"Steward Zhou," Su Chen replied warmly.
He had a decent impression of Zhou Yunyang. The man might have been two-faced, but he wasn’t unpleasant.
"It’s been a while, hasn’t it?" Zhou Yunyang said with a sigh.
"You should stop by my place sometime, Steward Zhou," Su Chen said with a smile. "I never got the chance to properly thank you for those materials worth a million star coins."
Zhou Yunyang waved his hand. "It was a trivial matter, not worth mentioning."
’I’m usually the one flattering others. I can’t believe it’s my turn to be flattered. This guy really doesn’t put on airs.’ Zhou Yunyang mused to himself. He was in an excellent mood as he walked with Su Chen toward the docking port.
"Qin Tianlin just triggered another phenomenon with the Ancient King Stele. Aren’t you going to go over and offer some pleasantries, Steward Zhou?" Su Chen asked, a teasing note in his voice.
Such teasing wasn’t enough to make Zhou Yunyang feel awkward. He responded smoothly, "There’s no rush, no rush at all."
"Besides, Star Seeds are common, and so are people with Divine Dawn Level Talents. But a Star Seed acknowledged by the Ancient King Stele? That is not common at all."
The moment the words left his mouth, he saw Su Chen’s steps falter and his expression sober.
Zhou Yunyang’s heart skipped a beat. ’What did I say wrong? I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?’
’Divine Dawn Level Talents are common?’ Su Chen’s eyes flickered as he suddenly realized he’d been approaching this from the wrong angle. Qin Tianlin was, indeed, a living person with a Divine Dawn Level Talent.
’But considering the Sect’s long history, there must have been quite a few people with Divine Dawn Level Talents who have died. And it’s very likely their blood was preserved.’
"Senior, is something wrong?" Zhou Yunyang asked from the side, treading carefully.
Su Chen glanced at him. ’Though this guy is two-faced, he’s also an old hand in the Sect. He must know a lot.’
He shook his head. "It’s nothing. I just heard that a Divine Dawn Level Talent is extremely special—something one is born with, and exceedingly difficult to improve upon through Postnatal means."
"That’s right." Zhou Yunyang let out a silent sigh of relief. "Everyone knows that the higher the Talent, the better. It’s a source of great frustration for every Sect, so they’re all conducting massive amounts of research, hoping to find a way to make a breakthrough."
"Research? What kind of research?" Su Chen asked, seizing the opening.
"Oh, you know, things like genes, cloning, that sort of stuff. It’s all very complicated, anyway." Zhou Yunyang didn’t know much about it.
"Someone with a Divine Dawn Level Talent is so precious. Do they just use them directly for experiments?" Su Chen asked, feigning shock.
"How could they?" Zhou Yunyang waved his hand dismissively, then glanced around before lowering his voice. "They use corpses and the like."
"Corpses?" A glint flashed in Su Chen’s eyes. "Are the bodies of those with Divine Dawn Level Talents preserved after they die?"
"Generally, yes. They are preserved. After all, their value is extraordinary," Zhou Yunyang nodded. His eyes flickered, and his voice suddenly sounded inside Su Chen’s head via Telepathy. "Are you in need of some?"
Su Chen’s heart skipped a beat. ’This guy is sharp.’
’Then again, a black market for materials like that is probably quite common. I can’t be the only one who’s interested. My youth might raise some questions, but it shouldn’t be a major issue.’
’And for Zhou Yunyang to ask so directly, he must have a source...’ He nodded in response. "That’s right. I have a need."
"That makes sense." Zhou Yunyang wasn’t surprised. "After you use the Profound Celestial Instrument to advance to the Star Amber Talent, you’ll naturally set your sights on the Divine Dawn Level."
Su Chen remained noncommittal and instead asked, "Do you have the body of someone with a Divine Dawn Level Talent on hand?"
"I used to," Zhou Yunyang said. "One of my ancestors had a Divine Dawn Level Talent. He failed to reach the Morning Star Tier and died of depression. His body was preserved... but my grandfather sold it."
"Sold it?" Su Chen’s mouth twitched. ’What a dutiful grandson.’
But Zhou Yunyang’s tone shifted. "The main body was sold, but we still have quite a few of the organs and tissues left over."
’They parted him out?’
Su Chen grew even more astonished. Zhou Yunyang sighed. "My grandfather was addicted to gambling. He sold off most of the family’s assets. He had no other choice."
’All I can say is, their family must have been incredibly wealthy to begin with...’
Su Chen thought to himself, then asked, "Do you have any blood?"
"Yes," Zhou Yunyang nodded without hesitation. "We still have one canister of blood."
"A canister?" Su Chen fell silent for a moment before asking, "How much are you selling it for?"
Zhou Yunyang pondered for a moment. "That depends on how you’re buying. For quantities under 100 milliliters, it’s ten million star coins per milliliter."
"Ten million star coins for a single milliliter?"
Su Chen’s brow twitched. ’That expensive?’
’But on second thought, research burns through materials. Living Divine Dawn Level Talents are wary of curse-type abilities, and they certainly don’t need the star coins. They would never sell their blood so carelessly.’
’So you can only use what you get from the dead. It’s already rare, so a high price is to be expected.’
"A while back, I was in the Nether Realm and mined quite a few Netherworld Mother Stones. Can I use those for a trade?" Su Chen asked.
"Raw ore of the Netherworld Mother Stone?" Zhou Yunyang looked thoughtful. "In that case, let’s say one Mother Stone for one milliliter."
’That was a discounted price. The raw ore usually goes for around seven to eight million. Ming Lin has been selling it constantly, so Su Chen knew the market rate.’
He immediately took out three stones and handed them to Zhou Yunyang. "Then I’ll take three milliliters."
’He still had three on him?’
’I heard he already turned in at least six Netherworld Mother Stones. Is his luck really that good?’
Zhou Yunyang mused to himself as he reached out and took the stones. "Three milliliters it is. I’ll have them delivered to you as soon as possible."
"However, my family has declined over the generations. We’ve moved out of the nearby satellite city to somewhere a bit farther out, so it might take a few days."
"I’m not in a hurry." Su Chen didn’t let any urgency show.
Zhou Yunyang watched Su Chen leave. He weighed the Mother Stones in his hand for a moment before tucking them away and quickly darting into a nearby alley.
He knew Copper Heart like the back of his hand. Taking a shortcut, he soon found Qin Tianlin, who had just left the central plaza and was looking rather gloomy.
A broad smile spread across Zhou Yunyang’s face as he sidled up to him. "Nephew Qin! I heard you triggered the fourth phenomenon! I came as soon as I heard the news to offer my congratulations. It seems gaining the acknowledgment of the Ancient King Stele is now just around the corner for you!"