TN: UH OH! You guys time traveled, and so I had to rollback reality (just only 2 hours or so) :))
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The moment Jade finished speaking, everyone present understood her true intention.
No one here was foolish. Reaching this level required far more than just brute strength.
"That's way too cunning!" Feixiao blurted out what she was thinking.
Her first instinct was that this was a new tactic devised by the IPC after finding itself at a disadvantage in the competition with the Xianzhou over the trash cans.
If someone from the IPC became the proprietress of this shop, would there even be a need to argue over ownership of the Trash Cans anymore? In an instant, they'd go from merchandise to private property!
But after closely observing Jade's expression, Feixiao immediately realized—this had nothing to do with the IPC. This was entirely Jade's own decision.
That look—of being willing to give everything for a long-cherished wish—was one Feixiao herself had once worn. It couldn't be faked.
Even so, that didn't mean she could approve of this marriage.
But did she even have the standing to oppose it?
She wasn't Sylvester's parents—how was she supposed to interfere?!
And as for expecting Sylvester himself to reject it…
Was that even possible?
She sized up Sylvester, who was deep in thought, and secretly ground her teeth.
Wasn't this exactly the age when men were most interested in such things?
What's more, Jade was practically throwing herself at him. With her looks and the countless dowries she could bring, Feixiao couldn't honestly imagine anyone rejecting such a deal.
In the past, it was always young men seeking wealthy women for patronage. Now the world had completely flipped!
For a moment, the invincible, ever-victorious general panicked like a fox on a hot griddle, utterly unsure what to do.
Damn it—she should've brought Jiaoqiu along. That guy was full of dirty tricks; he'd definitely have a solution for this with a snap of his fingers!
While Feixiao was frazzled and Jade waited with eager anticipation, Sylvester maintained a solemn expression—while inwardly sighing.
Having power really was something else. A few lines of "fictional narrative" used to bluff people back then were still causing this kind of upheaval now.
So much so that it even attracted a high-ranking executive famous across the cosmos to throw herself at him.
Fate really did have a twisted sense of humor…
Why were they all so fixated on that thing?
That thing couldn't be shown to anyone—especially not placed in the middle of a discussion about romantic relationships!
He looked at Jade, unsure what to say.
Her all-in resolve was admirable, and the terms she offered were undeniably tempting.
But the ending would still be his social death.
This really was… fate playing tricks on him.
Sylvester frowned and said awkwardly, "Ahem. Thank you, Miss Jade, for your generosity. However, a few days ago, while sealing the Trash Cans, I… accidentally sealed that whip inside one of them. At present, I'm afraid the only way to retrieve it would be to open the cans again."
"Hoo—"
Feixiao let out a long sigh of relief.
She didn't believe for a second that the whip—an item tied so closely to memories of his master—could be sealed away by accident.
This was clearly a deliberate accident.
And the reason for saying it was obvious—it was a polite rejection.
Still… why would he refuse?
Afraid of corporate infiltration? Please. Who was infiltrating whom was still up in the air.
Then there was only one possible explanation.
He already had someone he liked.
But who could it be?
Feixiao pinched her chin, mentally rifling through the intelligence Jing Yuan had shared with her, trying to find some clue.
"Then… I suppose I'll wait until I retrieve it before raising this matter again," Jade said, her voice tinged with helplessness and a trace of disappointment.
Being rejected after a full-hearted confession was never going to feel good.
But Sylvester had given her a graceful way out, and she accepted it.
Moments later, she regained her smile and said to him, "Shopkeeper Sylvester, I was indeed presumptuous today. But you should be able to feel how genuine my desire is to obtain the most valuable things in the star sea. So—I won't give up."
There was plenty of time.
His shop stood right here in Exalting Sanctum—where could it possibly run off to?
And when it came to investments with enormous returns, patience was something she never lacked.
Tomorrow, she'd submit a report to Diamond. She would take up a long-term post at the Luofu branch and devote herself fully to cultivating this project.
With her spirits renewed, Jade turned her gaze to the shelves.
Hmm… if she really did pull out that whip on the spot, what kind of reaction would Sylvester have?
Chuckling softly, she took down the final four Trash Cans and opened them all at once.
After what had just happened, Jade's expectations for the Trash Cans had diminished somewhat.
But what she hadn't expected was that within these mere four cans, another purple light would appear!
Could this be what the Xianzhou called "losing in the east, gaining in the west"?
The power of purple-tier Curios was plain for all to see. The Demon Blade: Thousand Blades and Type-59 just obtained by Jingliu were proof enough—let alone the earlier weapons imbued with conceptual power.
Yet when the glow faded, Jade frowned in confusion.
Only three Curios were displayed on the counter.
Where was the fourth?
Had she opened an empty can?
As she looked on in puzzlement, Sylvester reviewed the information on all four Curios, nodding quietly at first.
There really was something among them that would be of great help to Jade.
But when he saw the purple Curio, his expression changed dramatically.
That thing again?!
[Anywhere Door:A door that can lead to any place. Range limited to a radius of one light-year. As long as the destination is imagined when opening the door, the location behind it will automatically correspond to that image.]
[Pawnshop Appraiser (Xianzhou Special Edition):A machine shaped like a plaster bust. Once activated, placing an item before it will cause the bust to describe the item's properties in Xianzhou-style phrasing and provide an estimated value.]
[Rebellious Fountain Pen: Contains infinite ink, but produces none when writing normally. However, when used for doodling, it sprays ink extravagantly.]
[Meme (Show me the money): Each time the phrase "Show me the money" is read aloud once, every bank account in the universe that stores Credits will transfer one (1) Credit into the user's account.]
Sylvester rubbed his chin.
With that final Curio, wouldn't one effectively become a god who controlled wealth across the cosmos?
Fortunately, the deductions were made from bank accounts—traceable targets—and the IPC wasn't powerful enough to act completely without restraint. Other forces still existed to keep it in check.
Otherwise…
The IPC might very well use this thing to seize control of the entire universe's economy.
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