I'm so regretful

He Rui and Sun Xiaochuan greeted their comrades with solemn expressions, then walked straight toward Sun Zhengwu, preparing to report on Wang Xun's sacrifice.

But as they approached, He Rui couldn't help but notice the figure standing in front of Sun Zhengwu. Especially when the other person turned his head to look at them, He Rui's heart skipped a beat.

Because the other person looked very much like Wang Xun, he didn't know if he was seeing things, or...

It's worth mentioning that although these people all transformed into goblins, each of them actually looked different, and each bore a resemblance to the original Earth.

However, most humans suffer from face blindness when it comes to goblins and can't tell them apart.

"He Rui, Xiao Chuan, you're back!" Wang Xun waved and greeted them, feeling a little embarrassed.

Upon hearing this, Sun Xiaochuan's eyes lit up with surprise, and he was the first to react, while He Rui was still somewhat incredulous and asked nervously, "Wang Xun, is it...is it you?"

"Haha, yes, I, Hu Hansan, am back!" Wang Xun patted his chest, putting on a heroic air.

He Rui rushed to Wang Xun in a few strides, grabbed his shoulders with both hands, shook him violently, and looked him up and down carefully. His voice rose with excitement, even sounding like a sob: "You fucking didn't die?! You scared the hell out of me, damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

He Rui punched Wang Xun hard a few times, then laughed heartily, his eyes glistening with tears.

But after a brief moment of embarrassment, he suddenly realized that Team Leader Sun was watching, so he immediately stopped smiling, stood at attention, and gave a military salute.

"Alright, alright, no need for all that in this other world. Relax a bit," Sun Zhengwu said with a smile. He could understand He Rui and Sun Xiaochuan's feelings. Seeing their comrades come back to life was indeed overwhelming.

He wished such a miracle could happen on Earth, and he longed to have another drink with his old friends.

"He Rui, Sun Xiaochuan, you've come back just in time. Comrade Wang Xun's condition has been confirmed. This should be a characteristic of summoning magic. After dying here, the consciousness will return to the Blue Star body and will not truly die. This is a major discovery for us. But remember, we cannot make unnecessary sacrifices because of this characteristic. If you die, Comrade Matthew will need to expend magic power to reassemble your physical bodies."

Although He Rui and Sun Xiaochuan stood ramrod straight with serious expressions, their eyes were filled with barely suppressed excitement, as the news was truly exhilarating.

They were also very clear about the strategic significance behind this; it was practically like having a cheat code.

Infinite save/load reloads, no real death—this is every human being's ultimate dream.

"Furthermore, I just heard Wang Xun report on Lei Hu's plan to use contradictions to weaken the enemy. This strategy is feasible. I approve his plan, but I want to emphasize one point: safety first. Provocation is acceptable, but we must never easily get involved in a direct conflict, especially to avoid similar accidental casualties again. Although we won't really die, the pain of near death and the depletion of magic power are the price to pay."

"Yes, team leader!" He Rui and Sun Xiaochuan replied in unison.

At this moment, Sun Zhengwu pointed to the prototype of the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow that had just been debugged on the workbench next to him and said to Wang Xun, "Wang Xun, this prototype of the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow is assigned to you for use first. Consider it compensation and encouragement for your 'sacrifice' this time."

Wang Xun's eyes lit up when he saw the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow; his previous embarrassment was replaced by excitement.

He carefully took the repeating crossbow, stroked the body, familiarized himself with the lever and trigger, and said excitedly, "Thank you, team leader! This thing is so cool! Haha, with this, if I ever encounter one of those burrowing creatures again, I'll definitely stuff its mouth full of arrows!"

"Alright, let's continue with the mission!" Sun Zhengwu said with a smile.

"Yes, team leader!"

The three turned around, and He Rui put his arm around Wang Xun's shoulder tightly. All the words and emotions in his heart were condensed into one sentence: "Brother, it's so good that you're back."

These words completely dispelled the slight embarrassment and shame Wang Xun felt.

Yes, what is there that someone who has died once can't let go of?

He put his arm around He Rui and patted him hard on the back. The two looked at each other and smiled.

……

In a lavishly decorated interior room of the Black Bear Merchant Guild in the heart of Ironrock City.

Groom Vinton tapped his fingers impatiently on the mahogany tabletop, the latest page of the ledger in front of him recording the astonishing sales of soap in just a few days.

But he showed no joy at the moment; instead, he seemed anxious and uncertain.

"Bard! Bard!" Groom called out towards the door, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible impatience.

The trusted steward, Bard, practically jogged in, bowing and asking, "Master, what are your orders?"

"Have our men found any clues about Mr. Morpheus yet?" Groom stared intently at Bard, though he already knew the answer almost every day.

"No...no, sir." Bud's forehead was beaded with sweat. "We've sent people to the city gates, the market, and the inns, but we haven't seen that gentleman again."

"A bunch of useless trash!" Grum couldn't help but mutter under his breath, unsure whether he was cursing his subordinates or himself.

He waved for Bud to leave and paced alone in the room.

He has made inquiries from various sources over the past few days, but has not received any information about the soap product.

The people sent to the capital also sent back news yesterday. They used several leads to inquire and confirmed that no soap-like products were found there.

The noblewomen and wealthy merchants in the capital still use magical cleaning agents and soap pods.

This completely thwarted his previous idea of ​​bypassing Mr. Morpheus.

It can be confirmed that Morpheus is indeed a unique supplier, at least within the Kingdom of Augustus.

But precisely because of this, his unease grew even stronger.

The soap sold better than he had imagined.

The nobles who tried it were almost immediately won over by its effects, and orders poured in. He even drove the price up to three gold coins per piece, but it was still in short supply.

In the past few days, the Black Bear Chamber of Commerce has been bustling with activity, filled with respectable people coming to buy or inquire about products, which has even boosted sales of other luxury goods.

They stole the show and directly suppressed the arrogance of the Golden Flower Merchant Guild.

This made him truly feel the enormous power contained in this item, and it also strengthened his determination to seize "Morpheus".

If they could really secure an exclusive partnership, he could even sell the soap in the royal city, at which point the Black Bear Merchant Guild would reach a new level.

In the past two days, the Golden Flower Chamber of Commerce has been making frequent moves, trying to find a source of soap.

Therefore, he was very worried about losing Morpheus as a supplier.

Of course, the main concern was that the reckless act of sending someone to follow them last time might have been discovered by the other party, angering them.

Groom must be kicking himself now.

"He must have found out... he must have," Groom muttered to himself. "How could someone like him not notice two incompetent spies? His decisive departure last time might have been a warning to me... What if he thinks I lack sincerity and goes to find the Goldenleaf instead... or simply leaves Ironrock..."

Groom felt a chill run down his spine at the thought that Eleanor, that troublesome woman from the Plantagenet Merchant Guild, might be the source of the soap.

That would be a blow that the Black Bear Merchant Guild would find difficult to withstand.

"Next time... if he comes again next time, I must be more respectful and make some concessions... as long as I can keep him in check, even if the profit is thin, as long as I have the exclusive agency rights, it will be a huge profit in the long run..." Grum repeatedly calculated in his mind, like a restless trapped beast.

He walked to the window, pulled back a corner of the heavy velvet curtains, and looked down at the bustling street below, his eyes searching through the crowd, hoping that the mysterious masked figure would reappear.

……