The Head Appraiser of the Cirian Gallery was a middle-aged man with white hair, not due to old age but naturally white with a yellowish tint. He was also a man at the Peak of the 7th Martial Realm, just a step away from becoming a Martial King.
Yes, he was a Peak Martial Prince.
Other than being the Head Appraiser, he was also the Manager and Owner of this Branch in the City of Azensday. Most importantly, he was a Noble related to the Cirian Royal Family.
The man seemed to have been expecting them, likely having listened in on their conversation on the way, and as soon as they entered, he stood up and smiled.
"It's impressive that you are so strong at such a young age," the man said as he drew his hand forward. "Ziar."
"Argus." Keith shook his hand and then lightly smiled. "How can you be so sure that we are young?"
"It's intuition, and I have rarely been wrong about such things." The man laughed and then respectfully nodded to Rebecca and Avriel. "Please, take your seats."
The four of them sat at the table, but the two Appraisers and Safa respectfully and attentively stood on the side.
They informed him about the Battle Art Manual, and Ziar did not waste any time in getting to work.
For the next several minutes, he studied the Battle Art and then picked out some books from his Rings to cross-check the information.
He even checked details on the watch he was wearing, going through lists that were blurred to everyone else.
Grading Battle Arts was not an easy task, and there were no Treasures available to scan and grade them.
Therefore, Ziar had to consult the list of all known and accessible Fist Style Battle Arts and cross-check the information related to them.
He already had a guess in mind after seeing the potential of this Raging Beast Boxing Art, but since it involved a significant amount of money and much more, he had to be very sure of things before making the transaction.
"What can you tell me about this Battle Art?" he politely asked after verifying some details, and Keith smiled at him.
"I am sure you already have a guess in your mind. It is a 9 Star Earth Grade Battle Art. And this Fist Style is compatible with Fire, Wind, and Lightning Elements, making it a Quasi-Sky Grade Battle Art."
Ziar looked him in the eyes and kept his smile, not refuting his words.
"May I ask where it comes from?"
"It belongs to me. I am sure not many people know about it."
Ziar nodded, having already cross-checked the basic information of the Battle Art with all known Fist Style Arts in Westesia.
This one likely came from a Sect or the library of a Hidden Family, and seeing his three guests, he leaned towards the second possibility.
"9 Star Earth Grade Arts sell anywhere between 1,600,000 Spirit Stones and 2,400,000 Spirit Stones in Auctions. If I am to guess its worth, it should be around the 2,000,000 mark. Fist Styles are desirable, high in demand, but there are far more of them out there compared to other Styles." He spoke honestly, and Rebecca smiled at his words.
"Let's suppose you will buy this for 2 Million Spirit Stones. How much do you plan on selling it for?"
"It will not be sold." Ziar shook his head. "The Cirian Royal Family will keep it as a reward for people who have earned enough merit."
It was another honest reply, and the blonde made up her mind on its price.
"We will take 2.2 Million Spirit Stones."
She was not going to make any concessions, and she was never willing to make a loss.
Even though 2 Million was a fair price, she did not mind asking for more.
Ziar could only smile at her words, but surprisingly to his Appraisers, he did not haggle over the price.
"That's fine," he agreed. "Do you want me to transfer the amount, or do you want the Stones?"
"Stones," Keith replied and then took out a list from his Ring. "I wonder if your Gallery can help me gather these resources." He handed over the paper to the man, who curiously went through it.
Most of the items on it were common resources, with only a few being rare.
"Except for the Spirit Fruit, everything else is available in the Gallery. We can also arrange the Spirit Fruit, but it will take some time."
"How long?"
"It will be here by dawn," Ziar informed him, and then curiously looked at him. "Are you a Medicinal Alchemist?"
"Yes, and a Doctor."
"Certified?" He raised his brow.
"Not yet." Keith smiled.
"Confident enough to pass the Test?"
"Of course."
Ziar smiled when he heard the playfulness in his voice.
"A Star? Two Star? Three?"
Keith did not answer and just kept a smile on his face, which only roused the man's curiosity further.
However, he was respectful enough not to pry into the matter.
"Safa, arrange these materials on the list," Ziar ordered the girl who had been silently standing behind him, and she quickly accepted the list and bowed before leaving the room.
The Appraisers behind him got to work as well, and a minute later, they prepared the bill for Keith to sign.
"The total cost for these resources is 103,000 Spirit Stones. You can just pay 100,000. As for the Spirit Fruit, it will cost you another 100,000 Spirit Stones." Ziar informed him and then transferred 2,000,000 Spirit Stones into a Storage Pouch.
"Thank you." Keith accepted it, not bothering to verify the amount, and put the pouch directly into his Ring. "Do you also buy Agaurum?"
"We do." Ziar was more than happy to do more business. "How much do you have, and what is the quality?"
"Perfect quality. We have several tonnes of it."
"Tonnes?!" One of the Appraisers blurted out in shock, but quickly schooled his expression and apologised. "Pardon me."
"You have several Megagrams of Agaurum, and all of it is of perfect quality?" Ziar too was shocked, now wearing a frown as he tried to guess the identities of these guests.
His intuition told him they were not lying, which only made him grow more agitated.
"Yes. Are you interested in buying it?"
"Exactly how much do you want to sell?" he curiously asked.
"10 Megagrams," Keith lightly said. "How much can you buy?"
Ziar stayed silent for a good minute, carefully thinking it over.
"Do you have a sample?"
"Not right now. I will give you a sample in the morning when we pick up the Spirit Fruit."
"We can buy all of it if it is of perfect quality. However, we will, at most, pay you half the amount in Stones. The rest will have to be transferred into your Account."
Keith knew Ziar was a little apprehensive now, and since it involved a vast amount of money, the transaction had to be official.
If he refused to accept the transfer into his Account, it would raise suspicions, and the deal could be called off.
"That's fine. If you are satisfied with the quality and name the right price, we will sell all of it to you. The transaction will take place the day after tomorrow," he said, and Ziar nodded.
"I will also require time to arrange the funds and to consult with the family. The day after tomorrow is just fine."
Exactly an hour later, Keith, Avriel, and Rebecca left Ziar's office, having collected the resources Safa had gathered for them.
The girl was quite pleased with the hefty commission she had received.
Since her shift had ended as well, Safa decided to accompany her little brother, who had been patiently waiting downstairs, and together with him, she showed the city to their guests.
"Master, I don't understand something." Back inside the office, the Senior Appraiser with a beard spoke up after the guests left. "He claims to be a Doctor and a Medicinal Alchemist, and he supposedly has several Megagrams of Agaurum that he wants to sell. Why did he sell those basic Space Rings and then the Battle Art? He shouldn't be short of money."
Ziar smiled as he heard those words.
"He has a treasure on him that is protecting his body from prying eyes. And it is the same for those two girls. I even doubt the strength they are showing is their true strength. They should be much stronger." He mused. "I wanted to make friends with them, and it was why I accepted it when that girl raised the price of the Battle Art. As for why they sold it, and why they even bothered with those basic Storage Rings, my guess is that they were testing our sincerity."
"Testing our sincerity?"
"Yes. Their real goal was likely to find the right buyer for the Agaurum." The Martial Prince nodded.
"They threw away a precious Battle Art just for testing the waters?" The Appraiser was incredulous, but Ziar laughed.
"Precious to you, yes. But can you say the same for them?" he asked and did not receive an answer. "Take care of things here. I need to go and talk to Father."
"Should we send someone to keep an eye on them? Maybe they will try to find more buyers?"
"No need. Do not disturb them." Ziar refused and then walked out of the office.