The Interdimensional Reseller – CH174

Chapter 174: Ability Check

The events at the party had left Zhuang Feixue still shaken.

Chu Feng couldn’t just leave immediately, so he agreed to her request and stayed at the villa to keep her company.

Feeling bored, Chu Feng browsed the latest news online. There was a lot of buzz about Illya on the internet, most of it full of praise:

“Turns out those photos weren’t edited. The Snow Prince really is unbelievably gorgeous.”

“Even better looking in real life, wow!”

“He’s so stunning, cool and handsome. AW*SL!”

“Ah Wei’s dead and alive again.”
(*A meme used to express overwhelming emotion or love)

“Hubby, I want to have your babies.”

“Get lost, he’s my hubby.”

“Draw your blade, love rival!”

Among the flood of confessions to Zhuang Cheng, one particular comment stood out awkwardly:

“I heard he’s the boyfriend of the Zhuang family’s second young master.”

“Trolls, scram! No one is good enough for my little prince.”

“Who the heck is the Zhuang family’s second young master? Never heard of him.”

“I know him. Apparently, the Zhuang family had a baby mix-up, and their second young master was raised by a farming family as a delivery guy. After the truth came out, he instantly went from rags to royalty. Looks like he and Illya really are a couple.”

“A delivery guy? How could my little prince possibly match with a delivery guy? Are you guys trolling as a group now?”

Chu Feng frowned at the excited fans. The one person actually telling the truth was being branded a troll. Even the so-called “love rivals” were uniting against the “truth speaker.” These fans really had no sense of right or wrong. A bunch of idiots…

Just then, Zhuang Cheng walked in and said, “Second Brother, the military is here.”

Chu Feng was surprised. “The military? Are they here for Illya?”

Zhuang Cheng nodded. “I think so. After what happened tonight, Second Brother-in-law really made a splash. The military was probably shocked too.”

Chu Feng frowned. “They’re fast… It’s already late, aren’t they afraid of disturbing us?”

Zhuang Cheng chuckled. “Isn’t that the definition of a swift and decisive force?”

Illya put down the comic book in his hands and said, “Let’s go meet them.”

Zhuang Cheng glanced at the comic in Illya’s hands and blinked. “Second Brother-in-law, you like this kind of thing?”

Illya shrugged. “Just something to pass the time. Better than that.” He gestured downward.

Zhuang Cheng followed his gaze and saw a business magazine, with their father on the cover. Zhuang Cheng blinked and thought to himself: Comics really are more interesting than those dry business magazines. Dad leaving those around the house feels a bit self-promotional, doesn’t it?

*

Chu Feng and Illya went outside and saw Shen Yutong.

“Miss Shen, long time no see!” Chu Feng greeted.

Shen Yutong smiled. “Indeed, it’s been a while.”

“What’s that?” Chu Feng asked.

“An ability detection device. All ability-users who appear in the country have to register,” Shen Yutong explained.

Chu Feng tilted his head. “Is that so?”

Shen Yutong took a deep breath and explained, “Actually, registering benefits ability-users too. Once registered, they can receive missions through the ability-user platform or search for jobs. Many people awaken abilities but don’t know how to use them effectively. We help them find suitable positions.”

Most ability-users were once ordinary people. Some dreamed of fame and fortune after awakening, but others just wanted a high-paying job.

Previously, many employers welcomed ability-users with open arms. But as more and more appeared, those with mediocre abilities found it harder to get good jobs. That’s when the platform’s value became apparent.

“On our platform, ability-users can also access resources that might inspire or help develop their powers.”

Chu Feng smiled. “Sounds pretty good.”

He figured that the resources provided for free were probably just basic materials. If you wanted anything classified or valuable, there’d surely be a cost.

For ability-users unfamiliar with the supernatural, this platform was probably quite helpful. But to Chu Feng, it wasn’t all that useful. After all, supernatural abilities had existed for thousands of years in the other world, and with a shaman at his side, he wasn’t too interested in the scientific research here.

Shen Yutong glanced at Illya. Seeing his calm expression and lack of resistance to registration, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Chu Feng looked at the detection device with curiosity. “Does it require physical contact?”

Shen Yutong shook her head. “No, but contact makes the results more accurate.”

Chu Feng smiled. “That’s quite advanced.”

Shen Yutong nodded. “It’s not bad. Though if someone is good at hiding their abilities, it’ll affect the results.”

As if he didn’t catch the implied meaning, Chu Feng just smiled. “Is that so? What result did Illya get?”

“A-rank,” Shen Yutong replied solemnly.

Chu Feng asked curiously, “A-rank? How good is that?”

Shen Yutong glanced at Illya and said, “Very good! There are only about ten A-rank ability-users in the entire country, and they all belong to major powers.”

Illya nodded. “Is that so?”

Zhuang Cheng leaned in to look. “Does each dot represent an ability-user?”

Shen Yutong nodded. “Yes.”

Zhuang Cheng leaned in closer. “How far can it detect?”

“Within a 3,000-meter radius, all ability-users can be detected.”

Zhuang Cheng looked at the screen. “So within 3,000 meters, there’s only one ability-user?”

Shen Yuxing nodded and said, “Yes.”

Zhuang Cheng frowned and asked, “So few ability-users?”

Shen Yuxing nodded again. “There were never many ability-users to begin with.”

What’s more, most of them are now concentrated within the National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities or other ability-user organizations. Those roaming independently are very few.

Zhuang Cheng asked with some doubt, “Is this a new model developed by the lab?”

Shen Yuxing nodded again. “Yes.”

Zhuang Cheng pressed his lips together and inwardly criticized the machine—this new detector didn’t seem very impressive. His second brother was such a powerful ability-user, yet it didn’t react to him at all. And he’d heard that the Bureau had registered that car-splitting “wind-type ability-user” as an A-rank.

It seemed the Bureau had invested quite a bit of funding into researching this device. After all that money, they produced something… this useless.

Then Shen Yutong turned to Illya and invited, “Mr. Illya, would you be interested in joining our National Bureau of Paranormal Abilities?”

Illya shook his head. “No.”

Shen Yuxing smiled and said, “Actually, our Bureau offers some pretty good benefits.”

Illya casually asked, “What kind of benefits?”

Shen Yutong quickly replied, “A base salary of 100,000 a month, and one Witch Stone per month for A-rank users. There are also additional rewards for completing missions.”

Zhuang Cheng frowned and said, “100,000 per month?”

That didn’t sound like much. His second brother had gotten arrogant—someone had once offered eight figures for him to do a car-splitting show, and he wasn’t even interested.

Shen Yutong gave an awkward smile. “The main draw is the Witch Stones.”

Chu Feng: “…One Witch Stone a month and 100k base? That seems kind of average.”
Still, for ordinary ability-users, it was probably a pretty good deal.

“Witch Stone, huh?” Zhuang Cheng had always been curious about the stones he brought back years ago. With the rising fame of Witch Stones, he had begun to suspect their true nature.

Illya shook his head lightly. “Not interested.”

He tilted his head, thinking: if he and Chu Feng put in some effort, they could find dozens of Witch Stones a month. Shen Yutong’s offer wasn’t tempting at all.

Shen Yuxing frowned slightly. “If you’re unhappy with the offer, we can still negotiate.”

Illya shook his head. “No need. I don’t want to join any organization right now.”

Seeing his firm stance, Shen Yutong sighed, somewhat disappointed. “Well, if you change your mind, you’re always welcome to contact me.”

Illya nodded. “Alright.”

Shen Yutong looked at Chu Feng. “I actually came here for another matter as well, Mr. Chu.”

Chu Feng looked puzzled. “Me?”

Shen Yuxing nodded. “Yes. On behalf of the Ability Bureau, I’d like to place an order for 100 longevity elixirs.”

Zhuang Cheng nearly choked when he heard that. A hundred elixirs? The national Ability Bureau was openly purchasing longevity elixirs now? That blatant? And that many? The world was really going downhill!

Chu Feng shook his head. “I don’t have enough ingredients. Making longevity elixirs is difficult. Does the Ability Bureau really have that many problematic people?”

Shen Yutong smiled awkwardly. “Not exactly… but it seems longevity elixirs can improve physical constitution.”

Chu Feng rolled his eyes. “That’s just a secondary effect.”

Shen Yuxing frowned. “I know. But even so, that’s already quite rare.”

Effective medicine for ability-users was extremely scarce. Even the slightest benefit was considered highly valuable.

Chu Feng smiled. “If I make more elixirs, I’ll consider it.”

“Thank you, Mr. Chu,” Shen Yutong said.

“But I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed for now—there just aren’t enough herbs.”

Shen Yuxing smiled. “As for herbs, perhaps the Bureau can help.”

Chu Feng asked curiously, “The Bureau has herbs?”

Shen Yuxing frowned. “Actually, lately there’s been an increase in the discovery of rare herbs in the wild. Some of them seem to have suddenly appeared.”

Chu Feng was surprised. “Really? That kind of good fortune?”

Shen Yuxing nodded. “Yes.”

Wild ginseng used to be rare domestically, but recently they’ve collected over 20 plants over 500 years old—and the number is still rising.

In fact, not just ginseng. Lingzhi, cordyceps, polygonatum, and other valuable herbs have been surfacing in abundance. Even some mutated plants have been found.

The wild has become much more dangerous—but in exchange, precious herbs have become more plentiful. Just recently, over 200 people have gone missing in the forests of northern China.

Chu Feng tilted his head. “Let’s talk another day.”

Shen Yuxing nodded. “Okay.”

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