Qian Zhenqian started with the pile of ores.
"This stone is called Fire Crystal. It can only be found in underground lava fields. It cannot be melted by the lava, but instead absorbs a large amount of fire essence. Fire Dragons use it to enhance their fire energy, and other fire-type monsters can also use it for evolution. It has great value."
Kent nodded, thinking to himself, "I am a Beast Master. I can handle hatching a Fire Dragon egg, but I don't need one myself, nor do I have any fire-type beasts. So, I'll leave all the Fire Crystals to Uncle Qian."
Qian Zhenqian was surprised by Kent's generosity and said with admiration, "In that case, you can take more of the other treasures, and I'll leave the Fire Dragon egg for you to hatch."
Kent pointed to a bucket of liquid and asked, "What's this?"
Qian Zhenqian took a careful look and guessed, "It should be Earth Milk. It's the essence of the earth, and it has many beneficial effects, especially for women. It can delay aging, whiten the skin, and maintain youthful appearance. It is a rare and valuable sacred-level spiritual medicine, so it's worth a lot."
Hearing this, Fan Qingmei became intrigued and immediately looked at Kent with a hopeful gaze.
Kent was also moved and said, "I could use this, Uncle Qian, I assume you have a wife and daughter."
Qian Zhenqian nodded, "In that case, we'll split it evenly. This is a very potent item and invaluable."
He then pointed to the black and gold metal and, with some difficulty, managed to lift it, saying, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be Black Demon Iron. It's one of the toughest and heaviest metals, a top-grade material. However, I practice the Storm Battle Technique, and I don't need such a heavy metal."
Kent immediately replied, "In that case, I'll take the Black Demon Iron."
After a moment of thought, Kent added, "Uncle Qian, I only need a small amount of Fire Dragon Scales to craft a few pieces of inner armor. I also need the Fire Dragon Grass and Fire Dragon Flowers."
Kent wasn't asking for much, just a small portion of the treasures, which amounted to less than thirty percent of the total, while the Fire Dragon Grass and Fire Dragon Flowers were relatively insignificant compared to the other items.
"Alright, let's go with that," Qian Zhenqian agreed.
Kent promptly collected his portion: Fire Dragon Grass, Fire Dragon Flowers, including three Fire Dragon Blood Flowers, Black Demon Iron, half a bucket of Earth Milk, and a small portion of Fire Dragon Scales.
Next, Qian Zhenqian took eighty percent from what Brother Long and the others had gathered. Although their haul was small and only amounted to two-tenths of the total, it still amounted to tens of thousands of credit points.
After distributing the treasures, Qian Zhenqian took a rest and then stood up. "Kent, I'll be leaving now. If you need anything, don't hesitate to contact me." He handed Kent a business card.
Kent took it and walked him to the cave entrance, watching as he disappeared into the wind.
"Boss, what should we do now?" Brother Long asked.
Kent thought for a moment. He had taken these three under his wing mainly because they were loyal and had shown brotherly affection. Since they hadn't done anything extreme like committing murder or arson, he took them in. However, he hadn't made any specific plans for them, so he replied, "Just stick to your own plans for now. If I need you, I'll find you."
The three of them nodded and exchanged contact information before leaving. They decided to hunt a few more monsters and test their luck.
With everyone gone, only Kent and Fan Qingmei remained in the cave, and the atmosphere immediately lightened.
"Qingmei, I didn't disappoint you. I got the Fire Dragon Blood Flower," Kent said as he walked over and sat next to her, his face full of smiles.
Fan Qingmei beamed with happiness. "Mm-hmm, I saw. Kent, you're amazing! You even know the Four-Star Inspector and took in three subordinates. Plus, you got so many treasures!"
Kent couldn't help but wrap his arm around her slim waist, grinning. "That's right, I'm really lucky. I even got such a beautiful girlfriend, and not just one, but two. Qingmei, you can relax with me. I'll take care of you."
"Pervert, take your dirty hand off me!" Fan Qingmei pinched him.
"Let's go, now that we have the Fire Dragon Blood Flower, this trip was a big success. We should head back to the city and spend the New Year just the two of us, alright?" Kent said.
"Mm, sounds good," she smiled sweetly.
The two of them rode a white horse toward Earthstar. With the horse's speed, traveling three thousand miles a day wasn't a problem, though they had to take two breaks along the way.
The Fire Space was over two thousand miles away from Earthstar, and by the afternoon of the next day, Kent and Fan Qingmei finally returned to Earthstar.
"Let's go, we need to buy Purple Blood Mushrooms first."
Near the city gate, not far from the Mercenary Guild, there was a marketplace dedicated to selling goods. People who needed something urgent would leave a message on a big screen for others to see, though this service required some advertising fees.
Kent entered and quickly figured out how it worked.
"Let's go to Baizhen Pavilion," Fan Qingmei said, clearly familiar with the place, as she pulled Kent toward a large and impressive store.
Once inside, a salesperson greeted them immediately. "How may I help you?"
Fan Qingmei asked, "Do you have Purple Blood Mushrooms?"
She wasn't sure, as Purple Blood Mushrooms were quite rare in the Dark Space, and mercenaries didn't often come by them, so she wasn't confident that Baizhen Pavilion would have any.
The salesperson smiled. "You're in luck, Miss. We just acquired some Purple Blood Mushrooms yesterday. How many would you like?"
Fan Qingmei replied, "All of them. The price is reasonable, right?"
"Of course, our Baizhen Pavilion is a reputable store. You can rest assured," the salesperson said, then asked them to sit while she went to fetch the goods.
Five minutes later, she handed them a space bag. "This contains one thousand pounds of Purple Blood Mushrooms, about fifty pieces. The total cost is 130,000 credit points."
Fan Qingmei took the goods, paid, and returned the space bag to the salesperson.
"Now that we have both the Fire Dragon Blood Flower and the Purple Blood Mushrooms, can we make it evolve?" Fan Qingmei asked, her eyes full of anticipation.
"Of course, don't worry. I'll evolve it as soon as we get back. And don't forget, you still owe me a reward," Kent teased.
"I'm already your girlfriend, and you still want a reward? You're so greedy," Fan Qingmei rolled her eyes.
"Haha, a deal's a deal. Taking you as my girlfriend was due to my personal charm, but the reward is based on my abilities. They're not the same, so don't mix them up," Kent said, making the most of this great opportunity.
After leaving the marketplace, Kent pulled out his motorcycle.
"Kent, what are you doing?" Fan Qingmei asked angrily.
"Taking you home, of course. It's a great chance to get closer, don't you like it?" Kent asked, puzzled.
"Go to hell. Who wants to ride your broken motorcycle in this cold weather?" Fan Qingmei pulled out a two-seat mini off-road car from her space bag and said with a roll of her eyes, "Try my little car instead."