Ban Crystal and a First Meeting with Flender

After leaving Notting City, Xiao Wu was thrilled to explore a big city for the first time. She grabbed Lin Hao and launched straight into a shopping spree.

Suotuo City was one of the Balak Kingdom's two major cities, and it showed. Though it was still morning, the streets were already bustling.

Shops of every kind lined the streets. Fortunately, Xiao Wu knew when to stop. She bought quite a few things, but most of them weren't expensive.

Among her purchases was a beautiful pink-and-blue dress, along with all kinds of knee-high stockings: black, white, fishnet—you name it. Big cities simply had more fashionable clothes and accessories to choose from.

"Huh? Xiao Hao, look over there," Xiao Wu exclaimed.

Lin Hao had already noticed the shop she was pointing at. It was none other than Flender's shop in Suotuo City.

Inside, a top-grade piece of Ban Crystal that had formed over a hundred thousand years sat quietly waiting for them.

The signboard bore a circular emblem depicting a sword, a hammer, and a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon—the same design found on Spirit Hall tokens.

"Come on, let's take a look." The three of them headed straight for the shop.

The door was open, but the interior looked rather dim.

One look inside told Lin Hao that Flender, being as stingy as he was, had deliberately skipped installing glowing gems for lighting.

There was only one person in the shop and no counter in sight. Items hung on three of the walls, all of them looking old and not particularly valuable.

The sole occupant sat in a wooden rocking chair, eyes closed as he rocked back and forth.

He appeared to be in his fifties. Despite his age, he was strongly built, and the sturdy-looking chair creaked under his weight with every swing.

His face was distinctive: a slightly jutting chin, broad cheekbones, a flat face, and a somewhat hooked nose.

At first glance, he looked sly, cunning, and greedy. No wonder Liu Erlong hadn't been interested in him.

After all, the original story said that Yu Xiaogang had met Liu Erlong and Flender while traveling the continent. The latter two had been traveling together.

The fact that they had teamed up for the journey suggested that Liu Erlong and Flender must have been quite close.

If Flender had been a little more handsome and hadn't looked so sly and money-hungry, Yu Xiaogang might never have had a chance.

While Lin Hao studied Flender's face, Tang San picked out the hundred-thousand-year Ban Crystal from the items hanging on the walls.

"Boss! How much for this crystal? I'll take it."

"Not much. One hundred Gold Soul Coins." The reply came in a lazy, slightly husky voice.

"All right. I'll take it."

Tang San pulled a small cloth pouch from the ring on his left hand and tossed it onto the table beside the rocking chair. It held exactly one hundred Gold Soul Coins.

After Lin Hao had gotten the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges storage-belt Soul Tool from Yu Xiaogang, Tang Hao had given Tang San a storage Soul Tool as well.

Tang San's was a ring with fifteen cubic units of storage space.

At the clink of coins hitting the table, Flender said without opening his eyes, "That's not enough."

Tang San picked up the pouch and counted the hundred Gold Soul Coins again.

"No, it's right. One hundred Gold Soul Coins. Are you raising the price, boss? If you are, I don't want it!"

With that, Tang San put the pouch back into his storage Soul Tool.

Flender was dumbfounded. That wasn't how this was supposed to go. I raise the price, he complains it's too expensive, we haggle, and I sell it for more than a hundred Gold Soul Coins. Right?

"Hey, hey, don't put it away!"

"One hundred it is! I'll sell you this crystal for one hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

Tang San slowly shook his head at Flender, who had sprung out of his chair.

"Now I'm only willing to pay eighty Gold Soul Coins. Take it or leave it."

Hearing the boy's new offer, Flender raised a hand and gave his own mouth a light slap.

"Deal! Deal! Eighty Gold Soul Coins it is."

Tang San took out the pouch again, removed twenty Gold Soul Coins, and returned those to his storage ring. Then he handed the pouch containing the remaining eighty to Flender.

Flender accepted it and swept it with his spiritual power. Exactly eighty Gold Soul Coins.

Only then did Flender take a closer look at Lin Hao, Xiao Wu, and Tang San.

And what he found made him stare. Holy shit!

All three were clearly under ten years old, yet every one of them was a two-ring Soul Grandmaster. Three little monsters!

These three little monsters had come to Suotuo City together. Surely Shrek Academy was what had drawn them here.

Flender was delighted.

Wait!

Flender fixed his gaze on Lin Hao's belt.

Why does that kid's belt look so much like my good friend Yu Xiaogang's storage belt?

While Flender was studying it, the three prepared to leave.

"Xiao Hao, Xiao San, now that we're done here, let's check out the other shops."

Xiao Wu took Lin Hao by the hand and headed outside, with Tang San close behind.

Flender came to his senses and was about to stop Lin Hao to ask him about the belt, but the three had already left the shop.

"Ah, forget it. They'll probably head to Shrek Academy in a few days anyway. I can ask them then."

By the time they left Flender's shop, it was lunchtime.

They found a busy restaurant and sat down to eat.

With so many people coming and going, there was plenty of talk to overhear. Sure enough, they soon heard something about Shrek Academy.

Its exact location was in a village not far south of Suotuo City.

After lunch, the three left Suotuo City and came to a broad stretch of farmland. There was no one else in sight.

Tang San took out the hundred-thousand-year Ban Crystal he had bought for eighty Gold Soul Coins. With a hard blow from a forging hammer, he extracted the Dragon's Beard Needles inside.

"Hair Gold is incredibly tough and elastic. When Soul Power is infused into it, it straightens into an extremely sturdy needle. Once that Soul Power is gone, it curls back up."

"Just imagine what happens if it shoots into someone's body and the Soul Power fades..."

"The enemy would have no way to straighten the curled Hair Gold into a needle again. To remove it, they'd have to cut away the entire piece of flesh it's tangled in."

"We really found something good this time..."