Chapter 58

Chapter 058: Everliving Coin

The next day.

Under Yu Jing's efficient operations, the personal faction contribution values of the first batch of donors had already shown noticeable growth by last night.

These "Pioneers," excited by the results, immediately shared their experiences within their own social circles.

Soon, the news spread.

The question of whether "donating to the People's Union Association could earn faction contribution"...

...had received clear and widespread verification overnight, quickly becoming a new hot topic.

The news was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand ripples and instantly attracting a massive amount of attention.

Especially those Trial Participants who had already solved their basic survival problems, had a surplus of Fate Points on hand, and harbored a clear desire to boost their faction contribution.

They saw it as a long-sought investment opportunity and rapidly converged on the People's Union Association.

Although this type of person made up a small percentage of the current total population of over a billion, their absolute numbers were still considerable.

For these individuals, this donation was purely an investment.

The single-transaction amounts were far from the one or two points donated by ordinary people; they frequently involved investments of dozens or even hundreds of points.

Occasionally, large sums of several hundred points could be seen.

This added a strong and steady Investment Flow to the torrent of Fate Points received by the People's Union Association, on top of the existing base.

More importantly, this news also fully activated the donation psychology of many ordinary citizens.

Some who might have originally thought, "Donating a little is just a token gesture," now had a more pragmatic mindset: "It helps others while also investing in my own future."

Both the willingness to donate and the average donation amount increased.

As of this morning, the total donations received by the People's Union Association had exceeded 100 million Fate Points.

And the growth momentum showed no clear signs of slowing down.

On the public announcement post, new donation records were clearly being added every second.

The resulting consequence was, naturally, the massive influx of Fate Points... and the accompanying surge in aid applications requiring review and disbursement.

This undoubtedly pushed Yu Jing's workload to a suffocating level.

After resting for only a few hours last night.

From the moment she woke up in the early morning, she had re-entered that state of "Multi-Thread Overclocking."

Her Digital Heart operated at full capacity, a blue Data Stream silently surging behind her eyes.

Her mind was completely immersed in the Fate Net.

Being so focused on handling everything, it was naturally impossible for her to spare any attention for going out to hunt.

But now, she no longer needed to continue juggling the "hunting" job.

The responsibilities of the President of the People's Union Association, and the hidden resources brought by this position, had long surpassed the value created by simply hunting beasts.

As for the source of faction contribution? How to maintain her position as "Second on the List"?

At present, the very undertaking of the People's Union Association itself provided a continuous and stable source of contribution.

Yes!

While handling these tedious yet crucial tasks of review and fund allocation, Yu Jing herself could also earn faction contribution.

She hadn't particularly noticed this at first.

Because her Contribution Points were already skyrocketing every moment due to the popularization of the Light Body Nine-Segment Guiding Technique.

The specific source was truly difficult to distinguish.

It was mainly during the Routine Briefing of the Internal Working Group, as members continuously reported instances of "self contribution point increases," that...

Yu Jing finally realized clearly that when operating the People's Union Association and becoming a part of "helping compatriots," one could also earn faction contribution.

Thinking about it, that made sense!

This was entirely in line with the logical extension of the Third Rule.

And with her highly efficient operations, her efficiency in gaining faction contribution was naturally no less than hunting.

However, the wave of contribution points brought by publishing the Light Body Nine-Segment Guiding Technique was even more unimaginable.

Last night, before sleeping, she glanced at her Status Panel. At that time, her faction contribution had already exceeded 7 million.

Now, stealing a moment of leisure to look, the number had directly gained an extra digit:

[Name: Yu Jing]

[Age: 27]

[Talent: Digital Heart]

[Survival Days: 4 days]

[Faction: Huaxia]

[Faction Contribution: 11,739,227]

...

11.73 million!

At noon yesterday, it was still over 1.6 million.

Now, it had directly become this number.

In less than a day, the increase in faction contribution had exceeded 10 million!

Among this, there was certainly some steady income from the efficient operation of the People's Union Association, as well as the lingering effects of a few hot posts on the Fate Net Forum.

But without a doubt, the vast majority of the credit had to go to that cultivation method which had nearly benefited the entire population.

"After all, it's a near-universal popularization... even with a conservative estimate, only half of the people have actually felt physical improvements from it."

"But the total contribution generated by this benefit must be an astronomical figure."

Yu Jing thought while working, "Even... maybe I'm underestimating it? After all, this is just a gentle foundational cultivation method, with gradual changes to the individual."

"If I switched to a more powerful cultivation method, perhaps the faction contribution gained would be significantly higher?"

"No! A more effective method would naturally have a higher threshold, and then it wouldn't have such a good popularization phenomenon."

"Moreover, as long as people continue to practice it and benefit from it in the future, I will keep gaining faction contribution."

As her thoughts flowed, Yu Jing couldn't help but think of that name forever hanging over her head—the Chief.

Looking at her own skyrocketing contribution value, a thought subconsciously emerged:

"My single-day increase in contribution today has also reached the ten million level... This should at least narrow the gap with the Chief a little, right?"

"No, closing the overall gap is just a fantasy, far too unrealistic."

"But at least, it shouldn't be like yesterday, where he ruthlessly pulled away again with an increase of nearly one billion."

"This gap in increase should be able to shrink by a few million at least!"

"Even... ten million?"

This slightly competitive thought flashed by.

She quickly composed herself and continued to immerse herself in the seemingly endless stream of tasks before her.

Every second of efficient processing meant that more compatriots could receive timely assistance.

In focused busyness, time slipped away quietly.

Soon, the sun slid toward noon.

The familiar notification sound, marking the refresh of a new day's leaderboard, rang punctually in the minds of all trial participants.

[Ding! Congratulations on surviving the fifth day in the Trial Ground. Your faction gains +1 Faction Point.]

[You receive +1 Faction Contribution.]

[The Faction Ranking and Personal Contribution Ranking have been refreshed.]

...

Yu Jing, focused on her work, released part of her attention upon hearing the notification sound.

Perhaps it was the fleeting thought of comparison from earlier.

Almost without thinking, she looked at the newly refreshed Personal Contribution Ranking.

"Will I win?"

Her gaze was sharp as lightning, instantly locking onto the top of the list.

[First Place: Yan Cang, Faction Contribution: 4,153,664,367]

Four billion, one hundred fifty-three million, six hundred sixty-four thousand, three hundred sixty-seven!

A clear stagnation appeared in Yu Jing's cold eyes.

It seemed even the faint blue data stream at the bottom of her eyes paused for an imperceptible moment.

She quickly calculated: At this time yesterday, the Chief's contribution points were three billion one hundred and twenty-something million.

This meant that in the past 24 hours, the Chief's faction contribution points had...

Increased by a full billion, with an extra thirty million on top?

"How is this possible!"

Yu Jing's delicate brows furrowed slightly, a clear doubt rising in her heart.

This was the first time the single-day increase had broken the billion mark.

And the Chief's faction contribution growth should primarily rely on the various functions of the Fate Net.

But just like the previous two days, no new features had been launched on the Fate Net yesterday.

Therefore, logically speaking, even if the Chief's contribution increase didn't slow down, it should have remained the same.

Instead of showing such a significant rise.

Compared to the nearly billion from the previous two days, this solid billion and thirty-plus million was indeed a considerable increase.

So, where did this extra contribution growth come from?

Yu Jing's thoughts raced, quickly running through all possibilities in her mind.

But none of them could individually explain this extra, tens of millions worth of contribution points.

She even entertained the illogical guess that the Chief had killed a massive number of wild beasts.

Her gaze fixed on that astronomical number...

After deducing for a long time in her mind, she still couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation that fully convinced herself.

In the end, she had to give up delving deeper and temporarily categorized it under "The Chief always has means we can't understand."

Just like the origin of the Fate Net, which remained a mystery.

Just as Yu Jing was about to refocus all her attention on the affairs of the [People's Union Association],

She froze completely in an instant.

A lightning-fast thought flashed through her mind, like a streak of lightning cutting through the darkness, suddenly splitting the mist of her thoughts.

It was because her gaze shifted, sweeping over her own contribution points on the leaderboard, which had also increased significantly today.

Then, she couldn't help but look again at the terrifying number of four billion one hundred million at the top.

A somewhat absurd yet crystal-clear logical chain emerged in her heart:

"The source of the Chief's extra faction contribution... or rather, the most important catalyst?"

"Isn't that me!"

"After all, whether it's the popularization of the Light Body Nine-Segment Guiding Technique or the current scope of the People's Union Association's work..."

"All of this relies on the communication convenience brought by the Fate Net."

"Therefore, a share of all the Faction Contribution generated from this should naturally belong to the Chief."

"Even who gets more or less isn't necessarily certain."

"But judging from the results, I should indeed be the one with less."

After figuring out this connection, Yu Jing fell silent instead.

This answer to the question had been so hard to finally clarify...

In the wooden cabin, there was a brief moment of stillness.

Suddenly, she smiled with relief.

...

On the other side.

In a comfortable and exquisite wooden cabin.

Yan Cang also noticed that today's Faction Contribution had increased a bit more than expected.

After all, compared to the previous two days, this extra tens of millions was quite eye-catching.

However, unlike Yu Jing, who had fallen into a temporary blind spot in her thinking and took a long time to realize it was about herself...

When Yan Cang became aware of the anomaly in the contribution growth.

Almost immediately, he naturally connected it to the two variables that had appeared yesterday:

"Oh, it must be the effect from that Cultivation Method and the People's Union Association."

"Yesterday, things were booming on the Fate Net, and Sister Jing's Contribution Points even broke through ten million."

"It's only reasonable for me to collect a toll fee, right?"

Yan Cang rested his chin on his hand, easily arriving at this very reasonable speculation.

After figuring out this simple and straightforward reason, his mind was calm once more.

This didn't affect anything.

Although tens of millions was indeed a considerable number, compared to his current Faction Contribution, it was just a slightly larger fraction.

Naturally, it couldn't stir his emotions.

In contrast, the unforgettable Shandong cuisine from last night could stir his feelings more.

Especially that dish, "Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallion"—the sea cucumber was soft and flavorful, the scallion aroma rich, and the sauce's thickening was just right...

The taste was incredibly delicious.

Also, the famous State Banquet soup, "Braised Cuttlefish Egg Soup," was excellent too—sour and spicy to whet the appetite, with a clear broth and a smooth, tender texture.

Another dish, the "Milk Soup with Cattail Shoots," hailed as the crown of Jinan soup dishes, was absolutely superb.

And the "Nine-Turn Large Intestine," which he had worried might have a strange taste and had secretly inspected with the Great Fate Art, was no less impressive.

It could be said that the entire Shandong cuisine banquet had no weak points.

Every dish was very tasty.

No wonder it's the foremost of the Eight Great Cuisines, with a profound influence on Chinese cuisine.

It truly suits the tastes of the vast majority of Chinese people.

At the very least, it left Yan Cang very satisfied.

Just thinking about it now, he wanted to order another table.

But the schedule for the next few days was fully booked, so he'd pick another day to choose again.

Snapping back from the lingering aftertaste of the food.

Yan Cang casually glanced at the Faction Ranking and found that the ranking structure hadn't changed drastically compared to yesterday...

Seeing that Huaxia was still far ahead, he stopped paying attention.

His gaze shifted to the Supply Box in front of him, which had just refreshed and was waiting to be opened.

"Open the chest! Open the chest!"

After that, the process was already second nature.

A slight stir of thought, and the Great Fate Art silently began to operate.

In an instant, it effortlessly anchored the future thread that would inevitably lead to obtaining the golden chest.

He reached out and touched the chest's surface—

A flash of brilliant light, and the resplendent golden chest arrived as promised.

Then, in the same moment the lid opened,

A vast expanse of future light and shadow spread out in his consciousness, containing phantom images of items with countless possibilities.

Yan Cang steadied his mind and clearly outlined the goal of this chest opening:

"Raise the base value and consumption requirements of Fate Points, fundamentally solving the potential inflationary pressure."

"At the same time, it's best to benefit the entire population, enhance overall strength, and form a positive cycle."

"In short, go with the most effective and most suitable plan for now."

"It's up to you, 'Great Fate Art'!"

As this complex and clear intention settled, the Energy Pool consumed a tiny bit.

In an instant, the vast, boundless future phantoms before him began to change drastically.

The mighty force of Fate began to filter, then mercilessly annihilate.

Countless future branches that didn't meet the requirements or weren't the optimal choice rapidly dimmed.

In the end, only one remained, its light and shadow growing brighter and clearer, finally freezing in the center of his consciousness.

"Huh?" Yan Cang tilted his head.

Because what appeared before him was not the earth-shattering divine artifact he had imagined, nor a complex system module.

Instead, it was something that looked quite... ancient, even somewhat unremarkable.

A phantom image of an item in the shape of a copper coin:

[Everliving Coin (Mysterious Artifact): Can infinitely derive Child Coins. The mother and child coins share the same origin and have a certain connection. Current coin form: Undetermined version.]

This thing...

The first thought that came to Yan Cang's mind wasn't designing a physical currency system.

It was an infinite supply of copper metal resources.

He remembered that the price of copper seemed quite high, so it should be quite useful.

But the detailed information that followed told him that [Child Coins] would dissipate on their own if damaged.

It was completely impossible to use them for material extraction.

So what was the use of this?

Was it really meant to serve as physical currency?

But given the current environment of the Trial Ground, physical currency lacked channels for circulation.

Not to mention using it to raise the value of Fate Points.

Of course, the "Great Fate Art" chose it to appear for a reason, with some deeper meaning.

It was just a bit hard to understand.

A trace of Omniscience power flowed through Yan Cang's eyes, and the relevant usage emerged:

[Refine this item with the 'Myriad Treasures Origin-Returning Art,' so that the Child Coins it derives carry good fortune...]

Carry good fortune?

There was naturally more content that hadn't appeared, but Yan Cang stopped after seeing these four words.

There was no need to waste more energy to continue reading.

Because he had completely understood!