Chapter 44: The Divine Body's Ownership, Transaction Completed

The afternoon sun still shone brightly over the playground.

“Why does this guy seem a bit off?” Reina glanced at the suddenly vanished image of Pan Zhen and couldn’t help but comment.

To be honest, she had secretly hoped he might praise her a little—something like “His Majesty is wise and mighty.” After all, this was her first time representing the Solar Empire in a trade with another civilization, and she had achieved such a great success.

Though pleased with herself, she noticed Pan Zhen didn’t seem as excited as she had expected. At the very least, shouldn’t he have expressed some satisfaction?

“Could it be that General Pan Zhen isn’t satisfied with this trade?” At that moment, Ge Xiaolun gave Reina a half-smile. “Why don’t you ask again? If he really isn’t happy, we can still cancel it. After all, the opinion of the lord is important.”

Rizdukao and the others exchanged glances, silently reading the thoughts hidden behind each other’s eyes.

“What’s there to be dissatisfied about? It’s a win-win situation,” Reina shook her head firmly. She was sure the issue wasn’t about the trade itself.

Perhaps Pan Zhen was stunned by Xiaolun’s attitude? Or maybe he felt disrespected because Reina had summoned him on short notice?

“And that look in your eyes—what do you mean by that?” Suddenly, she clicked her tongue, indignantly pointing at the strange smile on Ge Xiaolun’s face. “Enough with the lord and kid act, Xiaolun! You’d better explain yourself clearly!”

Biting her lips, a flush of embarrassment crept onto her fair cheeks. Of course, she could tell that Ge Xiaolun was teasing her again—and clearly had seen through her awkwardness.

“Heh heh, my apologies. I was just assuming things before,” Ge Xiaolun chuckled lightly. “I thought since you’re a principal deity of the Solar Empire, your word would be law, deciding everything—a far cry from our Blue Star civilization that doesn’t recognize divine authority.”

He knew Reina’s awkward position in the Solar Empire and had even anticipated Pan Zhen’s possible reactions before the trade. But only when he saw Reina casually call Pan Zhen on the spot did he truly understand her actual influence in the Solar Empire.

After all, he had assumed that, even if Reina lacked support, as a principal deity with imperial lineage stretching three generations, she might still control certain resources or command celestial warships other than the Celestial Tower.

Being a god, even if she didn’t govern, she should have access to some resources.

Yet making a call to a lord was apparently so effortless for her.

“I’m just young—don’t you understand?” Reina snapped, moving forward to grab Ge Xiaolun’s ear in frustration, her teeth clenched.

She was indeed a little ashamed. After all, she had tried to maintain a dignified image of a supreme deity—noble, supreme, and wealthy—in front of Ge Xiaolun.

She hadn’t expected to let her guard down and reveal her predicament.

“Hey, hey! Principal Deity of the Solar Empire, watch your image,” Ge Xiaolun quickly brushed her hand away. He was no pushover.

“Hmph, you’re no better than me,” Reina snorted softly, releasing her grip.

With so many people around, she didn’t want to make a scene and settled the matter with a faint huff.

“Now then, Xiaolun, who will you assign this third-generation divine body upgrade to?” she shifted the topic, smirking at everyone.

Her words instantly raised the spirits of Rizdukao and Lian Feng, who looked at Ge Xiaolun eagerly.

“Of course, it’s for Xiao Li,” Ge Xiaolun replied promptly.

The three of them felt their hearts shatter.

They wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent, exchanging glances without words.

Nearby, Su Xiaoli gazed at her brother Xiaolun with a sweet, dreamy look. Although she didn’t quite understand what a third-generation divine body was, she knew that whenever Xiaolun had good news, he always thought of her.

All she needed was to be obedient.

---

Watching from the side, Du Qiangwei’s eyes flickered with envy.

This is what it means to be truly blessed and carefree.

A third-generation divine body...

Having read some materials, she knew how precious such a thing was.

This opportunity was merely a stroke of luck; Blue Star might not see such resources again for thousands of years.

Of course, she harbored no resentment. Most present understood the agreement between Ge Xiaolun and the Academy; what belonged to him was under his full control.

If he didn’t give it to his girlfriend, why would he hand it over to a mere follower like her or to Qilin, who was completely unrelated?

As for Qilin, she was just here to watch the excitement. Being a newcomer to the Academy, she only noticed that Ge Xiaolun seemed impressive and prosperous but understood little else.

“Forgive me for being frank, Xiaolun, but allocating this divine body quota to Xiao Li is not the optimal benefit for Blue Star’s current situation,” Reina said with a smile, glancing at Du Qiangwei before addressing Ge Xiaolun.

She wasn’t naïve; although Du Qiangwei might not fully grasp it yet, she could see the hunger barely concealed in Rizdukao and Lian Feng’s eyes.

Everyone knew that if this third-generation divine body went to Du Qiangwei, or any other super soldiers like Spear of the Virtuous Star or Heart of the Earth, it would be far more beneficial than giving it to Su Xiaoli, who lacked any special abilities.

At the very least, Du Qiangwei was a spacetime genetic type and a core in team battles.

That way, Blue Star’s gains from this trade would be multiple times the crocodile god Soton they paid.

That would be a truly universal win.

Using up this quota now might mean no such opportunity again in the future.

She guessed that Duke Du might even be considering pushing his daughter right into Ge Xiaolun’s bed...

“For me, this is the maximized benefit,” Ge Xiaolun replied calmly with a smile. “Xiao Li joined the Super God Academy willingly, and she will face the dangers of war. It is my responsibility to provide her with the utmost protection.”

He fully understood Rizdukao and Du’s thoughts and knew that giving the third-generation divine body to Du Qiangwei would bring tenfold or even hundredfold returns compared to a single crocodile god Soton.

But the reality was, he didn’t have controlling shares yet!

He wouldn’t give it away to Du Qiangwei when he hadn’t even given it to his own girlfriend or his parents—whom he wanted to protect from the battlefield.

Otherwise, he’d become the galaxy’s biggest sycophant.

Besides, there was no rush.

After he said this, Riz and Du exchanged looks, a bitter smile flickering in their eyes.

They understood that Ge Xiaolun’s words were directed at them.

They couldn’t press the matter further or harbor other ideas.

They felt helpless, never having expected the so-called clear division between public and private interests that Ge Xiaolun had insisted on to materialize so quickly.

If only they had known...

But who would have thought that in this backwater Blue Star, Ge Xiaolun could secure such valuable resources?

If only they had known, they might have just...

Reina scanned their reactions, nodding inwardly, knowing that the third-generation divine body was undoubtedly decided.

“In that case, Commander Du and Teacher Rui, you will need to coordinate the handover with the Solar Empire. You will jointly monitor the creation of the divine body gene and conduct risk assessments,” Reina smiled at them. “As for this big crocodile, if you have no objections, I will first hand over the third and second-generation divine body resources to you, so the Solar Empire can take this crocodile away.”

“Of course,” Du Ka’ao nodded.

Although the third-generation divine body wasn’t given to Du Qiangwei, it still belonged to Blue Star and was a tremendous gain. Naturally, they would assist Ge Xiaolun throughout the process.

Ge Xiaolun watched nearby, not expecting any thanks.

Public and private were separate, but Su Xiaoli’s combat strength was part of the Mighty Army’s power, so the Black Great Wall’s involvement was natural.

No one doubted the Solar Empire’s ability to control this crocodile god or to thoroughly examine genetic risks; after all, the Solar Empire was a divine-level civilization.

“Boom!”

Shortly after, a thunderous sound echoed through the sky.

---

“Your Majesty, we have come to receive your orders,” two Solar Empire warriors clad in armor descended from the sky, bowing respectfully to Reina.

Ge Xiaolun stared at their unfamiliar yet somehow familiar faces, his expression calm and unreadable.

“Yuan Li, Xuan Kun, take this crocodile god back. Pan Zhen will know what to do,” Reina said as she began coordinating resource handover with Du Ka’ao and the others, instructing the two warriors.

Following her orders, the warriors placed the unconscious Soton into a gilded metal cage imbued with cultivation energy.

Thus, the trade was preliminarily completed.

“Your Majesty, the Regent King instructed us that if you have no immediate matters, we are to escort you,” Yuan Li said solemnly, bowing to Reina.

“What is it this time? You need me to come in person?” Reina asked curiously, hands on hips.

“The Regent King gave explicit orders,” Yuan Li replied.

“Very well… everyone, I must take my leave for a moment,” Reina nodded casually, waved to Ge Xiaolun and the others, then ascended with the two warriors and the cage containing Soton.

Ge Xiaolun watched the scene with an indifferent expression. Though he had his suspicions, he didn’t care much.

To him, Pan Zhen’s thoughts didn’t matter.

Just as he had assumed, if Pan Zhen opposed the trade, he had many other plans.

As long as he had good goods in hand, buyers would not be scarce.

With the trade concluded, his gains for the day were settled.

One third-generation divine body, two sets of second-generation genes.

The Mighty Army would gain a god-level combatant, and the safety of his girlfriend and parents would be greatly enhanced. He was fully satisfied.

Sheathing his Void Greatsword, he looked at the joyous crowd.

“Xiaolun, Xiao Li’s divine body gene and the other two second-generation genes—presumably for your parents—should be ready in three days. We will deliver them directly to you then,” Du Ka’ao said with a smile after tallying the resources.

“Thank you all for your efforts,” Ge Xiaolun replied with a smile.

“Don’t mention it,” Du Ka’ao chuckled, clapping a hand on Ge Xiaolun’s shoulder. “Building and enhancing the Mighty Army’s strength is my duty and our shared goal...”

At noon, the group headed toward the cafeteria together.

---

Elsewhere on Blue Star.

On a picturesque mountain, inside a pavilion.

Pan Zhen, who had just appeared as a projection at the Super God Academy, sat here with a deep, furrowed brow.

Behind him stood a silver-armored warrior gripping a long halberd in silence.

Suddenly, the rumbling thunder sounded again as three figures arrived, carrying a cage.

“What else is there to discuss? You couldn’t say it earlier, and now you insist on meeting in person,” Reina landed, looking at Pan Zhen with curiosity.