The Unseen Value

Inside the VIP room, the air was filled with a tranquil fragrance.

A contract tanned from the hide of a magical beast was gently pushed toward Su Chen by a fair, flawless hand.

"This is the standard consignment contract for our Miteer Auction House."

Ya Fei's voice had returned to the professional and composed tone expected of a chief auctioneer; the deliberate allure she had cultivated earlier receded like a retreating tide.

She leaned back against the soft sofa, her fiery red qipao still tracing breathtaking curves, but the aura she radiated now was that of a shrewd and sharp-eyed merchant.

"The starting price is fifty gold coins, and we take a ten percent commission on the final sale. Furthermore, considering the unique nature of this Rock Fire Seed, I can take the liberty of arranging it for our small-scale auction three days from now as one of the finale items."

Her logic was clear, and the terms she offered were already quite sincere for a stranger collaborating for the first time.

"You only need to sign your name here, and you won't need to worry about anything else afterward."

She gestured for him to proceed, her peach-blossom eyes fixed on Su Chen with a faint, shallow smile.

In her view, this deal was already settled.

Su Chen did not move.

His gaze did not even linger for a moment on the valuable contract.

He simply picked up the cup of tea before him, which had long since gone cold, and took a light sip, letting the slightly bitter liquid slide down his throat.

The room fell into a brief silence.

The smile on Ya Fei's face remained unchanged, but her long, slender fingers, which had been tapping against the sofa armrest, paused almost imperceptibly.

What is he waiting for?

Finally, Su Chen set down the teacup.

The bottom of the cup struck the expensive rosewood table with a crisp, clear sound.

In the quiet room, it sounded exceptionally sharp.

"Miss Ya Fei."

Su Chen looked up, meeting those probing eyes with a calm expression.

"I have a question."

"Please, go ahead."

Ya Fei's red lips curled slightly upward.

"If this bottle of fire were merely a curiosity obtained by chance, then it would indeed be a rare treasure."

Su Chen's voice was unhurried, as if he were stating the simplest of facts.

"But if..."

He paused, each word sounding as if it had been precisely calculated.

"What if it wasn't by chance?"

Ya Fei's peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly.

"What if I told you that I can provide, on a long-term and stable basis, Rock Fire Seeds that are identical in quality, energy, and stability to this one?"

"Then, what would it be?"

Boom!

That final question struck Ya Fei's heart like an invisible heavy hammer.

The smile on her face froze completely at that moment.

Long-term!

Stable!

Identical!

To a layman, these three words might not carry much weight.

But to Ya Fei, and to a behemoth like the Miteer Auction House that thrived on trading rare resources, the implications behind these three words were enough to trigger an earthquake!

What did this mean?

It meant that the bottle of fire before her would no longer be a "rare treasure" dependent on luck.

It would become a "commodity" that could be valued, mass-produced, and supplied consistently!

A standardized, perfect, strategic commodity capable of changing the landscape for low-level alchemists throughout Wutan City and even the surrounding regions!

Alchemists would no longer need to expend vast amounts of energy suppressing the violent and impure inferior beast fires.

The success rate of pill refinement would see a leap in improvement!

And blacksmiths would finally possess a stable source of fire to forge weapons that demanded the most rigorous control over heat!

The potential profit contained within this was so immense that even she, a chief auctioneer accustomed to seeing gold coins, felt a tremor of heart-palpitating excitement.

The air inside the VIP room seemed to have been sucked dry in that instant.

Ya Fei no longer leaned back; she slowly straightened her posture, and those peach-blossom eyes, once filled with lazy charm, were now as sharp as blades.

She stared fixedly at Su Chen, seemingly trying to find even the slightest trace of bragging or lying on that excessively young face.

But she was disappointed.

On that face, there was only calmness.

A calmness so unfamiliar, and so nearly terrifying, that it unsettled her.

A long while passed.

Only then did Ya Fei recover her voice, a voice that carried a hint of dryness she herself had not even noticed.

"Do you have any idea what you are saying?"

"I do."

Su Chen nodded.

"Do you have any idea how many jackals this 'standardized' business of yours will attract the moment it appears?"

Ya Fei's voice turned abruptly cold.

"The Jialie Clan, the Aoba Clan, or even the City Lord's Mansion... no faction in Wutan City will allow something capable of breaking the balance to remain in the hands of a boy with no foundation."

"They will pounce like sharks smelling blood, swallowing you whole, skin and bones alike!"

"They will use every possible method to pry open your mouth and dig out the secret of how you can provide a 'stable supply'!"

Her words were like a basin of ice water poured over his head.

Every single word carried the bloody reality of the situation.

This was her keenness as a chief auctioneer.

In an instant, she had seen through the deadly murderous intent hidden beneath this immense wealth.

Su Chen's heart contracted uncontrollably.

What Ya Fei described was exactly the nightmare he had just personally experienced.

Yet, he did not show a shred of cowardice.

Because this was exactly what he wanted.

He wanted Ya Fei to see this value, and the fatal risks lurking behind it.

"Therefore..."

Su Chen met her icy gaze and said, word by word.

"I need a partner."

"A partner strong enough to fend off all the jackals for me."

"A partner... who can allow me to stand tall and earn my money in peace."

Ya Fei's breath hitched sharply.

She finally understood.

The youth before her had not come here simply to auction off an item from the very beginning.

He was using a future capable of overturning the market to trade for... a protective talisman!

A protective talisman from the Mite'er Family!

What a grand move!

What deep calculations!

What a... fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth!

Ya Fei looked at Su Chen, and for the first time, a flicker of genuine shock emerged from the depths of those eyes, which were as sharp as knives.

She asked herself how many geniuses and ambitious figures she had seen.

Yet, she had never seen anyone at this age possess such courage and foresight.

He was not just here to sell something.

He was using himself, and the secret he held, to engage in a high-stakes gamble!

The stake was his life.

And the gambling table he chose was her, Ya Fei, and the Miteer Auction House behind her.

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Ya Fei's fingertips traced unconsciously across the rosewood tabletop.

She was weighing the options.

On one side was the immense risk of cooperating with a mysterious youth. Although the Miteer Auction House was powerful, was it worth going to full-scale war with the local snakes of Wutan City for the sake of an outsider?

On the other side was the immeasurable, massive profit of monopolizing a brand-new strategic resource.

This profit was enough to elevate the status of the Miteer Auction House in Wutan City to the next level, completely squeezing the market districts of the Xiao Clan and the Aoba Clan until they could no longer survive.

A long moment passed.

Ya Fei suddenly smiled.

That smile no longer held a trace of coquetry, nor a hint of coldness.

It was as if a burden had been lifted, replaced by the appreciation and excitement of having finally met a worthy opponent.

She reached out and picked up the standard, boilerplate contract from the table.

Then, under Su Chen's watchful gaze.

She gently rubbed her hands together.

"Riiip--"

The contract, which would have sent an ordinary person into a frenzy of joy, was torn in two without a moment's hesitation.

She tossed the scrap paper into a nearby bin, her movements elegant yet imbued with an unquestionable decisiveness.

"A standard contract is not worthy of our future partner."

Ya Fei stood up, her graceful, lithe figure casting a faint shadow over Su Chen.

She extended a hand, white as jade, toward him.

"Let me introduce myself."

"Mite'er Auction House, Chief Auctioneer of Wutan City, Ya Fei."

"From this moment on, you are the highest-level secret partner of the Mite'er Family."

"We will provide you with the most comprehensive protection to ensure your safety within Wutan City. In exchange, all of your 'Rock Fire Seeds' must, and can only, be sold exclusively through the Mite'er Auction House."

Her voice was resolute and powerful.

Su Chen looked at the slender hand before him, which seemed to hold infinite power, and the heavy stone that had been weighing on his heart all night finally crashed to the ground.

He had won his gamble.

He reached out and gently grasped her cool, soft hand.

They touched and parted instantly.

"Su Chen."

This was the first time he had stated his name to a truly significant figure in this world.

Ya Fei nodded in satisfaction.

She retrieved an exquisite badge from her storage ring, crafted entirely from purple gold and engraved with the emblem of the Mite'er Family.

She handed the badge to Su Chen.

"This is our Purple Gold VIP Badge; there are no more than five in all of Wutan City. With it, you may freely enter any part of the auction house and mobilize a squad of guards to ensure your safety."

"It also serves to tell those blind flies..."

Ya Fei's peach-blossom eyes swept toward the window, looking out at the brightly lit nightscape of Wutan City.

"That you are under my protection."