[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-976":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ring of Fate",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2298945,4496,"Chapter 976: Incitement","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-976",976,"\u003Cp>Lu Mi quickly found the conversation between Cha La Zhi Si La and Jia Yu, which was mostly about Cha La Zhi Si La trying to lure Jia Yu to the newly established film company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This film company would be funded by the restructured Intis Group and would pay Jia Yu’s final year’s contract breach penalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Additionally, Jia Yu would receive a substantial signing bonus, better contract terms, stronger resources, and a spokesperson deal with Intis Group’s luxury brand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi raised an eyebrow as he listened:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You’re really talking business cooperation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this what I wanted to hear?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Cha La Zhi Si La repeatedly promised, Jia Yu clearly became interested and said he would give a final answer in two days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi looked at his phone, paused the recording, and replayed the conversation in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at Anthony beside the table and murmured:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two key points:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First, the actor who portrayed Gorman Sparrow still has value—His Majesty’s followers highly regard him and want to bring him under their control to prepare for future moves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Second, Cha La Zhi Si La doesn’t actually have much money; he only possesses identities and companies woven from dreams, all of which exist outside this city, mere rumors that require integration with Intis Group’s merger to become real wealth and resources—this is evident from the fact that all the benefits he promised Jia Yu can only be fulfilled after Intis Group funds the film company, not by handing him an irrefusable check on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Under the constraints of the Extraordinary, money and resources have been infinitely elevated in importance—I really want to know who won the unclaimed first prize before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Lu Mi’s expression turned cold:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We previously overlooked one thing: once Intis Group and Cha La Zhi Si La’s background company complete their restructuring, Cha La Zhi Si La will gain massive resources and wealth—this is extremely disadvantageous for us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether or not Huang Zong has been corrupted and controlled by the Mirror Luo Saier, this process will proceed regardless—the difference lies only in whether Cha La Zhi Si La gains great benefits or moderate ones; as long as he’s willing to concede and sacrifice part of his interests, the merger and restructuring will most likely happen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony nodded slightly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Contacting Zhou Mingrui, secretly doing something, and eliminating certain dream characters; influencing Huang Zong through the Mirror Luo Saier to corrupt and control this billionaire; and pushing forward the merger and restructuring of the two companies—these are the three main things Cha La Zhi Si La has done since arriving in Yangdu, some overt, some covert, causing us to focus easily on the first and overlook the latter two, only realizing too late that he may already have built up a momentum so vast and unstoppable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this what a thousand-year-old angel is like?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yet he knows how to use dream-city corporate acquisitions to turn illusion into reality—he doesn’t seem like an old relic at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi, Jian Na, and she had never considered this angle, nor had Fu Lan Ka—after all, before her transmigration, she was only an unfinished university student who had barely touched business matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You forgot his current body belongs to another transmigrant,” Lu Mi suddenly smiled. “The operation to eliminate Cha La Zhi Si La must begin soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But we must guard against it being a trap designed to lure us in,” Anthony warned Lu Mi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi nodded, stood up:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going to talk to a friend now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After giving part of the food from his Traveler’s Satchel to Ludwig, he used “Teleport” and “Mirror Transit” to arrive at the psychiatric ward of Red Moon Hospital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Keji was still imprisoned here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi changed into a more feminine shirt and looser pants, transforming himself back into the appearance of the “Despair Witch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled his black hair back and let it fall naturally, then stepped out of the mirror-like object and landed softly outside Li Keji’s door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap, tap, tap—Lu Mi gently knocked on the steel door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—He and Li Keji were on opposite sides of the door, unable to isolate the environment with the “Vessel of Fiction.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few seconds, Lu Mi saw a plump, pale-white mushroom cautiously peek its cap out from behind the iron bars above the door, then quickly retract.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I really want to throw a Tuan  of “Destruction Flame” inside… Lu Mi muttered, as Li Keji’s thickly furred face appeared at the barred window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you?” Li Keji’s eyes lit up instinctively, then he asked, puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m here to save you,” Lu Mi replied with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Keji shook his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No no, I believe in the law!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The law doesn’t believe in you… Lu Mi thought bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He went on casually:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually, I need your help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you want mushrooms?” Li Keji perked up immediately. “I have many kinds of mushrooms…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He began enthusiastically listing them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi interrupted him:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve heard of your philosophy, but I think it might be too narrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too narrow?” Li Keji paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi nodded seriously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For humans, food is indeed important, but it isn’t the entirety of survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Disease also robs humans of life prematurely—have you never considered creating more miraculous mushrooms, each variety capable of treating one or multiple diseases?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s too difficult,” Li Keji fell into thought. “Crossbreeding cows, fish, wheat, and mushrooms won’t cure diseases—would I have to crossbreed other things? Implant my gene fragments into mushrooms so the healing genes fuse with them? But gene fragments and genetic engineering alone aren’t enough…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi’s eyelid twitched, and he said sincerely:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have a friend who became a vegetable after a car accident, but I feel he still retains a sliver of consciousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you find a way—using your mushrooms—to heal him, awaken him, yet preserve that sliver of his original awareness?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Keji fell silent for several seconds, then said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll think about it—I can’t guarantee it’ll work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, I’ll come back in two days for your answer,” Lu Mi stepped back two paces and vanished into the shadow beside the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout, he had been using “Incitement,” subtly mixed with a touch of “Enchantment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, Hall Film Company, Talent Department.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na entered an office, facing a female interviewer who had previously interviewed her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sit,” the woman gestured toward the sofa area. “Let me introduce myself—I’m Mei Xin, head of Talent at Hall Film Company, English name Christine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sat down and said to Jian Na:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before the legal team arrives, let me outline the main contract terms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your appearance and acting ability both meet our standards, and within the industry, Hall Film Company treats new actors best—we sign only three-year contracts, pay you a base salary of four thousand per month, you keep fifty percent of all income—including film fees and endorsements—and we’ll provide you with various trainings, professional makeup artists, and more, and more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Most importantly, the company’s resources will heavily favor its own people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once you gain fame and a signature work, the contract can be renegotiated for higher splits and some autonomy; and if this contract expires, we only require priority rights on a new contract under equal conditions…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na listened with deep engagement; though she didn’t expect to stay in the Dream City for more than a year or two, this might be her only chance to sign an actor’s contract.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mei Xin concluded:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After signing, we’ll advance you thirty thousand to settle in and buy clothes—this amount will be deducted in installments from your future earnings, interest-free.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thirty thousand after signing? Jian Na didn’t hide her expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quick! I want to sign now!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this money, plus the thirty thousand Huang Beibei paid Fu Lan Ka yesterday, the team’s savings will reach 240,000—enough to rent the Magic Mirror Arodes from Star Dream Grocery!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before launching the operation against Cha La Zhi Si La, having this mirror’s assistance would be a major advantage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—During this period, Lu Mi and the others had each time tried visiting Star Dream Grocery without renting the mirror, asking it questions directly—but always failed; the initial exchange that had worked seemed like an accident, or something that required a very long interval to repeat. Similarly, Fu Lan Ka’s “Mirror Divination” ritual aimed at Arodes yielded no response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, a legal department employee from Hall Film Company arrived with the contract.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na carefully, though laboriously, read every clause, asked a few questions, then signed without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she left Hall Film Company, the advance for settling in had already been credited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regrettably, Jia Yu didn’t come to the company today—she couldn’t meet him, couldn’t pretend to be a fan to make initial contact by asking for an autograph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two p.m.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na arrived at Star Dream Grocery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once inside, she sent messages to Fu Lan Ka, Lu Mi, and the others:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Transfer the money to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn’t done it earlier for fear of interference en route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she lost all the money along the way, all their prior efforts would be wasted!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mi and the others, waiting in different locations, quickly completed the transfers, each keeping only enough for their weekly expenses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na walked to the counter and said to the shopkeeper:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, can I rent that mirror?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She meant the Magic Mirror Arodes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, the team had discussed what to rent first; considering that Arodes was the only item the “Fool” carried while asleep, its rental price, and the “Witch’s” symbolic meaning in the dream world, they ultimately decided on this mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two hundred twenty thousand per day,” the shopkeeper lifted his head and smiled as the sky suddenly darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine,” Jian Na didn’t haggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After she paid via the store’s POS machine and signed a very simple rental contract, the shopkeeper lowered his head as he spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can take the mirror now. Return it before three p.m. tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Na instinctively swallowed, walked to the shelf, and picked up the silver mirror with black eyeball-like edges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After placing the Magic Mirror Arodes into her Traveler’s Satchel, Jian Na quietly exhaled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was so hard!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saving money is so hard!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1705,"2026-06-20T06:22:37.987Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","817e6f17886df9a9a40bbc95d6b1e95d9d1cc1122dc71deef095acc3454caf03","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-977","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-975",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]