Lord of the Manor: A Baronial Beginning
Chapter 17

Transaction failed? [Seeking votes!]

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7mo ago

After staring at the vortex for a good three to four minutes, it finally changed. Just like before, the vortex suddenly stopped, and then it was as if muddy water had been stirred up and parted.

The image gradually cleared, and Claire focused her gaze.

Ancient? Claire thought to herself.

The person in front of her was around thirty years old, dressed in attire very similar to that of ancient people. Their clothes looked like they hadn't been washed in a long time; even through the screen, she could almost smell the stench emanating from the person, and their face was dirty and unkempt.

Claire frowned slightly. If this was just an ordinary ancient world, then there wasn't anything in that world that she would find valuable.

"Hello there, young man."

"Hello, my name is Antonio. What should I call you?" Claire habitually used her alias.

"Just call me Chen Han. Let's get straight to the point. Do you have anything to trade on your end?"

Claire feigned disinterest, resting her chin on her hand. "What do you want? I have a divine medicine that can treat external wounds. What do you have over there?"

"A divine medicine that can treat external wounds?" Chen Han repeated the phrase but didn't seem particularly interested.

Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed, and he said to Claire with a fawning smile, "My apologies, please wait a moment. I need to shake off the pursuers behind me."

"Hm?"

Claire let out a confused sound, and then she saw the man named Chen Han leap into the air. He lightly tapped a protruding rock with his foot, and within seconds, he had ascended a rock face dozens of meters high.

Claire's eyes widened slightly, and she exclaimed inwardly, A martial arts world?

As Chen Han lay prone on the ground, dozens of martial artists riding horses chased after him, shouting curses.

"We must catch that little thief! He actually dared to steal our sect's foundational technique, the Five Elements Breathing Technique!"

"This isn't the first time he's done something like this. Our Five Elements Sect is already the fourth sect he's stolen from. If it weren't for his superior movement techniques, he would have been killed by other sects long ago."

"If we fail to catch him this time, we'll join forces with the other four sects and issue a warrant for his arrest! Let's see where he can hide!"

"Right! Does that scoundrel Chen Han fear being struck by lightning when he goes out doing such things!"

The angry shouts gradually faded into the distance. After confirming no one was around, Chen Han scratched his head and gave an embarrassed smile.

"You've seen a spectacle, haven't you? Let's continue our discussion about the trade."

"What did you do to have so many people chasing you?"

"It's nothing more than stealing their sect's foundational techniques. They're so stingy; no wonder the Five Elements Sect can't grow stronger. But it's no big deal. With my movement techniques, they'll need another thirty years of practice to catch up to me," Chen Han sneered.

"What does their technique do?" Claire asked.

"It seems to enhance physical fitness. There are plenty of techniques like that. But speaking of which, their Five Elements Breathing Technique does have some unique advantages. It's much more effective than other techniques, yielding twice the results with half the effort. However, it's ultimately a foundational technique. I don't know if I can get a hundred taels of gold for it."

A foundational technique?

Claire immediately seized on the keyword and thought to herself, When it comes to developing the human body, martial arts worlds are definitely at the forefront. And this is a foundational technique, which might be useful for advancing to Apprentice Knight...

Thinking this, Claire's heart leaped with joy, and she directly asked, "I'm very interested in your techniques. We can trade for them."

"Of course, that's no problem. I stole this technique precisely to sell it. It doesn't matter who I trade with, as long as you can offer something that excites me. If it's like the divine medicine for external wounds you mentioned earlier, then forget it. We don't lack that kind of thing here."

As Chen Han said, martial arts worlds indeed had no shortage of medicine for external wounds. Furthermore, he wouldn't be able to use it even if he had it. His enemies generally couldn't catch up to him, let alone injure him. The only time he had been injured in his more than ten years of adventuring was when he was bitten by a mad dog while sleeping in a wild temple.

Claire licked her lips and narrowed her eyes. This was a bit tricky. The other party didn't seem to care for her basic healing potions. Did she have anything else that could pique his interest?

Claire suddenly remembered. Oh, right! He just said he wanted to trade the technique for gold! He was short on money. If that was the case, it might not be impossible to make a trade.

"Wait a moment, I'll go get a treasure," Claire said, getting up. She then angled the trading screen towards the lounge chair she was sitting on, so the other party wouldn't see what was about to happen.

"Hurry back, we're already halfway through the time," Chen Han urged.

After getting up, Claire walked to the desk, picked up the glass cup on it, and walked back.

After a few steps, she paused, then turned and rummaged through a cabinet. She took out a golden cup that had been a gift from some nobles, casually tossed it onto the floor, then placed the glass cup inside, closed the lid, and presented a delicate crystal glass cup.

The golden water cup rolled on the marble floor and then slid back to Claire's feet.

"Bang!" With a kick, the golden water cup was sent several meters away.

Thus, Claire returned to her chair, holding the repackaged glass cup.

"What treasure did you bring?" Chen Han asked, staring at the gift box in Claire's hand.

The gift box itself looked extraordinary, suggesting that the treasure inside must match its appearance.

Claire carefully opened the gift box, displayed the glass cup inside, and then closely observed Chen Han's expression.

As expected, the moment the glass cup appeared, Chen Han's eyelids twitched slightly, but he quickly controlled his expression, not allowing himself to show too much surprise.

Perfect. It seems the world on the other side hasn't developed glass yet.

Claire began to spin her tale. "This is a treasure from the Merfolk Kingdom in the Far Eastern Sea, a crystal glass cup! I imagine your world also has wonders like refined glass, but I doubt you've seen such crystal-clear glass before."

Chen Han's eyes were fixed on the glass cup in Claire's hand, and his throat involuntarily moved as he swallowed. Not only had he not seen it, but he had never even heard of it. Ordinary colored glass was usually yellow or green, nowhere near as transparent as this glass cup. Moreover, even those multi-colored glass items were worth a fortune. If he could trade for this crystal glass cup, wouldn't he be rich?

Claire continued her story. "This was crafted from crystals found in the abyss. Only the Merfolk royal family possesses them. I spent a great deal of money to acquire it..."

"Stop talking. I am indeed very interested in this. Let's make the trade," Chen Han said urgently.

The countdown timer in the upper right corner was nearing its end. If they delayed any longer, the trading channel would close.

"No rush," Claire said with a smile, closing the gift box and tucking it into her arms.

Chen Han's eyes almost popped out of his head. What did he mean, "no rush"? He was in a huge hurry!

"I also have the Minor Heavenly Cycle Circulation Method here, which I stole from Wugong Mountain. It can improve one's mental energy, and it's said that if you cultivate it to a profound level, you can form an Yin God and break free from the body's restraints."

Claire continued to smile without saying a word.

Chen Han anxiously glanced at the countdown timer again and said in a rush, "The cultivation techniques I stole before have all been sold. I only have these two on me right now. What else do you want!"

"And the movement technique you just used," Claire said softly.

Chen Han's eyes widened, and he shouted, "This is a movement technique passed down in my family for generations!"

"It can't be traded?"

"No, but you need to add money!"

"Deal!" Claire took out an empty test tube from her Spatial Ring.

Chen Han's eyes lit up again. "Deal!"

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