My Dream Connects to 3000 Years in the Future

"...Aren’t you worried that guy is right next to me?" Chu Bamboo raised an eyebrow.

"..." Hu Kaikang was speechless again. Then it dawned on him that if Qian Shi were really there, he would have already spoken up on the phone. He immediately spat through gritted teeth, "Time, place!"

"The place, let’s make it the HuaBake Cafe in the Third District’s wealthy residential area," Chu Bamboo said calmly. "As for the time, that’s up to you... But! I’m in high demand right now... you’d better be prepared to pay a hefty price."

"...I’ll be there in half an hour!" Hu Kaikang hung up immediately.

Chu Bamboo stood in silence for a moment, mentally reviewing his conversation with the Fifth Apostle. After confirming there were no major issues, he took a deep breath, his gaze turning sharp. ’Right now, Hu Kaikang should have been lured away from the nuclear facility... Yes, and for something this major, he can’t possibly just send a Clone... After all, he has to consider the possibility of running into Qian Shi himself!’

’Although I don’t know the specifics of Qian Shi’s strength, I figure he can’t be that weak, no matter how you slice it. At the very least, it’d be impossible for Lao Hu to just create some avatar and instantly defeat him...’

’Most likely, if he really does meet Qian Shi... he might consider killing him to silence him! Though he’d probably do it under the guise of the Fifth Apostle... or use some other method to frame someone before making the kill!’

After calculating for a moment, Chu Bamboo made up his mind and strode quickly toward the cafe.

Time trickled by.

Suddenly, Chu Bamboo sensed something and looked up. Across from him sat Hu Kaikang, dressed in casual clothes. Chu Bamboo raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Lao Hu... I ordered you a standard coffee! You used to always drone on about wanting to try one... but looking at you now, with your status, there’s no way you can’t get one, right? So you were just crying poor all along!"

"...That Zhang Hai! I’ll deal with him sooner or later." Hu Kaikang snorted. After a moment of thought, he stared at Chu Bamboo and got straight to the point. "Alright, kid... like I said, I’m quite busy today, so I’m not going to beat around the bush."

"Become my disciple! As for the benefits, I’ll give you..."

Hu Kaikang rattled off a long list of promises, but the words went in one of Chu Bamboo’s ears and out the other. If listening weren’t a necessary part of the act, he would have skipped this part entirely. ’It’s obvious,’ he thought, ’this is all just empty promises.’

"However," Hu Kaikang’s tone suddenly shifted, and he said through gritted teeth, "where on earth is Qian Shi? Damn it... Could he be acting on the Pope’s will... preparing to... But why investigate corruption now of all times!"

"..." ’Of course,’ Chu Bamboo knew, ’the "corruption" angle is just something he deliberately brought up to mislead me, a red herring for me to chew on.’ What Hu Kaikang truly feared was the Pope’s gaze falling upon this land and ultimately uncovering the real problem!

’As for corruption... laughable! It was the same old story. For someone at the level of a Bishop, there were countless ways to rake in cash...’

"Lao Hu! Hold out your hand." Chu Bamboo held out his own palm, his expression serious. "My Divine Technique... it’s related to faith..."

Chu Bamboo started spouting nonsense. "You must be curious why I suddenly want to join the God Worship Sect... this is the reason! After all, this whole faith thing... sigh. I thought about turning the guild into a faith-based organization, but I just can’t bring myself to cross that line."

"And one more thing, if I join... it’s just me. Don’t think you can use me to influence the guild!"

Chu Bamboo perfectly played the part of someone who had no idea what was currently happening with the guild.

"...A faith-related Divine Technique? My God!" Hu Kaikang’s eyes lit up. After making the sign of the cross, he unhesitatingly extended his palm, praising profusely, "You are practically a natural-born member of our Church... I will definitely nurture your talents. You can rest assured!"

"By the way, can you tell me a little more about it? And this holding my hand... are you trying to extract faith from me?"

"...Actually, I’m not entirely sure how to extract faith myself! So I’m just trying everything." Chu Bamboo gave a simple, honest smile, his words ringing with sincerity.

"That makes sense." Hu Kaikang didn’t doubt him in the slightest. Who hadn’t struggled and fumbled their way forward on the path of Divine Techniques?

"Lao Hu, please don’t resist. It’s normal if you feel like something’s a little off," Chu Bamboo said, his expression unchanged, as he began his analysis.

A few minutes later... information flooded his mind.

Divine Technique Name: Destiny

First Divine Power: Equivalent Exchange

Second Divine Power: Qi Fortune

Chu Bamboo’s movements didn’t even pause. He continued conversing calmly with Hu Kaikang, even starting to complain, "Stop asking where Qian Shi is! At most, I can call him later and ask where he is now... How would I know where he lives? Wait... no... If I did that, wouldn’t he know I sold him out?! No, no way... Even your protection wouldn’t be enough! I’d be offending a big shot before I even joined... And don’t tell me he’s not a big shot. Just look at yourself earlier! You were like a mouse that had just seen a cat... Your words have zero credibility!"

As he spoke, Chu Bamboo was savoring the details of the two Divine Powers, and a monstrous wave of shock was gradually building in his heart.

’Equivalent Exchange! As long as two things were of equal value, you could exchange them with someone else...’

’For example, if the owner of this Divine Technique was a Ninth Grade Official in the Daqian Dynasty, but held a completely marginalized post, they could find another Ninth Grade Official who held real power... and forcibly swap official positions with them!’

’Of course, this exchange wasn’t flawless!’

’According to the feedback, ordinary people wouldn’t notice any problem—but if a Transcendent were to review the records, especially a Transcendent of the same or higher level... they would easily spot that something was wrong!’