Chapter 33: One Hundred Thousand Crystal Coins (Second Update)

ps: Because of the issue with the scribe, brothers, you have been waiting for a long time, and the scribe is truly sorry. There will be another chapter, but the scribe does not know when it will be finished. Take a rest for now; tomorrow morning, when you wake up, you will surely see the scribe's update!

It took the Star Condensation Squad three days to travel from Lingfeng City to Wushan City. Now, with Ke Bei having mastered the Ripple Step, he returned from Wushan City in only half a day.

Upon entering Lingfeng City, Ke Bei no longer used the Ripple Step. He stepped onto the familiar streets, walking slowly.

He lifted his head slightly and glanced at the deep, dark night above. The silver starlight twinkling against the night sky seemed to dance like silver sprites atop a black velvet carpet, and Ke Bei’s heavy heart eased a little.

At midnight, Ke Bei’s lonely figure appeared in the northern part of the city, at Mingye Community.

Ke Bei gazed silently at Captain Gu Kun’s home, standing there for a long time. He sighed quietly before finally lifting his feet and heading toward Building Eighteen.

Knock, knock, knock!

Ke Bei looked up at the sign that read 605, exhaled gently, and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Who is it? Coming, coming."

Li Qianqian rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked, her voice a little lazy.

“It’s me, Ke Bei.”

Bang!

The door flew open. Hearing Ke Bei was back, Li Qianqian immediately perked up.

“Go shower first. I’ll make you something to eat.”

Li Qianqian looked at Ke Bei, whose upper body was bare and whose clothes were covered in dust, and spoke gently.

“Qianqian, don’t bother. I’m not hungry. Go rest.”

Ke Bei smiled at Li Qianqian and headed for the bathroom.

After a hot shower, Ke Bei returned to the room and fell into a deep sleep, not waking until midday the next day.

He pushed open the door and walked out of the bedroom, seeing Li Qianqian sitting at the dining table.

“You’re awake. Come, eat something,” Li Qianqian said with a gentle smile.

“Mm.”

Ke Bei nodded and sat across from Li Qianqian.

He enjoyed a sumptuous lunch, tidied his clothes, and glanced at Li Qianqian as she cleaned the dishes, a smile curling at his lips.

He touched the divine pill in his pocket, greeted Li Qianqian, and headed straight for the Eastern City Guardian Squad's military district.

“Star Condensation Squad, submitting task.”

At the Eastern City Guardian Squad's military district, Ke Bei walked to the task submission point and addressed the young woman responsible for recording tasks.

“Yes, please wait a moment while I check.”

The young woman quickly perused the records.

“The task assigned to the Star Condensation Squad was to investigate the possible presence of a divine race in Wushan City.”

She spoke softly.

“Yes, that’s the one,” Ke Bei nodded, and continued.

“The task is completed. There was indeed a low-level divine race member in Wushan City, and it has been slain by the human expert Luo Ling!”

“All right, it’s been logged. Within three days, a designated auditor will confirm completion. Once confirmed, Star Condensation Squad will receive six hundred contribution points.”

The young woman smiled at Ke Bei.

“Thank you.”

Ke Bei nodded and walked out, heading toward the northern part of the military camp.

At the northernmost edge of the camp was an internal trading market. Members of the Guardian Squad brought materials acquired from slaying beasts here to sell.

“Tsk, tsk, Bloodthirsty Wild Leopard—this is a mid-level beast! Old Wang, you’ve made a big profit this time, you’ll have to treat us later!”

“Haha, not bad, just lucky this time.”

“How did Old Zhang do this time?”

“Don’t mention it. Three brothers were seriously injured. The money from selling one low-level beast probably won’t even cover their medical bills.”

The internal trading market was bustling, crowded with people and voices. Even in the military camp, few places saw so many people.

Ke Bei stepped into the trading market and was immediately struck by the lively atmosphere. The noise was overwhelming, and Ke Bei had never seen so many people in the camp.

“Hey, young brother, are you new here?”

As Ke Bei gazed at the passing crowds in a daze, a hearty voice suddenly sounded from behind him.

“Yes, it’s my first time here.”

Ke Bei looked at the middle-aged man who struck up a conversation, and nodded gently.

“First time, huh? Then you probably don’t know which place pays the best for goods.”

Hearing it was Ke Bei’s first visit, the middle-aged man became excited.

“What? There are many places here?”

Ke Bei was surprised. He had only heard Captain Gu Kun mention the existence of such a place in the camp but knew little about the details.

“Of course! There are dozens of shops, big and small.”

The middle-aged man warmly pulled Ke Bei aside.

“I feel a connection with you, brother. Come with me, I guarantee I’ll take you to the fairest-priced shop.”

“All right.”

Ke Bei smiled, his mind clear—so this middle-aged brother was a broker. But he didn’t care. A divine pill was worth a hundred thousand crystal coins; he knew this well. As long as the price wasn’t below a hundred thousand, it didn’t matter who bought it.

Ke Bei followed the middle-aged man, weaving through the crowd for over ten minutes before reaching the shop he claimed offered the fairest prices.

“By the way, young brother, what are you selling?”

The middle-aged man looked at Ke Bei and smiled kindly.

“Oh, nothing much, just a little something,” Ke Bei replied casually, following the man into the shop.

Hearing it was just a small thing, a flicker of disappointment flashed across the middle-aged man’s face. He had an agreement with this shop: for each customer he brought, he received a one percent commission.

If Ke Bei’s goods were only worth a few hundred crystal coins, he would have labored in vain, earning only a handful of coins.

“What are you selling, young man?”

This remote shop was nearly empty. Upon hearing Ke Bei wanted to sell something, the shop owner, Mr. Wu, about fifty years old with a goatee, warmly came forward.

“This.”

Ke Bei slowly took out the crystal-clear divine pill and handed it to Mr. Wu.

The moment Ke Bei produced the pill, a rich fragrance filled the air.

“Divine... divine pill!”

Mr. Wu’s shrewd little eyes flashed with brilliance, his goatee quivering, and he exclaimed, his voice trembling.

“What? Divine pill!”

The middle-aged man who brought Ke Bei in flushed with excitement and shouted.

A low-level divine pill was worth a hundred thousand crystal coins; one percent commission meant a thousand coins. This single deal was worth more than a month’s income for him—how could he not be excited?

“A hundred thousand crystal coins.”

Ke Bei intended to send this money to the families of the Star Condensation Squad and didn’t want to waste time, so he stated his price directly.

“No problem, young brother. I, Wu Tie, am an honest man. Since it’s your first time, I’ll add two thousand more, just to make friends.”

Wu Tie’s face twitched, but he didn’t haggle; instead, he proactively added two thousand. Ke Bei was a little surprised.

“Ha, straightforward!”

Ke Bei glanced at Mr. Wu, laughed heartily, accepted the one hundred and two purple crystal coins Mr. Wu handed over, and walked out. His figure quickly vanished into the crowd.

Mr. Wu’s eyes shone brilliantly as he casually tossed a purple crystal coin to the middle-aged man.

“Mr. Wu, why did you give him two thousand extra crystal coins?”

The middle-aged man took the purple crystal coin and asked in confusion. He knew a divine pill was worth about a hundred thousand crystal coins, so Mr. Wu had given away an extra three thousand. That might mean no profit, perhaps even a slight loss.

“A fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy able to slay a low-level member of the divine race—do you know what that means?”

Wu Tie lit a bag of tobacco, took a deep drag, and finally spoke.