"I was looking at the Battle God when I suddenly remembered that the way I treated you at first really was a little inappropriate."
After calming himself down, Su Wen spoke.
He felt that, if he had time, he needed to find something that could conceal changes in his emotions.
Although the Wind God wasn't an enemy, it was still a little awkward to have him sense every slight change in his emotions.
"So that's..."
The Wind God's eyes flickered, and he tried to continue.
Beside him, the Theater God cut him off. "Little Wind! Stop chatting. Once you finish your homework, you still have to fulfill the bet you lost to me!"
"And I've thought of something else fun. You'll definitely like it."
The Wind God scratched his head, then chuckled and sat down to continue his homework.
Hearing the Theater God's words, Su Wen's pupils contracted.
If he remembered correctly, the wager the Wind God had lost to the Theater God was the script of The Injustice to Dou E, written by Guan Hanqing of the Yuan dynasty, wasn't it?
The story of The Injustice to Dou E was known to all.
So when the Theater God had told the Wind God to read the script of The Injustice to Dou E, had he been hinting at something?
Just like Dou E, who had suffered a terrible injustice, the Wind God... had indeed been wronged!
He wasn't a traitor, yet Su Wen had thought he was one, and in a certain timeline, the Battle God had killed him.
Even as he died, his face had been full of disbelief.
He could also imagine the Wind God wondering why the Battle God, who had always been like an older brother to him, would suddenly attack him.
That was probably the question that had puzzled the Wind God of that timeline most before his death!
So this was how the Theater God had made accurate prophecies using his knowledge and theories of drama, as the Star God and Battle God had said.
At first, he hadn't paid attention when the Theater God mentioned The Injustice to Dou E. After all, the Theater God had been discussing Tang Xianzu's The Peony Pavilion with him; The Injustice to Dou E was the stake in the Theater God's bet with the Wind God.
What did it have to do with him?
Now it seemed it had a great deal to do with him!
And in The Injustice to Dou E, after Dou E's death, her three vows had come true: blood splashed onto white silk, snow fell in the sixth month, and a drought lasted three years.
Could they represent the failure of the Battle for the Defense of the East Sea, the Battle God's fall, and the complete fall of Huaxia after the Wind God's death?
Hmm... looks like I need to find time to systematically learn about drama.
Su Wen thought that, because of certain restrictions, the Theater God might be unable to give hints outright.
If nothing unexpected happened, he could probably only use information about plays to give warnings.
That meant Su Wen needed some understanding of dramatic theory and information, as well as certain famous plays, or he might miss an important hint from the Theater God.
Meanwhile, the Star God looked at the Theater God and the Wind God, then at Su Wen. A light flashed in his eyes, and he seemed lost in thought.
"By the way, while everyone's here, I'd like to discuss something with you."
The Star God suddenly said, "The God of Wealth needs a great deal of financial support, so I'd like to put him in charge of the organization's funds."
"Does anyone have any objections?"
Hearing this, the Battle God said, "I have no objections. It's only right and proper for the God of Wealth to manage the money."
The Theater God shook his head and said with a smile, "Now that the God of Wealth has joined our organization, it's only natural for him to control the funds. If we don't let him manage them, are we supposed to do it ourselves?"
The Wind God looked up, raised his hand, and asked timidly, "Can I ask a question?"
The Star God chuckled. "Of course."
"In myths and legends, the God of Wealth is always especially rich. So once big brother God of Wealth takes charge of the money, does that mean we won't be short of it anymore and can spend as much as we like?"
The Star God glanced at Su Wen, indicating that he should answer.
The God of Wealth himself understood such matters best.
But he thought the Wind God might be disappointed. After all, from his last conversation with the God of Wealth, he could roughly guess how quickly he spent money.
The God of Wealth might have plenty of ways to make money, but compared to his spending, they still weren't enough.
"Actually, you can't put it that way."
Su Wen said, "Don't put too much faith in myths and legends. All that talk about the God of Wealth controlling countless treasures in the world and conjuring up piles of money at will is a lie."
"At least, I can't do those things yet."
"Although I'm the God of Wealth, I'm... not very rich."
The Battle God asked softly, "What do you mean by 'not very rich'?"
To be honest, he wasn't interested in money.
The organization was backed by the state, had broad authority, and was well-funded.
But it still seemed a little strange to him that the God of Wealth would say something like that.
Could the God of Wealth joining the organization actually leave them living in poverty?
How was that possible?
He was the God of Wealth, not some pauper!
"It means my divine powers require a massive amount of money. The more, the better. There's no upper limit."
Su Wen thought for a moment, then said, "In short, if I really opened my belly and spent freely, the organization's money would be... a single hair from nine oxen."
Battle God: "..."
Wind God: "..."
What did that mean?
Did it mean that once the God of Wealth took charge of the money, they'd be a little hard up?
"Don't worry. I won't spend that much of the organization's money."
Su Wen continued, and his words made the Battle God breathe a sigh of relief.
That was fine, then. He'd given him a scare!
He'd thought so. The organization received so much funding every month; if it all went into the God of Wealth's pocket, wouldn't he be left without a salary?
Although he respected the God of Wealth's decision, and the Star God must have had his own considerations for agreeing.
He was only grumbling to himself, but a dignified organization of God-Prefixed Heavenly Mandate Bearers unable to pay salaries in the future?
It sounded strange!
"That's right. At this stage, the God of Wealth can't absorb too much money at once."
The Star God nodded and said, "Otherwise, it would cause economic turmoil and could easily lead to unnecessary trouble."
After saying that, the Star God paused, then continued, "But, God of Wealth, since no one has any objections, the organization's money will be under your control from now on."
"After your situation was reported to the higher-ups, the relevant departments borrowed my divine artifact and made an estimate of the maximum amount of money you can absorb."
"By a conservative estimate, if you absorb less than a billion, it shouldn't cause too much disruption, provided the various departments prepare in advance."
"But just to be safe, absorb five hundred million in front of us first!"
"See what works for you. If you need cash, you can have them bring it over, or you can go to a bank and absorb it there."
Su Wen nodded slightly, then summoned his status panel with a thought.
Wealth Source Points: 8.5 (+). [Wealth Source directly under the God of Wealth's control is available for direct absorption.]
Before the Star God had formally announced that the organization's funds would be placed in his hands, there had been no plus sign after his Wealth Source Points.
It seemed that only money entirely under his own control could be converted into Wealth Source.
That made sense. If money that wasn't his could also be used, that overbearing ability alone could throw a major nation into chaos.
"I don't need cash."
A moment later, Su Wen looked at the Star God and said, "Shall I start, then?"
With a thought, the Star God immediately notified the personnel supervising finance across the country to prepare.
"Go ahead!"
"Okay!"
With a thought from Su Wen, the Wealth Source Points field began to change slowly.
Wealth Source Points: 58.5 (+).
At the same time, five hundred million abruptly vanished from the organization's account.
"Reporting, Chief, the Imperial Capital's stock market has begun to fluctuate."
Soon, a voice reached the Star God's ears.
"Stabilize it as quickly as possible!"
"Yes, Chief!"
With the Imperial Capital's regulators working at full force, the irregular fluctuations in its stock market soon subsided.
But no one let down their guard. Based on the previous information, the economic turmoil caused by five hundred million would never be that simple.
"Reporting, Chief, the Demon Capital's stock market has begun to fluctuate."
"Reporting, Chief, small-scale fluctuations have appeared in the Guangshen stock market."
"Reporting, Chief, a state-owned enterprise in Suzhou and Hangzhou has sent word of medium-scale bad debt activity."
"..."