for you! Earth is going to build Interstellar Maternity Center, and your company, 'Lay Flat Capital,' has the most experience in the maternity support field, yet you also control nearly one-twentieth of Earth's land, and you stubbornly refuse any demolition compensation."
If you open your own store and steal our business, wouldn't our Luo Family's project be caught in vicious competition? You wicked fellow, did you already know Earth was special? You're full of evil intentions!
As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately put on a fawning smile, flapping her wings even more enthusiastically. "But handsome Tang Ping, you must have made a fortune recently, right? You're the highest-ranking Great Elder on Falling Ink Star besides the master, so you should give me a red envelope according to the rules!"
"When did I become Great Elder?" Tang Ping was completely stunned.
"Master is the Lord of Yunmo Planet, and your cultivation is second only to him. What else could you be but the Great Elder?" Babata pounced on him confidently, his virtual body "hugging" his waist.
"Post it quickly! Otherwise, I'll post it on the Virtual Universe Forum. I've already thought of a title: <Shocking! The Falling Ink Star Grand Elder Oppresses Loyal Smart Sprite>! You promised to be good to me when we were kids, are you going to be a treacherous villain?"
Tang Ping was speechless for a moment.
Damn, those were just casual words to coax a child back then, but this Smart Sprite remembered them for a lifetime. He suddenly felt a little panicked. If he really became the Universe Master in the future, would his aloof master also "explode" his gold coins like that? Probably not----
He forcibly suppressed his distracting thoughts and casually sent a red envelope containing ten million Universe Coin.
Babata's eyes lit up instantly, and his virtual tail almost started wagging.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Tang Ping activated the teleportation, his figure instantly disappearing from the spot. When he reappeared, he had arrived at the council hall of the Luo Family's residence on Black Dragon Mountain Island in the Virtual Universe.
The hall was already filled with people: Hong and Thunder God stood side by side, their auras as steady as mountains; Luo Feng's wife Xu Xin, dressed in an elegant long dress, was sorting out a document; Luo Feng's younger brother, Luo Hua, the helmsman of the Luo Family's business empire, was adjusting a virtual screen; and there was also a young man whose features resembled Luo Feng's, who was Luo Feng's son, Luo Ping.
Everyone nodded in greeting as he entered. Tang Ping found an empty seat and sat down, while Zi Guang was immediately drawn to the virtual screen in the center of the hall.
On the screen is a live image of the Earth.
In just three months, this blue planet has been transformed. Billions of Earthling have either received astronomical compensation and fled to interstellar space, or temporarily taken refuge in starship clusters in outer space.
Outside Earth's atmosphere, a colossal starship, comparable in size to an asteroid, hovers. Its size should have caused terrifying gravitational tides, but thanks to some unknown technology, it has no effect on the surrounding space, resembling a silent, massive steel city.
"Buzz~"
The starship's lower deck slowly opened, and countless engineering robots, like a swarm of bees, poured down, instantly covering the Earth's surface.
The next second, miraculous changes began: the Floating City rose from the clouds, its crystal dome refracting sunlight; the Underwater City stretched its outline in the deep sea, emitting a ghostly blue light; and the Underground City extended along the earth's crust, constructing a crisscrossing network.
High-energy Cultivation Room, Electromagnetic Wave Conditioning Chamber, and Origin Force Energy Gathering Room —various buildings adapted to different groups are spreading across the globe at a visible pace.
"The Cosmic Galaxy Bank requires Earth to accommodate at least 100 million women giving birth each year, including many powerful beings at the World Lord Rank," Luo Hua explained. "Different races have vastly different needs for their living environments, so these buildings are custom-made for them. Moreover, with so many powerful beings gathered here, the destructive power would be astonishing if a conflict broke out. We've also engraved Secret Rune Array across billions of kilometers on the Earth's surface; the cost of this alone is enough to buy ten inhabited star systems."
Fortunately, the bank covered all the losses.
Tang Ping nodded.
The Earth's core geology cannot be disturbed, otherwise it will destroy the "mind-body blessing" effect left by the Alien Race powerhouse, which will undoubtedly increase the cost of the transformation several times over.
On the screen, the planet that was once covered with farmland and cities is gradually becoming a "Genius Incubation Pod" floating in the universe, both familiar and strange.
However, within the starship cluster, a different scene unfolds, evoking a sense of melancholy.
The demolition compensation of 100,000 times was like a sudden flood that washed away all the dams of warmth and compassion.
Children tear each other apart on camera, fighting over the division of their parents' property; wives hold divorce papers, demanding an equal split of compensation before going their separate ways; even worse, some have registered their assets under other people's names due to credit issues, only to have those people turn their backs on them, leaving them to weep bitterly in the starship's corridor.
Couples turning against each other is a common occurrence, with women demanding "compensation for lost youth," while men have already absconded with a large sum of money in their private Flying Shuttle.
The mistress, carrying her illegitimate child, showed up at the door, exchanging insults with the wife in the mediation room; a distant relative, whom they hadn't seen for years, also came under the guise of "family ties" to try and get a share of the pie.
The brotherly love, the marital bliss, and the deep friendship of the past shattered like broken glass in the face of enormous wealth.
Luo Feng stared at the chaos on the screen, his brow furrowed. "It seems we're losing something. The most basic beauty, the love of parents, the support of brothers, the loyalty of lovers—is this the price Earth pays for merging with the universe? Are we destined to become like the beasts of the cosmos, knowing only the law of the jungle, our hands stained with blood?"
The hall was completely silent.
Hong and Thunder God lowered their eyes and remained silent, while Luo Hua rubbed his fingers on the table. They were already the rule-makers and beneficiaries of this feast of wealth, so naturally they couldn't say anything.
Of course, if they want to do something, there's nothing they can't do; anyone who opposes them will lose their job.
Xu Xin gently held Luo Feng's hand and said softly, "Honey, I will add a moral screening mechanism to the Genius Cultivation Program to uphold our bottom line."
Luo Feng nodded, but his eyes remained heavy. "That's all we can do. But the billions of races in the universe are all ruthless and cunning."
Our geniuses must be warm to their own people, but even more ruthless and insidious to their enemies; this ruthlessness must never be lost.
Xu Xin:
Tang Ping couldn't help but smile wryly.
Today, Earth has long become a coveted prize in interstellar space, making it extremely difficult to remain unaffected.
Ordinary people with huge sums of money are no different from lambs to the slaughter in the eyes of interstellar bandits; and the "birth quota auction" launched by the Luo Family has turned Earth into an arena for cosmic capitalism.
Of course, he wasn't a good person either.
Hehehe~