Deception

Viola was astonished. What did he mean by "there's a trap"?

She looked at Rayne in confusion. After hesitating, she decided to trust him and stopped instead of going over.

Rayne had originally wanted to say "fake" outright, but he had no way to explain how he could determine the authenticity of the giant's soul from such a distance.

Just now, when the Ice Sorcerer mentioned Earthquake Pulse, he had carefully examined the Soul Stone in the other man's hand.

This Demon Soul was indeed extraordinary. It was a High Tier Magic Soul with four elements!

Apart from one that seemed to be Earthquake Pulse, the other three elements were Seismic Wave, Stone Blast, and an enhanced version of Strength.

These elements formed a distinctive combination, enough to convince anyone that it was the Demon Soul of a Mountain Giant.

However, it wasn't!

What aroused Rayne's suspicion most was that "Earthquake Pulse." After sensing it carefully, he discovered that this element was indeed related to the earth, but it wasn't Earthquake Pulse. It didn't possess that many powerful abilities.

This element allowed people to sense vibrations in the ground and thereby learn of the movement of things around them.

In other words, this element was merely one of the many abilities granted by Earthquake Pulse—and the weakest one at that.

As luck would have it, the rune of this element was almost identical to that of Earthquake Pulse. There was only the slightest difference in some minute detail. Unless one was a Soul Appraiser extremely familiar with Earthquake Pulse, an ordinary person would never notice it.

But how many people had ever seen the Element Rune of Earthquake Pulse?

The contents recorded in the Book of Thousand Souls were ultimately not as vivid as seeing them with one's own eyes. It was also unlikely that anyone could remember every detail of every element.

Rayne didn't know what this element was called, but he could be certain that it definitely wasn't Earthquake Pulse.

Although this was also a Rare Tier element, its value was more than ten times lower than that of a Superb Element. The entire Demon Soul would be priced at no more than two thousand gold.

More importantly, it wasn't the Demon Soul of a Mountain Giant either.

Based on Rayne's careful perception, this Demon Soul's former body had been enormous, standing over four meters tall. It should have been related to the Mountain Giants by blood and was very likely a mutated Highland Ogre.

Highland Ogres often lived alongside Mountain Giants, and the two races had a close relationship.

Mountain Giants weren't very intelligent. Occasionally, they would lose control of themselves and fool around, producing mixed-blood offspring with Ogres. Such things had happened before.

It was also possible for a mutated Ogre to inherit part of the Mountain Giant's Earthquake Pulse element.

Rayne couldn't help sighing inwardly. This Demon Soul really did look too much like a Mountain Giant. It was practically indistinguishable from the real thing. Even the most experienced Soul Appraiser would probably fall for it.

Rayne's thoughts raced. This must be a scam!

He used his Soul Eye to look at the Ice Sorcerer. The man appeared very calm on the surface, his expression cold and indifferent, but the color of his soul revealed his true emotions. He was actually extremely nervous.

Does he want to use this Demon Soul to trick someone out of the Frostfire Ring, or is he simply trying to swindle them out of money?

Rayne first felt suspicious, then immediately realized something.

No matter whom the Ice Sorcerer wanted to deceive, he would first have to pass the Violet House's appraisal. If Levenshtein failed to notice the problem with the Demon Soul and the transaction was completed or exchanged for Gold Shields, then the truth came to light afterward, the Violet House would have to pay a large sum in compensation—and its reputation would be ruined.

He's very likely targeting the trade fair.

I can't let Levenshtein appraise it for him. Otherwise, he'll have to take responsibility.

Rayne made a prompt decision. He quickly turned and looked around, but couldn't find Levenshtein. The man probably didn't yet know what had happened and was resting in one of the trading rooms.

He leaned close to Viola's ear and whispered, "Don't show yourself before I return, and don't let Levenshtein come out to appraise it either."

Viola felt a slight itch at the base of her ear. She forcibly endured it and nodded slightly to show that she understood.

Rayne left the crowd. At that moment, everyone was watching Phyllis and the Warlock haggle, so nobody noticed him walk away.

He quickly found Levenshtein in a trading room and said directly, "Mr. Levenshtein, Lady Viola asked me to tell you that unless she comes to you personally, you must not leave this room. And whatever you do, don't appraise anyone's Demon Soul."

"Ah, why?"

Levenshtein, whose head was covered in white hair, looked utterly confused.

As Rayne spoke, he also took the opportunity to observe Levenshtein's soul.

He suspected that this scam might have accomplices. As the Violet House's appraiser, Levenshtein was the most important link in the scheme. If he had been bribed, there would certainly be some disturbance in his emotions at this moment.

Fortunately, there wasn't.

The color of Levenshtein's soul hadn't changed at all. Clearly, he truly knew nothing about the matter.

Rayne didn't explain why. He merely emphasized repeatedly that this was Viola's order.

Levenshtein recognized Rayne and knew that he had a good relationship with the owner. He was a good-natured old Wizard, and the request wasn't unreasonable, so he agreed.

He was only staying in the trading room to rest anyway. It wasn't as if he would lose anything.

Rayne returned to the hall and stood behind Viola. The Ice Sorcerer was still negotiating with Phyllis, and they had no intention of completing the transaction for the time being.

Phyllis clearly wanted the Mountain Giant's Demon Soul badly.

Earthquake Pulse was a Supernatural Element that could be activated by either soul power or physical strength, with no restrictions. It could therefore also be extracted and made into a Spell Seal, then integrated into a Seal Wizard's soul.

By comparison, Earthquake Pulse was naturally more suitable for melee Transcendents, but it was also extremely useful to Wizards.

Reducing fatigue, granting Rapid Recovery and Enduring Stamina, and increasing strength and defense could all make up for a Wizard's weakness in close combat.

Not to mention that Earthquake Pulse also came with earth-element affinity, increased resistance, and greater spell power. For an Elementalist, it was practically perfect.

If Phyllis integrated Earthquake Pulse into her soul, her strength would more than double!

That was the might of a Superb Element.

Phyllis was acting far too impatiently and clearly wanted it far too badly. The Ice Sorcerer noticed this and kept raising the price, making Phyllis pay more Gold Shields on top of the Frostfire Ring.

The price had started at two thousand gold, then risen to three thousand gold, and now had reached five thousand gold.

Phyllis wasn't stupid. No matter how wealthy she was, she wasn't willing to simply give away that much money.

The two of them were deadlocked.

Under normal circumstances, Viola, as the host, should have stepped forward at this time. However, after hearing Rayne's warning, she had also grown suspicious and was merely observing for the moment.

She kept watching the Soul Stone. Since she hadn't held it herself, she hadn't noticed anything unusual.

Viola looked back and gave Rayne a meaningful glance. The question in her eyes was obvious: What's wrong?

Rayne didn't know how to explain it either. After thinking for a moment, he said in an almost inaudible voice, "He's a Bloodline Sorcerer. Why doesn't he fuse with the Demon Soul himself?"

As a Sorcerer capable of casting spells, Earthquake Pulse was equally suitable for him. It was also an excellent earth-element bloodline, with a value far exceeding that of a top-grade Enchanting Ring.

Even as an Ice Sorcerer, he could still master another elemental bloodline. Having both ice and earth affinities would definitely be no bad thing.

"Is he short on blood?" Viola guessed.

The special nature of Bloodline Sorcerers meant that fusing with a Demon Soul required absorbing that Demon Soul's blood at the same time. Only then could one obtain the complete bloodline and abilities.

"Do you think that's possible?" Rayne didn't believe this excuse at all. A Transcendent who killed a Mountain Giant to obtain its Demon Soul would never forget to collect some of its blood. That was common sense.

Viola said nothing more. She already believed Rayne.

"You've already warned Levenshtein, right?"

After Rayne confirmed it, her gaze secretly swept over many people, as if observing the slightest changes in their expressions.

Rayne secretly praised her. Viola was truly clever. She had already guessed that this might be a scam targeting her and was covertly searching for the Ice Sorcerer's accomplices.

"Who is this Sorcerer?" he asked quietly.

"Herlinni," Viola replied softly. "He came from the Demon Capital a few months ago and is a regular customer at the shop."

The Demon Capital was located on the eastern coast of the Empire. Together with the capital, Northril, it was one of the Empire's two largest cities. It was also the most prosperous and populous trade capital in the world.

Rayne nodded and said nothing more.

He was an outsider who had arrived in Longshande not long ago. If the scam succeeded, he could flee at any time, making the Sorcerer even more suspicious.

He activated his Soul Eye and cautiously swept it over the crowd. After confirming that the Legendary Wizard presiding over the trade fair wasn't there, he boldly began searching for his target.

A person's true emotions could be judged from the color of their soul.

The first person he ruled out was Phyllis.

This woman practically had all her thoughts written across her face. A large expanse of her soul was orange, showing that she was extremely agitated and excited, and desperately wanted the Mountain Giant's Demon Soul.

If she were Herlinni's accomplice, Herlinni wouldn't have dragged out the negotiation for so long. He would have agreed to the transaction long ago.

Rayne observed the others. The soul colors of most of the guests were steady, primarily a relaxed green. They all looked as if they were merely enjoying the spectacle.

Only one person was especially conspicuous. His soul color kept changing rapidly, and his emotions fluctuated violently.

"Gallowayna? Viola's uncle?"

Rayne was astonished. Gallowayna was also watching the show from the side, occasionally exchanging a few quiet words with the friends beside him. He held a glass of red wine and smoked a cigar, looking completely relaxed.

Without the Soul Eye, nobody could have seen that Gallowayna's emotions were currently rising and falling like a roller coaster. His soul color shifted rapidly between green, orange, red, and black—happiness, anticipation, resentment, disgust, nervousness—as if it were a giant dye vat.

Rayne also noticed that Gallowayna was discreetly keeping an eye on Viola.

Before he could warn Viola, Gallowayna could no longer restrain himself. He came over and said with a smile, "Viola, why aren't you stepping in to help them complete the transaction? Deals of this size aren't common."

"I wanted to wait until they finished negotiating."

Viola's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. Rayne knew that she had begun to suspect her uncle.

"There aren't many opportunities like this. You should seize it." Gallowayna's expression grew more serious as he put on the airs of an elder and began lecturing her.

Just then, Herlinni seemed to receive a signal and said coldly, "Fine. I'll take one step back. The Frostfire Ring plus four thousand gold, and this Demon Soul is yours."

Phyllis's face lit up, and she immediately agreed. "Deal."

Herlinni looked at Viola and said, "Miss, please appraise this Demon Soul. Ask Mr. Levenshtein to come over."

In Rayne's eyes, Herlinni and Gallowayna changed almost in sync. Their souls turned a deep cyan, revealing how nervous they were.

This confirmed beyond doubt that the two were in league with each other.

Viola had originally intended to refuse Herlinni's request, but she saw that Phyllis seemed somewhat displeased. Her eyes shifted, and she came up with an idea.

"Certainly." She agreed aloud, then called over a maid and gave her two quiet instructions. The maid immediately left.

To the others, it appeared that Viola had sent the maid to fetch a Soul Appraiser.

But Rayne heard her clearly. She had actually told the maid to make sure Levenshtein stayed in the trading room and absolutely did not come out.

After giving the order, Viola walked over and smiled at Phyllis. "Congratulations, Lady Phyllis, on obtaining the Mountain Giant's Demon Soul. This is a sign of your trust in our trade fair, and an even greater show of your support."

Rayne nearly laughed when he heard this.

This was no congratulations. She was clearly provoking Phyllis.

Sure enough, Phyllis's expression immediately darkened. All the good mood she had gained from obtaining Earthquake Pulse vanished in an instant.

She had come to the trade fair today to steal the spotlight and cause trouble. She hadn't expected to end up sending money to Viola.

If the transaction went through, she and Herlinni would have to pay a service fee. Calculated proportionally, it would exceed one thousand Gold Shields!

Looking at Viola's delighted smile, Phyllis wished she could hurl a Fireball at that face that made her burn with jealousy.

After gritting her teeth for a while, she finally couldn't hold back and shouted, "There's no need for you to appraise it. I'll do it myself."

The moment she said this, the entire hall erupted in an uproar, and many people's expressions changed.

Rayne had been secretly watching Gallowayna and Herlinni the entire time. Their expressions changed drastically, then they concealed it in an instant.

If the Violet House neither handled nor appraised the Demon Soul, then regardless of the result later, the Violet House wouldn't bear any responsibility.

That clearly wasn't what Gallowayna wanted to see.

Rayne could now be certain. This scam was aimed at Viola, and the mastermind behind it was Gallowayna.

"No."

Herlinni immediately objected, saying unhappily, "Lady Phyllis, what you're doing is rather unfair. We're all friends of Lady Viola. Completing a transaction at her establishment means we should pay the service fee."

"Besides, you aren't a professional Soul Appraiser. If it hasn't been appraised, then I won't sell it—"

Before he could finish, Phyllis interrupted him. "Who says I'm not a Soul Appraiser? I've seen more Demon Souls than you've eaten meals."

She suddenly reached out and grabbed. The Soul Stone in Herlinni's hand flew into the air. He jolted in fright and instinctively tried to catch it, but the Soul Stone dodged as if it possessed self-awareness, narrowly slipping past his fingers.

"What an incredible Psychic Hand." Some sharp-eyed guests recognized the spell.

Phyllis proudly caught the Soul Stone and brought it before her, examining it with extreme seriousness.

"You..." Herlinni was both anxious and furious, yet he didn't dare stop Phyllis from appraising it. Doing so would make him look guilty. If it exposed the Demon Soul as fake, he might even lose his life here.

Gallowayna, in the crowd, was so anxious that he nearly stamped his feet, but he couldn't step forward.

While the two men waited in trepidation, Phyllis quickly completed the appraisal and smiled with satisfaction. "As expected, it's Earthquake Pulse!"

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, the Soul Stone in her hand disappeared. In its place were four exquisite golden banknotes.

"Spatial Equipment!" someone shouted.

The people couldn't help marveling. Wizards from Pallas Floating City really were wealthy. Phyllis was actually carrying Spatial Equipment with her—an expensive item comparable to Epic Equipment.

The four golden banknotes flew up, wrapped around the Frostfire Ring, and steadily landed in Herlinni's stunned hands.

Phyllis said smugly, "These are gold notes from the Imperial Bank. Each one is worth one thousand Gold Shields and can be exchanged at any bank. I've included the Frostfire Ring as well. Check it yourself."

After saying this, she looked provocatively at Viola.

Viola pretended to be furious, but restrained by her dignity, she couldn't utter a single word.

Rayne decided to add fuel to the fire. He stepped forward, pointed at Phyllis, and deliberately spoke loudly. "Lady Phyllis, since you're unwilling to pay the service fee, this transaction has nothing to do with the Violet House. We offer no guarantee."

"I made the deal myself. What does it have to do with you?"

Having obtained Earthquake Pulse, saved over a thousand gold, and humiliated Viola, Phyllis was in high spirits. Her manner became increasingly arrogant, and she couldn't even be bothered to maintain basic courtesy. She tore off all pretense and said whatever she pleased.

Viola's expression grew even uglier, but she was actually happier than ever inside.

This was exactly what she had been waiting for Phyllis to say. If something went wrong later, she could use those words to shut down any objections and bear no responsibility.

So many people had heard it. Phyllis couldn't deny it, much less use the incident to ruin the Violet House's reputation.

Rayne reacted so quickly. He knew what I wanted to do, so we coordinated perfectly, Viola thought.

If she had lured Phyllis into saying those words herself, it would have seemed too deliberate, as if she had intentionally set a trap for Phyllis. People might later suspect that she was the mastermind behind the scam.

At that moment, Phyllis sized up Rayne's striking appearance, and the fire of jealousy in her heart suddenly blazed.

With utter disdain, she cursed, "What are you supposed to be? You useless freeloader. Get out of my way!"

The hall erupted into commotion. The guests' gazes moved back and forth between Rayne and Viola, their expressions full of amusement. Some were extremely envious, while others glared angrily at Rayne.

Viola didn't explain. Instead, she ordered Phyllis to leave. "You're not welcome here. Please leave."

Phyllis snorted. With a wave of her hand, Soul Power surged. A few seconds later, a Door of Anywhere appeared before her. She stepped inside and vanished, leaving the spectators staring at one another.

In the crowd, Herlinni held the Frostfire Ring and gold notes in both hands, which began to tremble. His face was deathly pale, and he showed none of the joy one would expect from completing a transaction.

Not far away, Gallowayna's face was even more livid.