In the tranquil core of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Sunlight filtered through the lush foliage, scattering specks of light across the ground. The air was fragrant with the scent of the primeval forest. Nearby, a crystal-clear pool rippled gently.
Di Tian furrowed his brows, seemingly deep in thought. After a long silence, he cautiously spoke:
"Lord, you're planning to sign a contract with that boy? He may be considered extremely precious among humans, but he's far beneath your station. Please reconsider!"
"Exactly, my Lord!" Bear Sovereign actually sided with Di Tian for once, scratching his bald head helplessly and shrugging."To sign a contract with that brat? Doesn't that put us beneath him? Just a snot-nosed kid... how could he possibly be worthy…"
The area was unusually quiet, yet nearly all the top-tier soul beasts of the Star Dou Forest were present. Among them was a faintly visible, elegant figure cloaked in soft purple light.
"I have my own plans." A long, drawn-out voice echoed from beneath the lake—it was the Silver Dragon King.
Even her dragon voice carried pressure, causing everyone's hearts to shudder.
"That child has had a pure and innocent heart from the start. To attract a demigod's soul fragment, the two overlords of the Extreme North, and even that fat bug… and now he's even got the Auspicious Beast completely enthralled… This can't be explained by mere charm. There's another possibility—perhaps he is the one destined by fate. After all, humans are known as the spirit of all living things."
"The Auspicious Beast?!" Di Tian's eye twitched, his fist clenching tight.
The space around them seemed to distort slightly. Honestly, if their Lord wasn't here, he might've rushed to the human world himself to have a "friendly chat" with that brat about when exactly he hooked up with their Auspicious Beast…
But still…
The Extreme North Lords, Tianmeng, and even Electrolux's soul fragment… any one of them is a top-tier existence on the continent. Together? What are they doing, playing mahjong?
"That big bug too?" Bear Sovereign sounded pleasantly surprised.
Beside him, the Myriad Demon King and the Crimson King exchanged glances, equally shocked.
"Don't even think about that bug," Silver Dragon King said with a hint of annoyance."That child has worked tirelessly for the soul beast race—exhausting himself day and night. And yet you're all still eyeing his opportunities like hungry wolves? What's the difference between that and being ungrateful?"
"Well… If the Lord commands it, we naturally dare not go against it," Di Tian replied with a wry smile.
Bear Sovereign opened his mouth but closed it again in frustration.
Of all of them, he was the one most envious of the big bug. His fifth tribulation was approaching, and if Tianmeng helped him, his chances of surviving would go up by ten percent!
But like Di Tian said, no one in the Star Dou Forest dares disobey the Silver Dragon King's orders.
This wasn't just respect—it was reverence down to their bones.
"That girl seemed to have quite the fun time in the human cities," the Myriad Demon King chimed in to ease the awkward tension."But before she left, she ruined a spirit herb wine I had been aging for over seven thousand years… I was saving it for a breakthrough celebration after my next tribulation."
He wore an elegant, dark green robe, his features a blend of gentle and handsome.
"Heh, that's nothing! My treasure vault, collected over countless years, was emptied before she left! Rare herbs, soul stones—you name it! When I woke up the next morning—damn! Only scraps were left." Crimson King widened his eyes in fury.
"Alright, alright…" Bear Sovereign waved his hand."Even though my Forest's Tear, treasured for tens of thousands of years, was taken, as long as the kid's happy, it's all good. Look at you all, acting like cheapskates…"
"Forest's Tear—that was yours?" Silver Dragon King suddenly asked in surprise.
Bear Sovereign: ?
"It seems she gave your Forest's Tear to Xu Cheng. No wonder when I first met the boy, he had a giant Forest's Tear on his wrist. I was surprised by his fortune back then…" Silver Dragon King said with a soft laugh.
Bear Sovereign: "..."
"Damn it! I can't take it anymore! You two let go! I'm going to the human city myself and bringing that brat back! Nobody stop me!!!"
"Come on, Bear Bro, no need for that. As long as the kid's happy." Crimson King grabbed one arm and tried to talk him down.
Myriad Demon King grabbed the other side quickly.
"Enough. That boy will head to Shrek Academy soon. I will personally protect him and ensure nothing happens to him." Silver Dragon King's voice remained calm.
"Personally—protect—him?!" Di Tian practically spat out the words, his fists clenching again.
His lord… was going to play bodyguard for a human?
Did this brat really have that much magic in him?
"You don't understand him. That child is gentle, kind, and possesses overwhelming talent. He is a true phoenix among men. Protecting him is safeguarding the future of our soul beast race."
"Di Tian, do what you're supposed to do. If I see you touch him even slightly… don't blame me for being merciless!"
Silver Dragon King's tone turned icy.
Di Tian: "..."
His heart shattered.
Meanwhile…
"Short on money. We're short everywhere… Your Highness, the national treasury is depleted. The cost of soul tool development in Mingde Hall has doubled this year. And you want to build underground railways across the land—that's another massive expense. Add the cost of war, soul tool replacements, military wages… My hair's turning white!"
The moment the council began, the elderly official spoke with a face full of worry.
He had succeeded the Prime Minister and, while the weakest in strength, was in charge of most of Mingdu's operations on the surface.
It was the same meeting room where the army expedition was discussed. Only a few were present, but they were the top brass of the Sun Moon Empire.
Xu Cheng glanced at the empty seat of the head—his cheap old man didn't show up this time, either exhausted by it all or simply handing the reins over to him.
At the official's words, everyone turned to Xu Cheng, waiting for his response.
Xu Zhen's absence made it clear—Xu Cheng was now acting Regent. Though most people could see this already, a formal display of authority made a huge difference.
"Elder Jing…" Xu Cheng turned to Jing Hongchen.
Jing gave a bitter smile. "Sorry, Ah Cheng, the soul power-condensed soul tools still have flaws. I'm working day and night to resolve them. To mass produce them… it'll take at least another month."
"Hmm… It's fine, Elder Jing. Handle it as you see fit. No need to rush."
Everyone expected Xu Cheng to be stumped, but he just waved it off.
"Currency reform takes too long. By the time we can 'harvest', this crisis might already be over. Besides, the original three countries of the continent are wealthy—bleeding them a few more times doesn't matter."
Xu Cheng gave a few more instructions, then waved casually:"Everyone, move quickly. Don't give the other side time to react."
In his past life, a certain infamous scam relied on information asymmetry. It was only exposed when a modeler revealed that completing such a project would cost far more than the era could afford.
So, if Xu Cheng wanted to borrow the "skin" of that scam, he had to be fast, precise, and ruthless—give no one time to catch on.
After all, this is Douluo Continent—where finding a mathematical genius to see through such schemes was practically impossible…
"Your idea is indeed shocking," one official said. "But I must remind you… many hidden clans remain, like the Clear Sky Clan. If we provoke them, it may not be worth it."
"What if we return the nobles' money in full, and…"
"The common folk? What money do they have?" Xu Cheng scoffed.
"Oh, come on—people have savings. With tens of billions of people, even if each puts in a gold soul coin, it's still huge!"
"I don't want to earn from the poor. The nobles already tax them hundreds of years ahead." Xu Cheng glanced at the official.
"Then who do you want to earn from?" the Prime Minister asked, dumbfounded.
"Whoever has money—I'll earn from them." Xu Cheng grinned.
Some of those hidden clans had already thrown in with the Sun Moon Empire. He didn't mind giving them a free pass, letting them prosper.
But those who refused to submit? Sooner or later, they'd be dealt with. Even if the Clear Sky Clan came knocking—was he supposed to be scared?
He wasn't raised to be afraid of anyone.
His main targets? Shrek and the Clear Sky Clan.
Shrek was wealthy beyond belief. The Clear Sky Clan looked modest but was secretly an elite family. According to Wang Dong'er, they had top-tier soul bones, rare herbs, and tons of gold soul coins—wealth to rival nations…
Heaven Soul Empire, Capital
At a street corner at dusk, a group of laborers lounged with pipe in mouth, chatting after a long day.
"Hey, did you hear? The Aochuang Merchant Guild launched a new program. Just invest some money, and you get a 50% profit in five days!"
A young man spoke excitedly.
"Seriously? Where'd you hear that?" An older servant asked suspiciously.
"I was cleaning the back room and overheard the master and his wife. The master was interested, but the wife told him to wait and see what happens after five days."
"And I also stopped by the guild on an errand. It was packed—with rich folks! They said the Sun Moon Empire cut off soul tool exports, so prices in Mingdu are 200 gold coins, but here they triple. The guild has channels to get gear at original price and resell it. So investing makes you a stakeholder—you get your cut from the profit."
"Then why didn't you invest?" someone joked.
"They won't take less than 10,000 gold soul coins. They don't take money from poor folks…" the young servant sighed.
"That's a shame…"
This street corner was just a snapshot of a trend spreading across the original Douluo Continent.
A scam?
Most people were cautious.
But when the first round of interest was paid out, even nobles were lured in. Friends and peers had real success stories, and the "perfect" funding model made it seem trustworthy.
So it went viral—across every nation.
Shrek Academy, Sea God Pavilion
The elders sat silently, expressions complex.
Although Mu En's hair was white, he looked vigorous. Though badly injured in a recent life-or-death battle, Ah Yin's life-saving ability had helped him recover quickly—far from his paper-thin state before.
"What do you all think?" Mu En asked after scanning the financial report.
"Old Mu! We need to invest—now! This is a rare chance! If we wait, it'll be gone!" Xuan Zi shouted.
Watching the nobles around him make easy money, he couldn't stand it.
It wasn't that Shrek lacked money—he just hated missing out.
"Old Lin, you manage the treasury. What's your view?" Mu En ignored Xuan Zi and looked at the elderly woman.
"It's viable. The funding chain is solid. If the Sun Moon channels are legit, then it's definitely profitable," she replied after thinking.
"Teacher, please don't hesitate. Just yesterday, the Dou Ling royal family made two billion gold soul coins!" Yan Shaozhe added urgently.
"Still…" Mu En frowned, unconvinced.
Something felt off. But he couldn't put his finger on it.
His caution told him to wait—but if they delayed any longer, they might miss the boat…
"Fine. Invest two billion gold soul coins to test the waters. If it works, we'll increase it," Mu En decided prudently.
Though dissatisfied, the others reluctantly agreed.
"Wait and see…"
"Shrek invested?"
Sun Moon Empire
Xu Cheng, one arm around Juzi's slender waist, hand sliding lower, held the letter with a grin.
The big fish… was finally hooked.
But two billion gold soul coins was less than he expected.
"Big-shot Shrek can't even take out ten billion? They can always sell assets—can't they mortgage treasures in the Treasure Pavilion?"
He glanced at the account balance again. This was pure Ponzi—he hadn't spent a single coin, just talked his way into it. The books already showed five billion gold soul coins and climbing.
Deposits were surging. The promised 50% return seemed small in comparison.
Most people, once they profited, didn't withdraw—they reinvested.
That was the core of the Ponzi scheme.
In his previous life, such schemes had long been exposed. But when they first appeared, they swept the world—even nobles fought for a piece of the pie.
"Let Shrek get in deeper…" Xu Cheng smiled.
(End of Chapter)