"Sorry to trouble you, but where can I buy Whale Rubber in Nuoding City?"
The boys, who had been glaring daggers at one another, all froze at the sound. They exchanged glances, and knowing, lecherous smiles spread across their faces.
A chubby boy pushed his way out from the left and sidled up to Lan Yu with a grin, draping an arm over his shoulder. "Little brother, whatever else you want to know, Whale Rubber? I know Nuoding City like the back of my hand!"
As he spoke, he pulled a small booklet from his pocket, opened it, and handed it to Lan Yu. "Take a look. The Wang Family Pharmacy sells century-old and thousand-year-old Whale Rubber year-round. They've got a great reputation, and the goods are guaranteed genuine. They're just a little expensive!"
"There's also the North Star Auction House. They auction off Whale Rubber every Wednesday. A little while ago, they even had some Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue! But nobody bid on it.
"After all, this stuff only has one use. A hundred or a thousand years is enough. Who'd bother buying something ten thousand years old, unless they're some big tycoon?"
"Last is the Nuoding Seafood Factory. All the seafood we eat in Nuoding City comes from there. They sell Whale Rubber too, but it's all fresh. The effects aren't that great."
When he finished, the chubby boy grinned. "You're pretty tall, but you've got a baby face. You must be young, right? What made you think of buying this?"
Lan Yu cleared his throat but didn't answer.
His companions immediately burst into laughter, waggling their eyebrows at the chubby boy. "What's it to you? You think everyone's as weak as you?"
"Oh, get lost!" The chubby boy reached out to hit them.
Seeing that they were about to start brawling again, Lan Yu quickly cupped his fists in thanks and turned to leave amid the commotion.
After careful consideration, Lan Yu headed to the Nuoding Seafood Factory.
After he explained his business to the guard at the entrance, the man raised an eyebrow suggestively. He didn't ask any questions, just led Lan Yu into an office.
"Please wait here. I'll go let them know." The guard shut the door behind him as he left.
It wasn't long before the door opened and a middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses walked in. He looked sharp and capable.
When the man saw that Lan Yu was just a boy, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, but quickly vanished. He stepped forward, extended a hand, and smiled. "Hello, I'm Wang Bin, director of the factory's eastern district. May I ask your name, sir?"
After they shook hands, Wang Bin went around the desk and sat down. He opened a drawer, took out a price list, and slid it across to Lan Yu.
"My surname is Lan," Lan Yu replied coolly, lowering his head to look through the price list.
"Mr. Lan, are you here to buy Whale Rubber? Let me explain first: our goods are cheaper than what you'll find in shops, but we sell by the batch, not at retail."
Wang Bin added, "The stuff sold at the pharmacies outside is usually mixed with additives to drive up the price. Our goods are shipped in fresh from Vast Sea City, where they're caught in the early hours of the morning. They may not be as potent, but they're definitely fresh. How much are you looking for, and what do you plan to use it for?"
"The price is fine."
Lan Yu looked up and nodded. "I'll take a batch to start with. About three thousand Gold Soul Coins' worth."
After careful consideration, Lan Yu had decided on this. His plans for the future required a team of his own. Stocking up on these goods now wouldn't hurt.
At the moment, his people were Tang Shan and Xiao Wu—though Xiao Wu only counted halfway.
Tang Shan's Twin Martial Souls meant she could inherit the gods of life and destruction.
What about him? Since Dragon Duke could devise a Gu-rearing method that made everyone as powerful as dragons and establish the Dragonman race, there was no reason he couldn't do the same—build upon humanity, use Soul Beast genes, put an end to the twisted cultivation system of Douluo Continent, gather the faith of countless people, and create his own godhood!
Lan Yu paused, then added, "I'm just not sure whether your factory has any Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue."
"Three thousand Gold Soul Coins?" Wang Bin's eyes widened. He glanced at the pale blue storage ring on Lan Yu's finger, and his polite smile instantly turned obsequious. "We do! Of course we do! Mr. Lan, you want..."
"Haha, I'm planning to open a shop. I'll use the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue to make a good impression. Give me three," Lan Yu said with a faint smile, leaning back in his chair.
"Of course! Please wait a moment. I'll get your order ready right away!"
Wang Bin sprang to his feet, speaking respectfully as he hurried out.
Lan Yu glanced at the ring on his hand.
No wonder. A storage ring really did make people so much more accommodating!
Before a quarter of an hour had passed, Wang Bin hurried back.
"Mr. Lan, I've prepared your order. Please take a look."
Lan Yu stood and followed him out of the office. Two wooden crates, each half a person's height, stood in the open space outside.
Wang Bin stepped forward and lifted the lid of each crate in turn. "Take a look, Mr. Lan. This one's century-old Whale Rubber, and this one's thousand-year-old."
When Lan Yu nodded in satisfaction, Wang Bin took three brocade boxes from an attendant nearby and handed them over with both hands. "This is the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue you asked for."
Lan Yu's eyes lit up. He took the boxes, opened them, and glanced inside. Once he'd confirmed they were genuine, he put them directly into his storage ring. Then he raised a hand, and the two large wooden crates vanished from the ground as well.
"Th-this..." Wang Bin stared, his eyes wide with astonishment.
The two of them went back into the office. Wang Bin closed the door behind them, then, under Lan Yu's puzzled gaze, took the price list back from the desk.
"Director Wang, what's this?" Lan Yu furrowed his brows, his gaze darkening.
"Don't worry, Mr. Lan."
Wang Bin rubbed his hands together, a fawning smile on his face. "Half this batch can go down as damaged goods. Just give me two thousand five hundred Gold Soul Coins. Consider it a friendly gesture."
"As for the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue, it could take a year or two to sell. I've taken the liberty of giving it to you!"
Lan Yu understood. He nodded and said, "I'll come to you again next time I need to restock."
As he spoke, he took several bags of Gold Soul Coins out of his storage ring and set them on the table.
Afterward, Wang Bin personally escorted Lan Yu all the way to the factory gates.
Walking through the streets of Nuoding City, Lan Yu took several blueprints from his storage ring. He'd deliberately divided them into separate parts.
Then Lan Yu visited several blacksmith shops in succession. After paying a deposit at each one, he returned to Notting Academy.
Dorm Seven
The midday sun beat down, and most of the students were lying in bed, resting.
"Wang Hu, where's my sister?"
Lan Yu returned to Dorm Seven, but couldn't find Tang Shan or Xiao Wu. He patted Wang Hu, who was asleep.
"Huh?! Who's that... Can't you see I'm sleeping?"
Wang Hu didn't even open his eyes as he grumbled irritably.
"It's me."
Wang Hu woke up in an instant and sprang upright. "Heh-heh, Brother Yu!"
"Where's my sister?" Lan Yu asked again.
"Tang Shan and the others should still be in class, right?" Wang Hu scratched his head.
What class could they possibly have at this hour?
Lan Yu furrowed his brows and walked out of Dorm Seven.
"Brother Yu, the first-year classroom is on the eastern end of the first floor in the teaching building!" Wang Hu chased him to the doorway and called after his retreating figure in the corridor.
"Got it!" Lan Yu waved without looking back.
Inside the first-year classroom, Yu Xiaogang stood at the lectern, explaining the lesson at the blackboard.
"The evolution of Soul Beasts is, at its core, a transformation from weak to strong. So when choosing a Soul Ring, you should pick a Soul Beast with a stronger bloodline whenever possible. It doesn't matter if its attribute is different!"
"Xiao Shan, what's that spiky-haired teacher up to? He kept us here in the middle of the day," Xiao Wu whispered.
Tang Shan was just as puzzled. She shook her head. "I don't know."
"Ahem."
"As geniuses with Innate Full Soul Power, you should be working even harder at cultivation!" Yu Xiaogang rapped on the blackboard and reprimanded them.
He hadn't expected a little place like Notting Academy to have three students with Innate Full Soul Power!
"Knock, knock, knock!"
Just then, someone knocked on the classroom door from outside.