The aftershocks of the auction still rippled through the city.
Yet inside the private room on the top floor of the Miteer Auction House, all was quiet.
A delicate fragrance curled up from the beast-head incense burner in the corner, soothing the mind.
Ya Fei reclined against the soft sofa, her fiery red qipao tracing her breathtaking curves to perfection.
Before her, on the costly rosewood table, lay a thin banknote.
It was no ordinary piece of paper, but a top-grade gold note issued by the Jia Ma Empire Royal Bank, specially made from the hide of a magical beast.
The figure printed on it was enough to drive any Dou Wang expert wild.
One million three hundred and fifty thousand.
After deducting the ten percent commission, this was proof of the mysterious gentleman's overnight fortune.
Ya Fei was in an excellent mood.
The auction had not only brought her astonishing results, but had also raised her name, Ya Fei, another notch among the powerful figures of the empire's northeastern region.
And it was all thanks to that mysterious man who was always hidden beneath a bamboo hat.
The private-room door was gently pushed open from outside by a maid.
A slender figure walked in at an unhurried pace.
Still the same inconspicuous gray shirt, still the same battered bamboo hat pulled low over his face.
Su Chen.
Ya Fei's red lips curved into a charming smile from the heart.
She extended her slender hand and gently pushed the gold note toward the other side of the table.
"Congratulations, Mr. Su."
Her voice carried a lazy, husky quality, enough to make any man's bones go soft.
"A million in assets overnight. I doubt there's anyone else in the entire Jia Ma Empire capable of such a feat."
Su Chen walked up to the table and sat in the guest seat that had been prepared for him.
His gaze rested on the gold note for a moment.
The astronomical figure printed on it gleamed golden in the soft light of the Moonstone.
Anyone else would have had their heart racing and their breathing quickening by now.
Su Chen, however, merely glanced at it calmly.
Then he reached out.
He made a move that instantly froze the smile on Ya Fei's face.
He gently pushed the gold note—enough to change countless people's fates—back toward her.
His movement was light.
The note slid silently across the smooth rosewood tabletop, finally stopping beside Ya Fei's hand.
An eerie silence fell over the entire private room.
Even the delicate fragrance in the air seemed to grow heavy.
Ya Fei's jade hand, holding her teacup, froze in midair.
For the first time, her captivating peach-blossom eyes showed nothing but pure shock and confusion.
"Sir, what do you mean?"
She slowly lowered her teacup. The laziness had vanished from her voice, replaced by a note of unmistakable seriousness.
"Are you dissatisfied with the Miteer Family's share?"
It was the only explanation she could think of.
Su Chen shook his head.
From beneath the shadow of his bamboo hat came a steady voice, devoid of emotion.
"Miss Ya Fei, you've misunderstood."
"I don't need the money for now."
Ya Fei's brows furrowed even more.
She couldn't follow this man's train of thought at all.
He had gone to all this trouble, made such a grand spectacle, drawn in countless powerful figures, and driven an extraordinary item to a sky-high price.
And in the end, he said he didn't want the money?
Was there anyone in the world who did business like this?
What exactly does he want?
Thoughts raced through Ya Fei's mind.
Su Chen didn't leave her guessing for long.
He shifted into a more comfortable position, leaning back against the soft chair.
"I don't want the money."
"I want to use this sum, along with the profits from all our future cooperation, to obtain two things from the Miteer Family."
Ya Fei leaned forward slightly.
She knew the real conversation had begun.
Su Chen raised one finger.
"First, I need access to the most detailed and comprehensive intelligence network within the Jia Ma Empire."
His voice was measured and unhurried, every word crystal clear.
"I need to know everything within the empire concerning strange flames, Beast Flames, ancient ruins, and the legacies of alchemist families in decline."
"The intelligence I need must be fast and accurate."
Ya Fei's pupils contracted slightly.
The Miteer Chamber of Commerce's intelligence network was one of the family's true lifelines. Its value could not be measured in money.
This man had gone straight for the heart of the family.
His appetite was even greater than she had imagined.
Su Chen paid no heed to her astonishment and calmly raised a second finger.
"Second, I need the Miteer Family's trade routes, which span the entire empire."
"I need a transport line that's absolutely safe and absolutely discreet."
"One that can deliver my 'goods' to any corner of the empire, into the hands of any buyer, while avoiding all unnecessary trouble."
When Su Chen finished his final word,
the entire private room sank into a deathly silence.
Ya Fei sat motionless, staring blankly. Her charming face was now utterly stricken with shock and disbelief.
She looked at Su Chen.
For the first time, she felt she couldn't see through the man hidden beneath that bamboo hat at all.
A madman!
A complete and utter madman!
He was giving up more than a million gold coins within easy reach, along with the enormous profits that would keep pouring in down the line.
And in exchange, he wanted something as intangible as intelligence and a transport network?
A shrewd merchant would never, ever make such a choice!
Money was wealth that could be seen and touched.
But intelligence and trade routes? What were they? A bottomless pit! A massive machine that demanded a constant injection of vast sums just to keep running!
Was he using his own money to buy the Miteer Family's services?
By any calculation, it was a loss!
And yet,
just as the absurdity of it all reached its peak,
a thought suddenly exploded in Ya Fei's mind without warning!
Her body shuddered violently.
Her beautiful eyes, unfocused with shock, came back into focus.
And then they blazed with a dazzling brilliance she had never shown before!
She understood.
At last, she understood!
He didn't want money at all!
To him, money was merely a number, a lever with which to pry open a far greater game!
What he wanted was the... framework for building a mighty empire!
The intelligence network was that empire's eyes and ears. It would let it see every shift in the empire, uncovering every potential "treasure."
The trade routes were that empire's lifeblood and limbs. They would let its influence spread from the tiny corner of Wutan City to every pore of the empire!
And the endless stream of flame-related "goods" in his hands would be the army he used to storm cities and seize territory, an invincible force...
He wasn't plotting to become a wealthy merchant.
He meant to become a hidden... king who controlled every flame in the empire!
The realization made Ya Fei's heart pound violently, beyond her control.
A shiver that rose from the depths of her soul sent every hair on her body standing on end.
It wasn't fear.
It was the overwhelming awe and shock of glimpsing a true dragon, gathering strength in the depths, ready to soar into the heavens at any moment and churn the winds and clouds of the entire continent!
She looked at Su Chen.
Beneath that battered bamboo hat, he no longer seemed like a slender young man.
He seemed like a mastermind, seated upon a throne, calmly looking down over the entire board.
Ya Fei slowly drew a deep breath.
Her breathtaking curves rose and fell with it.
She knew she faced a choice that could change her own future—and even the fate of the entire Miteer Family.
Should she reject him and safely earn the million in commission she could see before her?
Or...
Should she bet everything, tying herself and the entire Miteer Auction House to his seemingly insane venture, one brimming with limitless possibilities?
The answer took shape in her heart almost instantly.
She slowly reached out and took back the gold note representing an immense fortune.
That gesture was her answer.
Ya Fei raised her head. Her pale, excited face blossomed into a smile more solemn and radiant than any she had ever shown.
"Your request exceeds what I can decide on my own."
Her voice trembled slightly with excitement, but every word was filled with unwavering resolve.
"However, in my personal capacity, I will submit an application of the highest priority to the family headquarters."
She rose to her feet and bowed slightly to Su Chen across the table.
It was a gesture of equality, tinged with respect.
"I believe that as long as the old men in the family aren't fools, they'll understand just how... terrifying the value of your investment is."
Before you continue