"The kid upstairs is out of his damn mind! Laughing like a maniac in the middle of the night! What the hell's so funny, huh?!"
The furious roar came from the floor below, cutting through Zhao Xuan's laughter.
He immediately snapped his mouth shut, snapping back from his fit of euphoria.
"I've struck gold! This time I've really struck gold! A spirit herb that can help awaken Armament Haki—one of those has to be worth at least a million or two, right?"
Then he shook his head wildly.
"No, no, no! Armament Haki—this is the essential power that lets ordinary ability users actually harm those broken Logia-type Devil Fruit users! How could it only sell for a million or two? One plant has to be worth at least five million!"
At the thought, Zhao Xuan's mind wandered back to that endless desert within the ruins, and his grin grew even wider.
But the next second, he shook his head again.
"Pah, what am I thinking? Why am I always thinking about money? What's the use of all that cash anyway? What really matters is power!"
"This thing boosts physique and helps with Armament Haki growth—why would I sell it when I could eat it myself?"
"Besides, I've got enough money for now."
With that, Zhao Xuan decisively dropped the idea of selling the spirit cactus.
"But… I could sell that half-eaten one the Ironhide Boar trampled on, just to see how much it's worth."
So he returned to the relic space, retrieved the half-ruined cactus, and prepared to head out—
—only to suddenly remember something.
He seemed to have joined some kind of "Strategic Relic Protection and Development Bureau," didn't he?
"Right… Come to think of it, I've never even checked out that so-called Dreamscape they mentioned."
At that thought, Zhao Xuan pulled out the Bureau 794 insignia.
He focused his mental energy on it—
—and the next moment, his surroundings went dark.
When his vision cleared, he found himself standing inside a large building that looked remarkably similar to the layout of an Ability Users' Guild.
It was lively and bustling inside, full of people coming and going.
Zhao Xuan looked around curiously, feeling the thick concentration of Devil Fruit energy that filled the air, his face full of disbelief.
"Holy crap… this Dreamscape—don't tell me it was created by that top-tier big shot who ate the Dream Fruit!?"
Remembering what Shi Xuefei told him before she left—to take good care of the insignia—Zhao Xuan grew increasingly certain his hunch was right.
Just as he was marveling at the Dreamscape—
A hearty, slightly goofy-sounding voice came from behind him.
"Yo, newbie, huh?"
Zhao Xuan turned around and saw a chubby man smiling cheerfully at him.
The guy looked honest and harmless—the very picture of a simple, good-natured fellow… or maybe, more accurately, an old coin kind of "honest guy."
"How'd you know I'm new here?" Zhao Xuan asked in confusion.
"That's easy," the fat man said with a grin. "Look at your body. Since it's your consciousness that enters the Dreamscape, first-timers usually have unstable forms—it takes a while before your mental projection solidifies."
Zhao Xuan quickly looked down—
—and saw that his current body was… a cactus. A cactus with stone statue legs from the desert ruins.
His expression instantly darkened.
"Hahahaha! Don't worry about it," the fat man chuckled reassuringly. "Once your mind gets used to the Dreamscape's rules, your form will stabilize."
"How long will that take?" Zhao Xuan asked helplessly. "I'd rather not walk around looking like this."
"Ten minutes or so."
"Ten minutes, huh… alright, I can live with that."
Relieved, Zhao Xuan started chatting casually with the guy as they waited.
The fat man's name was Fu Jieyan, also from Nanjiang, and like Zhao Xuan, he was a low-ranked investigator for Bureau 794.
Ten minutes flew by.
Zhao Xuan's body finally returned to normal—no more cactus torso or stone legs.
"By the way, Brother Fu, you mentioned there's a free trading market in the Dreamscape, right? Where is it? I'd like to take a look."
"Brother Zhao, it's Fu Jieyan, not Fu Yanji!" Fu Jieyan corrected sternly.
"Oh, oh, right—Fu Jieyan! My bad!" Zhao Xuan quickly apologized.
"Ahem… just call me Brother Fu," the fat man said, scratching his head awkwardly. "It feels weird hearing my full name all the time."
"Honestly, I think so too," Zhao Xuan agreed with a nod. "Brother Fu?"
"Mm, that sounds much better!"
Fu Jieyan grinned. "Come on then, this way, Brother Zhao. You wanted to see the free market, right? Follow me!"
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