44: Sometimes it's best to look for the reasons within yourself.

The two arrived at a shop with antique-style decor.

The owner was a shrewd-lookingFat, who immediately greeted Miss Yao with a beaming smile.

“Miss Yao! What brings you here? Please, come in!”

“Wang Fat,” Miss Yao waved her hand, “My friend is looking for a card, a Tier 2 blue card, around three stars, balanced in offense and defense, with moderate consumption. Do you have anything suitable?”

Wang Fat’s eyes darted, his gaze falling on Lu Yuan, and he fell into thought.

It seems… he hadn't heard of this person.

“A Tier 2 blue card, this request… Hehe, Miss Yao’s friend, of course, deserves special treatment.”

“I just received a new batch of goods, and there are a few cards that might meet the requirements.”

He led the two to a separate display counter.

Inside the counter, several cards glowing with a blue aura were displayed.

Heavy Armored Rhinoceros: Blue three-star, Earth-type, astonishing defense, comes with [Savage Bull Charge] and [Hardened Skin], its drawbacks are slow speed and medium consumption. Price: 90,000.

Shadow Leopard: Blue three-star, Shadow-type, extremely fast, good at sneak attacks, comes with [Leopard Stealth] and [Shadow Claw], its drawbacks are weak frontal combat ability and low defense. Price: 135,000.

Storm Gryphon: Blue four-star, Wind-type, aerial unit, strong mobility, possesses [Absolute Wind Blade] and [Combat Dive], good overall ability, but the price… Price: 150,000!

Lu Yuan looked at these cards, contemplating each one.

The Heavy Armored Rhinoceros was too clumsy, not fitting his combat style, so he passed.

The Shadow Leopard was more suited for an assassin, somewhat overlapping in function with the Heavenly Thunder Light Falcon, and its own description made it seem too fragile, so he also passed.

The Storm Gryphon was indeed good, a blue four-star with an aerial advantage, but at a price of 150,000, even with the money Miss Yao lent him, it was too expensive; buying it would completely bankrupt him.

Moreover, none of these cards seemed to perfectly fill the void left by the Swamp Crocodile.

He wanted a card that possessed extreme offensive capabilities while also having low consumption.

For example, a Hellhound.

“How about it? Did you see anything you like?” Wang Fat asked with a smile.

Lu Yuan shook his head: “Not quite suitable.”

Wang Fat was not surprised: “Such blue cards that are balanced in offense and defense and have low consumption are rare; it’s a matter of luck.”

“Do you have anything similar to a Hellhound?”

“Hellhound?” Wang Fat pondered for a moment, then showed an apologetic expression.

“How about you look at something else? I also have a few good skill cards…”

“Alright, let's keep looking.” Miss Yao interrupted him, leading Lu Yuan away from the Imperial Beast Store.

The two visited several more shops, but still couldn't find a card that fully met Lu Yuan's expectations.

Either the price was too high, or the attributes had obvious shortcomings.

Lu Yuan couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

It would be better to buy online. He really didn't know how these offline stores survived in the age of the internet.

They had nothing he wanted.

He simply opened his phone and entered the Alliance card Mall… Sorry, he spoke too quickly, there was nothing online either… In the vast Card Continent, not even a single Hellhound card?

He refused to believe it.

Miss Yao looked at his actions with confusion, then suddenly understood, took his phone, and logged in with her own account.

Instantly, the mall refreshed!

Hundreds of Hellhound sale listings appeared.

Lu Yuan: …Alright, alright, so this is how we play, I get it.

Miss Yao chuckled, teasing:

“Student Lu Yuan, sometimes you should look at yourself. The mall hasn't changed for so many years, have you been diligently cultivating…”

Just then, their steps suddenly stopped in front of a stall.

The stall owner was a scrawny old man, but his strength was not low, at a Tier 3 level.

In front of him, a pile of strange and curious items was haphazardly displayed.

Broken armor pieces, rusty daggers, shriveled herbs… It looked like a pile of junk.

But Lu Yuan's gaze was drawn to a fist-sized, dusty stone fragment among them.

The fragment was unremarkable, not even a trace of Source Power fluctuation could be felt.

Yet, the moment he approached, his two gold Origin Cards, Raging Waves Sea Soul and Heavenly Thunder Light Falcon, simultaneously emitted an extremely faint, almost imperceptible tremor!

It wasn't an energy reaction; it was more like a… resonance from a common origin?

Source Power Resonance!

That obscure theory instantly surfaced in Lu Yuan's mind.

He squatted down nonchalantly and picked up the stone fragment.

It felt warm to the touch, hard in texture, and its surface was covered with fine cracks.

“Elder, what is this?” Lu Yuan asked.

The stall owner, an old man, raised his cloudy eyes and glanced at him.

“Oh, this… It's said to have been brought out of some secret realm. It seems to be a source core fragment left behind after some demon beast died, but all its energy has dissipated, so it's just a broken stone.”

“If you like it, young man, just give me some money and take it to play with.”

The old man spoke casually, seemingly not caring about the fragment at all.

“source core fragment?”

This thing was definitely not simple; that faint resonance couldn't be faked!

“How much?”

“Hehe, since I find you pleasing to the eye, young man, how about eighty thousand star coins?” The old man held up eight fingers.

Eighty thousand?

A broken stone for eighty thousand?

Why did he always get ripped off every time he bought something, why?

Did he look that easy to bully?

“Crazy.” Lu Yuan put down the fragment, preparing to leave.

“Hey, young man, don't leave!” The old man quickly grabbed him, “The price is negotiable! How much do you say?”

Just then, Miss Yao walked over and took the stone fragment.

“Lu Yuan, you're interested in this piece of junk?”

She picked up the fragment and sensed it, but found nothing.

“Things of unknown origin like this are almost certainly scams. They might be scraps of some special material, deliberately aged to trick novices.”

“I advise you not to touch it; it's not worth spending money on a piece of trash.”

Miss Yao’s warning was very pertinent.

But Lu Yuan became even more certain that there was something wrong with this fragment!

Even a well-informed young lady like Miss Yao couldn't see any clues, which meant this thing was either truly trash, or it was extremely well-hidden!

At least, it had to be as deeply hidden as a gold card!

“Will you sell it for eight?”

Now it was the old man's turn to laugh, “Haha, young man, the lowest is ten thousand, no lower is possible.”

“Eighty!”

“Eighty? The bento box I just ate cost more than eighty, young man, you're talking nonsense.”

“Eight thousand is already the bottom line.”

“Eight hundred!”

…Finally, after a battle of wits, Lu Yuan successfully acquired the stone fragment for three thousand six hundred star coins.

The transaction was complete.

Lu Yuan slipped the peculiar source core fragment into his pocket.

Just then, a chilling voice, with a hint of playfulness, drifted over from the side.

“Hehe, this young brother, your taste is quite unique.”

A middle-aged man, dressed in a white long gown, holding a folding fan, and with a faint smile, had appeared beside the stall at some point.

His face was pale, his fingers long and slender, and he exuded a feminine aura.

He looked like a man, but was more like a woman!

Lu Yuan didn't recognize him.

But Miss Yao, standing nearby, subtly changed her expression.

She recognized this person!

The Black Water Gang’s butler, White Paper Fan!

How could he be here?!