Li Zhan, forty-three years old, with a wife, children, and a typical middle-aged man's worries, had long outgrown the age of fantasies. He knew who he was and where he stood in life.
For him, survival came first. The idea of becoming a main god or something like that seemed less reliable than a multi-level marketing scheme—a far-off dream that he couldn't even reach.
But when Wang Yan laid out the diamonds from Arthur's tribe in front of him, the thought of lifelong house arrest didn't seem so bad anymore.
Li Zhan had been in the jewelry business for over twenty years. He knew the value of various gems and jade, and he could immediately see how valuable these diamonds were.
Even if there weren't many more diamonds like these, just one would be enough to secure his family's wealth for generations.
To put it bluntly, the smallest diamond Wang Yan showed him was worth more than ten times Li Zhan's life.
Thud, thud!
As Li Zhan stroked the gleaming diamonds, he envisioned a future of untold wealth. He swallowed hard, eyes gleaming, and whispered in awe, "Boss, you should've shown me these diamonds earlier. With these, I'd be willing to lead a primitive tribe—or even eat dirt if you asked!"
Wang Yan smiled and asked, "Any problems this time?"
"No problems at all," Li Zhan replied, his energy renewed. He patted his chest in a show of loyalty. "Boss, whatever you say, I'll do it. My life is yours!"
Back on Earth, the time ratio of one to thirty further solidified Li Zhan's resolve. He secretly observed Wang Yan—the guy who had nearly tortured him before—was looking more and more like someone worth sticking with. This was a leg of support worth clinging to!
"Boss, do you have a girlfriend?" At Wang Yan's insistence, Li Zhan had changed the grand titles like Great God, Ancestor, and Grandpa to simply "Boss."
Wang Yan glanced at him. "Why? Are you planning to introduce one to me?"
Li Zhan chuckled. "I've got a girl as pretty as a flower, just sixteen this year, and let me tell you, she's got the looks…"
"Get lost!" Wang Yan gave him an exasperated look. "Li Zhan, do you have any boundaries? Would you really sell off your daughters like that?"
"Hey! It's a bit early for that!" Li Zhan scratched his head, grinning sheepishly. "Give it a few years. You're still young, so there's no rush. But I still think you should meet her, get to know each other, build some feelings. My daughter is really beautiful…"
Desperate to secure his future, Li Zhan was willing to go to any length.
"Li Zhan, are you trying to become my father-in-law?" Wang Yan scolded him. "Instead of wasting time on this nonsense, hurry up and settle the matter at hand. Convert those diamonds into cash. I don't have time to mess around on Earth with you."
Li Zhan's thinking aligned with Wang Yan's—keep things low-key.
Selling world-class diamonds was too risky; they couldn't be exposed without a certain level of status.
Making money also needed to be done step by step.
The 20-carat diamond had to be sold, and Li Zhan selected a 69-carat rough diamond with slightly lower clarity and a minor flaw from Wang Yan's collection.
According to Li Zhan, these two diamonds were enough to satisfy the market in their third-tier city.
The rest of the diamonds were of world-class quality, not suitable for sale just yet—if they could even be sold at all.
Having been in the jewelry business for 20 years, Li Zhan had built an extensive network. After a few phone calls and some pictures sent via WeChat, there was immediate interest in the rough diamonds.
An hour later, several buyers arrived and conducted detailed appraisals of the two rough diamonds. The deals were made quickly, with the buyers transferring the funds on the spot.
The 69-carat diamond sold for 100 million yuan, while the 20-carat diamond fetched 10 million yuan.
In less than two hours, they had made a total of 110 million yuan. Wang Yan never even saw the buyers.
Li Zhan later explained that the purchaser was a prince from the Hengye Group. With assets exceeding 100 billion yuan, the prince wanted to expand into the jewelry industry and urgently needed such large diamonds to establish his presence.
Wang Yan was silent. He had underestimated the wealth of some people in the city.
"There are so many rich people!" Wang Yan muttered, his eyes red with envy.
"Yes, there really are," Li Zhan replied, his breathing just as heavy. He checked the numbers on the bank card repeatedly. "A hundred million! I never imagined that one day I, Li Zhan, would have a bank balance of 100 million yuan! Hahaha!"
Li Zhan laughed hysterically, tears streaming down his face.
"The money is mine," Wang Yan said hoarsely, glaring at him.
"It's yours, of course," Li Zhan quickly snapped back to reality, smiling to appease Wang Yan. "Boss, I was just having a moment. I'll transfer the money to you right away."
"Forget it. Keep it in your account," Wang Yan said, his own outburst now seeming silly. After all, 110 million yuan was nothing compared to what the Hengye Group's prince was worth. And Wang Yan had an entire planet! Who on Earth could match his wealth?
Not to mention the remaining diamonds in his possession, each one more valuable than the ones just sold!
As for who held the money, it made no difference to him.
Li Zhan understood this as well, and he had no intention of trying to cheat Wang Yan out of the money.
"Keep 10 million for your family as a settlement allowance," Wang Yan quickly allocated the funds. "The remaining 100 million will be used as the planet's construction fund."
"Okay, boss," Li Zhan agreed without hesitation.
After transferring 10 million yuan to his wife, Li Zhan called her to explain that he was going to work with a big boss for a while and wouldn't be home anytime soon. He told her to manage on her own for the time being.
With 10 million in her account, Li Zhan's wife was more than willing. She didn't even ask for details, just told him to prioritize his work.
After 40-plus years of marriage, practicality took precedence over sentiment. Tenderness and sweetness were luxuries, not necessities.
Besides, with Li Zhan's small gold shop, earning 500,000 yuan a year was exhausting. Now, a boss who casually handed over 10 million yuan was worth clinging to.
After the call ended, Li Zhan sighed with a touch of sadness. "My wife doesn't care about me when there's money involved!"
"Why should she care about an old man like you? Maybe she'll take that money and find herself a younger guy!" Wang Yan joked. "Looks like you're about to be 'greened,' Lao Li!"
"Green or not, who cares?" Li Zhan retorted, turning to Wang Yan with a grin. "Boss, with my newfound wealth, do you think I'd care about a middle-aged woman? With this card alone, I could easily find some 18-year-old beauties…"
Shameless!
Wang Yan was speechless. Just two days ago, Li Zhan was worried about saving money to buy a house and get married!
Now, this scoundrel was already dreaming of sleeping with an 18-year-old girl! A real bastard!
Compared to these forty-something rough men, Wang Yan really was just an innocent, fresh-faced kid!
"Cut the crap!" Wang Yan kicked him playfully. "Hurry up, buy what you need, and get back to building the other world. There's a group of primitive people waiting for you to lead them to fortune!"