Chapter 076
Chapter 76: Su Ying Yu
Wang Jie looked inside, where the space was quite spacious, but there were no goods displayed. Instead, there were numerous floating light screens, each displaying alternating images.
“Cataclysm materials.”
The young girl was not surprised by Wang Jie’s choice of words. She made a gesture inviting him forward. “What level of materials would you like to see, customer?”
“Ten Seals.”
“Alright, please follow me.” The young girl led him to a light screen. “Please take a look,” she said, waving her hand across the light screen, causing various images to appear. “These are all ten-seal cataclysm materials, along with their growth environments. We can also customize cataclysm materials or specific parts based on your preferences…”
She continued to explain.
Wang Jie was astonished. He had initially thought they only sold cataclysm materials, but he had not expected that they could be customized. Wings, blood, bones, eyes, and so on. It seemed that there was nothing they couldn’t procure.
“What if you don’t have the cataclysm materials here?” he asked.
“Not to worry, as long as the price is right, we can directly purchase from a Slaughter Stone and release it. Whatever creature you prefer, we can mutate it accordingly,” the young girl said with a smile, not mocking Wang Jie for his lack of knowledge.
Wang Jie was astounded—this was true service.
He had seen a lot in this place. He had thought that the ten-seal cataclysm materials from Blue Star were standard and unremarkable, but compared to what he was seeing here, those were nothing. The cataclysm materials here came from Slaughter Stone planets that had experienced transformations over hundreds or even thousands of years.
“These are cataclysm materials from Sun Gold Star. The imprint power stored in them is equivalent to the power of sixteen ten-seal human cultivators. Using a normal ten-seal imprint power as a unit, this material has a value of sixteen.”
“These are from Anping Star, imprint power of twenty-three.”
“This one has an imprint power of nineteen.”
Wang Jie was dazzled by the materials. Imprint power wasn’t the only factor determining their price. The quantity of imprint power, the color of the imprint, and the material’s origin all influenced its value.
For example, one of the most expensive materials here was a grotesque, muscular arm. At first glance, it appeared similar to a human arm but was dark green, with veins prominently raised, and something seemed to be flowing inside it.
Thirty imprint power.
It belonged to this arm, and its price was even more outrageous.
The young girl noticed Wang Jie staring at the image of the arm and smiled as she introduced, “This arm comes from a creature of the Eight Prison Berserk Clan of the Ninth Star Chain. Normally, berserker tribe creatures don’t possess such high imprint power, but the master of this arm has opened a domain, and the domain’s location just so happens to be the arm itself. That’s why it’s so expensive.”
Wang Jie was puzzled. “Eight Prison Berserk Clan?”
Before he could ask more, a group of people entered, and they were the ones who had been watching him earlier. The leading man had a cold expression, and with a wave of his hand, he immediately surrounded Wang Jie.
“Come with us.”
Wang Jie calmly looked at him. “Who are you?”
“Don’t waste time, come with us.” A young man beside him reached out, but Wang Jie swiftly grabbed his arm, twisting it with force. The young man screamed in pain.
The surrounding people raised their weapons, aiming them at Wang Jie.
The leader shouted, “You dare resist?”
Wang Jie looked at the man. “Do you know who I am?”
The man sneered. “Your master is dead, and you still dare to shout?”
“I reside at Accompanying Lake residence.”
“That’s irrelevant, that was before.”
“Now.”
The man froze. “What did you say?”
Wang Jie casually tossed something to him—it was the Imperial Guard’s identification.
The man’s expression changed as he looked at it, then at Wang Jie, his demeanor turning anxious.
“Still don’t believe it?” Wang Jie guessed that this group was trying to capture someone, but that group had been killed by him already, and the bounty had been removed. He couldn’t understand what they were up to. He opened his personal terminal and used his Accompanying Lake residence’s privileges to summon the Imperial Guard, among whom were these very people.
As he watched the command come from someone he was supposed to capture, the man felt as if the sky had fallen. He hurriedly apologized.
Wang Jie waved them off, not holding a grudge.
It was normal for people to try to make merit. There was no need to get involved with them too much.
However, the appearance of this group unexpectedly benefited Wang Jie. The trading hall decided to give him a discount—yes, a 50% discount.
Wang Jie was surprised. “A 50% discount?”
At that moment, standing before him was a graceful, mature woman. Her hair fell softly, her figure slender, and she wore a smile that seemed both accommodating and sincere, reminding Wang Jie of Lian Qin. Her fragrance made his heart stir with an unbearable heat.
“Yes, noble customer, whatever you purchase, you get a 50% discount.”
Wang Jie shifted his gaze to the cataclysm materials on the light screen. He hadn’t expected this added benefit. With a sweep of his hand, he spent all the money he had taken from the Star Fusion Center and the previous amount Jun Hua had given him. “Use the discounted money to buy me the best cataclysm materials.”
“Certainly.”
Leaving the trading hall, Wang Jie felt refreshed.
He had bought a lot, but as he went further, the imprint power required to deepen the imprint’s color increased. He wasn’t sure how long these materials would last.
In the trading hall, his use of the Imperial Guard had caused some stir, but it didn’t reach him, and Jun Hua didn’t mind.
Two months passed.
The cataclysm materials were gone.
Wang Jie was troubled. They had consumed so quickly—multiplied in quantity, no less.
This kind of consumption, if it weren’t for the windfall and the 50% discount from the trading hall, would have taken him at least a year or more of hunting creatures on Slaughter Stone planets, perhaps even longer. This wouldn’t do; he couldn’t afford to waste time on such matters.
In these two months, he had successfully deepened four imprints to a light black color, and his silver ones had transformed into light black in just a few days. The speed was now boosted by his physical training techniques. Without the exercises, even with enough cataclysm materials, it would have taken over half a year to achieve the same result.
Time spent on cultivation and hunting for cataclysm materials added up to two years. And that was only for four imprints—if all Ten Seals were involved, it would take almost five years. Without the Slaughter Stone planets, it would be even longer.
Ten Seals were just the beginning of cultivation. Who would waste so much time on this?
It was no wonder few people deepened their imprints. Even with cultivation techniques, if one’s talent wasn’t sufficient, they wouldn’t have time to waste.
Jun Hua and Yu Dong breaking through with light gray imprints made sense—they had no choice but to rely on external forces.
Now, the problem was, what should he do? He had the techniques but lacked the cataclysm materials. He had to find a way to acquire more.
With this in mind, he had Cheng Qian check how much money was left in the Accompanying Lake residence account. The answer was, there was quite a bit, but not enough for many purchases—just enough to keep Accompanying Lake residence running.
The residence had many personnel, and this expenditure alone was quite a burden. Not to mention the money spent on customized sword tassels.
Wang Jie thought about letting go of some staff, but even if he did, the savings wouldn’t be enough for many materials.
Then it hit him. He looked at Cheng Qian. “I have two Slaughter Stone planets, right?”
Cheng Qian nodded. “Yes, my lord.”
“Can we sell them?”
Cheng Qian froze, staring at Wang Jie, shocked. Sell them?
Wang Jie looked at him expectantly.
Cheng Qian was at a loss for words. He had never considered such a possibility.
The Accompanying Lake residence had always been for housing the lord’s belongings. These belonged to the second or third most powerful figures of the Silver Radiance Empire—figures who were not short on money and never sold off Slaughter Stone planets. In fact, the previous master, Jun Tang, had more than two Slaughter Stone planets.
Wang Jie’s two were unique to Accompanying Lake residence.
Had the master of Accompanying Lake residence ever lacked money? Had Cheng Qian ever lacked money?
“Can we?”
“My lord, are you… really short on money?”
“Extremely short.”
Cheng Qian hesitated. “I… don’t know. How about you ask the emperor directly?”
Wang Jie waved him off. “No need. Go outside and find a buyer. I want to sell the Slaughter Stone planets.”
Cheng Qian was speechless. “This might not be a good idea.” He wanted to tell Wang Jie that the Slaughter Stone planets didn’t belong to him but to Accompanying Lake residence, and if Wang Jie left, what would happen to them?
But Wang Jie was determined, and Cheng Qian couldn’t refuse.
Wang Jie had no time for slow hunts. He wanted quick money.
He didn’t need to worry about what Jun Hua thought. As the emperor, she wouldn’t care about two Slaughter Stone planets, especially since they were the poorest and most depleted ones.
Cheng Qian went to find a buyer, and though he thought about reporting to Jun Hua, he ultimately didn’t. As the steward of Accompanying Lake residence, his first duty was to follow the master’s orders. If he reported it, he’d be branded as a betrayer, and that would destroy his future.
Soon after, he did find a buyer. The buyer was none other than the trading hall.
Wang Jie was speechless when he saw the buyer.
The woman who had given him the 50% discount smiled brightly at him. “Greetings, my lord.”
“Are you buying the Slaughter Stone planets from Accompanying Lake residence?”
She shook her head. “No, we are renting them. The ownership of the Slaughter Stone planets belongs to Accompanying Lake residence and cannot be transferred. We can only rent them for a period.”
She had chosen her words carefully to avoid offending either the future master of Accompanying Lake residence or Wang Jie.
Wang Jie raised an eyebrow. “Why rent? You don’t lack cataclysm materials.”
She smiled. “Why does my lord want to sell?”
Wang Jie understood—she was catering to his tastes.
“I might not be able to offer much.”
“My lord is joking. This is a fair trade. However, before the transaction, there’s one small favor I need to ask.”
“Please speak,” Wang Jie replied, ever courteous.
The woman explained, “There may be powerful ten-seal creatures on the Slaughter Stone planets. Our best hunting team is currently away, and sending an ordinary team might result in accidents. If my lord is willing, you may hunt them yourself, and any spoils will belong to you.”
Wang Jie looked at the woman thoughtfully. “What is your name?”
“Little lady Su Ying Yu.”
Wang Jie nodded. “I’ll remember you. Thank you.”