Zhang Wen stared at the man lying motionless on the bed without looking away. The calm in his eyes rippled slightly for a brief moment as a name surfaced clearly in his memory.
Ming Yuan.
The son of the owner of this trading house.
In the past, Ming Yuan had been an exceptionally talented young man. His cultivation at the time was only slightly inferior to Zhang Wen's. If no catastrophic accident had occurred, he should have possessed a brilliant future at the very least.
Yet the scene before him had shattered everything.
Ming Yuan's body was so emaciated that it barely resembled that of a young man anymore. His hair was dry and brittle, his skin shriveled and clinging tightly to bone. Not a trace of spiritual fluctuation remained within him. His cultivation had vanished completely, as though someone had ripped out his life origin while he was still alive. His breathing was so faint it nearly blended into the stale, decaying odor that permeated the room.
The only reason Ming Yuan was still alive was because of his Stellar Origin Body. At this moment, a tiny star was spinning frantically within his body, forcibly sustaining his life. Even so, it was already approaching its limit. If Zhang Wen had arrived just two months later, Ming Yuan would have already been dead.
Zhang Wen did not know what Ming Yuan had gone through to end up in such a state.
Silence filled the room for a short while before Zhang Wen slowly spoke in his mind.
"System, let's talk."
Almost instantly, a calm voice responded.
He did not bother with pleasantries.
"The maximum return possible is ten thousand times, right?"
[That is correct, Host.]
"Then what exactly determines the multiplier of the return?"
This time, the system fell silent for a moment, as if processing the answer. When it spoke again, its tone was more serious than usual.
[Under normal circumstances, investment systems that originate from other sources produce random numerical returns when the host makes an investment. However, in the real world, nothing is gained without paying a price. Everything has a cost.]
[Most investment systems use the luck of the invested target as the core metric. When the system owner makes an investment, the system secretly absorbs a portion of the target's luck without the target being aware of it.]
[That luck is then divided into two parts. One portion is retained by the system itself, while the other is returned to the system owner in the form of randomized numerical rewards.]
[Whether the return is large or small depends on how much luck the system chooses to keep for itself.]
The system's voice paused for a brief moment before continuing, its rhythm becoming clearer and more deliberate.
[For my origin, the host should already understand. My system grants maximum returns by absorbing the luck of the invested target according to a fixed ratio. There is a clearly defined upper limit of ten thousand, imposed for safety reasons.]
[The luck of the invested individual may increase or decrease depending on how much stronger they become, or how greatly their fate changes after receiving what the host provides.]
Zhang Wen listened in silence, his gaze never leaving Ming Yuan's body.
[The host may nurture someone with white luck and elevate them to higher luck tiers by granting cultivation methods or certain treasures. However, the upper limit stops at red luck.]
[Golden luck is special. It is the dividing line between those who surpass ordinary people and those who surpass even the extraordinary.]
Then, structured information flowed into his mind.
[White: Basic luck. Return ×1]
[Green: Above-average luck. Return ×10]
[Purple: Exceptional luck. Return ×100]
[Red: Fate-bound luck. Return ×1,000]
[Gold: Legendary luck. Return ×10,000]
[Black: Lowest luck. Return ×10,000]
Zhang Wen stood silently beside the bed, listening without haste. His eyes remained fixed on Ming Yuan's withered body, yet beneath that stillness his thoughts raced rapidly. He allowed the silence to stretch for a moment before speaking.
"Why does black luck give the same return as golden luck?"
Almost immediately, the system replied in a straightforward tone.
[Golden luck belongs to those supported by the heavens. They are individuals chosen by the heavens themselves, destined to be pushed forward.]
[Their paths are smooth, and their luck has virtually no upper limit. As long as they remain within the framework of the heavens, their luck can continue to grow endlessly.]
The voice paused briefly before continuing.
[Black luck, on the other hand, belongs to those hated or abandoned by the heavens.]
[Their luck has no lower bound. From the very beginning, their luck is already negative. It can fall without limit.]
[Because of this, I can extract the maximum possible value without needing to consider any backlash. The number is already negative. I am merely adding more negative value on top of it.]
[The consequence is simple. They may encounter misfortune at any moment. Catastrophes capable of taking their lives can occur at any time.]
Zhang Wen listened quietly before nodding in understanding.
[Black luck is quite special. It is a mark placed by the heavens, declaring the bearer as one who is not welcome. No matter how much the host invests in someone with black luck, their luck level can never escape the black tier unless they die or leave this world.]
The system added calmly.
[One more thing. Host must not forget that investments can only be made on individuals whose Affinity exceeds 50. This minimum requirement exists to prevent the host from investing in enemies.]
Zhang Wen nodded slightly. Something within his mind slowly crystallized. Golden luck was protected by the heavens, while black luck was rejected by them. Yet regardless of which extreme they stood upon, the system could extract the same maximum return. The only difference lay in the price that must be paid. As for why the limit was set at ten thousand, it was likely a safety boundary to avoid drawing the attention of existences beyond imagination. Or perhaps there were other reasons.
His gaze returned to the man lying on the bed, and he spoke softly.
"Ming Yuan… can you hear me. It is me. Zhang Wen."
The eyelids of the emaciated man trembled slightly, as if something responded to the familiar voice, though he did not open his eyes.
At the same moment, the system's voice rang out again, now filled with unmistakable excitement.
[Hahaha! At last it is time for me to show my abilities. Host currently possesses approximately 9.7 liters of sacred water. Would you like to begin the investment now.]
Zhang Wen did not answer immediately. He thought for a moment before responding calmly in his mind.
"Calm down. There is no need to rush yet. We must first understand how he ended up in this state. Who did this to him. If the force behind it is too powerful, or if the enemy's base is too close, we must proceed carefully. Right now, I do not know whether someone is secretly watching Ming Yuan from afar."
His eyes swept across the ruined room, the stale stench lingering in the air, and Ming Yuan's body that barely retained any vitality. Everything made it clear that this was not a simple accident.
"To be honest, after a rough assessment, I could invest right now. Based on the properties and quantity of the sacred water, it should be able to repair both his body and his cultivation. But if he uses it at this moment, it may trigger certain phenomena immediately, and that could become a signal of disaster instead."
Zhang Wen closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. His gaze was calmer and clearer than before.
"The opportunity is already in my hands. There is no need to rush. Even if I only have one year left before turning into fertilizer."
The system replied softly.
[Understood, host. I was a little too impatient. After all, I barely had any screen time earlier.]