The room felt deserted, the earlier bustle already gone.
"Ah... all alone again."
"I wonder when that spoiled, unreasonable roommate will get here?"
"Hehe!"
A smug smile appeared on Cao Yu's face, as though something wonderful would happen the very next second.
Just then, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm connected to his consciousness, and a voice rang out in his sea of consciousness.
"Don't you ever need to cultivate? Aren't you just wasting time sitting around like this?"
Cao Yu glanced at him and said disdainfully,
"I'm not like everyone else. With my big brother around, I can raise my Soul Power Level just by lying down."
"See this? This card."
"With just one of these, I can instantly raise my Soul Power by one level. Believe it or not?"
He took a Soul Power Enhancement Card out of the system space and waved it before the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
Looking at the blue card gleaming with golden light, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's enormous eyes grew somewhat bewildered.
"That thing? You aren't fooling me, are you? Where in the world would you find something that good?"
"Do you think you're Di Tian and the others? That you can level up just by absorbing my Soul Power?"
Before he finished speaking, the card turned into a streak of starlight and merged into Cao Yu's body.
His Soul Power instantly rose by one level, something the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm could clearly sense.
"How is that possible!!!"
"One tiny card can make you level up instantly?"
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's eyes widened in disbelief, as though he had witnessed the most absurd thing in the world.
"This is the first time I've ever seen such an absurdly powerful method!"
"Not only can he break every seal on me and let you perfectly fuse with my Million-Year Soul Ring, but he can also raise your Soul Power Level with ease!"
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm paced back and forth nonstop, then suddenly raised his head as though he had realized something.
"Your big brother isn't a god, is he?" the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm cried in utter shock.
Other than explaining it through a god's abilities, he could think of no other possibility.
But how wonderful it would be if this really were a god. He would not have to work so hard to create one and could simply sit back and enjoy the fruits of someone else's labor!
The answer that followed, however, left the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm somewhat disappointed.
"How could he be? Big Brother isn't a god, but in my heart, he's even more amazing than one. You wouldn't understand that feeling, Tian Meng."
"All right, Tian Meng, I'm going to sleep. Keep quiet. Good night."
Tch! Humans.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm twisted his invisible neck. Naturally, this human's dismissive attitude left him seething.
"All you know is sleep! Forget it, I'll go to sleep too~"
At some point, a cap had appeared on the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's head, and he lay down in the sea of consciousness to sleep in comfort.
The only thing he found lacking was the gray ball of light beside him, cold and dark, making him uncomfortable all over.
What puzzled the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, though, was that this brat seemed to know this thing and even called him Elder Yi. Yet no matter how he looked at that gray ball of light, it did not look like a person.
Without thinking about it further, he went off to meet the Duke of Zhou in his dreams.
Outside the dormitory, the sky had darkened, and the clamor had gradually faded. The old man on the seat outside the dormitory building had also vanished.
In the morning, dazzling sunlight streamed through the window, and Cao Yu reluctantly climbed out of bed. Huo Yuhao was already standing outside, and a knock sounded at the door.
"Brother Yu, want to go eat together?"
"Sure, I'll be right there."
Cao Yu quickly put on his clothes, then washed up before opening the door.
Huo Yuhao had already been waiting outside for quite a while. When Cao Yu came out, he closed the door behind him, greeted the old man on the seat, and headed toward the cafeteria with him.
On the way, Cao Yu asked, "You're up so early. Did you sleep all right yesterday?"
"Pretty well. What about you, Brother Yu?" Huo Yuhao nodded. Aside from spending a little extra time cultivating last night, he had slept quite soundly the rest of the time.
"I fell asleep before midnight. It wasn't much different from being at home."
When they reached the cafeteria entrance, it was already packed with people, all standing in orderly lines.
He led Huo Yuhao to the most expensive serving window and ordered several portions of large chunks of meat and chicken, along with white rice and hot soup. Altogether, it cost two or three Gold Soul Coins.
When it came to fleecing people, Shrek truly showed no mercy.
There were cheap options too, but those meant eating cabbage and drinking thin porridge. It was simply no way for a person to live.
Huo Yuhao looked pained. "This is way too expensive. Even the river snail rice noodles we sell in the shop don't cost this much. Brother Yu, why don't we return it? I think the stuff in the middle looks pretty good."
Cao Yu patted his shoulder and said, "We're both still growing. We need to keep up our nutrition. If you don't have enough money, just tell me!"
"In a few days, I'll buy a few shops nearby to sell river snail rice noodles and things like that. Yuhao, you've got enough experience anyway, so you can be the manager when the time comes."
"This cafeteria is such a rip-off, and there are only these few things to eat. Wouldn't we get bored to death after a few years? We can't let Shrek get away with this!"
Huo Yuhao said, "If we take business away from the academy like this, won't they target us?"
"Target us? Have you forgotten my surname? They can't wait to get on good terms with the Cao Clan. Why would they be foolish enough to do something that stupid?"
Cao Yu continued, "Besides, we'll only open a few shops and limit the number of customers we serve each day. They'll just be for our own people to eat at, not for making money."
"That way, we won't take away too much business. We'll give each other some face, and we can still greet each other when we meet."
He had already earned so much money anyway. Cao Yu had never intended to make money off these students; opening shops here was nothing more than a way to satisfy his own appetite.
Whether they made money no longer mattered. After all, the eighty-odd river snail rice noodle shops and hotpot restaurants in the Star Luo Empire brought him tens of millions in profits every month.
After breakfast, they returned to the dormitory building. Cao Yu told Huo Yuhao to go back to their room first while he walked toward the old man reclining on the seat.
If he wanted to buy shops near Shrek, he would first have to find someone in charge.
And as the person with the highest standing in Shrek, did this old man not have enough say?
Sitting down beside him, Cao Yu deliberately said, "Grandpa, enjoying the sun? There's something I haven't been able to figure out, and I wanted to ask you."
"Oh? What is it?" The old man turned his head, his interest piqued.
"Are those shops outside the city gates under the academy's management too?"
"Oh? Why do you ask?"
"I'm sure you know about the Cao Clan. Most of us are merchants, so I'd like to open a few food shops here. Don't worry, I'll limit the number of customers and won't take business away from the academy."
The old man smiled. "River snail rice noodles and hotpot? I have heard of them."
"Those shops are indeed managed by the academy. I'll pass word along for you, and someone will come discuss the price with you."
Cao Yu stood up and said, "Thank you very much, Grandpa. When you come to the shops, your meals will be on the house."
The old man's smile grew even wider. "Is that a promise?"
"Absolutely on the house!"
There's more coming in a bit! The main event starts next chapter!
(End of chapter)