Lin Guang smiled on the surface, seemingly completely unbothered by the atmosphere here, but a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Although "royal spirit war chronicles" contained roguelike elements, it also had some underlying logic. For example, in the game, taking down the underground black market in the current city was always an extremely difficult quest chain, only possible to complete with the combat power to defeat an ordinary six-star Spirit Master.
He wasn't an extremist like an animal rights activist, but Spirit Beasts that once had owners usually meant their contracted Spirit Master had met with an accident.
To sell them like this, and to treat them in such a way, indeed made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Before long, a nauseating stench wafted through the air ahead.
Instinctively pinching his nose, Lin Guang endured the discomfort and asked, "Uh, Demon World Flower?"
"...Yes."
The masked man's body stiffened slightly, his tone seemingly a little surprised.
Demon World Flowers, with an average grade of Green Excellent, could secrete saliva containing a variety of toxins and also release a sweet, sleep-inducing aroma. However, under certain circumstances (such as combat or injury), they would only release an incredibly foul-smelling toxic gas that even Spirit Beasts specializing in air purification found difficult to dispel. They had no relation to demons, but earned their name due to their ugly and smelly appearance.
Their primary element was Poison, but they were also proficient in Wind and Earth skills. They primarily resided in the deep mountains and old forests of a few inland states, making them a relatively rare Spirit Beast.
"Another one."
Lin Guang shook his head, pinching his nose. Losing the right to choose a partner for seven years in high school and college was one thing, but he truly couldn't stand the stench of the Demon World Flower and its terrifying appearance that could stop a child's night cries.
Moreover, at such close proximity, his sensory talent had no reaction whatsoever, his heart remained still, indicating they were not a good match.
"Alright."
The masked man nodded stiffly and turned his steps.
A moment later, the two arrived in front of a special cage, constructed from completely transparent metal alloy glass. Although there was nothing inside, four cloaked men surrounded it, observing.
In Lin Guang's knowledge, only a very few Spirit Beasts required such a cage, and combined with the situation inside, it made him blurt out, "There's even an Akarin Monster?"
"...Yes." The masked man's tone still revealed a hint of astonishment.
Akarin Monster, a gaseous-ghost/psychic Spirit Beast with Green Excellent potential, was even rarer than the Demon World Flower. It had no fixed habitat, and while the illusions it created were not difficult to break, its unique innate talent, 【Unconscious】, allowed people to subconsciously ignore its existence. If an Akarin Monster intentionally hid itself, only a small number of Spirit Beasts and Spirit Masters with special talents could detect its presence.
To open an underground black market or conduct secret activities, a psychic Spirit Beast capable of creating illusions was essential, and Akarin Monsters typically mastered illusion-creating skills early on, around level ten or so.
Aside from this, the Akarin Monster itself was also a good Spirit Beast; novice Spirit Masters generally had no counter-measures, so successfully contracting one would indeed be a good choice.
Combining these factors, the price of an Akarin Monster could even rival that of a Blue Elite Grade Spirit Beast.
This Akarin Monster was consigned by someone else, with a clear price of 70,000 credit points—which was 7 million Great Xia Coins—a premium of nearly 30%. This was also why the shop didn't directly acquire it; it would likely only fetch this price at an auction.
The only question was, did Lin Guang really have that much money?
The old Lin Guang might not have had the guts.
But for him now... he dared.
Because he knew that the Akarin Monster's subsequent two stages of evolution had not yet been publicly revealed how to achieve!
Lin Guang unhesitatingly pulled out his cards—not bank cards, but his student ID and national ID.
That's right.
As an expert internet user, Lin Guang knew that this place could actually provide legal loans. The company was traceable and operated under the name of a certain aristocratic family in Zhen Sheng City.
Moreover, the interest rates were within a reasonable range, because in this world, there truly were extraordinary powers, and if a Spirit Master was pushed to a dead end, the loan company was afraid they would truly explode on them.
Furthermore, Zhen Sheng Experimental School was already a prestigious school, and Class One was among its best, making them a very high-quality potential stock and client. The shop was willing to offer him loans at a more favorable interest rate.
And, taking a step back, they had ways to make Lin Guang repay his debts.
After putting on a special protective suit, Lin Guang entered the cage. With the help of the shop assistant's psychic Spirit Beast, he vaguely felt the Akarin Monster right in front of him.
Holding his breath and concentrating, after reciting a rather long incantation in ancient Great Xia language, his spirituality was activated. The Light of Contract shot from Lin Guang's chest, or rather, from his soul, enveloping the Akarin Monster.
The big man's pupils, hidden behind the mask, slightly constricted as he gave Lin Guang a deep look.
Masterful... no, it could be called a transcendent level of meditation contract method. Truly worthy of an elite from the Experimental School's combat class.
Light of Contract instead of Chain of Contract... an ancient Equal Contract?
This would sacrifice a lot.
Ambitious.
The next moment, a rather distinct feeling of rejection came, and the pure white light trembled, showing signs of breaking, forcing Lin Guang to interrupt the contract ritual.
This was a sign of extremely low compatibility.
Lin Guang felt a bit of regret, and the manager who had approved the loan felt even more so.
"Nothing else?"
"...Nothing left."
Whether it was Lin Guang's illusion or not, the masked strongman seemed to hesitate when answering.
Without thinking much, he decided to go check out the "Spirit Material Zone."
His main purpose for coming this trip was to look at spirit materials; Spirit Beasts were just a casual look, so he needed to keep a calm mind.
From the outside, the Spirit Material Zone appeared relatively small. Various materials were categorized by attribute and placed in small warehouses, each about two hundred square meters, tightly packed together with locked doors, monitored by dedicated personnel and Spirit Beasts.
But Lin Guang, of course, was not qualified to enter.
Are you kidding? If they let Spirit Masters in casually, what if their hands weren't very clean and they did something covertly? Who would compensate if it was only discovered after they had already gotten far away?
The masked man stopped under what looked like a storefront sign, paused, and gestured for him to push the door open.
The moment he pushed the door open, Lin Guang couldn't help but squint—the light here was finally brighter. Inside the small shop, there was a person wearing a black robe and a pure black mask behind the counter.
A husky male voice came from under the mask: "Buying materials?"
"What do you have here?"
He didn't speak, but handed over a notebook catalog that was clearly handwritten recently.
Black market goods were unstable, so they were naturally updated frequently.
At this moment, Lin Guang's gaze was incredibly serious, as if he was calculating something.
【Although as a newcomer with no consumption records and no reputation, it's unlikely they'd show me all their good stuff... but there's already quite a lot in these first and second-tier spirit materials.】
【Spirit-Dependent Lily leaves... 30 credit points per gram? Seriously? Psychic resources are so overpriced.】
【Aether Crystals, regardless of size and purity, the average price is lower for water-elemental ones. Hmm, reasonable, after all, this place is near the sea.】
【Untreated Bloodflame Carapace, where did they even get this? I remember Bloodflame Giant Armored Beasts are unique Spirit Beasts of the Federal Nation, right? Could it be that someone's fostered Bloodflame Armored Beast shed its skin without telling the owner, and they secretly sold it on the black market to earn extra cash?】
【There's even attribute-less first-tier spirit pattern crystals? So expensive, and the quality can't be guaranteed, so forget it.】
He continuously flipped through the few pages of the catalog, then quickly confirmed the prices of all the items he recognized in his mind.
【Wang Dawei's Spirit Beast is a White Phoenix Parrot... Hmm, no choice, this step's risk is necessary.】
【I searched online last night, the Dream Death Mushroom at the Municipal Spirit Beast Mall is relatively scarce and temporarily out of stock. What's available and cheaper here is the essence blood of the Baihuang Giant Parrot. Anyway, it's for comprehending skills, so the quality of the spirit material doesn't matter much.】
You're a lucky kid. When I get rich, others won't even have a chance to give me popcorn!
Lin Guang couldn't help but mutter to himself.
He snapped the notebook shut with a clap, looked up, and faced the man behind the counter: "I've made my selection."
"Three Reverse Scales of a Shapeshifting Dragon, two fresh Dream Death Mushrooms, 100 grams of Whisper Butterfly Scale Powder."
"And, a drop of Baihuang Giant Parrot essence blood."
"I'll notify the warehouse."
Not long after, these materials, shimmering with a faint aetheric glow, were brought before Lin Guang. He carefully identified them, ensuring they were exactly the same as the information he had checked last night and his own past memories.
"Seven hundred eighty credit points."
Lin Guang nodded and very straightforwardly swiped his card to pay, using up most of the scholarships and grants he had accumulated over the years.
But he felt no heartache at all.
Because this would be the starting point for all his plans.
Weighing the materials in his hand, Lin Guang walked out the door and, led by the masked man, crossed the Spirit Beast Zone, heading back in the direction they came from.
However, not long after walking, Lin Guang's steps suddenly halted.
He suddenly felt... his heart rate quicken.
"...?"
His pupils constricted, and he inexplicably looked to his front right.
His heart continuously accelerated, pumping blood throughout his body at the speed of a hundred-meter dash.
It was an inexplicable intuition.
It was a ripple in his Sea of Spirit.
For half a year, his talent, which had been as still as a dead pig... was actually vibrating?