Chapter 611: The Debtor Young Lady (3k)
“You, you… what do you mean!”
Su Jiu’s words made the Lady Ice Griffin involuntarily retreat a step. Her back brushed against the chair, creaking slightly, and she almost fell backward. Fortunately, a slightly warm hand caught her, and a voice by her ear said again:
“Don’t you want your strength to stabilize?”
After regaining her balance, she turned her head to look, only to find Su Jiu’s smiling face still within a few inches of her. A surge of shame and anger welled up in her heart. She turned her face away, exhaling, and added, “Even to stabilize my strength, I wouldn’t do something so shameless…”
Her pride and arrogance did not allow her to speak. Even though this was a simple matter, for this Lady Ice Griffin, who valued her dignity more than her life, it was no different from facing a certain death battle.
“Let’s try another way. I’ll accept it even if you charge high interest.”
After saying this, Lin couldn’t help but look back at the stage below, observing the heated competition. She then looked at the crystal platform where the crimson blood was being collected in a reagent.
The surging, turbid red liquid seemed to possess a strange allure, causing her throat to constrict slightly. The craving emanating from the blood was impossible to resist.
“High interest? It’s not impossible…”
Su Jiu listened to the suggestion and looked at Lin’s conflicted face, a smile appearing on her lips. She knew it was time to stop pushing. She wanted a gradual progression, not a hasty one.
She then extended a fair finger towards Lin and chuckled, “But only for this time.”
“One time is enough!”
Hearing Su Jiu’s accommodating tone, Lin’s face lit up slightly. She clenched her fists, her gaze lowered to the crystal platform, secretly thinking she had it in the bag.
If it’s a high-interest loan, so be it. At worst, she’d just have to kill more monsters and repay it with magic crystals.
She considered integrity to be a minor detail for those who aimed for great things. However, Su Jiu’s next words made her feel uneasy again—
“Fifty percent monthly interest, are you sure you want it? If you can’t repay it, this treaty of equality won’t be so equal,” Su Jiu smiled and slowly drew back, her gaze also fixed on the crystal platform.
“Fifty percent monthly interest?!”
Upon hearing this demand, Lin’s budding smile froze. Her entire face turned numb as she looked at the other party, as if seeing this girl for the first time.
You’re not that way, my friend. How could such an exorbitant interest rate come from your warm 37.5°C mouth?
You could just rob me, but you’re willing to ask me to repay it with interest. I could just cry!
“What, too low? Then… sixty percent?”
Although Su Jiu had already retracted her neck, Lin’s hand was still in her palm. Su Jiu then chuckled and scratched it a couple of times, as if teasing a young lady.
“Ah! Con artist!”
Lin’s eyes widened as she heard Su Jiu’s words. She quickly snatched her hand back, then whispered, “Let me think about it.”
Looking at that mischievous, fairy-like face, Su Jiu wasn’t worried that the other party wouldn’t agree. After all, there would be someone to count for her, someone to bully this impoverished young lady…
“20 intermediate magic crystals for one. Does anyone want to bid higher?”
At this moment, the Female Auctioneer’s voice came from below, her tone already regaining its former seductive charm.
Lin fell into thought again. If that blood required 20 intermediate magic crystals, then she would have to repay 30 intermediate magic crystals within this month. If she couldn’t repay it this month, it would become 45 magic crystals…
However, she was confident in her own strength. If she could stabilize her bloodline, killing 20 monsters above High-Rank Battle General level wouldn’t be difficult.
After all, this was the sea. Nothing was more abundant in the sea than all sorts of messy monsters.
“Third call…”
As the Female Auctioneer on the stage below made her second call, Lin forced a smile and responded to Su Jiu, “Fifty percent? I agree!”
“A wise choice.”
Su Jiu chuckled and handed the bidding paddle to Lin, smiling at her, like an old fox. This was just the beginning. Since Lin had conceded once, there would be more concessions in the future.
Lin took the bidding paddle, her heart pounding softly. It was the excitement of finally being able to acquire what she needed. She quickly raised her paddle and shouted, “25 intermediate magic crystals.”
The blood was only worth this price. In front of a group of Alchemists, as a raw material, it was not even worth this much. No one competed with Lin, and soon, she acquired it under the Female Auctioneer’s small hammer.
“It’s bought. Let’s sign the contract.”
The moment the Female Auctioneer finished, Lin felt an emptiness. She turned her head to Su Jiu according to the sound and found her smile growing more intense.
“Sign the contract…”
Her small face changed slightly, her empty heart filled with regret and relief, a feeling akin to regretting purchases during Double Eleven but also feeling lucky about getting a discounted item.
“It’s just a high-interest loan.”
Soon, urged by Su Jiu, Lin bit her finger and signed the contract again. However, this time, the contract was a rather unfair high-interest loan agreement.
She forced herself not to look at Su Jiu’s smug smile, or she felt like she would grind her molars to dust.
“Not bad, not bad…”
Watching Lin’s actions, Su Jiu nodded with a smile. Within five minutes, the essence blood was delivered. Lin snatched it like a territorial kitten.
“Don’t smile at me like that, it’s creepy.”
Then, she quickly distanced herself from Su Jiu and moved to the corner. She shot Su Jiu a cautious glance before beginning her cultivation.
Sensing no activity around her, Su Jiu felt bored. She stood up, leaned on the railing, and looked towards the auction stage.
The auction was now gradually nearing its end, so most of the items appearing were the highlights of this auction, such as the Demigod Level defensive accessory – the Flowing Cloud Hairpin.
Although it was far inferior to the rings and necklaces worn by Xiao Yezi, it was still auctioned for nearly a hundred intermediate magic crystals.
Su Jiu wasn’t particularly interested in the Flowing Cloud Hairpin, which emitted a faint blue glow. Although it would be helpful to her, the inflated price made it a low-cost-effectiveness purchase if she bought it.
It was eventually bought by a woman in a red dress on the second floor. Su Jiu could feel an inferno-like aura emanating from the private room, an aura infinitely close to that of a quasi-god, giving the illusion that the auction house was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
However, these were not the main points. What Su Jiu needed most now was time and specific high-level feathers.
Furthermore, after her Ice Dragon Transformation had turned into a True Dragon Transformation, she could sense that if she were to advance, she would not only need to prepare feathers but also a token for this True Dragon Transformation…
It was likely a reversed scale from a high-level dragon.
At that time, she might have to approach Huo’er for help, as Huo’er’s identity was not simple. She was likely a blood relative of the so-called Dragon Lord. Obtaining a reversed scale should be possible.
While musing, Su Jiu noticed that the alluring Female Auctioneer’s expression suddenly turned solemn, causing her to pause. She then murmured, “It’s finally time for the auction’s centerpiece. I heard it’s an ancient book?”
“That thing is for sale! I heard it contains information about many treasures.”
Many people who noticed the change in the auctioneer’s expression seemed to have discovered something. The hushed whispers amongst them stopped, and all eyes were fixed, anticipating the grand finale of this auction.
“A map…”
Shendai Yamaha’s handlebar mustache twitched, his eyes fixed ahead. This was his objective for coming here.
Some strong individuals chatting on the second floor also straightened up, their previously lazy gazes turning sharp as an eagle’s. Some even had a peculiar glint in their eyes.
“Heh heh, this auction will be conducted by this Chairman.”
With a hearty laugh, a middle-aged man carrying a wine gourd suddenly appeared on stage. It was the chairman of the Baiyun Chamber of Commerce, whom Su Jiu had met once before.
The War God Level pressure he exuded instantly suppressed those with ulterior motives. Their faces turned pale, and they dared not harbor any further thoughts, becoming much more subdued.
“Everyone, please behave. If you happen to be killed here, your country won’t say much. This is international waters.”
The Baiyun Chairman took a sip and waved his hand, smiling like Old Man Jiu. However, everyone on stage dared not make any further moves, only watching him with tense expressions.
With that, he signaled the Female Auctioneer with his eyes to begin. He then carefully took out a half-opened small wooden box from the stage. Within the small box lay a scroll about the thickness of a two-mao-five-cent workbook.
The scroll was some distance from everyone. The text on the cover seemed to lean towards Japanese characters, giving it an ancient feel.
“A scroll?”
Faced with this item, Su Jiu was quite disappointed. She roughly guessed it was the treasure from ancient Japan, but it wouldn’t be of much help to her.
However, it might be different for others.
As the small scroll appeared, many people on the second floor of the auction house suddenly straightened their backs, their eyes filled with curiosity as they stared at the small book.
“This is an ancient scroll from the Tengu Clan. As a race of immortal monarchs in history, their tribesmen have always acted as historiographers, impartially recording all major events.”
Ignoring the desirous gazes, the Baiyun Chairman directly took out a black steel pen, pressed it towards the wall, and projected a video. It was in black and white for a moment.
Then, a demonic creature with wings, a red face, and a long nose appeared. It seemed to be talking to itself, speaking in broken modern Japanese, saying:
“I am willing to sell one of my family’s heritage. This scroll records a short history from the Edo period, detailing the locations of tombs and treasures of some lords and daimyo after the suppression of the Hyakki Yagyō, and back then…”
He paused, as if the topic was difficult to articulate, then finally sighed and stated directly:
“The whereabouts of one of the great demons that followed Yamata no Orochi.”
