Manager Wu smiled and said, “You may not be aware, distinguished guest, but we have a rule here in Linglong Hall. For anyone who comes with more than a thousand gold, any deposit under a hundred gold is waived. Since you have produced a gold biscuit worth a thousand gold, the thirty gold deposit that was agreed upon for the purchase of the materials is now automatically cancelled. This here is the proof of purchase from Linglong Hall. Please keep it well, sir!” With that, he took out a receipt and handed it over.

“Then, let me give my thanks, Manager Wu.”

Xu Yi was extremely surprised. Even in his second life, the wealthy seem to enjoy many special privileges as well.

Manager Wu declined the thanks. “This is merely what we are supposed to do. There is no need for thanks, sir. Is there anything else that you might require?”

Yuan Qinghua said, “We still require a piece of leather armor that provides good defence, and a heavy weapon.”

For this trip to East City, everything was in order for Xu Yi to be as prepared as he could to tackle his upcoming death match on the duelling platforms.

If he thought about it properly, he had already been through a few life or death battles. He realized that in such battles, weapons and martial techniques contribute most to his chances of winning.

He could say that under conditions where he was more or less equal to his opponent, whoever’s weapon or technique had an advantage could be sufficient to change the direction of the outcome.

Right now, time was short, and there might not be enough time to train a new technique. Hence, Xu Yi could only put his all into a good weapon.

In a battle, it was all about attacking and defending. Xu Yi wanted to address both and planned to buy one of each item.

The brunette was about to speak, but Manager Wu spoke first. “Master Yi is a distinguished guest. Let us not waste our time showing him any ordinary items.” After that, he turned to Xu Yi and said, “Master Yi, you are here at just the right time. Our shop is about to start a small auction in around an hour. Everything up on auction is definitely not ordinary. Would you be interested in attending?”

“An auction?”

Xu Yi was lost in thought for a moment, but he soon collected his senses. “Since Manager Wu has invited us, I shall accept.”

There was already a gold depository in existence here, and now an auction. It was not that hard for him to accept.

After all, he did intend to purchase something good this time. If the item could be up for auction, it could not be that bad, right?

After making arrangements for the auction, Manager Wu politely bade them farewell. After a while, the brunette came over with a black cloak and a red number plate with nothing written on either side. She said with a smile, “Sir, these are prepared specially by Linglong Hall in order to protect the confidentiality of our customers. The black cloak is used to hide your face, and the red plate contains your auction number. After you enter your private compartment, and after the auction begins, the number plate will automatically display a number, which will be decided on at random. Even Linglong Hall will not be aware of which of our guests have purchased which item. With that, your privacy will be ensured.”

Xu Yi marvelled at this in his mind. It was no wonder that Linglong Hall’s business could grow to such an extent. With them thinking about their customers at every turn, how could they not?

After the brunette explained the proceedings, she ordered the attendants to give them more tea. Afterwards, she politely left the room.

After trying out the new snacks, Xu Yi was no longer interested in them. However, he thought of Little Qiu who was at the age where she would still love snacks. He ordered the attendants outside to bring him a nice box, then he packed the fruits and snacks nicely into it. Afterwards, he lay back on the soft chair and closed his eyes to rest.

In the room, Xu Yi was peacefully resting. However, in the other end of the room, Yuan Qinghua was pacing around in circles madly.

“Alright, stop circling. Sit down and take a rest, I still need you!”

Xu Yi knew what he was worried about. Surely, it was because Yuan Qinghua would no longer be of use once they went to the auction later. After all, no haggling is allowed in auctions.

Without the chance to haggle, Qinghua would have no chance to earn his commission.

“Here, help me sell this sword to Linglong Hall.”

With a flash of green, there was now a green blade in Yuan Qinghua’s hands, and it gave off a cold glow. This was the blade that Xu Yi had taken from the black robed teen.

Xu Yi had tried the blade before. It was unusually sharp and was extremely tough. It was definitely not an ordinary blade.

The green blade was good, but it was not suited for Xu Yi. He had never learned how to use a sword or a sabre. When it came to close quarters combat, he had confidence that the might of his two fists would certainly be greater than when he used the green blade.

Since it did not help him much, he might as well exchange it for money.

Yuan Qinghua took the green blade, and after looking at it for a while, he broke into a smile. He had an unusually keen eye, and he could already tell that this green blade was no ordinary item. It would definitely be able to fetch a good price.

As for how much he could get from this sale, he did not care. After interacting with his client for a while, he already knew that he was a straightforward and generous person who did not beat about the bush.

“Just watch, I will definitely sell this for you!”

As he shouted those words, Yuan Qinghua ran out the door with the green blade in his hands.

Just as he left, the brunette returned. “Master Yi, the auction is about to begin, please follow me,” she said with a smile.

After a few minutes, Xu Yi reached a simple and elegant room, wrapped up from head to toe in a serious-looking black cloak.

The room was over three hundred square meters in area, with an extremely simple design. Other than thirty-some-odd soft chairs that were spread across the room and a long table placed in the front, there was nothing else.

Perhaps, the designer made it as such to focus all the attention onto the items to be auctioned. The whole room was pure white, and it was hard for the eyes to even find the center of the room once inside.

When Xu Yi took his seat at one of the chairs in the back, the room was almost full. All thirty or so of them were dressed the same as him and were quietly seated.

Xu Yi, however, was more focused mentally than he had ever been before. He could clearly sense the aura of a few powerhouses. It was a feeling of being filled up with Qi, almost till it was reaching a boiling point. It was as though the air in the room were permeated with heat and Qi.

What was more shocking for Xu Yi was that around six or seven of them in the room actually gave him the feeling that he felt when he was facing Zhou Shirong.

Just from all the powerhouses seated here, Xu Yi’s heart welled up with anticipation. He could not wait to see what kind of treasures would make their way onto the table in front.

He did not have to wait long before the last two guests entered, and the back door of the room was shut. In front, another door opened, and an old man in silver robes slowly stepped into the room. Following behind him were a dozen shop staff dressed the same as the brunette. Each of them carried a single item that was covered up with a thick piece of cloth. Evidently, these were the items that were up for auction.

The silver-robed old man had hosted many auctions before, and his actions and words were well practiced. After an opening speech, he had the first item unveiled.

On the white table, there was a deep-brown wooden statue. The statue had the shape of a human, four limbs, five sensory organs on the face, long hair, and a round baby’s face. It was adorable.

Xu Yi had only just managed to get a good look when someone exclaimed in surprise, “Baby Ginseng!”