MTLNOVEL Chapter 12: CUTTING BUSINESS
In the Treasure Pavilion's golden hall, the faces of several girls lit up with excitement.
This was an opportunity to seize a rare find.
If one could purchase six thousand gold soul coins' worth of items, they could potentially resell them for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of gold soul coins, yielding a profit of over a hundred times.
The senior present was handsome, tall, and carried himself with an air of ancient elegance, which greatly enhanced his charisma.
Not only that, but he was also highly knowledgeable and possessed a keen eye for detail, even when it came to something as small as a single ring...
Wait... a ring?
Something felt off, though it was hard to pinpoint exactly what.
The high-quality attendants at the Treasure Pavilion, though knowledgeable and skilled, were not numerous.
They failed to notice that Zhongli possessed a "twin martial soul," though, at present, Zhongli did not actually have a second martial soul.
Lin Huiqun looked momentarily stunned, glancing at Zhongli with some surprise.
Zhongli was not the first to come to the Treasure Pavilion to find hidden treasures, but he was the first to demonstrate such a sharp eye!
Although this piece of 10,000-year-old Whale rubber had never passed through her hands, it had been carefully examined by the pavilion's experts, and the margin for error was extremely low.
Yet, it had still been overlooked by this man.
Lin Huiqun sighed, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said with a smile, "I didn't expect our distinguished guest to uncover such a significant treasure on his first visit to the Treasure Pavilion. Congratulations!"
Though the 10,000-year-old Whale rubber was precious, it was not considered a top-tier treasure.
For someone of Zhongli's caliber to find it was merely a matter of chance.
Lin Huiqun's congratulations were sincere, without a hint of deceit.
Zhongli waved his hand modestly, "It's just a small observation, nothing remarkable."
"I wonder if Pavilion Master Lin has considered purchasing this piece of Whale rubber?"
For some reason, Zhongli harbored a dislike for sea creatures, especially slimy ones.
Back in the day, when a certain sea creature had invaded Liyue, it had been so weak that it would have taken Zhongli a considerable amount of time to deal with it, even if he had intervened personally.
Since then, Zhongli had felt a faint sense of nausea at the sight of seafood.
While it wasn't overwhelming, it was certainly unpleasant.
If it weren't for the need to secure some initial capital, Zhongli wouldn't have bothered with Whale rubber.
He wouldn't have even glanced at it.
Hearing this, Ning Tian's eyes sparkled with interest.
The effects of Whale rubber were no secret among the major sects.
For someone as powerful as Zhongli, it might seem like a trivial item, but for lower-level soul masters, it was a rare treasure.
Thousand-year-old Whale rubber could enhance one's physique, allowing a soul master to absorb a thousand-year soul ring as early as their second soul ring.
As for 10,000-year-old Whale rubber...
Of course, even knowing its miraculous effects, few dared to venture into the sea to hunt for it.
Whether it was the fearsome killer whale or the deep-sea demon whale, both were terrifying creatures, especially in the ocean.
Thinking of this, Ning Tian glanced sideways at Wu Feng, who looked somewhat dazed.
Finally, she gritted her teeth, as if making a firm decision, and spoke up first.
"Senior Zhongli, 10,000-year-old Whale rubber is incredibly rare. Even the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect considers it a treasure."
Indeed, even within the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the amount of 10,000-year-old Whale rubber was limited, perhaps only one or two pieces at most.
For such a powerful sect to mobilize resources of this caliber required the unanimous consent of all the elders.
After all, this item was something one could only hope to encounter, not something that could be easily bought, even with vast sums of money.
Although this piece of 10,000-year-old Whale rubber had weathered some wear, it was still far superior to the thousand-year-old variety, making it perfect for Wu Feng.
After a brief pause, Ning Tian continued, "Wu Feng is an Attack-type Battle Soul Master. It's rare to find a treasure that can enhance her physical condition. I humbly request that Senior Zhongli sell it to me."
At these words, Lin Huiqun frowned slightly, glancing sideways at Ning Tian.
The aura of a Super Douluo flickered momentarily.
"Young lady, you're cutting into the Treasure Pavilion's business,"
Zhongli had asked if the pavilion would buy it back, but this young girl had stepped in midway.
What kind of behavior was that?
You know, this is Shrek City, the Treasure Pavilion!
Ning Tian trembled and instinctively stammered, "Old Lin... I'm sorry, I... I..."
She hadn't realized that her actions would offend Lin Huiqun.
If she had known, she would never have spoken up.
After all, while 10,000-year-old Whale rubber is incredibly rare, it's not impossible to find.
However, offending a Super Douluo or even Shrek Academy over it would be far from worth it.
Seeing her reaction, Lin Huiqun's expression softened.
Ning Tian was, after all, the young master of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Though she was still young, she was likely to become the sect master in the future. It wouldn't be wise to offend her too harshly.
Given her youth, it was better to let it go.
Besides, it was just a piece of 10,000-year-old Whale rubber.
"Let it be, let it be. The Treasure Pavilion is only here to make a modest profit. We won't bid for this piece of 10,000-year-old Whale rubber," Lin Huiqun said with a wave of his hand, appearing magnanimous.
If she were to bid to buy back the Whale rubber, he would likely have to offer 600,000 or even 650,000 gold soul coins.
This would not only save face for Zhongli but also allow the Treasure Pavilion to make a small profit.
Of course, from a purely business perspective, repurchasing at such a price would still be a loss.
It would have been better to simply earn the initial six thousand gold soul coins.
Seeing this, Ning Tian quickly clasped her hands and said, "Thank you, Elder Lin! Thank you, Elder Lin!"
Wu Feng, who had been standing silently, felt a pang of guilt but didn't dare to speak up.
Lin Huiqun was a Super Douluo, and offending her would bring no good outcome, even if her grandfather was also a Title Douluo.
Zhongli remained silent, his arms crossed as he watched Ning Tian and Lin Huiqun with mild amusement.
Was this a game of power dynamics between major factions?
In the end, both sides achieved their goals without losing face.
The Treasure Pavilion maintained its status and reputation, while Ning Tian secured the direct benefit, the Whale rubber.
"Senior Zhongli, although this piece of Whale rubber has weathered somewhat, it is still among the finest. I am willing to purchase it at market price," Ning Tian said confidently.
As she spoke, a hint of pride flickered across her face.
The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect might lack many things, but it certainly didn't lack gold soul coins!
Ten thousand years ago, the wealth of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was unmatched, and even now, ten thousand years later, it remained just as prosperous.
"Market price?"
Even Lin Huiqun was slightly taken aback.
The market price for thousand-year-old Whale rubber was around fifty to sixty thousand gold soul coins.
The 10,000-year-old Whale rubber, being rarer and more potent, could easily fetch millions of gold soul coins.
The issue was that this particular piece had weathered, which would naturally reduce its value.
Was the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect really this reckless with its wealth?
"A piece of 10,000-year-old Whale rubber of this size could likely be auctioned for millions of gold soul coins. I'll purchase it based on that valuation."
"A million gold soul coins?"
Paimon couldn't help but gasp.
She knew the purchasing power of gold soul coins, and for Miss Ning Tian to casually offer a million was staggering.
For the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, anything that could be solved with gold soul coins was no issue at all!
"Yes, Paimon. This piece of Whale rubber is indeed worth a million gold soul coins. If it hadn't weathered, it might even have fetched one million two hundred thousand at auction."