Miteer Auction House, top-floor secret room.
At the very center of the room, a diamond-shaped crystal the size of a human head floated in midair, its surface rippling with a mercury-like sheen.
It was the highest-grade long-distance communication crystal in the Miteer Chamber of Commerce. Each time it was activated, it consumed enough energy to keep an ordinary family comfortably provided for a lifetime.
Ya Fei stood quietly before the crystal. Her fiery-red qipao outlined her curvaceous figure to perfection.
She had just finished her final report on the auction.
"One million five hundred thousand gold coins..."
An aged, dignified voice came from the other end of the crystal, carrying a trace of satisfaction.
"Ya Fei, you did well this time. That figure set a new record for a single item at the Wutan City branch in nearly a decade. Several elders in the Imperial Capital are very pleased."
"Serving the family is my duty."
Ya Fei dipped into a slight curtsy. Her voice was alluring, yet neither servile nor arrogant.
The crystal flickered, and the voice spoke again, now carrying a hint of condescending scrutiny.
"Go on. You invoked the highest authority and called this emergency council meeting. I assume you didn't do it just to share good news."
Ya Fei lifted her head. Her mesmerizing, peach-blossom eyes calmly fixed on the communication crystal before her.
"Third Elder, the mysterious supplier refused the one million three hundred and fifty thousand gold coins earned from this auction."
At those words, the other end of the crystal fell briefly silent.
A moment later, a sharper voice cut in, full of disbelief.
"What? He refused? What does he mean by that? Does he think our commission is too high? What a joke!"
"Ya Fei, are you sure you heard him right? Who in this world would turn down money?"
Another deep voice chimed in, its displeasure plain.
Ya Fei ignored the clamor of questions. Her voice remained calm and clear, reaching every person listening.
"He doesn't want the money."
"He wants to exchange that sum, along with the profits from all our future dealings, for two things from the Mittel Family."
"First, access to the most comprehensive intelligence network in the empire."
"Second, absolutely secure commercial routes spanning the entire empire."
Silence.
This time, the silence stretched on.
Even the light of the communication crystal seemed to freeze.
A few breaths later, a pent-up fury erupted from the other end!
"Outrageous!"
The sharp voice that had spoken first now sounded gratingly shrill.
"This is sheer fantasy! Who does he think he is? The Imperial Family?! He opens his mouth and demands the very lifeblood of the Mittel Family!"
"Ya Fei! Has this success gone to your head? You actually brought such an absurd demand before the elders' council!"
"One million gold coins—that's real profit! Intelligence and trade routes, on the other hand, are bottomless pits that take countless people and resources to maintain! He wants to use our money to buy our services! Since when was there such a good deal?"
"He has ulterior motives! I say he's using this as an excuse to pry into our chamber's internal secrets!"
Their doubts and scoldings crashed through the communication crystal like a tide, battering Ya Fei.
Like sharks scenting blood, they tried to tear this audacious proposal to shreds with the most vicious suspicions.
Ya Fei listened quietly.
She neither argued nor grew angry.
Her lovely, alluring face showed not the slightest trace of emotion.
Only after every voice had gradually fallen silent under the weight of her silence did she slowly raise a hand and gently tap one slender finger against the rosewood table before her.
Tap.
The sound was soft, yet it clearly drowned out the faint hum still coming from the crystal.
"Have you all finished, Elders?"
Her voice remained alluring, but now carried a chill that brooked no argument.
"If so, then it's my turn."
The people on the other end seemed taken aback by her sudden assertiveness.
Ya Fei leaned forward slightly. Her peach-blossom eyes seemed to pierce through space and see the faces in that secret room in the Imperial Capital—some stunned, some furious, others disdainful.
"First."
Her voice turned crisp and sharp, like a drawn sword.
"You see only the one million three hundred and fifty thousand gold coins. You don't see what lies behind them."
"They represent the fact that this gentleman possesses mysterious knowledge of flames unlike anything we have ever heard of."
"Today, he brought out a 'stone' that can sense Heavenly Flames."
"Then tomorrow, might he bring out something a hundred times more precious than that stone?"
"What about the day after?"
"He might even bring out... a real Heavenly Flame!"
Those words struck every heart like a heavy hammer.
On the other end of the crystal, even their breathing grew heavier.
Ya Fei gave them no time to think. She continued.
"Second: alchemists. How much does the Mittel Family spend each year to support and win over those haughty alchemists?"
"And this gentleman's technique holds a fatal allure for any alchemist. We saw it clearly in Master Otto's almost uncomposed expression today."
"Gain control of it, and we gain a shortcut for attracting high-level alchemists one after another! Elders, do you think a mere one million gold coins could buy us that?"
The secret room was so quiet, one could hear a pin drop.
The elders, who had been so aggressive moments earlier, now fell silent.
Every word Ya Fei spoke struck precisely at the interests they cared about most.
She slowly straightened. Her fiery-red qipao blazed like a burning flame.
Her voice rose to a decisive, unwavering peak.
"Third, and most important!"
"With money, we can trade with him once, twice, ten times. Our relationship will always be nothing more than a simple transaction. He can sell to us today, then sell to the Alchemist Guild—or even the Imperial Family—tomorrow!"
"But!"
"If we bind him closely to the Mittel Family through our intelligence network and trade routes, then every 'product' of his will bear the Mittel name! All his value will become a strategic resource exclusive to our family!"
"That's a monopoly money can never buy!"
"Elders, would you rather make a quick profit, or own a gold mine that keeps producing gold?"
Her words landed with the weight of iron.
She had dissected the very essence of business, exposing it down to the bone.
The other end of the crystal fell completely silent.
After a long while, the dignified voice that had spoken first finally sounded again, slow and measured. This time, it carried a note of gravity.
"Ya Fei, your analysis makes sense."
"But the risk is too great."
"We know nothing about him. To stake the family's core resources on a mysterious stranger of unknown origins is a gamble."
"If we lose, the Mittel Family will become a laughingstock throughout the empire."
At that, Ya Fei smiled.
Her smile was alluring and captivating, yet it carried a reckless, all-conquering confidence.
She stepped forward, approaching the communication crystal.
Her mesmerizing face was almost pressed against its surface.
Word by word, in a voice powerful enough to shake the entire Imperial Capital Elder Council, she laid down her final stake.
"I, Ya Fei, stake my position as the Mittel Family's chief auctioneer!"
"I stake all my future prospects within the family!"
"I stake everything I have on this gamble!"
"I'm betting on him!"
"I'm betting that he will usher in a whole new era of flames for the Mittel Family!"
Boom!
It was as if her resolute conviction had set the entire secret room ablaze.
The crystal's light flickered violently, as though it could not bear the astonishing force behind her words.
A long while passed.
A long while.
Only then did the crystal's light slowly settle.
The dignified voice finally spoke, carrying a distant, complicated sigh.
"...Fine."
"Ya Fei, the family will gamble with you this once."
"From this moment on, you have full authority over all matters concerning this mysterious supplier. You may mobilize the resources of every branch in the empire."
"Don't let the family down."
"And don't let yourself down."
With that, the communication crystal's light slowly dimmed, then finally went out.
Ya Fei's body swayed slightly.
She reached out and steadied herself against the table.
The hair at her temples was damp with cold sweat that had gathered without her noticing, clinging to her smooth forehead.
She slowly closed her eyes.
A great wave of exhaustion washed over her.
Matching wits with those old foxes in the family had taken far more out of her than hosting a grand auction.
But when she opened her eyes again, all the weariness had vanished from her alluring, peach-blossom eyes. In its place shone an unprecedented, dazzling light.
She had won.
For him, and for herself, she had won a future capable of turning the entire empire on its head.
Night lay heavy.
In the dilapidated little courtyard south of the city, Su Chen sat quietly by the window. A cup of tea on the table had gone cold long ago, still untouched.
The courtyard gate was gently pushed open by a delicate hand.
A fiery-red figure appeared in the doorway, bringing with her a captivating waft of fragrance.
Ya Fei looked at the slender silhouette seated in the darkness. She did not enter, but leaned against the doorframe.
Her voice was hoarse from the battle of wills, yet filled with barely concealed excitement.
"Starting today."
"The Mittel intelligence network and transport routes across the Jia Ma Empire..."
"Are open to you."
Before you continue