Rule Service

But to say she would own such a prop and not use it was absolutely impossible.

Cheng Shuili thought for a moment, then lifted her hand to turn her ring, intending to wake the ring spirit to ask about the situation.

This voucher only stated that one could establish a safe zone, but it didn't mention a single word about the specific rules.

If it were like factions where one could declare war, Cheng Shuili would simply and decisively abandon the idea of building it.

Her rocket launcher was bought from the Rat King; if he really came to attack, who could withstand it?

That was a rocket launcher!

But if war could not be declared, and there were no other safety hazards, and it was just the Rat King, this beastman, holding a grudge in his heart and occasionally tripping her up...

Cheng Shuili certainly wouldn't be intimidated!

No matter how much he possessed, he was just a beastman, and if he were a beastman NPC, he would have to follow the rules for beastman NPCs.

In any case, Cheng Shuili had never heard of a beastman being able to directly attack a player.

Even in these beastmen's territories, as long as Cheng Shuili didn't violate the rules, the beastmen had no way to take the initiative to attack her.

Thinking of this, she turned the ring on her hand again. Logically speaking, the ring spirit should have already woken up; why wasn't it speaking?

As this thought popped up, Cheng Shuili subconsciously narrowed her eyes.

She understood.

Previously, it was that the ring spirit couldn't speak, but now, it was that this guy didn't want to speak.

Cheng Shuili couldn't help but sneer. She hadn't even settled scores with it for its wolfish ambitions earlier, and now that it had finally obtained a chance to speak, it was actually angry at her, its master, and playing dumb?

"How is it," her voice wasn't high, but it carried a clear chill, "do I still need to invite you out?"

The ring remained completely motionless, playing dead quite thoroughly.

Cheng Shuili was so angry she laughed.

Fine, very fine.

Playing this game with her.

She no longer hesitated and directly used an imperative tone: "Come out and answer my questions."

The ring spirit's voice was reluctant, but it did start speaking, "Yes, Master."

Cheng Shuili was fairly satisfied.

After all, no matter how much it didn't want to answer, it still had to obey the commands of her, its master.

That was enough.

Cheng Shuili couldn't be bothered to dwell on its little schemes and directly stated her concerns regarding the Legendary Construction Voucher, especially regarding the safe zone rules and the potential reaction of the Rat King.

The ring spirit was silent for a long time. Just when Cheng Shuili thought it was going to defy her order, it finally answered:

"Master, your caution is very wise. But this voucher is perhaps one of the rarest props you humans can obtain. If you leave it unused, are you truly willing?"

One of the rarest props humans can obtain?!

This title was truly grand.

But Cheng Shuili didn't follow its line of thinking; instead, she immediately narrowed her eyes and asked, "What bad idea are you cooking up again?"

"How could I be cooking up any—"

Cheng Shuili directly interrupted its sophistry, "Tell the truth."

The ring spirit was choked by Cheng Shuili's merciless interruption. The bit of feigned grievance instantly dissipated, and its tone became dry, carrying a kind of 'all-or-nothing' honesty:

"Alright, Master. To tell the truth, I hope you use it."

"Reason," Cheng Shuili said concisely.

"Owning your own safe zone means absolute control over resources, information, and talent. If Glory wants to truly gain a foothold, and if you want to carve out a place for yourself in this cruel world, you must use this prop! Compared to the immense benefits, the slight hazards that exist are nothing at all."

Cheng Shuili didn't speak. The ring spirit took a deep breath and continued:

"There is indeed war between safe zones. Before the Rat King unified them, wars frequently occurred between the various beastman races. If you fear war, perhaps you could first find the Rat King and sign a peace agreement."

"A peace agreement?" Cheng Shuili repeated these four words.

"Yes." The ring spirit's voice carried a hint of contempt, "This kind of agreement has binding force on both parties, but in essence, it is merely a protection clause that the weak pray for from the strong. Once signed, your safe zone will legally become a vassal of the Rat King's forces. You will need to pay high tributes regularly, and you will also be subject to many restrictions on trade rules and access permissions; the Rat King even has the right to dispatch personnel to be stationed there for 'supervision' in the name of maintaining stability."

Cheng Shuili naturally couldn't accept such conditions.

She frowned, intending to ask if there were any other ways, when the ring spirit added another sentence:

"But most of the benefits within the safe zone still belong to you, even though you have to cede a portion to the Rat King. As long as you don't care about face, you can obtain the greatest benefits in the easiest way. Why not do it?"

It spoke as if it were a matter of course, as if everyone should enjoy being a dog for the strong.

"Why not do it?" Cheng Shuili repeated the ring spirit's words. Her voice didn't betray whether she was angry or happy, but her gaze suddenly became sharp as ice, "Use this one and only Legendary Construction Voucher to trade for a vassal status where I have to look at others' faces and live under their thumb? And also hand over a portion of the benefits from the enterprise I worked so hard to build?"

The ring spirit trembled, stung by the chill in her words, and hurriedly defended itself: "Master, that is absolutely not what I meant! It's just... this is indeed the safest way to avoid risks..."

"Shut up." Cheng Shuili directly interrupted it, her tone resolute, "I don't need this kind of safety. Since you said this is the easiest way, there must be other ways, right?"

She lowered her eyes to look at the ring on her hand: "Explain clearly."

The ring spirit was silent for a moment, then spoke with a hint of reluctance: "...Yes, there are other ways. Besides signing a peace agreement of a vassal nature, the rules between safe zones tend more toward... competition."

"Competition?"

"Yes, competition. Rather than a war to the death."

The ring spirit explained, "Because this world doesn't just consist of humans and beastmen. Besides the monsters in the gray areas and the equipment that has developed consciousness like me, there is another existence that none of you are allowed to touch."

Cheng Shuili immediately understood: "The system?"

"Yes." The ring spirit's voice lowered, carrying an instinctive awe: "The system maintains the most basic balance. All newly created safe zones can purchase a novice protection service from it. As long as you pay enough resources, the system will provide absolute protection for the newborn safe zone for one month. During this period, no external force can initiate any form of challenge or attack against your safe zone."

Cheng Shuili's heart stirred: "And the cost?"

"The cost is high." The ring spirit answered, "Especially compared to becoming a vassal."

This guy still hadn't given up on that idea.

Cheng Shuili didn't hesitate and directly asked: "Do I buy it with game coins? How many game coins?"

She had the confidence to say this.

If the system offered this product, then the price given must be something players could accept.

And as a top-tier player, if even she couldn't afford it...

Then this dog system absolutely had no intention of selling it in earnest!

The ring spirit suddenly chuckled, and Cheng Shuili felt that something was amiss.

Sure enough, in the next second, a number was recited.

"One million."

Cheng Shuili: "..."

She felt like she had misheard.

"How much?"

"One million game coins." The ring spirit's voice carried a calm that was almost cruel, "And, it only accepts one-time payment, and this one million game coins can only exchange for one month of peace."

Cheng Shuili was silent.

One million?

Speaking of one million, didn't she seem to owe the system five hundred thousand?

Cheng Shuili's face showed bitterness. This was simply not a figure that any player at the current stage could possibly come up with!

This so-called novice protection service was never intended for novices from the start! It was more like a trap placed in plain sight, a label the system used to mock those who overestimated their own strength.

The ring spirit seemed quite satisfied with her silence; its tone carried a trace of vague mockery: "It seems, Master, that even you feel that compared to this astronomical figure, accepting the Rat King's protection doesn't seem so unacceptable, does it?"

Cheng Shuili slowly raised her head, the bitterness in her eyes fading, replaced by an extreme calmness.

She even gave a light laugh.

"No," she said, her voice clear and steady, "quite the contrary."

The ring spirit didn't seem to have expected this reaction from her and paused slightly.

Cheng Shuili rubbed the Legendary Construction Voucher in her hand, her face extremely calm: "The fact that the system set this price proves one thing. It believes that a newborn safe zone that is completely independent and not subject to any existing force has a potential value far exceeding one million game coins. It even far exceeds the so-called protection the Rat King can offer."

She looked at the ring, or rather, at the ring spirit that had mocked her.

"The system isn't mocking; it's filtering. It's filtering out the players who are truly qualified, who have the guts, and who are capable of declaring themselves king on this land."

The ring spirit was silent, seemingly thinking seriously about Cheng Shuili's words.

But Cheng Shuili herself stood up. She walked to the window and gazed toward the endless highway ahead.

She had already traveled far enough on this road.

Everything she had now was earned by her own hands.

Now they were telling her to give all this up and become someone else's vassal?

Are you kidding me?!

"As long as I bow my head, Glory will only ever be Glory, living forever in the shadows of others. And one million... although it's out of reach right now, at least it has given me a clear goal, a price for living while standing tall."

She turned around, her eyes burning, carrying the determination to burn her bridges:

"It's just one million game coins; I will save up for it eventually."

"I will use this voucher."

Her fingertip tapped lightly on the Legendary Construction Voucher, and the voucher immediately emitted a soft yet firm glow.

"The beastman town belongs to the beastmen, the black market serves the monsters, and we, Glory, will be a trading zone that truly belongs to humans!"

As her words fell, the entire vehicle was deathly silent.

After a long while, the ring spirit sighed, its voice carrying a note of genuine admiration: "Choosing you to be my master was perhaps the most correct decision I have ever made."

"Choosing?"

Cheng Shuili caught onto this word.

But the ring spirit brought up the special equipment box that hadn't been opened yet, "That box, it looks like whatever comes out of it is random, but in reality, we are the ones who hold the power of choice. Of course, we aren't without a price to pay if we want to make a choice."

It sighed again, as if recalling that period of time which wasn't exactly pleasant.

Cheng Shuili waited quietly, but in the end, the ring spirit didn't say anything more.

Fine, she wasn't very interested anyway.

What was important was...

"If I have one million game coins, how should I purchase this novice protection?"

After asking, she continued to put the ring spirit to sleep.

Cheng Shuili didn't want to leave something with such a safety hazard by her side.

The ring spirit seemed to understand her intention, but she was the master, and the ring spirit definitely couldn't defy her now.

Moreover, it had to answer the master's questions.

"In those few safe zones, there is a system building. Once you find these buildings, you can purchase the corresponding rule service."

System building, rule service...

Cheng Shuili noted these terms down, but she had been to those places so many times; why hadn't she ever seen them?

She thought this, and she asked it.

The ring spirit seemed somewhat helpless, but still answered: "System buildings are different from the human buildings you have in your mind. They don't have a fixed form. They could be a tree, a rock, or even a gust of wind."

"Only when a being holding the authority, like you who possess this voucher, approaches will they reveal the form of an interface, usually a floating light screen or a door."

Cheng Shuili suddenly understood; no wonder she had never noticed.

The secrecy of this system was even higher than she had imagined.

"I understand." She nodded, "Then, go to sleep."

Although it was a 'use-and-toss' situation again, this time, the ring spirit didn't say anything more. The faint glow on the ring dimmed rapidly, returning to that death-like silence.

Cheng Shuili rubbed the ring on her fingertip, her gaze falling back onto the Legendary Construction Voucher.

Do I really have to save up one million before I can use it?

Just as Cheng Shuili was thinking this, the vehicle suddenly stopped. Su Rui didn't come out, but her voice did: "Boss, the building on the side of the road seems to be a gas station."

A gas station?

Cheng Shuili's spirit was lifted; wasn't this like sending a pillow just as she was getting sleepy?

She was just wanting to see what the so-called system interface looked like, and a special building had come along!

Su Rui parked the car, and the two of them got out one after the other.

The gas station was the same as usual. The monster merchant was huddled behind the counter, and upon seeing the visitors, he directly picked up a fan and covered his own face. It was obvious that he still remembered the last incident and wasn't very willing to entertain Cheng Shuili and the other.

And Cheng Shuili had come with a purpose, so she was naturally too lazy to bother with it.

Su Rui followed Cheng Shuili around several times and also saw clearly that her boss was probably looking for something, but as for what exactly...

The current Su Rui was very principled: if you don't have to ask, don't ask, otherwise the boss might suddenly assign several tasks.

Cheng Shuili, walking in front, frowned slightly. Everything in the gas station was as usual; she couldn't see anything different.

The ring spirit definitely wouldn't lie to her, and since it wasn't in any of these places, then it could only be—behind the counter!

Cheng Shuili tried walking a few steps in that direction, approaching the monster merchant huddled behind the counter.