Crossing Douluo, Picking Up Raw Stones, Electrolux's Awakening!

Bringing up the renovation to Shui Furong went more smoothly than he could have imagined.

The moment he mentioned renovating the small courtyard, she didn't even ask for details, agreeing on the spot.

"Renovate! Renovate however you like!"

"Change whatever you want. I'll arrange the construction crew, the academy will cover all expenses, and just give me a list of whatever materials you need."

Su Hui tried to be polite, but Shui Furong simply waved her hand. "You are a special recruit of Skywater Academy; your needs are the academy's needs."

"Don't talk to me about money; that would be disrespectful to the academy."

Fine then... Su Hui decided to drop the formalities.

He spent the night drawing up a set of renovation blueprints and handed them to Shui Furong.

The precision of the structure and the advanced nature of the design left Shui Furong speechless for a full quarter of an hour as she studied them.

In the end, she could only manage to ask, "...What is this for?"

"Blacksmithing."

Su Hui spouted nonsense with a straight face.

In this era, there was no such thing as a professional blacksmith.

Metalworking was still stuck at the level of basic iron-smithing.

"..."

Shui Furong hadn't expected that besides barbecuing, Su Hui also enjoyed blacksmithing.

She didn't press the issue.

Geniuses always had some eccentric hobbies; she understood.

Once the courtyard renovation was settled, Su Hui remembered that he still needed a large quantity of ore.

Ten thousand years later, metals like Sinking Silver, which possessed excellent soul-conducting properties, were expensive even in fist-sized chunks.

But in this current era, Soul Tool technology had yet to be born on the Douluo Continent.

These metal ores were decent enough for ordinary people, but to soul masters, they were considered worthless.

Hoarding goods while they were cheap—Su Hui understood that logic all too well.

He packed up briefly, tucked his coin purse away, and headed toward the academy gate.

Passing by the training grounds, he could hear the roar of soul power colliding from within.

It was likely the members of the Skywater Team engaged in sparring practice.

Su Hui quickened his pace, having no interest in joining the crowd.

Just as he reached the academy entrance, a cold, clear voice called out from behind him: "Su Hui?"

He turned around.

Shui Bing'er was standing three steps away.

Her ice-blue hair draped over her shoulders, and her cool, detached eyes were fixed on him.

"Are you leaving the academy?"

"Yes, heading to the inner city to buy some things. I plan to pick up some herbs and metal ores."

"Herbs?"

Shui Bing'er's eyebrows arched slightly. "You understand pharmacology?"

"I wouldn't say I understand it."

Su Hui replied casually, "I just like tinkering with little gadgets; it's quite interesting."

Shui Bing'er was silent for a moment.

Little gadgets?

A genius who liked to tinker with little gadgets in his spare time?

The first image that popped into her mind was the barbecue grill by the campfire that day, and the fluid, practiced motions Su Hui made while sprinkling seasoning.

"Like making seasonings?" she asked subconsciously.

Su Hui was stunned, then chuckled and brushed it off. "Something like that, I suppose. They all count as formulas."

Shui Bing'er didn't ask further, simply taking a step forward to walk beside him.

"You've only ever set up stalls in the outer city before, so you probably aren't very familiar with the inner city of Skywater City. I'll take you."

Su Hui was just about to say it wasn't any trouble, when a teasing voice echoed in his Sea of Consciousness.

"Oh? This little human female is quite proactive, isn't she?"

The Ice Empress's voice was full of mischief, as if she had discovered something amusing.

"Going out of her way to act as your guide—Su Hui, you lucky brat."

"The way she looks at you, it doesn't seem like she's just looking after a new classmate."

"..."

Su Hui didn't even lift his eyelids, nodding toward Shui Bing'er. "Then I'll have to trouble you."

The two walked side by side out of the academy gates, heading toward the inner city along a road paved with bluestone slabs.

Along the way, Shui Bing'er performed her duties as a guide with great diligence.

She pointed at various buildings, introducing them in a cool yet clear tone.

"This is the oldest auction house in the inner city of Skywater City; occasionally, spirit bones appear here."

"That shop over there is a medicinal herb store. They have a complete variety, but the owner has a strange temper and judges people before setting prices."

"The backyard of that teahouse around the corner has a natural ice spring. Soaking in it is very comfortable."

Su Hui listened, nodding occasionally to acknowledge her.

After walking for about an hour, Shui Bing'er led him into a slightly secluded stone-paved alley, stopping in front of a shop with a modest storefront.

"We're here."

"This shop has the most complete variety of metal ores in Skywater City. They also have gemstones and raw stones. The owner has been in business for over thirty years, and the goods are authentic."

Su Hui looked up at the sign—Gold Stone Studio.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, where an air mixed with the scent of dust and stone rushed to meet him.

The shop was dimly lit, and the shelves on all sides were piled high with raw mineral stones of various sizes.

In the corner, several dust-covered wooden crates were stacked, looking as if they hadn't been touched in a long time.

The owner was a thin, wizened old man in his fifties, dozing off on the counter.

He only lifted his eyelids upon hearing footsteps, sweeping a lazy glance over them.

"Look around as you please. Gemstones are in the left cabinet, raw stones are in the back. Prices are clearly marked, no haggling."

Su Hui ignored the greeting, his gaze sweeping across the shelves.

He discovered that everything was exquisite gemstones and raw gem material.

The metal ores, however, were on the most inconspicuous shelf.

It seems metal ores are far less valuable than gemstones.

Suddenly, Su Hui's footsteps came to a halt.

He saw seven or eight dusty metal ores stacked on the bottom of the innermost shelf.

The surfaces of those ores were covered in fine silver patterns, emitting a faint, cold light in the dim environment.

Su Hui's pupils constricted sharply.

"Sinking Silver!"

The base material for thousand-refined metal, with extremely excellent spirit-conducting efficiency.

This is top-tier forging material, yet it's just left here in the corner gathering dust?

His gaze shifted to the side, his heartbeat quickening.

"There's even Blue Pregnancy Copper!"

Looking further up, there was Tungsten Steel and Star Meteor Iron—all excellent materials for forging.

At this moment, they were piled on the shelf as casually as if they were junk.

Su Hui struggled to keep his breathing steady, reaching out to pick up a piece of Sinking Silver ore to weigh it.

The weight was right, the purity was right; it was indeed top quality.

"Boss."

He turned around, his face showing no ripples. "How are these metal ores sold?"

The thin old man yawned and glanced at them casually. "Those? Collected years ago. They've been sitting in my hands for ages with no one wanting them."

"If you take them all, I'll charge you thirty Gold Soul Coins per piece. There are about fifty pieces in total. How many do you want?"

Thirty Gold Soul Coins?

Su Hui almost lost his composure.

A standard piece of Sinking Silver ore for thirty Gold Soul Coins?

What could thirty Gold Soul Coins even buy ten thousand years later?

Not to mention that there was also Blue Pregnancy Copper and Star Meteor Iron here, all being sold at the same junk price!

"I'll take them all."

He put down the Sinking Silver ore, his tone as flat as if he were buying radishes or cabbage.

"All the metal ores on the shelf, including those blue and black ones—calculate them together."

The shopkeeper blinked, his drowsiness instantly vanishing by more than half: "You... you want it all?"

"I want it all."

Shui Bing'er stood to the side, her brows slightly furrowed.

Her gaze fell upon those metal ores, yet she truly could not see anything special about them.

Spirit Masters relied on their spirits and spirit skills for combat; very few people used weapons.

After all, there was a category of spirits known as 'Tool Spirits,' where the weapon was their own spirit, requiring no additional forging at all.

Only ordinary people needed weapons forged from metal.

Let alone these crude, raw metal ores.

Why was Su Hui buying so many metal ores? To forge a weapon?

But what kind of weapon would require so many different types of metal?

She wanted to ask, but Su Hui had already pulled out a money pouch.

A bag of Gold Soul Coins was placed on the counter.

Watching that pile of Gold Soul Coins, the wrinkles on the shopkeeper's face smoothed out.

He nimbly moved to pack up all the metal ores, his attitude becoming extremely fawning.

"Young master has a sharp eye!"

"These are all good things—"

Su Hui did not listen to his rambling flattery.

He collected the packed ores and turned to leave.

Just as his front foot was about to step out of the shop door, Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, an aged and solemn voice slowly resonated.

"Child, do not be in such a hurry to leave."

It was Electrolux!