Cultivators at the Wizarding Academy

Chapter 12 Bargaining

Larkin angrily shoved the barbarian warehouse manager, punching and kicking him from behind. The burly man just grinned foolishly, offering no resistance. After all, the goblin's fists were like those of a baby to the barbarian.

Tai'an followed at a leisurely pace.

In the adjacent, cramped room, wooden shelves were filled with various tools, such as hammers, wrenches, and screwdrivers, including some brand-new mops, brooms, and rags. Apart from the stuffy air, the environment was alright.

The dark heartwood sat quietly in the corner of the storage room.

"That's right, that's it!" Larkin raised his arm to indicate.

Tai'an slowly stepped forward, reaching out his palm to touch it. If it truly was a thousand-year-old locust wood core, then it would undoubtedly be an extremely rare material, impossible to treat so casually. The only explanation was that it was a piece of waste.

As expected, there was no reaction when negative energy was input into it. There must be a large amount of residual lightning-related anode energy inside the lightning-struck wood, which naturally clashes with the negative cathode energy.

Originally, lightning-struck wood of sufficient age would be an excellent material, but unfortunately it turned out to be locust wood.

Tai'an shook his head and sighed repeatedly, his regretful expression exactly the same as the appraiser's back then.

"Although it has lost its value as a material, you might consider collecting it, wouldn't you?"

Larkin clasped his hands in front of him, maintaining an awkward yet polite smile.

"Are you kidding me? Who collects a thousand-year-old locust tree? Do you think your house isn't lively enough without ghosts?" Tai'an retorted, staring at the deep disappointment on Larkin's face, then changed the subject: "To tell you the truth, I'm still somewhat interested in studying it. You make an offer, I counter, and if we can reach an agreement, great; if not, you can keep it for yourself."

"Three thousand gold rons! Oh, I misspoke, three hundred gold rons." Larkin quickly corrected himself, now he just wanted to get rid of this hot potato.

"Thirty gold coins! If you agree, I'll buy it and take a look. If you don't agree, you can keep it and keep it yourself." Tai'an cut off a zero as soon as he spoke.

Larkin nearly fainted, his heart pounding violently: "You want me to die! You can't do this..."

"I'm not forcing you," Taian said casually. "Mr. Larkin, think it over. If you leave it unsold, it'll be worthless, and might even attract ghosts and cause even greater losses."

"You're ruthless! You're ruthless enough!" Larkin cried out, uttering the word "sell".

Tai'an lifted the heavy raw materials with both hands, roughly estimating that they weighed at least over one hundred kilograms, put them into his spatial ring, and handed thirty gold coins to Lajin.

The golden color and cold metallic texture quickly calmed the goblin's mind. A greedy smile appeared on his face, and he couldn't help but let out a smug, strange laugh.

"That's enough for today. I need to study the materials. There will be opportunities to cooperate again next time." Tai'an left these words and his figure disappeared.

A gentle breeze brushed his face, and Lajin stood frozen in place.

Unbeknownst to him, the gold in his hand spilled onto the ground. He had achieved a feat rarely seen in the history of goblin commerce—reverse marketing.

The howling and wailing of goblins echoed down the corridor.

"Wait! Don't go..."

Hegel's Wizarding Division.

Mussofi slept until the sun was high in the sky. When she woke up, she patted her round belly and her first thought was that she was very hungry. She wandered into the kitchen, opened the lid of the earthenware jar containing bamboo rice, and without caring that the bamboo rice was not fully cooked, she grabbed two handfuls and stuffed them into her mouth to fill her stomach. Then she started doing laundry and cooking.

Despite being called a butler, he didn't actually have any servants or helpers under his command. He did all the housework by himself. The panda didn't find anything wrong with it; the sense of fulfillment from his work made him feel perfectly justified in enjoying his food.

Mussophie hummed an unknown tune and faintly heard a woman's voice coming from the neighboring Pale Courtyard No. 18.

New neighbors have arrived?

The panda was slightly curious, wondering if he should remind his young master to greet them. After all, as a nobleman, basic etiquette was still necessary.

All the washed clothes were put into bamboo baskets, and I planned to find a sunny open space outside the college to set up a clothes rack.

Although the spellcaster can absorb the moisture from the clothes and make them dry quickly, clothes that have been dried in the sun are still more comfortable to wear, with the warmth of the sun and the freshness of nature.

Mussofi swaggered away. Curious glances came from the neighboring hut.

"Hey, miss! Look, what a strange bear-man!"

"It is indeed very strange. The Black and White Bear People should be extinct on the surface, but it is rumored that there may be a few tribes left in the Bamboo Village of the Misty Mountains."

Tai'an perfectly avoided Mussofi, leaping and landing lightly in front of her house. The door clicked open automatically.

The lock can automatically identify the owner carrying the key. Mussofi, who had obtained a servant's certificate, also had a spare key, allowing her to enter and exit without hindrance.

"Hey! Are you kidding me! A warrior who can leap is actually disguised as a wizard?"

"Perhaps he's also quite skilled at spellcasting."

The master and servant of No. 18 Pale Courtyard whispered among themselves, finding it impossible not to notice their eccentric neighbor.

Pandaren are one thing, but those with wizarding talent who can endure the hardships of martial arts training and reach the level of leaping at a young age are another. The legendary dual mastery of magic and martial arts! Rarest than a giant panda!

Tai'an ignored his secretly watching neighbors and rushed into his laboratory as soon as he got home, taking out the core raw material of the lightning-struck locust wood and placing it on the stone platform. Anyone else might not have been able to handle it, but he was a cultivator.

Now, let's re-examine the scraps on the table.

As he released his divine sense to perceive more deeply, a look of joy appeared on the young boy's face.

Indeed, they found a lucky break. The anode energy contained in the lightning strike had not completely penetrated into the deepest core. They only needed to find a way to cut off the outer shell, and there was probably still a usable part inside.

Tai'an took out a small steel knife from his spatial ring and tried to grind off the bark. However, despite being mentally prepared, he was still shocked by the hardness of the core of the lightning-struck locust tree.

It's so hard!

He felt as if he were scraping against something harder than refined iron, yet there wasn't even a scratch, which was truly astonishing.

Tai'an took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Half a minute later, he opened his eyes, and his demeanor changed abruptly.

The human-immortal state has been awakened!

Physical fitness has been enhanced in all aspects, and every move seems to possess earth-shattering power, an improvement so great that it is impossible to measure.

Tai'an picked up the materials and left the lab, then squatted in the yard and started fiddling with them.

"Miss! Have you noticed the ground shaking?"

"Was there really an earthquake?"

The master and servant hurried downstairs and out of the detached house, their eyes easily locking onto the source of the danger.

In the neighboring courtyard, a young boy gritted his teeth and pressed down on a piece of wood, huffing and puffing.

"What are you doing? The house is about to collapse!" exclaimed the fox maid Zelita.

Tai'an stopped what he was doing, glanced back at him indifferently, and said, "Sorry, I'll go somewhere else to do this."

(End of this chapter)