Associated Risk

"Judging by your methods, your negative equity status, and the fact you're still breathing despite clearly violating numerous municipal and Sect-Corp ordinances, it must be a rogue one." She looked him up and down again. "Was it integrated directly with your neural pathways? Allowing it to channel energy, execute contracts?"

At that, an almost imperceptible shudder ran through her. "Playing with unregulated AIs, especially those capable of manipulating spiritual energy and contractual bindings… That's an exceedingly dangerous game, Mister. Arguably more dangerous than angering the Void Sect directly. AI motivations are inherently inscrutable, and their potential for malfunction or betrayal is immense."

"Desperate times call for dangerous tools," Li Fang shrugged, trying to project a nonchalance he didn't feel. He knew the risks, felt them every time the QFS issued a cheerful warning about 'financial cowardice' or its cold, unfeeling analysis.

"Right now," He checked his internal clock via the QFS overlay, ignoring the flashing low-balance alerts, "That AI and its system are the only reason I'm not already a gloomy idiot waiting to be turned to a memory fragment in approximately twenty-eight hours as scheduled by the CRB for soul repossession."

Xie Ruolan stared at him for a long moment, the full weight of his precarious existence seeming to settle upon her. Then, a short, humorless laugh escaped her lips. It became the dry, brittle sound in the dusty warehouse.

"Alright, Mister Scavenger. You have my undivided attention. You're not after my 50,000 Qi-Credits bounty, I get that." She leaned forward slightly with her eyes narrowed again. She's speaking business now. "So, what exactly do you need my 'asset value' for? You clearly have the… 'capital generation' handled, however recklessly it may seem. Do you need someone to balance your chaotic books? Launder the proceeds? Navigate the inevitable regulatory hell you're inviting upon yourself the moment anyone significant notices your operation?"

"All of the above," Li Fang admitted readily. There was no point pretending he had it all figured out. "And more. My system… my AI associate… it has ambitions."

He decided to reveal the full, absurd scope. "It wants me to build an interdimensional spiritual finance empire."

He saw her blink, gaping at the sheer audacity and the almost comical grandiosity of the statement hitting her.

Li Fang quickly backpedaled. "Look, right now, I'd settle for surviving the next week or maybe the next day or so, paying off enough debt to get this CRB foreclosure notice off my back. Maybe scaling up the loan operation to something sustainable. But I'm flying blind. I know the Lower Layers, the scams, the survival tactics. I don't know high finance, corporate law, karmic accounting intricacies, or how to structure something that could actually challenge the establishment."

He met her gaze directly, appealing to her expertise. "You do. You know the system we're trying to bypass, from the inside. How the Sect-Corps think, how they structure deals, how the Bank really balances karma across lifetimes, where the exploitable loopholes are."

"The loopholes have teeth, Li Fang," Xie Ruolan warned with a hardened tone. "Sharp ones. And the Bank of Reincarnation… they don't just deal in Qi-Credits and quarterly reports. They deal in far older, far more fundamental currencies."

Her hand instinctively tightened on the data-case. "Soul fragments traded across millennia. Karmic futures leveraged against entire bloodlines. Generational blessings and curses bundled and sold like derivatives."

A shadow then crossed her face.

"What I 'embezzled' from the Void Sect..." She made dismissive air quotes as her expression turned icy, "...wasn't money or assets in the conventional sense. It was evidence. Irrefutable proof, buried deep within their oldest ledgers, that the Void Sect's inner circle, the Board of Directors themselves, has been systematically manipulating the reincarnation cycle for centuries. Skimming positive karmic merit from souls destined for favorable rebirths, redirecting it through complex metaphysical laundering schemes to bolster their own executives' cultivation, extend their lifespans unnaturally, and even influence the destinies of their corporate rivals."

Li Fang felt a genuine chill despite the stuffy air as he heard that.

This wasn't simple corporate corruption, it was tampering with the fundamental laws of the universe as Neo-Tian understood them. Stealing good fortune, manipulating destiny itself. No wonder the Void Sect wanted her silenced permanently. The data-case she clutched was a cosmic bomb waiting to explode on their heads.

"Which means," Li Fang stated the obvious conclusion, "they won't ever stop hunting you. They can't afford to let that information survive. And by extension, anyone associated with you becomes a target."

"Precisely," She agreed coolly, accepting the grim reality. "So, this temporary alliance you're proposing… it comes with considerable, potentially lethal, risk attached. Far beyond your existing CRB troubles."

"Ah. You don't have to worry about that. My system thrives on risk," Li Fang countered immediately, feeling a surge of defiant energy, perhaps amplified by the QFS's core philosophy bleeding into his own. It would never allow him to develop financial cowardice. And since he's already in a desperate strait, the implication of being associated with her seems paltry at best.

"You see, it actively penalizes 'financial cowardice.' Sitting still, playing it safe… that guarantees my deletion." He locked eyes with her across the dusty space. "Help me. Help me refine this loan model into something defensible, scalable. Help me find more borrowers discreetly and assess the real risks. Help me build something. Anything that can actually challenge the status quo, even if only on a micro-level for now." He offered his end of the bargain. "In return… maybe my system's 'unconventional resources,' its ability to operate outside normal channels, can help you stay hidden. Maybe we can find ways to analyze that evidence you carry, and find leverage. Maybe, eventually, we can even find a way to fight back."

Xie Ruolan considered his words, her gaze flicking between Li Fang and the data-case resting on her lap. He could see the internal debate – the ingrained caution of her Bank training versus the desperate need for sanctuary and potential leverage. She tapped a thoughtful finger against the metallic case.

"This 'Ascension Spark Loan'..." She began slowly, shifting into analytical mode as she accepted the premise for the sake of argument. "The core concept of it. The targeting of the underserved market of struggling independents… It's fundamentally sound from a disruption standpoint. However… your execution, based on what little you've told me, is crude, almost suicidally naive."

Her mind was already working, dissecting it, rebuilding it to be more serviceable. "You need proper risk assessment protocols, far beyond scanning public forums. Sentiment analysis, karmic resonance checks, if your AI can manage that discreetly and background checks via reliable info-brokers."

She stood up, starting to pace slowly, energized by the intellectual challenge despite their grim surroundings.

Li Fang couldn't help but follow her movements. For what it's worth, Xie Ruolan was alluringly seductive now that she's out of the mantle, covering most of her features. But he had to stop that from showing on his face, especially when she probably wouldn't appreciate him looking at her like that.