73 Joke (1/2)

”What?!” In that moment, Bradley suspected that he had heard incorrectly and was hallucinating. He bent over and stared at the worker. Eyes narrowed, he demanded, ”Are you sure? I said I want ST101.”

”That’s right, sir.” The worker leaned back, slightly afraid. Turning around the book in his hands, he showed Bradley the text. ”According to the records, someone with authorization directly searched through the inventory and chose it five minutes before you arrived.”

”Sh*t!” Someone had beaten him to it! His face practically green, Bradley slammed his fists on the table. ”Who? Who? Where did he go?! He can’t be far…” he demanded, grabbing the worker by his collar. But he quickly realized that he had lost his temper. and quietly slid a thick pouch of money to the worker. ”My apologies, I was a little excited. Can you check who it is?”

The worker weighed the pouch and nodded in satisfaction, his furrowed brows smoothed out. But as soon as he searched, they furrowed again. ”Sir, this is a transregional exchange.” The worker seemed confused too. ”It’s an exchange request that came directly from Sacred City. I don’t know why he asked specifically for this item, but it has already been verified with the administrator’s signature.”

Bradley froze in shock. Were they sure? Most musicians came personally to the exchange center so they could test out the item in the experiment room. And how had this person known about an item that was only in the records, and not even on the exchange list? ”He’s from Sacred City?” Bradley murmured, angry and confused. ”When did he take it?!”

”Uh, according to the message, the item will be kept here, and someone will come to pick it up.”

Upon hearing this, Bradley’s eyes lit up, something sinister flashing in them. He stretched over the counter and stuffed another pouch of money into the worker’s arms. Quietly, he said, ”Tell me his name. I’m sure he’ll know how to treat my family.”

The worker hesitated, but could not resist the temptation of money. ”Let me see. His name is…” he flipped through the record and made a double take. He sounded out the name, ”Ye Qingxuan?”

Edmund was shocked too. ”What?” He gazed around the hall subconsciously. In the corner of his eye, he saw someone’s backside at another counter. That familiar, annoying white hair...Gritting his teeth, he tugged at Bradley’s shirt corner. ”Uncle, look!”

--

Ye Qingxuan and Charles looked around the Musician Union, praising the three stone tablets. It was already August 17th and according to his promise with Wolf Flute, the reward money from Rain Artist would arrive soon. He only needed to take a holy emblem to any church to withdraw it.

From what he knew, Wolf Flute was sometimes unreliable, and the money might be a few days late, but he had been unexpectedly quick, and transferred the money early.

Faced with three-hundred thousand, Charles was stunned. If they found a good agent, they could probably buy a house in uptown with this money. If used for tuition, they would not have to worry for about five years. But if they calculated their expenses on the safe side, they had enough for at least three years. Besides everyday costs, they still needed money for materials for practice and exploration. If they added in Bai Xi, it was enough for two years. Ye Qingxuan’s plan did not rely entirely on Wolf Flute’s help. With his speed, he could achieve Rhythm Level in two years, apply for an internship outside the academy, and take on his own missions.

But he did not know that other than money, Wolf Flute had also mentioned their promise: if he was accepted by the academy, Wolf Flute would give him a gift. Ye Qingxuan had forgotten about this, and was surprised that Wolf Flute had remembered. They were not far from the Musician Union, so he decided to come and see what the mysterious surprise was.

Standing before the counter at the other side, he bowed his head at the old woman. ”Hello, madam, excuse me.”

”Is this your first time here?” The woman gazed at the nervous youth and smiled. ”Relax a bit. What can I help you with?”

Seeing that it was not as serious as he had thought, Ye Qingxuan relaxed and smiled. ”I’m here to pick something up. It should be kept here by a Mr. Wolf Flute.”

”What is it?” The worker flipped through the book, searching.

”I don’t know,” Ye Qingxuan replied helplessly. ”It should be a gift. Something mysterious…”

”Do you have any vouchers?”

”Is this okay?” He handed over his identification card and holy emblem.

After a while, the worker nodded. ”Code ST101? It is stored here indeed. Let me go find it for you.”