Volume One: The Game of the Controllers Chapter 80: Life on Earth

In a lavishly decorated Chinese restaurant on Earth, Qin Shuang was savoring the long-missed delicacies laid out before him. For Qin Shuang nowadays, traversing the space between the mortal realm and the world of immortals, demons, and spirits posed no difficulty whatsoever. After several centuries of seclusion in the other realm, still unable to sense the divine tribulation, a frustrated Qin Shuang returned to Earth. Though eating was no longer necessary for him, the allure of earthly cuisine remained irresistible.

The table was crowded with empty plates; Qin Shuang had sampled nearly every dish the restaurant offered. Patrons and staff alike stared in astonishment. Their establishment was vast, boasting hundreds of dishes, yet never had a single person consumed so much at once.

“How many lifetimes has he gone without a meal?” a young woman, observing Qin Shuang from a private room with a clear view of the dining hall, whispered in disbelief. The sheer volume one man could eat was beyond comprehension.

“Perhaps he’s one of those legendary Super Saiyans. The only one I’ve seen eat this much is Goku from Dragon Ball,” the young man sitting opposite her scoffed. “Comics are just comics. It’s the classic tale of a poor man suddenly rich, but I’ll give him this—he truly can eat.”

The private room was well insulated; even though the man spoke loudly, not a sound escaped to the outside. Yet their conversation could not elude Qin Shuang’s immortal senses.

He paid them no mind. After all, as a dignified Ninth-Level Immortal Emperor, to fuss over mere mortals would be beneath his dignity.

“Sir, your total today comes to twenty-three thousand four hundred yuan,” the waitress said awkwardly as she approached Qin Shuang’s table. Their restaurant had seen such high bills before, but never from a single diner.

Qin Shuang reached into his pocket, pulled out a wad of hundred-yuan notes, and handed them over without counting. This visit to Earth, he refrained from using his powers; sometimes, living as a mortal offered its own pleasures.

The waitress scanned the bills with a currency detector and was amazed to find exactly two hundred thirty-four notes—no more, no less.

“Out of money again,” Qin Shuang sighed, then allowed a smile to touch his lips. “The prices here are so low; sell a single low-grade spirit stone and you’d have billions to spend freely for ages.”

To Qin Shuang, a low-grade spirit stone was mere trash. Yet on Earth, the energy contained within one was astonishing—a single stone held the power equivalent to a large nuclear plant’s yearly output, and its quality far surpassed ordinary energy sources.

Returning to the jewelry shop that had previously purchased his spirit stone, Qin Shuang appeared once again. The clerk recognized him at once and promptly summoned the owner to greet him.

“Sir, it’s an honor to welcome you back. Are you here to sell something again?” The owner offered a glass of water, treating Qin Shuang with utmost respect.

Qin Shuang declined the water and replied indifferently, “Yes. I plan to sell three stones like last time.”

“Three?” The owner’s eyes widened. “Are you certain you wish to sell three?” Last time, acquiring just one had brought him tremendous benefits from his mysterious benefactor. Now, three at once was unimaginable.

“They’re just three stones—no need for such fuss,” Qin Shuang said calmly.

“Please wait a moment, sir. I must consult my boss. This is a substantial transaction, and I need to ensure we have the necessary funds,” the owner replied respectfully, wiping sweat from his brow.

Last time, Qin Shuang had received six hundred million for one; three would total eighteen hundred million. Qin Shuang understood the value of Earth’s currency, and such a sum was not easy to produce on a whim.

The owner settled Qin Shuang comfortably and retreated to his office to make a call. Qin Shuang closed off his immortal senses; eavesdropping on mortals’ conversations was tedious, even unintentionally.

A few minutes later, the owner returned and said, “Sir, my boss would like you to conduct the transaction in person at his residence. Our shop is small, and he’s concerned about security. Also, transferring such a large sum here could attract unwanted attention.”

“Fine. Where does your boss live?” Qin Shuang replied, uninterested in further discussion. The location didn’t matter; as long as he received his payment.

“Our boss lives on a mountainside by the sea in the rear district. There’s a car waiting for you at the entrance—it will take just five minutes.” The owner enthusiastically opened the door and ushered Qin Shuang into a luxurious airborne vehicle.

“Please fasten your seatbelt,” the driver prompted, and the car gently lifted off, gliding onto its track, disappearing in an instant.

“This airborne vehicle is impressive, though a bit slow,” Qin Shuang mused, intrigued by this technological marvel. “Someday, I’ll craft one with divine stones—it’ll be much faster.”

Using divine stones to forge an airborne car—such an idea was rare even for Qin Shuang.

Five minutes was brief, but the vehicle covered nearly a hundred kilometers, arriving at a mountain by the sea behind the city.

The car eased to a stop before a mansion as grand as a palace. The driver’s formal voice sounded again, “Sir, we’ve arrived.”

“The owner has taste—choosing a place backed by mountains and facing the sea. The scenery is beautiful.”

“Please, enter,” said a man resembling a butler, opening the mansion’s doors and ushering Qin Shuang inside.

In the front yard lay a vast swimming pool, steaming gently. Behind it stood the main house, its seaside walls made entirely of immense glass. From inside, one could enjoy the view, but from outside, nothing within was visible. Qin Shuang kept his immortal senses sealed—using them everywhere in the mortal realm would be unbearably dull.

The butler led Qin Shuang directly to a study.

“Please, have a seat,” said a stern-looking middle-aged man behind the desk, gesturing politely.

“So you’re the mysterious boss?” Qin Shuang asked. “I didn’t expect three stones would warrant such fanfare.”

“Haha, perhaps to you, sir, those stones mean little, but to us, they are endless wealth,” the man laughed heartily. “This card holds two billion—payment for your stones.”

“Two billion?” Qin Shuang was momentarily surprised. “Wasn’t it supposed to be one point eight billion?”

The man handed him the card. “If my guess is correct, your stones are worth even more. It’s not like buying in bulk lowers the price; I only regret I have nowhere else to purchase them.”

“Straightforward, indeed.” Qin Shuang took the card, feeling a growing fondness for the man, then handed him three low-grade spirit stones with a smile. “Consider these stones a gift from me.”

“A gift?” The man was stunned, unable to process the word.

“I see you’re a cultivator—even if your level is low, in a place where practitioners are scarce, you’re still rare,” Qin Shuang said. “Since fate brought us together, I’ll sell you something truly valuable.” With one hand, he produced three high-grade spirit stones.

“These are high-grade spirit stones—each contains ten thousand times the energy of a low-grade stone, and their purity far surpasses the latter.”

“This…” The man was dumbfounded. Ten thousand times—by price, that would be two hundred trillion, a sum he could never afford. With a bitter smile, he said, “I can’t buy these!”

“Haven’t you already paid?” Qin Shuang smiled, casually glancing around the room.

“Hmm? What’s that?” Qin Shuang suddenly noticed a flask-shaped object on the bookshelf. To his surprise, even his immortal senses couldn’t penetrate it.

“That item—I acquired it in the mountains a millennium ago. It caught my eye, so I bought it for twenty thousand yuan, but I’ve never been able to open it…” Seeing Qin Shuang’s interest, the man explained, “If you like it, sir, I’ll give it to you.”

He took the flask from the shelf and handed it to Qin Shuang.

“There’s a groove here—tilt it thirty degrees to the left, forty-five to the right, then flip it over, and it will open,” Qin Shuang said, marveling inwardly at the craftsman’s ingenuity. As he rotated the flask, it opened effortlessly.

(To be continued.)