You're Getting a Bargain

[Ghost Tamer Alliance] Guild Hall.

In the management conference room on the top floor, a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes sat in a carved armchair against the wall.

The carved armchair was placed upon a circular dais, its backrest towering all the way to the ceiling.

The blonde man wore an intricately designed mage robe that emitted a pale purple luster, embroidered with golden patterns that shimmered and danced in the dim light of the conference room.

Leaning back in his seat, the man crossed his legs, his long boots resting on a footstool, and raised his hand to take a sip of red wine from a goblet he picked up from a nearby shelf.

"Hmm..."

Beside the man, a faint, feminine moan drifted through the air.

His brow furrowed, a shadow of irritation crossing his eyes as if annoyed by the disturbance to his drinking.

His azure eyes lowered slightly, casting a gaze toward the woman beside the armchair.

The woman's skin was as pale as wall ash, and her long silver hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall, spreading across the floor.

Bound hand and foot by scarlet ropes, the woman knelt in a highly distorted posture, her head tilted high, her mouth stuffed with a hollow ball carved with a "two dragons playing with a pearl" pattern, rendering her unable to speak.

The moment she met the man's azure gaze, the silver-haired woman trembled all over, shrinking into a ball in terror, her instincts screaming for her to flee backward.

However, the Taming Sigil on the back of her neck glowed with a silvery-white light, forbidding her from retreating.

The blonde man raised his hand, and the circular Taming Sigil on his palm lit up with the same luster.

He brought his hand close to the woman's cheek, his long, knuckled fingers pushing the hollow ball deeper into her mouth. "Keep it in place."

The man's voice was soft, his tone almost gentle, yet it made the woman tremble even more violently.

The man's lips curled upward as he wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth with his thumb. "If it drops again, I'll have to pull out your tongue."

The silver-haired woman's pupils constricted, and she shook her head repeatedly, cold sweat dripping onto the floor.

She knew all too well that this man meant exactly what he said.

"Guild Master!"

Someone knocked at the door.

The blonde man shifted his gaze toward the entrance.

The heavy doors of the conference room creaked open, and at the same time, all the lights in the room flickered to life.

Only then was the scene on the dais fully revealed—

The footstool beneath the blonde man's feet, the cushion beneath him, and the shelf holding his wine glass were all formed by beautiful, lithe women posed in place.

Both of the blonde man's hands were covered in circular Taming Sigils, the silver light flowing from his fingertips up his arms until it vanished beneath the cuffs of his mage robe.

Under the control of the sigils covering his hands, the women filling the room were held in bizarre, rigid postures like marionettes.

The man who walked into the conference room was short and stout; seeing the scene before him, he froze in his tracks.

It seemed he had interrupted the Guild Master's leisure.

The stout man hesitated, unsure whether he should retreat for the time being.

The blonde man on the dais spoke, his tone still as gentle as water. "Is there news from the trial map?"

The stout man nodded. "Yes! Preliminary judgment confirms that the prophecy is true!"

"Oh?"

The stout man continued, "I hacked into the system of one of the NPCs and, through that NPC, tracked down Jun Wuming—"

"—What did you say?!"

The blonde man's voice rose, his eyes narrowing into slits.

It was the first time the stout man had seen the Guild Master wear such an expression; his teeth chattered and his legs shook, unable to comprehend why the man opposite him had suddenly erupted in rage when he had barely begun his report.

"You spoke to Jun Wuming while posing as an NPC?"

The blonde man asked, enunciating every word.

The stout man stammered, "Y-yes... only... only one sentence..."

He had only said five words to the other party: "Miss, do you want more?"

What could possibly be wrong with that?

However, before the stout man could defend himself, the blonde man had already raised his hand and drawn a wand from his sleeve.

At the base of the wand, a gemstone flickered with a ghostly blue light.

...An Archmage Staff Fragment?!

Terrified, the stout man dropped to his knees with a thud. "Guild Master! Guild Master, spare me! I can swear on my entire fortune that Jun Wuming absolutely did not recognize me! Guild—"

Before he could finish, the blonde man gave his wand a light flick.

"Aaaah—"

Bloodlines erupted across every inch of the stout man's skin. The next moment, his body shattered like a block of Tetris, scattering into tiny pieces across the floor.

"I have no need for fools here."

The blond man glanced at the gore scattered on the ground and spoke in a cold voice.

After a moment of silence, he raised his eyes, his gaze drifting toward the distance. He took a sip of his drink and muttered, "Jun Wuming, you got off easy this time."

At the internet cafe by the gate of Seventh High School.

Looking at the terse message from Yu the Scholar, Wen Nan smiled helplessly.

He still clearly remembered the gentleman's agreement he had signed with Yu the Scholar. Article 6 explicitly stated that before the final mission settlement, Party A promised to share their equipment backup slot with Party B once.

It seemed he was here to borrow that equipment slot.

However... the timing was impeccable. Not a moment too early, not a moment too late—he had reached out exactly when his mission completion rate refreshed to 100%.

But since the agreement was signed, Wen Nan naturally had to fulfill his promise.

Closing the chat box, he stood up and headed out.

Little Chili had just been killed in Black Monkey and was storming out, brandishing her staff. Sensing the movement, she turned and shouted at Wen Nan, "Where are you going? Come help me fight Big Head! This Big Head is so fierce! I can't beat him!"

Wen Nan didn't break his stride, tossing back a reply: "Call Guangzhi to save you."

Leaving the internet cafe, Wen Nan followed Yu Shujun all the way back to campus, walking to the center of the sports field.

It was a good place to discuss a trade.

"The equipment backup slot, lend it to me now."

Yu Shujun got straight to the point, stating her purpose before crouching down and beginning to lay out the items she had scavenged, pulling them one by one from her oversized school uniform.

Looking at her bulging uniform, Wen Nan was certain his previous assessment had been correct—Yu the Scholar must have pocketed every single hidden piece of equipment on this map.

"You really cleaned the place out..." Wen Nan muttered under his breath.

Yu Shujun's hands paused, and she looked at him with a strange expression. "...What?"

Wen Nan realized his words were ambiguous and gave a dry cough. "Nothing, carry on."

Yu Shujun had no time to waste on banter and continued pulling equipment from her clothes.

Seeing the gear laid out on the field, Wen Nan was stunned.