298: Chapter 298 Even if it's bombed, it costs extra.

Chen You held the yuhuang sword, maintaining a cool posture as if ready to unleash a finishing move at any moment.

But the expression on his face had completely cracked.

"Newcomer, is this freestyle of mine fire or what?"

That rough voice came from underground again, even carrying a slight expectant tremor.

Chen You took a deep breath and silently lowered his sword.

He rubbed his temples, feeling that his high-intensity cultivation over the past few days might have caused some issues with his brain.

A mythical ruin.

A three-thousand-year seal.

And it turns out there's a rapper buried underground?

He suddenly remembered how the usually stiff NPC guide, Mountain Stone Fault, seemed to have been possessed, singing hardcore rap in the minus seventy-degree blizzard.

At the time, Chen You thought it was some hidden personality, but now it all clicked.

It wasn't some hidden personality awakening at all; it was mental pollution emitted by this guy sealed underground!

This guy used the rhythm of rap to interfere with the system's pathfinding logic and forcibly dragged the RV into this hidden map!

"Hey! Did that guy with the sword up there go mute? This Seat is asking you a question!"

"This is the result of This Seat's painstaking study of single and double rhymes for three thousand years. Give me a straight answer—is it fire or not!"

Seeing that Chen You was ignoring him, the voice underground clearly became a bit agitated.

Red light flickered violently along with his emotions, and the entire Star-Hiding Ruins began to shake again.

"Fire, it's too fire." Chen You perfunctorily clapped his hands twice.

"It's practically the number one label in the Source Realm. Even an electric eel would buy a standing-room-only ticket to run away overnight after hearing it."

"But... can we talk business first?"

Chen You tossed the Star Soul Crystal in his hand, which was emitting a faint blue light.

The manic aura underground froze for a moment.

Immediately after, a deafening sound of swallowing saliva came from deep within the rift.

"Star... star soul! You kid actually slaughtered all those blue-skinned rats?" The underground voice carried an irrepressible ecstasy.

"Quick! Throw that ball down here! As long as This Seat absorbs this star soul, I can break through this damn seal!"

Chen You didn't move.

Not only did he not move, but with a flick of his wrist, he directly stuffed the Star Soul Crystal into his system inventory.

"What are you doing?!" The voice underground suddenly jumped an octave. "Take it out! Give it to me!"

"Give it to you?" Chen You crossed his arms and looked down into the bottomless rift. "Why should I give it to you?"

"Why?" The existence underground seemed dazed by the question.

It had been trapped here for three thousand years and had finally managed to wait for a living person.

The opponent not only helped it clear out those Star Marrow Thieves who were stealing energy but also condensed a complete star soul.

According to the normal process, wasn't this the Child of Destiny specifically here to rescue it?

Why wasn't this kid playing by the rules?

"Kid, do you know who This Seat is?"

The voice underground instantly turned somber, and an extremely terrifying pressure spread out along the rift.

The surrounding temperature soared at a visible rate, the air distorted, and even the bronze slabs beneath Chen You's feet began to turn red and hot.

[System Warning: You are suffering from the pressure of an unknown Mythical-grade creature. All attributes decreased by 20%!]

Chen You glanced at the red warning text in the top right corner of his vision, his expression unchanged.

"I don't care who you are," Chen You sneered.

"I only know that I carved out this star soul strike by strike."

"My arms are sore from hacking those hundreds of Star Marrow Thieves just now."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" The red light underground flickered uncertainly.

"What I mean is, if you want this star soul, you can have it." Chen You extended his right hand and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, making a universal gesture.

"But you have to pay extra."

There was a dead silence deep in the rift for a full ten seconds.

"Pay extra?" The rough voice seemed to be trying its best to understand the meaning of the phrase.

"You, a human, dare to talk about money with This Seat? Aren't you afraid that the first thing I'll do after breaking the seal is crush you into meat paste?"

"Don't give me those empty promises." Chen You was not afraid at all.

"If you could get out, you would have already. Would you still need to be here playing freestyle with me?"

"Besides, you're sealed right now. The only thing you can count on is the star soul in my hand."

"This is a buyer's market, and I hold the initiative."

Chen You paused, his tone becoming very much like Director Li Guoan's when he was putting pressure on subordinates in the meeting room.

"I'm a very fair person—you get what you pay for. If you want the star soul, trade something of equal value for it."

"Mythical-grade equipment, top-tier cultivation techniques, or tens of millions of gold coins—anything will do."

"As long as the price is right, I'll not only give you the star soul but also help you smash this Bronze Pedestal while I'm at it."

"How about it? This service is quite a bargain, isn't it?"

The existence underground completely lost its composure.

"Presumptuous! You money-grubbing ant!"

"You're in league with the Meng Family, with that despicable fellow who deceived me!"

Accompanied by an angry roar, a thick, red-stained... giant bandage suddenly extended from the rift.

The bandage slammed heavily against the Bronze Pedestal, creating a world-shaking boom.

Chen You's eyelid twitched.

Good grief, a bandage has gained sentience?

"Stop, stop, stop!" Chen You quickly waved his hand and took off the Thousand Light City Vice City Lord Token from his waist. "My surname is Chen, not Meng."

"I just swiped this badge from the City Lord's Mansion."

"Whatever unethical things the Meng Family ancestors did, what does that have to do with me, Chen You?"

"Every debt has its debtor; don't go pinning labels on me randomly."

"You're not from the Meng Family?" The bandage froze in mid-air.

"Nonsense. If I were from the Meng Family, I would have just paid those blue smurfs when they came to me for back pay instead of slaughtering them all," Chen You said righteously.

The existence underground seemed to be confused by Chen You's impeccable logic.

It fell silent for a moment, and the bandage slowly retracted to the edge of the rift.

"Since you're not from the Meng Family... then why did you help me clear out those thieves?" Its tone softened slightly, carrying a hint of doubt.

"Because they were in my way, and they drop experience points," Chen You spoke the truth.

"..."

The existence underground fell silent again.

It had lived for so long and had seen countless greedy, fearful, and pious humans.

But it was the first time it had seen someone like this, who calculated interests so bluntly that he didn't even bother to hide it.

"Good, very good. You are very honest, much better than that hypocrite from the Meng Family who was full of benevolence and morality." The underground voice suddenly took on a hint of a smile.

"You want a reward, right? As long as you offer the star soul to This Seat, This Seat can grant you the Blessing of the Star Sea!"

"Blessing of the Star Sea?" Chen You raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a passive skill."

"Specifically, how much attack power does it add? Are there any side effects? Like turning into a bandage monster like you?"

"You! This is supreme glory!" the underground existence roared.

"How many gold coins is glory worth?" Chen You curled his lip disdainfully.

"Stop with the empty promises. I'm the type who won't release the hawk until I see the rabbit."

"If you can't produce some solid goods, I'll take this star soul and feed it to a dog."

As he spoke, Chen You made a move to turn and leave.

"Wait!" The underground existence panicked.

It had been trapped for three thousand years and had finally seen a glimmer of hope for being unsealed. How could it let Chen You go?

"Don't go! This Seat has things! Real, solid things!"

"Oh?" Chen You stopped, turned around, and a kind, profiteer-like smile appeared on his face.

"You should have said so earlier. Let me see them. But let's get this straight—I don't want any scrap metal."

Rumble—

Another vibration came from deep within the rift.

"This Seat will bet the glory of the number one label—this item will definitely satisfy you!"