I Don't Agree to the Terms

Chapter 920 486: You Don't Even Have a Demon King, and Yet You Want to Cultivate a God Demon? (Part 2)

"But isn't this too leisurely? Given the current situation, can the Earth Element Tribe really develop?"

It's true that taking it steady is right, but in chaotic times, one must seize opportunities from the fire, otherwise, how can development occur? People rise by devouring and plundering from one another.

If one were to develop quietly in some remote corner, there might be a chance. Whether it's the Stone Demon Clan in the Demon Domain or the Earth Element Tribe, they actually hold crucial positions. It's just that most of the pressure is borne by the Stone Demon Clan, giving the Earth Element Tribe this opportunity.

In Gu Shanhai's view, task issuance should be more aggressive to stimulate the entire Earth Element Tribe to grow as quickly as possible.

No talent or resources to develop? No problem, annex other Stone Demon clans to grow that way.

"Or should I take the reins myself?" Gu Shanhai pondered over the matter.

But after carefully examining the number of Stone Demons and comparing it with the task numbers, he eventually gave up.

The long-term task of cultivating a God Demon has no time limit or penalty, while other tasks do. Moreover, they are tangibly limited by the number of Stone Demons, with only a surplus of about a dozen Stone Demons.

If all the Stone Demons are sent into battle, hoping to complete the task becomes unfeasible.

As for relying on a dozen Stone Demons to annex other Stone Demon clans, that's just wishful thinking.

Neither offensive nor persuading surrender is likely, so it's the "Civilization Road" that restricts the Earth Element Tribe's strategy of expansion.

"Forget it, better to play it safe and go with the idle development approach. This time they seem to be planning to snowball until they become invincible worldwide."

Gu Shanhai also noticed the differing styles of the Stone Demons and Scorpion Demons.

Stone Demons lean more towards agrarian civilization, whereas Scorpion Demons are different, more akin to nomads.

Most tasks for Scorpion Demons revolve around hunting, reproducing, and expanding, unlike the slow development of Stone Demons.

They follow a 'battle to sustain battle' approach, naturally due to the differences between the two demon races.

As Stone Demons don't need to ingest food, they can survive by absorbing the earth's essence through demonic power. Scorpion Demons, on the other hand, can't survive without eating, and they are carnivorous, not herbivores. Hence, they must expand outward, or else face starvation.

Raising livestock is even less reliable. Without surplus rations themselves, most Scorpion Demons are tightly engaged in growth. So, breeding beasts as livestock would initially cost more than it yields.

If Gu Shanhai hadn't destroyed the Scorpion Demons and instead developed them, it would likely lead to the risky growth strategy he envisioned.

Either succeed or be annihilated by other demon races halfway through.

After another moment, Gu Shanhai used Tian Dong's game account as a springboard to access the internal data group of "Civilization Road" once more.

"Permissions are much higher than mine."

"But still far from the actual core."

"At least three levels are needed to reach the real core of 'Civilization Road.'"

Gu Shanhai had an idea of how to reach these three levels.

First, cultivate a God Demon; second, unify the Demon Domain; third, the most challenging, fully cover the world with civilization, i.e., unify the entire world.

Only then could he raise the account's permissions to the highest level, potentially triggering a final task.

This task would probably involve some critical aspect of "Civilization Road," possibly tied to the failure of that player who tried to replace ancient laws with modern laws, using God Demons as consumables.

Gu Shanhai never planned to complete the task to this extent. Even the remaining three levels, the simplest estimate is unifying the Demon Domain, but it's also just relative to the other two tasks.

"For the rest, it can only be a slow grind."

Next, as long as the Earth Element Tribe is maintained from being annihilated, it's enough.

"If I succeed in invading and gaining true core permissions, then my status would shift from a player to a GM."

"Otherwise, as a player, I only have usage rights of the account, not ownership rights."

"The GM should be similar, still having higher permissions."

Gu Shanhai had thoroughly researched Tian Dong and his game data, proven by solid evidence. Otherwise, how could Tian Dong be dead while the account remains in Gu Shanhai's hands, continuing as a ghost account under his control?

This is precisely due to the lack of ownership rights.

Ownership lies with "Civilization Road," otherwise, how could they have deconstructed those Modern Law Demons for players as initial resources?

"Workers are always just workers, tsk~" Gu Shanhai couldn't help but express his feelings.

Fortunately, Gu Shanhai is not a complacent person; he intends to usurp the "Civilization Road" as the boss directly. Oh no, it's more like company competition and annexation.

Or perhaps dispatching spies for unfair competition.

"Ding dong~"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Gu Shanhai withdrew his spiritual sense and focus from "Civilization Road," frowning.

He was quite puzzled about who might be looking for him.

Because the world's stagnant energy environment is unsuitable for a Transcendent system, he also reined in his spiritual sense and perception, avoiding sensing the suppressive feeling in the energy sludge. If it were real mud, he wouldn't mind, as it might nurture growth when buried, but not in energy sludge.

"Coming, coming." Gu Shanhai casually hung the scroll on the wall, as it was a fake painting anyway, without worrying about being seen through.

He then tucked Little White back into his body; raising a deer was too conspicuous. Cats and dogs would be better.

Upon opening the door, he saw a well-dressed middle-aged man accompanied by a young man.

"Are you Mr. Gu?" The man directly asked upon opening.

"Yes, and you are?" Gu Shanhai did not invite them in. Strangers were not welcome, especially when they seemed robust.

"We're from the Tax Investigation Bureau, here's our identification." The middle-aged man said while producing his ID, and the young man followed suit to verify their identity.

"Hello, hello, may I ask what brings you here?" Gu Shanhai instantly recognized the IDs were real, but the identity was fake.

Thus, Gu Shanhai suspected these two were special agents from the authorities to deal with players, and the Tax Bureau was just an excuse.

"Won't you invite us in?" The other party had thick skin.

"Please come in." Seeing this, Gu Shanhai made way for them to enter.

"We're here mainly for some interviews, though it's not about you, but the landlord."

"Basically to tackle the malicious transfer of tax burdens by landlords, making tenants pay taxes they should be paying." Although his words said this, he constantly and subtly surveyed Gu Shanhai's room.

Ultimately, his gaze landed on the computer and the scroll.

"There's none, the landlord is a good man." Gu Shanhai feigned ignorance of their actions.

"Hmm, is that so? Are you sure?" The other party emphasized once more.

Gu Shanhai nodded: "Of course, he even halved my rent. How could he not be a good man?"

"Okay, if that's the case, then all is well. However, if such behavior occurs, you can report to us. Not only can you get your extra rent back, but also receive a handsome reward." The middle-aged man, seeing this, did not pursue the matter further; their reason was for interviews, digging deeper would seem problematic.

"Thank you for the reminder." Gu Shanhai nodded in acknowledgment.

"Since there's nothing, we have to visit the next household. Farewell." The middle-aged man left with his companion; having completed their investigation, there was no point in staying.