Star Gate

Chapter 639: Be a Good Person (III)

“The meal can go on Minister Liu’s tab,” the manager said softly. “But... Water of Life... does not fall under the category of a meal.”

This was her only feasible explanation. In all her years of service, it was her first time seeing someone like Li Hao who dared be treated to Water of Life, and it was her first time seeing someone like Minister Liu who really did go back on his word!

“This minister... is an interesting fellow!” A glum Li Hao looked at Hou Xiaochen. He’s a minister! A big hotshot! Who would’ve thought that someone like him would renege on his word?!

Hou Xiaochen laughed, as did Manager Yu. She hadn’t said much all night, but now she laughed at Li Hao. “Is he that much of a fool to give you a drop of Water of Life to help you attack him with?”

“......”

It was right that the minister was that shameless. He’d be an idiot otherwise.

“Fine!” Li Hao capitulated with great regret. “This is completely unexpected. I was so excited and thought I’d save him some money by only taking one droplet! It turns out he’s not even giving me one drop!” He turned to the manager. “How much did we spend tonight?”

“Eight thousand stones!”

“Does that make us a big spender?”

“...naturally!” The manager hesitated as she didn’t know what the young man wanted to do. What are you cooking up now?

“Then give me some souvenirs!”

“What?” the woman asked blankly. What souvenirs? We don’t have anything like that!

“Your forks and spoons and stuff are very pretty. I’ve just arrived in Skystar City and might need to move soon. Give me a set. Now, you need to know that I don’t just take anyone’s things. Prepare a set for me to take home!”

The manager paused, stunned. After some struggle, she nodded. “Very well, please wait a moment, Commander Li. I’ll... I’ll have people prepare that right now!”

She wanted to collapse! How did someone like this exist?!

Hou Xiaochen burst out laughing when she left and Manager Yu raised a hand to her temples. “Can you be less of an embarrassment?”

“An embarrassment?” Li Hao asked with surprise. “It’s a gift, I’m not stealing or looting it from them. I’m a big spender, so it’s normal to receive some presents. I’m not a fan of those words, Manager Yu. Consider how many rations those things can be traded for if they’re sold. How many people can they keep alive? You guys are used to a life of luxury and ease and have forgotten the pain of the people!”

Hou Xiaochen started, as did Manager Yu. The... cutlery... could be exchanged for food and drink? Was he being serious?

They gaped at the young man, who suddenly flashed a devious smile at them. “I’m just joking. It’s fun attacking you guys from the vantage of higher morals!”

Manager Yu burst out laughing. Hou Xiaochen looked meaningfully at Li Hao without making a sound. The young man also laughed. He laughed and laughed until he suddenly stopped laughing and fell silent.

A confused Manager Yu was surprised and couldn’t truly make sense of Li Hao’s thoughts. What... do you have in mind?

Li Hao quietly regained his calm. Indeed, the manager wouldn’t understand his thoughts. Although she’d entered the world for the purpose of revenge and killed many in that pursuit, she’d never been poor or been an ordinary person. She was a martial master as soon as she set foot into the martial world. She’d been a powerhouse and continued in that position of strength until she ultimately joined the Night Watchers.

These people... were different from him. They might not even know that a shirt cost money! They wouldn’t know how much money one breakfast would cost or how much the ingredients for a meal cost. They didn’t come in contact with these concepts.

Li Hao knew that one thousand star coins provided a decent life. Two thousand coins would enable a family of three to live comfortably in Silver City—that still wasn’t enough for Skystar City. Was face worth anything?

He didn’t know any of this before he was eighteen, but did afterward, and knew it all very clearly. Heh, so you guys aren’t omnipotent. I know more than you about some stuff.

The manager brought over a set of cutlery—Li Hao even made a show of inspecting it to ensure it was crafted the same way and fashioned from energy stones. Only then did he put it away in his storage ring with satisfaction.

The manager wanted nothing more than for these people to leave immediately! Li Hao, in particular, put her in such a painful position.

However, the young man was in no hurry to leave. “I have a question. Since you’re a broker, how much does it cost to assassinate one of the ministers?”

“......” There was no response. Sweating profusely, the manager said after a long moment, “Commander Li loves to joke.”

“I’m not joking!” Li Hao chuckled. “How about one million mysterious power stones? Help me kill someone...”

“Ah... we’re a restaurant, not Celestial!” The manager quickly shook her head. “You’ve really misunderstood us, Commander Li!”

“I’m being serious.”

“This is a misunderstanding!” insisted the manager, wanting nothing more than to kick Li Hao out of the Nine Dragons Pavilion!

“Ai, forget it!” Li Hao shook his head. It looked like this one didn’t dare accept this task, or felt that they couldn’t since they didn’t have enough trust in Li Hao and the others.

Three humans and one dog swiftly descended the steps. There was almost no one left in the main hall. They climbed into a car and slowly drove off; the manager sent them off with a fake smile plastered onto her face.

It wasn’t until they were out of sight that she heaved a sigh of relief. A middle-aged man walked over and transmitted, “What do you think?”

“What do I think?” the manager complained. “He’s very difficult to get rid of! This Demon Sword is not someone to provoke and he’s no kind soul. He’s capricious and mercurial. He’s very, very difficult to handle!”

“Even you find him difficult?” The middle-aged man was surprised.

“Of course!”

“Is he very strong?”

“Not in terms of strength. Forget it, you wouldn’t understand it if I explained it to you. I’ll write all of it down later and update his file.”

“Alright!” The man left.

The manager sagged with relief. She’d finally lived through this experience! She turned to head inside and immediately froze stiff. Li Hao... had been standing behind her at some point in time. Her face was incredibly rigid. When had the young man gotten off the car and taken up a position behind her?

“Commander Li, you...”

“Come in!” Li Hao stood at the entrance to a room on the first floor and waved at her with a smile.

The manager was highly alert, but still walked over despite there being no one else around. Li Hao wouldn’t dare do anything here, would he?

......

Inside the room.

Li Hao sat down and smiled when the other walked in. “I want information on everyone in the Ministry of Finance—all of its powerhouses! And those of the Four Seas Company and Skystar Colosseum... Give me a lower price than you normally would. The royal family is at odds with the nine ministries, I’m helping you guys!”

“You’ve misunderstood, Commander Li. We’re just a restaurant...”

Li Hao looked silently at her and said after a long moment, “So you won’t sell it to me, is it?”

“I don’t mean that, Commander Li, just that the Night Watchers have their own intelligence network...”

“Does that have anything to do with me?” Li Hao laughed. “I want yours! And not just yours, I’ll be purchasing information through some other channels as well. Give me the real stuff! It doesn’t matter if it’s not complete, but I’ll dismantle you brick by brick if you give me anything fake!

“Is peak Nova supposed to be impressive? Or do you think that the metamorphosis expert on the sub-second floor is strong? Or is the one at the door right now supposed to be good enough? Do you not want to do business anymore?”

“Give it to him!” came a soft chuckle from outside the door. “One hundred thousand mysterious power stones!”

“That’s one drop of Water of Life, isn’t it?” Li Hao grinned. “But your information has to be worth this price! If not, I may not be able to do anything to you, but I happen to know a few lunatics—ones who can unseal themselves. They’re the equivalent of roughly three or four Arcanus, which probably still won’t have an effect on you, but it’ll be fun!”

“Don’t worry, Commander Li,” the man outside the door continued to laugh. “It will be worth the price!”

“That’s good!” Li Hao laughed and looked at the manager. “Your boss has spoken, so get on with it! You drag your heels in everything you do. I’d wanted to hire you as my manager because you’re pretty—being paid by the government is nice and stable. But now... forget it!”

The manager smiled awkwardly. What kind of joke was this? This fellow was crazy! She didn’t dare say anything else and quickly left.

Moments later, she returned and handed a jade slip to Li Hao. “This is an ancient civilization—”

“I know!” Li Hao said faintly. “I’m not an ignorant bumpkin. I know more about these things than you do. I’ve even seen plant spirits, monsters and beasts, and nearly dead generals of the ancient civilization. Have you? I’ve seen powerhouses that can kill Arcanus with a single breath, have you? And you want to brag to me... Get in line!”

“......” The manager didn’t dare speak anymore; her heart pounded fiercely from what she’d heard. Was that true? It might be! After all, Li Hao had once used a core origin talisman.

The young man remained where he was and examined the contents of the slip that he’d been given. He hadn’t paid yet, and would not pay if he felt that the contents weren’t worth the price. If these people wanted to force payment from his hands... Heh, they could try.

The staff didn’t stop him from looking over the wares. Perhaps they were astonished by Li Hao’s brazen response, or perhaps they were very confident in their wares.