A World Lord's Needs

"Hasn't it only been a year? Why are they already urging me about my progress?" Wang Yu was rather surprised.

By a powerhouse's sense of time, a year was very short.

Besides, he had been given ten years. Logically speaking, that World Lord expert should not have been so impatient.

"Looks like something happened. I just don't know whether it's good or bad." Wang Yu immediately made a guess, then contacted Emperor Ivan.

A screen appeared out of thin air, and Ivan's expression on it looked somewhat grave.

"Wang Yu, how is the procurement going? Have you made any progress?"

"Some progress. I've already purchased part of the resources," Wang Yu answered readily.

"Your Majesty Ivan, did something happen?"

"Mm..." Ivan pondered briefly before speaking softly.

"Just now, the three ministers summoned every senior member at the rank of deacon and above and announced something major."

"The three ministers?" Wang Yu was slightly startled.

At a Virtual Universe Company branch, Domain Lords served as "deacons," World Lords served as "supervisors," and ordinary Immortals served as "chief stewards," each managing at least dozens of starfields.

Those qualified to be called ministers were the heads of the Commerce Department, Martial Department, and Military Department—the three major departments of a universe country branch.

They were all Marquis Immortals!

What major matter could make the three Marquis Immortal branch ministers gather every senior member and solemnly announce it?

"Wang Yu, you must know about the Extraterritorial Battlefield, right?" Ivan asked.

"I've heard a little. It's a massive battlefield where our Humanity fights foreign races such as the Demon Race, Insect Race, and Machine Race." Wang Yu nodded.

He knew this not only from the original novel; as a member of this world, once he broke through to the Universe-level, he would receive a notification informing him that he could join the Universe Army and head to the Extraterritorial Battlefield.

"Then do you know about the Ethnic War Campaign?" Ivan asked again.

"I've heard a little. I heard one takes place every thousand eras, and supreme beings from every faction enter the battlefield in an all-out war!" Wang Yu already had a suspicion.

"Could it be... the campaign is about to begin?"

"You know quite a lot." Ivan glanced at him and sighed.

"That's right. The three ministers said that in a thousand years, the Extraterritorial Battlefield will hold an Ethnic War Campaign!"

"And it isn't just the campaign. This time, a new Extraterritorial Battlefield will also be opened!"

"A new Extraterritorial Battlefield?" Wang Yu was even more surprised.

"There are currently six Extraterritorial Battlefields. Opening another will make it the Seventh Battlefield, and the date has been set for one hundred years from now." Ivan's expression was solemn.

"A thousand years from now, this Seventh Battlefield will join the other six in the Ethnic War Campaign!"

"The three ministers summoned us so that everyone can make preparations as quickly as possible. The Martial Department and Military Department must intensify troop training and improve combat strength. The Commerce Department is the same—we must rapidly gather resources and ensure logistical support."

"Once the war begins, the consumption will be astronomical! Weapons, battle suits, medicines, spacecraft... demand for every kind of resource will surge!"

"So the Commerce Department urgently needs capable people. Lord Lawrence asked me to inform you that the assessment requirements have been adjusted slightly."

"As long as you can procure the resources on the list worth one hundred million Universe Coins within two years, you will pass the assessment and immediately become an External Deacon."

"One hundred million within two years?" Wang Yu nodded lightly.

It had originally been one billion in ten years. Now it was one hundred million in two years. The difficulty had actually decreased, because while the time had been shortened, the workload had been reduced even more drastically.

Of course, it would not be easy for others. The difficulty might even soar.

After all, with the campaign approaching, every universe country of Humanity would see an explosive increase in demand for resources. Rare resources would become extremely sought-after, and far harder to obtain.

It did not affect him, though. His means of acquiring resources came from the system!

"Lord Lawrence said that this is a time when talent is needed. If you can prove your abilities, the Commerce Department will give you the status and treatment you deserve," Ivan added.

"You just said that you had already made progress and procured a certain amount of resources. How much exactly?"

"Quite a bit. I already have resources worth one hundred and twenty million Universe Coins, mainly Silver Fluid, Golden Flower Fruit, Mu Ya Crystal, and Comet Dew." Wang Yu smiled.

"One hundred and twenty million!?" Ivan's eyes widened in disbelief.

"It's only been a year, and you've already procured so much? Wang Yu, you really are capable!"

Although Wang Yu had boldly asked to join the Commerce Department and appeared full of confidence, so he likely had connections and channels, this progress still shocked Ivan.

Those were all rare resources. Even in normal times, purchasing them in large quantities was not easy.

To buy rare resources worth over one hundred million Universe Coins at normal market prices in a single year was no easy task even for him, the emperor of a low-level nation backed by a World Lord ancestor.

Wang Yu's achievement truly surprised him!

"It's alright. I was just lucky." Wang Yu smiled and did not explain further.

"It's your skill!" Ivan laughed, wisely not asking more.

Who in the universe did not have secrets and channels? Probing someone else's resource sources would not only get no answer, but was also extremely rude. It might even create an enemy!

"Since you've already procured so much, not only have you completed the assessment, you've exceeded it!" Ivan smiled.

"I'll contact Lord Lawrence right away and introduce you to him!"

"Alright, then I'll trouble Your Majesty." Wang Yu nodded.

Ivan sent an email and quickly received a reply. He then traveled with Wang Yu through the Virtual Universe to visit Supervisor Lawrence.

Virtual Universe.

Jade Crystal Mountain.

This mountain stood on White Dragon Sea Island. A huge palace had been built atop it, serving as the White Dragon Sea Branch office of the Virtual Universe Company.

Having obtained authorization, Wang Yu was also able to teleport there.

Ivan and Wang Yu appeared simultaneously on the enormous plaza before the palace.

There were not many people here, but there were still several hundred at a glance, and... none of them were weak!

Although everyone's body in the Virtual Universe was uniformly set at Apprentice Grade Rank 4, experts tempered by long years were completely different from weaklings in their eyes, bearing, and temperament. Even in the Virtual Universe, one could roughly judge another's strength from such traits.

Clearly, there was not a single weakling here.

"The White Dragon Sea Branch has over seven thousand members in total. The weakest are all Universe-level. They simply do not recruit anyone below the Universe-level," Ivan said with a smile.

"In other places, Universe-level experts are rarely seen. My Blue Silver Empire has ten galaxies and only around a hundred Universe-level experts, but this branch alone has more than seven thousand Universe-level members!"

"I heard the entire Ganwu Branch is even more outrageous. It has hundreds of millions of members in total, including several hundred Immortals!"

Ivan spoke proudly, while Wang Yu cooperatively put on a shocked expression as if drawing in a cold breath. "Hiss! That's incredibly powerful!"

In truth, he knew perfectly well.

In later generations, the Ganwu Branch had 820 million members, 322 Immortal Army Lords, and three Marquis Immortal ministers.

The era was different now, so there would naturally be some differences. There might not be as many people, but there should still be four or five hundred million members, with perhaps one or two hundred Immortal Army Lords.

Moreover, those trash Universe-level experts who had been forcefully raised with nutrient solution and possessed neither foundation nor real strength would never be accepted. Those recruited were all relatively capable Universe-level experts.

The Ganwu Branch alone was a colossal entity that countless people had to look up to with awe.

That naturally included himself.

"I only have a few Universe-level subordinates right now. In the universe, that's really nothing. Any World Lord-level faction could easily crush me. There are simply too many experts in this universe. I must always maintain my reverence for it!" Wang Yu thought.

Ivan led Wang Yu into the palace, and they soon arrived at a massive office.

The office was enormous. Inside sat a fat man with purple skin, dressed in ornate robes. Dozens of small screens floated before him. His eyes were wide as he stared at them with an almost ferocious expression, his fingers tapping rapidly while he muttered under his breath. He looked like an office worker busy to death.

"Lord Lawrence!" Ivan hurriedly bowed.

"Greetings, Lord Lawrence." Wang Yu bowed as well.

"Mm." Lawrence did not even raise his head. His fingers continued swiping across the screens, and only after several seconds did he speak casually.

"Wang Yu, right?"

"Yes."

"I heard you procured goods worth one hundred and twenty million?" Only then did Lawrence stop moving. He leaned back in his chair, rubbed his brow, and looked exhausted.

"I'll make this ugly in advance: I'm busy right now, extremely busy, so busy I'm going mad! If you dare spout nonsense and waste my time..."

As Lawrence spoke, he glanced at Wang Yu. Though they were in the Virtual Universe, the gaze of a World Lord expert...

Still made Wang Yu feel a surge of pressure.