Electrolux Awakens, Elder Yi's Treasured Item

The voice of Electrolux cut through the deathly silence of the Sea of Consciousness without warning.

Su Hui's entire sea of consciousness shuddered in response.

"Elder Yi? Is it really you? You've awakened!"

He responded within his sea of consciousness.

How could he not be overjoyed?

Ever since Electrolux had fallen into a deep slumber, Su Hui had called out to him every few days.

Yet, that gray sphere had simply floated there in silence, like a dead star.

Now, that star was shining once more, even if the light was so faint it could extinguish at any moment.

Su Hui wanted nothing more than to submerge his consciousness and chat with Elder Yi for three days and three nights straight.

But the next instant, the Ice Empress's actions doused his ecstasy with a bucket of ice-cold water.

Inside the sea of consciousness, the Ice Jade Scorpion, Xiao Bing, was hissing at Elder Yi.

It had arched its carapace like a fully drawn bowstring.

Its tail hook, shimmering with a piercing emerald chill, stood perfectly straight, its tip aimed directly at the gray sphere suspended in mid-air, while a low, guttural hiss squeezed from the depths of its throat.

Every inch of the little creature's carapace was screaming the same word: danger.

It was the aura of the undead.

A soul fluctuation originating from another plane, tainted with fragments of the laws of the undead.

Even if only a wisp of a remnant soul remained, it was enough to make a high-level soul beast of the Ice Jade Scorpion's caliber bristle with instinctual alarm.

Xiao Bing did not know Electrolux; it only knew that its intuition was screaming a frantic warning.

Whatever was hidden inside that gray light could tear it to shreds.

"Thud!"

The Ice Empress slapped Xiao Bing on the head, the force precisely calculated—enough to wake it up without harming the little guy.

"Calm down, he is not an enemy."

"Put that tail hook away; have you no shame?"

The Ice Empress's tone was icy.

Struck by her, Xiao Bing's tail hook dropped instantly.

It let out a pitiful, aggrieved whine.

Yet, it remained obedient and ceased its aggressive stance.

It was just that its compound eyes remained locked firmly onto the gray sphere, ready to pounce at any moment.

The Ice Empress paid it no further mind.

She turned around, facing the floating gray sphere directly.

The condescension and nonchalance that usually hung in her golden eyes were wiped clean.

In their place was a touch of profound solemnity.

She scrutinized Electrolux's soul state from top to bottom, her brows knitting tighter the longer she looked.

"Lord Electrolux."

The Ice Empress spoke.

This form of address, coming from the mouth of a four-hundred-thousand-year-old fierce beast, represented a rare form of recognition in itself.

Her tone lacked the casualness she used when bickering with Su Hui, carrying instead a measure of respect for a powerhouse.

"Your soul fluctuations are far too weak."

"The outer layer of your divine sense has already developed fissures, and not just one—there are at least seven or eight clear signs of tearing."

"Your spiritual core is still leaking spiritual particles."

She paused, her voice dropping, "To force an awakening in this state... the price you paid must have been significant, right?"

Hearing this, Su Hui's heart constricted violently.

He had originally assumed that Elder Yi had awakened naturally after his soul had recovered to a certain degree.

He had even been secretly rejoicing in his heart.

Now, hearing the Ice Empress put it this way, he felt as if he had been doused from head to toe with ice water.

Elder Yi hadn't recovered at all; he had forcibly dragged himself out of his slumber by sheer will.

"Elder Yi, you..."

Su Hui's throat tightened.

The gray sphere flickered slightly, its light even weaker than a candle in the wind.

Yet, Electrolux's aged voice rang out, calm and unruffled, "The damage to the origin of my soul is indeed quite severe."

"Given the laws and environment of the Douluo Continent, relying on natural recovery is likely difficult."

There was simply no way around it.

The law system of the God-Demon Continent was completely different from that of the Douluo Continent.

His remnant soul had forcibly torn through a planar rift to cross over, and during the transit, the spatial turbulence had scraped away the majority of his origin.

To have preserved a sliver of his true spirit from extinction was already a stroke of good fortune.

"My forced awakening this time was not entirely in vain, however."

Elder Yi shifted the topic, the light of the gray sphere flickering as if sensing something.

"I have detected an extremely peculiar aura, though it is very faint."

Su Hui's heart gave a violent jolt, his breathing quickening in response.

Anything that could be described by Elder Yi as "extremely peculiar" could absolutely not be an ordinary object.

"Elder Yi, what have you discovered?"

"Little fellow, do not be impatient. Look to your right."

Su Hui immediately followed Elder Yi's guidance and turned his head to look.

In the corner to the left of the shop entrance, a large pile of dusty, broken stones was heaped up.

The largest were as wide as a washbasin.

The smallest were only the size of a fist.

Not a single one had a regular shape.

Their surfaces were rough and yellowed, some even caked with dried mud.

It was obvious that these were scraps peeled off from raw stones, lacking even the qualifications to serve as low-grade decorations, fit only to be swept into a corner to gather dust.

As Su Hui examined the pile of waste, the shopkeeper behind the counter happened to finish counting the Gold Soul Coins once more.

The old man tucked the money pouch into his robes, feeling thoroughly satisfied.

He looked up—only to find that this big-spending young master had not yet left.

The shopkeeper's heart skipped a beat, rising straight into his throat.

Oh no!

He gripped the money pouch tightly, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead and trickling down his temples.

A thought raced through his mind, and the more he dwelled on it, the more he felt doomed: Could it be that this young master stepped outside, felt the breeze, and suddenly realized he overpaid, only to return to demand a refund?

This batch of junk had been sitting in his shop for two full years.

Forget about selling it; not a single person had even asked for the price.

Three years ago, he had been impulsive and acquired a batch of metal ores.

It turned out the quality was far below expectations, and most of it didn't even meet the standards for low-level Soul Tool materials.

For the past two years, he had fretted over this pile of trash, wishing he could pay someone to take it away.

Today, he had finally encountered a sucker—bah, a discerning buyer—who had bought the whole lot in one go.

His hands had been shaking while he counted the money earlier.

He had already been calculating how much liquor he would buy that evening to celebrate.

If this young master went back on the deal and demanded a refund now, the duck that had already reached his mouth would fly away.

No, absolutely not!

The shopkeeper quickly plastered an incredibly fawning smile onto his face.

He nimbly scurried out from behind the counter.

He covered the distance to Su Hui's side in two or three quick steps.

"Honored guest, is there anything else you require?"

The boss bowed and rubbed his hands together, his eagerness even greater than if he were serving his own father.

"Although my shop is small, I do have a few hidden treasures tucked away. Shall I dig them out for you? I guarantee you a fair price!"

Su Hui didn't even glance at him, instead pointing at the pile of waste in the corner. "Boss, what are those?"

The shopkeeper looked in the direction of his finger, and the smile on his face froze for an instant.

That pile of junk was nothing but scraps cut away when selling raw stones.

The quality was so poor that not even the lowest-grade Moonlight Stone could be polished from them; they were too jagged even to be used for paving a road.

They had been piled there for at least a year, and he usually couldn't even be bothered to sweep that corner.

Why was this young master asking about them?

The shopkeeper muttered to himself, asking cautiously: "These are all scraps cut from raw stones, things with no use at all. Why does the honored guest ask...?"

"Oh, are these scraps for sale?"

Su Hui remained expressionless, his tone as flat as when he had just bought out every metal ingot in the shop.

"Huh?"

The shopkeeper's composure completely crumbled.

His mouth hung slightly agape, and his eyelids twitched twice.

"..."

Shui Bing'er stood beside Su Hui, her expression turning equally subtle.

From the very beginning, she had felt that Su Hui's behavior was riddled with oddities.

A Soul Elder running into an ore shop and buying out every single metal ingot in the place.

You wouldn't find a second person in the entire Skywater Academy who would pull such a stunt.

And now, he wasn't even letting the pile of scraps in the corner go?

She had glanced at those stones earlier.

They were indeed nothing but waste; she couldn't sense even the slightest fluctuation of energy from them.

She pursed her lips, hesitating over whether she should speak up to remind Su Hui.

But the words died in her throat.

Every action Su Hui had taken since entering the shop seemed inexplicable.

Yet, his expression remained consistently resolute.

That kind of certainty didn't look like the demeanor of someone throwing money away recklessly.

It seemed as if he were genuinely interested.

The shopkeeper was also feeling uneasy.

First, he had bought out every metal ingot in the store, and now he was asking about the scraps—was this young master just burning through money, or did he truly have some unknown, peculiar hobby?

Did he enjoy collecting unwanted, broken stones?

But as a veteran who had been in business for thirty years, he understood a principle etched into his very bones: never try to understand what is going on in a customer's head, especially one who doesn't even blink when spending money.

If you can't understand it, don't force it.

Maintaining a good attitude and collecting the money was more practical than anything else.

"Oh, my dear guest, what are you saying? What 'for sale'?"

The shopkeeper waved his hand grandly, his enthusiasm making it seem as if he were dying to swear brotherhood with Su Hui on the spot.

"These are just scraps left over from cutting; they usually just take up space in the corner. If you want them, just take them—how could I possibly charge you?"

"Consider it a token of my gratitude for your patronage today, just a small gesture, a small gesture!"

"Fine."

Su Hui nodded, not bothering with formalities.

"Then help me pack them all up, don't leave a single piece behind."

The shopkeeper nimbly turned to fetch a burlap sack.

He nearly tripped over the threshold as he lifted the curtain to the back room.

Scrambling to grab a large sack, he rushed to the corner in two or three strides, bending down to stuff every last piece of scrap into the bag.

He moved with such speed, as if he were afraid Su Hui might change his mind the next second.

As he shoved the stones into the bag, he calculated happily in his heart: this deal was incredibly worth it.

Not only did he clear out this inventory, but he also managed to serve this god of wealth comfortably before sending him out the door.

The last fist-sized fragment was shoved into the sack.

The shopkeeper first brushed the dust off the bag vigorously.

Only then did he respectfully hand the sack to Su Hui with both hands.

The wrinkles on his face bunched up into a smile.

"Here you go, honored guest. Is it heavy? Would you like me to help you carry it back?"

"No need."

Su Hui took the sack and weighed it in his hand.

The rough hemp rope dug into his palm, and the stones inside collided with a dull, muffled sound.

On the surface, it looked like a pile of unwanted junk, but his heart was accelerating uncontrollably.

Inside this bag lay a treasure that even Elder Yi had set his sights on.