"So the power of Wealth Source I can draw upon has increased tenfold. Does that mean the cost has increased tenfold?"
"In other words, the cost for a first-rank God of Wealth... is ten times that of a Zero Rank one?"
Su Wen's eyelid twitched, and ten thousand horses stampeded through his mind.
By that calculation, would a second-rank God of Wealth need ten points of Wealth Source each time he crossed ten years?
A hundred million?
Then at the third rank, it would be a billion!
What about beyond that?
Would he still be able to afford it?
He had only crossed a ten-year timeline. What if he crossed thirty years, fifty years, or even hundreds of years?
The Wealth Source consumed would...
He had thought he was at least a little less poor, but after doing the math, he found he was even poorer.
Other Heavenly Mandate Bearers all hoped to raise their ranks quickly. They had so much to look forward to!
But when he looked at his own future, all he could see were the words "not enough money."
"As expected, the Gaze of the River of Space-Time is the most vicious curse of all!"
Su Wen sighed and spoke helplessly.
He had actually considered before that, as his strength increased, the Wealth Source needed to cross space-time would rise.
But wasn't a tenfold increase for a single rank a little ridiculous?
If Heavenly Mandate Bearers had dozens of ranks, he wouldn't be able to afford a crossing even if he packaged up and sold his home planet!
"I thought a Zero Rank God of Wealth had the hardest start. I never expected the Zero Rank God of Wealth to be the easy round."
"Does the price of crossing space-time get higher and higher?"
"Come to think of it, that makes sense."
Su Wen took a deep breath. It seemed that from now on, he would have to think carefully about every crossing through space-time and strive to maximize his gains.
As for trading his death in a future space-time for information?
He had better avoid doing that whenever possible in the future!
Being able to live longer in the future, even if he had to hide to survive, was a good thing.
[The powerful force of Wealth Source rippled through space-time, shaking loose an extremely faint force of space-time that swept you ten years into the future.] [O God of Wealth, novice on the road! Your location has shifted this time, and you have arrived in the imperial capital ten years from now.] [You look around but see none of the prosperity befitting the imperial capital. As far as the eye can see, everything is in ruins. Only the occasional remnant of human construction proves that a glorious civilization once existed here.] [O bewildered God of Wealth! Like a tourist wandering through space-time, you have arrived from the past, only to find that the situation in the future has exceeded your expectations.] [You cannot imagine why, when Jiang City was still at peace in the last space-time, the imperial capital has instead been destroyed this time, after you have lent your aid on multiple occasions.] [Confusion and helplessness begin to fill your heart, and a suffocating sense of guilt washes over you.] [O sentimental God of Wealth! You know full well that such a great change in the future must be closely tied to what you have done.] [So you decide to set out in one direction and see whether you can obtain any useful information.] [One: head southeast. Furious roars seem to be coming from that direction without cease.] [Two: head northeast. It is very quiet over there, and your chances of survival seem greater.] [Three: head southwest. There seem to be human footprints left on the ground in that direction.] [Four: head northwest. Plants remain in the distance, and that area does not seem to have suffered a severe impact from the war.]
Su Wen looked at the four options, his gaze flickering.
The Star God had brought him to the organization's headquarters, which was in the imperial capital.
That also made him realize that the place he crossed into the future from matched his current location.
But the imperial capital had been destroyed, leaving him somewhat bewildered.
The imperial capital's defensive forces should have been far stronger than Jiang City's.
And the imperial capital's destruction probably meant Jiang City was done for too.
He would take a look first and try to find some useful information!
"Option three, southwest!"
Su Wen quickly made his choice. The human footprints to the southwest might lead him to useful information from the human side.
To the southeast, there were furious roars, so he figured it was a battlefield.
As for the quiet northeast, the imperial capital had been destroyed. A place that quiet definitely had something wrong with it!
And the northwest?
Plants remained there. With plants still surviving the destruction of the imperial capital, who knew what was going on?
Of course, powerful humans might be holding the northwest, but he didn't know the situation, so he could only take a gamble.
[O cautious God of Wealth! After careful thought, you decide to follow the possible remaining human footprints southwest.] [After a long trek, you see a defensive fortress made of enormous trees in the distance.] [Outside the fortress, you see a swarm of terrifying insects with wings on their backs relentlessly attacking the Giant Wood Fortress. At this rate, it is only a matter of time before the fortress falls.] [With a little sensing, you realize the gap between yourself and them. You find a place to hide and quietly watch the battle from afar.] [O useless God of Wealth! Who would have thought that, even after crossing the threshold to become a God of Wealth, you would remain as useless as ever? Your compatriots are under siege, yet you lack the courage to go to their aid.] [Before long, the interior of the Giant Wood Fortress suddenly begins to fall apart.] [Then a huge, long worm emerges from inside the Giant Wood Fortress. You observe it and discover that it burrowed underground from outside to reach the fortress's interior.] [The fierce battle you imagined does not happen. The humans in the fortress are utterly unable to fight back against the insect swarm. It is a one-sided massacre.] [The miserable deaths of your compatriots before your eyes fill you with hatred and anger, but you know your mission and purpose well. You desperately conceal your aura, hoping not to draw the swarm's attention.] [O death-fearing God of Wealth! Your luck is good. After devouring and killing all the resisters in the Giant Wood Fortress, the insect swarm quickly leaves.] [Your eyesight is excellent. From far away, you see some daily necessities and damaged weapons the resisters left behind when they died. You think you should be able to find some information among them.] [But you are more worried that the swarm has not left, so you remain in hiding. After waiting a long time and making sure there is no danger, you finally move forward in secret.] [O God of Wealth with astonishing courage! Who would have thought you would dare approach the place where your compatriots were slaughtered? As you go to gather the information you seek, can you feel the anger of the departed souls permeating the air?]