Star Trace Gate

Chapter 936 A Shopping Spree, Encountering an Old Friend in a Foreign Land

For Little Bad King, receiving missions from both the Order and Chaos factions simultaneously was actually a good thing. While the missions were more difficult, successfully completing them would undoubtedly yield double the rewards.

As the saying goes, high risk, high reward... For the perpetually short-handed Little Bad King, the temptation of this double reward was simply too great. After all, his fifth-rank promotion assignment meant expanding Qingliang Prefecture into a "state" and increasing the population base to over fifty million.

Putting everything else aside, just the brief descriptions of these two promotions are enough to suggest how expensive they are. Expanding territory means potentially having to use troops and fight wars. But once the flames of war are ignited, it's definitely a bottomless pit that can't be filled. And considering Little Bad King's current Star Source savings of over ten million, let alone mobilizing troops, even buying each soldier a pair of thermal underwear might be a bit of a struggle.

Therefore, when he first received this promotion mission, he never thought of going head-to-head with Daqian. Instead, he chose to send Qiu Zhanggui, the empire's strongest agent, and then use the cards he already had to carry out a long-term plan. He took the path of dividing and subverting, and trying to steal the enemy's home.

Even so, the cooperation of southern Xinjiang will be needed later, and a lot of money will be spent to bribe various parties in order to seize the opportunity to act.

Furthermore, if the population is to increase to 50 million in a short period of time, it will involve resettlement and appeasement, and the cost will certainly be a terrifying figure.

In conclusion, the phrase "extremely short of money" is Xiao Huaiwang's lifelong enemy. The reason he is so stingy and miserly, always trying to swindle and take advantage of others... is not only due to some "talented" personality traits, but also because he is forced into this situation.

If we don't save a little and don't accumulate some beforehand, how can we face the civil and military officials of Qingliang Prefecture, and Brother Huang who is almost an old eunuch?

Therefore, when he received assignments from both major factions at the same time, he was secretly delighted and grateful to the heavens. For the first time, he felt that the gatekeeper had finally done something for him and given him an opportunity to make a fortune. However, he never expected that the two major factions' assignments would be so conflicting that they could not be completed at the same time.

He was so angry that he almost lost his temper. After cursing under his breath, he gradually calmed down and tried to find the key point of the matter.

The mischievous boy sat in the chair, blinking his clever little eyes, and suddenly asked Long Er, "Master, I would like to ask, is the little monk Zhenyi, whom I am about to impersonate, already dead?"

Long Er paused slightly, then shook his head and said, "This matter is confidential."

“…Alright.” Ren didn’t dwell on it anymore, and continued to ask, “You must have spied on that wisp of Zhenyi’s soul, right? And you know his purpose in going to Beifeng Town, right?”

"Yes." Long Er nodded in acknowledgment: "He went to help Yuyang find the Enlightenment Ginseng Fruit."

“That’s right.” Ren Ye immediately nodded in agreement, “The Enlightenment Ginseng Fruit is on Wang Anquan, and you want me to turn him against his own side and conspire with him to do something big; but the little monk Zhenyi wants to kill him in secret. These two things are in huge conflict… So what should I do?”

Upon hearing this question, Long Er couldn't help but show his appreciation: "This matter is so complicated, yet you were able to consider this step in such a short time. You are indeed a thoughtful and clever person."

“However, as far as I know, Wang Anquan hasn’t refined the Enlightenment Ginseng Fruit yet. In order to allow you to remain infiltrated at Tianzhao Temple for a long time and gradually gain Yuyang’s absolute trust, I will find a way to get Wang Anquan to hand over the Ginseng Fruit to help you complete your mission. Of course… if Wang Anquan has already refined the Ginseng Fruit and made it linked to his own life… then we can only take it one step at a time. For example, if he is willing to fall and has completely surrendered to Tianzhao Temple, you can also secretly kill him.” Long Er frowned slightly and said, “But no matter what happens, you only need to remember one thing. That is… you are the punching bag of order, you are the most promising spy of Fulong Pavilion… so what you need to do is fight for order as much as possible, and fight for the mission I have assigned you.”

"Alright, stop washing, my head is already full of water..." Ren Ye thought to himself as he listened to the other party's brainwashing words, before asking, "Sect Master, there's one more thing."

"What is it?" Long Er asked, fiddling with his folding fan.

“You see, I am a loyal warrior of our Order faction. My personal aura and the characteristics of my divine magic and secret techniques cannot be hidden. But going to Northwind Town is tantamount to going deep into enemy territory on a mission... If something unexpected happens and I have to fight with someone... wouldn't I be completely exposed as soon as I use my divine magic?”

"So, I'd like to ask... besides the identity of 'True Little Monk' that our Fulong Pavilion has prepared for me, do you have any other means to conceal my identity? For example, could you give me a supreme treasure that can cover up the aura of someone from the Order... or perhaps, a few divine pills or something?!" Ren Ye stretched his neck, his expression extremely righteous, as if all his suggestions were based on the overall interests of the Order and not on personal gain.

Upon hearing this, Long Er remained silent for a full five or six breaths before replying softly, "You've experienced so much in the migration area; you should be a mature punching bag by now. You're all grown up now, so you can't ask me about everything... You need to learn to find solutions on your own."

After he finished speaking, he gave Ren Ye an encouraging look.

Screw you, mature punching bag? Just say you don't even want to pay a penny, why are you just being so stubborn? ... Ren suddenly realized that the other person's leadership style was similar to his own; both were the type who could make empty promises and provide emotional value, but couldn't talk about money.

“I can figure it out myself, but to do something this big, we need some funding, right?” Ren Ye had completely lost his shame and, with the intention of cutting corners as much as possible, made the request again.

Seeing that this kid was the type who wouldn't act until he saw a benefit, Long Er raised his hand and waved it away, utterly speechless.

"brush……!"

A burst of light suddenly swept through the room, and then an open box appeared abruptly on the ground, containing 500,000 Star Sources.

He glanced at Ren Ye indifferently: "Take this 500,000 Star Sources. When you get to Beifeng Town, make some money to those chaotic people and build up your reputation."

Even a small amount of money is still money, so Ren accepted the 500,000 Star Sources without hesitation. He then stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "I will do my best on this trip and strive not to disappoint the Pavilion Master's high expectations."

"I wish you a triumphant return." Long Er waved to Ren Ye with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Then let's go together...!" Ren Ye asked mischievously, seeing him sitting in the chair without moving.

"Ahem..." Long Er coughed twice and said righteously, "You go first, I'll stay here... I have some things to do."

Damn it, you might as well just say you're staying here because you still have some unfinished business to take care of... Ren Ye saw through the other person's character at a glance, and then awkwardly laughed and said, "Thank you for your hard work, then I'll be leaving now."

"Hmm." Long Er slowly picked up his tea and nodded.

Ren Ye clasped his hands in farewell and turned to walk to the door, but then suddenly stopped and couldn't help but turn back to ask, "...Sect Leader, I'm really curious. With your status, and as the leader of my Fulong Pavilion...why do you insist on wearing a mask and walking around in this crowded place? Aren't you afraid of being too conspicuous?"

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent.

Long Er, holding his teacup, paused for a long time before replying solemnly with a melancholy and magnetic voice: "You may not know this, but my appearance is too handsome and unparalleled, driving countless women in Tiandu mad and causing them to harbor evil thoughts, resulting in many human tragedies. For the peace of Tiandu and the harmony of families... I had no choice but to cover my face with the 'Azure Jade Flying Dragon Mask,' sacrificing my own interests for the greater good."

"Damn it." Ren Ye's mouth agape after hearing this, and he instinctively cursed the national treasure.

"Who are you cursing?!" Long Er asked, somewhat surprised.

"It's nothing, I'm just amazed... that you have the exact same experience as me." Ren replied smoothly before turning and leaving Xiaoyu Pavilion.

As he walked, he mentally made a precise summary of his new boss: "This Mr. Long Er is a super pretentious person who can make empty promises and brainwash people, and he's also very sassy."

Faced with such a pavilion master, Little Bad King could only secretly pray that this guy's work ability wouldn't be too bad, and that he wouldn't be even more useless than that punching bag who disappeared at the beginning... After all, according to the description of the Heavenly Dao, he might have to deal with him for a long time to come.

……

After leaving the Qionghua Pavilion, Ren Ye plunged into the bustling West Tower area of ​​Tiandu, intending to conduct a large-scale procurement there.

The West Tower Market was an official market specifically for monks. It covered three streets and had nearly 10,000 shops and stalls. It handled at least hundreds of thousands of buyers every day. Therefore, it was the largest market in the north of the migration area, extremely prosperous, with a wide variety of goods.

Ren Ye came to Xita Market because Long Er said that he was already a mature punching bag and should find a way to disguise his aura of order and divine magic. Therefore, he had to come here to buy some magical treasures, pills, and talismans filled with chaotic evil energy.

While on his way, he had already reconnected with the Heavenly Dao and clearly learned that during his undercover career, he would not be forbidden from inheriting the Human Emperor's legacy, as well as various treasures, divine techniques, and secret arts.

To put it bluntly, his title in the Village of Illusions has ended. In the main storyline of the City of Heaven, he can use all his power, but he must be cautious and bear the consequences of his identity being exposed.

In the secret realm of the Illusory Village, Ren Ye once obtained the magical artifact "Ten Thousand Gu Jar" from the three Yu brothers. Although this artifact is an ominous and evil object, and has not yet recognized a master, it strongly rejects Ren Ye's aura of order and even his luck. However, when he infuses it with spiritual power, he can use the Imperial Dao Qi to forcibly suppress the evil spiritual energy in the Ten Thousand Gu Jar, briefly activating the artifact and displaying its divine power.

In this way, when he forcibly uses the Eternal Jar, he will emit a strong evil aura, which can smoothly disguise him as a chaotic person, thus deceiving others.

But having only one Wan Gu Jar is not enough, because using only one magic weapon can easily arouse suspicion. Therefore, he plans to buy several other magic weapons, accessories, talismans, etc. that can conceal his aura.

And so, the little rascal wandered around the bustling city of West Tower by himself for a while, spending nearly three million Star Sources to purchase the disguise suit.

He bought twelve "Blood Soul Flying Knives," a peerless treasure of the fifth rank. These knives had accompanied their host for half their life until the host died in a secret realm, after which they became ownerless and were later obtained and taken out by others.

These Blood Soul Flying Knives are specifically designed to strike the souls of cultivators. They are incredibly unpredictable and impossible to defend against. That's why these twelve knives cost Ren Ye over 1.8 million Star Sources.

As his cultivation level improved, Little Bad King also personally felt that his expenses for each trip to a new secret realm were steadily increasing, and now, they were even reaching millions of dollars at a time.

After a restrained round of shopping, over three million Star Sources were gone. Of course, this was related to the special nature of his mission, as he needed to disguise his identity and buy some magical treasures that he wouldn't normally use. But this also gave Little Bad King the feeling that Star Sources were becoming increasingly worthless and depreciating.