Chapter 101: I’m Determined to Be Kept

What? Ten billion?

The moment Ye Chen heard that figure, his mind went completely numb.

He could not even begin to imagine what kind of mountain of money that astronomical sum would become if it were piled up before him.

You Ya said carelessly, “Awakeners of the A and B ranks are rare enough to be found only in a handful of places across the entire continent.

“If they could be mass-produced just by using latent essence stones, then the status of the continent’s top powerhouses would be worth nothing.

“So, young man, wake up. You are only rank E right now. Being able to push you to rank D is already quite impressive.”

Wait. Push me to rank D?

Ye Chen had barely pulled himself out of one staggering revelation when he was thrown headlong into another shock.

He even suspected that something was wrong with his ears, standing there stiffly, as though he had been turned to stone.

But You Ya’s reply was utterly casual, as if she did not care in the slightest.

“What’s the matter? With only fifty-eight points of latent essence, there are many daring ideas I can’t even try.

“Once you reach rank D, I’ll have much more room to work with.

“Don’t worry about it. Think of it as contributing to Awakener research.

“And besides, all of this is only your compensation.”

In an instant, Ye Chen was struck senseless by a torrent of happiness. This unexpected windfall had arrived far too suddenly.

Before they left, You Ya had said she could cover part of the cost for him.

He had never imagined that “part” would be measured in millions and tens of millions.

Transcendent Office, you are forever my home. Sell it, sell it all—come on, sell yourself off already.

Now that he had thought things through, Ye Chen decided not to stand on ceremony with You Ya anymore. Whatever bold experiment she wanted to try on him, he would go along with it.

Since these latent essence stones were for his use, he would not be picky about the scraps. He glanced at the bidding on Stone Seventy-Seven.

Its starting price was also one million, but it had attracted very little attention. Ten minutes had already passed, and the bidding had only climbed to one and a half million.

Ye Chen gave a soft snort and nudged You Ya with his shoulder. “Listen to me. Pick number seventy-seven.”

You Ya was just about to instinctively scold him for touching her, but when she heard his suggestion, she changed course.

“Why?”

“Um...” Ye Chen choked. How was he supposed to explain this?

“I just like the number seventy-seven! Since we’re just guessing anyway, why not choose one with fewer bids? Maybe there’ll be a surprise.”

He could only come up with the clumsiest excuse imaginable.

Smart people were not so easy to brush off, especially smart women.

You Ya’s enchanting eyes fixed on him, full of suspicion.

This little wretch was strange. There were too many things about him that could not be explained. Could it be that even the raw stones...

As for liking the number seventy-seven—ha. Pure nonsense.

“You’re sure you want number seventy-seven?” You Ya was now the one trying to test him. “You only get one chance. Think carefully. This is for you to use, and if the extraction turns out to be worthless, the one who loses money is you.”

Yet Ye Chen’s tone was astonishingly firm as he said solemnly, “That’s the one. No need to look at the others.”

So certain? Something’s off...

You Ya narrowed her eyes slightly, studying him with renewed seriousness before saying slowly, “Fine. This time, your word goes.”

The rest of the time passed in conversation.

At last, Ye Chen learned why latent essence stones were kept in the Transcendent Office.

Because extraction and collection of the stones could only be carried out there. No other place had the equipment or the technology.

The Transcendent Office charged an extraction fee equal to one-tenth of the winning bid.

For example, if you spent ten million on a stone, the extraction would cost another one million, bringing the total to eleven million.

If the final extracted latent essence turned out to be only one point, then you would have lost ten million for nothing.

This sort of thing was not rare. On the contrary, it happened quite often.

You Ya also told him that after winning a stone, some people chose to extract it immediately.

But others preferred to keep it stored in the Transcendent Office for later use, or for someone else to use.

Of course, storage fees had to be paid, but there was nowhere safer than the Transcendent Office, and everyone paid those fees without complaint.

As the saying went, it was not the thief at your door that you feared, but the thief who had taken an interest in your house.

That was why Ye Chen clearly remembered seeing far more stones in the Transcendent Office that day, while this group auction only had fifty-five pieces.

It turned out that many of them already had owners.

He also learned something else: the buyers in the auction were not necessarily Awakeners. Some people were gamblers by nature.

Correspondingly, there was another group of people who disliked auctions with such high stakes. They preferred to buy the finished product after it had already been extracted.

Because the shelf life was only three days, buyers usually chose to have it injected on the spot, and the Transcendent Office also provided that service.

That night’s auction would be held first, while the grand extraction ceremony would take place at the Transcendent Office the following day.

In the meantime, Ye Chen asked another question: was latent essence stone really the only way for people to increase their strength?

Putting aside his own breath technique, of course.

You Ya’s answer once again refreshed his understanding of the Awakener world.

Latent essence stones were universal for all three major branches, but because they were so scarce, they could not be made widely available.

They were supplemental at best, and only suitable for improving the latent essence of low-rank Awakeners.

Artifact-type Awakeners focused more on developing the functions of their awakened objects. If developed properly, even a brick could become a terrifying weapon, enough to “convince people with virtue.”

Elemental Awakeners had a path of advancement, and the main method was through understanding their awakened element.

But this was a process of slow accumulation over many years, and it was also closely tied to one’s innate comprehension.

Body-type Awakeners placed greater emphasis on improving their physical condition, and the most crucial factor of all was the increase of life energy.

On that matter, the Research Office in the Capital of Energy had the greatest authority.

As for why, You Ya did not elaborate.

When Ye Chen asked how ordinary people could improve their strength, You Ya replied, “By relying on the technology of the Capital of Steel, they can do it. The armor you saw before was one such method.”

An hour later, the group auction for the latent essence stones came to an end.

In the end, You Ya secured Stone Seventy-Seven for only three and a half million.

At the same time, the stone belonging to the little bald boy was taken by another buyer for an astonishing eight million.

Seeing that result, even Ye Chen felt his stomach twisting with envy. That kid had really made something of himself—so young, and already building up his bride price.

The next morning, the main hall of the Transcendent Office was lively once again.

The extraction process had to be carried out in a dedicated laboratory, and only researchers and the stone’s holder were allowed inside. All others were barred from entry.

Everyone else could only watch the live broadcast from the first-floor hall of the Transcendent Office.

The thrilling extraction process was about to begin.