"Mr. Skydream... do you... understand the significance of what this object represents?"
"I do."
Huo Yuhao nodded calmly.
Ever since he chose to condense nine Soul Cores to ascend to the position of God King in a single bound, he knew that a mere trickle of emotions would not be enough.
He had to stand higher and do more; he had to let more people know him and recognize him, thereby generating all kinds of emotions toward him.
Whether those emotions were positive or negative, he had to do it! Besides, this world was indeed becoming somewhat decadent...
Raising his hand, Huo Yuhao placed another ring on the table and spoke:
"Inside this are the blueprints for the Soul Power Storage Core, 1000 finished units, and 10,000 special chips used to manufacture them.
"The 1000 finished units are my gift to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. As for the blueprints, I want the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to make them public to the entire continent in my name. Remember, they must carry my signature.
"Finally, regarding those 10,000 special chips, I hope the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect can sell them all. You decide the price; I only want half of the proceeds, and the other half will be your compensation."
After speaking, Huo Yuhao fell silent, waiting for the noble lady's response.
At this moment, the lady was struggling to maintain her composed facade.
She understood Soul Tools. After all, ever since her brother took over the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he had been contemplating ways for the sect to transform.
Through constant exposure, she had naturally come into contact with things related to Soul Tools. Similarly, she knew how much importance the Sun Moon Empire placed on them.
In the Sun Moon Empire, anyone who awakened Soul Power—regardless of the amount—possessed the right to free education. Furthermore, if one became a Class 1 Soul Tool Master, they could receive monthly Gold Soul Coins from the Sun Moon Empire official government.
One must remember that the last organization to do such a thing was the Martial Soul Hall from ten thousand years ago!
Although the Martial Soul Hall was eventually destroyed by the Sea God, its past might remained indisputable! And now, the Sun Moon Empire was likewise beginning to rise.
As a neutral sect, they saw things far more clearly than the original three empires of the Douluo Continent. It was precisely because of this that her brother had been desperately searching for a way to reform the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!
The future would undoubtedly belong to the era of Soul Tools. In that era, only those with enough Soul Tool Masters would be able to secure a foothold.
And this Soul Power Storage Core was something that could accelerate the emergence of Soul Tool Masters—it could even allow ordinary people without Soul Power to become Soul Tool Masters! This was a true object of revolution!
The lady remained silent for a long while. Finally, she looked up at Huo Yuhao. "Master Skydream, I am sorry... I do not have the authority to make a decision on this matter..."
Huo Yuhao raised his hand, cutting her off.
"Whether you do it depends on you and the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect behind you. I have finished what I came to do. If you agree, then simply proceed as I have said. If you do not wish to, I will find someone else to do it for me."
Huo Yuhao paused for a moment before saying: "Our previous trade remains in effect. I will not break our contract."
With that, he stood up, preparing to leave.
"Wait, Master Skydream!" the lady called out, stopping Huo Yuhao in his tracks.
"Master Skydream, I have one last question."
Huo Yuhao stopped and looked at her.
"In the end, which power will you choose as your backing?"
"Shrek."
Huo Yuhao spoke, then continued walking out. This time, the lady did not stop him.
...
As the door closed and Huo Yuhao truly left the room, the lady's maintained calm instantly vanished. Her entire being turned into a "salted fish."
"Oh heavens... Little Tian, let your auntie hug you. Your auntie is about to break..."
Discarding her image, the lady pulled Ning Tian into a tight embrace, rubbing her face against Ning Tian's cheek while grumbling:
"This Master Skydream is truly unfathomable... That bastard brother of mine couldn't come himself? He just had to make me deal with this! Honestly!"
In her arms, Ning Tian's expression was somewhat stiff, looking like she wanted to resist but didn't dare. After a long while, she seemed to remember something and whispered:
"Auntie... will you agree to Master Skydream—I mean, Teacher Skydream's request? After all... didn't Father say this matter was entirely up to you?"
The lady blinked and gently released Ning Tian. She pinched Ning Tian's clean, fair little cheek and spoke in a tone half-teaching and half-relaxed:
"I will. Why wouldn't I? Actually, from the moment he made the request, I had already agreed."
"Then why didn't Auntie agree immediately? Wouldn't that have earned Teacher Skydream's favor?"
The lady looked at the earnest Ning Tian, rubbed her head, and said softly:
"Favor isn't something that can be cultivated through one or two instances of fawning; it must be a steady, long-term flow."
"Your Teacher Skydream is a smart man, so conventional methods won't work."
"Although he says he wants to join Shrek, the reality is that he hasn't yet. If we step forward now to sell the 'Soul Power Storage Core' for him, our Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will surely become the center of attention."
"Therefore, if we want to stay out of the crosshairs, we must wait until after he joins Shrek before we step forward. At that time, our actions will be seen as 'taking money to perform a service,' and thus won't attract any enmity."
"Do you understand what I'm saying, Xiao Tian?" The lady was always patient with Ning Tian.
Even though dealing with such things was a bit early for an eight-year-old, as her brother's only offspring and the future Sect Master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Tian had to understand these things in advance...
A moment later, the two finished their chat. Ning Tian returned to her room deep in thought. However, just as she entered, a fiery red figure instantly latched onto her.
"Little Tian! You're finally back!"
Wu Feng hugged Ning Tian, looking overjoyed.
"Yes, I'm back, Little Feng."
Ning Tian smiled. Wu Feng was her best friend; the two had been inseparable since childhood. After a brief hesitation, Ning Tian told Wu Feng about what happened today, omitting certain details.
A moment later, after hearing everything, Wu Feng nodded: "So that's how it is... I was wondering why Uncle Sect Master suddenly sent you to Shrek City. It turns out it was to have you apprentice under a master..."
Wu Feng breathed a sigh of relief, then asked curiously:
"Then what kind of person is that teacher of yours, Skydream? Is he really worth Uncle Sect Master trying so hard to recruit?"
"Teacher Skydream..."
Ning Tian blinked, looking a bit conflicted. A moment later, she spoke: "Teacher Skydream is very powerful, and..."
He smells a bit nice... I inexplicably want to lean in and catch a scent...
Ning Tian silently finished the sentence in her heart.