St. Patrick's Cathedral stood tall and solemn in the heart of New York, its towering spires piercing the sky like a silent witness to countless prayers over the decades. As the largest Catholic church in the city—and once a place where even archbishops from the Vatican had preached—it carried an air of quiet authority.
Luo Zheng wasn't here out of devotion.
At least, not in the traditional sense.
He stepped inside with an unusually serious expression, hands clasped loosely in front of him. To anyone watching, he looked like a believer seeking peace. In reality, he was chasing something far more practical—luck.
Because the last time he had gone through an elaborate ritual—burning incense, bathing, and mentally bowing to every deity he could think of—he had drawn a Gold-tier reward from the System.
And today, he intended to repeat that miracle.
The reason for this sudden burst of "faith" was simple.
A System notification had appeared the previous night.
A mission he had nearly forgotten… was complete.
[Side Mission: Founding of Blue Whale Entertainment]
Completion Conditions: Establish Film & Television Department, Artist Department, Production Department, and develop them to a certain scale.
Completion Reward: Lottery Draw ×10
Ten draws.
Plus the two he had saved earlier.
Twelve chances in total.
That was enough to make even someone as composed as Luo Zheng feel restless.
Blue Whale Entertainment had grown faster than expected.
With Chen Guofu managing film development and Huo Wenxi building the artist division, everything had accelerated rapidly. The only missing piece had been a properly signed artist.
And Luo Zheng had been picky.
He wasn't willing to sign just anyone to complete a mission. In his mind, timing mattered. Talent mattered even more.
So he had aimed high.
His target? A young singer still performing in bars to support her family—a future superstar known as the "Dolphin Princess."
After days of searching, Huo Wenxi's team had finally found her in Chengdu.
Yesterday, the contract was signed.
And just like that—the mission completed.
"So… we came all the way here just so you could pray?"
Liu Yan stood beside him, clearly unimpressed. Her tone carried a mix of confusion and disbelief.
"Of course not," Luo Zheng replied calmly, pulling out a small cross pendant. "This is the main reason."
She blinked. "You're… religious?"
He shook his head with a straight face.
"Today, I believe in all gods."
"…What?"
That was only the beginning.
After leaving St. Patrick's Cathedral, Luo Zheng didn't stop.
Next was St. John's Cathedral.
Then another church.
And another.
By the time the sun began to dip toward the horizon, they had visited multiple places of worship—big and small.
Liu Yan had gone from confused… to numb.
At some point, she stopped asking questions entirely.
By evening, they returned to Luo Zheng's apartment near Marvel headquarters.
The same place where he had once drawn his first Gold-tier reward.
That memory alone gave the room a strange significance.
"Tonight, we sleep separately," Luo Zheng said seriously. "Phones off. No interruptions."
Liu Yan raised an eyebrow but didn't argue.
She simply nodded and went to the guest room.
Meanwhile, Luo Zheng began his ritual.
A full bath.
Fresh clothes.
A moment of silence.
Then, standing in the center of the room, he mentally "paid respect" to every deity he could remember—from Eastern immortals to Western saints.
Finally, he laid out the items he had collected during the day.
The atmosphere turned almost ceremonial.
Then—
He activated the draws.
The System interface lit up instantly.
A spinning wheel of colors appeared before him—gold, purple, blue, green, white—each glowing with its own intensity.
Twelve draws.
All at once.
The wheel spun rapidly.
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
One after another, rewards began to appear.
But Luo Zheng didn't care about most of them.
His eyes were locked on one thing—
Gold.
Then—
A flash.
Golden light.
His breath caught.
"One…!"
He hadn't even finished reacting when—
Another burst of golden brilliance erupted.
"Two?!"
His heart slammed against his chest.
Two Gold-tier rewards.
Out of twelve draws.
That wasn't luck.
That was absurd.
He didn't even bother checking the other results immediately.
Everything else—purple, blue, green—faded into the background.
Only gold mattered.
Slowly, he opened the reward list.
[Gold Reward: 20% Stake in Pixar Animation Studios]
He paused.
"…Not bad."
But his expression didn't change much.
Compared to expectations, it felt… slightly underwhelming.
Then he looked at the next one.
[Gold Reward: 10% Stake in Apple Inc.]
Silence.
Complete silence.
Then—
"Holy—"
Luo Zheng sat upright instantly.
This wasn't just good.
This was insane.
In 2002, Apple wasn't yet the unstoppable giant it would become.
It was recovering, rebuilding under Steve Jobs.
Its market value hovered around 7 billion dollars.
But Luo Zheng knew the future.
He knew what was coming.
iPod dominance.
iPhone revolution.
Global tech empire.
With 10% ownership…
He was now one of Apple's largest shareholders.
Second only to the top institutional investor.
Which meant—
He had influence.
Real influence.
And that changed everything.
Luo Zheng slowly leaned back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
His mind went blank.
For the first time since his rebirth…
He felt something unexpected.
A loss of motivation.
"If I can become one of the richest men in the world just by lying down…"
He let out a long breath.
"…why am I even working this hard?"
Time passed.
Half an hour later—
Knock knock.
"Boss? Are you okay?"
Liu Yan's voice came from outside.
"I'm fine," he replied lazily. "I just… suddenly don't feel like striving anymore."
She frowned and stepped in, clearly unconvinced.
Then she crossed her arms and said bluntly:
"With so many beautiful women in the world… you don't feel motivated?"
That worked.
Immediately.
Luo Zheng's eyes lit up.
Right.
Wealth wasn't everything.
Life still had… other pursuits.
He slowly turned his gaze toward Liu Yan.
She had changed into casual clothes—shorts and a loose top.
Simple.
But dangerously eye-catching.
The moment she noticed his expression—
She froze.
Then instantly covered her collar.
"You're thinking nonsense again!"
Before he could say anything—
She turned and ran.
The bedroom door slammed shut.
Lock clicked.
Luo Zheng sat there for a moment.
Then sighed.
"This woman really has zero trust…"
Still—
His mood had stabilized.
The earlier emptiness faded.
Because deep down, he knew—
Money alone wasn't the end.
Now, finally—
He turned back to the System.
There were still ten more rewards waiting to be checked.
And after two Gold-tier pulls…
His expectations had risen sharply.
"Alright…"
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Let's see what else I got."