The Programmer Cultivator

Just as he finished, a fluctuation came from the Spirit Nurturing Space. Zhang Deming focused his Heart Spirit inward and entered the Spirit Nurturing Space.

Inside the Spirit Nurturing Space, the point of light representing Li Shifan was currently flashing. Zhang Deming first opened the Book of All Living Beings and saw that three people had already submitted their completed missions for review.

Zhang Deming then transformed into the likeness of Zhang Wu. With a single step, he arrived in the All Living Beings Tower and, with a wave of his hand, summoned Li Shifan’s point of light.

He reached out and tapped the point of light. A passage appeared, and Li Shifan, in a daze, found himself in the All Living Beings Tower.

Li Shifan was dazed for a moment. After coming to his senses, he bowed to Zhang Deming and said, "Greetings, Steward Zhang!"

Zhang Deming nodded, his expression impassive as he looked at Li Shifan. He asked succinctly, "You requested an audience. What is this about?"

Li Shifan replied, "Steward, I accepted a regional mission to enter the mountains. There was a mishap during reconnaissance, and I had to submit a Request for Aid."

Zhang Deming nodded. "I am already aware of this matter," he said. "In the future, you don’t need to report such things to me again."

"Now that the New District is established, the cost of a Request for Aid is no longer up to me. Shortly after a request is completed, the cost in Contribution Points will be displayed on your personal Book of All Living Beings."

"The reason yours hasn’t been posted yet is because the New District is still in its grace period. There is a fifty-percent discount on the Contribution Points for aid requests, and this requires a review process, so it will be posted in a few days."

Li Shifan hesitated at this, then asked apprehensively, "In that case, may I ask if the Steward knows the specific cost?"

Zhang Deming glanced at Li Shifan and said, "The cost is determined by the level of intervention required. Your Request for Aid this time presented no great difficulty. It was just a crisis with an Ordinary Three Talents Cultivator."

"Therefore, it should be the standard one hundred Contribution Points, with no additional charges. With the New District’s promotional discount, the final cost should be fifty Contribution Points."

Fifty Contribution Points!!!

Li Shifan’s expression grew even more apprehensive. ’After all this time, I haven’t earned a single Contribution Point, and now I’m about to be fifty in the red. Being in debt is always nerve-wracking.’

Of course, though he felt it was expensive, he also knew he was incredibly fortunate. ’Other Cultivators who run into Soul Control from a Three Talents master would probably just become puppets, suffering a fate where even death would be a mercy.’

’But not only did I escape the crisis, my Cultivation even had a huge breakthrough as a result. That alone isn’t something that can be measured in Spirit Stones or Contribution Points.’

Seeing his expression, Zhang Deming said, "Rest assured, carrying a negative balance of Contribution Points is allowed within a certain range. There’s no interest, and the Alliance is always quite lenient, especially for necessary expenditures made in life-threatening situations."

Upon hearing this, Li Shifan’s apprehension eased slightly. He looked at Zhang Deming and asked, "Steward Zhang, are there any ways to acquire Contribution Points? Can they be exchanged for Spirit Stones?"

Zhang Deming shook his head. "I’d like to exchange them for Spirit Stones myself. Contribution is the most solid currency within the Alliance; you generally can’t just purchase them with Spirit Stones."

"As for how to acquire them, I know of a few ways. The most common are missions, trading, and resource exchanges."

"For missions, you have to wait for them to be posted; I can’t just assign regional missions at will."

"Trading refers to the free-trade system that opened up along with the promotional features; you can trade freely with other Alliance members."

"As for resource exchange, our sector doesn’t have this function yet. Although it’s a common feature, it isn’t considered a basic service, so the region must apply to have it activated."

"Who knows when it will be implemented here in our Celestial Spirit New District."

Li Shifan’s expression stiffened. ’In other words, the only options for now are to wait for missions or trade with other people?’

He glanced at the Contribution leaderboard. Aside from Zhang Wu, the person with the most points only had six or seven. He was dumbfounded. ’So I’m supposed to go on living under a mountain of debt?’

Looking at Li Shifan’s state, Zhang Deming said, "Don’t worry, you’re allowed to go a hundred Contribution Points into debt for a Request for Aid. That means you still have at least one more chance to escape danger."

’Uh, why do I feel even more panicked now that you’ve tried to reassure me?’ Li Shifan thought, completely at a loss.

"Is there anything else?" Zhang Deming asked. "You requested an audience—it wasn’t just for this matter, was it?"

Li Shifan paused, collected himself, and then asked, "Steward Zhang, do you know about the matter concerning this recent mission?"

Zhang Deming paused, looking at Li Shifan intently. ’What does he mean by that... Does he have something he wants to say?’

Zhang Deming nodded and said, "I know a bit. After all, the regional mission was only assigned because I reported the initial incident. So, when it comes to the Five Elements Remnants, I’m more or less informed."

"Why?"

"The way you’re asking... and you haven’t submitted your mission yet. Did you discover something?"

"If so, then you’re in luck. The higher-ups take matters concerning the Five Elements Remnants very seriously."

Li Shifan nodded. "I did discover something, but I’m not entirely sure about it. That’s why I wanted to ask you, Steward, before submitting the mission, to see if it’s necessary to include it in the report."

"After all, if it turns out to be a false alarm, I don’t know how the Alliance would react, or if there would be any punishment."

’So he really does have something?’ Zhang Deming’s eyes lit up.

He had issued this mission partly on a whim, and partly because he wanted to use it to set an example—to give a concrete target for all those coveted benefits.

After all, once the first person took the plunge and reaped a concrete reward, all those things would feel more real and would give everyone else more motivation.