Chapter Thirty-Four: Terror—Lu Daoxuan’s Words

Actually, Wood was quite tempted by Qiao’er's suggestion, but Number Two shattered his hopes with a single sentence: “The current average temperature in outer space is close to absolute zero—not suitable for carbon-based life forms.” Well, that was the end of that. There was no sense in running off to the cosmos just to freeze into an ice block! Still, Number Two didn’t disappoint them. Transforming into a spacecraft, he carried everyone for a few laps around space. Unfortunately, the scenery out there was far too monotonous. At first, everyone was a little excited, but soon enough, it all felt rather mundane.

After a while, their stomachs began to growl in unison. Sharing a laugh, Wood realized that, according to the time displayed on the dimension system, it was already evening on Earth. He quickly asked Number Two to take them back, passing through the space portal to return to the villa.

Once home, the three women immediately busied themselves in the kitchen. Wood hadn’t done much grocery shopping, so the kitchen was rather bare. But he had his storage bracelet, after all. The three women rummaged through its space, picking out ingredients, and in no time, several dishes were laid out. Truth be told, the food really did look and smell delicious, making Wood sing their praises with gusto.

Later, the three women each chose their own room in the villa. Originally, Mu Siqing wanted to share a room with her sister, but Wood wouldn’t have any of that—if they shared a room, wouldn’t his chances with Mu Siyu be gone? Still, he couldn’t object outright. He just glanced at Mu Siyu, who understood his meaning and said to her sister, “You’re old enough now; you should have your own private space!”

Persuaded by her sister, Mu Siqing reluctantly agreed. That night, Wood naturally went sneaking about, first slipping into Qiao’er’s room. Who would have thought the girl was so open? When things grew heated, she even encouraged Wood to invite Mu Siyu to join them. And so, Wood enjoyed the blessings of two beauties that night, making love until the early hours, before finally falling into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Wood woke with his desires already stirring again. If he weren’t worried about Mu Siqing catching him, he would have been tempted to make a bold move right then and there. From then on, the three women never returned to the Harem, choosing instead to stay in the villa. For the sake of convenience, Wood found a way to get them all identification cards. The four of them lived happily together, going out daily to explore and get to know the world. Especially at night, Wood delighted in his “one king, two queens” game.

After several days of this bliss, Rudao Xuan finally got in touch. Only then did Wood remember he still had a mission for the Temporal Management Bureau. He hurriedly contacted Gu Feng, Baldy, and Zigue.

“Damn, Wood—you actually got an S-grade item and a double-S-grade item? Your luck is insane!” This was Zigue’s tone.

“Looks like Wood’s been roped into the Temporal Management Bureau’s schemes,” Gu Feng concluded. “Sigh! Now the task of saving the universe and all the planes falls on your shoulders, ha ha ha…” Gu Feng laughed uproariously. “This is some seriously melodramatic plotline!”

“Whatever ship it is, that contract increasing physical attributes by ten percent and skill power by twenty percent is pretty decent! I’m all in!” Baldy was as straightforward as ever.

Gu Feng sneered, “Even without a twenty percent skill boost, aren’t you already invincible in your plane? Hmph! The Temporal Management Bureau is just too cunning. I already have a hundred beauties—if they send me twenty more, what am I supposed to do with them?”

Thud—everyone nearly collapsed at his comparison, their hearts almost giving out. What a character!

“But, Wood, your double-S-grade item is a real treasure,” Gu Feng said, his eyes gleaming. “We’re brothers—let me see what I can find to fuse with it, turn some trash into treasure.”

Wood shook his head in resignation. “Brother Gu, fusing items also needs reward points. You can’t just try anything you want.”

“As expected, there are limits!” Gu Feng sighed.

Wood said, “But the restrictions aren’t too harsh.” Everyone nodded in agreement, though each secretly calculated what they could offer Wood’s Demon Refining Pot for fusion, hoping to turn junk into something valuable.

“Wood, did you find the people?” Suddenly, Rudao Xuan messaged Wood.

“I found them, but… I haven’t convinced them to join yet,” Wood replied hesitantly.

“That’s all right! Go ahead and invite them—all of you come to the Temporal Management Space.”

Since completing the trial, a Temporal Management Bureau tab had appeared on Wood’s system. He promptly sent invitations to the other three, and soon all four gathered in the bureau. The massive screen Wood remembered from last time was gone; only Rudao Xuan sat quietly in the room.

Seeing Wood and the others arrive, Rudao Xuan asked, “Are these the people you found?”

Wood nodded.

“Hmm.” Rudao Xuan adjusted his glasses, his cold gaze sweeping over them. “Agent of the Biochemical Plane, Agent of the Magic Plane—these two are acceptable. But this Science Fiction Plane Agent’s strength seems too weak, just a hair above yours. He won’t be much help, will he?”

“Who does this guy think he is, acting all high and mighty?” Zigue bristled, rolling up his sleeves and charging at Rudao Xuan.

“Oh! Wait, this is the guy who can fuse skill cards… the mysterious man!” Wood hadn’t finished speaking when the scene before him left him utterly dumbstruck.

“A master!” Zigue, full of anger, rushed up to Rudao Xuan, grabbed his hand, and looked at him with boundless admiration. “I’ve never met you, but your legend echoes through all the planes. You’re my idol—I’ve finally met you!” As he spoke, tears nearly welled up in his eyes. “Master, I’ve been waiting with two skill cards, always hoping to meet you. Look…”

Watching Zigue’s chameleon act, Wood’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

“Later,” Rudao Xuan said indifferently. He glanced at Gu Feng and Baldy, then asked, “Are you willing to join the Contract Team?”

Zigue sidled back to Wood, grumbling, “Man, you could’ve told me sooner—I almost offended someone I absolutely shouldn’t have.”

Wood rolled his eyes. “How is that my fault? You’re way too impulsive!”

As the two whispered, they saw Rudao Xuan negotiating with the other two.

“Tch, you’ve all boarded the Temporal Management Bureau’s pirate ship!” Gu Feng scoffed. “Why should we work for them? Don’t tell me the twenty percent skill boost is the only benefit. Even without it, I’m a top dog in the Magic Plane.”

“I won’t deny you’re all quite powerful,” Rudao Xuan said, adjusting his glasses as usual. “But what do you think we agents truly are?”

“What are we? That’s a joke. We’re the lucky ones, agents of the planes. In our worlds, we can summon wind and rain, have beautiful wives and concubines—anything we want.” Gu Feng spoke with pride.

“Ignorant! The pursuits of mortals.” Rudao Xuan looked at him coldly. “You only see one side of things, never the other. Do pies fall from the sky? No. So why did we become such special plane agents?”

Yes—why did we become plane agents? Everyone had always thought they just lucked into the Plane Trading System, never considering the reasons behind it.

“We, the plane agents, should be considered test subjects chosen by some existence—maybe the Temporal Management Bureau, or something behind it. It’s nurturing us, making us stronger, just like raising sheep or cattle. Through every agent’s trades and missions, it observes whether we fit its requirements.”

Rudao Xuan’s explanation left everyone dumbstruck. It was something they’d never thought about.

“From what I understand, over the decades, some of those chosen by the Plane Trading System have vanished without a trace. According to my research, these were agents who never reached S-grade. In other words, if the system judges an agent as unable to grow or with limited potential, it erases them.”

He dropped another bombshell, but it was the truth. Gu Feng and the others knew some agents had indeed disappeared. They’d always assumed it was due to fatal missions.

“But what kind of being could provide something like the Plane Trading System? It seems like it can make you endlessly stronger!” Wood asked, voicing everyone’s doubt.

“A mortal will never comprehend beings of a higher order,” Rudao Xuan replied coldly. “Those two—” he meant Gu Feng and Baldy—“are already strong among agents. But by my calculations, in the vast universe and among all planes, there are even higher-level life forms. Compared to them, we’re nothing.”

“What kind of existence is it?” Gu Feng swallowed hard, struggling to ask.

“If I had to explain, it would be what the Magic Plane calls gods, or what the Material Plane calls immortals.”

A heavy silence fell. Deep down, they’d always thought gods and immortals were just myths. But according to Rudao Xuan’s analysis, not only did such beings exist, but they’d become experimental subjects for them.

“Of course, these gods seem to be restricted somehow and can’t directly participate in this… let’s call it a cultivation game. So they created the law of plane trading, or the trading system, and randomly selected some life forms to guide their evolution. However, I’ve found that this guided evolution is done very carefully, as if deliberately hiding from certain existences. That’s why the trial program is concealed—only individuals with exceptional power or luck can activate it and become the focus of attention for those beings.”

Everyone was left so shaken by Rudao Xuan’s words that they just stared at each other, stunned and at a loss.