Mu En Suffered in Silence

Although Bei Bei had no concrete idea of Sea God Pavilion's total reserves, he knew exactly what the words "a quarter of Shrek Academy's inventory" meant.

It represented ten thousand years of accumulation, countless generations of Shrek members risking their lives to bring back rare treasures from every major dangerous region.

If the first two conditions were cutting flesh, then this one was tearing out sinews and sucking marrow!

Mu En fell silent for a long time.

His cloudy old eyes stared at the screen, his fingers lightly tapping the wheelchair's armrest as though he were engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

Finally, he slowly raised his head and looked at Bei Xin, his tone carrying a trace of negotiation.

"Brother Bei Xin."

"One quarter is indeed far too much."

"It would shake Shrek Academy's very foundation."

"Could you... reduce it a little? Say, one tenth?"

Mu En tried to bargain.

Yet faced with Mu En's request, Bei Xin merely smiled faintly. There was not the slightest hint of concession in that smile.

"Pavilion Master Mu, I think you have misunderstood something."

Bei Xin pointed at the tablet in Mu En's hands.

"This list is for reference only."

"What do you mean?"

Mu En was taken aback.

"It means..."

The smile at Bei Xin's lips deepened.

"You only need to refer to the figures on it when making payment."

"No bargaining will be accepted."

"Either pay it all, or... leave the people behind."

"You—!!"

Elder Lin could not hold herself back again upon hearing that.

She abruptly stepped forward, the fluctuations of Soul Power around her instantly turning violent. Her well-maintained elderly face was flushed red with rage.

"This is too much!"

"You have gone too far!"

Elder Lin pointed at Bei Xin, her finger trembling.

"This is outright robbery! You're trying to drive Shrek Academy into the ground!"

"You open your mouths and demand our ten-thousand-year foundation. Aren't you afraid of choking to death?!"

Faced with Elder Lin's accusations, Bei Xin still stood with his hands behind his back, not even lifting an eyelid.

That lofty posture, that arrogance which completely disregarded the Shrek elders, made Elder Lin feel as if she had punched cotton. She was utterly stifled. This was the sort of attitude only Shrek Academy had ever displayed toward others—when had it become someone else's turn to display it toward them?

"You may accept these terms, or refuse them."

Bei Xin spoke unhurriedly.

"We never force anyone into a deal."

"However..."

His gaze swept over the tightly shut doors of the Confinement Room, his tone faint and eerie.

"If you refuse, then these people may have to stay with us for quite some time."

A threat!

A naked threat!

Elder Lin clenched her fists hard, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

What did he mean, they could accept or refuse?

He was clearly holding a blade to their throats and forcing them to accept! If they refused and word got out that Shrek Academy's top combat forces had been locked in the Confinement Room, Shrek Academy's reputation would be severely damaged as well!

"Mu En!"

Elder Lin turned to look at Mu En, her eyes full of unwillingness.

"We can't agree to this!"

"If we do, how will we answer to the other elders of the academy? How will we answer to our ancestors?"

Mu En closed his eyes. In that moment, this Limit Douluo who had once dominated the world seemed to have aged ten years.

"Ah..."

His long sigh was filled with endless desolation.

Mu En opened his eyes again, then slowly spoke.

"We... accept."

"What?!"

Elder Lin looked at Mu En in disbelief and cried out.

"Mu En?! You..."

She truly could not believe it.

Mu En had actually agreed?

Mu En waved his hand, stopping Elder Lin from trying to persuade him further.

"Hui Qun, say no more."

"There is no other way."

Mu En looked at Elder Lin, helplessness flickering in his eyes.

"Things are dead. People are alive."

"Those herbs may be precious while stored in the warehouse, but they are still merely dead objects."

"But Shao Zhe, Xuan Zi, and the others are living people. They are Title Douluo, the pillars of the academy's present and future."

"To Shrek Academy, their value is far greater than those dead things."

"As long as the people are still alive, resources... can be earned back someday."

Upon hearing Mu En's words, Bei Bei's heart jolted.

He looked at the old man in the wheelchair, admiration rising naturally in his eyes.

Was this the bearing of the Sea God Pavilion Master?

Was this Grand Ancestor's breadth of vision?

Even when faced with such immense humiliation and loss, he could still calmly weigh the pros and cons, steady his mindset, and refuse to be swayed by emotion.

If it had been Xuan Zi and the others, they would likely have started fighting and gotten themselves locked up. But... one quarter, combined with the first two conditions, truly struck at Shrek Academy's bones.

Mu En's assessment was not wrong either. Although Shrek Academy possessed abundant resources, it did not actually use much of them. Most were simply kept in storage.

Actually... Mu En did not want to calmly weigh anything either. If this had never happened, Shrek Academy would not have needed to suffer such massive losses. Having to bleed this much made even him feel ashamed before Shrek Academy's predecessors.

Hopefully, after paying such a huge price to get Xuan Zi and the others out this time, they would act more prudently in the future.

"..."

Since Mu En, the highest decision-maker, had already said this much, Elder Lin had nothing more to say despite the blood dripping from her heart.

However, after her anger subsided, Elder Lin's mind began racing.

"Hmph, agreeing is one thing."

"But..."

Elder Lin's eyes shifted slightly as a sly thought flashed through her mind.

"These people are outsiders, after all."

"How could they possibly know exactly how much Shrek Academy has in storage?"

"As for this so-called one quarter, isn't it entirely up to us to decide?"

"When the time comes..."

Elder Lin began making calculations in her heart.

I'll have someone gather a batch of herbs that looks plentiful and valuable, then send them over and pretend that this is one quarter.

In reality, it might not even be one tenth!

They won't be able to verify it anyway!

At that thought, Elder Lin's expression eased slightly.

Good. There was still room to maneuver.

They would certainly have to suffer losses, but as long as they handled things properly, they definitely would not have to empty out their entire foundation.

All's fair in war!

Yet just as Elder Lin was smugly pleased with her cleverness—

"Since you have agreed, that makes things easy."

Bei Xin seemed to see through Elder Lin's thoughts, a curve lifting at the corner of his mouth.

"To ensure the fairness of this transaction, and to prevent certain unnecessary discrepancies..."

"We will use a specialized machine to inspect and tally Shrek Academy's medicinal supply inventory."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Elder Lin's face instantly turned deathly pale, looking even worse than before.

With a flip of his hand, Bei Xin produced a fist-sized metallic sphere, silver-white all over, in his palm.

"This is a Fully Automatic Resource Audit Drone."

"It possesses the most advanced spatial scanning and material analysis technology."

"As long as it is brought into your warehouses, even hidden compartments deep underground, even secret rooms sealed with soul tool formations, it can scan everything clearly in an instant."

"Down to every single herb."

"Nothing will be missed."

"..."

Elder Lin was utterly despairing.

It was over.

Her final illusion had been shattered.

Their technological methods completely crushed her little clever scheme.

"Pavilion Master Mu."

Bei Xin tossed the metal sphere in his hand and looked at Mu En.

"If you wish to ransom them, then please have her return now."

"Let her take this little fellow back to your academy. Once the supplies have been counted and sent over..."

"We will naturally release those in the Confinement Room."

Mu En looked at the small sphere, countless emotions rising in his heart. Was this also the power of soul tool technology?

He turned to Elder Lin, whose face had gone ashen, and sighed.

"Hui Qun, go."

"Prepare the items according to Brother Bei Xin's requirements."

"The sooner this matter is resolved, the better."

"Mu En..."

Elder Lin opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, it could only turn into a powerless sigh.

"Yes, I understand."

She accepted the metal sphere floating in the air that Bei Xin handed over.

"Hmph!"

Elder Lin snorted coldly, shooting Bei Xin a fierce glare. Then she turned to Mu En, her eyes full of concern.

"Mu En, then you and Bei Bei..."

"It is fine."

Mu En waved his hand.

"Bei Bei and I will remain at this academy for the time being and take a look around."

After speaking, Mu En turned to Bei Xin and asked with a smile.

"Brother Bei Xin, there should be no problem with us touring the academy, right?"

Bei Xin replied generously.

"Of course."

"Then thank you."

Mu En cupped his hands in thanks.