Chapter 927: Chapter 927

927: Chapter 913: Not Being Human 927: Chapter 913: Not Being Human The Eternal Firebird lives on, while civilizations of the multi-universe are doomed not to last forever.

Along the way, Lu Ping’an had come to understand the relationship between these “great existences” and “mortal civilizations.”

In a sense, she was like the Sun.

She hung high in the sky, never interfering in what you do or preventing you from forming strange organizations in her worship.

As an ordinary person, you could completely disregard her existence.

Yet, she had a profound influence on everything about you—your society, your worldview, your ethnic group, even the energy sources and genetic foundations of your civilization.

Your ancestors watched her, your grandfather watched her, you watched her, your descendants will watch her—an eternal truth for the entire civilization.

Your civilization, in fact, was firmly bound to her, or rather, dragged along by her “coattails.”

That meant when she departed, even if your civilization didn’t end itself, it would be utterly transformed….

“But from what I see now, the benefits still outweigh the downsides.

At least I can’t think of any reason she would perish before a mortal civilization would,” Lu Ping’an sighed.

The thin notebook in his hands was a record of his journey, but at the same time, it was an account book.

This trip to the Exotic Realm wasn’t as thrilling as the previous “jungle expeditions” filled with constant fighting, but should disaster strike, there would be no hope left.

“…Today’s earnings are 37 Kadunds, not bad.

I need them to work harder tomorrow; I have to save at least 500 Kadunds by the end of the month.”

Lu Ping’an hadn’t rushed to use his pass to step through The Great Gate into that unknown plane.

This was a two-way stable portal with people regularly coming and going; just squatting to one side allowed for the collection of plenty of regular intelligence.

The existence of the Firebird ensured that seemingly independent universes and planes actually followed the same set of fundamental rules.

Because of the existence of “contracts,” transactions were honored, and the presence of “transactions” meant that currency had a certain value across different worlds…Other worlds also used Kadunds, just with some inflation.

In a civilized society, the power of money goes without saying; those unfortunate enough to be detained because they had no money were probably the most persuasive proof…..In order to perform his tasks smoothly and safely, Lu Ping’an needed more local currency and preferably to obtain it through legal and verifiable means to avoid later investigations into any troubles.

“Tch, I even have to share a tenth with those three unlucky fellows, but let it be, consider it advance payment for their lives…”

The three professionals, despite being so disastrously duped, were able to acquire the valuable Disguise Rings and land this mission, which proved their competence.

Two fourth-tiers and one third-tier professional, and Lu Ping’an guessed that the third-tier young man was probably the strongest of the Trio.

Their debt contracts were now in Lu Ping’an’s hands; they shouldn’t even think about repaying them by regular labor in the short term.

Until they fulfilled their debts, they were valuable labor for Lu Ping’an.

“…Liu Xing actually sold the most, not bad at all, didn’t see that coming.”

The task Lu Ping’an gave them, of course, was “selling medicine”…but it was nothing like those “healing medicines” from before.

Without a solid reputation or official product certifications on his side, and given that the city had doctors and hospitals, a normal person would know whom to consult when sick.

Targeting those poor who couldn’t afford proper treatment?

That little money was not just difficult to earn, but also risked not breaking even, and it could easily lead to various unexpected medical disputes.

“….Fierce and aggressive medicine, it sells so well, huh?”

It was not Lu Ping’an’s idea, but a proposal from a middle-aged man in his team.

These medications were easily pushed through the “Dancing Men”; not only were they intended for women, but many cases also involved reversed genders.

It was all running smoothly, no different in essence from how things worked on Earth.

Especially in a bar environment, where everyone around is a “handsome man,” and you’re feeling weak, it’s quite terrifying when a delicate-looking young man suddenly lowers his head and whispers in your ear,

“Sis, I’ve got some good stuff…”

Perhaps this is tinged with rosy hues for the locals, but for a certain “innocent youth” who happened to witness the scene, it was too horrifying…

especially after being asked for a price.

In any case, although Lu Ping’an fished the person out, he didn’t fully rescue him.

The trio is now using these venues to push their drugs.

The existence of a “contract” makes it easy to gain trust, and the drug’s efficacy is quite dependable.

When they meet the right person, they can often sell it for several times or even dozens of times its original price.

This is probably what true exorbitant profits look like, and it’s all completely legal and by the book.

Lu Ping’an himself was overjoyed with his earnings, and at the same time, he found some channels to sell his own low-class poetry collections…

Making money was the minor part; enriching his persona was a must.

And those unfortunate ones enjoyed this as well…

Even if it was just dividends, they earned much more than before.

More importantly, they no longer had to dive into the fray themselves.

Although the Feather Tribe generally doesn’t lack in beauty, and in traditional human concepts men are not at a disadvantage…

these details seem destined to become their dark history buried for a lifetime.

Lu Ping’an also tasted the sweet fruits of the “Eternal Firebird Contract.” Within its effective range, he made the dividends and responsibilities clear as day, ensuring everything was free from the risk of breach.

And now, this group of foreign “spies” had the Firebird’s contract, outlining the agreed upon dividends and hierarchical relationships among the parties.

During their term of employment, Lu Ping’an also acquired three “underlings.”

In a sense, Lu Ping’an was helping them clean up their records…

A Dancing Man, in the end, redeemed himself with strange drugs, and to avoid more debts, headed to a new world.

After that meeting, once they had agreed upon the channels for “goods” and “money” exchange, Lu Ping’an no longer had direct contact with them.

Their capabilities were not poor, and thus, in the new world, Lu Ping’an had three “horses.”

With this setup, the unlucky ones could now take the risk for him.

Lu Ping’an was quite patient, quietly building a reputation locally…

He even attended two poetry singing conferences, deeply immersing himself in local literature and arts.

After all, this is probably the furthest one could be from a Foreign Domain spy under normal circumstances.

During this process, he came across several “rendezvous” signals, but this time, he chose not to initiate a union…

Instead, he sent one of his underlings, A, to go.

The results that came back suggested that several people had chosen to head to the target world, but truth be told, Lu Ping’an wasn’t optimistic about their disguise.

“Their level of localizing is poor, their accents are all stuttering…”

In a way, this is also a result of the Explorer Mechanism.

These professional warriors don’t have salaries…

They are self-employed individuals, and their skills and special traits are their private intelligence.

They can take on this “important mission” based on their reputation and prestige and obtain the precious “Race-changing Ring” at a low mortgage rate.

However, those confident enough to independently execute such high-level missions are more often good warriors, but not necessarily good spies.

Lu Ping’an had no intention to actively engage them because their immaturity could expose them, which could, in turn, implicate him.

However, these few “subordinates” proved to be quite useful in the meantime.

They became Lu Ping’an’s agents, establishing a network among these foreigners…

But if things really went south, Lu Ping’an could cleanly cut ties using the help of the “contract.”