"I'd like to ask if there are any Space-type treasures in the Jubao Pavilion?" Shi Yu inquired after glancing around the hall.
From what he had seen so far, he hadn't spotted a single Space-attribute treasure. That was unusual—Space-type items were rare, yes, but not that rare. Surely a place like Jubao Pavilion wouldn't have none at all.
Of course, he wasn't counting Space-attribute Soul Guidance Devices, such as storage tools. Those technically qualified, but calling them "treasures" was a stretch—unless they had an enormous capacity or the special ability to hold living creatures.
As far as Shi Yu knew, the current generation of Storage Soul Tools couldn't store living beings at all.
The staff member double-checked his clearance before replying politely, "Yes, please wait a moment."
She quickly compiled a list of Space-type treasures accessible under his current authority. There were fifteen in total, all valued under ten million gold soul coins—the maximum value he could take without paying the difference.
Shi Yu raised an eyebrow. So the Jubao Pavilion really is hiding plenty of good things.
He went through the list item by item. Most were rare ores imbued with Space power, used mainly to forge high-level Soul Guidance Devices—level seven and above.
A few caught his attention:
A ten-thousand-year Space-type Soul Bone—rare, though its age was below his expectations.
An Ethereal Flower, over thirty thousand years old—consumable by Space-type Soul Masters to greatly enhance spatial affinity and ability.
Between the two, he leaned toward the Ethereal Flower. Soul Bones were too permanent to waste on something sub-optimal—who knew when he might find a better one? A heavenly treasure, on the other hand, could be used without regret.
But then his eyes fell on a peculiar entry:
"Suspected to have fallen from an unknown small Space."
The description was sparse, unlike the detailed notes for the other items. That alone made him curious.
Unknown small Space… His mind immediately jumped to the few he knew: the Evil Demon Plane and the Dragon Valley Space. The Abyssal Plane was too large to be called "small."
A spark of hope lit in his chest.
"Can I see this mysterious Space ore?" he asked.
"Yes, please follow me," the staffer replied—only after securing her superior's approval. She spoke briefly to a colleague, then led Shi Yu upstairs.
Jiang Nannan came along, but at the door to a restricted room she was stopped.
"I'll wait for you outside," she said softly.
Shi Yu nodded and stepped inside.
The room was lined with secure safes containing treasures most people would never glimpse.
"Please wait here."
The staffer retrieved a safe keycard linked to his credentials, opened a particular vault, and brought out the ore.
It was fist-sized, shimmering with nine-colored light, and radiated multiple elemental fluctuations—though Space dominated so strongly that the others were barely a tenth as strong.
Shi Yu's left hand twitched. He looked down in surprise—there was a subtle pulling sensation, like opposite poles of a magnet snapping together. His right hand felt nothing.
Could this be related to the Dragon God?
The nine-colored glow… the exact same as the Dragon God's attribute light.
"May I touch it?" he asked, careful not to act without permission.
"You may," the staffer said, though she added a gentle warning, "But please remember—this is the Jubao Pavilion. You can take things properly, but not… otherwise."
Shi Yu chuckled inwardly. What do you think I am, suicidal? Even if he could somehow get out of this building, he'd never make it out of Shrek City alive.
He pressed his left hand to the ore. The pulling sensation intensified, and he could feel his Dragon Scales subtly reacting. He quickly restrained them—no need to reveal too much.
It's definitely connected to the Dragon God. This might have come from the Dragon Valley Space.
His decision was instant. "I'd like to use my authority to claim this item."
The Ethereal Flower could wait. If this ore could lead him straight to the Dragon Valley, the gains would dwarf any short-term boost.
He knew the rough location of the Dragon Valley entrance from the Dragon King Legend era—but "rough" wasn't enough. Ten thousand years of change had erased landmarks like Star Luo City. Without precise markers, finding it now would be nearly impossible.
This ore, however… it might solve that problem entirely.
"Are you certain?" the staffer asked. "Our appraisers still don't know its exact purpose. For all you know, it could be just an unusual rock."
"I'm sure," Shi Yu replied firmly. "I can feel a connection with it."
She didn't press further. Ten minutes later, Shi Yu left the Jubao Pavilion carrying a sandalwood box. Inside rested the mysterious ore.
Outside, Jiang Nannan glanced at the box. "How are you planning to use it?"
Shi Yu smiled faintly. "Not sure yet. I'll need to study it."
But inside, he was thrilled.