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Chapter 21 — The World of Adults Speaks Only in Terms of Gains and Losses
Once their cooperation was settled, what followed was the most tedious part — the bargaining over interests.
From the very beginning, Tang Ya negotiated deftly around the bottom-line price Huo Yuhao had proposed, circling the conversation back and forth with Lady Wei Li'na. Her calm and precise control made Wei Li'na even more certain that Tang Ya had powerful backing behind her. After all, how could a little girl possibly understand the pricing structure of Spirit Tools so thoroughly without support?
Before long, the discussion drew to a close. Tang Ya took out a simple storage ring and handed it to Wei Li'na, who, in turn, passed it to the middle-aged man who had remained silent the entire time.
The man accepted the ring, closing his eyes as he probed its contents with his spiritual sense. After a moment, he opened them again and gave Wei Li'na a faint nod. His demeanor was tranquil, but an undercurrent of greed — one of the Seven Deadly Sins — rippled faintly around him.
The power exuding from a Title Douluo was immense, and that single surge of greed made the progress of Huo Yuhao's Original Sin of Greed core skyrocket in an instant.
Well, now, that was an unexpected gain.
Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow. Over the past year, selling grilled fish, he had quietly absorbed traces of sin energy from envious or covetous merchants around him. But since they were all ordinary mortals without Spirit power, the energy he could gather had always been minimal. This time, however, the single burst of greed from this Title Douluo had granted him more than an entire year's worth of accumulation.
Once the middle-aged man gave his approval, Wei Li'na no longer hesitated. She produced another ring filled with a mixture of gold coins and rare metals, smiling as she handed it to Tang Ya.
"I believe the Tang Sect's reserves of Spirit Tools extend far beyond what you've shown us today. I do hope we'll have further opportunities to cooperate in the future."
Tang Ya smiled faintly, pretending not to notice the subtle probing hidden in those words.
"If we happen to discover more, then naturally, there will be opportunities," she replied lightly.
"Since the deal is done," Tang Ya continued, rising from her seat, "we'll take our leave. Farewell."
Just as she and Huo Yuhao turned to go, Wei Li'na's voice stopped her.
"Wait a moment, Miss Tang Ya."
Tang Ya paused and looked back, her expression calm.
"For what happened to your Tang Sect, I offer my condolences," Wei Li'na said softly. "If you ever require aid, we—"
"There's no need."
Before Wei Li'na could even finish, Tang Ya interrupted her, voice level and eyes unwavering.
"Thank you for your kind intentions, Your Highness, but some matters are best resolved by one's own hands."
With that, she opened the door and left, Huo Yuhao following quietly behind her.
Bang.
The door closed, leaving a silence hanging in the lavish room. Wei Li'na turned toward the middle-aged man beside her.
"Dean Ding, what do you think?"
The man sighed, shaking his head slowly.
"It seems I may have overthought things."
His tone carried disbelief.
"Could it be that Shrek Academy's Spirit Tool technology has developed to such a degree, and none of us even noticed?"
That single glove prototype had been enough to shock him. Even in Mingde Hall (T/N: I don't understand where this is. If you know, kindly reply in comments) — the empire's foremost institution of Spirit tool Engineering — such an item would rank among the finest of low-grade Spirit Tools. They would never allow such craftsmanship to circulate freely.
If it truly originated from Shrek, then that meant Shrek's research in Spirit Tools had already reached, or even surpassed, the level of Mingde Hall itself.
If that were the case, then what was the point of the three empires' current power balance? They might as well pack up and go home.
At that moment, the girl who had been silent all along finally spoke up.
"Could it be," Mu Xue asked softly, "that it's just as Dean Uncle said — there's a top-tier Spirit Engineer secretly aiding the Tang Sect?"
Then she added thoughtfully, "I also feel that the boy who came with her — the one about my age — seemed... rather unusual."
Wei Li'na didn't immediately refute her. She smiled and explained gently, "Mu Xue, Dean Ding already said it — the one who crafted these Spirit Tools has a mastery comparable to his own. It's impossible for that to be a child."
"But those were all low-grade Spirit Tools, weren't they? Low-level Spirit Masters can make them too," Mu Xue tilted her head. "Maybe he's just a genius among geniuses?"
Wei Li'na's words caught in her throat for a moment. Dean Ding, however, chuckled and shook his head.
"Impossible. I sensed their Spirit power. One of them has only a single ring, and the other doesn't even have one. They wouldn't have the spiritual strength to forge Spirit Tools at all."
The successful deal had clearly lifted his mood, and he allowed himself a rare laugh.
"Mu Xue, you're still young and don't quite understand Spirit Engineering. To create a Spirit Tool like that requires more than talent — it needs years of experience. If that boy really made them, he must've started learning from the day he was born!"
He burst out laughing at his own joke, his booming voice soon joined by Wei Li'na's soft, melodic laughter.
In that moment, the room was filled with lighthearted mirth.
——
It wasn't until they had left the hotel and turned down two streets that Tang Ya finally relaxed enough to whisper, "Anyone following us?"
Huo Yuhao twitched at the corners of his mouth. So that's why she looked so tense the whole time.
"No one. It's clear."
"Phew—"
Her shoulders instantly loosened. Then, grinning from ear to ear, she pulled out the storage ring, raised it high, and shouted excitedly,
"We're rich! We're rich!"
She froze mid-celebration when she noticed the amused look Huo Yuhao gave her. Coughing twice in mock seriousness, she quickly extended the ring toward him like she was presenting a trophy.
"How'd I do?"
"Excellent," Huo Yuhao replied with a warm smile. "I doubt even Wei Li'na realized that was your first negotiation."
"Of course! Who do you think your Sister Tang Ya is?"
Still smiling, Huo Yuhao touched the ring lightly to his storage wristband, transferring its contents, then handed it back.
"There's your share."
Tang Ya blinked, then yelped in surprise.
"Ah!"
Startled, Huo Yuhao turned. "What is it?"
Tang Ya stared at him with wide eyes, her tone half-shocked, half-scolding.
"You gave me way too much!"
Inside the ring, Huo Yuhao had taken only about sixty percent of the gold coins and rare metals, leaving her with nearly forty.
"Didn't I say? A sixty-forty split," he replied lightly.
"When did you say that?"
Huo Yuhao paused to think, his expression turning a little embarrassed. "Ah… I think you interrupted me before I could."
But Tang Ya didn't laugh. She looked at him quietly, eyes serious.
"Why?"
She knew well that while she had played a role, all she'd really done was connect them to the Heavenly soul royal family and act as the face of the deal. It wasn't worth that much.
"There's no need to belittle yourself," Huo Yuhao said softly. "You contributed far more than you realize. This is only the beginning — I'll need the Tang Sect's connections again in the future. Consider it payment for your effort… and besides," he added with a faint smile, "aren't we friends?"
"But friends shouldn't talk about things like this," she murmured, her voice trembling slightly. "I didn't help you for the money—"
"If there's one thing I can teach you on the road of growth," Huo Yuhao interrupted gently, "it's this: learn to rely on your friends."
He smiled faintly.
"When we're children, we make friends from the heart. But when we grow up… the world of adults speaks only in terms of gains and losses. So why not simply become friends who benefit from helping each other?"
Tang Ya froze for a moment, her head lowering slowly. Behind the fringe of her hair, glistening droplets fell to the ground. She sniffled softly, her voice choked yet tinged with playful reproach.
"You're a few years younger than me, yet you talk like some old man."
"Huh?" Huo Yuhao blinked. "Do I?"
Her laughter rang out, light and genuine, her shoulders trembling as she tried to hold it in.
Huo Yuhao's face darkened slightly, and he shook his head with mock helplessness, turning toward home.
Behind him, Tang Ya suddenly lifted her head, wiping away her tears with a smile. She quickened her pace, caught up to him, and wrapped an arm around his neck, laughing brightly.
"Xiao Yuhao," she said playfully, "I've just decided what path I'm going to take in the future."
"Oh?" Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow.
"Support-type," she said with certainty.
He stopped, turning to her in surprise. In her palm, her Blue Silver Grass appeared — but instead of its usual crystalline blue, its color deepened into a dark, shadowy blue-black.
As she revealed the true form of her martial soul, Tang Ya explained softly, "My Blue Silver Grass actually carries a devouring attribute. It can absorb soul power and life force. If I develop along the support path, I can channel that energy back to my teammates during battle."
Huo Yuhao's eyes widened in understanding. With such an evolution, Tang Ya's Dark Blue Silver Grass would be capable of absorbing enemy energy while simultaneously supporting allies — combining control, energy recovery, and healing into one.
Having her in a team would be like carrying a living energy reservoir — one that could drain opponents while constantly restoring her companions' strength.
Tang Ya laughed happily when she saw his astonishment.
"This way," she said with a grin, "my value of being used will only grow, don't you think?"
(End of Chapter)