The Compound Surname Dugu
The auction continued, with one item after another being presented, proceeding in an orderly manner.
Time flew by, and the auction came to an end in the blink of an eye. The final item was a fist-sized mass of the heart's essence from Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. It was perfectly preserved, with almost no loss of energy within it, and the final price was 210,000 Gold Soul Coin.
Judging from the whispers among the people in the room, Ling Yi combined the information he had noted down during his preparations and identified the buyer as Liu Daoren, the younger brother of the patriarch of the Dragon Lizard Liu Clan Family, one of the Grand Soul Master families in Shabak City. Liu Daoren was a Soul Ancestor Master in his thirties.
The essence and blood of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast are not easy to absorb. They provide limited enhancement to Soul Emperor and are too violent for Soul Elder.
Everyone was speculating about who the Liu Clan would let use this essence blood: a Soul King Rank patriarch or elder, or the young Soul Ancestor Liu Daoren.
After the auction ended, Ling Yi, carrying the stored-value card, completed two transactions with the auction house.
The first transaction was the proceeds from the auction of the "Sunken Silver Inner Armor," which sold for 48,000 Gold Soul Coin. After deducting a 10% handling fee, Ling Yi received 43,200 Gold Soul Coin.
For the second payment, Ling Yi needs to pay 100,000 Gold Soul Coin to settle the payment for the "Ruyi Hundred Treasure Purse" he had previously bid on, with the money being exchanged for the goods.
And so, after deducting the 43,200 Gold Soul Coin that he hadn't yet received, Ling Yi still had to transfer another 56,800 Gold Soul Coin to the auction house before he could get the protagonist's standard equipment that he had been longing for: the Storage Soul Tool - "Ruyi Hundred Treasure Purse"!
However, considering the material cost of the "Sunken Silver Inner Armor" of about three hundred Gold Soul Coin, Ling Yi felt that this was not a huge profit, but at least he did not make a loss.
With the "Ruyi Hundred Treasure Purse" tucked into his pocket, Ling Yi, accompanied by Jiang Yuan and others, walked out of the auction house. He appeared relaxed but was actually on high alert, constantly wary of being targeted because of the large Gold Soul Coin he had spent earlier.
Having walked only a hundred meters or so, Ling Yi paused, hesitating for less than half a breath before softly calling out to a figure ten meters away:
"Excuse me, senior, may I have a chat?"
When a pair of cold, sharp eyes looked over, Ling Yi raised his hand and pulled Jiang Yuan, who had instinctively blocked his way, aside. Facing the figure directly, a harmless smile appeared on his face, "For example, without paying the auction house's 10% handling fee, you can buy another ' Sunken Silver Inner Armor ' at the reserve price, whether as a spare or for family and friends..."
On a street corner, Ling Yi and his six companions stood facing a tall, thin middle-aged man. Because of the sparse pedestrian traffic, they went unnoticed. Those who did see them simply pretended not to have seen anything and quickly walked away.
From the moment Ling Yi spoke until they stopped three meters apart, the tall, thin middle-aged man remained silent, his dark green eyes fixed on Ling Yi for several breaths before turning his gaze to Jiang Yuan, who stood beside Ling Yi with a solemn expression.
As for Zhang Mufeng, Li Zhishu, and the other three standing next to Ling Yi and Jiang Yuan, they were completely ignored by the tall, thin middle-aged man.
However, unlike his stare at Ling Yi, the tall, thin middle-aged man merely glanced at Jiang Yuan before turning his attention back to Ling Yi.
"Call--"
The moment the gaze that had been directed at him shifted away, Jiang Yuan subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
Seemingly oblivious, Ling Yi stood confidently beside Jiang Yuan, his smile impeccable. He introduced himself with neither arrogance nor servility, "This junior, Ling Yi, is a Healing System Soul Master. Besides that, I am also a blacksmith. The ' Sunken Silver Inner Armor ' that sold at the auction was my humble work."
Faced with Ling Yi's words, the tall, thin middle-aged man remained noncommittal, looking at Ling Yi before speaking for the first time, asking:
"Tell me, how did you know that I bought that ' Sunken Silver Inner Armor '?"
How can you be sure I'd be willing to buy another one?
The voice wasn't loud; rather, it was rather deep. But when it rang out at this street corner, it carried a terrifying and awe-inspiring power to Ling Yi and Jiang Yuan.
Jiang Yuan was on high alert, while Ling Yi's face paled just right, looking as if he couldn't bear the pressure, but he forced himself to reply, "Senior, when I introduced myself to you before, I mentioned that I am a blacksmith..."
He paused, carefully observing the tall, thin middle-aged man's expression, and then said, "That ' Sunken Silver Inner Armor ' was made by my own hands, and I am extremely familiar with it. In addition, I have a naturally keen sense of smell, and I smelled a very faint scent of ' Blue Sea Sunken Silver Alloy ' on you."
This smell is very unique. Currently, only the "Blue Sea Sunken Silver Alloy" developed by younger generations and the "Sunken Silver Inner Armor" made with the "Blue Sea Sunken Silver Alloy" have this smell on the mainland.
Furthermore, this scent only lasts for about a month after it's been created; as time goes by, the scent will gradually dissipate completely...
Upon hearing Ling Yi's introduction, the tall, thin middle-aged man's facial expression remained unchanged, but his eyes showed several shifts in expression.
When he first heard Ling Yi introduce himself as a Healing System Soul Master and a blacksmith, a fleeting look of astonishment appeared in his eyes. He clearly hadn't expected that this incredibly handsome young man was actually a blacksmith wielding a sledgehammer by the furnace.
But when Ling Yi said that the "Sunken Silver Inner Armor," which was strong enough to withstand more than five attacks from the Fourth Soul Skill Power Attack System Soul Master, was actually made by Ling Yi himself, the tall, thin middle-aged man doubted whether the handsome young man in front of him was making fun of him.
Even if a tall, thin middle-aged man doesn't know much about the blacksmith profession, he still has some basic common sense.
Throughout the Douluo Continent, spanning hundreds of thousands of years, there has never been a Master Blacksmith or Grandmaster Blacksmith who achieved this level of skill in his teens.
Even among the Divine Craftsman, I've never heard of anyone becoming Grandmaster Blacksmith in their teens; Blacksmith is more like it.
Then, Ling Yi revealed that he had developed the material used to forge the "Sunken Silver Inner Armor," the "Blue Sea Sunken Silver Alloy." This immediately brought the tall, thin middle-aged man's suspicions to a head.
Later, when he heard that the "Blue Sea Sunken Silver Alloy" and the "Sunken Silver Inner Armor" would have a special smell, a fierce glint appeared in the tall, thin middle-aged man's eyes. It was only when he heard that the smell would dissipate after a month that the fierce glint disappeared.
On the other side, Ling Yi, who seemed completely oblivious to all the changes in the tall, thin middle-aged man's eyes, continued, "As for confirming whether you, senior, would be willing to buy another one..."
"I was just trying to suggest it. If it works out, great. If you don't want to, I won't dare to bother you any further."
As he spoke, a slightly embarrassed expression appeared on Ling Yi's face. "In this world of sales, you just have to be a little thick-skinned. When you encounter a potential customer, you should go up and promote your product or service. You're bound to make some progress..."
"..." The tall, thin middle-aged man looked at Ling Yi's shy appearance with some speechlessness, but his fierceness subsided a bit.
After a few moments of silence, the tall, thin middle-aged man uttered five words succinctly. "My surname Dugu."
About ten minutes later.
Ling Yi and his group of six returned to the hotel, accompanied by a tall, thin middle-aged man with black hair and green eyes.
Inside the hotel's private room, Ling Yi and Jiang Yuan stood side by side. Ling Yi gestured and said with a smile, "Senior Dugu, please—"
At this time, Li Zhishu was asked by Ling Yi to prepare a big meal in the hotel kitchen, while Zhang Mufeng and the other two went to find the people of the [Blacksmith Association - Water Wood Duchy] and then look for a blacksmith shop with better conditions.
After that, we will most likely need to use some of the tools from the blacksmith's shop.
It's 1:30 AM, I can't stay up any longer. Thank you to everyone who voted with monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and tips! I'll post the complete list tomorrow at noon~