Chapter 768 - 289: Widespread Conscription · Bibao Pavilion · Fifty-Fifty Split
Chapter 768: Chapter 289: Widespread Conscription · Bibao Pavilion · Fifty-Fifty Split
"Business just started picking up again today. Can’t you see I’m busy with a major deal?"
"Besides, I told you yesterday, didn’t I? These are special circumstances. You’re supposed to handle any business below Grade A on your own."
"What could possibly be so important that you had to come get me?"
The General Manager was in a hurry to get back upstairs, his footsteps quick. He was still chiding the manager as he reached the door of the private room.
He instantly wiped the angry expression from his face, replacing it with a faint smile before stepping through the doorway.
"Ahem, I wonder which esteemed guest... Hmm?"
Before he could even finish his sentence, the General Manager saw a room full of Spiritual Artifacts.
Even with all his experience, he was stunned for a moment, completely baffled by the situation.
"This is absurd! Utterly absurd!"
He immediately whirled around and glared at the manager. "I put you in charge of the pavilion’s Spiritual Artifacts! Why did you haul everything out of the storeroom?"
"We have a guest, and there isn’t even a place for them to sit! Who taught you to do business this way?"
However, the manager’s reaction was completely different from what he’d anticipated.
The manager’s expression shifted several times. He then took a few steps forward, leaned in, and quickly whispered an explanation in the General Manager’s ear.
"Huh? This... What?"
The General Manager surveyed the Spiritual Artifacts in the room again, his gaze lingering on the uniform insignia of the Da Xuan Immortal Dynasty.
He and the manager then stared wide-eyed at each other, both clearly dumbfounded.
He’d never seen anything like this.
"Er... Esteemed guest, please, have a seat."
The General Manager stood frozen for a couple of seconds before snapping back to his senses. He gestured toward the seat the manager had just vacated, indicating for Xiao Chen to sit there for the time being.
He then turned to scold the manager. "What are you still standing here for? Go and serve our esteemed guest some tea!"
"Go to my room and get that box of Spirit Tea, the one in the very back. And be quick about it."
Only then did he turn back to Xiao Chen, his face all smiles. "Hahaha, my apologies, esteemed guest. The thing is, a deal of this magnitude... it’s not something I can authorize."
"Please wait just a moment longer. Allow me to go and fetch the Shopkeeper."
The manager, who had just reached the doorway, heard this and grumbled internally. ’You can’t authorize it either, yet you had the nerve to tell me to handle it on my own. What was I supposed to do?’
"Very well. Go on."
Xiao Chen waved a hand, not one to put on airs or make things difficult.
After all, he estimated this batch of Spiritual Artifacts was worth a considerable sum—at least three million Spirit Stones.
It certainly wasn’t a deal that an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator could manage.
While he waited, however, he didn’t just stand around. Instead, he took the opportunity to look around the fifth floor.
Here on the fifth floor of the Bibao Pavilion, small, square display windows, each about a foot wide, were carved into the wall at intervals of roughly ten feet.
An Exotic Treasure was placed inside each one, protected by a layer of perfectly transparent crystal.
On the wall space between each display, a master calligrapher had been commissioned to inscribe descriptions of the Exotic Treasures, detailing their unique origins.
There were sixteen Treasures in total, each with its own story, all serving to showcase the Bibao Pavilion’s profound heritage and extensive network.
Xiao Chen had noticed these displays as soon as he arrived on the floor.
To be honest, he was admittedly a bit lacking in worldly knowledge, especially when compared to the scions of the Hidden Dao Lineages.
So, when an opportunity like this presented itself, he naturally wanted to broaden his horizons.
It would help him to immediately recognize these items if he ever came across them in the future.
"Hm? The Dragon and Tiger Convergence Stone?"
Partway through his tour of the displays, Xiao Chen suddenly noticed a Curious Stone that looked incredibly familiar.
One end was a milky white, the other a deep, inky black. It was the very same Yin-Yang Stone he had found in the side hall of the Relic.
As far as he could tell, the two stones were identical in size and shape.
He carefully read the description on the wall. As he’d suspected, it was indeed related to Yin Yang Power.
However, its function was different from what Xiao Chen had initially guessed. The Dragon and Tiger Convergence Stone wasn’t for comprehending the transformation of Yin and Yang, but rather for harmonizing them.
In simple terms, it was a special Spiritual Object that aided in dual cultivation between a man and a woman.
The difference between the two functions was immense.
If he had consumed it by himself, following his original plan to comprehend the Path of Yin and Yang, he would have wasted at least ninety percent of its efficacy.
’It seems I’d better get everything I have on hand appraised.’
Xiao Chen had recently acquired several items of unknown origin, and it was clear that simply relying on his own guesswork wasn’t a reliable method.
This was especially true for the spoils he’d taken from the Sea Race, which were nearly impossible to identify.
Conveniently, Tinglang Island, home to the Feiye Commerce Association, wasn’t far from here. And since the new year celebrations had just ended, Kuang Ruihong should be at the Commerce Association.
’After I sell these Spiritual Artifacts, I’ll head over there and get the other items appraised.’
His mind made up, Xiao Chen finished looking at the remaining Exotic Treasures on display.
Unfortunately, none of the other items yielded any new discoveries.
Just as he was finishing his perusal of the Treasures, the Shopkeeper of the Bibao Pavilion arrived.
The General Manager and two other managers trailed behind him.
"This esteemed... Wait... Xiao?"
He had clearly arrived in a hurry, as he was still wearing the Spirit Robe of the Cloud Sea Sword Pavilion.
Upon seeing Xiao Chen, his eyes widened in disbelief.
He clearly hadn’t expected to run into him here.
In truth, on his way over, after hearing the General Manager’s report, he had been privately pondering the origin of the standard-issue Spiritual Artifacts.
But seeing that the seller was Xiao, he instantly breathed a huge sigh of relief.
’It’s perfectly normal for someone like him to possess standard-issue Spiritual Artifacts,’ he mused. ’They must have come from the Hidden Dao Lineage backing him.’
Besides, he had already heard that Xiao Chen had displayed incredible might in the new Relic, acquiring more than ten Storage Rings in the process.
’Given that, it’s perfectly normal for the rings to contain Spiritual Artifacts,’ he reasoned. ’And they certainly aren’t stolen goods. We can trade for them without any worries.’