Chapter 5

"In that case, I indeed must go and take a look."

Hearing this, Tingyun nodded; under such circumstances, a visit was certainly necessary.

Yet, seeing Lin Mo leisurely gazing at a certain restaurant, her eyelid twitched involuntarily again; she smiled, took Lin Mo's hand, and said softly, "Benefactor, could you accompany this humble woman back to the Minghuo Chamber of Commerce?"

She hadn't been paying attention, and in the blink of an eye, this fellow had spent a full four million credit points; thinking about it now still made her heart ache.

If she were not by this fellow's side, and he ran off to a restaurant even more upscale than the teahouse, who knew how extravagant his spending would become.

Imagining an astronomical bill being delivered to the Minghuo Chamber of Commerce later, Tingyun instantly felt a rush of blood to her head, so her first instinct was to stick close to Lin Mo.

Since the Chamber had matters to attend to, she might as well take Lin Mo back directly.

"Very well."

Hearing Tingyun's words, Lin Mo raised an eyebrow and nodded.

Seeing Lin Mo agree, Tingyun felt a wave of relief in her heart; then, noticing she was still holding Lin Mo's arm, her face flushed involuntarily, and she hastily let go.

Just moments ago, in her urgency, she had directly grabbed Lin Mo's hand.

"Speaking of which, Benefactor, do you have any plans for what comes next?"

Walking alongside Lin Mo toward the Minghuo Chamber of Commerce, Tingyun asked, "Now that you have just arrived in Luo Fu and familiarized yourself with the place, what do you intend to do?"

"Eat, drink, play, and have fun."

Lin Mo answered without hesitation, causing Tingyun's eyelid to twitch: "That's it?"

"That's it."

Lin Mo shook his head; why would he seek out trouble for himself when he was bored? Wasn't eating, drinking, playing, and having fun good enough?

"Then may I ask where you get your money, Benefactor?"

Seeing Lin Mo shake his head, Tingyun gritted her teeth slightly: "If you want to spend money, you must first earn it to have anything to spend, right?"

"Don't I have you?"

Lin Mo looked at Tingyun in surprise: "Since I am a guest elder of the Minghuo Chamber of Commerce, naturally any expenses I incur should be billed to your Minghuo Chamber of Commerce."

Once one becomes a guest elder, who still pays out of their own pocket?

In this day and age, who carries money when going out?

Tingyun: "????????"

Hearing Lin Mo's words, Tingyun's fists clenched slightly for a moment, and she nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood from sheer frustration.

What he said made perfect sense, and she found herself unable to refute it.

Moreover, she had indeed been saved by this person; if she did not take responsibility for him, would that not be failing to repay kindness?

But this fellow spent money far too ruthlessly!

A mere teahouse with modest consumption could cost four million credit points; if it were some other luxurious establishment, Tingyun wouldn't even dare to imagine it!

Tingyun's face bore a hint of melancholy, as if inviting this person to become a guest elder of the Minghuo Merchant Association had been a mistaken decision.

Thinking thus, she walked alongside Lin Mo toward the Minghuo Merchant Association.

The fox-eared girl following beside them kept sizing up Lin Mo; to think this person was a guest elder personally invited by Chief Representative Tingyun—so handsome.

Far more good-looking than any member of the fox-kin race.

It did not take long before the group arrived at the Minghuo Merchant Association.

The Minghuo Merchant Association was likewise situated on Xuanye Avenue.

It was a towering structure; when Lin Mo reached the entrance, he saw that the building resembled a palace, resplendent in gold and jade, majestic and imposing.

Flanking the entrance were two colossal lion statues, awe-inspiring, as if proclaiming the authority and status of the merchant association.

Upon entering the Minghuo Merchant Association with Tingyun, one was greeted by a massive mural seemingly depicting the association's history and glory; surrounding the mural were various precious calligraphy, paintings, and antiques, showcasing the association's wealth and culture.

At that moment, inside the main hall of the Minghuo Merchant Association.

A merchant clad in luxurious robes sat upon a chair.

Upon seeing Tingyun enter, he immediately rose with a respectful expression and addressed her: "Young Lady Tingyun."

Although he was here to conduct a transaction, Tingyun, the chief representative of the Minghuo Merchant Association, was an idol to people like him, so he greeted her without delay.

As he spoke, the merchant noticed Lin Mo standing beside Tingyun and was secretly startled.

Who was this person? Able to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with Young Lady Tingyun, appearing quite close to her; yet he had never heard that Young Lady Tingyun had a man.

Still, this young man was truly handsome, far more good-looking than anyone he had encountered while traveling the stars in the outer universe.

"Greetings."

Tingyun nodded and got straight to the point: "I wonder where your top-grade minerals are kept? As you know, the Minghuo Merchant Association is currently collecting the finest minerals, namely Zhuzhao-grade minerals."

"Indeed, I can assure you, Young Lady Tingyun, that these are absolutely Zhuzhao-grade minerals."

The merchant nodded hurriedly, then took three boxes out of his bag.

Opening the boxes one by one, three pieces of jade emitting a dim blue light immediately appeared before everyone.

The crystal-clear jades radiated a dim blue glow, like stars.

The surfaces of the jades bore delicate veins, as if masterpieces crafted by nature itself.

Within the jades, something flowed like liquid, exceedingly beautiful.

At this moment, the merchant who had produced the ores wore a somewhat proud expression: "Young Lady Tingyun, these are absolutely Zhuzhao-grade minerals; just look at their quality to know they are supreme, truly a gift beneath the stars."

Hearing the merchant's words, Tingyun also turned her gaze to the three blue ores; indeed, they were extremely beautiful, truly ores she had never seen before.

Judging merely by their appearance, one could determine that these were undoubtedly Zhuzhao-grade minerals.

However, it was also possible they were not, and this was merely superficial craftsmanship.

After all, in these times, there was no shortage of swindlers passing off fakes as genuine.

As for Lin Mo beside them, upon seeing these ores, knowledge regarding antique minerals instantly and subconsciously surfaced in his mind, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

Almost instantly, he went from unfamiliar to thoroughly acquainted, knowing Zhuzhao-grade minerals inside and out.

Through the mineral knowledge in his mind, Lin Mo discovered that mineral lore from any region was identical.

Zhuzhao-grade minerals were simply the designation for the finest minerals; in different places, they bore different names.

"Is that so, Young Lady Tingyun? I wonder which piece you desire?"

At this moment, the merchant wore a beaming smile: "Regarding these three Zhuzhao-grade minerals, please choose whichever you need with complete confidence; I obtained them from the cosmic rivers of the universe. Within these ores absolutely flows the power of the stars surging through the cosmos, condensed into rare gems amidst stellar anomalies; each piece is worth a fortune."

"Chief Representative, these three minerals indeed appear extremely beautiful, unlike anything ordinary that could be produced."

At this moment, the fox-eared girl beside them also spoke softly: "We are completely unable to make a determination, so we wish for you to decide."

"Indeed, they are very beautiful."

Tingyun nodded, but choosing which one was indeed a difficult problem.

For these three minerals were identical; although they varied in size, larger dimensions did not necessarily mean better quality.

Even within the Zhuzhao tier, there were grades.

The Zhuzhao-grade ores required by the Minghuo Merchant Association naturally had to be the superior ones within the Zhuzhao tier, not the inferior goods.

For once minerals reached the Zhuzhao tier, their value skyrocketed, amounting to at least millions of credit points.

Within this tier, the price difference between inferior and supreme quality was as vast as heaven and earth; some people liked to pass off inferior goods as superior, causing others to unnecessarily spend a great deal more money.

One must remember, that was a difference of millions of credit points!

A single supreme-quality Zhuzhao-grade mineral was entirely equivalent to many inferior-grade Zhuzhao minerals.

In these times, no one would be willing to unnecessarily waste millions of credit points.

For a moment, Tingyun fell into deep thought, staring intently at the three ores.

The merchant was in no hurry, but waited quietly with a smile.

Doing business was just like this; it required patience.

"I wonder if Benefactor has any opinion?"

Tingyun, who was lost in thought, noticed Lin Mo beside her looking at the ores and subconsciously raising an eyebrow; she smiled and said: "If Benefactor were to choose, which piece would you pick? Could you offer this humble woman some advice?"

"Oh? You want me to decide?"

Hearing Tingyun's words, Lin Mo nodded slightly: "Very well; if I were to speak, the answer is actually quite simple."

"The answer is simple?"

Hearing Lin Mo's words, Tingyun's expression showed surprise.

While she and the others were still troubled over which Zhuzhao-grade mineral to select, this fellow actually claimed there was already an answer?

For a moment, Tingyun became even more interested.