Freya

Jialan Auction House.

This is a high-end consumer venue in Red Stone City, and not just anyone has the qualifications to wander around inside, as an admission fee is required.

Entering the first floor alone costs ten thousand Ink Stones, wanting to go to the second floor costs one hundred thousand Ink Stones, and the highest-grade third floor requires the status of a Four-star Demon or above, or obtaining an invitation letter to enter.

At the entrance of the auction house, God-level powerhouses line up in twos and threes to enter. Today is the irregularly held high-end auction, which features some rare resources that are difficult to purchase even inside Blood Peak Castle.

Linley and the others arrive at this bustling commercial street. Looking at the quite lively scene, the clamoring crowd of God-level powerhouses are nonetheless orderly paying their money to enter, with no one daring to act presumptuously, solely because of the prefectural soldiers standing like javelins on both sides of the gate.

Dennis's voice transmission carries a hint of envy as he says, "It seems the rumor that the City Lord's Mansion holds shares in Jialan Auction House is probably true."

Linley replies via voice transmission with an indifferent, light chuckle, "This is not surprising at all. The industries capable of making big money within this city likely all have a share belonging to top-tier forces like Blood Peak Castle and the City Lord's Mansion. Having power in hand simply means taking advantage."

In the gap between their conversations, they show not the slightest intention of lining up, walking straight toward the other side of the main entrance, a scene that immediately attracts the attention of many people present.

"Look at those people!"

"Hmm? Mid-level Gods!"

"Heh, probably another bunch of arrogant and conceited fellows!"

"That's right, as if we wouldn't want to walk that way!"

When the crowd of God-level powerhouses carefully senses and discovers that Linley and the others are all Mid-level Gods, they sneer with disdain one after another, their faces displaying mocking and bantering expressions, preparing to watch their wretched appearance of being driven out.

"Stop..."

There is a white-clothed attendant in charge of reception at the entrance. Seeing these people walking over swaggeringly, he frowns and prepares to scold them, but suddenly the words at the brim of his mouth cut off abruptly. Seeing the VIP invitation letter taken out by the leading person, he is stunned, quickly changes his attitude, and says with a respectful, smiling face, "Welcome, my lord, please go right in."

Linley walks in front with a calm expression, and Thomas and the other three closely follow behind, while the white-clothed attendant raises no obstruction whatsoever.

The holders of VIP invitation letters have four free quotas to bring people along to enter together.

This is also quite reasonable and normal. After all, experts more or less have a few followers by their side, and they always have to be given some preferential privileges and convenience.

"How can this be, how are they able to go in?"

"Did I see wrong, those Mid-level Gods actually went inside!"

"Could it be that that side has been opened for permission?"

Seeing the five of them enter the auction house smoothly, some people who had been lining up with great difficulty are dumbfounded, and those who scoffed earlier are filled with even greater shock and embarrassment.

Two newly arrived Mid-level Gods at the tail end of the queue do not understand the situation and decide to make a bold attempt, joking with each other, "Let's go, we'll head over too. Why suffer and line up here? It's probably just paying a few more Ink Stones."

The result...

"Get lost! If you don't have an invitation letter, honestly go line up!"

The white-clothed attendant who had just been wearing a genial, smiling face immediately changes his attitude, driving them away with a disdainful and disgusted expression, which makes the two of them burn with embarrassment and scurry off in a fluster.

Big shops bully patrons, and ordinary God-level powerhouses simply cannot afford to provoke them, not even daring to show a trace of emotion, let alone continue lingering to let others treat them as a joke.

Linley and the others are unaware of the scene at the auction house entrance. They are following a female Mid-level God attendant with golden shoulder-length hair, stepping on the deep purple-jadeite ground to ascend to the second floor, and continuing further up to reach the third floor, entering private box number three.

Sitting inside the private box is a female Upper-level God with light-blue long hair. Upon seeing Linley and the others, her face instantly blooms into a smile as brilliant as a flower. She stands up and says, "Mr. Linley, I've heard of your great name for a long time. Let me introduce myself, Freya, the owner of this Jialan Auction House."

Linley raises an eyebrow slightly and says with a smile, "I am just an ordinary One-star Demon. When did I ever have such a big reputation to attract the attention of a Six-star Demon like Miss Freya?"

Freya shakes her head, her smile hearty as she says, "Being able to simultaneously kill several Five-star Demons, including Camilla, the master of Bloodthirsty Castle who was an expert close to a Six-star Demon—such a special One-star Demon is hard for people not to pay attention to, Mr. Linley."

Linley does not continue to delve into this topic, saying, "So?"

Compared to superficial words, expressions, and actions, Linley trusts the thought fluctuations sensed by his own magnetic field more, using this to judge whether someone's attitude toward him is well-intentioned or malicious.

The magnetic field radiated by this Freya is quite complex, containing both good intentions and malice, a bit like black and white mixed together into gray.

According to Linley's experiential analysis and judgment, it means this person harbors some bad intentions but possesses even more calmness, restraint, and wariness.

Summary: She is not a friendly person.

A facade that isn't absolute equals an absolute lack of a facade; she simply lacks an opportunity to make a move. Much like a piece of white paper, the moment it is stained with black spots it becomes defiled, and you can no longer say it is pure white paper.

A woman like Freya—if the time and place are right and dealing with benefits herself, she would immediately swap to a cold-blooded face.

Freya smiles and says, "Don't misunderstand, I simply wish to make a friend out of you, Linley."

She is inwardly astonished beyond measure. She is proficient in the Death Rule and is confident that her Soul Mastery alone is not inferior to some Seven-star Demons. Observing and sensing Linley at close range, he is indeed just a Mid-level God, yet he possesses the strength to rival a Six-star Demon, which is truly somewhat unbelievable.

Linley is noncommittal, saying, "I have some interest in Alchemy, only lacking a few key materials. Coincidentally, I received an invitation letter, so I came to the auction to see if there are any."

He certainly couldn't be bothered to make friends with a woman harboring hidden malicious intentions; she does not yet possess the qualifications to make him put up a pretense and act cordially. Right now, he is primarily willing to speak a few more words for the sake of benefits.

"Oh... What a coincidence, I also happen to understand a bit of Alchemy..."

Freya smiles indifferently, using this as an opening to converse with Linley. Soon, she is astonished to discover that he is truly not lying.

Linley indeed understands portions of Alchemical experience and techniques, though they are relatively shallow and he should have contacted this field only recently, yet he possesses some unique ideas of his own, which can already be considered quite rare.

Freya says proudly, "You've come to the right place. Some rare materials are difficult to purchase even in Blood Peak Castle and Black Sand Castle."

Linley nods; this is a fact. Even if he hadn't been invited this time, he would still pay attention to the auction house's information.

The items recovered within Blood Peak Castle are only priced at seventy percent of their selling price, and once the quantities are large, the price difference is astonishing. What they sell are also stable sources of supply that can be provided in batches, such as divine sparks, Divine Artifacts, Soul Gold Beads, soul potions, and other items.

Under such circumstances, naturally, some people choose to take risks for the sake of profits and head to black-market transactions like Black Sand Castle. That place is a mixed bag where the quality of goods relies entirely on personal experience to judge, and it is no exaggeration to say it is rampant with fake goods—if you buy one, consider yourself unlucky.

The nature of an auction house is relatively special. It provides appraisal. If one wishes to purchase rare resources with a strong personal color—such as soul venom refined by a certain master, or cultivation notes and technique insights from a certain expert—these are much more reliable than trying one's luck in Black Sand Castle, though the price will certainly be much more expensive.