Inside the warehouse.
After a night had passed, Wu Ming looked joyfully at the line of carefully selected Illusion Eggs laid out before him.
“More than two thousand Illusion Eggs… nearly one thousand nine hundred of them are non-harmful Illusion Eggs—complete wastes, the kind that would ruin our reputation if sold…”
“Out of the remaining one hundred and eighty-seven Illusion Eggs, over one hundred and fifty are Common-species. Although most are bottom-tier like the Mangy Dogs, there will surely be some Spirit Tamer who finds them interesting!”
“Finally, the real harvest… thirty-two Elite-species eggs, and one Outstanding-species!”
Wu Ming looked at his biggest catch.
This Illusion Egg was oval-shaped, like an ostrich egg, with a dull gray shell that seemed unremarkable and lifeless. The worst part was that there was even a crack on the shell!
Even an ordinary Spirit Tamer would know that such an egg has a high probability of being a dud. Even if it did hatch successfully, the creature might have congenital defects.
For such an egg to be mixed into the trading goods, it showed just how brazen that unscrupulous merchant was!
However, this was a common tactic among all unscrupulous merchants.
Take Wu Ming for example—he could have sold that dead egg of a Flame Twin-Headed Dog. After all, on the surface, that Illusion Egg looked full of vitality and was indeed a Flame Twin-Headed Dog! Even if it died later, it would just be bad luck, not something for which his shop could be blamed.
Yet, under Wu Ming’s Spirit Vision, around this ostrich-egg-like Illusion Egg was a circle of rich yellow light, brimming with hidden vitality, surpassing all other Illusion Eggs:
[Earth Runner Dragon]
[Racial Rank: Outstanding (Yellow)]
[Attribute: Dragon]
[Status: Embryo]
[Lifespan: Strong]
“It’s actually a dragon subspecies!”
Wu Ming couldn’t help but exclaim slightly. Dragon-type Illusions were almost synonymous with the pinnacle in the realm of living beings, especially among beast-type Illusions.
Any Illusion with the word “dragon” in its name was bound to be extremely powerful, with profound potential and bright prospects for development. In fact, there wasn’t a single one below the Outstanding rank.
“Pity… I don’t have the time to raise it anymore…”
“An Outstanding-species Illusion” barely met Wu Ming’s minimum selection criteria. However, this Earth Runner Dragon was still just an egg!
Hatching it and raising it from infancy to a battle-ready stage would take so much effort?
If it were an Illusion with the potential to ascend to Lord or King rank, Wu Ming might have accepted the challenge, but the Earth Runner Dragon clearly didn’t meet that standard.
In fact, if an ordinary Soldier-rank Spirit Tamer encountered such an Illusion, there wouldn’t be any hesitation—they would definitely contract it immediately.
Unfortunately, Wu Ming had high aspirations, and he already had a vague plan for his second Spirit.
The value of this Earth Runner Dragon egg was merely to fetch a bit more Spirit Coins or to be used as a favor.
With this thought, Wu Ming immediately called Dongmen Fu and Ximen Qin: “Take these ten Mangy Dog eggs, these two Ironclaw Wolf eggs, and that one Goose-Winged Wolf egg out and label them for sale!”
“This… this…”
Dongmen Fu and Ximen Qin opened their mouths wide: “Master… you’ve already appraised them?”
“Indeed… my Dongfang family is famous for taming wolves, and I have quite a bit of research on wolf-type Illusion Eggs…”
Wu Ming smiled proudly.
This was also an excuse he had deliberately come up with, flawless.
“Master’s appraisal skills are incredible!”
Dongmen Fu and Ximen Qin immediately believed him, happily placing the Illusion Eggs on the counter, adding labels: “With these, we can establish our reputation! And recover some funds!”
“Pity… this Goose-Winged Wolf is also a rare treasure, worthy enough to be auctioned off…”
Ximen Qin wore a look of regret.
Wu Ming didn’t bother with them, directly returning to the warehouse, taking out several Elite-species Illusion Eggs, and swaggering out.
He was now the master of Yu Fengzhai!
Digging into one’s own shop’s resources—could that even be called undermining?
“The Elite-species Illusion Eggs are just for establishing Yu Fengzhai’s reputation. It might take ages before they can actually be sold… and in the future, the real bomb will be released!”
He walked to a corner, changed into a cloak that covered his face, and arrived at the street, immediately seeing a grand and magnificent shop. The two guards at the entrance were even Spirit Tamers!
Such extravagance was something Yu Fengzhai could never hope to rival. Before the shop, the three golden characters “Bai Ling Yuan” stood out distinctly.
“What kind of Spirit would the guest like to purchase?”
As soon as Wu Ming entered Bai Ling Yuan, he felt a warm breeze.
Before him stood a maid clad in delicate silk, her warm smile enveloping guests like a spring breeze, her impeccable service leaving no room for complaint.
Wu Ming glanced around, seeing the grand hall vast and magnificent, with several branches.
Behind the first passage was the animal enclosure, where various young Illusions were kept in iron cages, exuding wildness.
Another passage radiated strong elemental energy and powerful sealing light, clearly the area for elemental-type Illusions.
The last passage led to the hatching room, where numerous already-appraised Illusion Eggs were displayed, even offering specialized breeding services.
Around the hall stood several translucent counters selling various Illusion feeds.
Piles of Saro meat, Star Grass, and even Crystal Milk were sold by weight, bustling with activity.
“In terms of professional service, Bai Ling Yuan surpasses Yu Feng Zhai by countless times…”
Wu Ming silently shook his head, directly saying: “I’m here to sell some Illusion Eggs, of course, I might also purchase some!”
“Then please go to the second floor, we have specialized appraisers to serve you!”
The maid smiled and led Wu Ming to a small private room on the second floor, bowing: “Are the guest’s Illusion Eggs already appraised?”
“Naturally!”
“If that’s the case, if the appraisal results match, Bai Ling Yuan will not charge any fees. Otherwise, please pay the appraiser’s fee, ranging from several hundred to several thousand Spirit Coins…”
Appraising Illusion Eggs was naturally a tiring job, not every appraiser was as overpowered as Wu Ming.
In fact, the manpower required to appraise that entire warehouse of Illusion Eggs would be insufficient even if all the appraisers in Stone City worked together, taking an extremely long time and costing a fortune.
As Wu Ming entered the private room, he immediately sensed the presences from the adjacent rooms—clearly also Soldier-rank Spirit Tamers.
He knew this was a necessary security and protection measure. Even if he deliberately brought some Harmless or Common-species Illusion Eggs to mock them, they would immediately throw him out.
The transactions at Bai Ling Yuan naturally required at least Elite-species Illusions.
“Of course… even Bai Ling Yuan’s most treasured goods are merely a few Outstanding-species, even regarded as the store’s treasures…”
Wu Ming remained composed, sitting down and sipping the tea brought by the maid.
This calm demeanor even surprised the maid. She had seen many Spirit Tamers before—those who came here were either nervous or had ulterior motives, how could they be so composed?
After two cups of tea, the small door of the private room opened, and an elderly man with white beard, dressed in embroidered robes with several star patterns on his chest, entered. His face bore seriousness and meticulousness as he bowed to Wu Ming: “I am the appraiser of this shop—Qin Zhongjie. May I ask how to address this friend?”
“Nameless!”
Wu Ming was concise, directly placing three Illusion Eggs on the redwood table in front of him: “One Lagu Beast, one Wind Dragonfly, and one Flame Twin-Headed Dog, take a look!”
“A Flame Twin-Headed Dog?!”
Qin Zhongjie was startled but did not immediately touch them. Instead, he sat down, took a deep breath, put on pure white gloves, opened his small case, and took out tools like a magnifying glass, tweezers, and silver needles.
Wu Ming watched Qin Zhongjie, sweating profusely while meticulously using various techniques to appraise, slightly sweating himself.
He could appraise these Illusion Eggs with just a glance. If he worked like this person, carefully preparing and verifying, he probably couldn’t finish appraising that warehouse even by next year.
“It’s indeed a Flame Twin-Headed Dog!”
After a long while, Qin Zhongjie put down the magnifying glass, rubbing his right eye: “Moreover… the egg membrane is well-preserved, and the spiritual energy is also abundant, a top-grade specimen!”
“Top-grade?!”
Wu Ming immediately felt speechless.
After learning that Dongfang Lüye’s batch of Illusion Eggs came from this Bai Ling Yuan channel, he had taken out this dead egg, preparing to retaliate in kind.
But seeing this appraiser seriously calling a stillborn egg a top-grade, he couldn’t help but feel a bit speechless.
“This appraiser indeed lacks skill… but without my Observation Eye, it’s understandable… Although the core vitality of this Illusion Egg has ceased, its surface appearance is indeed excellent, unaware that it’s just a false glow before death!”
“So, the valuation?”
Holding the thought of swindling him a bit, Wu Ming asked eagerly with a voice full of joy.
“Eight thousand Spirit Coins for the Lagu Beast! Fifteen thousand for the Wind Dragonfly… As for this Flame Twin-Headed Dog?”
Qin Zhongjie hesitated: “Fifty thousand Spirit Coins—I can guarantee there’s no higher price in the entire Stone City!”
“No merchant is without ulterior motives!”
Wu Ming naturally didn’t believe his words, externally releasing a slight Soldier-rank aura: “This Flame Twin-Headed Dog is not only a top-tier Fire-type, but also a favorite among group Spirit Tamers. If I weren’t in urgent need of money, I would have contracted it myself…”
“Soldier-rank…”
Qin Zhongjie’s eyes slightly shifted, the previously faint thoughts dispersing with a bitter smile: “Mr. Nameless, this is truly the limit of our shop…”
…
Long after, Wu Ming walked out of Bai Ling Yuan, his arms holding a crystal card representing one hundred thousand Spirit Coins!
“Indeed a Flame Twin-Headed Dog!”
Inside Bai Ling Yuan, Qin Zhongjie held the Illusion Egg, as if viewing a rare treasure.
“I’ve heard that after a genius emerged in the Dongfang family, several major families in the city couldn’t sit still anymore. This Flame Twin-Headed Dog, its attributes are secondary—the key is its ability to command a large number of Mangy Dogs, making it a strategic-level Spirit. It’s rarely seen on the market; selling it for one hundred thousand or more won’t be a problem!”
The secret door opened, and a manager walked out, his face showing greed: “Shall we follow him up…”
“That person is also a Soldier-rank, and within the city…”
Qin Zhongjie slightly narrowed his eyes, waving his hand.
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