Chapter 23: Fifth-Tier Sea Beast Magic Core Fossil!
"..." Jiang Lin glanced at Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er, who had suddenly appeared beside him. His gaze quickly swept across Xun'er's face, then paused for a moment on Xiao Yan's fingers, causing his brows to subtly furrow.
Xun'er smiled faintly. "What? You visited the Xiao Clan this morning, and now you pretend you don't recognize us?"
Xiao Yan also looked over at Jiang Lin, and when he clearly saw his face, a hint of surprise flickered in his eyes. What a handsome young man… If only his skin were a bit fairer, he'd be a genuine exotic little beauty with a blade.
"Xun'er, who is this?" Since they were now sitting together, Xiao Yan asked her directly.
The seating arrangement placed Mr. Yao and Xun'er at the ends, with Jiang Lin and Xiao Yan between them.
Xun'er giggled and said, "You gave away his gift at lunch, and now you're pretending you don't know him?"
Xiao Yan scratched his head awkwardly, as if recalling something, while Jiang Lin calmly answered Xun'er's earlier remark:
"Mr. Yao taught me that the more beautiful a girl is, the more trouble she brings. Beautiful girls are man-eating tigers."
"Hmm?" Mr. Yao turned with a start, looking at Jiang Lin, who had just delivered that line with absolute seriousness.
Xiao Yan: "..."
Xiao Xun'er: "..."
"Well then. What a very obedient child," Xun'er said with a helpless sigh, choosing not to argue. She then turned her attention back to the ongoing auction with Xiao Yan.
The auction continued. None of the four bid—clearly they were here to spectate. In this world with no cinemas, auctions were a fair substitute for an evening's entertainment among youths.
"The next item up for auction is a magic core fossil from a sea beast. According to our expert appraisers, this fossil contains the core of at least a fifth-tier sea beast." On stage, Ya Fei brought out a crystal case and opened it in front of the crowd, revealing a palm-sized bluish stone.
"A fifth-tier sea beast's magic core?!" gasps of disbelief echoed through the crowd.
But someone soon recovered and spoke up:
"A sea beast comparable to a Dou King is rare and indeed precious—but as Ya Fei just said, this is a fossilized core with no energy left. If it were a complete core, no one in Wu Tan City could afford it. What you're holding is just a decorative stone with little practical value."
With that reminder, the crowd slowly regained their composure.
Indeed—if it were a genuine fifth-tier core, how could this group of mere Great Fighters afford it?
"That gentleman is right," Ya Fei replied smoothly. "If it were whole, it would have to be sold in the Imperial Capital's main auction house. But as a fossil, it's only useful as a rare material. Of course… if someone manages to extract anything from it, the payoff could be enormous."
Her explanation piqued some interest. But when she announced the starting bid, most of those stirred by curiosity cooled off quickly.
"Starting bid: 5,000 gold coins."
"..." Silence. Then someone hesitantly offered, "5,500."
A genuine fifth-tier core would cost tens of thousands, but a fossil like this—void of Dou Qi—was essentially a Tier 3 material at best. Miteer Auction House clearly wanted to sell it as a top-tier Tier 3 or even a Tier 4 item. But in Wu Tan City, Tier 4 pricing just wouldn't sell.
"Magic core fossil… so this is a thing?" Jiang Lin murmured from below, staring at the bluish rock in Ya Fei's hands with interest.
Mr. Yao turned to him. "Interested?"
Jiang Lin thought for a moment. "Even just for research, high-tier materials like this are worth studying."
"7,000," Mr. Yao called out.
Xiao Yan, seated beside Jiang Lin, looked surprised and asked, "Brother, are you an alchemist? No offense, but Miteer Auction House gets these fossil cores every now and then. They're usually just duds—nothing worthwhile inside."
Since Xun'er had already told him Jiang Lin was the one who gifted the Dou Weapon, and since that weapon had benefited his brothers, Xiao Yan's first impression of Jiang Lin was fairly positive. He didn't want him getting swindled.
Xun'er watched in silence, smiling faintly. She had already investigated Jiang Lin, but she couldn't say it aloud. Mr. Yao was sharp—too much transparency might expose herself instead.
"Alchemy, huh?" Jiang Lin's eyes briefly flickered with memory before settling on the black-haired youth beside him. He gave Xiao Yan a closer look and said, "I'm just a rugged blacksmith. But you… you might be better suited for alchemy. Your Dou Qi's fire-aligned, isn't it?"
Both Xun'er and Xiao Yan's eyes widened in shock.
Xiao Yan gaped, "Brother… I haven't even released my Dou Qi, and you could still sense my element?!"
Xun'er stared at Jiang Lin with a meaningful expression, her mind already spinning with new theories.
But Jiang Lin tilted his head, looking confused. "Didn't she just call you 'Brother Xiao Yan'? With a name like that, your attribute has to be fire, right? I've seen tons of people name themselves after their element."
"...Huh?" Xiao Yan's mind froze.
Xun'er's expression also stiffened.
That simple?!
You're named Xiao Yan (Flame), and you're telling me your attribute isn't fire?
Honestly… she couldn't argue with that logic.
While the three "kids" were chatting, Mr. Yao quietly won the fossil for 9,000 gold coins. He watched the exchange beside him with a soft smile, saying nothing.
Having spent so long with Jiang Lin, Mr. Yao understood him well: the boy was clever, mature beyond his years, and often intuitive. Many things required no teaching—he could subtly align with Mr. Yao in conversation without even trying.
Mr. Yao wasn't surprised that Jiang Lin could see someone's elemental alignment. With the mysterious blood flowing through him, that was entirely normal.
But that last comment?
That was Jiang Lin toying with the two kids.
Still… for Lin'er to react this strongly to them means they must both be far from ordinary, Mr. Yao thought silently.
(END CHAPTER)
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