The Days I Went Shopping at the Spirit Pagoda

"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

Seeing the boy walk in, the Spirit Master at the front desk hurriedly asked.

Although it was nearly dark and he was surprised to see someone arriving so late, the boy looked like a young master from a wealthy family, so he did not dare neglect him.

Mo Yuan glanced at him. "I'm afraid you can't make the decision on this matter. Have your pagoda master come over."

His tone was flat, sounding as though he was merely stating a fact rather than deliberately showing contempt.

The Spirit Master serving him frowned but still replied, "Sir, I consider my rank in the Spirit Pagoda fairly high. I should be able to make the decision on whatever matter you have."

Mo Yuan glanced at the rank badge pinned to his chest—a Level-4 deacon. That was not a low rank.

As far as he knew, the Spirit Pagoda's internal administrative ranks were divided into ten levels, and people of every level could be addressed as deacons, with the ranks arranged from low to high.

The highest was the Level-10 deacon, a position held only by the pagoda master. (Note: Level 10 was an administrative rank, while the pagoda master was a specific position.)

Level 9 was the rank of the two vice pagoda masters and the four Spirit Envoys.

The elders of the Spirit Pagoda's council and the reserve Spirit Envoys were Level 8.

Most branch pagoda masters were therefore Level 6 or 7.

Thus, this Level-4 deacon Spirit Master truly held a fairly high position in the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda. However... it still wasn't enough.

Mo Yuan looked at him and did not say much more. He simply said, "All right, then. Bring out every Soul Spirit currently in the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda. I'll buy them all."

"All right, sir. I'll do that right awa—huh?"

The Spirit Master suddenly froze, his mouth falling open. "What? What did you just say?"

"I said I'll buy every Soul Spirit in your Spirit Pagoda." Mo Yuan repeated himself patiently, then smiled. "Please be quick. I don't have much time."

"Um...tsk, sir, I really can't make that decision. I'll go notify the pagoda master right away."

As he spoke, the Spirit Master waved over a server and gestured for her to attend to the guest properly before hurrying away.

All right, he had truly never seen a scene like this before...

Who came in and immediately announced that they wanted to buy out every Soul Spirit in the entire Spirit Pagoda? Although this was only a branch pagoda, it still had quite a few Soul Spirits. Their combined price could be called astronomical.

Even so, he decided to report directly to the pagoda master. What if the other party was serious?

Even if he had merely been talking nonsense, the blame would not fall on him. The boy could bear the pagoda master's fury himself.

Top floor, pagoda master's office.

Lu Fengnian was doing something improper with his secretary. Just as he was about to undo his belt, the door rang at the most inopportune moment.

"Damn it! Didn't I tell you not to come looking for me at this time?"

Lu Fengnian was instantly annoyed. He waved his hand and pulled the secretary out from beneath the desk, then straightened his clothes.

"Come in!"

"Click—"

"Something terrible has happened, Pagoda Master!"

The door opened, and the Spirit Master rushed in at once, shouting loudly.

"Little Li? What are you yelling about? What's so terrible?"

Creak—

The Spirit Master abruptly slammed to a halt. This... this wasn't right, was it?

Looking at the pagoda master's secretary, who was glaring at him with a flushed face and slightly disheveled clothes, he felt as though the sky had gone dark.

Did I just stumble onto something incredible?

Lu Fengnian was still looking indignant, but the Spirit Master surnamed Li forced down his unease and said, "Pagoda Master, a guest just arrived and said he wanted to buy all the Soul Spirits in our Spirit Pagoda. I don't have the authority to handle a transaction of this level, so I came specifically to ask for your instructions."

"What? All the Soul Spirits?"

Upon hearing that, Lu Fengnian no longer cared that Little Li had interrupted his good time.

He frowned. "What's this person's background? Do you know him?"

Spirit Master Li shook his head. "Pagoda Master, I don't know him at all. Also, he looks to be only about ten years old. Perhaps he's a young master from some family?"

"Huh? He's just a child?" Lu Fengnian slapped the desk and sprang to his feet. "Interesting, interesting. I'll go take a look myself!"

As he spoke, he strode off without the slightest hesitation.

The Spirit Master came to his senses and hurried to lead the way.

Lu Fengnian took such large strides that the hem of his robe nearly swept against the stair railings.

The Spirit Master surnamed Li followed behind him, jogging to keep up.

"Where is he?" Lu Fengnian's voice reached the front desk before he had even finished climbing the last few steps.

"Pagoda Master, he's over here." Spirit Master Li hurriedly pointed toward the lounge.

Lu Fengnian followed his gesture and saw a well-dressed boy sitting on a sofa in the lounge. His eyes were slightly closed, and his entire person seemed calm and unhurried, without the slightest trace of restraint or unease.

Lu Fengnian's first impression improved considerably.

He walked over and sat down in the chair opposite Mo Yuan. Without any small talk, he went straight to the point. "Little friend, do you know how much all the Soul Spirits in our Spirit Pagoda are worth combined?"

Mo Yuan opened his eyes and immediately recognized the newcomer.

He was none other than the pagoda master of the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda, Lu Fengnian, a Level-7 deacon.

As for how he knew that?

Naturally, it was because when he hacked into the Spirit Pagoda, he had memorized the entire administrative classification in their database.

Mo Yuan set down his teacup and shook his head. "I really don't know."

"Then how dare you say you'll buy them all?" Lu Fengnian leaned back in his chair, folding his hands over his abdomen. His tone carried the relaxed indulgence of an elder teasing a child. "At your age, you need your family's adults to approve the purchase of Soul Spirits, don't you? Where are your parents?"

Mo Yuan did not answer that question.

He took a metal badge out of his Storage Soul Tool and casually tossed it over.

Lu Fengnian reached out, and the badge landed steadily in his hand. He took a close look and saw nine red stars arranged in a neat arc, reflecting specks of light under the lamps.

He did not react at first, because his attention was still fixed on his preconceived notion of a "child." But on the second look, his gaze froze, his pupils contracted slightly, and his relaxed posture unconsciously straightened until it was even more perfect than that of a Federation soldier.

He picked up the badge and examined the back. The badge number, issuing institution, and standard markings all matched.

He set the badge back on the table and looked at Mo Yuan again. His gaze had changed, carrying a hint of shock despite himself.

"You... you're that Level-9 Soul Engineer from the news?"

"That would be me. Can we discuss business now?"

Lu Fengnian turned to look at Spirit Master Li, wanting very much to ask why he had not said so earlier.

But the other man was already frozen in place, his mouth slightly agape like a fish hauled out of the water.

"Blah, blah, blah..."

Lu Fengnian turned back and cleared his throat, adjusting his tone to something more formal, even bordering on obsequious. "My apologies. I was presumptuous just now. My name is Lu Fengnian, the branch pagoda master of the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda. Mr. Mo Yuan, regarding what you just said..."

"It was naturally true," Mo Yuan said. "I want every Soul Spirit currently in your pagoda's inventory, from Ten-Year Soul Spirits to Millennium Soul Spirits, of every grade. Of course, this excludes those already reserved for sale and those being transferred from the main pagoda. Clear out everything else."

Lu Fengnian thought for a moment, then said cautiously, "Mr. Mo Yuan, our branch pagoda currently has thirteen Millennium Soul Spirits, ninety-five Century Soul Spirits, and four hundred eighty-six Ten-Year Soul Spirits. Their prices are twelve million, one million, and seventy thousand Federation Coins respectively, for a total of 285.02 million Federation Coins. What do you think of this..."

As he said this, Lu Fengnian was somewhat tense, because this was indeed an enormous figure—one that could even be called terrifying.

"That's all?" Mo Yuan frowned, looking clearly dissatisfied.

Lu Fengnian: ?

What did he mean, "that's all"? Could the man still be dissatisfied?

Even so, he said, "If Mr. Mo Yuan feels that isn't enough, I can apply to headquarters to have a batch of Soul Spirits transferred here. It would take more time, however, and the procedures would be rather complicated."

"Forget it. Let's leave it at this for now." Mo Yuan shook his head and took a card from his Storage Soul Tool, placing it on the table. "Pay thirty percent as a deposit. Settle the balance after all the Soul Spirits have been counted. The process can be carried out in full compliance with regulations. Handle the tax invoice and transaction receipts according to standard procedure."

"Deal." Lu Fengnian stood up and shook his hand. "I'll have someone prepare the contract immediately."

The rest of the process went incredibly smoothly.

Lu Fengnian quickly had someone retrieve the entire inventory list. Mo Yuan spent about ten minutes checking each item on the spot, confirming the types, years, and corresponding prices of the Soul Spirits. The two parties then completed the signing and payment procedures.

Before long, several large crates containing Soul Spirit Balls were carried over and placed in front of Mo Yuan.

Mo Yuan waved his hand and stored the entire pile of Soul Spirits away.

Lu Fengnian stood beside him and respectfully offered his business card. "Mr. Mo Yuan, if you need anything in the future, come straight to me."

"I will." Mo Yuan accepted the card. "Pagoda Master Lu, you're a straightforward man. From now on, just keep all the Soul Spirits for me."

He was not short of money. Ever since he had reached agreements with Chen Xinjie and Fu Moxin, his money had become nothing more than a string of numbers. He could never spend it all—he simply could not spend it all.

"You're welcome anytime." Lu Fengnian nodded and watched Mo Yuan leave before turning back toward the Spirit Pagoda.

On the way, Mo Yuan looked up at the building next door—Nine Building, which was where his Anti-Entropy Technology was located.

He had naturally acquired it through Chen Xinjie's connections. Otherwise, getting it on his own would truly have taken some effort.

The windows on the east side of the third floor were still lit. That was where the reception room was. Through the curtains, he could vaguely see the warm yellow glow inside.

Huh? They still aren't done talking?

Mo Yuan estimated the time. He had already been inside for quite a while. Given A-01's reception efficiency, the fact that they had been talking for so long meant that those curious babies had quite a few questions to ask.

Tsk, forget it. I might as well go see them myself...

Looking at a familiar yet strange figure on the surveillance footage, Mo Yuan's lips curled slightly upward.

"Interesting..."