Chapter 30: Negotiation

Li Tan tightened his dark robe and slowly walked in, closing the door behind him.

“Hmph, only those fools in Linjiang who are mere hens yet regard themselves as phoenixes would appreciate such inferior incense.”

He slightly lowered his head, hiding his face completely under the hood, and spoke in a deliberately disguised, hoarse elderly voice.

“Inferior? Well, what an experienced old gentleman you must be. May I ask who you are?”

The young appraiser curiously examined Li Tan wrapped in the black robe. The Foxfire Incense was indeed a low-grade item in the imperial capital, but it was an undeniably rare treasure in Linjiang. The appraiser had already formed some suspicions about Li Tan’s identity.

“Hmph, does your auction house usually insist on prying into the identities of your customers?”

Li Tan feigned slight indignation.

The young appraiser narrowed his eyes and thought, “A traveler?” Then he replied politely and calmly, “Of course not. Our auction house is well known for protecting our customers’ privacy. Please, old gentleman, have a seat while I prepare some tea for you.”

Li Tan took two steps forward and sat in the armchair. He waved off the young appraiser, who was about to use his true qi to ignite a fire for boiling water, saying, “No need. I don’t want to waste time.”

The young appraiser smiled slightly, put the tea set away, and sat upright facing Li Tan. “Then I’ll get straight to the point. May I ask what item you’d like to sell?”

Li Tan extended his pale hand from his robe, casually tossing the inner core of the white-feathered eagle onto the table before withdrawing his hand.

The young appraiser was momentarily stunned by this action. He thought smugly, “So it’s just a teenager? Trying to disguise himself as an old man to swindle people? Too bad, you met me.”

He immediately resumed his knowing smile, picked up the core, casually tossed it a couple of times, glanced at it, and showed a hint of disdain. “So it’s a beast core from a fierce beast. Although rare, it’s not particularly useful. The price might not be very ideal.”

“It seems the Norlan Auction House is nothing but reputation. I’ll take my leave.”

Li Tan coldly said, adjusting his hood, quickly snatching back the core and turning to leave.

The young appraiser sat calmly and said, “Feel free to leave. Little brother.”

At this point, Li Tan had indeed miscalculated. He had intended to disguise himself as an unfathomable expert but had been too careless, resulting in the opposite of his intention.

However, it wasn’t a big deal. The corner of his mouth, hidden beneath the black robe, slightly lifted as he walked out, leaving behind a regretful tone as if unintentionally: “With your appraisal skills, it would be better to poke your eyes out and soak them in wine. At least you could recover some losses by selling them.”

Pretending?

Not really.

“Please wait a moment!”

Full of suspicion, the young appraiser hesitated for a while before finally calling Li Tan back, asking from a distance, “What exactly did you mean just now?”

At the same time, his form of address changed, and the insincere respect in his tone also faded.

Li Tan didn’t turn around. He placed the inner core in his palm, raised it to his shoulder, paused for a moment, then put it away and continued walking out.

The young appraiser became even more puzzled. He felt something was off. Suddenly, a terrifying thought surged in his mind, causing his face to turn pale. He hastily stood up and chased after Li Tan: “Please, let me take another look at that item!”

Li Tan stopped walking. He tossed the core back like throwing away trash. The young appraiser was startled by this action, hurriedly caught it, and then widened his eyes like almonds, not missing any details.

He examined it for about half the time it took to burn an incense stick. The young appraiser’s expression turned ghostlike, sweat beaded on his forehead. He nervously bowed to Li Tan and quickly said, “Please, old gentleman, come inside for further discussion.”

Li Tan’s age was no longer important. Reverting to the respectful title of “old gentleman” was meant to express his respect and apology.

“Hehe,” it was the expected result. Still, Li Tan pretended to be somewhat displeased as he brushed past the young appraiser’s shoulder on his way back in, saying, “I’ll give you a chance to prove you’re different from a blind man.”

“I’m deeply sorry for my previous rudeness. Please allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Qi Haodang, and I’m a junior appraiser at the Lanuo Auction House’s Linjiang branch. It’s a pleasure to serve you.”

Qi Haodang bowed again.

Li Tan’s indifferent voice came from beneath the hood: “I don’t want to hear unnecessary words. Just name your price. How much can you offer me?”

The young appraiser awkwardly replied, “I can’t decide that. Please follow me to the second floor, where Mr. Meng will conduct a professional appraisal.”

The second floor was several levels more luxurious than the first. The chandeliers on the ceiling were made of gold. The floor was covered with soft beast-fur carpet. The murals on the walls were said to be the work of a certain master, worth a fortune. Someone had made an exaggerated analogy: a thief might even steal the entire wall.

However, none of these had any appeal to Li Tan. In fact, he felt like a city dweller visiting the countryside.

Too tacky. Too tacky. Who in their right mind would scatter gold everywhere, making it nothing but an eyesore.

This reaction further convinced Qi Haodang of Li Tan’s identity as a “young nobleman from the capital on a journey of self-discovery.”

“Master Qi, who is this?” A woman dressed in a neat black-and-white mid-length skirt with lace trim gracefully bowed while carrying a tray holding an exquisite box, inquiring.

“Oh, this is an important guest. I’m taking him to see Mr. Meng.”

Qi Haodang politely responded to the woman, who appeared to be a servant.

Li Tan slightly lifted his hooded head, taking in the woman’s appearance.

This dress revealed her arms, thighs, and even her chest, making them partially visible. According to human etiquette, it was considered indecent and should have been an impossible garment. However, thanks to some humiliating treaties, a large number of traveling merchants from the elves and beast clans brought various goods, and over time, such attire gradually appeared in certain places. This was considered a correct reform.

However, Li Tan couldn’t bring himself to like it. This reform was also the spark that ignited that storm. “Ah, what’s wrong with this gentleman?” The maid felt a chill down her spine as she met Li Tan’s gaze from beneath the hood.

Li Tan adjusted his hood, signaling Qi Haodang to continue leading the way, while adding in a hoarse voice, “Nothing.”

The maid watched Li Tan follow Qi Haodang into a room, shook her head oddly, and muttered, “So he’s really an old man? I was kind of hoping he was a handsome guy.”

In the luxurious room, wooden shelves were placed on all four sides, filled with precious items.

At the rectangular table sat Mr. Meng and the heavily cloaked Li Tan, while Qi Haodang stood.

“My name is Meng Tianhua. I am the chief appraiser at the Lanuo Auction House. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Meng Tianhua, a middle-aged man dressed similarly to Qi Haodang but with a star pinned to his chest, introduced himself expressionlessly.

“Hmph, Tang Yin.”

Li Tan gave a false name.

Meng Tianhua was concise and wasted no words: “I’ve already heard the details from Xiao Qi. I apologize for any rudeness. Now, please let me appraise the beast core. It may take some time, so please be patient.”

Li Tan didn’t speak. As usual, he carelessly tossed the white-feathered eagle’s core like a stone.

Meng Tianhua, who usually treated treasures as dearly as his own son, frowned slightly in displeasure at Li Tan’s rough action but said nothing. He picked up the core and began a professional appraisal.

After an incense stick’s worth of time, Meng Tianhua showed a slightly surprised expression and said seriously, “There’s no mistake. This is indeed the core of a Xuan Shuang Eagle.”

“Xuan Shuang Eagle!”

Qi Haodang’s mouth slightly opened. “That’s no ordinary beast!”

“Silence!”

Without warning, Meng Tianhua raised his voice, glaring at Qi Haodang: “Don’t comment on the client’s belongings.”

Like a mouse seeing a cat, Qi Haodang immediately shrank back and softly replied, “Yes.”

“Gentleman, please don’t take offense. Xiao Qi is new and not very familiar with the rules.”

Meng Tianhua turned his gaze back to Li Tan.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t mind such things. Just name your price. Show me your sincerity.”

Li Tan got straight to the point.

Meng Tianhua glanced at the Xuan Shuang Eagle’s core, his eyes narrowed slightly. A crafty and sly expression appeared on his face, typical of a merchant: “The core of the Xuan Shuang Eagle has ice-elemental properties, making it an excellent ingredient for either pill refining or weapon forging. However,” his tone suddenly shifted.