Not for Sale at Any Price!

"Last night, the Chengshan district of Happy Living Town was struck by meteorite fragments, setting off a massive fire. Chairman Zhao Yulin's estate suffered devastating losses..."

"The anomalous meteorite carried a mysterious fire force, causing the engines of thousands of vehicles to fail."

"The fire in Happy Living Town, triggered by the meteorite impact, was evacuated promptly with no significant casualties — a silver lining in an otherwise tragic situation..."

Within days, the news had come flooding in. Despite Happy Living Town's relative remoteness, the ever-relentless press had found a way to cover it.

"This Zhao Yulin has some real clout — he managed to frame the whole thing as an accident and keep a lid on the details. After an event like this, though, I'd say he's had a genuine change of heart." Mo Fan switched off the television, satisfied enough with the story that had been made public.

Xinxia nodded. Jiang Feng, the Flame Enchantress, had always existed to protect the succession of the Flame Queen. Now that the Flame Queen had safely come into the world, her mission was complete.

"Brother Mo Fan, I need to get back to school. I've been gone so long my teachers are going to tear into me," Xinxia said.

"Right. I'll take you back."

The round trip between Hangzhou and Shanghai was only half a day's journey. Mo Fan saw Xinxia safely back to her school, then made his own way back to Pearl Academy.

Zhang Xiaohou and Nan Jue both returned to their respective military districts — Zhang Xiaohou in particular left in a tremendous hurry, as though something serious had come up at his post.

Mo Fan had hoped to keep him around Shanghai for a few days of easy living, but if he had urgent business, there was nothing to be done.

With everything more or less settled, Mo Fan rushed off to find Huo Tuo.

By his reckoning, the Armor Enchanted Gear should be finished by now. He was counting on that divine piece of equipment to help him climb the rankings — his cultivation was simply too low. If he didn't push it higher soon, the next time he ran into a more powerful Demon-Beast or Mage, he'd be completely outmatched.

He arrived at Mingzhu Tower and went straight to Huo Tuo's shop, where the first thing he spotted was the insufferably self-styled Ah Li Junnan dozing at his post.

"Why is it always you... Oh, that's right — that wretched snake scale of yours doesn't even have proper serpent markings on it! What's supposed to be remarkable about it?!" Ah Li Junnan seized Mo Fan by the collar the instant he noticed him.

That question had been gnawing at him for countless sleepless days and nights!

Mo Fan rolled his eyes. He had no interest in engaging with such a dim-witted apprentice.

"Where's my stuff?" he asked flatly.

"Is that little Mo Fan? Heh heh heh — I owe those two Blood Fangs you gave me quite a debt. I've worked out something rather impressive with them, and you really ought to come take a look... Wait — what is that little flame sitting on your shoulder??" Huo Tuo came shuffling over with his eyes half-lidded, a crafty look spreading across his face.

"My Contract Beast," Mo Fan said with a sigh. He reached up and snatched the tiny Flame Queen, who had been bouncing back and forth between his shoulders, and gave the little fire-porcelain doll a firm flick on her adorable head. "Didn't I tell you not to come out on your own? Burning people is bad enough — burning flowers and plants is entirely your fault."

The little Flame Queen hung her head, a mournful little whimper escaping her, on the very verge of tears.

Mo Fan was completely at a loss. Everyone else's Contract Beasts were perfectly well-behaved, staying tucked away in their contract space until summoned. But the little Flame Queen was something else entirely. Through some strange inherited power, she could phase freely between the contract space and the real world at will, and he had absolutely no leverage over her.

"This is... this is... this has to be a Flame Queen!!" Without warning, Huo Tuo's old eyes blazed to life. The light in them belonged to a man who'd just spotted the object of his most fevered obsession — he looked about ready to lunge.

"Hey, hey — have some dignity, old man!" Mo Fan stepped in front of him, cutting off the reaching hands with a stern expression.

"Ahem, ahem — I got carried away, I got carried away. Listen, kid — name your price. I'll buy the Flame Queen off you. Any figure you like!" Huo Tuo's face was scarlet. Back when Mo Fan had brought the Blood Fangs, he had never once put on a display like this!

What Mo Fan didn't realize was that a Flame Queen was nothing short of a divine creature for a Forgemaster.

Forgemasters were generally drawn from Fire Element or Lightning Element Mages, and the most exceptional among them were those who had also cultivated the Summoning Element — because they could form contracts with Fire Element Summoned Beasts and enlist those beasts to assist directly in crafting Enchanted Gear.

Different materials required different qualities of flame. Each additional type of controllable fire meant the ability to channel stronger forces into the work, producing more refined and powerful Enchanted Gear. Huo Tuo was precisely a Three-Flame Forgemaster, in possession of three distinct forging flames.

Flame Queens typically came with two types of flame built in. Which meant that if he, Huo Tuo, managed to acquire one and raise it properly, he would become a Four-Flame Forgemaster — a tier that could shake the entire world of forging to its foundations.

The trouble was that a Flame Queen was the rarest of rare encounters. Most people had only ever heard of them, never seen one in the flesh. And even those few who had glimpsed a genuine Flame Queen could forget about actually obtaining one — fully-grown Flame Queens were formidably powerful creatures. As for a hatchling Flame Queen that could be contracted? That was beyond imagining.

For the sake of his legacy and his name — if achieving the rank of Four-Flame Forgemaster meant he, the notoriously tight-fisted Huo Tuo, had to spend half his fortune on a single Flame Queen, he would do so without the slightest hesitation.

And so, the moment he saw Mo Fan walk in carrying a little Flame Queen, Huo Tuo lost his mind entirely. He dispensed with all pleasantries and simply told Mo Fan to name his price. In units of a hundred million? He, Huo Tuo, wouldn't so much as blink.

"Calm down. Calm down." Mo Fan shoved the deranged old man aside. "Say I offered you a billion — would you sell me your granddaughter? This little Flame Queen is not for sale. You can put that idea to rest permanently."

"Mo Fan, little friend — no, Mo Fan, my brother — just sell her to me! Whatever you name, I'll pay!!" Huo Tuo had completely abandoned his dignity. He was one step away from seizing Mo Fan by the ankles and begging on his knees.

Ah Li Junnan stood nearby, jaw slack.

The mystery of the snake scale was still unsolved, and now a second earth-shattering question had dropped in his lap: how could his master — a man who had never shown the slightest reverence for any treasure in the world — be so utterly infatuated with a little ball of flame? Where on earth was a Forgemaster's pride??

Mo Fan was thoroughly done with Huo Tuo. He hastily tucked the little Flame Queen away.

Huo Tuo, for his part, was powerless against him — it was plain as day that Mo Fan wasn't selling. Not for any amount.

To get on Mo Fan's good side, Huo Tuo meekly handed over the Mystic Serpent Armor Enchanted Gear, swallowing every thought of the processing fee he'd been planning to squeeze out.

"Tell you what," Huo Tuo said, composing himself into an expression of grave seriousness. "She's already contracted to you, so selling her would be a headache anyway. Take me as your master. With a Flame Queen at your side, you'd certainly rise to become a Four-Flame Forgemaster... As for tuition — I'll keep it very reasonable."

"Goodbye." Mo Fan picked up the Armor Enchanted Gear and walked out.

The man was insane. Who in their right mind would want to be his apprentice?

*I'm a man with ambitions to become a Mage King. I have absolutely zero interest in forging.*