Jared strolled through the market with Alastair. Although the stalls were plentiful, they lacked worthwhile finds.
No sooner had they taken a few steps than they discovered a stall up ahead that was surrounded by a crowd.
“Let’s go. There must be treasures up ahead. Let’s check it out.” Alastair could tell at first glance that the stall ahead must be selling a valuable item.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t have attracted such a crowd.
As soon as Jared and Alastair approached, they heard a flurry of heated discussions among the crowd.
“This black tortoiseshell is fake, isn’t it? This guy claims it can withstand attacks from an elite cultivator. What a joke!”
“It must be true, but suddenly acquiring a dozen or so black tortoiseshells is like hitting the jackpot.”
“Even though this black tortoiseshell is authentic, it’s only useful when combined with charms. For us ordinary cultivators, it’s pretty much useless. Does anyone here know how to draw runic talismans?”
“At five hundred thousand spirit coins each, they’re not too pricey. The real challenge, however, would be finding a high-level charm master to inscribe the talisman. That’ll cost millions of spirit coins.”
As Jared listened to those cultivators’ chatter, his interest was immediately piqued. He hurriedly squeezed his way into the crowd.
Jared discovered that the stall owner was an elderly man who appeared somewhat aged. In front of him, he had arranged a dozen or so black tortoiseshells. Astonishingly, those shells were all of the same size, and even more intriguing was the faint spiritual energy he could sense emanating from within those tortoiseshells.
Jared couched down, picked up a black tortoiseshell, and began to scrutinize it. The patterns on the tortoiseshells were distinct, and spiritual energy emanated continuously from within. Jared reckoned those tortoiseshells were genuine.
“Though the black tortoiseshell is incredibly tough, it only works in conjunction with charms. Without drawing runic talismans onto the tortoiseshell, it’s no more effective than a regular golden chain mail. However, if one can draw runic talismans and combine them with the black tortoiseshell, it’ll be capable of fending off attacks from elite cultivators. As for how powerful an attack the tortoiseshell can withstand, that’ll depend on the skill level of the charm master. Let’s go check out other places. This thing is just not worth it!” Alastair said, giving Jared a tug.
To those ordinary cultivators, half a million spirit coins for one item was no small sum. Moreover, they saw no use in having such a thing in their possession.
If they were to hire a high-level charm master to draw the runic talisman, the cost would likely skyrocket.
Upon hearing Alastair’s words, Jared was overjoyed inside, yet he managed to maintain a poker face. He was cautious not to let the vendor seize the opportunity to hike up the price.
Jared turned to the stall owner and asked, “If I were to buy all of these black tortoiseshells, would it be possible to get a discount?”
“You want to buy all of them?” the stall owner asked, looking at Jared with a hint of surprise.
“That’s right. I’ll take them all, but your price needs to be reasonable.” Jared casually fiddled with those black tortoiseshells, feigning disinterest.
The stall owner studied Jared, then glanced at his black tortoiseshells and said, “There are thirteen black tortoiseshells here. You can just pay me five million spirit coins for everything.”
“Okay.” Without hesitation, Jared pulled out five purple spirit coins and handed them to the stall owner.
Immediately after, he stowed away the thirteen black tortoiseshells into his Storage Ring,
Once the deal was done, Jared didn’t linger and got up to leave at once.
After the stall owner witnessed how decisive Jared was in making the deal, a hint of regret surfaced in his eyes. If I had known earlier, I would have set the price higher.
The other cultivators were also similarly astonished to see how readily Jared purchased all the black tortoiseshells.
Alastair was particularly shocked. He hastily caught up with Jared and said, “Sir, don’t take this the wrong way, but even if you’re rich, you can’t just spend money like this. You’re squandering your wealth!”
Alastair wore a pained expression as if Jared had just spent his money.
Observing Alastair’s demeanor, Jared merely chuckled without uttering a word. This guy is really quite the miser. He probably values money more than his life.
“Is there a more upscale stall in this market? Browsing each one is just too time-consuming.”
Jared wanted to go straight to the stalls selling high-end items.
Looking for something worthwhile at those ordinary stalls was like finding a needle in a haystack.
