555: Chapter 556 Different Thoughts

Patrol Envoy Zhang had already cursed countless times in his heart.

The ten years of Power Of Faith he had provided, in his estimation, should have been enough to let this person get a taste of the benefits.

Stuck at the third rank of Spirit Official, neither here nor there, if he wanted to make further progress in a short time, he would have no choice but to come back and beg him.

But the person before him did not play by the rules; he had actually skipped this step and taken it upon himself to touch that "Divine Dao Integration."

Good grief, that thing was not something a person could just touch!

The key was that once borrowed, the official position was effectively mortgaged.

In Patrol Envoy Zhang's eyes, a person whose official position had already been mortgaged was like a voided promissory note, possessing no value whatsoever.

The way he looked at Lu Ming had changed; from a "fat lamb waiting to be slaughtered," he had become "a chicken rib that is tasteless to eat but a pity to discard."

However, Patrol Envoy Zhang still suppressed the irritation in his heart, not immediately flicking his sleeves to leave, but instead tentatively asked a question.

"Brother Wang, did you... go and touch the 'Divine Dao Integration'?"

To this, Lu Ming nodded quite straightforwardly, not denying it.

Instantly, Patrol Envoy Zhang's expression collapsed completely.

He didn't say another word and stood up to leave.

Lu Ming was slightly taken aback; he had thought that this tactic of "retreating to advance, actively handing over a handle" would make Patrol Envoy Zhang feel that he was an easy-to-control pawn.

He hadn't expected the other party's reaction to be much colder than he had anticipated.

But upon second thought, he understood the crux of the matter.

In Patrol Envoy Zhang's eyes, he was probably like a deadbeat who had lost all his money; who would be willing to lend money to someone who was already penniless?

Did I miscalculate!

Just as he was pondering, Patrol Envoy Zhang had already bypassed him and was walking quickly toward the door.

"Patrol Envoy, please stay your step!"

Lu Ming quickly called out to stop him.

Patrol Envoy Zhang's footsteps paused, and he looked back at him, his eyes full of impatience.

Lu Ming hurriedly stepped forward and said in a very fast tone.

"Sigh, Patrol Envoy, I am new here and don't understand the rules; I was confused for a moment!"

His voice carried a hint of regret, sounding very much like someone who had accidentally gone astray.

"I thought at the time, since I was borrowing money anyway, who else would I borrow from? Who knew the interest rate for the 'Divine Dao Integration' would be so high... I was just desperate, wasn't I?"

"Besides, Patrol Envoy Zhang, we hit it off immediately, and you are the one I trust the most right now, otherwise I wouldn't have come to you first!"

Patrol Envoy Zhang's footsteps still didn't stop; instead, they sped up a bit. He had a vague, ominous premonition in his heart, as if something bad would happen if he left too late.

And the things one fears most are exactly what happen.

Lu Ming blathered on with his setup, and finally changed the subject, his tone eerie.

"Patrol Envoy, why don't you lend me another five years of Power Of Faith? I'll go pay off the loan, and then I won't have any debt, right?"

Patrol Envoy Zhang finally stopped, turned around, and looked at Lu Ming with an incredibly incredulous gaze, which was filled with shock and astonishment.

"How can there be such a shameless person in this world!"

Why does such a person exist!

Patrol Envoy Zhang really couldn't understand why such a thought process existed; is something wrong with him!

Lu Ming did not change his expression, ignored the other party's look as if he were an idiot, and continued speaking with a straight face.

"Think about it, Patrol Envoy; you have already lent me ten years of Power Of Faith. If I can't pay this money back, wouldn't those ten years of Power Of Faith go down the drain?"

"Wouldn't that be a huge loss?"

"If you lend me another five years now, I will go pay off the loan, retrieve my official position, and use it as collateral. At that point, surely you won't be afraid of me running away, right?"

Patrol Envoy Zhang was stunned by this speech.

At first, he felt Lu Ming's words were outrageous, but after thinking about it carefully, he would exclaim, "Damn, that makes so much sense!"

He had already invested ten years of Power Of Faith; if he let go now, those ten years would be completely gone.

Although ten years of Power Of Faith was not a huge expenditure for his current official position, it was not a small amount either, and he would feel the pain if he lost it!

But if he could lend another five years, let Lu Ming pay off the loan, retrieve the official position, and then use the official position as collateral, then this person would be completely under his control.

Even if Lu Ming couldn't pay it back, he could work for him for the rest of his life; earning a Spirit Official slave wasn't exactly a loss.

After weighing the pros and cons, Patrol Envoy Zhang gritted his teeth, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes.

"Five years of Power Of Faith is fine, but I also have conditions."

Seeing that Patrol Envoy Zhang had really agreed, Lu Ming's eyes lit up, but he kept his expression calm, instead showing respect in his eyes.

"Please go ahead."

"We must draw up a contract between us; within three years, you must pay back all fifteen years of Power Of Faith!"

Lu Ming did not hesitate at all regarding this condition; three years was a long time anyway, and who knew what would happen during that period.

Besides, hadn't he heard that the one who owes money is the boss!

As for that so-called contract, Lu Ming cared about it even less.

This was signed by Wang Chan, what did it have to do with him, Lu Ming?

And it would be best to pray that this contract didn't involve the level of Karma, otherwise, someone would be in for a rude awakening!

However, although he thought this way in his heart, on the surface, he quickly nodded in agreement, even putting on a grateful expression.

"Thank you, Patrol Envoy! I knew you were the most righteous!"

Patrol Envoy Zhang ignored his flattery, instead raising his hand and making a vague swipe. A golden light surged from his fingertips and merged into the Void Realm.

A moment later, a contract document glowing with a pale golden light slowly emerged from the Void Realm, floating between the two.

The contract was made entirely of spirit paper specially crafted by the Divine Court, with fine runes flowing along its edges.

In the upper left corner was a cinnabar seal inscribed with the two characters "Heavenly Contract," with a sharp, chilling brushstroke, emitting a terrifying pressure.

Patrol Envoy Zhang formed seals with his hands and chanted in a low voice.

"Vast Divine Firmament, manifest Heavenly Punishment, contract as proof, oath as witness. Now, by the position of Spirit Official, I establish this document. If there is any violation, Heavenly Punishment shall descend."

The runes on the contract lit up one by one with his chanting, like ignited lamps, emitting a pale golden light that illuminated the entire private room.

Then, having finished all this, Patrol Envoy Zhang pushed the contract in front of Lu Ming.

"This is a 'Heavenly Contract.' Once signed, it is like proclaiming to Heaven and Earth. Those who violate it shall suffer the ultimate punishment of Heavenly Punishment. So... press your seal."

Lu Ming looked down; the contract was neatly written with the repayment period, interest, and breach of contract terms, with rigorous wording that left no loopholes.

He also noticed that the aura of the contract and the Punishment of Xingtian had similarities.

Clearly, Patrol Envoy Zhang was not just fear-mongering; this contract was truly bound to the Divine Court's Heavenly Punishment system.

However, he didn't say much, pressing his fingerprint at the bottom of the contract.

The moment the fingerprint was pressed, the runes on the contract flashed brightly, like activated chains, and then quickly dimmed.

Lu Ming could feel that an invisible force had already anchored onto his Spirit Official official seal through that contract, and at the same time, it had locked the Karma of this incarnation.

Once he violated the agreement, disaster would inevitably befall him!

"Hehe, how interesting..."

Lu Ming sneered in his heart, but he was not in a hurry to use the golden book to transfer it away.

There was still use for Patrol Envoy Zhang, so there was no need to kill the creditor so early; Lu Ming still wanted to leverage him to pry open greater resources!

On this side, seeing that he had finished signing, Patrol Envoy Zhang's expression also eased slightly.

He immediately took a token from his sleeve, injected five years of Power Of Faith, and tossed it toward Lu Ming.

"Take it."

Lu Ming took the token, said nothing, and directly summoned the Tianbao Treasury interface, operating it right in front of Patrol Envoy Zhang.

He entered the repayment interface of the "Divine Dao Integration," input the Power Of Faith, and prepared to pay off the loan in one go.

However, a line of small ancient seal script characters suddenly appeared on the light screen.

It read:

"Loan of five years, interest has accrued, six years must be repaid, insufficient balance, please make up the difference."

Lu Ming's movements suddenly stopped; he then turned his head and looked at Patrol Envoy Zhang with an innocent gaze.

Patrol Envoy Zhang frowned and walked over, glanced at the prompt on the screen, and his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot instantly.

He knew he felt like he had forgotten something!

The interest of this Divine Dao Integration was generated in real-time.

Even if you only borrowed it for one minute, interest would be calculated!

And this guy had borrowed five years of Power Of Faith, which meant that one more year of Power Of Faith in interest was still needed to fully pay it off!

But this time, Patrol Envoy Zhang didn't turn and leave.

Fifteen years of Power Of Faith had already been lent out, so he didn't care about this little bit anymore!

So, gritting his teeth, he transferred another amount of Power Of Faith to Lu Ming, making up for the missing year.

"Is that enough now?"

His voice was very low; he had clearly reached his limit of patience.

Lu Ming had no doubt that if he pulled any more tricks now, Patrol Envoy Zhang would likely explode on the spot.

However, he didn't keep courting death; he glanced at the balance, confirmed it was enough, nodded sensibly, and quickly completed the repayment operation.

A new line of small ancient seal script characters popped up on the light screen again.

"Loan cleared, Spirit Official second rank official position mortgage released."

He let out a long sigh, turned his head, and gave Patrol Envoy Zhang a grateful smile:

"Patrol Envoy, your great kindness, Wang will keep in his heart."

Patrol Envoy Zhang ignored his gratitude, and with a cold face, handed over another contract.

"Supplementary agreement, sign it."

Lu Ming took it and looked, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

This guy had indeed gotten smarter; the one year of Power Of Faith he had added at the end was also included.

However, Lu Ming looked at it for a moment but didn't sign immediately.

Seeing this, Patrol Envoy Zhang frowned, his eyes already filled with vigilance.

"What? Want to go back on your word?"

Lu Ming put down the contract, sighed, his tone sincere.

"Patrol Envoy, what are you saying? How would I dare to welsh on your debt?"

"As you know, I just arrived at the Divine Court not long ago, and I have no Foundation at all."

"Although you are magnanimous, and this repayment period is generous."

"But to be honest, based on my current income, it will probably take many years to pay off this money."

"Therefore, I have another presumptuous request..."

"What are you trying to do!"

Patrol Envoy Zhang looked vigilant.

"Cough cough... do you think you could... lend me a little more?"

In this instant, Patrol Envoy Zhang's expression could no longer be described as "ugly."

He stood up abruptly, Divine Power surging around his body, his robes fluttering without wind, and his voice carried uncontrollable anger.

"Say that again?"

He had already determined that this person was playing him, treating him like an ATM for Power Of Faith.

Lu Ming quickly stepped forward to appease him, his tone sincere.

"Patrol Envoy, don't be angry. Think about it; even if I condense Power Of Faith without stopping for the next few years, it would still take several years to get the capital back, right? This efficiency is too slow."

"So, you plan to keep borrowing from me, and then borrow to pay me back?"

Patrol Envoy Zhang was so angry he almost laughed.

He swore that he had never seen such a shameless person.

This kind of moving money from the left hand to the right, he really took him for a fool.

"Patrol Envoy, don't misunderstand; how would I dare to play with you."

Lu Ming quickly raised his hand to signal him to calm down, speaking very fast.

"I am talking about borrowing, not borrowing from you!"

Patrol Envoy Zhang's movements paused, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes: "What do you mean?"

Lu Ming lowered his voice, as if afraid of being overheard by others.

"Patrol Envoy, you have wide connections; I wonder if there are... any of those underground banks within the Divine Court?"

Lu Ming's words were vague, but Patrol Envoy Zhang instantly understood what the other party meant.

Did he want to find a private lending organization?

These private lending organizations were forces that operated without going through the Tianbao Treasury, lending privately; their interest rates were higher, their rules were darker, but correspondingly, the amounts that could be borrowed were also larger.

Patrol Envoy Zhang's thoughts raced, but his expression remained calm; he just picked up his wine cup and took a slow sip.

This guy actually set his sights on this; he was indeed bolder than he had anticipated.

However, this was probably even more predatory than the Divine Dao Integration; this was not a good idea!

At this moment, he heard Lu Ming continue.

"Organizations like this underground one certainly can't be brought out into the light, so even if we borrow money and don't pay it back, it doesn't matter; I doubt they would dare to make a scene."

"Besides, we are Spirit Officials; the common people do not fight with officials. Even if we don't pay back, what can they do to us?"

He lowered his voice, as if sharing some brilliant strategy.

"Patrol Envoy Zhang, if you have any connections, why not point me in the right direction."

"The money I borrow, I can pay back your principal first; for the rest, we can split it fifty-fifty."

"This way, not only can we pay it off as soon as possible, but we can also earn extra."

Lu Ming spoke very sincerely, as if he were truly planning a good, mutually beneficial deal.

Patrol Envoy Zhang almost laughed out loud after hearing this.

Sure enough, he was a smelly outsider; just self-righteous and ignorant.

In a place with strict laws like the Divine Court, the existence of private lending organizations in itself proved that their background was extraordinary.

As far as he knew, several of them had the shadows of Divine Lords behind them.

Thinking about borrowing money and not paying it back was truly no different from courting death. However, he wouldn't go and remind the other party.

He had already invested fifteen years of Power Of Faith, and suddenly felt that this might be a good opportunity to recoup his costs.

If this guy could really borrow a large sum of money on the black market, he could not only get back his principal but also make a profit.

As for whether the other party could pay it back, and what would happen if they didn't?

Hehe, it wouldn't be his bad luck then.

Thinking of this, Patrol Envoy Zhang's face once again showed a gentle smile, and his tone became a bit warmer: "Fellow Daoist, you are being too serious; you and I are friends, why say such things."

"It just so happens that although I am untalented, I do know a few trustworthy friends who might be able to help."

Lu Ming looked at Patrol Envoy Zhang's expression, which switched as quickly as a Sichuan opera face-changing performance, and couldn't help but curl his lips in his heart, but on the surface, he still appropriately showed a look of reverence.

"Sure enough, this matter still requires your vast Divine Ability! Then, Patrol Envoy, how much do you think I can borrow?"

Patrol Envoy Zhang picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and looked thoughtful.

"With your second-rank Spirit Official position, you should be able to borrow quite a bit. However, exactly how much you can borrow depends on what you are willing to use as collateral."

Lu Ming did not answer; he just picked up his wine cup and clinked it with Patrol Envoy Zhang's.

"Then I will trouble you, Patrol Envoy Zhang."

Both of them revealed a knowing smile at the same time.

It was just that their respective thoughts were surging, and neither of them said it out loud.