Gu Shen knew that the devil was always watching him.

However, he also had countermeasures.

After a short rest in the "Pure Land World," Gu Shen returned to the real world.

Having experienced some relaxation.

At this moment, his strained spirit had improved a lot.

"Beep—"

Gu Shen picked up the communicator and dialed a number.

…

…

"I don't have the final say on the 'marriage' matter…"

Zhu Xue looked at Lin Lin helplessly.

He said with a headache, "The restart mission of the Doluo River Disaster Zone was successfully completed, and you have indeed made great contributions. But can you change your request?"

"Alright then."

Lin Lin thought for a moment and said, "I want to go back to Gu Fort. Lengthen my term of service, um… add five years first, ten years is fine too."

"???"

Lin Chou looked at her younger brother through gritted teeth.

After winning a battle, he makes this kind of request.

"What's so good about that ghostly place, Gu Fort?" Zhu Xue slammed the table heavily. "That you're always thinking about it?"

He knew Lin Lin's plan all too well.

Canceling the marriage and extending the term of service are essentially the same thing!

If he really had to marry the Bright Goddess, Lin Lin's royal status would have to be exposed in advance. In this case, it would be impossible for him to continue serving in Gu Fort… This kid's attitude was so firm that Zhu Xue began to suspect him.

Does he like Gu Fort that much, or does he hate Meng Xizhou that much?

"There's nothing good about Gu Fort," Lin Lin said calmly. "But that's my place. Is there a problem with me wanting to stay there?"

"Meng Xizhou is in Central City right now."

Zhu Xue was silent for two seconds and asked seriously, "How much do you hate this Bright Goddess? She's been waiting for you in Central City for over half a month! You should at least meet her, right?!"

Lin Lin shrugged. "I won't see her. In fact, my demands are consistent with hers, which is to dissolve the Lin-Meng marriage. I'm afraid that further private contact at this time will only cause further misunderstandings."

Very good, very cunning…

Zhu Xue was about to say something more when his communicator suddenly rang.

Glancing at the caller's identity, Zhu Xue chose to answer.

"Little Mr. Gu."

Zhu Xue spoke in a low voice, the anger from his previous conversation with Lin Lin gone, replaced by a slight smile. "Are you satisfied with the small courtyard on Suspended Mountain?"

Gu Shen is calling?

What could be the matter… that he needs to call Zhu Xue?

Lin Lin raised his eyebrows when he heard the opening address, and listened with interest. He only heard laughter from the other end of the phone.

Zhu Xue glanced at his younger brother, snorted silently, and then turned on the speakerphone.

Gu Shen said sincerely, "There is something I need to trouble the Duke with."

"What is it?"

Zhu Xue's smile did not diminish.

"I heard that there are many mithril materials in the Northern Continent. I would like to purchase some high-quality mithril from you." Gu Shen got straight to the point, without any pleasantries.

"High-quality mithril?"

Zhu Xue was slightly taken aback when he heard this. He hadn't expected this request.

Mithril is indeed a special material that is hard to come by in the transcendent market. It is something whose value cannot be measured by "vulgar things." Certain dangerous sealed items above D-grade require "red silver" for containment.

However, for true "big shots," "mithril" is not that important.

Because the sealed items they use hardly ever have the risk of going out of control, and when they perform tasks that require sealing transcendent source matter, the council and related organizations will provide the corresponding "mithril," without them having to collect it themselves.

What does Gu Shen want mithril for?

However, Zhu Xue didn't ask any further questions. He knew very well that this was not something he should inquire about.

"No problem, what quality of mithril do you want?"

Lin Chou's voice was very cheerful.

His fingertips gently tapped the jade table, his face full of smiles.

This little guy, Gu Shen, is exceptionally talented and has a strong background. He will definitely become a great figure in the future. If it were normal circumstances, wouldn't he be able to get any kind of mithril? It is only in the Northern Continent that he would call his number… Now that he finally has this opportunity, he must agree first.

"I want… black silver…"

The voice on the other end of the phone hesitated slightly.

When he heard the words "black silver," the smile on Lin Chou's face stiffened slightly.

However, Gu Shen hadn't finished speaking yet. "I want mithril of even higher quality than black silver. Can you get it?"

"…"

If the person on the other end of the phone wasn't Gu Shen, then Zhu Xue would have thought that this call was maliciously teasing him.

Black silver… the amount mined each year in the entire Northern Continent is only so much.

That is mithril that can be used to seal quasi-S-grade sealed items!

Gu Shen heard Zhu Xue's silence, and he actually had a good idea in his mind.

Black silver is something that even giants like Mr. Shan must carefully collect and treasure. This kind of thing that can be used as an apology gift to the King of the Underworld… must be very rare.

"Little Mr. Gu. If you want black silver… I have some here."

Lin Chou smiled bitterly and said, "But if you want mithril of even higher quality, then that is really too difficult. That kind of 'mithril' is all miracle silver that has been blessed and strengthened by the Divine Seat's fire seed. Even if I wanted to give it, I couldn't."

It seems that he can't use this favor.

Is miracle silver the only thing that is of higher quality than black silver?

Gu Shen had a headache. He glanced at the Ruler of Truth.

The deal he made with the devil was that he would no longer use black silver for sealing in the future.

But in that deal, he played a very low-level but effective word game.

He wasn't allowed to use black silver, but he didn't say he couldn't use other mithril.

It's just… mithril of a lower grade than black silver probably won't be able to truly block the devil's prying eyes.

"I'm sorry for bothering you."

Gu Shen said apologetically, "I'll ask someone else."

Just as he was about to hang up—

"I have it."

Lin Lin spoke.

"???" Lin Chou looked at his younger brother in astonishment.

"Gu Shen—"

Lin Lin pulled out a chair and slowly sat opposite his brother. He smiled and said, "I happen to have a piece of 'miracle silver' in my hand, and I can give it to you."

He paused slightly.

Lin Lin added a meaningful condition, "But you have to owe my brother a favor."

Zhu Xue's expression was a little subtle.

He glared at his younger brother with both surprise and anger.

How can this bastard talk like that?

Doesn't this make him, the dignified Duke of the Northern Continent, seem both mercenary and incompetent, and fond of petty gains?

"No problem," Gu Shen agreed readily. "Thank you, Duke Zhu Xue."

Zhu Xue once again: "???"

The phone hung up.

Gu Shen didn't even thank Lin Lin.

These two sang in harmony, cooperating smoothly, like a comedy duo, so that Zhu Xue felt like this was a pre-arranged drama, and he was the only audience member who was kept in the dark.

"Very good," Lin Lin said calmly. "And you now owe me a favor."

"You know what to use to repay this favor…"

"Of course, you can also not repay it." Lin Lin stood up and said indifferently, "But unfortunately… I know you too well. You are the kind of person who, even if you owe someone a penny, will break out in a rash and be unable to sleep."

It had been a long time since Lin Chou had been so angry that he gritted his teeth.

Yes.

He is indeed the kind of person who… would rather have the whole world owe him than owe anyone a single penny, a mental cleanliness that may be due to being born into the Northern Continent royal family. His greatest pleasure since childhood has been collecting "favors."

And the thing he hates the most is naturally owing others favors.

"Hey, where did you get the 'miracle silver'?" Zhu Xue stood up and stopped Lin Lin, who was about to leave.

"Generally speaking, the youngest in the family can often only pick up some toys to play with in the corner, isn't that so?"

Lin Lin paused slightly and said in a boastful tone, "I picked up those 'miracle silver' in the corner of the second floor of the attic. It's a pity, they're not very fun."

Mithril that has been forged by a furnace.

The world's top-level silver of order.

In his mouth, it is a "not very fun" toy.

"You and I both know that the so-called 'miracle silver' looks extremely precious in the eyes of ordinary people, but when the array patterns on the second floor of the attic were first built, they were just 'waste slag' piled up in the corner, ignored by everyone."

Lin Lin leaned against the door and smiled mockingly. "It's a pity that you were already a qualified nobleman at that time, and you wouldn't squat in the corner like me to pick up these 'waste slag'… Brother, your childhood was truly full of regrets."

"…" Duke Zhu Xue was speechless and could only remain silent.

Lin Lin turned and left.

Lin Chou sat on the chair in the office, closed his eyes, and after a long time, shook his head with a smile that was not a smile.

He opened the drawer.

From the thick pages of the book, he took out a yellowed photo.

The photo was a group photo of three people and a dog.

It was the Imperial Castle of the Empress more than ten years ago. The flowerbeds were neatly arranged, new trees had just sprouted, and tiny water droplets sprayed from the pool next to it.

The one who pressed the shutter to record this scene was Aunt Wen, who was in her prime.

At that time, the young empress had neither the swirling snow nor the entwined flames around her. She just put her hands on the shoulders of the two teenagers and stood plainly by the water spring, smiling like a warm spring breeze, as if she were all the light in the world.

A youthful Lin Chou was holding a cane, wearing a suit that didn't quite match his figure, trying to straighten his chest and adjust his tie, trying to make himself look tall and strong, but it backfired.

On the other side, Lin Lin, a young man in a green shirt with a wooden sword in his hands and a lazy dog around his feet, was pursing his lips, not hiding his disdain for Lin Chou beside him, and raised a middle finger without any style at the moment the shutter was released.

This doesn't look like a group photo of the Lin family of the Northern Continent imperial family.

It's more like a photo of thousands of households, childish, tender, and with a bit of cuteness.

Lin Chou's fingers caressed this yellowed photo…

The smile on his face became trance-like.

That Midsummer Night, old friends were like dreams, like flowing fireflies.

Now the old dreams are still there, but the fireflies have gone.

The people in the painting have all changed their appearances, more or less stained with a layer of wind and frost.