Chapter 68

"Rubbish?" Yu Bao's expression froze, then he burst into exaggerated laughter: "Sir, you really know how to joke! How could there be any garbage in this shop? These things were just excavated from the ruins of the former Roman Empire..."

Bing cut him off, his voice icy: "Old Cao is really stupid, actually selling the antiques from the former Roman site as garbage."

Yu Bao stared at Bing, dumbfounded. Was this guy not a Soul General? Yu Bao was certain he had never seen this young master or these two Soul Generals before.

Could he read minds?

From any angle, Bing was undoubtedly a Soul General, but a Soul General with such high intelligence must be of a very high rank. These Soul Generals often had some strange abilities. Yu Bao had heard more than once how terrifying high-rank Soul Generals were, with their powerful and mysterious abilities that could toy with humans and make life worse than death.

Bing's blank face looked eerie and dangerous in Yu Bao's eyes.

He forced a smile: "Oh, it's an old acquaintance! Since you know Old Cao, we're family. I bought this pile of stuff from Old Cao for five fourth-rank Soul Cores. Sir, you can give me some compensation, enough to buy a meal."

Bing asked Tang Tian for ten Soul Cores, casually threw them to Yu Bao, and then turned to walk toward the pile of rubbish. When Bing first entered, he had clearly heard the conversation between the two shop assistants across the street.

Yu Bao's eyes lit up, and he caught the Soul Cores with both hands using the "Swallow's Three Scoops of Water" technique, not missing a single one.

"Wow, pretty impressive!" Tang Tian praised, impressed by Yu Bao's skill with hidden weapons.

Yu Bao bowed respectfully: "Thank you, sir!" He was secretly delighted. He had played a little trick. This pile of rubbish, which he had bought from Old Cao for just one Soul Core, now netted him ten, a tenfold profit. He was quite satisfied. Moreover, he could tell that the wood-type Soul Core in his hand was from a Green Sandarm Ape, which was quite rare.

The Green Sandarm Ape, besides its Soul Core, had no other products. This star soul beast was thick and strong, with immense strength, making it very difficult to deal with. Those with weak strength couldn't handle it, and those with strong strength went after fifth-rank Soul Cores. No one wanted to waste effort for no reward.

The Soul Core of the Green Sandarm Ape was excellent material for making fourth-rank Soul General Cards for boxing techniques, much more valuable than ordinary fourth-rank Soul Cores.

Profit made!

Tang Tian's attention shifted to Bing, who was rummaging through the pile of rubbish. As Tang Tian approached, he could see that the pile was indeed a heap of broken copper and iron, each piece oddly shaped, like mechanical parts. They appeared to be made of bronze. No wonder even Yu Bao wasn't confident in calling them antiques; these bronze items, though old, had no patina and looked no more than twelve years old.

"Uncle Bing, is there anything good in there?" Tang Tian couldn't help but ask.

"You'll see in a moment." Bing didn't look up, his hands moving quickly. Tang Tian could see that he was assembling something.

It was clear that Bing would take some time, and Tang Tian couldn't understand what he was doing, so he wandered around on his own. Yu Bao knew that the young master in front of him wasn't easy to fool, so he didn't try to deceive him and instead frankly explained the situation.

Suddenly, the crane inside Tang Tian's body moved, sensing a faint波动 from the shelf opposite.

Tang Tian was surprised and walked over to the shelf, finding the source of the波动.

A bronze crane about the size of an infant's palm stood quietly on the shelf. Tang Tian picked up the bronze crane and wiped off the accumulated dust. The bronze crane was as clean as new, made of extremely fine bronze feathers, intricately detailed. There was a small hole on the top of the crane's head, likely for a string, and Tang Tian guessed it was some kind of ornament.

"This bronze crane was acquired a few years ago, not worth much. I don't know who made it, but it's quite nice. If the young master likes it, I'll give it to you!" Yu Bao said generously. He hadn't spent a penny on it, and he knew the young master wasn't easy to fool but was generous and didn't care about small amounts. The bronze crane was so new that it must have been made recently and wasn't worth much, only suitable for display.

Sure enough, Tang Tian took out ten Soul Cores and threw them to Yu Bao: "I'll take this."

Yu Bao beamed, excited by the generous young master: "Thank you, sir!"

Tang Tian played with the bronze crane, feeling that it might be related to the Crane Sect, otherwise it wouldn't have resonated with his crane spirit. After acquiring the bronze crane, the resonance became clearer, but there were no other reactions. Tang Tian casually put it in his water bottle weapon cabinet.

"Is there anywhere to buy Soul General Cards?" Tang Tian asked casually.

Yu Bao hurriedly replied: "What rank does the young master want? If you want value for money, Lin's Card Shop is good, with a wide variety and reasonable prices. However, they mostly sell silver cards. If you want high-rank gold cards, it's better to go to Bao Card Hall, which specializes in rare Soul General Cards, though the prices are beyond the reach of ordinary people. Of course, for the young master, that's not a problem."

"Where can I buy fourth-rank Soul General Cards?" Tang Tian asked.

"Fourth-rank..." Yu Bao was taken aback. Those who could enter Three Souls City were at least fourth-rank or higher, so who would buy fourth-rank cards? Moreover, in his view, large families wouldn't lack Soul General Cards. However, thinking of the strange hobbies of the wealthy young masters he had met before, Yu Bao felt this wasn't abnormal.

"Young master wants to buy fourth-rank Soul General Cards!" Yu Bao put on a thoughtful expression: "I remember a shop in the east of the city called Sairei Card Shop. They specialize in collecting all kinds of strange cards, even gold cards for basic martial techniques."

"Gold cards for basic martial techniques!" Tang Tian was stunned. He had never heard of such a thing before.

Yu Bao looked understanding: "There are always people with different tastes in this world."

He subtly flattered Tang Tian, thinking the young master probably had similar tastes. Otherwise, why buy fourth-rank Soul General Cards? And why come to Three Souls City to buy them? If it were someone else, Yu Bao might have scolded them for being crazy.

"Done." Bing's voice came from behind.

Tang Tian and Yu Bao turned around quickly. Yu Bao stared dumbfounded at the bronze ostrich in front of Bing, while Tang Tian exclaimed and rushed over: "Uncle Bing, what is this?"

The bronze ostrich was slightly taller than Tang Tian, resembling an ostrich, with a body made of bronze parts. Its two legs were very thick, giving it a heavy feel. There was a saddle-like area on its back for riding.

"Bronze mechanical ostrich, a land mount, standard equipment for the South Cross Corps' new recruits." Bing said calmly.

Without a word, Tang Tian climbed onto it.

"Insert a Starstone here." Bing opened a slot at the back of the ostrich's neck, which could fit a Starstone. Tang Tian inserted one without hesitation.

Swish.

The bronze mechanical ostrich's drooping eyelids opened, and its bronze eyes slowly rotated.

"Leave your martial spirit imprint here." Bing pointed to the back of the ostrich's head.

Tang Tian complied, and a faint connection formed between him and the ostrich. With a thought, he made it move.

Rumble, rumble!

The bronze mechanical ostrich started running in the courtyard. Despite its bulky appearance, it ran very fast. At first, the balance was off, causing a slight earthquake-like effect, but Tang Tian soon found the trick, and the ostrich's steps became light and swift.

"The bronze mechanical ostrich isn't very fast, roughly equivalent to the average speed of a fifth-rank light technique. Its advantage is that it doesn't consume true energy or physical strength, making it suitable for long-distance travel. The new recruits of the South Cross Corps were once known as the ostrich camp."

Bing's detailed knowledge left Yu Bao in awe.

Yu Bao had run this shop for several years and had seen all kinds of people. Many were powerful, but no one had ever assembled a complete mechanical ostrich from a pile of garbage. He had heard of the South Cross Corps' bronze mechanical ostrich but never imagined anyone could fully restore this legendary mechanical ostrich.

He became even more convinced of Tang Tian's extraordinary background.

Only ancient families could produce Soul Generals with such extensive knowledge. Moreover, the South Cross Corps was one of the three major corps before the Scorpion Dynasty! This history was so distant that few young people today even knew about it.

Yu Bao could imagine the sensation this bronze mechanical ostrich would cause when it appeared on the streets of Three Souls City.

Yu Bao's mind was quick, and he immediately thought of a brilliant selling point, even coming up with an advertising slogan.

"The bronze mechanical ostrich that emerged from garbage, an unparalleled masterpiece of the three major corps era!"

"Only with keen eyes can you find gold in the sand!"

"Come and try your luck, Yu's Unidentified Items Special Store, a double choice of luck and insight!"

Yu's Unidentified Items Special Store, ha, what a great name!

With the bronze mechanical ostrich as a promotional item, he could specialize in selling garbage. As long as the price wasn't too high, people would be willing to try their luck. He could openly do the garbage business! Tsk, tsk, what a brilliant idea!

Yu Bao saw a golden path ahead.

Tang Tian ran fast, controlling the bronze mechanical ostrich with his martial spirit, making it very easy to operate. It ran like the wind.

A group of people passed by the shop, and a woman's eyes subconsciously glanced inside. She froze, then exclaimed in shock: "Bronze mechanical ostrich!"

The others were drawn by her exclamation and looked inside.

"It's really a bronze mechanical ostrich!"

"Wow! An ancient mount from the South Cross Corps!"

"Too cool!"

The young men and women were excited, their eyes shining, and they rushed into the shop without a word.

Yu Bao's face changed when he saw them.

Damn, why are they here?

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