Qian Duoduo

Chapter 29: Qian Duoduo

Just as expected, not long after Huo Yuhao stepped into the Treasure Pavilion, a figure hurriedly came up to greet him.

Mm, it was that receptionist from last time. What was her name again? But that was not important.

The instant Bai Yao approached, Huo Yuhao clearly sensed more than a dozen gazes around him fall upon him at once.

So many people.

But the more people, the better.

"Master Tianmeng, please follow me."

Bai Yao hurriedly spoke.

A week ago, the chief steward had given her a task: "Wait for Tianmeng. Once he arrives, bring him directly to Room 101 of the Heavenly Character section on the fifth floor."

The task had been very clear, but its target had yet to appear.

Then, just now, she suddenly spotted that familiar black-robed figure amid the crowd and hurried over.

Huo Yuhao nodded, signaling Bai Yao to lead the way.

Bai Yao nodded in response and was about to walk ahead when several figures suddenly appeared.

"Mr. Sky Dream, the Star Luo Empire's royal family invites you!"

"Master Tianmeng, the Heaven Dou Empire is willing to offer you the position of director of our research institute as a show of sincerity!"

"Mr. Sky Dream, the Dou Ling Empire wishes to forge a good relationship with you. Would you be willing?"

"Mr. Sky Dream!"

Voices rose one after another beside him, most of them offering recruitment. There were even people from the Sun Moon Empire.

Huo Yuhao simply watched calmly and waited.

Seeing Huo Yuhao stop and look at them, the several people who had come to recruit him immediately began stating their terms.

For instance, the Sun Moon Empire was willing to grant him the position of deputy hall master of Mingde Hall; the Heaven Dou Empire was willing to grant him a fief and ennoble him; the Dou Ling Empire was willing to provide money and resources; and the Star Luo Empire was willing to marry a princess to him and confer upon him the title of imperial son-in-law.

The offers varied greatly, but their ultimate aim remained the same: to bring Huo Yuhao into their faction.

Yet in the face of everyone's recruitment attempts, Huo Yuhao remained silent and composed, merely watching the people around him.

Just as everyone had finished presenting their terms and were becoming a little parched, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Master Tianmeng! Shrek Academy is willing to hire you as the vice dean of the Soul Guide Department and invite you to join Shrek Academy!"

It was Qian Duoduo.

Shrek had long since stationed people within the Treasure Pavilion, and they had even obtained Huo Yuhao's exact appearance and attire from the Treasure Pavilion.

Thus, the instant Huo Yuhao appeared in the Treasure Pavilion, Shrek's people had already sent word to Qian Duoduo, who was still at Shrek Academy.

Without the slightest hesitation, the person who rushed to the Treasure Pavilion was the vice dean of Shrek Soul Guide Department—Qian Duoduo!

Qian Duoduo immediately revealed his soul rings, displaying the cultivation of a Titled Douluo as he directly shoved aside the people who had come to recruit Huo Yuhao.

Those recruiters were at most Soul Douluos. They simply could not withstand Qian Duoduo's strength and were pushed to the ground, yet none dared utter a single complaint.

Qian Duoduo naturally paid no attention to anyone else. He looked straight at Huo Yuhao with blazing eyes, so fervent that Huo Yuhao instinctively took a step back.

"You must be Master Tianmeng, right? I've heard so much about you! I'm Qian Duoduo, vice dean of the Soul Guide Department. It's a pleasure, a pleasure!"

Qian Duoduo gave Huo Yuhao plenty of face.

As a Soul Engineer, he understood even better how difficult things were for Soul Engineers in the three great empires. Therefore, he spared no effort in recruiting a talent like Huo Yuhao. Of course, this Master Tianmeng would still have to undergo a test.

Ignoring everyone else, Qian Duoduo directly grabbed Huo Yuhao and headed upstairs in the Treasure Pavilion. The recruiters from the other factions looked at one another, then could only return to their original positions.

This was Shrek territory, after all. They did not dare do anything too outrageous, or they would surely suffer the consequences.

A short while later, on the fifth floor of the Treasure Pavilion, inside a Meeting Room.

Qian Duoduo got straight to the point and laid out the terms he could offer, as well as the obligations Huo Yuhao would need to fulfill.

In total, the benefits were as follows.

First, if Huo Yuhao broke through Rank 90, Shrek would provide him with an absolutely compatible soul ring, with the type left to his choice.

Second, he would be granted the position of vice dean of Shrek Soul Guide Department, along with funding and an independent laboratory.

Third, he would be given the position of reserve elder of the Sea God Pavilion. If he remained at Shrek long enough, he would officially be granted the position of pavilion elder.

Fourth, he would have the authority to mobilize every Soul Engineer in the entire Soul Guide Department to assist with his various experimental research projects and Soul Tool production.

Those four points were roughly the benefits he would receive. The following were what he had to do.

First, he had to publicly disclose his blueprints for the "Soul Power Storage Core" and provide an unrestricted version.

Second, once he became a Titled Douluo and a Rank 9 Soul Guide Master in the future, he had to provide the academy with Rank 9 Soul Tools free of charge.

Third, he had to become a teacher and train Soul Engineers for the academy.

Naturally, Qian Duoduo had not stated things so bluntly. As a seasoned negotiator, he had put it exceptionally tactfully, but Huo Yuhao still understood what he meant.

After pondering for a moment, Huo Yuhao spoke.

"I cannot be certain whether Shrek Academy will kill the donkey after it has finished grinding the millstone. Therefore, I will give you the unrestricted version of the 'Soul Power Storage Core' after one year, but I can provide you with blueprints for the restricted version.

"Second, the results of my research belong to me. I will not share them with anyone. However, if the results are produced through joint research by both sides, I will not withhold anything.

"Third, I do not believe you are unaware of the value of Rank 9 Soul Tools, so providing them free of charge is impossible. However, I can sell them to you at normal market prices.

"Fourth, regarding students..."

Huo Yuhao paused, seemingly thinking it over. After some hesitation, he said,

"I can help you establish a dedicated Soul Engineer class, but the assignment of students, personnel management, and curriculum arrangements—everything—must follow my ideas."

Qian Duoduo's expression hesitated, his face filled with conflict.

But inwardly, he let out a slight sigh of relief.

As the party doing the recruiting, it was Shrek Academy that needed the other party, not the other party who needed Shrek Academy. Although Shrek was Master Tianmeng's first choice, that did not mean they could keep pushing their luck.

As the side seeking something, they should have been the ones to give more.

This was not a transaction seeking equal value. It was a request for someone to join them.

During the previous Sea God Pavilion meeting, after everyone had cast their votes, Mu En had already instructed the Soul Guide Department that they could agree to any conditions that were not too excessive. The exact limits were for them to judge themselves.

The only requirement was to bring Master Tianmeng to the outer courtyard so Mu En could meet him and determine whether he harbored any hostility toward Shrek.

If he did not, then all conditions could be accepted.

And now, none of the conditions Huo Yuhao had proposed had crossed Qian Duoduo's bottom line.

After a long pause, Qian Duoduo finally put on an extremely pained expression and said,

"Mr. Sky Dream, we can agree to every condition you listed!"