Emily pursed her lips in a smile and said generously, “He’s a good person. I’ve been married to him for ten years, and there’s still affection between us. It’s not strange for me to speak up for him. But to say I have feelings for him—not quite. Maybe in the future, who knows.”

　　Lily Clark squinted her eyes and smiled, “I believe you don’t have feelings for him. But, Ms. Parker definitely does.”

　　Helen Parker was caught off guard, her heart flustered, like a little girl whose secret had just been exposed. She waved her hand in a show of denial, “What’s so good about that guy? Let’s not talk about him. Let’s focus on preparing for this mission.”

　　Seeing her unusual reaction, Lily Clark and Emily exchanged a glance and shared a quiet smile.

Chapter Five: Negotiating a Deal (Part One)

　　Brian Clark walked out of the Order Cube alone and onto the grass. With a thought, the scene before his eyes slowly faded away as he exited the virtual space and returned to the cold slums.

　　Sitting up from the sensory bench, Brian Clark let out a long sigh.

　　In his whole life, he had only lived twenty-four years in the real world, but in the virtual world of Earth, he had already lived for no less than ten thousand years.

　　Ten years ago, the first virtual game “Earth” launched. The game operators, as administrators, created the world from nothing. The moment the world was completed, he, who had been watching from the sidelines, entered Earth at the very first opportunity.

　　At first, there were very few players in Earth, and the server load was extremely low, so time in the game passed very quickly—one minute in reality equaled a year inside. As more players joined, the time flow slowed down further, until by the time he was born as Peng Zu in the era of Yao and Shun, one day in reality equaled a year in the game.

　　During all this time, he spent most of it inside Earth, watching this virtual world grow from immature to mature, and he contributed greatly to that process.

　　Having lived so long, reincarnated for more than a dozen lifetimes, he had experienced everything there was to experience.

　　From the supreme Dao Lord of the majestic Purple Cloud Palace, to the old fisherman in a thatched hut by the river, he had played them all and lived their lives.

　　That’s why Brian Clark felt his life could never be exciting again. Wait, no, that’s not right!

　　Brian Clark suddenly snapped awake: “No matter how glorious or exciting my life is in the virtual world, it’s all just an illusion, just a pile of data in the end. In the real world, I’m still a nobody. But now things are different. I have a healthy body, and I’ve obtained a legal Order Keeper identity. Am I, a dignified Dao Lord, really unable to reach the top in the real world through legitimate means?”

　　Brian Clark looked around his living room.

　　Earlier, he’d only glanced at it, and his first impression was that it was pretty clean.

　　Now, looking closely, he realized the living room was not only extremely cramped, but though it was kept very tidy, the furnishings were extremely simple—just one table and two chairs, with the rest of the space empty.

　　On the only table in the room sat an old holographic photo frame, displaying an ordinary landscape: white clouds, blue sky, a beautiful big house, and a wide lawn where several children played, peaceful and harmonious.

　　This was not the scene of the first-level slums, where there was only dirty air, gray steel, and narrow streets.

　　Nor was it the garden district of the second-level middle class. According to Brian Clark, all the scenery there was simulated—pretty, but ultimately artificial, always carrying a trace of human artifice.

　　This landscape belonged only to the very top of human society—the Zenith District.

　　All the scenery in the Zenith District was natural, the paradise in the eyes of ordinary people.

　　Helen Parker placed this photo album here as a wish. Every ordinary person had such a dream, but very few truly made it their lifelong goal, because the Zenith District was simply too high and too far away.

　　For some reason, Brian Clark found he couldn’t take his eyes off this photo frame.

　　This woman, Helen Parker, had once lived with him day and night in Earth for nearly thirteen years, bore his children, managed their humble beginnings, and though she wore simple clothes, she never complained.

　　In Brian Clark’s eyes, she was his wife.

　　In Earth, when he finally gained status and wealth enough to give her a good life, she had already left Earth because the game time ended.

　　Three hundred thousand credit points—Helen Parker had given everything she had. Brian Clark had checked the household credit balance: only 32 credits left.

　　She had given it all without hesitation, not even asking for a written agreement, just to get him a new heart. This kindness was immense, impossible to repay.

　　Whether in the game or in reality, he, Brian Clark, owed this woman—so much, so much.

　　But in the game, he could have status and respect. In this cold real world, what could he do?

　　Help Helen Parker realize her dream, let her live in the Zenith District?

　　The Zenith District was the gathering place of the rich. The Solar Federation had nearly thirty billion people, but fewer than ten million lived in the Zenith District.

　　To live comfortably in the Zenith District, without a fortune of several billion credits, it was out of the question.

　　Could he do it?

　　Brian Clark sat quietly in the chair, thinking for a long time before slowly standing up, walking to the bedroom door, gently pressing a few buttons on the control panel, entering the password, and the bedroom door slid open silently.