CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60 SPENDING MONEY IS THE FASTEST WAY TO CULTIVATE

All the stall owners considered themselves cunning, but as Lu Luo inadvertently revealed a hint of interest in the copper statue with just two glances, the scruffy owner immediately became alert, thinking to himself, Could it be that this kid’s goal isn’t to snatch my stall space, but to acquire this cat copper statue? Perhaps there is something fishy about this statue?

The scruffy owner tried not to dwell on it, but once the thought took root, his mind raced. Could it be a relic from a bygone era? Or perhaps some valuable antique? Or is it the key to unlocking some treasure?

"First, tell me, what do you want this copper statue for?"

Lu Luo frowned. Seeing this, the scruffy owner sensed his chance and promptly launched a price-lowering offensive.

"If you tell me about the statue, I’ll give you this stone for 650. How about that?"

The usual stall price for a Dark Spirit Stone was around 700, but since it was difficult to gauge the exact weight of an unbroken stone, this price was actually a bit of a premium. If Lu Luo were to shout that he was buying raw stones for 650, he could indeed get them, but it would be slow, disorganized, and chaotic.

With his face contorted, Lu Luo looked extremely troubled, agonizing over it for a long time.

The scruffy owner watched him. At 650, I’m almost guaranteed not to lose money. I can gamble on its purity and try my luck! If Lu Luo is this unwilling to talk, the copper statue must have a secret, right? And a significant one at that!

"How about this: I’ll give you the stone for 630, and you tell me what this thing is for. Deal?"

Lu Luo muttered softly, just loud enough for the scruffy owner to hear, "At 630, I could make a fair bit, possibly around 2,000... but the cat copper statue is for..."

The scruffy owner couldn’t quite catch the last few words, but he could see Lu Luo wavering and immediately upped the ante.

"Say no more! 620! This stone of mine weighs a full 101 grams. 620 is enough for you to make a big profit. Don’t be too greedy."

This time, the scruffy owner was making a big concession, but Lu Luo still wouldn’t budge.

"600, and I’ll take it. We’ll deal with the stone first, and then I’ll tell you why I want the cat copper statue."

"No way! What if you go back on your word afterwards?"

"I’m right here; where could I run off to? Look, I swear to Heaven: if I don’t tell you why I’m buying the cat copper statue, I’m a dog!"

The scruffy owner hesitated for a moment, then snatched the Dark Spirit Stone from Lu Luo’s hand and placed it on the scale.

"Look, it’s over 101 grams. We’ll count it as exactly 101 grams, no more, no less. That’ll be 60,600."

Lu Luo blinked. "How about rounding it down a bit more?"

The scruffy owner was exasperated. What’s going on? I feel like this kid is leading me by the nose!

"Alright, alright! 60,000 then."

Lu Luo paused. What I actually meant by ’rounding it down’ was to knock off the last zero, making it 6,060. But on second thought, forget it. It’s good to leave some leeway; makes it easier to meet again in the future.

"Now you can tell me what the copper statue is for, right?" the scruffy owner asked.

"Of course. I find this cat copper statue lively and cute. I was planning to buy it as a lucky cat.

"I just opened a studio right across from the Wasteland Security Bureau. Putting it at the entrance would bring in wealth and fortune, showering the place with good luck.

"Too bad you weren’t willing to include it. Tsk, I actually quite liked it."

The scruffy owner was stunned.

"As a lucky cat? Are you kidding me?"

Lu Luo had an astonished expression.

"This is strange. Why would you think I’m messing with you? I really do want this copper statue! Is there a problem with that?

"I never said it had any secrets; you’re the one whose imagination ran wild, okay?

"I still want it now. If you’re willing to sell, I’ll pay 50. No more."

The scruffy owner carefully recalled Lu Luo’s words. Regarding the cat copper statue, he really hadn’t mentioned anything about treasures or secrets. But then again, you wouldn’t just blurt out something like that, would you!

"I lose too much at 600! No way. Add a bit more, 630."

"Hey, young man, that’s not fair. I’ve already paid. How could I possibly add more money?

"Besides, let me do the math for you. Such a large piece of Dark Spirit Stone like yours isn’t easy to sell, right?

"Your stone is particularly rough. If you were to cut it up and sell it in pieces, and it had a bit more impurity inside, say 20-30 grams of sand, wouldn’t you suffer a huge loss?

"What if it really is 30 grams of sand, leaving 70 grams of stone? Calculated at the Hunter price of 700 per gram, it would only be worth 49,000. Think about it, right?

"Selling it to me at 600 a gram, you get 60,000 in liquid funds. Not only are you not losing money, but you’re also making an extra 11,000 off me. You’re making a killing, my friend!"

The scruffy owner’s expression was conflicted; he felt something wasn’t right. My stone is clearly 101 grams, how did it become 70 grams? Even with impurities, there wouldn’t be as much as 30 grams, right?

The scruffy owner took another look at his somewhat rough Dark Spirit Stone. Now that Lu Luo had pointed it out, the stone did seem exceptionally coarse.

It *is* so coarse. What if there really are 30 grams of impurities? Wouldn’t I truly suffer a huge loss then? Thinking about it this way, what this kid said seems to make some sense.

"Have you made up your mind yet?" Lu Luo asked.

"Hey, hey, hey! Sold, sold!"

In a daze, the scruffy owner watched as Lu Luo cheerfully patted his shoulder and then turned to leave.

The scruffy owner glanced at Lu Luo’s retreating figure but ultimately chose not to haggle any further, because what Lu Luo said might indeed be possible. Selling such a large Dark Spirit Stone all at once would provide a lot of liquid funds, and liquid funds were paramount for anyone.

I think I actually made a profit of 11,000! Looks like I made a killing!

Lu Luo, on the other hand, thought, Would spending 60,000 all at once sting? Absolutely not. Even if I’ve never been outside the wall, some things are easy to guess. Money, for instance, is printed by the Council and the Church; its essence is paper. In many situations in the Wasteland, paper has no value. So, it’s best to spend it quickly, converting it into something valuable.

「...」

Lu Luo didn’t go back; he couldn’t wait any longer for his breakthrough.

He went straight to a public toilet stall, preparing to examine the Dark Spirit Stone in his hand and see what was special about it.

[Upon close inspection, the contents can almost be confirmed as Greydust, not stardust. What a pity. Greydust is an extremely potent energy substance, one of the byproducts of Dark Spirit Stones, and very expensive.]

I’ll ignore the stardust for now; no point wasting time asking about something I don’t have, Lu Luo thought.

"Greydust, a powerful energy material? An enhanced version of the Dark Spirit Stone?"

[No, Greydust’s energy is nowhere near as calm and stable as that of Dark Spirit Stones. Its explosiveness and instability are far greater. Typically, Greydust is used by Wasteland Alchemists to create explosive weapons or various alchemical items. Its energy ratio to Dark Spirit Stones can be 1:20 or even 1:30, making it extremely dangerous. However, you’re different from ordinary people. You can completely filter out Greydust’s instability using the Devourer, thereby absorbing the Dark Energy within. That’s why I advised you to buy it.]

"Got it. Tell me how to absorb the Dark Spirit Stone. And, is this Dark Spirit Stone enough to help me reach the First Tier of Qi?"

[Use the Devourer. Surely you don’t think you’re supposed to eat it with your mouth, do you? Whether you can break through depends on how much Greydust there is. Although the Devourer’s Dark Spirit Stone extraction efficiency is almost 100%, you used a lot of Qi in your previous battles, and now you only have 11 units of Qi left. With your current pseudo-talent, your Dark Energy to Qi conversion rate is about 80%. To gain 89 units of Qi, you’ll need approximately 112 grams of Dark Spirit Stone.]

Lu Luo’s expression soured. Even with the Devourer that allows me to directly absorb Dark Spirit Stones, I’m already over budget. Opportunities to make 60,000 at once like this don’t come often. Just think, their mission from Gu Fangyi only paid 7,500. I originally thought 60,000 was a huge sum, but now it seems money is never enough, at least not within the wall.

I only have 5,000 left. If it’s not enough, I’ll have to go out and buy more, and who knows if that’ll even be sufficient. Cultivation is so expensive! The Church and the Council can print money; it’s hard to imagine how powerful they are in this environment.

Lu Luo had spent heavily for this breakthrough; there was no other way, as advancing to the transcendent was paramount for him right now.

After a pause, Lu Luo looked around. He was in a public toilet. It had a door and a lock, so he wouldn’t be disturbed. Apart from the rather strong smell, everything else was fine.

However, since I’m planning to use the Dark Spirit Stone for a breakthrough, shouldn’t I find a clean place? Maybe even bathe and change clothes first?

"Forget it, I’ll go to the rooftop. I’m more familiar with the rooftop."

Arriving on the rooftop, the sky had already grown dim, looking like it was about to rain. This was exactly what Lu Luo wanted. The rain meant no one would disturb him—the heavier, the better.

Now, all Lu Luo had to do was convert this surging Dark Energy into Qi as quickly as possible!

He placed the Dark Spirit Stone on top of the Wraith Blade and pressed down hard. CRACK! The Dark Spirit Stone split open.

A grey, crystalline substance appeared in the center of the Dark Spirit Stone.

[This is the Greydust! There’s a lot of it, over a gram. That’s enough!]

The amount of Greydust was a pleasant surprise for Lu Luo! Without further hesitation, he extended a tendril from his fingertip and plunged it directly into the Dark Spirit Stone.

A massive influx of pure Dark Energy flowed through the Devourer’s tendril into Lu Luo’s body!

This process was outrageously faster than normal cultivation. Moreover, the Devourer could absorb energy without needing to pause or rest.

"This feeling is incredible! Indeed, spending lavishly is the fastest way to cultivate. I will break through to the transcendent realm today!"