"No, this is a Verdant Twin-Blade Demon." Yue Shen took out the magic crystal and placed it on the platform. "But judging by its appearance, it was close to evolving, so it should fetch a little more."
The middle-aged appraiser nodded. "Since you have the magic crystal as well, we can set the starting bid at two thousand gold coins. Given the rarity of a Quasi-Gold-Patterned Twin-Blade Demon, the final price will probably be considerably higher."
The man took out a black Identity Token and handed it to Yue Shen. A magic crystal was embedded in the front, while Yue Shen's number was written on the back.
"After the auction, present this at the counter opposite to collect your gold. We recognize the token, not the person." After giving those instructions, the middle-aged appraiser turned to examine Long Haochen's auction item.
Several staff members then emerged from behind the counter and were about to take away Yue Shen's Quasi-Gold-Patterned Twin-Blade Demon corpse.
"Wait! Wait!"
An urgent voice suddenly came from behind Yue Shen.
A figure lunged forward a moment later, shielding Yue Shen's auction item.
Long emerald hair, clean, tidy mage robes, a somewhat slender build, sharply defined features, and a fair face...
The guy looked like an obvious bottom. Who else could he be but Lin Xin, the resident peacock of Long Haochen's Demon Hunt Squad?
Yue Shen said nothing and merely stood there, feeling a little awkward.
Lin Xin was practically sprawled over the corpse, stroking the Verdant Twin-Blade Demon's carapace with an intoxicated expression.
He was also muttering, "This is my first time seeing the corpse of a Verdant Twin-Blade Demon that was about to evolve into a Gold-Patterned Twin-Blade Demon."
"Please wait a moment." Lin Xin straightened and addressed the middle-aged appraiser. "I want to buy this Verdant Twin-Blade Demon corpse right now."
With that, Lin Xin took a black card from his mage robes and held it out to the middle-aged appraiser.
Upon seeing the black card in Lin Xin's hand, the appraiser immediately adopted a respectful tone. "Honored guest, if you wish to purchase an auction item in advance, you must first obtain the seller's consent."
Only then did Lin Xin turn around and focus his attention on Yue Shen.
"Huh?"
The expression on Lin Xin's face froze, as though he had seen something unbelievable.
Yue Shen saw him make no other move, but his eyes suddenly went wide.
Yue Shen: "???"
"Ahem. Sorry, brother. I got a little carried away." Lin Xin cleared his throat a few times, walked up to Yue Shen, and said, "In all my life, this is the first time I've met someone more handsome than me."
"Pfft!" Li Xin and Lin Jialu burst out laughing beside them.
"I don't think you were just getting carried away..." Yue Shen said helplessly. "I can sell it to you privately. Name your price. If it's right, it's yours."
If Yue Shen remembered correctly, Lin Xin had a way to determine other people's ages and cultivation levels.
His exaggerated reaction just now most likely meant he had discovered Yue Shen's secret.
"Since you're willing to part with the magic crystal too..." Lin Xin considered for a moment. "I'll offer six thousand gold coins. What do you think, brother?"
"No problem," Yue Shen agreed immediately. "There's another Verdant Twin-Blade Demon corpse over there. Why not buy that one too? We're all together."
At that, Lin Xin turned to look at Long Haochen and the counter in front of him.
Lin Xin: "!!!"
"I'll take it!" Lin Xin replied at once. "However many Demon corpses like these you have, I'll buy them all. And my prices will be much higher than what they'd fetch at auction."
"Isn't that right, sir?" Lin Xin turned to the middle-aged appraiser.
"Yes, please rest assured." The middle-aged appraiser took out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Lord Lin's offers are all higher than previous auction prices.
"For instance, although your Quasi-Gold-Patterned Twin-Blade Demon is rare, others have appeared before. The highest price one has ever fetched was only five thousand gold coins."
"If this Verdant Twin-Blade Demon corpse doesn't have its magic crystal, I can only offer two thousand gold coins." Lin Xin examined the auction item in front of Long Haochen and named his price.
"Without the magic crystal, it probably wouldn't fetch more than fifteen hundred gold coins," the middle-aged appraiser added. "Besides, an ordinary Verdant Twin-Blade Demon corpse isn't as rare as that gentleman's."
"All right." Long Haochen nodded, accepting Lin Xin's offer as well.
"Then it's a deal."
After putting Yue Shen's and Long Haochen's Verdant Twin-Blade Demon corpses into his Storage Ring, Lin Xin took a card from inside his robes.
"Do you have Magic Crystal Cards? If you do, I can transfer the money directly to you," Lin Xin asked.
"No," Yue Shen replied.
Long Haochen said nothing and merely shook his head.
"Let me introduce myself first." Lin Xin draped his left arm over Yue Shen's shoulders and reached toward Long Haochen's shoulder with his right hand.
Long Haochen seemed to dislike people who acted overly familiar. He shifted slightly to the side, avoiding Lin Xin's hand.
Of course, Yue Shen wasn't particularly fond of such people either. But what could he do? The man was about to transfer six thousand gold coins to him.
Lin Xin didn't mind. He chuckled and said, "My name's Lin Xin. With all three of us being such fine-looking fellows, shouldn't we get to know each other?"
"Yue Shen."
"Long Haochen."
"Good names, good names." Lin Xin laughed, then led the two of them to the gold collection counter opposite to help them apply for Magic Crystal Cards.
The application process for a Magic Crystal Card was not only cumbersome but also required a handling fee of one hundred gold coins.
Lin Xin, however, was a VIP here. He merely took out his VIP Card and waved it in front of the staff without even saying a word.
The staff behind the counter promptly prepared two brand-new Magic Crystal Cards for Yue Shen and Long Haochen, waiving their handling fees as well.
Money really did let you do whatever you wanted, wherever you went.
Taking the Magic Crystal Card from the staff member, Yue Shen held it up to examine it.
The Magic Crystal Card was only about half the size of his palm, somewhat resembling a bank card from his previous life.
A gemstone was embedded in its surface, and completing registration required an infusion of internal spiritual power after the card was issued.
As such, only professionals of the third tier or above could apply for a Magic Crystal Card.
Moreover, everyone's spiritual power had its own unique characteristics, and using a Magic Crystal Card also required an infusion of spiritual power, so unauthorized use or loss was never an issue.
Transfers were even simpler. Both parties only had to write the amount on their Magic Crystal Cards using the small, needle-like stylus attached to them, then infuse spiritual power and bring the cards together to complete the transfer.
Before long, Yue Shen's Magic Crystal Card, which had originally held a balance of zero, contained six thousand gold coins.
With the six thousand gold coins in hand, Yue Shen's face lit up with a happy smile.
It feels great to have money in my pocket.
Soon afterward, Long Haochen received his two thousand gold coins as well.
"All done." Lin Xin put away his Magic Crystal Card and patted Yue Shen on the shoulder. "You guys came for the auction too, right, brother? Interested in watching it with me?"
Before you continue