The Interstellar Queen of Scavengers

Chapter 1521: Chapter 1521: Crystal Stone

After Housekeeper Cheng relayed the message to Mrs. Cheng, Mrs. Cheng smashed a cup on the spot.

Housekeeper Cheng witnessed everything, staring straight ahead, pretending as if he was completely absent.

Mrs. Cheng slammed the table, angrily scolding: "Does Mickey Dodge think he’s Master Kong Zhe? Even Master Kong Zhe wouldn’t demand so much!"

Mrs. Cheng spared no expense to customize a High-level Soul Device for Cheng Kun, not only preparing ten sets of rare materials but also donating countless other experimental materials to the Mickey Dodge Laboratory, along with a deposit of 1 billion credit points. The agreement was that upon successful creation, another 1 billion credit points would be given as compensation.

This price is already very, very, very expensive.

Even for industry authorities and top soul artifact makers like Kong Zhe and Deng Mingguang, this price is unmatched, even slightly less than this.

The reason the Cheng Family didn’t choose masters like Kong Zhe and Deng Mingguang is mainly due to the lack of access.

Indeed.

A family like theirs simply cannot reach the doors of these top-level masters and can only be forced to seek other second-tier masters. Mickey Dodge was the choice after comprehensive consideration by Mrs. Cheng and the Cheng Family Master. Why? Because Mickey Dodge’s greed is the heaviest, most easily moved, and most easily negotiated with.

Therefore, they chose Mickey Dodge.

However, even though Mrs. Cheng was mentally prepared, she absolutely did not expect Mickey Dodge’s appetite to be this large!

Asking for materials and money was bad enough, but now also demanding 10 extra crystal stones, and they have to be Level 8 or above. Isn’t this intentionally sucking them dry?

The so-called crystal stones are hardly known outside, and relevant information has not been released by the Alliance because these things are extremely rare, even more rare than Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. This is because they are crystal stones condensed from the body of Star Beasts. Ordinary Star Beasts don’t produce crystal stones; only those that are Level 5 or above have a possibility of producing them. Note, "possibility" is mentioned, not certainty.

Crystal stones are extremely difficult to acquire because the probability of their appearance seems entirely random, with no predictable patterns. Level 5 is the minimum threshold, while Levels 6, 7, 8... might possibly produce them. Even after slaying countless Star Beasts, there might still not be a single crystal stone found.

From this, it can be seen how precious these crystal stones are.

Moreover, Mickey Dodge asked for Level 8 and above!

This—

Isn’t this just deliberately making it difficult for the Cheng Family?

Mrs. Cheng’s face turned completely dark.

Housekeeper Cheng stood silently at the side, quietly waiting for her to speak.

Mrs. Cheng became so angry that her face turned iron blue, her teeth grinding loudly with apparent inability to recover. Upon noticing, Housekeeper Cheng cautiously suggested: "Madam, should we consult with the Master?" The Cheng Family Master, named Cheng Yongshan, married Mrs. Cheng as his second wife, and they have a son named Cheng Kun, who is deeply loved by Cheng Yongshan and his wife. Mrs. Cheng usually takes charge of most matters at home, but regarding something like crystal stones, Housekeeper Cheng felt the Master should be informed.

Mrs. Cheng gritted her teeth: "I’ll ask Yongshan."

And then.

Mrs. Cheng consulted privately with Cheng Yongshan.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Cheng walked out of the room and told the housekeeper: "Tell the people at Mickey’s laboratory that we can provide crystal stones, but will only give two! And we need to sign a risk hedging agreement with Mickey Dodge Laboratory."

Housekeeper Cheng promptly informed Jona after hearing this.

Upon hearing this, Jona was slightly surprised that the Cheng Family could actually produce crystal stones under such harsh conditions from Master Mickey... Jona calmly stated: "I will relay your message to Master Mickey, please wait."

Then.

Jona immediately conveyed everything to Mickey Dodge. Having served as the assistant for many years, Jona had some understanding of Master Mickey’s mentality. For instance, now she thought that he would definitely accept the Cheng Family’s offer but refuse to sign the risk hedging agreement.

Indeed.

Mickey Dodge said: "Signing a contract? The Cheng family’s head must have been kicked by a donkey! Tell them they can customize if they wish, but don’t back out now."

Jona nodded, expressionless: "Okay, I will inform them."

After terminating the communication, the expression on Mickey Dodge’s face was both surprised and complex. Asking for 10 crystal stones was just an outrageous demand. He didn’t really believe the Cheng Family might produce them. The purpose was to take control, reducing the chance of the Cheng Family making trouble if the experiment fails and to offset his stress. Unexpectedly, the Cheng Family really came through.

This was a pleasant surprise.

Staring at the various equipment inside the research lab, Mickey Dodge thought they seemed a bit simplified. It appears that the Cheng Family needs to be squeezed for more.

...

Upon hearing the message from Mickey’s laboratory, Mrs. Cheng’s face turned even darker. Mickey Dodge’s words were clearly asking them to leave!

The Cheng Family had already invested so much financial and material resources... If they exited at this point, not only would they offend a soul artifact master, but their sunk cost was already so high, it couldn’t easily be changed. Moreover, they couldn’t find a soul artifact maker comparable to Mickey Dodge, or perhaps even slightly superior, in such a short time.

Housekeeper Cheng quietly waited.

Without signing a risk hedging agreement, it implies that Mickey Dodge will not bear any risk of failure, leaving all the risk to the Cheng Family independently. Mrs. Cheng was actually prepared for Mickey Dodge’s refusal. The intention behind bringing this up was mainly for negotiation purposes, aiming to have the requirements lowered. They definitely couldn’t produce 10 crystal stones, therefore Mickey Dodge had to make some concessions as well.

The other side did indeed compromise. Despite Mrs. Cheng’s pain, she had no choice but to say: "Tell him we agree, with a humble and respectful attitude; we must make sure he feels our sincerity and difficulty."

Housekeeper Cheng said: "Yes."

"Hold on!" Mrs. Cheng raised her hand and said: "Probe Master Mickey, see if we can visit the laboratory in person."

Housekeeper Cheng said, "Yes."

Then.

No surprise, the other party refused. Housekeeper Cheng said: "Master Mickey mentioned his laboratory isn’t a museum, not a place for casual exhibitions or tours. However, he can make an exception to let the young master visit once."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Cheng clenched her teeth and said: "Speak to Kun, let him go to Master Mickey for data testing again."

Customizing a Soul Device requires comprehensive data of the customizer’s body, otherwise, the Soul Device would merely be ordinary without customized effects.

Housekeeper Cheng dutifully followed through with his instructions.

On the other side.

Due to the temporary shortage of materials at Mickey’s laboratory, assistants like Jona and Charlie unusually found themselves idle, with about 3 days of leisure ahead. Jona took 3 days off to visit home; she hadn’t genuinely seen her brother in a long time, only viewing him in holographic videos daily, which ultimately felt unsettling. Jona felt she had to return.

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