I will eventually become a divine being through accumulating constantly

Reward?

Upon hearing this, Pei Xiao'en raised his head and earnestly said,

"Regarding the reward, we'll definitely give you a satisfying figure. This is about saving the entire city. Our government will never treat its meritorious servants poorly..."

Xue Jing just smiled noncommittally and wagged his index finger at him:

"Don't rush into promises. The reward I want isn't something as simple as money."

Pei Xiao'en thought to himself, "He's really difficult... Doesn't seem like a young person at all."

He knew that Xue Jing, a person highly regarded even within the agency, should not be treated as an ordinary youth.

However, despite being mentally prepared, he was still surprised by the youngster's mature and tough demeanor, which was not childlike at all, after getting to know him a little deeper.

This was not about strength or capability, but a matter of mindset.

Logically speaking, his demeanor throughout was impeccable. He had prepared thoroughly beforehand, accumulated a degree of favorability before making his request, and tactfully brought up the subject concerning the safety of the entire city, ensuring it didn't seem like a forceful moral coercion but also emphasized that 'only he could do it,' imbuing a sense of personal heroism and pride.

Most youths would find it difficult to resist such an approach and would be somewhat influenced.

But Xue Jing... just like someone purely in for business, didn't care about these at all, immediately talking about how the reward would be.

It was like dealing with someone who had enough experience to see through superficial embellishments and directly address the essence of matters.

No, that might not be it, perhaps it's just that his moral standards are relatively low...

However, whatever the case, since he had asked for a reward, it meant he was inclined to accept the commission. Pei Xiao'en was inwardly delighted and declared with conviction,

"You say it, as long as our government can provide it, we will definitely not be stingy!"

This statement was grand, but it was almost as if he had said nothing... Xue Jing didn't care either and simply tapped the table with his finger, smiling and saying:

"First off, money... Although what I want isn't only money, money is essential, and ten million is certainly not enough."

Yellow Grannie Skill's cultivation of the Divine Fetus required constructing the 'Five Viscera Temple' and consumed increasing amounts of precious medicines, incurring huge expenses. Upon completing the Organ Training, the next phase's 'Heart-Nurturing Medicine' would be absurdly expensive.

Money, though not difficult to handle for him, surely demanded taking a big chunk since the opportunity presented itself.

Xue Jing crossed his index fingers, forming the shape of a 'ten.'

"A flat rate: ten billion."

Then, his tone was utterly unemotional as he added, "Cash."

"..." Pei Xiao'en's mouth twitched.

Ten billion... This was a huge amount to ordinary people, but it seemed trivial for a city government.

That was a government, after all, how could it not be able to afford a mere ten billion?

However, in reality, it was somewhat beyond their immediate reach.

Just as most billionaires couldn't liquidate ten billion in cash, the government, despite being wealthy, had preallocated every single dollar, which was far from sufficient, with many projects having to borrow due to insufficient funds.

Ten billion in cash was a significant dilemma for the current Qingcheng government.

But however difficult, it was nothing compared to the potential destruction of Qingcheng.

Thinking of the tremendous political achievements his faction would gain by resolving this major crisis... Pei Xiao'en gritted his teeth and agreed,

"Alright, we will try our best to raise it."

"But... it will take time, ten billion is not an amount that can be immediately procured."

Xue Jing nodded, "I understand that. I will give you some time to prepare... Let's talk about something else."

Pei Xiao'en's eyes flickered, "...You say."

Xue Jing, smiling, said, "Have you, by any chance, heard of Divine Relics?"

...

After signing a secret agreement endorsed with Qingcheng government's seal, Xue Jing left Pei Family's residence, maintaining Aura Blockade, and proceeded to his own home via an unnoticeable route, while keeping [Concealment]

active.

Along the way, Xue Jing reviewed the agreement.

The agreement stated the compensation Xue Jing would receive from Qingcheng government for investigating thirty Governing Councilors of Qingcheng.

The first point was that within a month, ten billion Zhuxia currency in cash had to be transferred to Xue Jing's bank account.

The second point was that Qingcheng government must find a way to obtain ten Divine Relics that Xue Jing had not seen before within three months. If the deadline was exceeded, for every month surpassed, Qingcheng government would need to pay Xue Jing one billion Zhuxia currency as compensation.

These conditions made Pei Xiao'en shake his head repeatedly, aware of the existence of Divine Relics and the difficulty involved in acquiring them.

One or two might be manageable, but ten Divine Relics?

The Qingcheng government feared it could be paying compensations to Xue Jing for a decade...

However, Xue Jing 'grudgingly' relaxed the conditions later, stating that the Divine Relics obtained didn't need to be given to him; he just needed to access and study them briefly before swiftly returning them.

After careful thought, Pei Xiao'en felt this condition was achievable since it was merely a 'loan.' Many councilors had connections with the Divine Relic Custodian Company, so after confirming with Councillor Zhu, he agreed.

Xue Jing sealed the agreement in his hand and tucked it close to his body, feeling quite pleased.

Although the agreement could only be effective once he actually uncovered something and resolved Qingcheng's crisis, only then would he receive these rewards.