Chapter 219: Welcome to... the Seven Deadly Sins!

"Mr. Su, I didn't expect you to know so much about the Longyuan Empire. The Duanmu Family disappeared decades ago. Even many locals of the Longyuan Empire have forgotten about us."

Duanmu Qing felt slightly surprised, marveling at Su Mu's extensive knowledge.

She then began recounting what had happened since her return from the Sea Kingdom.

As it turned out, her capture ultimately had to do with Su Mu.

Duanmu Qing had initially fled the Longyuan Empire for the Chiyan Empire to evade the company's pursuit. Because the Federal Pharmaceutical Company had a branch here as well, she kept a low profile and rarely went out.

That changed after she met Su Mu in the Sea Kingdom. Entrusted by him to concoct the Ceaseless Recovery transcendent potion, she ran short on raw materials and went to the black market to search for them. As a result, she was discovered by the Chiyan Branch Company and captured.

"I didn't expect this to have anything to do with me."

Duanmu Qing hurriedly replied, "You can't be blamed for this, Mr. Su. I was just careless."

Su Mu agreed. "True."

"..." Duanmu Qing fell silent.

"By the way, where exactly did they lock you up? This doesn't look like a company building. It seems more like a secret base."

"That's right. This is an experimental base belonging to the Federal Pharmaceuticals Chiyan Branch Company. They lock up a lot of people here for human experiments."

Su Mu's eyes flickered slightly. "Then are there a lot of transcendent potions here?"

"No. Most of what's kept here is worthless but highly profitable garbage, along with various Plague Potions."

"Worthless but highly profitable?"

Duanmu Qing sneered inwardly. "In this world, you can only reap massive profits by selling garbage at a premium. Take the Foundation Strengthening Potion heavily promoted by the Federal Pharmaceutical Company, for example!

"The ingredients in the Foundation Strengthening Potion are completely useless trash. Drinking it provides absolutely no benefit, and drinking too much can even cause gastrointestinal discomfort. Yet they claim it prolongs life and strengthens the body! It yields massive profit margins.

"There is also the Gene Healing Essence, which they claim can cure all diseases and heal both internal and external injuries. The effects are immediate after taking it, but in reality, it overdrafts the body's potential. Long-term consumption leads to a shortened lifespan."

The company's schemes made even Su Mu sigh. They really knew how to make money.

"Mr. Su, did you know that these aren't even their most profitable products? The Federal Pharmaceutical Company's biggest moneymaker is the Heaven's Chosen Potion!"

Heaven's Chosen?

"Is it related to Chosen Ones?"

"Exactly. The Heaven's Chosen Potion claims it can help a nightmare apostle become a Chosen One. Countless nightmare apostles flock to it. Everyone knows you can only survive the Nightmare World by becoming a transcendent. But the transcendent potions that can directly help someone acquire a Law are too expensive and incredibly hard to buy.

"So the Heaven's Chosen Potion was born. It claims to increase the probability of a nightmare apostle becoming a Chosen One, and that continuous use yields even better results.

"Everyone wants to be a Chosen One. Because once you awaken independently, you don't have to worry about subsequent potions or a transcendent path.

"Furthermore, a nightmare apostle already lives a precarious existence. To survive, they will often spend their entire net worth to buy the Heaven's Chosen Potion. Then, after they enter the Nightmare World, the most brilliant part begins.

"Those who are naturally Chosen Ones don't need the Heaven's Chosen Potion; they would awaken on their own regardless. But once they awaken, they attribute their success to the Heaven's Chosen Potion, becoming its best promoters.

"As for those without talent, since they can't awaken any abilities, they naturally can't survive the extremely high mortality rate of the Nightmare World.

"This has ultimately turned the Heaven's Chosen Potion into a miracle drug that is completely useless, yet receives absolutely zero negative reviews!"

Listening to Duanmu Qing's somewhat indignant explanation, Su Mu couldn't help but say, "Brilliant."

No wonder the Federal Pharmaceutical Company was number one in the world. It wasn't without reason; their schemes truly came one after another.

"Mr. Su, tell me, since we're all human, why are these upper-class people so evil?" Duanmu Qing's mood grew bleak. Whenever she thought of the Federal Pharmaceutical Company's methods for fooling and harvesting the common people, she couldn't help but sigh in anger.

"Because human desire is infinite. You think the upper class is evil and the lower class is kind, but that isn't entirely accurate. Often, the seemingly kind people at the bottom are only that way because they lack the ability to do evil. Once you place them in a higher position, where they can make ten times the profit just by selling fake medicine, they wouldn't be able to resist the temptation either."

Duanmu Qing froze, subconsciously retorting, "But our Duanmu Family didn't do that!"

Su Mu smiled faintly. "That is exactly why the world hasn't collapsed—because there is a group of truly noble people.

"If the Duanmu Family had colluded with them, what do you think the consequences would have been? Your potion-making abilities combined with their money-making methods—do you believe the company could plunge the entire world into chaos?

"With infinite money, they would have started pursuing power, waging wars, and attempting to topple the Seven Great Empires.

"It was exactly the Duanmu Family's refusal that prevented the Federal Pharmaceutical Company from reaching that stage so quickly. They are still just a company.

"The world is battered and broken, but there is always someone patching it up."

Su Mu's words deeply moved Duanmu Qing. This was the first time she had heard someone validate her family, and from an angle she had never considered.

Before, she had simply felt her clansmen had done the right thing. The Duanmu Family hadn't joined forces with those scumbags; they had held on to their family's bottom line. But Su Mu was acknowledging the Duanmu Family from the perspective of the entire world.

It gave her a clear understanding of exactly why they were right.

"Then, Mr. Su, are you also someone who patches things up?" Duanmu Qing asked softly in her heart, her voice trembling slightly like the timid cry of a deer in the woods.

"Do you want me to be?" Su Mu's gentle voice seeped into her heart.

"Yes." Duanmu Qing nodded vigorously.

Su Mu smiled faintly. "Then I am.

"Are you willing to join me?"

"Can I?" Duanmu Qing's slightly trembling voice carried a pitiful timidity, as if every word were being carefully weighed before it was spoken.

The smile on Su Mu's lips widened. He knew he had just "tricked" another new member into joining.

"Of course. Welcome to... the Seven Deadly Sins!"

Duanmu Qing, who had just been deeply moved, froze the moment she heard those words. Her petite frame even gave a shudder.

"The Seven Deadly Sins!?"

Although she lived as a recluse every day to avoid the company's pursuit, she wasn't so isolated that she hadn't heard of the infamous Seven Deadly Sins.

On the contrary, not only had she heard of them, but their name echoed like thunder in her ears!

The name of the Seven Deadly Sins was renowned not just in the Chiyan Empire, but across the entire world!

Especially since they had recently killed a Gold Noble.

A Gold powerhouse was an existence that stood at the absolute pinnacle of the world. Publicly killing a Gold powerhouse in an era of peace was essentially tantamount to declaring a war to the death with the Empire.

No matter how much the Seven Great Empires disagreed with one another, they would never go so far as to assassinate another nation's Gold powerhouse. If they did, it would trigger a full-scale war.

Yet the Seven Deadly Sins had done exactly that.

"M-Mr. Su... You're a member of the Seven Deadly Sins?!"

"I am."

"Then you are..."

"Pride."

Duanmu Qing's pupils abruptly shrank, her cherry-pink mouth falling open in an O-shape.

The Head of the Seven Deadly Sins! Pride!!