Chapter 197: Encountering the Ultra Element Again

Lei En's mind at that moment held only two words: "Swindler!"

A Kodo Beast mount being sold for eight hundred Gold Shields—truly shameless.

Back then at Longshande's soul market, that Mid-stage Feather Serpent carried four Elements, far stronger than a Kodo Beast, yet its price was only eight hundred Gold Shields.

Aside from its massive endurance, the Kodo Beast has little combat ability; it's essentially just a mount.

Lei En's mental price ceiling is at most six hundred Gold Shields.

As for the two‑year after‑sale service Ha Bu mentioned—sending someone daily to the castle to tend the Kodo Beasts—how much is that worth? Cleaning the beasts, feeding them fodder, can be done by the castle's own servants; no specialist is needed.

A bull can't be judged by its looks!

Lei En shook his head inwardly; no wonder this bull‑headed man has made the breeding farm so large—truly shrewd.

He said straight away, "Six hundred Gold Shields per Kodo Beast; I can buy thirteen."

"Lord…," Ha Bu wailed instantly, "Six hundred Gold Shields, I can't even recoup my costs. I've toiled five years raising them; I can't end up with a loss."

Lei En crossed his arms, completely unmoved.

Ha Bu scratched the mane on the back of his neck, made a conflicted face, then gritted his teeth and said, "Master, you are the lord of Gra Morgan; our soul‑breeding grounds are subjects of your domain, so a lower price is appropriate. How about seven hundred Gold Shields?"

"I'll only pay six hundred; one more Gold Shield and I won't buy," Lei En bit down on that price.

"Six hundred fifty!" Ha Bu lowered it again.

Lei En turned and walked away without any hesitation.

"Fine, then six hundred Gold Shields." The bull‑headed man hurriedly called Lei En back; his bovine face full of helplessness, clearly the lord understood the trade, and such a large deal he was reluctant to give up.

Lei En halted, smiling, "Six hundred Gold Shields per Kodo Beast, plus a set of saddles."

"Master, if everyone were like you, I couldn't do business," Ha Bu said with a mournful face.

Lei En gave no reply; with his Soul Eye, by observing emotions, he could easily probe the other's bottom line—whether negotiating or haggling, he was always advantageous.

At this price, the bull‑headed man still made a good profit.

Seeing Lei En unwilling to budge, Ha Bu could only accept the price and immediately ordered preparations of the Kodo Beasts.

The Blood Hoof Breeding Farm housed over a hundred Kodo Beasts, but only about twenty were fully tamed and fit for sale as mounts.

Normally it takes ten days to half a month to sell one, but now thirteen were sold at once, and Ha Bu was still in high spirits.

A moment later, the thirteen Kodo Beasts were led before them.

"You all give it a try." Lei En laughed, retrieving the Lambo Spear from Xi Ka Liusi's hand.

"Thank you, boss!"

The Extreme Warriors had long been eager to try, scrambling up onto these massive beasts, sitting on the saddles, and holding the iron reins that controlled them.

Ha Bu and the trainer instructed them on techniques for driving the Kodo Beasts, as well as some trained commands.

The Kodo Beasts began to move.

Weighing seven to eight thousand pounds, their four legs as thick as pillars, each footfall caused the ground to tremble; thirteen Kodo Beasts running together was like an earthquake, a continuous boom—boom—boom, never stopping, making hearts race.

Lei En stood aside watching for a while; he had to admit, the Kodo Beasts were indeed excellent mounts.

Their speed was not slow; carrying four to five hundred‑pound Makurag people without effort, their sprint rivaled warhorses, and during the run they could charge, ramming enemies with the single horn on their heads.

Given their mass and speed, the destructive power of such a charge was not to be underestimated.

The Kodo Beast's only flaw was a lack of agility; its reactions were clumsy, but inevitable given its massive size.

If they were smaller, they couldn't even carry an Extreme Warrior.

In less than half an hour, the Extreme Warriors were familiar with their mounts and had mastered the control techniques, each one elated beyond satisfaction.

As barbarians, finding suitable mounts was not easy; now they would never have to run themselves when traveling.

Lei En handed eight thousand eight hundred Gold Shields to Ha Bu.

The bull‑headed man took the gold note without counting, slipped it into his pocket, and with a hearty smile said, "Thank you, Lord, for supporting the Blood Hoof Breeding Farm. Please visit often when you have time; we always have plenty of good goods here."

"Your goods are too pricey; I can't afford to come often," Lei En teased.

"Hehe, Lord, you're joking. If you can't afford our goods, who else in Mo Du could?" Ha Bu scratched his mane, a bit embarrassed.

Lei En shook his head slightly; he now had money in hand, but couldn't spend it recklessly.

He recalled something and asked, "Do you have any souls that carry the Affinity Element?"

"Affinity…" Ha Bu sounded hesitant, thought a few seconds, then shook his head, "That rare Element is seldom seen. In my decades in Mo Du I've only seen it three or four times; it appeared once in the breeding farm, but that was over ten years ago."

Lei En had already anticipated this.

But he didn't give up, asking, "Your breeding farm should be able to produce species with the Affinity Element, right?"

"Of course. Let me show you," Ha Bu immediately read Lei En's mind.

A moment later, Lei En saw a herd of Thunder Elephants.

These magical beasts resembled mammoth elephants, bearing a pair of massive tusks; their souls each carried one or two Thunder Elements, one of which was Thunder Stomp, a rare Element with considerable power.

Lei En used his Soul Eye to examine carefully, but found no Affinity Element.

Ha Bu, knowledgeable about various souls, showed Lei En seven or eight species: Electric Glaive Unicorn, Thunder Bird, Lightning Fox, Azure Crystal Crow, and the familiar Swift‑Shadow Thunder Blade Leopard—truly Mo Du's largest breeding farm.

In total there were two to three hundred individuals; Lei En didn't miss a single one, yet still obtained nothing.

Finally, Lei En followed Ha Bu to a massive pit; the bull‑headed man pointed inside and said, "Master, these Thunder Lizards are the last batch that might yield the Affinity Element."

Lei En's gaze fell into the pit.

The circular pit, five meters deep and spanning several thousand square meters, was divided by thick stone walls into two sections, one housing a dozen or so Thunder Lizards.

He had seen Thunder Lizards before; they were not unfamiliar.

Scanning quickly with his Soul Eye, none of the Thunder Lizards bore the Affinity Element.

"What a pity."

Lei En felt a bit disappointed, but it was expected; if any had the Affinity Element, Master Ha Bu would have spotted it long ago, leaving no chance for Lei En to scoop it up.

He withdrew his gaze, casually scanning the other half of the pit.

This part was divided into dozens of squares, each square containing a puddle of strange creature, spread on the ground like rotten mud, colors in chaotic disarray, like a lump of disgusting slime; even from a distance, a foul stench could be smelled, nauseating.

From time to time, these mud-like things stretch and move, crawling within the grids, like living beings.

"Slime monster?"

Lei En recognized the origin of these monsters.

His Soul Eye remained open, habitually sweeping over these slime monsters, and their magic souls appeared one by one before his eyes.

Suddenly, one of the slime monsters caught Lei En's attention, shocking him greatly, as if he were seeing things.

"Holy crap! Super Element?"

(End of chapter)