Chapter 191: I'm Such an Idiot
Treasure Gathering Pavilion.
Furina stood at the entrance, lowering her head to glance at the gilded invitation in her hand, then raising her eyes to look at the enormous, resplendent building before her—four full stories high.
Over twenty meters tall, shaped like a treasure bowl, its entire body flowing with lustrous brilliance. On each side of the entrance stood two young women in long dresses, around seventeen or eighteen years of age, with sweet features and slender figures. Their fair skin glowed with a soft, gentle light under the golden illumination.
Furina couldn't help but click her tongue.
"They're really loaded..."
Huo Yuhao and the others had long since gone inside. She was the last to arrive. She had originally been debating whether or not to come—after all, with her family fortune, the items in the Treasure Gathering Pavilion were hardly worth her attention. With system points in hand, what couldn't she buy?
Better to focus on her cultivation. For the Goddess of Life's second trial, the quota for treating humans and soul beasts had long since been met; the only thing holding her back now was her soul power.
With her training during this period, she had barely managed to climb to rank 57. But the pace was growing slower and slower, like a snail crawling.
Probably the fault of her ultimate martial soul. Ultimate martial souls had their own set of cultivation rules—the higher the level, the slower the cultivation. She'd have to go ask Shrek for their ultimate martial soul cultivation methods later. Since they were about to cooperate, requesting a few things wasn't too much, was it?
But after turning the matter over in her mind, she still came.
Only a fool passes up a bargain!
With her current talent and strength, getting a Red Card shouldn't be a problem. Being able to take one item for free from the Appreciation Fair every year—she would definitely pick the most expensive, most valuable thing there.
As for that incident in the original story where Dai Huabin sent people to ambush and kill Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong, she wasn't the slightest bit worried.
Huo Yuhao's soul power was high now, and his spiritual power was outrageously strong. Wang Dong was also much stronger than in the original. Once the two of them activated their martial soul fusion technique, plus a pile of trump cards, even without Ma Xiaotao's help, nothing too serious would happen.
"Welcome, esteemed guest!" The young women on both sides bowed in unison, their voices crisp and clear.
One of the white-dressed girls stepped forward and bowed slightly: "Allow me to guide the esteemed guest to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion's Appreciation Fair."
Furina nodded: "Thanks."
"You're most welcome. This way, please."
Furina followed the white-dressed girl up the golden staircase to the second floor.
The second floor was much quieter than the first. Exhibition booths were scattered around seemingly at random, but a closer look revealed that each had been placed in the most conspicuous and optimal position. Enormous crystal glass covers were placed over the booths, and within them, on the display platforms, rested items of every variety.
The white-dressed girl stopped and turned with a smile: "Once again, welcome to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion's Appreciation Fair. The fair is held on the second floor. Esteemed guests may browse at their leisure. If you find an item to your liking, please proceed to the west side to register and purchase. Should you require credit, an evaluation can also be conducted there."
She paused and added: "The evaluation result will determine the discount the esteemed guest enjoys and the amount of credit that can be extended."
Furina nodded: "Alright. Please take me to the evaluation first. It's my first time here, so I'm not very familiar."
"No problem." The white-dressed girl acknowledged and turned toward the west side.
As Furina followed her, she casually surveyed the surrounding exhibits, calculating in her mind what she might take home later.
As she walked, she caught sight of a familiar figure.
It was Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao. They were standing in front of a booth, staring intently at the item inside.
Furina's gaze swept over and landed on the soul bone labeled "Right Arm Bone of the Golden Light." The one Wang Dong had taken a liking to in the original story.
She was just about to look away when Huo Yuhao, as if sensing something, suddenly turned his head.
Their gazes met squarely in midair.
Huo Yuhao paused for a moment, then smiled and waved at her.
Furina waved back in acknowledgment, then continued following the white-dressed girl forward.
Wang Dong had been staring transfixed at that soul bone when she suddenly noticed that Huo Yuhao had gone still. She turned her head toward him and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Huo Yuhao withdrew his gaze and smiled. "Just saw Sister Furina also came."
"Oh?" Wang Dong was a bit surprised. "I thought she wasn't coming. Didn't expect her to show up after all."
After speaking, her gaze fell back upon the soul bone, her brow furrowing slightly.
Right Arm Bone of the Golden Light—Price of this soul bone: 9,500,000 Gold Soul Coins.
"This is way too expensive..." Wang Dong couldn't help but mutter.
Soul bones were inherently among the most expensive things on the Douluo Continent. Thousand-year soul bones were rare, ten-thousand-year ones were hard to come by, and hundred-thousand-year ones were priceless treasures. Yet this soul bone before her—the Golden Emperor Dragon King described in the introduction clearly only had just over ten thousand years of cultivation. It wasn't even fifty thousand years, much less seventy or ninety thousand. Why was it priced so exorbitantly?
In her impression, soul bones rarely exceeded three million Gold Soul Coins.
Huo Yuhao pointed at the two characters "pure bloodline" on the label and analyzed, "That's exactly why it's so expensive. A soul bone with a pure dragon clan bloodline—how could it be inferior? This thing is indeed a fine item, but the price is indeed terrifying."
He smiled wryly: "We can only try using the VIP card I have. Relying solely on your Purple Card, even if I sold off every soul tool I currently have on me, it still wouldn't be enough to make up this sum."
This time was different from the original story. Huo Yuhao hadn't been fought over by the Martial Soul Department and Soul Tool Department because of his twin martial souls. The two departments had begun their dual-cultivation collaboration ahead of time, and with Shrek deciding to cooperate with the Water God Church, they naturally had to show sincerity.
As a member of the Water God Church, coupled with his exceptional talent in soul tools, Huo Yuhao had naturally become a key target for cultivation.
Had it been before the Sea God's Pavilion conference, Qian Duoduo probably wouldn't have been able to resist trying to snatch him away.
Wang Dong turned to look at him, a hint of worry in her eyes: "Isn't this too expensive? You do have a VIP card and can take one item for free, but that's tantamount to owing the academy a favor. As long as you're not an ungrateful person, you'll definitely have to repay it in the future. Is this really good for you? You are a member of the Water God Church, after all."
Huo Yuhao smiled and patted her shoulder: "Thanks for your concern. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. It's just 9,500,000 Gold Soul Coins, right? Once I become a Class 9 soul engineer in the future and craft a few Class 9 soul tools for the academy, won't that be repayment enough?"
He winked, a touch of youthful pride in his voice: "Besides, didn't you say you want to become a god? I'll become one too. After becoming a god, I can go wherever I please—who could control me then?"
Watching his expression, the corner of Wang Dong's mouth couldn't help but curve upward.
"Mm. I believe in you."
She paused, her gaze falling back upon the soul bone, her voice softening a fraction: "Then... I want this soul bone. You go and redeem it. I'll look around a bit more."
She suddenly turned her head and looked at Huo Yuhao seriously: "Thank you, Huo Yuhao. Today, I'm willing to receive this from you. In the future... I'll also be willing to give for you."
Her gaze was soft and tender, a complete departure from her usual brash and unrestrained demeanor.
Huo Yuhao paused for a moment, then burst out laughing and patted her shoulder: "What's with all the sappy talk? Don't be so formal. We're all friends here."
With that, he turned and walked toward the counter on the west side.
Wang Dong stood in place, watching his retreating back. Her lips parted slightly, but in the end, she just sighed softly.
"...Ah, why can't I just say it?"
She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, the tips of her ears reddening faintly.
"I'm such an idiot..."
She lifted her head again and gazed at the soul bone within the crystal cabinet, the one emitting that soft, gentle glow. Her eyes were somewhat dazed and unfocused.
In the distance, Huo Yuhao's figure disappeared into the crowd.
And she just stood there quietly, lost in thought.
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Thanks for reading the chapter!
I started a new translation and I would be very happy if you decided to check out my new translation for a rather rare fandom. It's a crossover based on Mondaiji (Problem Children Are Coming from Another World, Aren't They?)
This story has a somewhat similar style to my other translation for this fandom (same author, after all), but it's completely different from any other fanfic I've come across for this fandom! It's set thousands of years before the original novel/anime, and the MC literally plays a part in shaping the backstory of this world. I really enjoyed it—hope you will too!
Mondaiji: I Really Didn't Want to Become God https://www.webnovel.com/book/36945944200410205