# Chapter 1: Soul Crystal Core
Inventory quantity: 2190 pieces (supplemented irregularly).
Exchange prerequisite: Reputation rank - Leader level (already exceeded).
Single piece exchange price: 120 reputation points...
...
Su Xiao flipped to [Soul Crystal], discovering that the previous inventory of 22 [Soul Crystals] had dwindled to only 14. The Lord-level reputation prerequisite indeed couldn't hold back Brother Ruthless and Shenfu for long.
[You have paid 7800 reputation points.]
[You have obtained Soul Crystal × 6 pieces.]
With only a little over 500 reputation points remaining, Su Xiao didn't rush to use them to exchange for Soul Crystal Cores. Once he obtained a fief later, his daily method of acquiring faction reputation would stabilize.
Even if the fief's situation was quite terrible, as the lord of a fief, he could still gain 100 to 3000 reputation points daily. Additionally, by sending legions to the main battlefield, each legion could bring him 300 reputation points per day. With a maximum of five beast legions per lord, that meant a stable daily income of 1500 reputation points, not counting the extra reputation rewards when his legions achieved merits on the main battlefield.
"How are the preparations going?"
Su Xiao closed the faction shop. Hearing this, Kaisa across from him wore an especially sly smile and said, "I plan to set off this afternoon."
Kaisa intended to go to the Sea Race side that very afternoon and find a way to become the quartermaster of the Sea Race faction.
Su Xiao took out some of the alloy-sealed boxes he had obtained from the White Hoof Port Supply Depot and asked Kaisa to break the spatial runes on them. Kaisa didn't agree to a fifty-fifty split but instead chose to take nothing at all. It wasn't that Kaisa had abandoned his greed, but rather he wanted to get a share of the pie after Su Xiao obtained the fief later. Su Xiao naturally had no reason to refuse this.
After handling various trivial matters, it was almost one in the afternoon. Su Xiao headed to the main city, Eternal Ring City, via the space tower.
The spatial mist dissipated around him, and the scent of grass and trees drifted into his nostrils, making him feel relaxed. Compared to the foul air of Iron Fortress City, Eternal Ring City was much better, though still not as good as some remote large cities.
Boarding the public transit train, the sizzling sound of frying and a vaguely familiar aroma wafted over. Su Xiao looked toward the source—it was the kitchen counter at the front of the train, where a snack resembling fried meatballs was being cooked. This was a famous snack in the main city. A moment later, Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha sat in a row on a bench seat by the window, each holding several skewers of fried meatballs. Their chewing motions seemed even more synchronized than last time.
When the public transit train stopped, Su Xiao had arrived at the Third District. He walked toward the residence of Grand Commander Kane. Just as he reached the main gate, he noticed that the guards on both sides were several times more numerous than during his last visit.
Walking along the cobblestone path of the estate, a woman in a black gauze dress that seemed made of black mist approached from the opposite direction. Her stunning beauty made it hard to look away, but the reason Su Xiao found it hard to look away was that she was a fortune-teller—a very powerful one.
After the black-dressed woman passed Su Xiao, she couldn't help but quicken her pace. For some reason, as a fortune-teller, she instinctively felt that the person she had just passed was dangerous.
Su Xiao watched the receding black-dressed figure. A fortune-teller with such strength—if he could recruit her to his fief, his subsequent plans would go much more smoothly.
"Ahem!"
Grand Commander Kane's cough sounded.
"White Night, if anything happens to my youngest daughter, I'll hold you responsible."
Grand Commander Kane said this before pushing open the door, signaling Su Xiao to come inside the castle for a talk.
"Judging by age, I thought she was your granddaughter."
"Adopted daughter."
As they chatted casually, Grand Commander Kane entered the study and gestured for Su Xiao to sit anywhere. After Kane sat down, he picked up an object resembling a pipe, stuffed some tobacco into it, took a puff, and lit it with the exhaled smoke.
"Regarding the fief, I've already prepared everything."
Grand Commander Kane took out a document personally approved by the Beast King from a drawer. If Su Xiao directly obtained a fief, the Seven Great Families would surely cause trouble, which would be disadvantageous for Su Xiao, Kane, and the Beast King alike.
However, if Su Xiao assisted a young lord in managing a fief, the Seven Great Families wouldn't be able to find any fault.
Among the current 100-plus lords, there was a young girl whose parents had been killed, forcing her to inherit a fief not long ago. By her side, only a "loyal" steward remained to assist her.
A single steward naturally couldn't amount to much. The problem was that this steward had colluded with two city lords on the fief. The three of them worked together to strip the young lord of her power, creating the impression that they were the ones ruling that fief.
Su Xiao wasn't worried about this situation. One of his purposes in forming a lord team was to deal with those troublesome city lords on the fief.
Su Xiao put away the document. Grand Commander Kane across the desk tapped a cabinet beside him with his knuckles. A moment later, a shadow emerged from the darkness and whispered something into Kane's ear.
"Understood. You may leave."
Grand Commander Kane took a sip of clear tea to moisten his throat, then said, "Those people you mentioned earlier will likely go to a gem shop in the Fifth District in a few hours. Also, don't cause too much of a commotion in Eternal Ring City."
"Oh."
Su Xiao stood up and walked out of the study. After leaving the residence, he took the public transit train toward the Fifth District.
Three hours later, at the gem shop in the Fifth District.
The shop door was pushed open. Molei, who had just sold a batch of gems, was in a great mood. Standing on the street, she stretched lazily, thinking about what to eat for dinner tonight.
"You two, stop dawdling. Selling some gems takes so long. I'm already hungry."
As Molei spoke, her gaze swept across the surrounding shops, searching for tonight's dinner spot. Casually, she noticed a man sitting on a bench across the street, holding today's newspaper. Her expression gradually turned serious, and she took a step back, retreating into the gem shop behind her. After confirming the person, she had encountered the one she feared most. Her mental state collapsed.
The two swinging shop doors in front of Molei stabilized. Yue Shitu and Hao Mei, who were about to push open the doors on either side of her, were puzzled by Molei's behavior.
"What's wrong with you? You look like you've been robbed."
Hearing Hao Mei's words, Molei pushed the shop door in front of her open a crack. Yue Shitu and Hao Mei peered through the gap and immediately saw the man sitting on the bench across the street. Both of their expressions froze instantly. They each took a small step back, aligning themselves with Molei. The three of them looked at each other, their mental states all undergoing significant changes.