You Never Make a Losing Deal

Night.

On the rooftop of Tianlan Magic High School.

Dongfang Chen looked at Mofan with sleepy eyes, clearly annoyed.

"So, what's this about? Why'd you call me out so late?"

Dongfang Chen didn't actually get grumpy when woken up.

But he'd given up the chance to cuddle up with Ye Xin Xia and sleep, all because Mofan, a grown man, had called him out. The thought made him seethe.

"Uh... I think something's wrong with the Star Dust Magic Equipment the school handed out..."

Mofan scratched his head. After hesitating for a moment, he finally decided to tell the truth.

"It seems like its energy got transferred into this pendant of mine."

Mofan pulled the Little Mudfish pendant from beneath his clothes.

According to Mubai, even an ordinary piece of Star Dust Magic Equipment was worth tens of millions. A Spirit-grade piece cost even more—at least twice as much.

If the school found out, having to pay them back would be the least of Mofan's worries. They might even expel him.

Dongfang Chen gazed thoughtfully at Mofan's Little Mudfish pendant.

Just as in the Original Work, the Little Mudfish had absorbed all the energy from the Star Dust Magic Equipment.

Dongfang Chen had no interest in the Little Mudfish at all.

That thing was bound to Mofan's Soul Element, so only Mofan could use it.

Even if Dongfang Chen took it, all he could do was try to refine it with his Heavenly Flames and see whether he could refine Azure Dragon's soul.

More likely, he wouldn't be able to refine it—or he'd burn Azure Dragon's soul along with it.

In short, the pendant could only be put to good use in Mofan's hands. Dongfang Chen didn't care for it.

But should he help Mofan sort this out?

After thinking it over, Dongfang Chen decided to help him.

It was a small matter for him, after all. But he wasn't about to help Mofan for nothing.

"I can take care of this for you, but I have one condition..."

Mofan's face lit up at Dongfang Chen's words. He hurriedly said, "What condition? If it's something I can do, I'm in!"

"I haven't decided what I want yet. How about you owe me three favors? You're still too weak right now, but once you've gotten stronger, you'll do three things for me, no questions asked. Deal?"

"No problem!" Mofan agreed without hesitation.

A Spirit-grade Star Dust Magic Equipment was worth tens of millions, perhaps even over a hundred million. For Mofan right now, trading three favors for one was a fantastic deal.

"But let's get one thing straight: they have to be legitimate requests. I won't do anything illegal."

Dongfang Chen smiled. "Don't worry. I won't put you in a difficult position."

With three favors to call in, Dongfang Chen could openly pursue some of the opportunities tied to Mofan in the Original Work.

Like Xiaoyan Ji or Apasi...

"All right, then. How are you going to fix this?"

Mofan asked.

"Simple. Just take another one."

Dongfang Chen snapped his fingers and, as if performing a magic trick, produced a new piece of Star Dust Magic Equipment from his palm.

Its appearance was very similar to the one Mofan had absorbed.

Unless someone examined them closely for a long time, they wouldn't notice the difference.

After all, both were pieces of equipment Dongfang Chen had replaced.

When he'd bought them, he'd deliberately chosen ones that looked alike.

"Holy crap, this is Spirit-grade too?" Mofan's eyes widened. After Dongfang Chen confirmed it, he couldn't help exclaiming, "You're loaded!"

Mofan had thought Dongfang Chen would use his connections to talk to the school himself or something. He hadn't expected him to casually pull out an almost identical piece of equipment.

"Here, take it. Be careful this time—don't let your pendant absorb it again." Dongfang Chen waved him off, urging him to hurry back.

He still had to get back and cuddle up with his fragrant Xin Xia to sleep.

Mofan's problem didn't cause much of a stir.

Before long, the semester was over. For the students, there was one major event that term: field training.

The training would start with the Advanced Class.

At the Snow Mountain Posthouse, on the edge of Bocheng's Defense Line.

"Dongfang, what do you think of this year's students?"

Zhan Kong, chief instructor of the Bocheng Military Department, was chatting with Dongfang Chen.

The Dongfang Family had built close ties with the Huaxia Military through its supply of pills.

Zhan Kong had also been ordered by his superiors to cultivate a good relationship with Dongfang Chen, the Dongfang Family's Eldest Young Master, who lived in Bocheng.

So, over time, the two had become fairly good friends.

To hone his combat skills, Dongfang Chen often went out to hunt Demons, sometimes bringing Xin Xia along.

Ye Xin Xia had awakened the Healing Element, which had no combat abilities.

But to help her build up her courage when facing Demons, Dongfang Chen still took her along on his training trips.

Besides, although Ye Xin Xia's magic had no offensive power, that didn't mean she had no way to fight.

Dongfang Chen had equipped her with plenty of magic tools.

She had Defensive Magic Tools, Boots Magic Equipment for escaping, flying magic tools, and even Slaying Magic Equipment. She was armed to the teeth.

So, during training, Ye Xin Xia had managed to kill a few Demons with the help of her magic tools.

Dongfang Chen then sold the Demon corpses to the nearby Bocheng Military Department.

"There are a few with pretty good talent," Dongfang Chen said.

"Oh? How about recommending a few to the Military Department?"

"Mofan, Mubai, Zhang Xiaohou... They're all talented, but if I had to pick the one best suited to your Military Department, it'd probably be Zhang Xiaohou."

"Zhang Xiaohou, huh?" Zhan Kong silently committed the name to memory.

He'd seen Dongfang Chen's strength for himself. Despite being a Beginner Mage, he could fight Commander Level Demons without losing.

If Dongfang Chen weren't a direct descendant of the Dongfang Family and thus unlikely to join the military, Zhan Kong would've wanted to groom him as his successor.

Still, he'd make sure to keep a close eye on anyone Dongfang Chen recommended.

"Dongfang, with your strength, there's no need for you to join the training bounty hunt, is there? Why not slack off a little, and I'll quietly give you the highest score?"

The main reason Zhan Kong said this was that he couldn't bear to part with his magic tool.

He'd just promised the students that anyone who completed the training bounty hunt would receive a Defensive Magic Tool from him personally.

If Dongfang Chen took part, his magic tool would be as good as gone.

Dongfang Chen gave Zhan Kong a knowing smile.

His look made Zhan Kong feel awkward. He quickly added, "You're the Dongfang Family's Eldest Young Master. You're already loaded. You wouldn't care about my Defensive Magic Tool worth a few hundred thousand, would you?"

"How about we make a bet? Even if I don't lift a finger, you'll still end up giving that magic tool away. Believe me?"

"No way. With this bunch of green students?" Zhan Kong said dismissively.

"Then want to bet on it?"

"No bet."

Zhan Kong grumbled, "I don't believe it, but I know you're a crafty one. You're always trying to get top prices for the Demon corpses you sell us. You never make a losing deal, so I'm not betting."

Dongfang Chen: "..."

"All right, enough arguing. Let's get the students together!"

Zhan Kong assembled the Advanced Class, went over a few things they needed to keep in mind, then sent them off in a large group.

Once the students had set out, Zhan Kong immediately arranged for several Military Mages to follow them and record their training results.

At that moment, Bai Yang, a Summoning Element Military Mage under Zhan Kong, walked over.

"Boss, was that the direct descendant of the Dongfang Family?"

The Dongfang Family had plenty of direct descendants, but anyone with the right connections knew Dongfang Chen was the family's most favored one.

"That's right. Setting his background aside, the kid's a bona fide magic prodigy. It's a shame he won't join the military," Zhan Kong said regretfully.

Bai Yang's eyes shifted. Then, pretending not to care, he asked, "I heard the Dongfang Family's Eldest Young Master always has a High-Tier Mage by his side. Won't he have that High-Tier Mage secretly intervene during this training?"

"No. The person who usually accompanies Dongfang isn't here today."

"And that person isn't a High-Tier Mage anymore. He reached Archmage several years ago. Tsk, no wonder the Dongfang Family is so wealthy. They can produce plenty of Archmages just by throwing money at the problem."

Zhan Kong's voice was full of envy.

"Is that so..." Bai Yang's face took on a faintly meaningful expression.