Sky-cracking Rider

"Don't think it's too expensive!"

Manager Hanna, seeing the words "I'm poor" written on his face, earnestly said, "In the future, there is no possibility of purchasing the items on the list at such a price. I don't know about the future, but right now, this opportunity is only here once, and I hope you won't miss it."

She was genuinely considering Chen Fei; otherwise, she would have let this fool exchange it for some cash.

"I understand, Manager Hanna."

As much as it hurt, he understood the logic; Chen Fei was naturally aware that his imagination was being limited by his poverty.

Wealthy people focus on the future; by seizing it, they can become wealthier.

Poor people can only think about what's right in front of them, resulting in short-sightedness and becoming even poorer.

"So...the best plan, choose one of three!"

Until the end, Hanna Gagar did not make the decision for Chen Fei; instead, she returned the choice to him.

"I choose..." Chen Fei was entangled, truly feeling his imagination limited.

"Chirp!" Little Bird's tiny claws, each wearing a leg ring, bounced on Chen Fei's shoulder.

"Can you give me a hint?" Chen Fei cast a pleading look at Manager Hanna.

"Sorry, I can't help you. In my view, all three plans have their pros and cons, but they are actually quite similar."

Hanna Gagar spread her hands, showing she was helpless.

Whichever plan it was, it would help the growth of the Pure Light Sparrow, although the stages of growth were different. As long as there were enough supporting resources, these growth stages wouldn't be missed.

The biggest reason Xiao Jiu was worth investing in wasn't that it had a Light Beast Crystal Core, but because its comprehension was far superior to other Pure Light Sparrows, being able to understand four spells at Human Order Second Rank, which was quite a rare talent.

If given enough resources, it could potentially break through the limits of its own bloodline. Its future growth might not be inferior to other magical beasts of the same rank.

"Chirp chirp!"

Xiao Jiu was completely indifferent, playfully pecking at Daddy Chen Fei's ear as usual.

"Er..."

Chen Fei pondered for a long time and finally made up his mind.

In the first lesson of the "Ability Class" in primary education, the teacher emphatically explained the importance of Elemental Affinity for Ability Users.

Elemental affinity and spiritual power are both foundational for Ability Users, the former being relatively more important. At the same rank, higher elemental affinity means greater potential.

"I choose plan two!"

"Elemental affinity represents the growth limit."

Manager Hanna immediately understood Chen Fei's thinking and frowned as she asked, "Why not choose the bloodline of the Sun-Transforming Skylark, which is a clear direction for growth, or directly advancing in rank, which is also good?"

The higher the star rating of elemental affinity, the higher the ceiling for rank advancement, but she didn't quite understand why, for someone like the Pure Light Sparrow who was as ordinary as they come, every advancement in rank was a major gain. Why ignore the existing channel for advancement and instead persistently pursue elemental affinity?

Often, not every magical beast gets the chance to reach their rank ceiling; hence, excessively pursuing elemental affinity doesn't hold much significance.

Chen Fei spoke very seriously, "We should have confidence in Xiao Jiu. We shouldn't forcibly interfere with Xiao Jiu's future. We must believe it can awaken its strongest bloodline."

Even the weakest magical beast had strong ancestors. An adult Light-element Magical Beast, Sun-Transforming Skylark, might not necessarily be the strongest bloodline among the Light-series birds.

Thus, Chen Fei wanted Little Bird to forge its own path, step by step.

"You're treating Xiao Jiu as if it were your own child."

Manager Hanna chuckled dryly. From that perspective, Chen Fei's thinking seemed justifiable.

"Isn't that so?"

Chen Fei shrugged his shoulders, looking matter-of-fact.

Xiao Jiu was the little bird he had hatched personally. The first sight upon breaking the shell was of himself. In the little guy's eyes, Chen Fei was its parent, so treating it as such was not at all strange.

Hanna Gagar nodded, respecting Chen Fei's choice since he had made it.

She pointed at Chen Fei and then at the little bird on his shoulder, saying, "You should sign a magic contract with Little Bird as soon as possible, preferably a master-servant one, but an equality contract would also suffice, to prevent others from taking advantage of the situation. I can help you with the contract supplies. You can owe it; it's not much anyway."

"No need! Xiao Jiu is free."

Chen Fei shook his head, holding the little bird in his hand and gently playing with it.

Having already raised it as his own, what did he care about some darn contract? If anyone dared to target this little one, see if he wouldn't beat them into their past and future lives over acres of peach blossoms.

He almost forgot, until her last reminder, that this one-eyed impersonator was his biggest creditor.

Aside from Chekhov Big Bear's AK, all his other debts had been accumulated with Manager Hanna.

As if magic contracts were free?

Increasing his debt was truly not an option!

Hanna Gagar said helplessly, "Foolish! You'll suffer for this sooner or later!"

This rookie obviously had the most typical small-town mentality, always underestimating the dangers of the world, naively believing that there would be protection from the law and morality.

In fact, the more one thought this way, the more likely they were to suffer a great loss.

Those without a bottom line wouldn't care about the law and morality at all.

Chen Fei optimistically said, "We live in a society governed by law, no need to be afraid!"

He was born in the most powerful sovereign nation on Blue Star and naturally believed the world had rules; those who did not follow the rules had been pinned down and beaten until they learned, becoming mere historical anecdotes in textbooks.

"Jiu!"

Little Bird believed it too.

Chen Fei decided to go with the second plan suggested by Manager Hanna, requesting two Elemental Affinity Enhancement Potions from the Blue Star Global United Defense Committee.

With a few thousand Star Yuan left in the budget, he simply bought his elder brother a mid-range civilian sedan, with 24-hour delivery to his home.

Though he was short on money, he wouldn't reject this rare opportunity to make one Star Yuan stretch further.

A domestic three-box family sedan that cost 62,000 Star Yuan—fully electric all-wheel drive, both manual and automatic dual-mode driving, maximum range of 1200 kilometers, top speed of 180 kilometers per hour, a three-year warranty on the main components, entitled to one home service visit per year, covered by interstellar warranties on both Blue Star and Cangqiong Star.

If priced normally at retail, it wouldn't be available for less than 150,000 Star Yuan.

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After confirming the exchange items, in less than 12 hours, two Elemental Affinity Potions were retrieved from the nearest sovereign storage facility and delivered into Chen Fei's hands, who was still at Aircrew Base No. 2.

However, what Chen Fei had not expected was that after taking a couple of sips, Xiao Jiu disliked the taste, fluttered its small wings, and flew away, unresponsive to all cajoling.

In the end, it was Manager Hanna who came up with a cunning trick, pouring a little sweet red wine into the potion test tube.

Then... attracted by the smell of the alcohol and fruit, the little creature pounced like it was seizing a treasure, gulping down both magic potions without leaving a drop.

It was truly just a child!

And far too easy to deceive; perhaps Manager Hanna's concern for Little Bird wasn't without reason.

The effects of the magic potions were often immediate.

When Xiao Jiu returned to its nest, the number of light spots emitted by the Light-element Magical Beast Crystal Core nearly doubled, the more robust talent foundation accelerating the accumulation of its elemental power.

Just as the executive manager had said, although the three plans differed in their focal points, they all greatly aided Little Bird's advancement in rank, each one speeding up its progress.

Despite the high cost of over two million Star Yuan, making the financially poor Chen Fei feel tremendously distressed, you get what you pay for. The enhancement in Elemental Affinity allowed Xiao Jiu to successfully break through its own slight Magical Beast bloodline limitations.

Although the Pure Light Sparrow's starting point was low, each step forward was solid and substantial.

On the surface, Xiao Jiu was still a Pure Light Sparrow, but its potential bloodline now matched the above-average talent of Light-element Magical Beasts, making it a very special little bird.

It was only someone as persistently stubborn as Chen Fei, "bent on taking the hard way," who would use these expensive and scarce resources on a little Pure Light Sparrow; if used to cultivate other types of magical beasts, the yield would have been undoubtedly much greater.

Having just returned to Aircrew Base 911, Chen Fei's phone automatically connected to the base network, and his younger sister's call came through.

"Brother! Our family has a car now!"

His younger sister's words sounded truly pitiful.

"Has the car been delivered? Do elder brother and sister-in-law like it? I chose red for sister-in-law."

Chen Fei was not at all surprised.

Pinching his fingers, he figured that the car he had bought should have been delivered.

Global resource mobilization is fast, isn't it?

The most common car body colors were black and white, followed by maroon. Women generally preferred red, especially for wedding cars.

Chen Fei also saw this as a compensation to his sister-in-law on behalf of The Chen Family. Not every bride could withstand such huge pressure and still go through with the marriage.

At the wedding, the cold words from her relatives were still fresh in his memory.

A woman who could share hardships rightfully deserved to share fortunes as well.

"Second brother, you are being reckless with money again. Why not save it to pay off the debts."

Chen Meng had specifically inquired about the price of that red family sedan; its market average was around 157,800 Star Yuan, fluctuating no more than 500 Star Yuan.

Chen Fei had already guessed Chen Meng would say this, and he replied with a smile, "It's a mission bonus. Buying things allows for a significant discount. Converting it to cash means a loss, and since it all has to be spent, why not on a car!"

"Then let's save it for you, second brother; you can drive it when you return!"

Chen Meng's words represented not just her sentiment but also that of his elder brother and sister-in-law.

Not being family, they didn't enter the same door; His elder brother and sister-in-law were honest folks who didn't like to gain advantage over others, even if it was from their own family.

Suddenly receiving a car sent by the struggling younger brother made the couple feel overwhelmed and truly embarrassed to accept it.

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