Chapter 90

Because Steven and Clara Atherton still had to manage their sprawling business empire in the capital, and Lily also had to return to her studies at Pinnacle University, their visit to New Veridia was a brief one. Within a few days, they had left.

Ethan returned home, the sudden quiet of his apartment a stark contrast to the whirlwind of family activity. He went to his room and lifted a loose floorboard beneath his bed, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside lay the two Aura Cores he had saved from before—one F-rank lower-grade and one F-rank upper-grade, nestled next to the two daggers he had taken from the cultist Blitz in The Gauntlet. Now, adding the hoard from the Deacon's ring, he had a total of twelve F-rank Aura Cores. Having already broken through to Rank Two, Level Three, these lower-grade F-rank cores were not of much use to his personal training anymore.

A wry, almost disbelieving thought struck him. Just a few weeks ago, I was risking my life in the wilderness, getting into brutal, bloody fights, all for a single F-rank Aura Core. But now… now I actually look down on them. He allowed himself a narcissistic smirk for a moment. Is it really because I'm just that talented?

He decided it was better to exchange these now-obsolete Aura Cores for some liquid credits. He still had several high-quality E-rank cores and even a D-rank core, which were more than enough to fuel his own training for the time being. Besides, when he eventually went to Pinnacle City for university, there would be no shortage of places to spend credits. The resources there were rumored to be on another level entirely, and would definitely require a massive amount of capital to acquire. Even the cost of living was far higher; a simple bottle of coke that cost two-and-a-half credits here would easily cost five there.

For now, it was better to build his war chest. He laid out all twelve F-rank Aura Cores on his desk: seven lower-grade, three mid-grade, and two upper-grade. He would sell them all to Marcus and Seraphina's families. Then there was the Steel Shield. It was a fantastic piece of gear for his human form, but once he transformed, its utility plummeted. His alien forms were simply too varied—some too slender, others far too burly. In many cases, wearing it would be more of a hindrance than a help. He decided to sell it to them as well. As for the Aura Gathering Pills, those priceless treasures would be kept safely for his own critical breakthroughs.

After sorting out the items he wanted to sell, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to his friends.

[Monster Hunting Trio] Hero_Time: Meet at the Linley Family Combat & Psionic Training Center. Big business. ( ♭ ´) Muscle_Man_Actual: Coming! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و Violet_Valkyrie: Coming! ٩(ŏεŏ )۶

Just as Ethan was about to put his phone away, another message came through from a secure, official number—Mayor Everett Thorne.

[Mayor Thorne]: Ethan, we have some urgent city business and can't see you for now. The compensation I mentioned will be delivered to your home later today. Have your mom or dad sign for it.

Ethan guessed it was the natural treasures promised for repairing his "damaged" foundation. He wasn't sure if they contained the specific life force he needed for the Optimization Module, so for now, he could only store them and perhaps find a chance to sell them later. Since his parents were off work, he told them about the impending delivery and then hurried out the door.

After breaking through to Rank Two, XLR8's speed had increased by another large chunk. His casual cruising speed now reached about one hundred and ten meters per second. With a short burst of psionic energy, he could even hit one hundred and fifty. It wasn't the reality-bending speed from the old cartoons, but it was already far faster than a general maglev train.

He arrived at the Linley Family Combat & Psionic Training Center first. He waited for only a few minutes before Marcus and Seraphina arrived together.

Seraphina walked up, a knowing, sly smile on her face. “Let me guess. The Tiger Deacon's storage ring is indeed on you, right?”

Ethan grinned. “As expected of Seraphina, nothing can be hidden from your sharp eyes.”

Marcus’s own eyes lit up with boyish excitement. “Quick, quick, take it out and let me see! I'm this old, and I've only ever seen one person use a Space Ring, and that was back in The Undercurrent Market.”

Ethan didn't hesitate, taking off the simple blue storage ring and handing it to him. Their years of friendship were more than enough for him to share a legendary item with them like a rare toy. Marcus slipped the ring on his finger and held it up, admiring it in the sunlight. “How do you use this thingamajig?”

“Inject a trace of your psionic energy into it, and you can activate the space inside,” Ethan explained. He knew that any owner would normally put a personal mental lock on such a precious item, but the Deacon was dead, so the lock had naturally dissipated. “The ring is currently ownerless, so anyone can use it. Be careful when you look inside; don't lose my stuff,” he added with a grin.

Marcus did as he said, his eyes going wide as he perceived the space within. He then took out his own phone, made it disappear into the ring with a thought, and then made it reappear again, playing with it with great delight.

“Quick, let me play too,” Seraphina said, equally excited. She took the ring and also played with it nonstop for a few minutes, her usual composed expression replaced with one of pure wonder. Ethan didn't disturb them, just watched them quietly, a warm smile on his face.

After they had their fun, Seraphina respectfully returned the storage ring to him. From beginning to end, their eyes had only shown envy and excitement, without a single trace of a desire to possess it for themselves.

“There are quite a few Aura Cores inside,” Seraphina said. “Are you planning to sell them?”

“That’s right,” Ethan confirmed, very narcissistically ruffling his own hair. “Now that I’ve reached Rank Two, F-rank Aura Cores are not of much use to me anymore. I might as well just give them to you guys.”

Marcus rolled his eyes. “I really want to punch him right now!”

“Me too!” Seraphina agreed with a laugh.

Ethan just grinned. “Can you even beat me?”

The two of them immediately remembered his towering Way Big form and shook their heads in unison. “Can’t beat that!” That colossal physique was simply too despair-inducing.

“Alright,” Ethan said, getting back to business. “Call your families. See how many of these Aura Cores they can take.”

Seraphina considered it. “The Linley family alone definitely can’t take them all, but if our two families join forces, we should be able to afford them. It just depends on the price you want.”

“I’m fine with whatever,” Ethan said with a shrug. “It was a windfall. I don’t really care how much it sells for, as long as it helps you guys.”

Marcus shook his head firmly. “We can’t sell it too cheaply either. This way, let’s call them. The price will definitely be above the going market rate. That’s good for all of us.”

The two of them called their respective families. The information they received was the same. A frantic, excited voice on the other end said, “Don’t dawdle, get over here immediately!”

Not long after, two luxury maglev cars pulled up. Marcus's father, Alden Vance, and Seraphina's father, Julian Linley, got out themselves, rushing over in a hurry. After learning that Ethan had so many Aura Cores, the two powerful men were visibly surprised. Looking at the pile of glowing, energy-rich orbs that Ethan laid out, they couldn't help but sigh at the terrifying efficiency of the Tiger Deacon. To be able to acquire so many Aura Cores, with their incredibly low drop rate, in just a few months… he must have slaughtered several hundred monsters.