The Interstellar Queen of Scavengers
Chapter 26 - 026 Professional Treasure Hunter

Chapter 26: 026 Professional Treasure Hunter

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It all started three days ago.

Rewinding the clock back three days, Ji You had just hung 9 necklaces on the shelf, thinking they wouldn’t sell right away, so she didn’t pay much attention to it.

Afterwards, Ji You went offline and joined Ryan, Sister Liya, and others to collect Iron Pear Wood in the West District wilderness.

About half an hour after Ji You went offline, a handsome man with black hair and eyes unwittingly entered Ji You’s shop with his camera. He was actually in the wrong shop and noticed that the shop only had a few little accessories that girls would like. There seemed to be a very low chance of bargain hunting, so he was ready to leave. As he was about to depart, the viewers on his large screen began to make a fuss, clamoring, "Tao Xiaobao, don’t go! Check out what they’re selling here!"

"Yeah! Yeah!"

"Don’t go! Don’t go!"

"What if there’s a treasure?"

The ’Tao Xiaobao’ everyone was talking about doesn’t actually go by that name, his full nickname on the Star Network is ’Ah Da Takes You Treasure Hunting’. Judging by his actions and demeanor, you can tell he’s a professional Star Network live streamer. His usual content involves wandering around the endless shops of the Star Sea with a camera, aiming to find items whose prices are far below their true value due to the owners not recognizing their worth.

To put it simply, he’s a professional treasure hunter.

His favorite catchphrase, that you’d often hear him say, is "When it comes to bargain hunting, I’m a pro!" Because of his novelty content, he has attracted a large fan following. His name is Ah Da, but the fans like to tease him by calling him Ah Xiao, which eventually evolved into ’Tao Xiaobao’.

He quickly adapted to the name Tao Xiaobao.

Tao Xiaobao indeed has the ability to attract so many fans. For starters, he is knowledgeable in a wide array of subjects from ancient to modern times, especially in the interstellar era where all sorts of weird and diverse items exists, he can speak eloquently about them all.

Another equally well-known trait of his is his sharp tongue. The man is particularly venomous and cheeky. When he comes across a shop selling goods under false pretenses, bullying customers, or overpriced items that are disadvantageous to consumers, he immediately transforms into a crusader for justice. He goes off on them like a machine gun, ’tat-tat-tat’ with his words! When he verbally attacks, it’s not random, but aimed precisely at the crux, often leaving the deceitful merchants insulted and guilty, unable to talk back - much to the delight of the audience!

Of course, not only does Ah Da love to lambast people, but his treasure appraisal and bargain-hunting abilities are elite as well. His eye for detail is incredibly sharp, often finding treasures that others have overlooked and then snatching them up at a very favorable price!

Fans who camp out in his live streaming room every day and follow him shop-hopping for treasures feel an irresistible rush when Ah Da finds a gem, as if they themselves have stumbled upon a great find.

It’s utterly exhilarating!

It’s incredibly satisfying!

So, this ’Ah Da Takes You Treasure Hunting’ has a huge fan base on the Star Network!

Daily, tens of millions of people flock to his live stream room.

Ah Da’s entry into Ji You’s shop was an accident. He was actually responding to a private invitation from a fan to appraise a Soul Device in the shop next to Ji You’s to see if it was worth buying.

’Soul Devices’ refer to any item in the Universe that can enhance one’s spiritual power value.

These items might be a type of Material from the natural world, such as plants, trees, animal fur, shells, bones, etc.

Or perhaps an ore, sand, rare spring water from a particular planet...

Or maybe it’s a tool related to spiritual power personally made by a Master with significant spiritual power...

In short— they encompass everything.

The main reason they’re called ’Soul Devices’ is because wearing or carrying these items can effectively boost a person’s spiritual power. For example, for someone with a Spiritual Level of E or F who wants to advance to D, C, B or even A or S, besides regularly eating natural food, another way is by wearing a ’Soul Device’.

However—

The reason Soul Devices are so named is because they are so rare.

There’s a saying in the interstellar realm that goes, ’natural food is plentiful, but Soul Devices are scarce.’

Any Soul Device is generally very expensive! As such, Soul Devices aren’t something the average person can afford.

But Soul Devices also vary in quality and effectiveness. Low-Level Soul Devices can only nourish a person’s spiritual power for a short period, such as certain Jade based Soul Devices which can warm and nurture someone’s spiritual power, but only for a transient period. After about one to two years, the Jade will dull and lose its luster, eventually becoming an ordinary stone with no further use...

Such Soul Devices are priced a bit lower.

Then there are High-Level Soul Devices, which are quite magical. Not only can they nurture one’s spiritual power, but their effects can last for many years, a decade, or even several decades to a hundred years.

These High-Level Soul Devices are priceless! Whenever one surfaces, it causes a huge sensation.

The fan who commissioned Ah Da for the appraisal is also not short on cash. They spent a lot of money asking Ah Da to help appraise a Low-Level Soul Device that the shopkeeper claimed could last at least three years with a selling price of 1 million credit points.

The fan, not feeling reassured, wanted Ah Da to take a look first. If even Ah Da couldn’t find any issues, only then would they consider making the purchase.

It’s worth mentioning that Ah Da doesn’t just hunt for bargains or appraise treasures for himself; he also does it for his fans. However, he’s very popular, and his appearance fee is quite steep, so ordinary people can’t afford to hire him.

Today, Ah Da was not in a good mood and wanted to quickly complete the commission and sign off.

However—

"Ah Da! Don’t go!"

"Ah Da! There’s a treasure!"

"Ah Da! If you leave now, you’ll miss out on a billion!"

"Tao Xiaobao—"

"Tao Xiaobao, if you leave today, you’ll surely regret it for the rest of your life!"

Unable to resist the viewers’ demands, Ah Da stopped in his tracks. Instead of checking the shelf, he responded to the fans with a grin, saying, "How could I lose a billion just by leaving this shabby little store?"

Hearing this, the fans chimed in teasingly:

"Why couldn’t it be?"

"Don’t underestimate the shabby little store."

"Right! Even a shabby little store has its pride!"

"Hey~" Ah Da, being a cheeky person at heart, joined in with the banter: "This little shabby store, with just these few things! It’s absolutely impossible to find any amazing treasures!"

"If there really is a treasure, I, Ah Da, will live stream eating shit today!"

Upon hearing that, the fans reacted—

Ah Da really meant it this time.

What an animal!

Who would utter such words!

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