Most constellations out there, including Choi Yeonseung, didnât think that highly of the Greedy Owner of the Treasure House. Of course, his power of existence had surged thanks to the greed of humans, but...
In the end, what mattered most was how the constellation wielded their power of existence.
Constellations that cowardly avoided necessary fights would naturally have a hard time earning the respect of other constellations. However, there was a fearsome side to the Greedy Owner of the Treasure House that no one else was aware of.
He could inflict massive damage without attacking constellations or their household members... Given that human greed made him stronger, the Greedy Owner of the Treasure House was the perfect constellation to quietly destroy Earthâs civilization.
Use any means necessary! Smite all of those damn humans! Donât forgive those who dare to harbor resentment toward constellations!
-B-but Master... Shaking up human civilization will diminish your strength!
It doesnât matter. The scum that are ignoring me are so blinded by their own ambitions that they wonât be able to retaliate. I will show them the wrath of the gods!
The reason the treasure house constellation hadnât shaken human civilization despite his great power was simple. If humanity faced a crisis, his power would naturally decline. If many dungeons exploded and monsters flocked into big cities, the stock prices would plummet, consequently weakening the treasure house constellation.
Similarly, if evil god constellations went on a rampage, cutting off the logistics and disrupting various industries, the world economy would suffer a major blow, which would cripple the treasure house constellation.
However, the Greedy Owner of the Treasure House was blinded by rage and disregarded the losses his plan would cause.
The attack began in China.
âWhat do you mean you lost contact with the chairman of AXZT?â
Lately, AXZT had been a hot topic in China.
In addition to producing outstanding artificial artifacts, the company also possessed refining technology that allowed them to surpass the core purity of other major Chinese companies.
A core could produce significantly more energy even if its purity was increased by one decimal point. In this field, countries continuously poured large sums of money into the development and research of cores, so AXZT had naturally garnered a lot of popularity.
Making new artificial artifacts and technology for core refiningâa company could get insanely rich just by doing one of those two things, but AXTZ was proficient in both, which was why it had accumulated a trillion dollars overnight.
It was unsurprising that the Chinese government, led by the party officials, had also invested a large amount of money into AXZT.
...But now they lost contact with the chairman.
âWell...â
âTell me quickly!â
âTh-the chairman... I think he escaped... Heâs gone... An inspection team went to the site of the company, but the factory was underdeveloped, and the machinery was... gone,â the subordinate explained in a quavering voice, barely able to contain his fear.
Zheng Zhiyun was so traumatized that he couldnât even get angry anymore. That was how surreal the situation was. Many party executives had exclaimed, âLetâs lead the raid era in the name of the party!â and invested in AXZT. How should they deal with this situation?
âTh-the company was definitely functioning when I inspected it! They even completed a batch of artificial artifacts that were superior to Dragon Industry and other companies! Iâm sure it was the same with the core as well?â
âUh... I donât know why this is happening...â
The people never wouldâve imagined it.
A constellation had set up a project to deceive humans!
The Greedy Owner of the Treasure House didnât have the ability to make money himself, but he had the excellent ability to help those who wanted to make a big splash.
Manipulating humans, bribing and deceiving them... The result was surprising to even the Greedy Owner of the Treasure House.
It was that easy...?
âRather than earning money honestly... Isnât it easier to steal it? You insignificant human beings...â
The Greedy Owner of the Treasure House made up his mind and increased the pace of his work. The more corrupt and rigid the country, the easier it was to carry out such tricks.
AXZT was just the beginning, as various economic issues started to snowball.
***
â...The end of the world... is coming...?â
Choi Yeonseungâs expression hardened when he heard the news.
Dozens of companies which had received investments from the Chinese government had run away... It was an unprecedented disaster. Before, Choi Yeonseung would just shrug at this news, but he had been running a company for quite some time now.
He knew that an economic crisis in China would very quickly have repercussions everywhere else in the world.
Aine walked in with dead, blank eyes, and seeing her like that, Choi Yeonseung didnât even need to ask how bad the situation was.
âIâd understand if it was just one company, but... How could they invest in a few dozen...? Are they blind...?!â Aine stuttered as she spoke, dumbfounded.
She just couldnât wrap her head around this.
It wouldâve been understandable if one or two companies had run away with government investments, but she couldnât fathom how dozens of companies had exploded at the same time. It wasnât like someone had planned for it to happen...
âNo one couldâve predicted this.â
It was such an unprecedented disaster that not even Adaquaniel had seen it coming.
âThere is nothing to worry about. It doesnât change what we have to do. If there is a problem, we solve it. Letâs keep it simple,â Choi Yeonseung explained.
Aine looked up, her face riddled with confusion. There were hundreds of problems everywhere, some more serious than others. The lines of direct export to China were lost, so several of their partner companies were on the verge of bankruptcy due to the crisis. And this was just the beginning.
Nevertheless, Choi Yeonseung seemed completely unfazed
âHeâs human, right...?â
Sometimes, Aine wondered if Choi Yeonseung was actually human. It was utterly ridiculous, but she couldnât help wondering if Choi Yeonseung had transcended humanity during his time in the Abyss. Otherwise, how on earth could he keep calm in this situation?
â...Thatâs right. Thereâs no need to freak out already.â
âYes, even though we have to rebuild our export lines from scratch and secure partners, we deal with this.â
This time, Adaquanielâs supportive words backfired, as Aine looked like she was going to collapse.
-Could this be a constellationâs doing?
After Aine and Adaquaniel left, Choi Yeonseung thought about the situation. There was no basis for his suspicion, but his instincts were strangely pointing in that direction.
Wasnât this a constellationâs masterpiece?
-I donât think a constellation would be able to do something like this...
The goddess of sloth cocked her head. Constellations would generally go on a rampage in a way that was easier to understand. They didnât cause trouble in such a manner.
Of course, there were a few constellations familiar with Earthâs affairs, but none of them had a reason to do this. There was no benefit in making such a fuss.
âThere is no such thing as a constellation of economic crises.â
Choi Yeonseung had to admit that the goddess of sloth had a point. He knew that most constellations actually preferred order over chaos.
...But he still had this feeling that something was wrong. He just couldnât place his finger on it.
[The âChef of Endless Gluttonyâ says that when your intuition is telling you something, you shouldnât ignore it.]
-What are you saying?
[He says that if you grab onto all the suspicious ones and smash them, the answer might come out.]
-...
It sounded like a primitive method, but surprisingly, Choi Yeonseung liked it.
âIndeed, brute force might be the solution.â
What was the worst that could happen?
***
The Warrior Stained with Madness and Blood had been paying little attention to Earth lately. For a constellation that was embroiled in a never-ending frenzied bloodbath, the relatively peaceful and complex civilization of Earth wasnât of interest.
At first, he was fascinated by the number of souls and tried this and that, but he soon lost interest after seeing that the results didnât match his efforts.
Aside from occasionally taking care of his household members, the berserker constellation focused on other areas of the Abyss.
Fight! Yes! Crush his bones! Make his head a trophy for your master! Yes! Yes!! Unleash more madness!!
[The âUndefeated Incarnation of Trainingâ is calling to ask you something.]
What?
The berserker constellation frowned at the interruption.
I was really excited about this! Why are you trying to get in the way? You think you can get away with spoiling my fun?
[The âUndefeated Incarnation of Trainingâ says to forget it.]
[He tells you to have fun.]
...
The berserker constellation was angry. There were two ways to anger a constellation; one of them was to stop talking halfway.
If you are here, get to the point! Are you running away because you are afraid?
[The âUndefeated Incarnation of Trainingâ says thatâs right.]
[He says goodbye.]
...Wait! The fight is over. I have time to listen to you!
The berserker constellation stopped the Undefeated Incarnation of Training from leaving. He hadnât interacted with a fellow constellation in a long time...
***
[The âMarauder Wielding a Scytheâ pleads that he doesnât know anything.]
[He is paying you well for protection, so he asks why youâre doing this.]
[The âBeast of Swords and Spearsâ angrily says this has nothing to do with it.]
[If you attack, it swears that it will retaliate along with other evil god constellations.]
[The âBubbling Mass of Plagueâ...]
[...]
[...]
The evil god constellations were more willing to cooperate with his questions than Choi Yeonseung had expected. As he talked with the constellations, he collected more and more useful pieces of information.
[The âGreedy Owner of the Treasure Houseâ is suspicious these days...]
[The realm of the âGreedy Owner of the Treasure Houseâ these days...]
âThe treasure house constellation?â
Many of them had mentioned his name, but Choi Yeonseung found it hard to believe that the treasure house constellation would do something that would cripple him.
However, an enraged constellation would forget about profit and repercussions.
âWhy is he so pissed off?â
-Wasnât it because he was deceived by humans last time?
âJust because he was scammed once? Isnât he too much of a snowflake?â
-...Successor, a constellationâs pride is greater than you think.
[Kalasnegen, the household member of the âSnake of Alcohol and Dancingâ, requests a meeting with you.]
âWhatâs going on?â
Choi Yeonseung was thinking about how to approach the treasure house constellation when Kalasnegen, a familiar household member, reached out to him.
Why did you come to see me?
-Please help me, great Undefeated Incarnation of Training!
â??â
Choi Yeonseung was taken aback. The Snake of Alcohol and Dancing was one of the most powerful constellations on Earth, rivaling him. If the household member of such a constellation was begging for help like this...
âWhat is this? Did the other evil god constellations unite? The good god constellations wouldnât touch the Snake of Alcohol and Dancing. The evil god constellations mightâve joined forces to conquer and divide a realm, but why would they pick her...?
-Masterâs liquor factory is ruined! Please lend me Hunter Choi Yeonseung, your household member! He can solve this urgent problem!
...
-Is he joking?
The goddess of sloth was dumbfounded. At this moment, the entire world was shaking because of the machinations of an evil god constellation!
âForget it. Thatâs what constellations are like.â
Choi Yeonseung quickly realized that Kalasnegen was serious. At this point, he was no longer fazed by the eccentricity of constellations.