Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players
Chapter 28 - 028 My home is really a duplicate

Chapter 28: 028 My home is really a duplicate

"Daddy, is Brother Lin a good person?" Song Ling asked inside the store, feeling utterly confused.

"Yes." Jimmy Navada and Sera Wade exchanged a glance before nodding affirmatively.

The world is too dark, and children aren’t sensible. They might accidentally blurt something out, and if it causes any trouble, it would implicate everyone. It’s better to let her live in her innocent world.

「...」

Dumbelldore laid out the leftover food and wine on the table.

Jimmy Navada’s family stood in the corner, watching Lin Bai and Daoist Priest Qingfeng. They looked nervous, a stark contrast to the arrogance they displayed when playing Dragon Breath the day before. Of course, their spooky air was gone too. Aside from being unable to touch the ground, they looked just like a normal family.

Daoist Priest Qingfeng sat on the wobbly stool, persistently exuding negative Emotion Value while also contributing damaged value to Lin Bai.

Facing Lin Bai, he found himself unable to fight or escape. The Daoist Priest finally decided to emerge from the meager safety of his Shield Armor Talisman. Only when he sat at the same table as Lin Bai did his anxious heart calm somewhat.

Heavens, he had never encountered such a shameless opponent in his entire life!

Seeing the hole in the table and the mismatched chopsticks only confirmed his decision: Lin Bai was crazy. Who else would let their shop fall into such a state?

"Little Deng, don’t just stand there. Sit down and join us," Lin Bai warmly invited Dumbelldore, who was standing beside him holding a wine jug.

"Master, you two chat. I’ll just pour the wine," Dumbelldore said with particular obedience. Even though Lin Bai hadn’t officially accepted him, he still considered himself a Disciple and believed he could eventually move Lin Bai.

"You’ve been busy all day too. We’re closing up for the night, so you should eat and drink. Jimmy can pour the wine; they don’t need to eat or drink," Lin Bai said, smiling at Jimmy Navada.

Jimmy Navada chuckled nervously, glanced timidly at Daoist Priest Qingfeng, and floated over to take the wine jug from Dumbelldore. "Mr. Deng, please take a seat. We owe Lin, the Storekeeper, a great debt, so it’s only right that we serve him."

With enough effort, even a ghost could be a waiter. So, Daoist Priest Qingfeng hadn’t taken that beating for nothing.

Lin Bai was secretly pleased. It must be said, with a high Luck Value, everything goes smoothly.

Dumbelldore didn’t relinquish the wine jug. Holding it, he stood straight and smiled. "Shopkeeper, you asked me to hold myself to the standards of a gentleman. Although you haven’t accepted me as your Disciple yet, in terms of hierarchy, you are the owner, and I am an employee. Sitting at the same table as you would be a breach of that hierarchy."

"In terms of seniority, Daoist Priest Qingfeng is my elder. Sitting with him would be a disregard for the proper order between elder and junior. I haven’t yet reached your level, so I’ll start by adhering to the rules. Therefore, it’s proper for me to serve you from the side. Please don’t try to persuade me."

That’s a Player for you. Once they know the criteria, they focus single-mindedly on completing the objective. To pass Lin Bai’s assessment sooner, he had even started to imitate Lin Bai’s way of speaking.

「...」

Impressive, he learns fast! Lin Bai looked at Dumbelldore approvingly. "Very good. There can be no order without rules. Start with the small things, and in a few days, you’ll qualify to become my Disciple."

"Thank you for your compliment, Shopkeeper. I will work hard," Dumbelldore said respectfully. NPCs are just NPCs. No matter how clever, they’re still bound by their underlying programming. Does a game really need to be this strict?

Daoist Priest Qingfeng stared in astonishment, first at Dumbelldore, then at Lin Bai, screaming internally, He’s just putting on an act! Are you blind? If this continues, he won’t be a gentleman, he’ll be a damn hypocrite!

Suddenly, a shiver ran down his spine as a terrifying realization dawned on him. He finally understood the reason behind Lin Bai’s peculiar methods. It would be strange if Disciples trained by such a twisted Sect didn’t turn out twisted themselves!

This is exactly the effect I want, Lin Bai thought. Even if you’re faking it, you have to keep faking it. As long as you can fool the System, you’re a moral paragon in my eyes, my good Disciple.

Dumbelldore filled their chipped bowls with wine and then stood attentively to the side.

Daoist Priest Qingfeng sighed softly and raised his wine bowl. "To the Shopkeeper."

Lin Bai remained motionless, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked at Daoist Priest Qingfeng and tapped the table lightly. "Daoist Priest Shareholder, have you forgotten something?"

Daoist Priest Qingfeng froze for a moment, then put down his wine bowl. With a pained expression, he reluctantly pulled a bamboo tube stuffed with banknotes from his robes and handed it to Lin Bai. Lin Bai reached out and, after a few firm tugs, managed to pull the bamboo tube free.

The instant the bamboo tube left his grasp, Daoist Priest Qingfeng’s facial muscles twitched violently. He reached out as if to grab it back, but his hand closed on empty air. For a moment, he looked as if his soul had been drained from him. Staring at the bamboo tube in Lin Bai’s hand, he closed his eyes in anguish.

"Daoist Priest, don’t be so reluctant," Lin Bai chuckled, pulling the banknotes from the tube and counting them one by one. "In your hands, these banknotes are just dead assets, their value diminishing over time. With me, they become hens that lay golden eggs; their value will only increase."

Daoist Priest Qingfeng stared blankly as Lin Bai counted the banknotes, his heart aching. So what if it lays golden eggs? The hen is no longer in my coop!

After counting the money and securing his assets, the steady growth in wealth made Lin Bai feel exceptionally secure. Looking at Daoist Priest Qingfeng, who looked as though he’d lost his father, Lin Bai smiled and consoled him, "Daoist Priest, don’t look so glum. Let me do the math for you. Today, our first day of business, we made a net profit of twenty-five taels. That’s seven hundred and fifty taels a month, or nine thousand taels a year. As a holder of ten percent dry stock, your annual dividend will be nine hundred taels. Your three-thousand-tael investment will be recouped in less than four years, and everything after that is pure profit. Doesn’t that make you feel much better?"

Damn it! Daoist Priest Qingfeng’s brow twitched violently. "Shopkeeper Lin," he said urgently, "that’s not how you calculated it before! You clearly said the daily profit was fifty taels..."

"Daoist Priest, at that time, you were looking to buy my shop. For such a profitable business, it’s perfectly normal to quote a premium price," Lin Bai said, waving his hand dismissively. "Don’t worry about such details. Daoist Priest, it took you forty-five years to save three thousand taels. Now, you can earn nine hundred taels a year. Tell me, is that a good deal or not?"

"It is." After providing Lin Bai with another wave of negative Emotion Value, Daoist Priest Qingfeng reluctantly nodded. He had no choice but to bow to circumstances. An annual dividend of nine hundred taels wasn’t too shabby, after all.

"Exactly! Fighting and killing solve nothing. Cooperation and mutual benefit are the path to long-term success." Lin Bai raised his wine bowl. "Come, Daoist Priest, from now on, we’re family. Cheers!"

With a complex expression, Daoist Priest Qingfeng raised his chipped bowl, clinked it against Lin Bai’s, and downed the wine in one gulp. At this moment, only wine could soothe his bitterness.

After emptying his bowl, he looked up and noticed that the wine in Lin Bai’s bowl hadn’t diminished at all. His expression changed. "Shopkeeper Lin, you..."

Lin Bai, seeing Daoist Priest Qingfeng’s startled reaction, took a sip from his bowl. "Daoist Priest, don’t judge an honorable man by your own petty standards. I conduct my affairs openly and honorably; I wouldn’t poison your wine. If I truly intended to harm you, I would have set a fire earlier. Why go to such trouble? It’s simply that I can’t hold my liquor well and cannot join you in drinking to our hearts’ content. I hope you understand."

Though the words were blunt, they rang true. Daoist Priest Qingfeng heaved a resigned sigh and cupped his fists in a gesture of concession. "Shopkeeper Lin, your methods are impressive. I admit defeat."

Lin Bai returned the gesture with a smile, then picked up a mismatched chopstick and popped a piece of beef into his mouth. "Daoist Priest, now that we’re family, there’s something I don’t understand. I was hoping you could enlighten me."

The silver had been handed over, the wine drunk. Daoist Priest Qingfeng decided to let go of his reservations. He signaled Dumbelldore to refill his bowl, downed it in one go, wiped the wine from his beard, and said, "Shopkeeper, please speak."

"The Navada family are clearly just ordinary ghosts, nothing particularly special about them. Back then, when Daoist Master Li helped them pass on and reincarnate, it was a meritorious act. Why did you need to trap them here for ten years?" Lin Bai asked. "And don’t give me any nonsense about spiritual cultivation; I don’t believe it."

As soon as these words were spoken, the Navada family members all pricked up their ears.

"Shopkeeper Lin, why ask what you already know?" Daoist Priest Qingfeng chuckled sheepishly, glancing around. "By opening a shop here, aren’t you planning the same thing as my Return to Dragon View?"

"What plan?" Lin Bai asked.

"Shopkeeper Lin, you truly don’t know?" Daoist Priest Qingfeng frowned.

"To be honest, Daoist Priest, I acquired this shop because my Senior Brother told me there was an opportunity here connected to me. I really don’t know the specifics," Lin Bai lied smoothly, clasping his fists. "Please enlighten me."

"Your Senior Brother certainly has sharp eyes." Daoist Priest Qingfeng speared a piece of meat, put it in his mouth, and snorted. "This place is a Spiritual World Gap. It’s set to open in seven years. Isn’t that a fine opportunity?"

Spiritual World Gap? What the hell is that? A dungeon! Lin Bai was stunned.

Dumbelldore’s eyes lit up. We’ve hit the jackpot!

"Understand now?" Daoist Priest Qingfeng chuckled lightly. "Three years ago, my grand-uncle, while traveling, came to this place. He was invited by the local magistrate to perform an exorcism and immediately recognized this as a fissure leading to the Spiritual Realm. Fearing that news of it would attract covetous parties, he decided to handle it discreetly, using the Navada family’s ghostly aura to mask the leakage of Spiritual Energy. His intention was to leave some benefits for the Disciples of our Sect ten years later. Who would have thought that even he couldn’t escape your Senior Brother’s keen insight..."

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