Chapter Two: Every Fortune Has a Price

When he added the note GIFT, it changed to [17 hours]. When he wrote REPAYMENT FOR TWENTY YEARS OF SUPPORT, it returned to zero. The rules judged ownership. They also judged consideration. Lu Chen transferred one million in ten installments, labeling each school fees repaid, medical expenses repaid, youth training costs repaid. Every transaction showed zero. His mother called immediately, frightened and shaking. He told her about the contract and said the money was what he owed her. She was silent for a long time, then began to cry. For the first time, the contract felt like a gift. Then an anonymous message appeared: [Clever is not safe. Take what is not yours, and the flame will reclaim it.]