CHAPTER 25: CHAPTER 25: CONTRACTED TALISMAN MASTER

"Additionally, I’d like to sell another batch of talismans."

Shen Wang flipped his hand, and a stack of silver talismans mixed with a few red talismans appeared.

The silver talismans were Silver Radiance Talismans, a total of thirty-five were made. He kept five and took out thirty now.

The red ones were Low-Level Fireball Talismans, all made with Mid-grade Treasure Tier Talisman Paper. Out of twenty attempts, only six succeeded; he kept two as spares and took out four.

Paper Kite inspected them and, noticing the more precious Fireball Talismans, gave a cheeky smile: "Your talismans have quite a high value, exceeding one hundred Spirit Stones. I need to inform the steward."

"Okay."

Shen Wang nodded; the regular attendants indeed had limited authority. One hundred Spirit Stones was already a considerable sum for them.

Paper Kite turned around, swaying her graceful figure as she walked lightly towards the interior of the store. Soon, an elderly man wearing a gold-threaded white robe with a somewhat plump figure came out.

The latter smiled amiably and looked at Shen Wang, saying, "My surname is Yun; you can call me Steward Yun. How should I address the esteemed guest?"

"Wang."

"Master Wang, hello. I believe you have reached the standard of a special contract Talisman Master for our store. I wonder if you are interested in a long-term cooperation with us?"

Steward Yun was polite. At this moment, Shen Wang was in disguise, concealing his identity as a Martial Artist, thus being assumed to be a Talisman Master.

"As long as the price is right, a long-term cooperation is fine."

Shen Wang had no objections; he would sell to whoever offered the best deal.

"The situation is, a special contract Talisman Master might not sell at the highest market price in our store, but we can guarantee that the purchased materials are cheap and reliable. This way, compared to selling individually, it is definitely much better."

Steward Yun explained: "Our store’s first-tier special contract Talisman Masters can enjoy certain discounts on purchasing raw materials, but... you must guarantee to supply enough talismans every month or every year."

Shen Wang understood; it was basically long-term employment. He nodded: "No problem. I can guarantee at least one hundred talismans of this level every month in the future. As my skill improves, so will the quality of the talismans. Is that sufficient?"

"That’s more than enough. If there are extra talismans, we will also send them to our headquarters since Baixi City cannot consume that much."

Steward Yun, pleased, took out a copper token with the Celestial Commerce Association logo, inscribed with the word "Special."

"Master Wang, this is our association’s special token. With it, you can purchase items at a 5% discount in any branch."

Shen Wang accepted it, feeling a bit emotional. Having the skill to earn money is indeed better than being a mere cultivator, and he decided to develop this further.

Steward Yun began calculating the value of the talismans, and soon said: "This time, we will buy your Silver Radiance Talismans at three Spirit Stones each, and the Fireball Talismans at eight each, a total of one hundred and twenty-two Spirit Stones. Do you want anything else to be calculated together?"

Paper Kite watched enviously from the side. Even ten years of their hard work would hardly earn them such an amount, as their annual salary was only about ten Spirit Stones.

Employees like her still had a chance to earn Spirit Stones, while those in mundane stores earned at most copper coins.

She looked at Shen Wang’s figure, feeling that he didn’t seem very old and wondered if she could get closer to him. Becoming his concubine would be better than being a store attendant.

Shen Wang didn’t notice Paper Kite’s change of gaze and, after thinking for a moment, said: "I need ten Water Attribute Spirit Stones, five Wood Attribute Spirit Stones, two hundred sheets of Low-grade Treasure Tier Talisman Paper, forty sheets of Mid-grade Treasure Tier Talisman Paper, and three bottles of Mid-grade Treasure Rune Liquid."

The Water Attribute Spirit Stones were exchanged for his daughter; the Wood Attribute ones were for his own breakthrough. As for the Mid-grade Rune Liquid, he wanted to try making a Golden Light Talisman, which was much more advanced than the Silver Radiance Talisman.

"No problem. The exchange rate for Water Attribute Spirit Stones is 1.6, requiring sixteen Spirit Stones; the exchange rate for Wood Attribute is 5.2, requiring twenty-six Spirit Stones. These are the recent market rates provided by Ten Thousand Mechanisms Tower."

Steward Yun said, "There is really no discount on Spirit Stone exchanges, is that alright?"

"No, just proceed normally."

Shen Wang didn’t mind.

"Alright."

Steward Yun continued calculating: "Two hundred sheets of Low-grade Talisman Paper cost fifty Spirit Stones, forty sheets of Mid-grade Talisman Paper cost twenty, and three bottles of Rune Liquid cost thirty, making it a total of one hundred. With a 5% discount, it comes to ninety-five, totaling one hundred and twenty-one Spirit Stones, leaving one Spirit Stone remaining."

"That’s fine."

Shen Wang nodded, and shortly after, Paper Kite came out with a tray holding two stacks of talisman paper, one larger and one smaller, representing Low-grade and Mid-grade Talisman Paper respectively.

The rest were three bottles, two small piles of Spirit Stones, and a single Spirit Stone.

One of the piles shimmered with a water-like blue light and the other was green like an emerald, precisely Water Spirit Stones and Wood Spirit Stones.

The former needed to be produced in a Water Spirit Vein, and the latter required a spirit vein absorbing the essence of plants from a forest to manifest. Wood Spirit Stones were more expensive, hence the high exchange cost.

"Master, please double-check."

Paper Kite displayed her most beautiful smile.

"Hmm, no issues."

Shen Wang reached out to put everything away, and his storage pouch became much fuller.

"Then I’ll take my leave."

Shen Wang said to Steward Yun.

"We look forward to your next visit, Master Wang."

Steward Yun said with a smile.

As Shen Wang walked out of the store, Paper Kite hurried out: "Master, I asked about the crystal fish tank you wanted. It happens that a nearby mine vein is producing crystals. If you’re interested, I can take you there."

"Where is it?"

"At the Celestial Crystal Cave in the north of the city, there’s an underground cavern with a crystal ore currently being mined by ordinary people. My family has connections there, so I know a bit about it."

Paper Kite explained: "If you’re interested, Master, you can go with me to pick out some crystals, and then you can have an artisan make a fish tank."

"How far is it?"

Shen Wang grew interested. If the crystals were abundant and beautiful, he could bring some back as gifts for his daughter.

"Sixty li. At our pace, we can get there in an hour at most."

"Lead the way."

Seeing that it wasn’t far and still early, Shen Wang decided to go for a trip.

"Senior, please follow me."

Paper Kite quickly walked out of the market, her steps light and agile, clearly having learned Martial Arts Body Technique, with her martial arts skills not being low.

Shen Wang sensed that this woman had actually achieved Postnatal Perfection cultivation, even more outstanding than Jia’Er.

Being able to work in the market and directly interact with cultivators, he estimated that Paper Kite’s family had connections with cultivators as well. After leaving the city, Paper Kite moved even more flexibly and quickly, like a butterfly flitting through flowers.

Shen Wang casually remarked, "It seems your family’s heritage is quite deep."

"Senior, you’re too kind."

Paper Kite smiled wryly: "I am just a branch of the Yun Family from Yun Province, but without a Spirit Root and with unremarkable Martial Arts Talent, I’m only fit to be an ordinary maid in the store."

"Another Yun?"

Hearing this, Shen Wang thought of Steward Yun, pondered for a moment, and asked: "Are you from the Yun Family of Yunzhou?"

Currently in Xi Province, Yunzhou was the adjacent province, and the Yun Family was the largest cultivation clan there, renowned for its Wind and Thunder Magic Divine Techniques.

This suggests that the Celestial Commerce Association should be run by the Yun Family.

"Just a branch."

Paper Kite smiled bitterly: "It’s only slightly better than being a commoner."