Chapter 278: Feng Xue Is an Actor

Although it seemed absurd that a Saint Vessel this stupid could still disgust the Demon King, once you thought about Akuwa, it somehow felt normal.

But if this so-called Saint Vessel isn't just pretending to be dumb…

Feng Xue devised a plan, lightly tugging the small bell; seeing no reaction from the other, he sent a simple message through the Spirit Pact:

"No immediate danger—I'll hold her off. You leave while you can. Build the ship I asked for as fast as possible. Strength doesn't matter, but weight must meet the standard!"

"Hey!"

"Huh!?" Feng Xue was mid-message when Daelis's overly anime-style greeting startled him; as he scrambled to explain his transmission, she continued unperturbed:

"Want to be a Hero?"

"Not interested."

Though he needed to stall, acting like a sycophant would only draw more attention—only by contradicting her could he keep her from noticing details.

True enough, upon hearing Feng Xue's immediate refusal, Daelis felt a flicker of panic but steadied her voice:

"You clearly have no idea how honorable the Hero profession is!"

"I know—it's just goofing around all day, exploiting immortality to recklessly risk death, giving yourself weird names, calling every pretty woman 'wife,' and loving debate games…"

Feng Xue rolled his eyes and launched into a rapid-fire tirade; Daelis's face turned black—until she remembered that the official designation for players in the Exile Lands was, damn it, "Hero."

Wait—fine, the earlier stuff made sense, but… do players really play with shit?

Seeing Daelis's attention diverted, Feng Xue finally exhaled, beginning to ponder how to con this clueless Saint Vessel.

Daelis, meanwhile, was growing anxious: though time flowed vastly differently between the lower world and the Divine Realm, it was still finite—if this guy truly refused to cooperate, and her team leader noticed her absence at noon or glanced at the surveillance, she'd be forced to take the blame.

After all, this was an elite Hero capable of soloing a Demon King; even if she didn't sign him, trading him for favors or resources with Hero agents in the career track would be invaluable. Daelis didn't want to gamble on whether her leader would feel guilty and share some perks—or kick her straight into the Taros Prison.

After weighing her available resources, Daelis immediately said:

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! What you saw were just apprentice Heroes—they're stuck here precisely because they're unqualified. You're different. If you sign a pact with me, you'll get top-tier benefits: cultivation resources, god-tier advantages, transmigration perks—all maxed out!"

"Sounds like a pyramid scheme," Feng Xue rolled his eyes, bluntly mocking her; Daelis bristled:

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm a legitimate goddess! And I graduated with three divine offices—Hunter, Knight, Noble—like earning three master's degrees before college graduation. Any vacancy in the Heavenly Realm related to those? I can walk right in!"

It sounded impressive, sure—but Feng Xue had no idea how those offices differed from the Void God's titles. Besides, he'd lived through the era of "Hiring fresh graduates with work experience," so he instantly recognized this as code for "highly educated but currently unemployed." Seeing her lack of lifespan, he grinned:

"So how long does it take for a vacancy to open up in your Heavenly Realm?"

"… " Daelis fell silent at once, but her gaze toward Feng Xue grew suspicious—

"How do you know there are no vacancies in the Heavenly Realm?"

"Hah, fresh! In my old world, PhDs sold street dumplings at subway exits just to make ends meet. I've seen this exact script in a hundred recruitment brochures!" Feng Xue wore the look of a seasoned veteran—unquestionably, having survived his last world, lying now came as naturally as breathing.

Daelis didn't fully grasp what a PhD was, but as a graduate who'd taken the civil service exam due to zero divine vacancies, she seemed to understand Feng Xue's point.

A tense silence settled. But the looming debt and threat of prison forced Daelis to activate her genuinely sharp mind, searching for a solution.

She dug up past course materials, her thoughts sharpening; after organizing her words, she said: "Whether or not you become a Hero, your defeat of the Demon Dragon already qualifies you as one. Compared to fighting alone, I can offer you far greater advantages. Since our interests align, why refuse?"

Feng Xue fell silent, feigning thought—actually waiting for a reply—until the small bell chimed back confirmation that they'd left the Hidden Village. Only then did he exhale, adopting a dismissive expression:

"What can you offer me?"

"Plenty!" Daelis began, then hesitated awkwardly—she'd cut off her network connection and couldn't freely summon divine power. What she could actually provide…

"I can grant you divine protection, enhance your physical stats, boost your reflexes… Hey, I'm a goddess! Don't look at me like that! This world's resources are too poor—if you sign with me, I'll directly transfer resources from the Divine Realm!"

Daelis, irritated by Feng Xue's gaze, gritted her teeth.

She was now certain: Feng Xue was an SSR-tier elite Hero. Signing him, even at risk of reprimand, would be worth it—no top-tier Heroes had been cultivated in the Divine Realm for years. Given the Demon Kings in the Exile Lands, having one in your possession was like owning a goddamn emperor.

"Nah, forget it," Feng Xue refused outright. As a cultivator who understood Spirit Pacts himself, he knew never to sign blindly. Though this "goddess" clearly wasn't the same as the Void Gods he knew, he still treated her as he would any deity.

Seeing Feng Xue wasn't swayed by charm, Daelis clenched her teeth and raised her tone again—

"I heard you sealed the Demon Dragon because it stole the vital fortune of your homeland, right?"

Hearing Daelis's threatening tone, Feng Xue internally chuckled but nodded:

"So what?"

"What if I told you that even if you truly sealed the Demon Dragon and extracted the stolen fortune, you still couldn't send it back to your homeland?"

"What did you say?"

(End of Chapter)