Chapter 32: A Delightful Gain of Three Hundred Gold

The shop assistants and manager were dumbfounded. Why were these people acting like bandits? The young girl had clearly brought the crystal to sell to the trading house, yet they had started bidding among themselves right on the spot. If the sale actually went through, the trading house would not even receive a tenth of the commission. Would they not be taking a terrible loss?

Before long, the bids climbed higher and higher. Someone had already offered two hundred and eighty gold coins.

“Little girl, you surely know that if not for the steadily declining yield of Spirit Essence Crystals in recent years, even an orange Spirit Essence Crystal of the finest quality would never fetch more than a hundred gold coins. Sell it to me, and I will offer you three hundred.”

The gray-robed old man gazed at Zhao Erdong with a beaming smile. His grandson was already a high-ranking second-tier warrior. With this second-tier Spirit Essence Crystal, he would surely be able to advance into the third tier much sooner.

Zhao Erdong turned to Baihe and lowered her voice. “What can three hundred gold coins buy?”

Baihe’s delicate little face was filled with barely restrained excitement. “Three hundred gold coins would be enough to buy a house.”

Zhao Erdong was secretly delighted. She had never imagined that such a small crystal could be exchanged for an entire residence. It seemed that appraisal was indeed a profession with limitless prospects.

She swept her gaze over the crowd. “No one wants to bid higher?”

Every one of them was dressed in silk and brocade; they were clearly wealthy people. Perhaps someone would still raise the price.

Yet after waiting for quite some time, she did not hear a single higher bid. It seemed that everyone had abandoned the contest for the Spirit Essence Crystal.

What was going on? Just moments ago, they had all looked determined to win. How had they changed their minds so quickly?

How could Zhao Erdong have known that the gray-robed old man was a notorious and fearsome figure in the capital of the Great Moon Kingdom? His conduct was eccentric, and his moods unpredictable. More importantly, he was a high-ranking fifth-tier martial master, with one foot already over the threshold of the sixth tier. All he lacked was a little luck.

Such a powerhouse was someone none of those present dared provoke. Since he had made an offer, who would dare bid against him?

“Since no one is bidding any higher, the crystal is yours!”

By then, Zhao Erdong had already noticed something was amiss. Ever since the gray-robed old man had made his bid, no one else had raised the price. The way they looked at him clearly revealed a trace of fear.

The old man’s face lit up with joy. In the past, he had looked down on crystals of such a low grade. But now, the Great Moon Kingdom could go an entire year without producing more than a few crystals. Whatever good specimens appeared were immediately claimed by the great powers. He had wandered through the markets for three whole months, and today he had finally obtained an orange crystal. At last, he could give his cherished grandson an answer.

The old man accepted the crystal Zhao Erdong handed him and casually passed her a heavy money pouch. “There are three hundred gold coins inside. Count them.”

Zhao Erdong was not at all bashful. She loosened the drawstring and saw that the pouch was packed with oval gold coins. They were made of pure gold—thin, yet substantial in weight.

“No need. I trust you, old sir.”

With a beaming smile, Zhao Erdong closed the pouch and slipped it into her robes.

Seeing her turn to leave, the gray-robed old man called after her. “Little girl, where did you get this crystal?”

The production of Spirit Essence Crystals in the Great Moon Kingdom had become pitifully scarce. The origin of this crystal truly needed to be investigated carefully.

Zhao Erdong smiled sweetly. “It was cut from a stone at the Spirit Stone Workshop across the street. Why? Do you want another one?”

The gray-robed old man smiled. “Do you have more?”

“Not at the moment. But if I find any in the future, I’ll bring them here again. Everyone, feel free to stop by whenever you have the time.”

With that, Zhao Erdong did not linger. She pulled Baihe along and left the trading house.

The moment Zhao Erdong disappeared, the people inside the trading house rushed into the Spirit Stone Shop opposite.