The Scales

At the end of the tunnel was a stone door.

On the stone gate, there is also a pair of strange monster sculptures.

These are two strange bird-like creatures, with feathers standing up on their heads, forming the shape of a crown.

Upon seeing someone approaching, the stone sculpture's pupils, the size of dragon eyes, shone brightly, and the entire sculpture immediately came to life.

"This is the Erstic Bird, the bird of fortune, a legendary and mysterious creature said to have the ability to quickly identify and appraise valuables..." The old witch stepped aside, gesturing for Sulu to step forward. "To enter the high-end trade fair, you must present an item that satisfies it, and it will open the door for you."

'What a greedy bird...'

Sulu inwardly complained, but his expression remained completely unchanged.

Of course, with his face covered, no one can see his true expression.

"Then... this one will do!"

He thought for a moment, then simply handed over a stack of Silver Dollar bills.

"Beep beep!"

The eyes of the two Erstic Bird statues glowed like scanning lights, sweeping over the thick stack of banknotes in his hand. Suddenly, they opened their mouths and let out a melodious call.

Rumble!

Amidst the melodious chirping of birds, the stone door slowly opened, revealing the space inside.

"Please come in, I won't keep you company any longer."

The old witch bowed as she saw them off.

"What a... strange bird!"

Sulu exclaimed in admiration and stepped through the stone gate.

Value is a standard that is inherently difficult to measure.

If the standard were simply based on the mysterious content or precious metals, that would be one thing, but what they're offering is paper money! Purely guaranteed by the state's credit.

I don't know what criteria were used to determine the value of those two stone bird statues.

"Either... there are appraisers operating in the shadows, or it's purely the power of the mystical... the latter is far more terrifying!"

Sulu stepped into the space behind the stone gate and found himself in a plaza surrounded by different stone gates.

In the center of the square, there was a circle of sofas where groups of two or three cloaked figures gathered, all hiding their heads and peeking out, seemingly engaged in a salon of mystics.

Sulu didn't sit down immediately, but instead looked around curiously.

It appears that this place is also part of the ruins, perhaps its former owner's storeroom.

"A beautiful design, isn't it?"

Just as he was copying some patterns on the stone wall, a woman's voice came from over.

Sulu turned his head and saw a figure wearing a red cloak.

Although the voice is female, who it truly is remains a complete mystery.

"Yes, it has a very magical style; I think it must have been created by a [Wizard]!"

Sulu shrugged and answered indifferently.

"Indeed... the [Wizard] profession is different from the [Witch] profession!" said the female voice from under the red cloak.

[Witch] is a profession that can only be held by women, while [Wizard] is more balanced.

Sulu chatted with her for a few more minutes and discovered that she was probably a spellcaster, with a wealth of knowledge.

Clang! Clang!

Just as the woman in the red cloak was about to say more, a bell rang out from the center of the square.

"The transaction has begun, let's go!"

An invitation came from beneath the cloak.

"OK!"

Seeing groups of people arriving at the center, Sulu naturally followed and chose a long sofa to sit down.

Just then, the woman in the red cloak sat down next to him without any hesitation, and a rich fragrance wafted over.

"Everyone!"

After everyone was seated, an old man wearing a silver mask came to the center and spoke, "The Dawn of Gods arrived... it is our good fortune. Today we drink fine wine together, exchange what we have, and hope that in the future, we can forge the legendary path together!"

This person's voice wasn't loud, yet it seemed to be speaking directly into everyone's ears, and he possessed a mysterious aura.

Sulu felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that the other party must be a fourth-tier master-level professional.

Looking around, there were at least thirty people present, each of whom was at least at the second rank or higher.

It's fair to say that the elite of Charles City's outcast superhumans are probably all here.

'No... such extraordinary transactions might involve people from the Federal Bureau 11 and the Church!'

Finally, an oak staff appeared in the old man's hand, and he tapped it lightly.

Rumble!

In the center of the salon, a stone platform slowly rises, upon which sits a black balance scale with a vertical eye pattern in the middle.

"Is that... the ' Scale of Justice '?"

At that moment, Sulu heard the cloaked woman beside him murmuring in a low voice.

"The Scale of Justice?"

He asked out of curiosity.

"In the mythology of the New Continent... the native gods used scales to weigh the souls of believers to determine their piety and good or evil; that was the origin of the first divine artifact, the scales... While this Scale of Justice is far inferior to that great being, it is still a rare and mysterious object. It can weigh the value of two items and rarely makes a mistake."

The cloaked woman glanced at Sulu, seemingly realizing he was a newcomer, and explained to him.

"So that's how it is!"

Sulu nodded, knowing that this scale might be the source of the authentication ability of the sculpture on the door.

Furthermore, it is the foundation upon which such trade fairs are established, enabling the identification of counterfeit and substandard products.

However, each person's assessment of value may not be equal to the scales.

What it maintains is merely a generally fair environment.

"So... according to the rules, the guest from the Aries Star direction will speak first, and then proceed clockwise, is that alright?"

The masked old man looked around, nodded, and returned to his seat.

To Sulu's right, about five or six people's distance away, a bulky man in black robes stood up, walked to the central stone platform, and pulled a box from under his cloak. Inside was a strange purple flower the size of a bowl. "A magical material—one Perilla Orchid. Exchange it for a potion that enhances mental power, or sell it to Gold Dragon..."

'So that's Perilla Orchid?'

Sulu's eyes lit up. He knew this material was a key ingredient in preparing mid-to-high-level potions. This fat man looked like a spellcaster and seemed to be in dire need of mental energy potions.

"200 Gold Dragon!"

"220 Gold Dragon!"

"Vicious Potion, two standard doses!"

The people sitting around offered their prices, and the last potion offered by the green-robed man made Sulu's eyelids twitch.

'That's true... the Gaosuo tribe has existed for so long, the recipe might have been passed down by now!'

It was clear that this trader was desperately short of the potion; upon hearing the name of the Vicious Potion, his face lit up with joy. Ignoring the others' bids and the Gold Dragon's upward movement, he looked at the green-robed man and exclaimed, "Deal!"

During the transaction, they placed their respective items on Scale of Justice.

Sulu could see clearly that the box containing the Perilla Orchid was obviously tilted downwards, but this was a normal premium, and the transaction was reached after both parties agreed.