Chapter 753: A New Day’s Promise

The next day began anew.

That pointless chatter is life’s greatest gift.

A new day always sounds full of hope.

Yesterday, Lu Xin truly returned home, accompanied by Doll.

He wasn’t sure what Doll had been reminded of—perhaps it was because she always preferred silence. Yet that quiet companionship was exactly what Lu Xin cherished. When he reached the old building’s entrance, he sincerely thanked her. Watching her linger reluctantly, after a moment’s hesitation he asked, “Would you like to come upstairs and sit for a while?”

Doll lifted her skirt as she headed upstairs, showing no hint of formality.

Lu Xin was stunned—who knew Doll had more guts than Gecko?

Luckily, the nanny team’s vehicle arrived just in time, and with a forceful tactic reminiscent of nabbing a runaway princess, they hauled Doll into the car.

Bah!

Damn these rich families…

……

……

The next day, Lu Xin didn’t get up until exactly eight o’clock.

He exhaled deeply, feeling cheerful as he donned his pajamas and cap before stepping out onto the balcony to freshen up.

While brushing his teeth, he wondered what he should do today.

After every mission, he had to decide his next move, because Team Leader Chen Jing always awarded him a three-day break after each task—a break that often posed a dilemma.

Three full days…

Three days without work—how excruciating that must be.

But this time was different: there was no customary three-day holiday, not even a single day.

At almost exactly nine, Han Bing called him, saying, “Mr. Lone Soldier, do you have a moment?”

“Hmm?”

While still tampering with his toothbrush, Lu Xin spat out the foam and replied, “I’m not too busy—what’s up?”

“There are a few matters I need to discuss with you.”

Han Bing’s tone lightened as she chuckled, “First, regarding the Mind Palace—we at Qinggang have reached a conclusion.”

“What the heck?”

Lu Xin was taken aback; they had only handed it over to Qinggang last night.

Less than eight hours later? Qinggang works incredibly fast.

After rinsing his mouth, his expression turned serious, “So, what’s the result?”

“The result is…”

Han Bing paused before adding, “This thing is clearly beyond what we at Qinggang can research…”

“?”

It took Lu Xin a moment to understand, “So, that’s your conclusion?”

“Exactly!”

Han Bing explained frankly, “For the first time, the researchers from the Special Cleaning Department unanimously agreed—without even a scuffle—that the layers of the Mind Palace left by the Sword Bearer are far too intricate and mysterious. With Qinggang’s current expertise, we simply can’t tackle such a complex mental construct. Moreover, it’s extremely dangerous—you never know if it might explode.”

“……”

Lu Xin’s face twisted into a peculiar expression as he asked, “Then what should we do?”

“That’s exactly why I called you, Mr. Lone Soldier.”

Han Bing’s voice softened with a playful smile, “Qinggang can’t study the Mind Palace alone. So we plan to open it up, inviting experts and researchers from High-wall City, independent labs, and even the Moon Eclipse Research Institute from Central City to join this project. Professor Bai and the others want your input first…”

“That many people?”

Lu Xin furrowed his brow—he had little ground to object, yet he was vaguely reluctant to agree so easily.

He could only nod reluctantly and say, “I have no objection, but it does seem a bit sudden…”

Han Bing, unperturbed by his reaction, smiled, “Regarding this matter, I have a suggestion.”

Lu Xin nodded and asked, “What is it?”

With a sly grin, Han Bing said, “This is the Mind Palace of a certain Ultimate—a level of research material that’s unheard of. Sharing it outright, whether with Qinggang or you, Mr. Lone Soldier, would be a bit of a loss…”

“Yes, exactly that feeling…”

Lu Xin thought to himself that Han Bing had perfectly captured his sentiment.

Then he heard her change the subject with a smile, “So, we’ve come up with a plan…”

Lu Xin quickly asked, “What plan?”

“Charge an entrance fee!”

Han Bing continued, “It remains public, but not just anyone can join. Anyone wishing to take part in the research must pay.”

“Huh?”

Lu Xin was utterly stunned.

Not shocked—but thrilled…

“Exactly.”

Han Bing laughed, “For research materials of this caliber, given that we can neither fully study nor hide them, it’s best to throw open the doors and welcome everyone. Of course, before joining, their qualifications must be assessed, and after that, they’ll need to pay a substantial fee to get in.”

“And once they’ve paid and joined, they must follow Qinggang’s unified coordination and instructions.”

“In the end, all research outcomes will immediately belong to Qinggang…”

“……”

Lu Xin grew excited as he listened—a reaction that almost made him drop his cup.

He recalled how the Special Cleaning Department used to pay so little per mission and secretly thought they had no business acumen.

Now, who said researchers couldn’t do business?

Typically not involved in such matters, but when it comes to business, they can be even shrewder than seasoned traders…

Lu Xin wanted to laugh, but fearing he’d lose face, he cautiously asked, “How much are we charging?”

“And how do we split it?”

“……”

Noticing Lu Xin’s excitement, Han Bing replied cheerfully, “The exact amount will need precise planning.”

“It can’t be too high, or they’ll be scared off; too low, and they might think the research isn’t valuable enough to take seriously.”

“Anyway, charging a few thousand or even tens of thousands per research team shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Han Bing laughed happily, “Professor Bai and Mr. Su propose that you receive 30%.”

“30%?”

Lu Xin paused, “Only 30%?”

Han Bing explained with a smile, “Qinggang already plans to use the Midnight Tribunal to establish a mental research base. In some aspects, it will operate on a shared-equity model, so we need to reserve a portion for special research teams. In the end, the split should be 30% for you, 30% for Qinggang, and 40% for the other factions…”

“What I initially mentioned to you was just the entrance fee for the research team—a modest sum. But if we achieve breakthrough results, the value will be beyond measure. How am I supposed to explain that to you…”

“……”

After a moment’s thought, she continued, “Mr. Lone Soldier, are you familiar with the houses in Central City?”

Lu Xin nodded, “Yes, I know—very expensive…”

Han Bing chuckled, “If all goes well, buying a house in Central City will be as easy as buying a bun.”

“Uh, wow…”

Lu Xin was momentarily stunned, suddenly feeling a deep respect for buns.

……

……

“So, Mr. Lone Soldier, what do you think?”

Han Bing waited a moment—deliberately giving Lu Xin time to crunch the numbers—before smiling, “You can expect a hefty sum coming in. I also wanted to discuss another matter with you. As you know, the Special Cleaning Department provides a special service for Ability Users. For instance, Doll has a professional financial team. I figured you might need one too…”

“Let’s set aside the financial team discussion for now…”

Lu Xin mused, “After all, paying salaries isn’t cheap…”

Then he carefully asked, “Can we negotiate the entrance fee a bit more?”

“The entrance fee shouldn’t need to be shared with others, right?”

“……”

What research outcomes? They’re all bogus.

The entrance fee is the real deal…

“Alright then…”

Han Bing replied cheerfully, “I’ll try to get a higher fee approved for you.”

“Okay, okay, thanks, thanks…”

Lu Xin felt extremely pleased and quickly thanked Han Bing.

As the matter was settled, the sound of shuffling files came from Han Bing’s end, and she said, “One more thing.”

“If you’re not too busy lately, we’d like you to act as a consultant to help investigate a few issues.”

“Basically, there are two parts.”

“First, Doll’s current condition—what’s with the mysterious chain on her, and what should we look out for?”

“Second, the Midnight Tribunal. We hope you can evaluate it and offer guidance on how to investigate.”

“……”

After outlining these issues, Lu Xin relaxed and smiled, nodding, “That’s all doable.”

“Does that count as a task, then?”

“……”

Han Bing understood his meaning and nodded with a smile, “Of course—the consultant fee is very generous. But there’s one problem…”

She paused, then added in a slightly odd tone, “Everyone prefers that mysterious Ms. Lu join us…”

“……”

“Ms. Lu?”

Lu Xin immediately understood. He had thought Qinggang valued his college degree, but it turned out they were after his Mom—the special honorary professor. After all, it’s family, so whoever goes to earn that money is acceptable, right?

Nodding cheerfully, he said, “That works. Just settle the fee with me.”

After a pause, he remembered another matter, “Also, I assume I’ll need to come along as a translator, right?”

“……”

Initially, Han Bing hadn’t taken that detour, but after a moment she realized and carefully asked, “Do you mean Mr. Lone Soldier wants to get paid twice?”