Chapter 286: The Transaction

Chapter 286 The Transaction

Qi Yuan swept a glance over Carnival.

Meeting face-to-face in the offline world allowed him to see far more.

“Your aptitude is somewhat lacking…”

Qi Yuan offered his honest assessment.

With Carnival’s aptitude, even the Great Merchant Divine Light Sect would not accept him as a disciple.

Carnival’s heart tightened at this, and he asked in a low voice, “How bad is it?”

“Very bad. Without some extraordinary immortal fate, you’ll probably… spend this life stuck at the Qi Refining stage.”

“Qi Refining?” Carnival had never heard this term before, and he pondered it carefully. “Is this… a realm of immortal cultivation? Might I ask Mr. Qi to enlighten me?”

“Immortal cultivation has seven realms: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Purple Mansion, Yin Spirit, and Yang Spirit. Qi Refining is the weakest, Yang Spirit the strongest.” Qi Yuan gave a brief introduction.

After all, the other party was a major client, so Qi Yuan was quite accommodating.

Upon hearing this, Carnival’s eyes lit up, especially when he heard the term “Golden Core”; his body trembled almost imperceptibly.

“If one cultivates to a high realm, could they… resist firearms?” Carnival asked softly.

“You aim too low. Of course they can.” At the Yang Spirit realm, a single punch could annihilate the world—no joke.

Not to mention the Yang Spirit; even a Nascent Soul or Golden Core cultivator could throw the Qin Yuan Kingdom into utter chaos.

“What about a Radiance Gun?” Carnival asked, his eyes filled with anticipation.

A Radiance Gun was a special firearm, its technology originating from the Canxing Star, ranking among the second-tier high-precision weapons of that star.

This gun was somewhat similar to the concept of an electromagnetic gun from Qi Yuan’s previous life on Blue Star.

It didn’t fire bullets but a beam of radiance, which possessed a unique penetrating power and only affected living beings, radiating to destroy cells.

“I’ve never seen a Radiance Gun, but it should work,” Qi Yuan said casually.

The radiance from such a gun traveled extremely fast, nearly at the speed of light.

An ordinary Yin Spirit naturally lacked that speed, but even if hit by one, it would be fine.

Moreover, the gun was operated by a person; a cultivator only needed to be faster than that person.

Qi Yuan glanced at the various guns laid out on the table and couldn’t help asking, “Are you in the arms business?”

“Yes, that’s right. Just earning a hard living. If Mr. Qi fancies any gun, I’ll give it to you as a gift. I’ll also handle the gun permit for you,” Carnival said hastily.

In front of Qi Yuan, he had none of the arrogant demeanor of an arms dealer; he was polite and refined.

But in those small countries, even when facing generals or other big shots, he often looked down his nose at them, domineering and overbearing.

“These little toys are occasionally useful,” Qi Yuan said, picking up a small pistol at random.

When out and about, the deterrent power of a gun sometimes surpassed other things.

In his previous life, Qi Yuan had never handled a gun; now, holding one felt like a child encountering a toy for the first time.

“I’ve never come across one before. This is my first time. Thank you.”

“As long as you like it, sir,” Carnival said with a fawning smile.

“Did you bring the money? Shall we trade?” Qi Yuan pocketed the gun and got straight to the point.

He had come to see Carnival for only two purposes; the first was to sell the “Super Invincible Somewhat Explosive Art.”

“I’ve prepared the funds. They can be transferred to your account anytime, but… the technique…” Carnival hesitated.

“Once the money arrives, I’ll give it to you,” Qi Yuan said casually as he sat down.

On the table were various guns and a messy array of precious drinks in all colors.

Qi Yuan picked up a bottle of red liquid and drank straight from it.

A spicy yet cloyingly sweet sensation flooded his taste buds.

He set the bottle down.

“Not great.”

He had to admit, after drinking so much immortal nectar in the cultivation world, these expensive beverages tasted like they had cheap disinfectant mixed in.

Watching Qi Yuan drink the expensive liquor so casually, as if he were at home, Carnival finally gritted his teeth and said, “A-Zhi, transfer the money to Mr. Qi.”

“My card number is 47…” Qi Yuan recited his card number.

Carnival sat down beside Qi Yuan and said cautiously, “Mr. Qi, there’s a small issue with your account tier. Large transfers have some restrictions. Let me upgrade it for you… Is that alright?”

Carnival was an arms dealer, but he also had considerable connections and influence in the Qin Yuan Kingdom.

In fact, he had deep ties with some military factions in the kingdom.

What was called smuggling was actually helping the Qin Yuan military clear out inventory and sell off old, outdated equipment.

“Fine.” Qi Yuan had no objections to this; in fact, he found it convenient.

In the Qin Yuan Kingdom, ordinary people’s bank accounts were heavily restricted.

Daily transfers had limits, and accounts were often frozen without warning.

Once an account was upgraded to a certain level, such issues ceased to exist.

After all, a high-level account represented not only high wealth but also high social status.

Even if the bank’s intelligent system detected anomalies in such an account, it couldn’t freeze it without consulting a superior.

Soon, a text message arrived on Qi Yuan’s phone.

His bank card tier had been upgraded.

And on his real-name authenticated messaging app, a friend request appeared—from a bank employee.

Qi Yuan accepted, and the other party immediately sent a message.

“Hello, I am from Wei Qin Bank… I graduated from the Finance Department of Kyoto University, and my postgraduate studies were at… I will be your private wealth advisor from now on…”

Below the greeting was a lightly made-up ID photo.

At the same time, another message appeared on Qi Yuan’s phone.

Over ninety million Qin Yuan coins had been credited.

“Mr. Qi, the money has arrived. Please confirm!” Carnival’s heart was full of anticipation, mixed with some anxiety.

The money had been paid; now he should receive the technique, right?

But Qi Yuan was dressed rather thinly, his clothes clearly ordinary, mass-produced items. Where could the technique be?

“Yes. Open the voice recorder on your phone. I’ll recite the technique for you.”

"Nian?" Carnival was slightly stunned. "No... a secret manual, or an electronic version?"

"I just made it up off the top of my head. When would I have time to make an electronic version?" Qi Yuan glanced sideways at Carnival.

"Made it up off the top of your head?" Carnival was taken aback.

You're not even pretending?

"But this is something I just improvised. Its value... I'm selling it to you for only ninety million—you're getting a huge deal.

What, are you worried the technique has problems?

Relax, I practice what I make up myself, and it's fine."

After all, he was a big client, so Qi Yuan was very considerate and emotionally intelligent.

Carnival felt a bit unsettled inside, but finally said, "Alright."

"The 'Super Invincible Somewhat Explosive Art,' the full text totals over thirteen hundred characters, along with the method of operation. Listen carefully; if there's anything you don't understand, ask me anytime."

Qi Yuan quickly finished reciting the content of the technique.

Carnival listened earnestly, feeling it was not enough—he wanted more.

"Did you get it down? Any questions?" Qi Yuan asked.

Carnival shook his head frantically. He looked at Qi Yuan and said softly, "Mr. Qi, didn't you ask me to collect some materials? The medicinal herbs are on the cruise ship now. I'll go organize them and send them up in about half an hour."

Carnival wanted to leave temporarily, give himself half an hour, and then go find someone to verify the authenticity of this technique.

"Fine, hurry up. I'll go fish for a while."

The reception hall was very large, and it even had a fishing deck.

"Okay." Carnival immediately hurried away.

About a few minutes later, in a spacious private room.

An elderly man in extraordinary attire appeared, along with several men and women dressed in researcher uniforms.

Carnival excerpted part of the technique for these people, letting them conduct a brief study and analysis.

The aged old man then spoke, his eyes filled with reverence: "These... just a few sentences seem to contain profound truths—they look extraordinary at first glance!"

The elderly man was a professor, specializing in folklore and the like.

Those superstitious, mystical things were his forte.

"I've read many sacrificial texts and quite a few ancient, cryptic mythological writings, but none have ever... given me this inexplicable feeling. How strange... Could there be some special incense in this room?" the old professor murmured.

He naturally did not know that Qi Yuan's self-composed immortal technique contained the principles of heaven and earth.

Such an immortal technique, when heard, pondered, and contemplated, could make one feel relaxed and joyful.

Several young researchers also showed curiosity on their faces: "This... is somewhat similar to martial arts, equally mysterious."

With the development of technology, martial arts had also been studied.

Many researchers claimed that martial arts had no future, limited by the human body.

Practicing martial arts was not as good as getting a gene injection.

"This isn't a martial arts technique, is it?" Carnival couldn't help asking.

The young researcher shook his head: "It's not martial arts, but it's... somewhat similar to martial arts in a certain way."

Of course, that similarity was like the similarity between a squid and a bandit.

"If you are willing to transfer the complete version to us, we might obtain more useful information." The male researcher was eager to try.

He seemed very interested in this technique.

"No need." Carnival refused directly.

Even these researchers and the old professor had not found any problems with the technique.

He felt relieved inside.

After all, Qi Yuan had a certificate of mental illness.

What if it was a made-up technique?

These experts couldn't find any issues and said it was very mysterious, so it was probably fine.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

His mind became active again; the image of Qi Yuan from their earlier conversation grew more mysterious in his heart.

At that moment, in a dressing room not far from the cruise ship, Wu Qi looked at herself in the mirror, a satisfied expression in her eyes.

"This makeup is passable. How can those old women who get beauty injections compare to me?"

Saying this, she deliberately thrust out her chest.

Thinking of something, she gritted her teeth and reached into her gown. A pair of pure white lace leggings was pulled down, stopping at her fair ankles. Her gaze suddenly became resolute, and she removed them completely.

"Xiao Qi, come quick! The big boss!"

The agent's voice came, and Wu Qi quickly responded.

"Coming."

She hastily tidied up a bit and hurried out.

In the wide corridor outside, there were four tall and beautiful women. Seeing them, Wu Qi felt a surge of inferiority.

Because these women looked very familiar; most were her seniors, and among these four, two were foreign celebrities.

These stars had much higher status than her.

Her pride and confidence crumbled a bit at that moment.

But she still lifted her head, her gaze firm. Although these people had better conditions than her, she... had thick skin and could lower herself.

The five of them stood together, chatting attentively.

Not far away, at a high point on the cruise ship, a man in uniform had an excited expression on his face.

"So many stars! See that... that's Er Jian, the female lead in 'Gene Crisis.' Those long legs, that chest—wow!" A man craned his neck to look into the distance.

Wang Xu also widened his eyes: "Hey, there's even Wu Qi! She's from our school!"

Wang Xu and Qi Yuan were high school classmates and also college classmates.

But in high school, they weren't in the same class.

Wang Xu also knew about Wu Qi.

In the office, he used to boast that a senior from their school had become a star, and when he took the school bus, he often ran into that senior.

"I really envy these stars. The dress they casually wear—I couldn't afford it even if I worked half my life." Wang Xu said with envy.

Although his job was very respectable, and old classmates like Li Yan envied him, compared to a star like Wu Qi, he was far behind.

The two kinds of living standards and social status were not on the same level.

Wu Qi could meet some big shots, even the powerful and wealthy; Wang Xu, on the other hand... couldn't.

"Look at them, they must be attending a private party. Damn capitalists, damn rich kids!" The man next to Wang Xu had red eyes.

The sordid affairs of high society were no secret to the lower classes.

Of course, there were still those who chased celebrities with abandon; people always needed some spiritual sustenance.

Wang Xu smiled. "Don't be jealous. Just focus on your work."

They had come here to deal with a batch of sea monsters.

Some of the smuggled sea monsters had made their way onto the Sea Star Pass.

He was here on behalf of the Maritime Bureau to recover them.

The contact on the Sea Star Pass was quite responsible and handed over a portion of the sea monsters.

Of course, more remained on the Sea Star Pass.

Wang Xu knew this but had no objection.

If the higher-ups had no issue, what use was his opinion?

The two stole moments of leisure, occasionally sneaking glances at the distant celebrities.

Unfortunately, their phones had been confiscated when they boarded the cruise, otherwise they could have taken photos of the stars.

At that moment, Wu Qi naturally did not know she had been spotted by a fellow alumnus; now, with a shy smile on her face, she was conversing with these seniors.

"The boss who invited us this time is a lord of the empire, a viscount—yes, hereditary."

From one senior's words, Wu Qi learned who the big boss they were to entertain was.

"A noble, and hereditary at that!" Wu Qi's eyes showed envy.

In the Qin Yuan Kingdom, titles were not something just anyone could obtain, and a hereditary viscount was the noblest of nobles; in ancient times, they would have had their own fief.

But even in modern times, such a hereditary viscount going into business would enjoy tax breaks.

Thus, many entrepreneurs or bosses would rely on a noble to conduct their business.

A hereditary viscount was someone Wu Qi could only look up to.

Just then, a whisper came: "Viscount Carnival has arrived!"

Wu Qi and the others quickly looked over, and saw a burly man in a black jacket emerge; there was a faint scar on his face, but in the eyes of these celebrities, it seemed quite appealing.

Behind the viscount were eleven equally burly men, each carrying a black wooden chest, which drew many people's attention.

Carnival walked over, and the buxom Er Jian quickly stepped forward to take his arm.

A hint of delight hidden in his eyes, Carnival scanned these gaudily dressed women and said in a rough tone, "I have a distinguished guest. If you serve him well, you'll be well paid."

Before these people, he didn't bother to hide his true nature, like a brash nouveau riche, lacking the refinement and grace of a noble.

But when facing Qi Yuan, Carnival was exceptionally cautious and reserved.

The female celebrities present brightened, especially Wu Qi; she wondered if the hereditary viscount's honored guest was also... a noble.

That would be a noble—if she could latch onto one, her status and position would change in an instant.

After all, the Qin Yuan Kingdom was a realm ruled by old aristocracy, and one of the most powerful nations on Archstar.

(End of chapter)