Gasp!
The old man trembled as he stared at the tableful of pills resembling yo-yos, finally losing his composure.
Twenty-five Grade 2 Pills in an hour-no, not even an hour. Subtract the time he spent buying medicinal herbs, too. This fellow...
Just where did he come from?
Even Pill King Gu He probably couldn't refine twenty-five Grade 2 Pills in the time it took an incense stick to burn.
But this fellow still looked perfectly calm. Was he just showing off, with pills he'd prepared beforehand?
Yet the lingering warmth of the pills told him they had definitely just been refined.
"Is there a problem?" Nalan Chaoge asked mildly.
"No, no!" The old man dropped into his chair, looking dazed.
"Good. Then pay up!"
Under the old man's stupefied gaze, Nalan Chaoge collected 250,000 gold coins and, following his usual routine, walked over to the attendant beside him again.
"Two hundred and fifty of the lowest-grade second-grade medicinal herbs..."
Only after Nalan Chaoge calmly left the Appraisal Room did the entire room erupt.
"Genius!"
"He refined twenty-five Grade 2 Pills in the time it took an incense stick to burn!"
"Who on earth is he?"
"Should we investigate him?"
"Absolutely not! We mustn't offend a high-level Alchemist like him!"
"Are those pills real or fake?"
"Are you questioning my alchemy skills?"
"No, no. I mean, who could refine five Grade 2 Pills in such a short time? By that logic, the next time he comes in, wouldn't he have..."
"One hundred and twenty-five pills?"
"Surely not!"
"If he refined that many pills so quickly, their quality must be terrible! Master Gu, you'd better inspect them carefully!"
Hearing his colleague's words, Gu Sha picked up another pill from the table and examined it closely. Then his face instantly turned deathly pale.
He looked as though he had been struck senseless.
"How is it, Master Gu? Don't tell me there's really something wrong with these pills!"
"Someone, go drag that brat back here! How dare he cause trouble at our Mitel Auction House! I'll teach him..."
"Wait!" Gu Sha hurriedly stopped them.
Everyone looked at Gu Sha in confusion. Why hesitate at a time like this? If that fellow got away, the Mittel Family would lose every shred of face.
"I misjudged them!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and arrest him!"
Everyone descended into a panic again.
"What are you doing? I meant I misjudged their quality! These pills actually exceeded my expectations. They should count as high-quality Grade 2 Pills-no, top-quality! Absolutely flawless! Whether in controlling the heat, timing the fusion, or forming the pills, I willingly bow to his superior skill!"
Silence!
Deathly silence!
For a moment, everyone seemed to have forgotten how to speak.
Gu Sha was a Grade 4 Alchemist, as well as an Appraiser specially hired by the Mittel Family.
Yet he actually said his skills fell far short of that black-robed youth's?
Could that black-robed youth truly be hiding such depths?
Seeming to realize that no one believed him, Gu Sha took a jade bottle from his pocket and poured out a pill.
Everyone looked closely. It was actually the same kind of pill the black-robed youth had brought.
Still, careful inspection revealed some differences.
Its shape lacked roundness, its color lacked translucence, and the overall impression it gave was indeed a cut below.
"If that young man hadn't used the lowest-grade second-grade medicinal herbs, this Grade 2 Pill, the Vitality Pill, could definitely sell for 30,000. Even so,
"Paying him only 10,000 gold coins was still shortchanging him!" Gu Sha immediately summoned an attendant to compensate him for the gold coins they owed.
Thirty pills in total, with an additional 10,000 for each, came to 300,000 gold coins.
Just as the attendant received the order and was about to head out to deliver the compensation, another materials Appraiser suddenly stopped him.
"Didn't that black-robed youth just exchange his money for more medicinal herbs? He should be back before long. Now I'm curious how many pills he'll bring out at once this time!"
"Exactly! Since Elder Gu said his pills are top-quality Grade 2 Pills, I'd like a few myself, just in case."
"The Vitality Pill is the lowest-grade Grade 2 Pill and the most common, but it's also the most practical. If they're top-quality, they're even more worth keeping in reserve!"
For a while, the entire Appraisal Room buzzed with anticipation.
Meanwhile, Gu Sha slipped all twenty-five pills Nalan Chaoge had initially brought straight into his own pocket.
That left quite a few of the others in the Appraisal Room green with envy.
Sure enough, an hour later, Nalan Chaoge appeared at the Appraisal Room's entrance again.
This time was different from his previous two visits.
The moment Nalan Chaoge walked in, he was greeted with unprecedented enthusiasm.
"Sit, please sit! Take the seat of honor!"
"Tea! Bring tea! Bring our finest tea!"
After a round of bootlicking and lavish flattery, everyone's gaze settled on the Na Ring on the young man's hand.
Nalan Chaoge understood what they wanted.
"Sorry, I only refined fifty this time!"
With a wave of Nalan Chaoge's hand, fifty pills instantly appeared on the table.
Every last one was a Grade 2 Pill-a Vitality Pill.
Gulp!
Someone swallowed, and then the entire Appraisal Room fell utterly silent.
"Um, are you still buying these?" Nalan Chaoge's words snapped everyone out of their shock.
"Yes, yes! Well, my deepest apologies. My eyes failed me, and I misjudged the quality of your pills, Master. According to our rules, each of your pills should be worth 20,000 gold coins. We owed you 300,000 gold coins; adding these fifty pills brings the total to 1,300,000! Please take it!"
Gu Sha was the first to react. He hurriedly transferred 1,300,000 gold coins and accepted the pills.
Huh?
An unexpected windfall?
The extra 800,000 gold coins rather surprised Nalan Chaoge.
Still, when someone offered him money, he would be a fool not to take it.
Without another word, Nalan Chaoge collected his gold coins and headed outside.
But when he reached the attendant, the attendant looked rather embarrassed.
"Um, sorry, Master. Our... our Auction House has no more Grade 2 Pills!"
"Uh..."
Nalan Chaoge glanced a little awkwardly at the embarrassed attendant.
"It's all right. I don't need any more. I came over to say thank you! Also, I need a tier 2 demonic core. Here's a Vitality Pill-consider it your tip!"
Under everyone's dumbfounded stares, Nalan Chaoge strode nonchalantly out of the Auction House amid the attendant's profuse thanks.
On his last visit, Nalan Chaoge had exchanged his money for 250 second-grade medicinal herbs. Why had he sold only fifty pills?
First, he had run out of first-grade medicinal herbs. Second, he had kept ten for himself, along with a few Grade 2 Joyful Union Pills. Heh heh heh. Men-you know how it is!
Looking over his attributes, Nalan Chaoge felt he was about to soar straight into the heavens.