Chapter 6: Quotas (Part 2)

After such interruptions, the tense atmosphere eased.
Ma Shangdian said, “My demands aren’t high. Our Black Eagle Horse Team wants 50% of the quotas.”
“Nonsense!”
The two words spat out by Kuangfeng Laoxie darkened Ma Shangdian’s expression again. He said coldly, “If it’s nonsense… go and fart somewhere else! Don’t disgust us here!”
Guo Shier laughed. Neither Kuangfeng Laoxie nor Ma Shangdian was a good person. He said seriously, “Logically, we should get 20% of the quotas. Hehe, but 10% will suffice for us!”
Kuangfeng Laoxie shouted, “10%? Are you crazy?”
Guo Shier retorted irritably, “You’re the crazy one! An ignorant jerk! Idiot!” If he started cursing, he could surely drive someone mad. This remark enraged Kuangfeng Laoxie.
Kuangfeng Laoxie lunged at him suddenly. Qinan Nan and Eagle Demon acted at the same time, creating a massive shockwave that sent Kuangfeng Laoxie flying backward. Guo Shier cursed and fired his Life Talisman Ball, intending to strike him with his Sword Talisman. Luo Jie said, “Do you believe I can unite others to destroy your Black Eagle Horse Team?”
Kuangfeng Laodu shouted, “Laoxie! Stop!”
Guo Shier was terrified and broke into a cold sweat. He retracted his Life Talisman Ball and cursed, “Bastard! You dared to attack me from behind! How shameless…”
Kuangfeng Laoxie walked over resentfully and said, “Don’t make me see you alone!”
Guo Shier sneered, “I’m afraid of you? Your skills are only good at bullying kids. ‘Old bastard’ suits you better!”
Luo Jie said, “What Shier said represents our opinion. 10% of the quotas is enough. Our team has two masters, so taking that share doesn’t seem excessive to me!”
Feng Yuan said, “I have no objections!”
Eagle Demon smiled and said, “Agreed!”
Kuangfeng Laodu frowned. The situation was now under control of this unremarkable child, which was beyond his expectations. He realized clearly that Luo Jie was just going along with the child’s words, and the other two factions also agreed. If they were given 10% of the quotas, things would get difficult later.
Kuangfeng Laoxie screamed, “Impossible! I disagree!”
Eagle Demon said with a smirk, “You disagree? Hehe, we have four great Talisman Warriors, one great Sorcerer, and another kid who’s no worse than a great Sorcerer. You disagree? Just with those three masters of yours?”

Just as Wild Wind Lao Xie was about to speak, he was pulled back by the old freak. He wasn’t stupid—he knew that if Lao Xie continued to defy them, the three of them would become targets of everyone’s anger. Wild Wind Lao Du gritted his teeth and said, “Fine! I agree too!” He had no choice but to agree. The other side had two masters and one quasi-master—too strong for him to refuse. Thankfully, they weren’t asking for much, just 10% of the shares, leaving Wild Wind Horse Team a chance to compete.

Guo Shier quietly tugged at Luo Jie’s sleeve. Luo Jie understood immediately and said, “Shier, just speak up if you have something to say.” Guo Shier looked extremely tired and said loudly, “Master, I’m exhausted. Let’s find a place to rest!” Luo Jie couldn’t help but laugh—this kid was too cunning; he’d run off as soon as he got what he wanted.

Qi Nanshan said, “Yes, after a whole day of traveling, Shier and the others must be very tired. You go on; we’ll take a break.”

Leaving behind a few stunned masters, they led the horse team to an open area, started feeding the horses and setting up tents, all busy with their tasks. Guo Shier sneered secretly. Luo Jie couldn’t resist patting his head and laughing, “You little rascal, running off as soon as you get your benefit.”

Qi Nanshan said, “If not for this rascal, we might have had to fight.”

Luo Jie nodded—he also felt lucky. Thanks to Guo Shier’s antics and the strong support of the two masters, they were able to secure 10% of the shares so smoothly from the three competing factions.

Just as they settled in, Eagle Demon came up to Guo Shier and called out, “Shier.”

Guo Shier obviously knew why this guy had come. He smiled and said, “I’ll give you the remaining spots.” With 58 spots available and only 20 of them, the extra spots were useless. Bringing along a great Talisman Warrior would definitely ensure a profit.

As for how to divide the shares between Wild Wind Horse Team and Black Eagle Horse Team, Guo Shier didn’t bother with that.

Eagle Demon was surprised and opened his mouth wide, asking, “You knew I came for the remaining spots?”

Guo Shier smiled and said, “Did you come here to give me another spirit talisman?”

Eagle Demon laughed loudly and nodded, “Alright, I accept your offer.” Then he turned and left. It wasn’t easy to owe someone a favor like this from a great Talisman Warrior. Guo Shier smiled slightly, picked up his talisman bag, and poured out some high-quality feed for the horses.

“Fighting!”

Sword energies flew everywhere, blades gleamed like snow, talismans flashed with lightning, and flames erupted in all directions.

Guo Shier said, “Ignore them. If we lose, things will be sorted out naturally. We don’t need to get involved.” Before he could finish, someone shouted loudly, “The beasts are attacking! Hurry… block them!”
Someone rushed over to Guo Shier and said loudly, “Thank you! You take care of this gap!” With that, they dashed off at top speed.
Qi Nanshan said, “Shier, you don’t need to move. Old man, rest. The rest of us will go!” He led a group of people toward the gap.
Guo Shier said, “Baozi, take your talisman bows and go train too.”
Huo Bao immediately became excited and shouted, “Shitou, Chen Bing, let’s go!” Chen Hong cried out, “Me too!” She also took out her talisman bow and ran after them. Guo Shier went over to Luo Jie and said, “Master, if things don’t go as planned, we might have to break in.”
Luo Jie nodded. He glanced at the entrance to the secret realm and said, “This secret realm must be quite interesting. We can’t afford to miss it. Luckily, we’re few in number. If we charge in, they won’t be able to stop us… Let’s observe first.” The master and disciple exchanged a smile—thus ending their conversation.
Luo Zhan and another talisman martial artist stayed behind. The four of them stood alone, not joining the battle, like spectators.
Inside the camp, humans were not only fighting each other but also battling the beasts outside. Guo Shier exclaimed, “What a lively scene!”
Luo Jie laughed and said, “Apart from killing other creatures, humans have progressed only by killing each other. Don’t be surprised.”
Guo Shier said, “I’m not surprised!”
Luo Jie smiled bitterly and said, “You’re just a little monster!”
“That’s because of the master’s good teaching.”
Luo Jie was so stunned he couldn’t say a word. He had expected his disciple to call him an old monster, not that he’d say it was his teaching that was good. But in that case, he was still an old monster.
Guo Shier said cheerfully, “Hehe, Master, I was just joking…”
Luo Jie stared at Guo Shier thoughtfully, making Guo Shier shiver. He couldn’t help but call out, “Master? Master!”
Luo Jie tapped his forehead and said, “Sigh, I’m getting old. I get distracted easily.”
Guo Shier was speechless.
Luo Jie said, “Shier, at your current rate of cultivation, I estimate… you’ll be able to advance to a Grand Talisman Master soon. It’s just… I don’t know what you’ll do in the future.”

Guo Shier was in high spirits. He said, “What else can we do? Eat it raw! Once I become a Grand Spellcaster, no one will be able to threaten me. Hehe, I’ll just live my life… eat delicious food, do whatever I want. Hmm, what do I like to do? Ah, still, eating good food and sleeping in… that must be great.”
“What? Just living casually? Eating? Sleeping in… What kind of ambition is that?”
Luo Jie was stunned by his disciple’s aspirations; he had never met anyone with such thoughts. He asked, “Disciple, are you crazy?”
Guo Shier grinned foolishly, still lost in his fantasies.
Luo Jie slapped him irritably and said, “Hey, wake up! How can a child have no ambition at all?”
Guo Shier puffed out his chest and said, “That’s my ambition. It’s just hard to achieve.”
Luo Jie suddenly felt an urge to hit him. He said, “Enough, stop talking about your ideals. Shier, once you become a Grand Spellcaster, your journey at the Northern Spell Gate will be over. This is already the highest level of martial prowess. But ever since I saw that Li Ran in the secret realm last time, I’ve wondered if there might be even higher beings… Didn’t he make you promise to go to a certain place after becoming a Grand Spellcaster? I guess… there will be new discoveries there.”
Guo Shier said, “I’m not in a hurry. After I become a Grand Spellcaster, hehe, Master, even among Grand Spellcasters, there are differences in strength. I need to reach the strongest level before setting off for that place.”
Luo Jie nodded. “Yes, that’s what I think too. If your strength isn’t enough, it will be dangerous to go.”
Deep down, Guo Shier didn’t really want to go, but since he had promised, he had to fulfill it. For him, it wasn’t a matter of whether to go or not, but when to go—both timing and strength were essential.
Guo Shier quickly pushed that thought away. He wasn’t even ten yet. Why worry so much? He’d just focus on living until he turned eighteen. Being too young was uncomfortable too. If it weren’t for having a good master, he might still be an apprentice at the Northern Spell Gate, learning the basics and crafting spells, with no one treating him as nothing.
Huo Bao dragged over a dead wild boar and called out, “Shier, this thing should be delicious!”
Guo Shier’s cooking skills were famous among the team. Whether it was grilling or making soup, he was the best—no one cooked better than him. This guy was naturally fond of eating and cooking.

“Wow, such a huge wild boar. Among the attacking beasts, there’s even a wild boar?”
Huo Bao said, “There’s only one. It was mixed in with the tiger group. Hehe, they all have tusk-like fangs. If you’re not careful, you won’t even notice. Grandpa Nanshan killed it with just one slap—there weren’t even any wounds on its body.”
“Skin it!”
Under Guo Shier’s command, the wild boar was quickly dismembered. Chen Hong set up several large copper pots, and Guo Shier began cooking.
Ignoring the fight between the Wild Wind Horse Team and the Black Eagle Horse Team, the members of Luo Jie’s team started eating. As the sky gradually darkened, the entrance to the secret realm remained brightly lit, as it was still daytime inside. Guo Shier thought the entrance to the secret realm was similar to a movie screen in his past life—when night fell, the entrance acted like a mirror of light, attracting numerous beasts.
The fight between the Wild Wind Horse Team and the Black Eagle Horse Team finally stopped, and each team returned to their camp to eat.
Eagle Demon smelled the aroma of wild boar meat. He ran over to Guo Shier and said with a smile, “It smells great!”
Guo Shier wasn’t stingy either. He poured a large bowl of meat soup for him and said, “Eat, Uncle Eagle Demon. Do you know anything about this secret realm?”