Xu Jiujiu remained composed. Perhaps sensing Chen Tianyuan's nervousness, she smiled and said, "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Xu Jiujiu, and I'm a princess of the Star Luo Empire."
"Since you're heading to Star Luo City, little brother Chen, why not travel with us? We can look out for one another."
Chen Tianyuan stole a glance at Nebula Douluo, whose expression was as cold as frost, then agreed. Having a Titled Douluo along certainly made him feel much safer.
It was already late, making travel inconvenient, so the three of them rested in the Mixed Area for the night.
Normally, lighting a fire in the Mixed Area was out of the question. With a Titled Douluo like Manyi present, however, they had no need to worry about that.
Beside the fire, Chen Tianyuan chatted with Xu Jiujiu while recovering his soul power.
During their conversation, Chen Tianyuan learned that Xu Jiujiu had come to obtain a Soul Ring. She was seventeen or eighteen and already a rank-52 Soul King. Even across the entire continent, she was unquestionably a genius.
Xu Jiujiu asked, "You mentioned earlier that you were going to Star Luo City on business, little brother Chen. Is there anything I can help with?"
Only then did Chen Tianyuan remember that Xu Jiujiu was an auctioneer at the Starlight Auction House. She surely knew about the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife. With her help, buying it would be much easier.
Chen Tianyuan said, "Your Highness, do you know of the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife?"
Xu Jiujiu chuckled. "Just call me Sister Jiujiu, little brother Chen."
She continued, "To tell you the truth, I'm the chief auctioneer at the Starlight Auction House. The Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife is there right now. It's failed to sell at auction many times."
"Do you want that carving knife?"
Chen Tianyuan nodded with a murmur of assent.
Xu Jiujiu's expression turned odd. "You should think this through, little brother Chen. Although the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife is a Ranked Carving Knife, it's also a cursed, sinister blade. None of its owners have met a good end. They either died suddenly under mysterious circumstances or fell into becoming Evil Soul Masters..."
"Of course I know all that, and I have a way to deal with it. Otherwise, I wouldn't be traveling all this way to the Star Luo Empire," Chen Tianyuan said.
Seeing that Chen Tianyuan did not seem to be lying, Xu Jiujiu immediately said, "In that case, I'll take it upon myself to give it to you."
Chen Tianyuan hesitated for a moment before finally accepting. Of course he knew that free things cost the most, but he already owed her a favor. When debts piled high, one more hardly weighed him down. He might as well take what was offered.
The next day, dawn broke.
Early that morning, Manyi took Xu Jiujiu and Chen Tianyuan flying toward Star Luo City.
A Titled Douluo was many times faster than a Flying Soul Tool. Protected by Manyi's soul power, Chen Tianyuan did not have to endure the physical strain of high-speed flight, either.
There were three reasons why low-level Soul Masters could not fly at top speed using Flying Soul Tools: insufficient soul power reserves, overheating thrusters, and bodies unable to withstand the pressure of such rapid flight.
Within half a day, the three of them entered Star Luo City.
Star Luo City certainly lived up to its reputation as the capital of the Star Luo Empire. It was every bit as prosperous as Shrek City, perhaps even more so.
What surprised Chen Tianyuan, however, was that he followed Xu Jiujiu and Manyi straight into the imperial palace. A maid then led him to a room set aside for resting.
About half an hour later, Xu Jiujiu walked in. Her white combat outfit was gone, replaced by an exquisitely designed royal gown.
Behind her, a maid entered carrying a red tray. On it sat a white wooden box a foot long and half a foot wide.
Xu Jiujiu sat down opposite Chen Tianyuan. The maid placed the wooden box on the tea table between them, then respectfully stepped aside.
Xu Jiujiu pushed the wooden box toward Chen Tianyuan and said, "The Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife you wanted is inside, little brother Chen. Open it and take a look."
Chen Tianyuan nodded, picked up the wooden box, and opened it. The instant the lid lifted, a thick wave of malice rushed into his face. A pitch-black carving knife lay quietly inside, slowly radiating a savage, murderous aura...
Such an evil aura filled Chen Tianyuan with instinctive revulsion, but it also awakened Electrolux.
As Electrolux sensed that negative aura, he seemed to recall something from his past. Coming back to himself, he said, "Put it away carefully. Once I've recovered a little more, I'll help you cleanse the curse from it."
All right, Chen Tianyuan replied inwardly. He then closed the wooden box, cutting off the aura that could influence a person's mind.
He looked at Xu Jiujiu and said, "Thank you, Sister Jiujiu. If you ever need help, you can send someone to find me at Shrek Academy."
Xu Jiujiu chuckled. "No need to be so polite, little brother Chen. Just consider it an investment."
As she spoke, Xu Jiujiu turned her wrist, and a red invitation appeared in her hand out of thin air.
"There's a small auction at the Starlight Auction House tonight. If you're interested, little brother Chen, you can go take a look."
Chen Tianyuan thought it over and ultimately accepted. According to his original plans, he would not even have reached Star Luo City yet. Besides, parts of his Flying Soul Tool's thrusters had been damaged by the heat the previous night, so he needed to find a Soul Engineer in the city to repair them.
Seeing him accept, Xu Jiujiu said, "Then I won't disturb your rest any longer, little brother Chen. If you need anything, just tell the maid."
There was naturally a reason why the Star Luo Empire had become the strongest of the continent's original three empires. Ever since the Sun Moon Empire had launched its war against them, the Star Luo Empire had devoted itself to developing soul guidance technology. By contrast, although the Heaven Dou Empire and the Dou Ling Empire were also developing Soul Tools, they still fundamentally favored traditional Soul Masters. This was evident in the Soul Master academies within those two empires. The most representative example was Zhengtian Academy, which had not even established a Soul Tool department and forbade its students from using Soul Tools...
After placing the wooden box containing the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife into his Storage Soul Tool, Chen Tianyuan left the imperial palace.
He had never visited Star Luo City before, so he took the opportunity to look around.
The liveliest place in Star Luo City was undoubtedly Star Luo Plaza. Covering several thousand square meters, it was surrounded by numerous vendors, including all kinds of Soul Tool repair stalls.
Looking at the Class 4 Flying Soul Tool Chen Tianyuan produced, the middle-aged proprietor opened his lion's maw and named an outrageous price. "Young man, your Soul Tool looks fine on the outside, but the Core Array inside has burned out. Since you seem to be in a hurry, I'll fix it in three hours for two thousand Gold Soul Coins."
Chen Tianyuan's expression turned odd. Although he knew how to use a Flying Soul Tool, he did not understand its workings, much less how to repair one. Unaware that he was being fleeced, he finally gritted his teeth and paid two thousand Gold Soul Coins, then arranged to collect it that evening.
Watching Chen Tianyuan walk away, the middle-aged proprietor slapped his thigh hard. "Tsk! I still asked for too little."
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