Li Shuhao turned his head and stared fixedly at Yang Fan: "When the Divine Realm first underwent Awakening, everyone had lofty ambitions, feeling that as long as they worked hard, life would get better and better."
"But what about reality? Look at our parents; they constantly squeeze their believers, their bodies hunched and their hair gray, yet they still have to keep working."
"A Divine Being has a Lifespan of five hundred years, but most die of old age at two to three hundred years. What are Brother Yang's thoughts on this?"
"The Divine Realm's Resources are overdrawn." Yang Fan said without hesitation; his mother, Sun Rong, was already experiencing physical problems in this regard.
"The Federation has a head tax, and to earn Faith Points, every transaction requires paying personal income tax. Even the online trading platform charges a 2% transaction fee. You must know that with how advanced the internet is now, matching transactions has zero cost."
"Once we graduate and lose the protection of Federation law, we must either become strong enough or find a backing."
"Taxes in all aspects of life, all kinds of hidden fee expenditures. Investments in cultivating believers for the safety of the Divine Realm, or directly finding a backing and handing over the major share of profits to the other party. All of this turns compound interest into nothing more than a nice math problem."
"The profit margin of Divine Realm investments is very high, but if you truly only invest, your Divine Realm will just be a bowl of delicious, fatty meat, waiting for the day you hand your own life over to the enemy along with it."
"Classmate Li truly lives up to being widely read with extraordinary insight." Yang Fan said admiringly.
Yang Fan's words came from the bottom of his heart; he was only in his third year of high school now and had never considered things on such a distant level himself.
Li Shuhao's insights and thoughts gave him a lot of inspiration and early warnings.
"Brother Yang, I will get straight to the point. I want you to be my Subordinate God."
"I know that with your conditions, you actually have better choices. Even Li Tianheng, that direct-line Genius of the Li family, you are qualified to try for. But before that, you might as well listen to my conditions."
"As long as you choose to sign a contract with me, I will subsidize you with 100,000 Faith Points every month. In addition, a year later I can provide you with a B-Rank Building."
"Most importantly, from now on, all Resources produced within your Divine Realm, I am willing to acquire at market price."
"Of course, we will trade via transfers, which can legally avoid taxes."
Hearing this, Yang Fan's expression was somewhat puzzled.
In order to seek protection, a Subordinate God usually sells the Divine Realm's Resources to their protector at a 30% or even 50% discount.
He didn't understand the meaning of Li Shuhao doing this.
Seeing Yang Fan's expression, Li Shuhao explained: "Naturally, I wouldn't have offered this price before today, but this assessment allowed me to see your other value."
"What value?"
"Divine Planner. You possess the talent of an Divine Planner. With an initial capital of only five million Faith Points, you were able to develop the Divine Realm to such a stage within twenty days. I feel that your talent in the field of an Divine Planner is very strong." Get faster updates on novelping(.)com.
"I won't take advantage of your Divine Realm's Resources, but I hope you can help me plan my Divine Realm in the future." Li Shuhao spoke bluntly.
Yang Fan finally understood; after all this fuss, the other party had misunderstood him just like Li Qingying did.
"Doesn't the Li family have their own Divine Planner? Moreover, the current me shouldn't be able to compare to them."
"For Divine Planner fees, First-Class Geniuses of the Li family have fund-compensation services, while I need to pay out of my pocket. The price is something the current me cannot afford." Li Shuhao's expression was somewhat awkward.
Yang Fan sighed and said: "Can I refuse?"
Seeming not to expect this answer, Li Shuhao froze for a moment.
"Why?"
Li Shuhao was confident. His conditions brought no losses whatsoever to Yang Fan—full-price acquisition of the Divine Realm's Resources, plus a monthly subsidy. This was simply a pie falling from the sky.
"I want to walk the combat path, and I don't want to do logistics work."
"Ah? But your talent—" Li Shuhao was somewhat incredulous.
"Thank you, Classmate Li, for your warm invitation, but I have my own thoughts. Furthermore, I don't have any Divine Planner talent; the development of the Divine Realm had an element of luck."
Silently for a moment, Li Shuhao finally put down his wine glass, raised his head, and revealed a smile as he said: "If the business fails, the morality remains. We are classmates after all, and in the future, we might even manage Divine Realm investments together. Since you're here, I must act as the host. Brother, I'll treat you to a good time."
"Since that's the case, then I thank Classmate Li... Brother Li."
"Hahaha, come with me. I'll take you to experience the local customs here." Li Shuhao laughed heartily, pulling Yang Fan into another private room.
"This is a special service of Heavenly Fragrance Club. Once our Divine Realm undergoes Awakening, we are considered adults and only then qualified to consume here. Brother, choose a person first."
Li Shuhao waved his hand grandly, and a row of photos of female figures floated in mid-air.
"Name: Liu Ruyan / Measurements: 85, 58, 90 / Personality: Open / Strength: Divine Being / Price: Ten thousand Faith Points (overnight)"
"Name: Bai Ningbing /..."
Photo after photo was either bewitching, plump, or pure. Seeing this, Yang Fan couldn't help but swallow hard, not knowing how to choose for a moment.
Seeing that Yang Fan hadn't made a move for a long time, Li Shuhao smiled wickedly: "Do you need a special type?"
"Married women, sister flowers, mother-daughter flowers, or if Brother Yang has heavy tastes, there are also the Elven Race and beastmen. If it's even heavier, there are even pretty Goblins."
"Pfft." Hearing this, Yang Fan almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.
"Of course, in this Heavenly Fragrance Club there are also Demigods and Gods you can play with, but they are all upstairs. We don't have the qualifications, and with our current consciousness strength, we'd easily be played to death." Li Shuhao laughed.
"This place is way too versatile." Yang Fan's face twitched.
"Network technology is advanced. Even if separated by two planets, communication can still occur on the consciousness level. However, Brother Yang can rest assured, Heavenly Fragrance Club has a stellar reputation. The attendants here are definitely not virtual characters; they all truly exist in reality."
"Life isn't easy for everyone, coming out to earn some subsidies, you know." Li Shuhao flashed an expression that every man understands.
Yang Fan coughed: "I've never consumed here before, this is my first time, this..."
"Everyone has a first time. Anyway, it's the Virtual World, and it doesn't count as cheating on a future wife. Shall I arrange it?"
"Then I'll trouble you."
"The day before yesterday, I heard a friend say that the Goblin..."
"Stop right there. I think this one called Liu Ruyan is not bad."
Hearing this, Li Shuhao revealed a look of regret: "Since that's the case, then Brother Yang, enjoy yourself thoroughly. We'll gather again when we have time."
As he spoke, Li Shuhao finished paying the fees and tactfully exited the private room.
Looking at the other party's back, Yang Fan's face twitched. He always felt that this kid wanted to mess with him because he had just been rejected.
In another private room, Li Shuhao sat in the main seat. An elderly man with gray hair exuding a Demigod aura, holding a file in his arms, stood quietly to the side.
"Uncle An, what do you think of this classmate of mine?" Li Shuhao inquired.
"According to Young Master's description, his talent is indeed good, but the conditions Young Master gave were too generous."
"He is a classmate after all. I just didn't expect him to refuse such good conditions."
"If Young Master truly wants to recruit him, perhaps you can start with his parents."
"No need. Means can conquer a person, but they cannot win true sincerity. Divine Realm development is a long-distance race. Relying on those unpresentable means will only result in mutual internal friction in the end. Having more friends is always better than having more enemies."