Chapter 790: Stranglehold

Once Sir System understood everything clearly, he began to summon the River God.

The so-called summoning was, in fact, easy as pie.

Vigilante A faced the air and spoke. “Elder River God, there’s something related to your reaching illumination. If you’re free now, please reveal yourself.”

Soon, a faint, golden ripple materialized in the air, followed by the appearance of a majestic Golden River.

“Eh, the River God’s also a powerful deity from the Upper Realm, but now, he can be summoned and dismissed at will by you. There’s no sense of dignity anymore.” Fang Ning whispered to Sir System.

“Hmph, what do you know? He’s no small fry.” Sir System snorted. “You never set foot outside your home. Unlike you, I’m often out and about. Do you know how hard and tedious it is for ordinary folks and believers to summon him? Don’t even think about communicating with him without at least half a month’s preparations.”

“Eh, that’s normal. If this deity were to reveal himself far too often, there would no longer be anything special about him.” Fang Ning was thoughtful. “Look at those deities and buddhas that we’ve met previously. They never showed themselves, yet the incense burned incessantly for them. It was slightly better in the East, but even more incredible in the West. People bashed each others’ brains out for deities they’ve never seen… And this has gone on for centuries until this day.”

“You’ve got a point. You humans can be really inscrutable at times.” Sir System was perplexed.

At the same time, the Golden River boomed loudly.

“I understand your wish, Venerable One. I can extend a tributary to those planets. It won’t take too long, half a year’s fine, but it’ll use up too much power and I fear that my efforts will be in vain…” The River God explained morosely.

“Eh, this fellow isn’t going to work for free…” Sir System remarked with a hint of resentment.

“You don’t say? He isn’t as stupid as portrayed in your precious game book, so how would he work for free? Unless you level up his power.” Fang Ning suggested.

“Nonsense! I just told you that this is related to him reaching illumination. Why should I pay for this? No, not in this lifetime. How could I pay for him to reap the rewards?” Sir System objected ceaselessly.

“Hmm, true. Trying to take advantage of a petty System like you is harder than reaching for the sky.” Fang Ning was speechless. “Let’s do a transfer payment then.”

“What the heck’s a transfer payment? I don’t get it.” Sir System asked glumly.

“Can’t you even look up the meaning of ‘transfer payment’?” Fang Ning sneered. “It means that the officials will pay to get something done…”

“Hmm, I get it now. Doesn’t this mean that you are pinning the responsibility on the Truth Department? What’s the point of making up a new phrase?” Sir System mocked.

“What the hell do you know? I didn’t make this up out of thin air. The Truth Department’s money is not to be spent frivolously. You can only spend when it’s worth it, so this is an opportunity for them to fork out some money.” Fang Ning snapped back.

“I don’t see any difference.” Sir System remarked coldly.

Following that, Vigilante A spoke. “Since Elder River God’s powers are limited, then may I please request the founder of this emigrant issue to supplement your power…”

“That’s marvelous. Thank you for your efforts, Venerable One.” The Golden River’s voice was rife with bewilderment.

…

A moment later, Ren Ruofeng brought Xie Dong along for the negotiations.

After all, this was a particularly important matter. Anything related to escape plans and plan Bs was now considered the Truth Department’s top priority.

The establishment of those old preventive measures had been pushed back. Resources had also been conserved for the Exoteric Immigration Plan.

The true power of the gods of the Upper Realm made them understand that the Earth was no match for them.

Now, the master had arrived and the River God of the Sky River began to make ridiculous demands.

He demanded a supply of 30,000 tonnes of Vitality Herbs, aside from helping him to increase the number of worshippers to 2 billion… Or else, he would not have the power to extend the tributary to planets beyond 600 light years.

Apart from this, all of the immigrants and their descendants who were residing on developed planets must worship him.

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All of these demands made Fang Ning furrow his brows.

As for Xie Dong, the middle-aged and overworked man, he shifted his eyes subtly as he heard this.

Later, Sir System complained to Fang Ning. “Dammit! The River God used to be all smiles, but he turned out to be a massive liar! He’s powerful enough to extend a tributary beyond 600 light years, and he deigned to lie to us. If not for a cunning old man like Ren Ruofeng, we would’ve been duped by him…”

“Huh, Xie Dong has evolved into this state?” Fang Ning was shocked. “He was only able to tell which human was lying, and now he can tell which deity is lying too? Such phenomenal talent.”

“Eh, why do you care so much about him?” Sir System was fuming with rage. “You should think of a way to deal with the River God.”

“Come on, it’s actually normal. After all, benevolent deities like the Bodhisattva Spirit King are few and far between. Who doesn’t want to get their hands on a share of the profit?” Fang Ning consoled him.

“Hmph, he just took the rights to the River of Blood from our Land of Sanguinity. Next time, he could definitely get a new power source. We let him help us out this time around, which is also beneficial for him, yet he pulled a fast one on us. No wonder he has never been marked as green on the System Map…” Sir System was still seething in anger.

.

“Sigh, you’re right. Life is unpredictable, and the River God’s no different. He’s an opportunist and now he knows that we are desperately in need of his help.” Fang Ning sighed.

“Nope, you gotta think of a way to deal with him. Oldman Ren’s money is my money and I can’t let him take it away just like that.” Sir System was reluctant to let it slide.

Fang Ning understood the current situation. Indeed, the River God was a deity of the Upper Realm and he could not simply rely on anyone or any organization.

He owed Vigilante A his life, but he did return the favor several times in the past.

Moreover, the profit involved in this exoteric immigration was humongous. It was only natural that this deity would want a bigger share of the profit so that he could have more advantages on his side.

Ultimately, every individual had his or her own stance and profits to ponder over. The River God of Sky River was no follower of Sir System, thus he was particularly calculative.

“Alright, I actually have a plan to sort this out.” Fang Ning nodded.

“Ok, Mr. Rich Boss, I believe in you. Best of luck. You can do it.” Sir System encouraged him.

“Hmph, when you need me, you flatter me non-stop, but when you don’t need me, you mock and ridicule me all the time. How could you still be an honest System?” Fang Ning responded coldly.

“Aha, this proves that I’m honest, unlike you humans and your superficiality.” Sir System said proudly.

“Oh, f*ck off…” Fang Ning was exasperated. “Give me the body.”

Meanwhile, Ren Ruofeng wore a troubled expression on his face.

“Sir River God, your demands are too high. The number of Vitality Herbs that you’ve requested is too great. Nowadays, resources are required everywhere and it’s difficult to fulfill your requirements.”

“I understand. It’s just that it would be difficult for me to extend the tributary to such a faraway place.” The Golden River hummed and refused to back down.

“True, Elder River God. Since it’s so troublesome for you, my only solution is to associate myself with the demons and seek the Great Demon Saint’s assistance again. I still remember my conversation with Gu Buwei of the Azure Mountain, where he said that he was roaming the cosmos. Hence, I believe there must be a way to reach the cosmos.” Fang Ning said wanly.

“Oh, Venerable One, how will you go about it?” Ren Ruofeng was touched. He did not expect him to go to such lengths.

In contrast, the River God of Sky River, who was also considered as a good-natured figure, went a bit too far. He gave the impression that he was exploiting the current situation.

It was something that he could actually do, but he said he could not do it unless they were willing to pay a high price.

This was normal behavior for powerhouses. On the contrary, it was a rare sight for individuals like the Venerable Dragon God.

Although the latter wanted a share of the profits, it was given to him after the task was completed, and he did not even give them trouble.

Whereas, the River God’s actions had put them in a stranglehold.

“Never mind. Since Elder River God is also in a tight spot, the only way is to seek help from others.” Fang Ning shook his head.

“…” The Golden River fell silent.