The attendant's eyes flickered faintly as she regained her composure.
"If I may ask," she said smoothly, hands folded respectfully, "what brings our honored VIP this evening?"
The fox did not answer immediately.
Instead—
Eighteen credit tokens floated out, one by one, from its storage pouch.
They hovered briefly in the air, then settled on the polished table with soft, deliberate taps.
Clink.
Clink.
Clink.
The sound echoed in the private chamber.
"I want to cash out all the credit," the fox said calmly.
The attendant's gaze dropped to the table.
Her expression did not change—
—but her pupils narrowed.
Eighteen tokens.
Each carried a distinct imprint.
Different owners.
Different signatures.
Her thoughts raced.
These cannot all belong to one person…
Which means—
She stopped the thought before it finished forming.
The fox's voice cut through the silence.
"What are you staring at?" it asked, tone level. "Is there a problem?"
The air shifted.
Subtle.
Heavy.
Killing intent—not explosive, not wild—
But cold.
Measured.
The attendant felt it press lightly against her senses. A warning.
She inclined her head.
"There is no problem," she said smoothly. "Heavenweight honors all legitimate credit tokens. I will proceed with counting and calculating the total."
She extended a hand.
One by one, the tokens lifted, rotating gently as she infused a thread of qi into each, verifying authenticity, ownership seals, and recorded balances.
Numbers flashed briefly across their surfaces before dissolving.
The room fell silent. Only the faint hum of the privacy array remained.
The fox watched. Unblinking.
"Make it quick," it said after a moment. "And make sure to count properly."
"Of course."
Time passed.
The tokens dimmed as calculations completed.
At last, the attendant lowered her hand.
"It is finished," she said.
She looked up at the fox, her tone now fully respectful.
"The total conversion value comes to…"
"…one hundred and thirty-two thousand, four hundred spirit stones."
The number settled in the air.
The fox did not react outwardly.
But inside—
Its thoughts paused for half a breath.
That much. From a single night.
The attendant continued smoothly, "This includes unclaimed auction credits, trade balances, and two private vault certificates. After standard conversion fees, this is the final total."
"Fees?" the fox asked lightly.
"Five percent transactional handling."
The fox's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Remove the five percent."
The attendant blinked.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I am a VIP," the fox said calmly. "You issued the card yourself. You invited me into this room. You addressed me as honored guest."
A faint smile curved beneath the illusion.
"Or does Heavenweight's definition of VIP not include fee exemption?"
The room grew still again.
The attendant studied it carefully—measuring the aura, the confidence, the fact that eighteen credit tokens had appeared at once.
"…Very well," she said after a moment. "Fee waived."
The tokens pulsed once more.
"The adjusted total is one hundred and thirty-nine thousand, three hundred and seventy spirit stones."
That was better.
The fox leaned back slightly in the chair.
"Transfer all of it into spirit stones."
"All?" she asked. "Not stored credit?"
"All."
She nodded.
With a flick of her sleeve, a spatial pouch materialized. Dense. Heavy. It landed softly on the table.
The fox extended a thread of divine sense into it. Counted. Verified. Every stone present. Rich, pure, properly refined.
The attendant folded her hands again.
"Is there anything else our honored VIP requires tonight?"
The fox was silent for a moment. Then it said casually—
"Yes."
It leaned forward slightly.
"I need information."
The attendant's eyes sharpened just a fraction.
"Heavenweight does provide information services. Depending on the nature of the inquiry, pricing may vary."
The fox's voice remained calm.
"I'm looking for materials."
"A list?"
"Rare bloodline advancement materials. Yin-attribute items. Ancient remains. Anything tied to dragon lineage."
For the first time, the attendant's composure shifted. Just slightly.
"Those are… not common requests."
"I'm not asking for common," the fox replied.
Silence.
Then she spoke carefully.
"We do not currently have confirmed dragon remains."
"As expected."
"However… there are rumors."
The fox's ears twitched.
"In three nights," she continued, lowering her voice slightly, "a private auction will be held. Invitation only. Not publicly announced."
The fox's eyes gleamed.
"And?"
"One of the rumored items is a fragment of draconic essence."
The air seemed to tighten.
"Source unknown. Authenticity unverified. But the sellers claim it originates from an ancient ruin."
The fox tapped the table once.
"And how does one receive an invitation?"
The attendant met its gaze.
"VIPs who demonstrate sufficient… purchasing power… may be considered."
A faint smile appeared on the fox's illusioned face.
"I see."
"You will be notified if approved."
The fox's illusion straightened.
"Do so."
Then paused. Without looking back, it added,
"If word spreads about who cashed those tokens tonight… I will not be pleased."
The attendant bowed slightly.
"Heavenweight values discretion above all."
"Good."