In response to Qu Jianlei's question, the Artifact Spirit argued with conviction.
"It was nothing more than some worldly possessions. I didn't cause you or your team any greater losses."
Qu Jianlei found that rather baffling. "Do all beings like you Artifact Spirits act so self-righteously after doing something wrong?"
The Artifact Spirit replied, "If I am willing to cooperate, my value far exceeds those few possessions. Don't you think the previous deal was unfair?"
"You really..." Qu Jianlei felt rather depressed.
After a pause, he said, "Isn't the point that... I wasn't the one who proposed the deal? You approached me first."
"You set the terms yourself, then went back on them, and now you're blaming the deal for being unfair?"
The Artifact Spirit fell silent. After a while, it answered, "I had originally thought of it as borrowing from you, and I intended to pay it back later."
Qu Jianlei's feelings were truly complicated. Strictly speaking, the Artifact Spirit had not actually caused him any further harm.
Financial matters could be very serious, but if one chose not to dwell on them, they were not such a big deal either.
Besides, worldly wealth truly no longer mattered to their team. They were qualified to say they had no interest in money.
The scarce resources used for cultivation were what the team actually sought.
Yet hearing the other party brush it off so lightly still left him feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
Qu Jianlei pondered for three or four seconds before shaking his head and answering gravely.
"There's no need. You protected Xiao Hu, so we're even... I have no interest in testing human nature—or an Artifact Spirit's character."
"This time, you can refine the Abode," the Artifact Spirit said earnestly. "That will ensure there won't be a next time."
Qu