Chapter 5: Star Scar and Qingtian Hunter Agency
As dusk approached, Xu Shen was about to leave the market when he was stopped by an enthusiastic middle-aged man.
"Young man, you have an extraordinary demeanor and are truly remarkable. You must be a one-in-ten-thousand genius in the magic world."
"Do you want a Star Scar? Fifty thousand per scroll, no tricks."
A Star Scar is a scroll-type auxiliary tool for intermediate-level mages to control Star Dust. If a Star Map is likened to a complex Chinese character, then a Star Scar is like a calligraphy copybook for each radical and stroke.
Mages who have just entered the intermediate level greatly need a Star Scar for guidance and standardization, otherwise, it would be impossible to cast magic if they connect Star Dust into a strange Star Pattern.
Xu Shen scratched his head. If it weren't for this person's reminder, he would have almost forgotten how much of a pain his innate 9-Star talent would be at the intermediate level.
As everyone knows, casting a basic-level magic requires connecting Star Dust into a Star Orbit with one's mind, a process called control.
Xu Shen had two more Star Dust than ordinary people, but his spiritual power was not much stronger than theirs, making the control difficulty infinitely greater.
In his previous life, this terrible talent tormented him to death, and he almost ended up being advised to drop out. If it weren't for those old schemers from the Black Vatican, his withdrawal procedures would have been completed.
Although he was crippled during the Bo City disaster, he fortunately survived, and after years of struggle, he finally managed to control all 9 Star Dust. Since then, his cultivation has gradually improved after he could cast magic.
A few more years, his Star Dust advanced to Star Cloud, and the number of Star Dust also became 81.
An ordinary person's Star Cloud would only have 49 Star Dust. Although Xu Shen had long had a premonition that his own Star Cloud might be different from ordinary people's, when 81 Star Dust actually appeared, he still felt a sudden darkness.
Human life is but a fleeting hundred years. Just 9 Star Dust took him nearly 10 years to master. 81 Star Dust was unimaginable…
Moreover, casting intermediate-level magic is different from basic-level. It requires connecting Star Dust into special Star Orbits, and then connecting Star Orbits to each other to form a complete Star Map. Only then is the door to intermediate-level magic opened, and intermediate-level magic can be fully summoned.
Xu Shen had 9 Star Orbits, which meant that his intermediate-level magic Star Map was different from everyone else's in the world. Others learned magic from established Star Maps.
But he had to create his own Star Map.
Those capable of creating their own magic were all historical figures.
How could a novice like him do it?
However, fate played a trick on him, and he was trapped in that dreadful place in his previous life.
The extreme solitude, coupled with an unlimited supply of li fan flower, truly allowed his spiritual power cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds. Within a few years, he was able to control 81 Star Dust at will, even making them dance the Pure Land of Bliss in the Star River with ease.
That dog-forsaken place, where even a dog would go mad, forced him to find things to do for himself.
In that place where time had lost all meaning, Xu Shen exhaustively tried billions of times, using the most brutal methods, to find the Light System magic Star Map most suitable for him. Later, he even developed advanced constellations.
Reborn, he saved at least fifty or sixty years of time that would have been spent on creating magic.
However, the strength of his spiritual power was still the biggest obstacle on his cultivation path.
This was also why he urgently needed a Star Dust magic tool to extend his cultivation time. Although it couldn't fundamentally solve the problem, it was the best method he could think of at the moment.
As for li fan flower…
Xu Shen couldn't help but shiver. That cursed place, not even a dog would go there!
The fact that he didn't go mad there was already a testament to his extremely strong willpower, a human miracle…
"Hey, young man, I can give you five thousand more off, forty-five thousand, do you want it?"
The middle-aged man saw Xu Shen, who was frowning and looking serious, and thought he was dissatisfied with the price. He tugged at his sleeve and began to proactively lower the price.
"Huh?" Xu Shen snapped back to reality and said with a smile, "Uncle, what did you just say? I didn't quite hear you."
"Star Scar, do you want it?"
Seeing the uncle's expectant gaze, Xu Shen calmly said, "The sentence before that."
"Young man, you have an extraordinary demeanor and are truly remarkable. You must be a one-in-ten-thousand genius in the magic world."
"Hmm, say it again…"
Xu Shen decisively left before being beaten, leaving the uncle bewildered in the wind.
A one-in-ten-thousand genius, hmm, why not?
Xu Shen took out the latest Fruit Plus he bought at Global Building and navigated to Qingtian Hunter Agency.
Now, it was time for something big!
The advantage of rebirth was here: having a wealth of information asymmetry to exploit.
In the previous life's Bo City disaster, if he could, Xu Shen truly hoped not to repeat the same mistakes.
Unfortunately, he was reborn at 16. How great would it have been if he had been 7?
He would never forget the complex emotions of confusion and sorrow when he received two blood-stained pieces of clothing in this life.
...
Qingtian Hunter Agency was not far from the Hunter Union. The road signs in Magic City were very user-friendly, and Xu Shen arrived without much navigation.
As soon as he entered, he saw Lingling sitting on a bar stool, feet propped up, reading a book.
"The starting price for a commission is three hundred thousand, and the fee will be discussed based on the difficulty of the commission. We don't accept commissions for trivial matters under three hundred thousand."
The little girl was only about ten years old, her voice clear, tender, and ethereal. Although she didn't even lift her head, the way her twin pigtails swayed already matched the appearance he had seen in his previous life.
Xu Shen had only met Lingling a few times in his previous life, but her intelligence amazed him and left a deep impression.
"One million. I want all the information about one person. If it's not enough, I can add more."
The power of money was strong, forcefully pulling Lingling out of her engrossing book.
She looked at Xu Shen in surprise and shouted towards the inner room: "Sister, there's a fat sheep!"
Xu Shen's face darkened. If it weren't for the memories of his previous life, this sentence alone would easily make people think this was a shady business.
"Coming!"
With a mature, clear female voice, a woman in a black leather jacket walked out of the room.
The woman had delicate features and a tall, alluring figure. She was also a rare beauty.
Xu Shen was a little puzzled. If he remembered correctly, the owner of Qingtian Hunter Agency should be an old man…
Leng Qing was a bit disappointed to see only a young boy with a tender face standing in the front hall.
It wasn't that she looked down on Xu Shen, but children of this age, their commissions were either trivial matters or idle gossip about love affairs.
Although Qingtian Hunter Agency needed to make a living, it didn't accept just any commission.
Out of professional habit, Leng Qing didn't show it.
Because she had also heard the "one million" when she was inside.
"Hello, my name is Leng Qing. Are you here to make a commission?"
Leng Qing?
Xu Shen searched his blurry memories but didn't find that name. However, since she was at Qingtian Hunter Agency, could she be one of Lingling's several deceased former partners?
Such a beautiful girl, what a pity.
Without the reference of his past life's memories, he was a bit hesitant. Was this woman trustworthy?
Leng Qing noticed Xu Shen's suspicion and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
She hadn't even found this boy's commission low-class, yet he dared to doubt her professional ability.
Clearly, both of them misunderstood each other, but it wasn't a big deal.
Xu Shen turned to look at Lingling.
Although this girl was still young, her intelligence was extraordinary. Xu Shen would never treat her as an ordinary ten-year-old child.
He said with a serious tone: "This commission of mine, I will only entrust it to you. No one else."
Although Lingling was cunning for her age, this was the first time someone had solemnly entrusted a commission to her by name, and it was a large order worth millions.
She immediately became excited. Her gaze towards Xu Shen was as fervent as a thousand-mile horse about to be sent to grind grain seeing its connoisseur. She put down her book, jumped off the swivel chair, and tried to put on a serious expression, patting her flat little chest with a thud: "Tell me, what kind of commission requires the personal involvement of Lord Lingling?"
She had long been fed up with those sixth-grade elementary school students.
Unfortunately, her father always thought she was too young and unwilling to take her on missions, only letting her help watch the Hunter Agency during holidays.
Now, someone finally had the discerning eye to discover Lord Lingling's hunter talent. Her heart was pounding, family, who understands this feeling!
Xu Shen glanced at Leng Qing, signaling her to step aside.
Leng Qing stood with her arms crossed, watching coldly, pretending not to understand Xu Shen's hint.
Lingling, being so cunning, immediately pushed and shoved her sister into the room.
Xu Shen half-crouched down and whispered a few words into Lingling's ear.
Lingling listened with a conflicted expression.
She wanted to accept it, but her professional ethics wouldn't allow it. If she didn't accept it, this was, after all, her first big solo commission.
After a long time, she still shook her head reluctantly: "Sorry, I can't do it!"
Xu Shen scratched his head: "Feel free to ask for more money."
As a billionaire, he indeed had the confidence to say that.
Lingling explained: "We are a legitimate Hunter Agency. The matter you are commissioning has already infringed on someone else's privacy, and we cannot accept it."
Xu Shen looked around, and finding no one entering, his tone became much more serious. He lowered his voice and said, "What if it's related to the Black Vatican?"
"Really?" Lingling's big, watery eyes widened.
"If it's false, I'll hand over the one million commission fee. You don't have to give me information about that person. In that case, as long as you don't leak it, it won't count as infringing on someone else's privacy, right?"
Lingling was not an ordinary child; her mind was much more mature than her peers. She thought for a moment and knew that this matter was beyond what a ten-year-old like her could handle: "Can I tell my sister?"
Xu Shen shook his head: "Besides your grandfather, everyone else must keep it a secret."
If he remembered correctly, Mo Fan once mentioned that Lingling's grandfather was a hidden big shot, and he should be on the opposite side of the Black Vatican, making him trustworthy.
"My sister is from the Lingyin Judgment Association."
Lingyin Judgment Association!
Xu Shen's heart skipped a beat. If he remembered correctly, Tang Yue, the beautiful teacher who would be coming to Tianlan Magic High School next semester, was from the Lingyin Judgment Association. What a coincidence.
Xu Shen thought for a moment and asked: "Do you know Tang Yue?"
Lingling nodded: "My sister is her leader."
Oh, this…
Xu Shen scratched his head.
The reason the Black Vatican could commit so many horrific crimes and still remain at large was not because the Black Vatican was full of masters.
It was because many magic organizations had been infiltrated by the Black Vatican like a sieve.
As soon as a Eliminate plan was made here, it was already on the Cardinal's desk in the Black Vatican over there. How could they win?
However, relatively speaking, the Judgment Association was much harder to infiltrate than other magic organizations.
Because as a violent magic organization responsible for judging heretics and apprehending criminal mages, to prevent infiltration by the Black Vatican, all Judgment Association field personnel had to swear a soul oath under the Oath Tree to never betray the Judgment Association.
Xu Shen pondered for a moment and asked: "Is it convenient for me to see your sister's oath mark?"
To facilitate this deal, Lingling also went all out, quickly pulling Leng Qing, whom she had just pushed in, back out.