"Clang,"
A mechanical chime rang out without warning.
"The Prosperous Era Dual-Space System has officially activated. The system detects that the host has gained the complete trust of Li Yunlong and the preliminary trust of Eighth Route Army Headquarters. The Headquarters Grocery Store requested by the host has been authorized. Do you wish to bind?"
"Bind."
"Binding successful. System officially launched.
"The host can bind three sub-warehouses each in the main plane and the secondary plane. When various units of the Eighth Route Army use the host's equipment to kill the enemy, the host earns points: one point for killing a Japanese devil, two to five points for killing a devil officer, and zero point five points for killing a puppet soldier. Points can be used to add sub-warehouses and upgrade."
"It's only officially starting now? Was I using a fake system all this time?"
Wang Diren grumbled resentfully.
"During the system integration, the host could only bind and officially launch after gaining the trust of Eighth Route Army Headquarters."
"Does that mean I'm still a newbie? Is there a newbie gift package?"
"The host's newbie gift package has arrived. Please check it in the system warehouse.
Newbies Gift Package:
1. Body-Strengthening Pill.
2. Complete Encyclopedia of Special Forces Skills.
3. Complete Encyclopedia of Military Industry Technology.
4. A luminous pearl—a supreme treasure of the Eastern Mausoleum belonging to Empress Dowager Cixi (located in the Headquarters Grocery Store).
The host may choose freely."
Only a fool would choose; naturally, he wanted them all.
He returned specifically to the private room prepared for him by Li Yunlong and swallowed the Body-Strengthening Pill with warm water.
His bones rattled all over, and a six-pack of abdominal muscles appeared almost visibly to the naked eye. He felt his combat power surge dramatically, as if a single punch could kill a cow. This must be the successful integration of the special forces skills.
He then claimed the Complete Encyclopedia of Military Industry Technology, and a massive flood of information instantly poured into his mind, bringing a sudden, profound understanding.
Soon, Li Yunlong returned from headquarters. The moment he saw Wang Diren, he shouted from afar:
"Ha, Brother Wang, the special headquarters pass has finally been secured for you! With this little booklet, you can enter and leave the Headquarters Grocery Store with complete freedom, and no one will question you when you take things—even I don't have that privilege. I had to pull out all the stops this time. The Brigade Commander ruthlessly extorted a hundred horses from me before he agreed! Where's your ammonium nitrate? Hurry up and hand it over."
"The ammonium nitrate has been ready for you for a long time. Send someone to escort me to haul it," Wang Diren replied briskly.
"Let's go, I'll take you to the grocery store to get your bearings, and you can meet the guard soldiers. Actually, it doesn't matter if you don't know them; once they see the pass, they won't interfere. Mainly, I just want to tag along and take a look to see what good stuff is inside." After a flurry of activity, Li Yunlong enthusiastically began organizing the trip.
Finding the grocery store, they discovered it was an independent courtyard. Guided by his objective, Wang Diren quickly spotted a massive pearl. The pearl looked completely ordinary, likely because its surface had been treated with a wax seal.
Bolstered by his special forces skills, he shattered the wax seal on the surface with a single pinch.
A brilliant radiance burst forth, just like the legendary luminous pearl, still emitting a captivating glow after a century.
According to legend, the Eastern Qing Tombs once housed a woman of immense power and legendary status throughout her life—Empress Dowager Cixi. A luminous pearl had once been held within her mouth.
This luminous pearl was said to be a cherished treasure beloved by Cixi; not only was it priceless, but it also held unfathomable secrets.
Legend had it to be a colossal pearl weighing over one hundred and thirty grams, dazzlingly bright, capable of illuminating its surroundings even in the pitch-black night.
Yet details regarding it—its size, weight, and even its true appearance—were rarely recorded in historical books, as if buried by the dust of history.
A document titled *The Case of the Tomb Robbery* once recorded the existence of this luminous pearl in detail for the first time. The warlord Sun Dianying violently looted the tomb, sweeping away a massive amount of rare treasures. The text described its weight and value, but the source still awaited verification.
Over the decades that followed, the whereabouts of the luminous pearl remained a mystery. Who would have thought it would turn up right here?
Wang Diren had no intention of keeping things from Li Yunlong, nor was he afraid that Li would use the opportunity to demand equipment—after all, the more equipment Li used to kill devils, the more points he would earn for himself. He only knew at this point that this was a luminous pearl and should be very valuable, but he certainly didn't know its provenance. That was enough.
"You've struck gold! I lost a hundred horses, so you have to compensate me," Li Yunlong blurted out, unable to contain himself.
"It's not compensation, it's a reward. If I hadn't been willing to take it, your entire battalion couldn't have been saved. Now, headquarters is footing the bill, and I'll cover the provisions for your cavalry battalion," Wang Diren teased him.
"Call it what you want, but you've promised to cover the cavalry battalion's provisions. Long-term, mind you!" Li Yunlong was overjoyed.
Wang Diren casually grabbed a handful of jewelry, shoved them into his trouser pockets, and said,
"That's it for today. I'll have someone appraise these, and I'll get your provisions ready right away. If it's not enough, I'll bring more."
Wang Diren was also feeling a bit restless; this luminous pearl was priceless, and it was best to secure it safely as soon as possible.
When he passed back through his spatial pocket to the modern supermarket, he discovered his cell phone actually had a signal. That way, he wouldn't have to make a special trip back just for minor matters. However, this business was quite important, so he still needed to handle it with caution.
Upon meeting his older cousin, he handed over the luminous pearl and jewelry, asking him to have someone handle them. By the way, he told him:
"Put an extra safe in the office. For the password, use my birthday digits plus one—that way you know it, and others won't easily guess it. My project is deep in the remote mountains with poor signal. If you're not around, I'll just leave the things directly in the safe, and you can still handle them for me."
His cousin casually asked:
"Is there any backstory to these items? A lot of antique dealers like to tell a story."
"Then just say it's a chamber pot used by Empress Dowager Cixi, or a luminous pearl used by Empress Dowager Cixi. I'll leave it to you experts; you guys should be professionals at this."
Soon his cousin returned and reported:
"The experts looked at it and immediately said it was a luminous pearl used by Empress Dowager Cixi."
"You guys really get into character fast—did you all graduate from Hollywood? That's just too perfunctory; you didn't even know to come up with a new creative angle," Wang Diren feigned ignorance.
Taking an extra phone, he returned to the Drawing Sword World. The phone with the SIM card was left in the spatial pocket to maintain a clear signal.
The SIM-less phone was fitted with a memory card to carry around as a database.
Two days later, seeing a message from his cousin on his phone, he called him back from his spatial pocket.
"We're rich! We're rich! They organized a special auction, pulling in nearly four hundred million in total. The luminous pearl alone went for three hundred million! Weren't you afraid I'd run off with the money?"
His cousin's joy over the phone was so intense it practically pierced his eardrum.
"If you have to ask that, you won't run off. This is just the first deal; there will be plenty of money-making days ahead. I'm glad I listened to your suggestion—you deserve the utmost credit for this," Wang Diren said with certainty.
"Hehehe, follow the great general and you'll eat meat. I'm sticking with you for the rest of my life." His cousin laughed like an absolute fool.