Choosing a Patron

Choosing a Patron

"Mr. Sky Dream, do you know what this thing represents?"

"I do."

Huo Yuhao nodded calmly.

Ever since he had chosen to condense nine Soul Cores and ascend to the position of God King in a single step, he had known that merely eliciting a little emotion would not be enough.

He had to stand higher and accomplish more, letting more people know of him and recognize him, thereby stirring all kinds of emotions within them.

Whether those emotions were positive or negative, he had to do this!

Besides, this world truly had become somewhat rotten.

Raising his hand, Huo Yuhao placed another ring on the table before speaking.

"Inside are the blueprints for the Soul Guide Storage Core, one thousand finished products, and ten thousand special chips used to manufacture Soul Guide Storage Cores.

"The one thousand finished products are my gift to the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. As for the blueprints, I hope the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect will release them to the entire continent in my name. Remember, my signature must be included.

"As for the final ten thousand special chips, I hope the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect can sell them all. You may decide the price yourselves. I only want half of the money earned; the other half will be your payment."

After saying that, Huo Yuhao fell silent and waited for the Noblewoman before him to answer.

Yet at this moment, the Noblewoman was already struggling to maintain her composed demeanor.

She understood Soul Tools. Ever since her elder brother had taken over the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, he had begun considering how the sect could transform itself.

Through constant exposure, she had naturally come into contact with matters related to Soul Tools. Likewise, she knew how highly the Sun Moon Empire valued them.

In the Sun Moon Empire, anyone who awakened Soul Power, regardless of how much they possessed, had the right to attend school for free. Moreover, after becoming a first-rank Soul Engineer, they could receive Gold Soul Coins from the Sun Moon Empire's government every month.

One had to remember that the last organization to do this had been Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago!

Although Spirit Hall had ultimately been destroyed by the Sea God, its strength remained beyond dispute!

And now, the Sun Moon Empire was beginning to rise as well.

As a neutral sect, they saw matters far more clearly than the Douluo Continent's original three great empires. It was precisely because of this that her brother had been agonizing over methods to reform the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect!

The future would undoubtedly belong to the era of Soul Tools. In that era, only those with enough Soul Engineers could possibly gain a firm foothold.

And this Soul Power Storage Core was something that could accelerate the emergence of Soul Engineers. It could even allow ordinary people without Soul Power to become Soul Engineers!

This was a true instrument of change!

The Noblewoman fell silent. After a long while, she raised her head and looked at Huo Yuhao. "Master Tianmeng, I'm sorry. I don't have the authority to make this decision."

Huo Yuhao raised a hand, interrupting her.

"Whether you do it or not depends on you and the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect behind you. I have already done what I needed to do. If you agree, then simply proceed as I said. If you don't, I'll find someone else to help me with this."

Huo Yuhao paused slightly before continuing, "Our previous deal remains valid. I will not break the agreement."

With that, he rose to his feet, ready to leave.

"Wait, Master Tianmeng!" the Noblewoman called out, stopping him in his tracks.

"Master Tianmeng, I have one final question."

Huo Yuhao stopped and looked at the Noblewoman.

"Which force will you ultimately choose as your patron?"

"Shrek."

Huo Yuhao answered, then continued walking outside. This time, the Noblewoman did not stop him.

As the door closed, Huo Yuhao truly left the room. The Noblewoman's carefully maintained composure instantly vanished, and she went completely limp.

"Good heavens. Xiao Tian, hurry and let Aunt hug you. Your aunt is about to fall apart."

Ignoring her image entirely, the Noblewoman pulled Ning Tian into her arms and hugged her. Then, she rubbed her cheek against Ning Tian's again and again while complaining.

"This Master Tianmeng is impossible to read! Couldn't that bastard of a brother of mine come himself? Why did he have to make me deal with this? Honestly!"

In her arms, Ning Tian's expression stiffened slightly. She looked like she wanted to resist but did not dare to. After a long while, as if remembering something, she softly asked, "Aunt, will you agree to Master Tianm—um, Teacher Tianmeng's request? After all, didn't Father say that this matter was entirely yours to handle?"

The Noblewoman blinked, gently released Ning Tian, then pinched her fair little cheeks. Half instructive and half casual, she said, "Of course I will. Why wouldn't I? Actually, I agreed the moment he made that request."

"Then why didn't you agree right away, Aunt? Wouldn't that have won Teacher Tianmeng's goodwill?"

Looking at the earnest Ning Tian, the Noblewoman reached out and stroked her head before gently replying, "Goodwill isn't something that can be cultivated through one or two attempts at winning someone over. It has to build gradually over time.

"Your Teacher Tianmeng is a smart man, so conventional methods won't work on him.

"Although he said he wants to join Shrek, he hasn't actually done so yet. If we step forward now and sell the 'Soul Power Storage Core' for him, our Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect will definitely become the focus of everyone's attention.

"So, if we want to stay out of it, we have to wait until after he joins Shrek before stepping forward. At that time, what we do will be seen as 'doing business for money,' and we won't attract any hatred.

"Do you understand what I mean, Xiao Tian?" The Noblewoman was always patient with Ning Tian.

Although it was somewhat too early for an eight-year-old child to be exposed to such things, Ning Tian was her elder brother's only child and the future Sect Master of the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. She had to understand these matters in advance.

A while later, their conversation ended. Ning Tian returned to her room deep in thought, but the moment she entered, a fiery red figure immediately pounced on her.

"Xiao Tian! You're finally back!"

Wu Feng hugged Ning Tian, her face full of delight.

"Mm, I'm back, Xiao Feng."

Ning Tian smiled. Wu Feng was her best friend, and the two had been inseparable since childhood. After a brief hesitation, Ning Tian told Wu Feng about what had happened today, though she left out some details.

After listening to everything, Wu Feng nodded. "So that's how it is. I was wondering why Sect Master Uncle suddenly had you come to Shrek City. So it was because he wanted you to take a master!"

Wu Feng let out a slight sigh of relief, then asked curiously, "So what kind of person is that Teacher Tianmeng of yours? He's actually worth Sect Master Uncle trying so hard to win over?"

"Teacher Tianmeng..."

Ning Tian blinked, looking a little conflicted. After a moment, she said, "Teacher Tianmeng is very impressive, and..."

He smells nice. For some reason, I want to lean close and smell him.

Ning Tian silently supplied the rest in her heart.