Both guards were tall and broad, their polished armor gleaming under the sunlight. They wore matching sneers, their arrogant expressions clearly showing how much they enjoyed their position of authority.
Not that they shouldn’t be arrogant—they were indeed in a good position to be. The Silver Leaf Auction House was a massive establishment, operating in many cities across the kingdom. It wielded considerable authority, and because of this, those who worked there were often prideful.
“Hold it right there,” one of them said, his voice gruff. “This isn’t a place for just anyone to walk into.”
Unity frowned. “We’re here to sell something valuable,” she said firmly. She had visited this auction house on many occasions, but this was the first time she had been stopped from entering.
Of course, she had always been with the Alderford Family during those visits, so she quickly understood why.
At the very least, they should have recognized her. But alas, the Alderford aura hadn’t rubbed off on her.
The second guard chuckled, crossing his arms. “Valuable? That’s what they all say. Do you even have an invitation? Or a recommendation letter? No letter, no entry.”
“We are from the Alderford Merchant Family,” Unity said, trying to wield the Alderford name as her weapon.
“The Alderford Family?” one of the guards muttered, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes. So you would do well not to block us from entering,” Unity added, her tone firm.
“Do you have the Alderford Family emblem,” the guard asked, “or anything to prove you’re really from the Alderford Family?”
“No,” Unity replied, “but—”
“No buts. No recommendation or invitation, no entry,” the guard cut her off before she could finish her sentence.
Kent sighed, glancing at Unity, who looked frustrated. He stepped forward, his tone calm but firm. “We don’t have a letter, but what we have will speak for itself.”
The first guard scoffed. “Oh, really? And what’s that?”
Kent smiled faintly, reaching into his ring and pulling out one of his 99% pure Qi Gathering Pills. He held it up between his fingers, letting the sunlight catch its flawless surface. The pill gleamed with an almost ethereal glow, its purity radiating a faint energy that even the guards couldn’t ignore.
The guards froze, their eyes widening as they stared at the pill. The arrogance on their faces quickly faded, replaced by shock and a hint of fear.
“I believe this should be valuable enough,” Kent said calmly.
The guards exchanged nervous glances before stepping aside, their previous bravado completely gone. “Go ahead,” one of them muttered, his voice suddenly polite.
Kent smiled, slipping the pill back into his ring. “Thank you.”
Unity smirked as they walked past the guards into the grand auction house. “Well, that shut them up,” she whispered, her tone amused.
Kent chuckled softly. “A little reminder of who they’re dealing with never hurts.”
A few seconds after they walked through the huge door, they found themselves inside the auction house in an area that resembled a reception. Kent and Unity were about to make their way to a counter when a lady walked toward them and greeted them.
“Welcome to the Silver Leaf Auction House. I am Manager Alina. How can I assist you today?”
Kent smiled and answered, “I am Kent, an alchemist, and this is my lover, Unity. We are here to sell some pills.”
The lady glanced at Unity with a hidden, envious gaze before turning to Kent with a smile. “Thank you for choosing our auction house. Please, how many are you selling, and what is the purity level?”
Kent knew the lady, though she tried to sound polite, didn’t have much faith in him. After all, while it wasn’t a strict requirement to have a high cultivation base to become an alchemist, those with higher cultivation bases tended to make better pills.
Kent was only a Level 6 Root Blossom stage cultivator, so she didn’t have much faith in him. But because of his looks, she held back her arrogance.
“I will be selling 8 Tier 0 pills. One is at 75% purity, another at 91% purity, two more at 95% purity, and four at 99% purity.”
Manager Alina’s eyes widened in shock as Kent spoke. Her smile faltered for a moment, and she quickly masked her surprise with a polite expression.
“99% purity…99% purity…” she muttered to herself, processing the numbers. The Tier 0 pills were common, but such high purity levels were rare, especially for someone of Kent’s cultivation.
Kent smiled at her expression and then retrieved the pills.
She glanced at the pills in Kent’s hands, her gaze lingering a little longer than usual. A small flicker of doubt crossed her face—perhaps she had underestimated him.
“These purities… are quite impressive,” she said, her tone now more respectful. “Please follow me to the appraisal counter. I’ll have these evaluated right away.”
She gestured for them to follow her, her steps a little more careful, her demeanor now more composed. Despite her surprise, she didn’t want to let her guard down completely.
The Silver Leaf Auction House had seen many alchemists, but Kent’s pills were certainly something to be taken seriously. Pills with 99% purity hadn’t appeared in their auction house for the past 16 years.
So, for a pill—even if it was just a Tier 0 Pill—to have such a high purity level, Alina knew she needed to ensure its authenticity.
Her mind raced with possibilities. If Kent’s pills were truly as he claimed, it would be a rare find, and they could fetch an extraordinary price. However, if they turned out to be exaggerated, the reputation of the auction house could be at risk.
She led them to the appraisal counter, where a middle-aged man sat with a serious expression. He glanced up when they approached.
“Manager Alina,” he greeted her.
“Please appraise these pills,” she said, her voice steady, though a slight edge of urgency lingered. “The purity levels are unusually high. I need your expertise to confirm whether they’re genuine.”
The appraiser nodded and carefully took the pills from Kent’s hands, examining them one by one under a magnifying glass. He didn’t speak at first, his focus intense. After a few moments, he nodded again, his eyes widening slightly.
“These are… remarkable,” he said, his voice tinged with surprise. “The purity levels are accurate. 75%, 91%, 95% and 99%. These pills are of extraordinary quality for their tier.”
Alina’s breath caught, and a rare smile tugged at her lips. Kent’s pills were genuine. This was something special. She turned back to Kent and Unity, her tone now full of respect.
“You weren’t exaggerating. These pills are far beyond what we normally see,” she said. “Rest assured, I will handle them with the utmost care.”
Kent smiled, but he was much more impressed by the fact that the appraiser had been able to determine the purity after just a few seconds of examining the pills.
‘Those are some good senses you have there,’ Kent thought.
[The master can also appraise anything, from women to treasures if he claims his quest’s reward; the Appraiser’s Eye.] The tower chimed in, its voice echoing in his mind.
Kent’s curiosity grew. He hadn’t yet claimed any of his three rewards just yet. But he will soon,
“Master Kent and Lady Unity, kindly follow me to my office,” Manager Alina said, breaking his thoughts. She turned and began walking in the direction of her office
Kent and Unity began following her to her office.