"Ye Feng, you don't seem... regretful at all?"
Shen Yun Yao looked at Ye Feng, quite puzzled.
She had just been strolling with Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao for a while and noticed that Ye Feng wasn't sulking or anything because the number 250 Fire Seed had been snatched up by Huang Rui Zhu. In fact, he was humming an unknown tune and seemed to be in a good mood?
"Regretful?"
Ye Feng blinked slightly, then realized, "You mean about that Fire Seed just now? There's nothing to regret about that Fire Seed... If that Huang Rui Zhu likes it, then let him have it~ 250 suits him well!"
Saying that, Ye Feng continued to stroll...
...
Meanwhile,
At the City Lord's Mansion,
"Lord City Lord, after several days of investigation by the Royal Guard, the massive explosion that occurred near Mecha City a few days ago was likely caused by a Fire Seed explosion!"
A middle-aged man with a stern face was reporting the situation to Shen Bo Tian. He was the commander of the Royal Guard, Song Tie.
"A Fire Seed explosion?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Bo Tian's brow furrowed deeply.
"Yes!"
Song Tie nodded, his eyes filled with shock and confusion, "Because of this, I specifically contacted the Secret Armor Institute and received confirmation!"
"This..."
Song Tie's words made Shen Bo Tian's frown deepen. Suddenly, his expression shifted.
Immediately, Shen Bo Tian spoke to Song Tie, "Do not spread the news about the Fire Seed explosion. The investigation ends here!"
"Yes!"
Song Tie straightened his posture, then turned and strode away.
"You can come out now~!"
As soon as Song Tie's figure disappeared from the doorway, Shen Bo Tian spoke to an empty corner.
As Shen Bo Tian's voice fell, a middle-aged man in a cowboy suit and hat slowly appeared. He was the owner of the number 250 Fire Seed that Ye Feng had seen at the auction house.
The cowboy-clad middle-aged man wiped his face with his hand, his features shifting, and his hair turned green.
If Ye Feng were present, he would have been immensely surprised, because the cowboy-clad middle-aged man was none other than Cang Shi, whom he had met that afternoon.
"You've already met Ye Feng. What do you think?"
Shen Bo Tian picked up the freshly boiled water and began to brew tea.
"How should I put it... This young man is definitely not as simple as he appears..."
"And judging by what happened at the auction house just now, this young man's understanding of Fire Seeds far exceeds my previous estimations..."
"Even compared to Shen Qing, Shen Bai, or myself, he is likely on par!"
Cang Shi walked to the table where Shen Bo Tian was, picked up the tea Shen Bo Tian had poured, and drank it in one gulp.
"What happened at the auction house?"
Shen Bo Tian poured another cup for Cang Shi, looking somewhat confused.
"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I wanted to have some fun at the auction and swindle the Wang family a bit~"
"I didn't expect such a bonus!"
Cang Shi picked up his tea again and sipped it slowly. "You should still remember that Fire Seed that looked Xuan rank but was a mess inside, with countless cracks in its embedded runes, utterly useless, right?"
"I took it to 'gamble for fire' just now, intending to rip off that Huang Rui Zhu. I didn't expect Ye Feng to take a liking to it first..."
Cang Shi quickly recounted the scene at the auction house.
"You're saying that Ye Feng likely saw that the Fire Seed was ruined, yet he still competed with Huang Rui Zhu?"
After hearing Cang Shi's account, Shen Bo Tian seemed quite surprised.
"Mhm!"
Cang Shi nodded. "Most likely, he was deliberately trying to trick Huang Rui Zhu~!"
Shen Bo Tian didn't reply immediately. He frowned and fell into deep thought.
...
Auction House,
"Speaking of which, isn't that Huang Rui Zhu from the Wang family? He should belong to Mecha City, right? Why can he participate in 'gambling for fire'?"
After wandering for a while, the three of them grew tired and found a place to sit and rest, drinking tea. Ye Feng looked at Shen Yun Yao, somewhat puzzled.
"This Huang Rui Zhu is nominally a guest of the Wang family. They have a cooperative relationship. Strictly speaking, he's not from Mecha City~"
"It's a bit like you. You're already a quasi-forging master, so in principle, you belong to the Secret Armor Institute, but you could also say you don't yet belong to the Secret Armor Institute... It can be said either way!"
Shen Yun Yao thought for a moment and explained.
"So that's how it is~"
Ye Feng seemed to understand.
...
The three of them browsed the auction house for a while longer. Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao returned to the Mecha Star Hotel, while Shen Yun Yao went to the top floor of the Star Picking Tower.
At this moment, Shen Bo Tian was brewing tea on the top floor of the Star Picking Tower, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
"Grandpa, it's so late, what do you need me for?"
Shen Yun Yao looked at her grandfather with confusion. She had planned to go back to sleep, but she was notified halfway here.
"Yao Yao, come, have some tea and chestnut cakes first~"
Shen Bo Tian didn't explain the reason immediately. Instead, he smiled and invited Shen Yun Yao to taste the tea and cakes, showing great affection.
"Oh, alright~"
Shen Yun Yao hurried forward. She was indeed a bit hungry.
After eating two chestnut cakes, Shen Bo Tian finally spoke, "Yao Yao, I heard that at the auction tonight, Ye Feng and someone from the Wang family took a liking to the same Fire Seed?"
"Mhm, mhm!"
Shen Yun Yao nodded. "Number 250, a 'gambling for fire' Fire Seed with an exposed window. It was bought by someone from the Wang family for 5000 Arcane Yuan coins!"
"Yao Yao, is this it?"
Shen Bo Tian smiled slightly, formed a hand seal, and then a black, lumpy mass instantly appeared on the ground in front of him with a flash of light.
"This... this... is the number 250 Fire Seed?"
Shen Yun Yao looked at the familiar Fire Seed on the ground in front of her, her face full of astonishment. "Grandpa, how did you do it? Did you send someone to buy this Fire Seed back?"
"No!"
Shen Bo Tian shook his head gently. "I summoned this Fire Seed back, and strictly speaking, this isn't the number 250 Fire Seed either!"
"Summoned back? Not number 250?"
Shen Yun Yao looked at her grandfather, completely bewildered.
"Sigh~"
Shen Bo Tian stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked towards the rooftop. "Yao Yao, it's time you knew some things!"
Saying that, Shen Bo Tian turned and walked back. He looked at Shen Yun Yao, then at the Fire Seed on the ground. "This special Fire Seed is called Cang Feng, and it's a key!"
"A... key?"
Upon hearing Shen Bo Tian's words, Shen Yun Yao became even more confused.
"Yes!"
Shen Bo Tian nodded seriously. "This special Fire Seed is also the biggest secret of the entire Mecha City!"
"It was left behind by your father. When your father left, he left behind a treasure, and this special Fire Seed is the key to opening the door to that treasure!"
"I've been researching it all these years, but apart from being able to summon the Fire Seed back no matter how far apart it is, I haven't made much progress!"
As he spoke, Shen Bo Tian's expression became somewhat dejected.
"Yao Yao, what do you think of Ye Feng?"
Suddenly, Shen Bo Tian's tone shifted drastically.
"Wh-what?"
Shen Yun Yao didn't react for a moment.
...