Many thanks to Alliance Leader Old Horse's Sky for the 100,000 Red Contribution. Little Mo wishes all the Alliance Leaders and fellow readers a happy New Year here. There'll be a bonus chapter coming up soon.
………………
"Twelfth-rank Inner Core!" Lou Chi gasped, his eyes blazing with fervent light. He snatched the Inner Core off the table and turned it over in his fingers, examining it carefully, nodding continuously. "It truly is a twelfth-rank Inner Core."
A twelfth-rank Inner Core — only a twelfth-rank demon beast could produce one within its body, and a twelfth-rank demon beast was equivalent to an existence in the Emperor Realm.
Lou Chi himself was merely a first-level Emperor Realm cultivator. If he actually ran into a twelfth-rank demon beast, the outcome would be anyone's guess — he might very well end up as fodder for its gaping maw.
It was no exaggeration to say that twelfth-rank Inner Cores were rare treasures throughout the entire Star Boundary. The weak couldn't obtain them, and even the strong wouldn't easily put them up for sale. After all, demon beast Inner Cores had a wide range of uses — alchemy alone was enough to make countless people clamor for them.
"What a pity…" Lou Chi sighed again.
"What's there to be pitied?" Kang Siran asked.
He too had been somewhat stunned. Meeting Yang Kai again this time, he realized he barely recognized him anymore. Right off the bat, Yang Kai had proposed doing business on a staggering scale, and now he casually produced a twelfth-rank Inner Core. Fortunately, Yang Kai's temperament was still the same as before — not much had changed.
He still remembered that back when Yang Kai had first arrived in Maple Leaf City, if not destitute, he had certainly been rather shabby. How had he suddenly become so wealthy? Compared to him, Kang Siran felt like he had wasted the last decade or more of his life.
"A pity that it's only a low-grade twelfth-rank Inner Core — equivalent to the first level of the Emperor Realm," Lou Chi stroked his beard, shaking his head with a knowing air.
Among twelfth-rank Inner Cores, quality and value varied wildly. Just as the Emperor Realm was divided into the first, second, and third levels, each grade higher meant the value multiplied several times over.
"What would an Inner Core like this be worth?" Yang Kai asked.
"If our Trade Association were to purchase it, two million high-grade Source Crystals!" Lou Chi replied.
"Fair price." Yang Kai nodded slightly. For a low-grade twelfth-rank Inner Core, that was indeed about right.
"Of course, if it were sent to our Trade Association's auction house, three million high-grade Source Crystals wouldn't be out of the question," Lou Chi said with a slight smile. "The deal you mentioned earlier — could it be referring to this?"
It was indeed a fine deal. Twelfth-rank demon beast Inner Cores were in high demand everywhere, but a single low-grade one wasn't all that remarkable. While not common, the auction house did encounter them from time to time.
"And how about this?" Yang Kai tossed something over casually.
Lou Chi instinctively caught it. He looked down and his eyes went wide as saucers. His voice came out as a hoarse rasp: "This… this, this…"
"Twelfth-rank high-grade?" Kang Siran's eyes had gone equally round.
If not for the previous low-grade Inner Core as a comparison, Kang Siran might not have had the eye to tell the difference. But this new Inner Core, when measured against the one before it, surpassed it by several tiers — both in the aura it radiated and in the feeling it gave off.
This was absolutely a high-grade twelfth-rank Inner Core!
That was the kind of treasure only a third-level Emperor Realm powerhouse could nurture.
"Where did you get this, friend?" Lou Chi was no longer composed. He shot to his feet.
Yang Kai regarded him with a faint smile, his expression enigmatic.
Lou Chi coughed awkwardly, tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Forgive me — I spoke out of turn."
This was not the sort of thing he should be prying into. The Trade Association had explicit regulations on the matter, and violating them — even as a Vice President — would bring punishment, possibly even expulsion. It was simply that he had been far too shocked. In all his years, he had never imagined he would be fortunate enough to lay eyes on a high-grade twelfth-rank Inner Core.
In his excitement, his grip on the Inner Core tightened involuntarily, unwilling to let go.
"What would this Inner Core be worth?" Yang Kai asked.
"Ten million!" Lou Chi said in a deep voice. "Ten million at the very least. At auction, fifteen million is entirely possible!"
Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. For the same twelfth-rank Inner Core, the price gap between high-grade and low-grade was indeed enormous.
"So how about this deal?" Yang Kai asked with a pleasant smile.
"This is a genuinely excellent deal!" Lou Chi nodded seriously. Yang Kai's visit had brought two deals, each exceeding ten million high-grade Source Crystals — more than enough to warrant his personal attention. Deals of this magnitude didn't come along every day. With these two deals as a foundation, Kang Siran's performance metrics would soar, putting him far ahead of the other stewards in the branch.
"However, a deal like this… how can we establish long-term cooperation?" Lou Chi frowned.
He genuinely wished to maintain an ongoing partnership with Yang Kai, but twelfth-rank demon beast Inner Cores weren't exactly easy to come by. He had no idea where Yang Kai had managed to procure two of them — the next time, he might not have such luck.
"In the future, I'll trade two twelfth-rank Inner Cores with Brother Kang each year, any grade. This arrangement continues until Brother Kang leaves Maple Leaf City."
Lou Chi smiled ruefully. "In the end, friend, you still want to keep Steward Kang in Maple Leaf City. It's not that I'm unwilling to help, nor that I don't trust you — it's simply that these twelfth-rank Inner Cores… how could you possibly manage to get two every single year…"
Mid-sentence, Lou Chi's eyes suddenly went wide as he stared dumbly at Yang Kai's right hand. Between the five fingers of that hand, each one held a separate Inner Core. Every single one — in size, luster, and aura — was no less impressive than the first one Yang Kai had produced.
He looked at the left hand. The same there too.