"Hiss, how did it only fetch eighteen hundred gold coins this time? It sold for two thousand last time." Lin Xin's voice pulled Yue Shen's thoughts back to the auction house's private box.
"Looks like I'll have to sell fewer from now on. Scarcity makes things valuable, after all. I'd rather keep them to eat like candy than let them have a bargain." At that, Lin Xin turned his head. "Yue Shen, how about we make a deal?"
"Go on." Yue Shen paused slightly.
"Just answer one question, and these three Emerald Protective Pills are yours."
Before Yue Shen could ask anything, Lin Xin explained, "They may sell for two thousand gold coins at auction, but each Emerald Protective Pill actually costs me less than a few dozen gold coins to make."
"Only outsiders treat these things like treasures." Lin Xin chuckled. "Friends of mine can naturally have as many as they want."
Yue Shen's expression turned a little strange. Had Lin Xin chosen him now?
"Let's hear your question first," Yue Shen said evenly.
Logically, Lin Xin should already have noticed his Fifth Tier cultivation and his age, as well as Lin Jialu's inadvertent revelation that he was a contestant in this year's Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament.
Then what would Lin Xin ask him? A thoughtful look crossed Yue Shen's face.
"Let me apologize in advance," Lin Xin explained. "I just heard from this lovely lady that you'll also be entering this year's Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament. That made me curious. Is everyone here a contestant in this year's tournament?"
Lin Jialu's expression changed. She walked over to Yue Shen and said softly, "I'm sorry."
"It's all right." Yue Shen shook his head slightly, then looked at Lin Xin.
"I imagine you'd already guessed we were contestants in this year's Demon Hunt Squad Selection Tournament. You're probably just asking to confirm your suspicions." Yue Shen smiled. "You guessed right. All of us are."
"Deal!" Lin Xin snapped his fingers, then pushed the crystal bottle toward Yue Shen. "This bottle of Emerald Protective Pills is yours now."
With that, Lin Xin took out another crystal bottle. This one, however, contained only a single crimson Emerald Protective Pill.
"I hope you won't take offense, lovely lady," Lin Xin said sincerely. "I accidentally overheard your team's secret, so please accept this as an apology."
"No need." Lin Jialu merely shook her head. "You should give it to Yue-"
"Take it." Yue Shen stood, accepted Lin Xin's crystal bottle, and pressed it into Lin Jialu's hand. "It could save your life when it matters."
Once that was settled, Yue Shen and the others turned their attention back to the auction before them.
Suddenly, a streak of purple light flashed across Long Haochen's forehead, followed by a purple-gold rune appearing there.
A purple halo spread out from the rune. With a flash of light, an enormous figure landed before them.
"Haoyue?" Long Haochen was a little surprised and hurried to explain to Lin Xin, "Lin Xin, this is my mount and companion, Haoyue."
Then Long Haochen turned to Haoyue and began communicating with him.
"Huh?"
Yue Shen also stood up curiously, until he noticed a stone sitting on a cart on the auction stage ahead.
So that was it.
"Don't worry, Haoyue. I'll do my best to get that stone ball for you." Long Haochen gently stroked Haoyue's two heads to soothe him.
A different cart had now been wheeled onto the auction stage, carrying a stone ball the size of a human head. Faint emerald-green markings could be seen on its surface, and the beautiful auctioneer, Xing Xuan, was introducing it.
"Our next auction item is rather unusual.
"Even our auction house's most authoritative appraiser couldn't identify what it is. Yet the seller has set a starting price of ten thousand gold coins. Our Temple Alliance Auction House has always valued integrity, and we would never cheat our honored guests out of a single gold coin.
"I will now introduce this item to you from an objective standpoint."
That thing was probably an unhatched Dragon Egg, wasn't it? He had been in this world for so long that he could no longer remember some of the finer details clearly.
Since Haoyue needed it, would Sol need it too?
Curious, Yue Shen sent a thought to Sol, asking whether he needed something like this.
The next instant, Yue Shen's right eye turned a brilliant blue before anyone noticed.
Sol was observing the situation on Yue Shen's side.
Haoyue seemed to be the only one present who sensed anything. Both his heads instantly turned toward Yue Shen, but Sol's presence had long since vanished.
"Woo?"
Haoyue looked utterly puzzled.
Yue Shen chuckled and merely stepped forward to stroke the sturdy scales on Haoyue's back without saying anything.
Before long, Yue Shen received word from Sol that he had no interest in this Dragon Egg.
Wonderful! Yue Shen felt so touched he could almost cry.
He had been thinking that he was fairly well-off now, and with Lin Xin right beside him, he could even get a ten percent discount on purchases here.
If Sol really needed something like this, he would have to consider whether to buy this Dragon Egg.
Fortunately, his dear Sol currently wanted nothing. The more he looked at him, the more he liked him.
What a money pit! Such a money pit! Looking at Haoyue before him, Yue Shen wore an expression of immense relief.
"Yue Shen." Long Haochen's voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.
"Huh?" Yue Shen looked up in confusion, only then realizing that Long Haochen had walked over to him at some point.
"What is it?" Yue Shen asked.
"Yue Shen, I'd like to borrow some money from you." Long Haochen looked a little embarrassed. "I only have two thousand gold coins on me right now. Could you lend me eight thousand so I can buy that stone ball?
"Haoyue told me he really needs it right now. Don't worry. As soon as I become a demon hunter, I'll pay you back."
Yue Shen: "..."
So that was why the plot had changed...
My poor six thousand gold coins. I'd barely had time to warm them in my pocket...
Given his current relationship with Long Haochen, could he really turn him down?
"Take it." Yue Shen took out the Magic Crystal Card. "But I only have these six thousand gold coins. I can't give you any more than that."
"Thank you, Yue Shen."
Long Haochen looked a little surprised. He apparently hadn't expected Yue Shen, who came from the Holy City, to be unable to produce eight thousand gold coins.
"There's nothing to be surprised about, is there?" Yue Shen spread his hands. "To tell you the truth, I'm an orphan. Otherwise, why would I go to that heav... hell of a place, the Holy City, to train?
"As for my pair of swords, they're an inheritance from the parents I've never met.
"And while I was training in the Holy City, they didn't give me an allowance, either."
"I'm sorry." After hearing that, Long Haochen immediately apologized to Yue Shen, deeply ashamed.
"I'll buy it for you."
Lin Jialu suddenly stood up beside them and entered a bid of ten thousand gold coins on the bidding device on the table.
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