"Are you going to trade a cellphone?"
"And give it to Hogan, a prince from over two thousand years ago in the Qin dynasty?"
It sounded completely unbelievable. The gap in time was just too huge.
But in the next second, the last bit of hesitation in Celine's heart disappeared completely.
"Yes."
Her tone was firm, without any hesitation or second thoughts.
Her rebirth, this mysterious space, and now this time-traveling man called Prince Hogan — none of it could be explained by logic anyway.
Who could really understand the mysteries of this world, of the entire universe?
Since she had already traded trucks, medicine, and modern crop seeds, things that went against the laws of nature, why should she hesitate over a simple cellphone?
When Hogan heard Celine's straightforward answer, his eyes lit up with disbelief.
His excitement completely shattered the restraint he usually held as the Emperor's eldest son. His body trembled slightly, unable to hold back the joy rushing through him.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, then bowed deeply to Celine with full sincerity.
"Thank you, Lady Celine. I promise, such a divine object will be repaid handsomely. I will make sure you're well compensated and won't suffer any loss."
Celine smiled and nodded.
The two of them quickly reached a basic agreement on the cellphone trade. The detailed terms still needed to be discussed later.
After settling this unexpected deal, Hogan, now satisfied with the new batch of supplies he had received, said goodbye to Celine.
In a flash of light, his figure vanished from the space.
The next moment, he reappeared just outside Xianyang City, right in the middle of the largest Qin military training field.
Boom
Like thunder out of nowhere.
The entire training ground, which had been filled with the thunderous sounds of drills and shouting, suddenly fell into dead silence as Hogan and a huge mountain of supplies appeared out of thin air.
Every soldier stopped moving and stared wide-eyed at this miraculous scene.
The silence lasted only a heartbeat.
Then, like a tidal wave, the noise returned with explosive force.
"It's the prince. Prince Hogan."
"Oh my god. Did he go to the realm of immortals again and meet an immortal?"
The whole camp erupted with noise and excitement.
It wasn't just excitement or curiosity. It was a powerful mix of awe, fanaticism, and worship that swept through every corner.
"Prince."
General Meng was the first to react. He pushed through the crowd, his face full of joy he couldn't hide, but in his eyes, there was also a hint of deep worry.
Once everything had settled, General Meng walked up to Hogan, grabbed his arm, and lowered his voice.
"Sir, that was too loud."
"Strange things have been happening in the camp these past two days. I already sent a fast report to His Majesty, but with so many people around talking, it could cause trouble. You need to leave as soon as possible and speak to the Emperor in person."
General Meng didn't speak loudly, but every word hit hard.
Hogan immediately calmed down.
He had a kind heart, but after living so long in the middle of politics, he clearly understood what General Meng really meant.
The miracles from the past two days could lift him up to the sky or destroy him completely.
His father, Emperor Qin, was very suspicious. If Hogan didn't go explain everything himself, things could turn out very badly.
"I understand."
Hogan's face became serious, and a sharp, determined look appeared in his eyes.
"Don't worry, General Meng. As soon as the third batch of supplies arrives tomorrow, I'll leave right away and head to the palace."
At that exact moment in the training field in Xianyang, far away in the middle of the grand procession during the eastern tour, a bamboo scroll signed by both General Meng and Hogan arrived by express courier.
It was respectfully placed on Emperor Qin's desk.
Emperor Qin put down his jade brush. With concern about the army in the north, he slowly unrolled the bamboo scroll.
His eyes moved past the greetings and continued downward.
When he saw words like "miracle from the sky," "immortal supplies," and "elixir of eternal life," the emperor who had united the entire country suddenly held his breath.
He sat up straight, as if he wanted to see through the scroll itself. His eyes, sharp like a hawk, opened wide.
"Cough... cough, cough..."
The sudden movement triggered his old illness. A strong coughing fit shook his body, and a sickly red color spread across his face.
"Your Majesty!"
The royal doctor panicked and rushed forward, holding a bowl of medicine and speaking quickly.
"Your Majesty, please don't get upset. Your health is important. Please take your medicine and rest."
But Emperor Qin didn't hear a word.
His ears were buzzing. His eyes stayed locked on the bamboo scroll. The doctor's worried voice sounded far away.
In his mind, all the words, all the descriptions, and all the guesses came together into two words he had searched for most of his life, the ones that had haunted his dreams.
Eternal life.
The elixir of eternal life.
Could it be that Heaven had finally answered him and truly showed him the way to live forever?