CHAPTER 273: CHAPTER 272 BLACK CLOUD GOLD_1

"Alright, the guest says that he is willing to buy your Heavenly Snow Lotus for one million taels of gold," the attendant spoke with a beaming smile.

"What, one million taels?"

Wang Lun’s face darkened slightly. He had originally purchased it for one million one hundred and fifty thousand taels. With the current offer, he would be losing one hundred and fifty thousand taels.

"Can you ask the young master if he can bid a higher price? At least enough to ensure I do not make a loss," Wang Lun squeezed out a reluctant grin as he spoke.

"The guest says he’s only willing to pay one million taels of gold, not a penny more," the attendant responded, sounding somewhat helpless.

"If you are not inclined to accept the offer, never mind then. I will go relay the situation to that guest." The attendant looked like he was about to leave.

"Wait a minute, I didn’t say I wasn’t willing!"

Seeing the attendant about to leave, Wang Lun suddenly began to panic. He quickly grabbed the attendant’s clothes. "Tell him I’m willing to let it go, for one million taels!"

"Very well, please give me the Heavenly Snow Lotus first. The gold ticket for one million taels of gold will be delivered to you shortly." The attendant suppressed a laugh as he saw Wang Lun’s panicked expression. However, since Wang Lun was the son of the City Lord, he, as an attendant, knew better than to laugh at him openly.

"Here."

Wang Lun obediently handed over the box containing the Heavenly Snow Lotus. This item had become a hot potato in his hands, and he was eager to get rid of it as soon as possible. If he kept it until the final tally, he would definitely be doomed.

"Oh, and please thank the guest for me, for his generosity in rescuing me from my predicament," Wang Lun hurriedly added as the attendant was about to leave.

The attendant nodded and left.

"Thankfully, Young Master, you had a distinguished guest to help, otherwise it would have been a disaster," the accompanying servant heaved a sigh of relief.

"Indeed. I wonder who this kind-hearted individual is," Wang Lun said gratefully. He looked in the direction the attendant had gone. He hoped to see which guest the attendant reported back to, and thus discover who had bailed him out.

Sometime later, the attendant approached a young man dressed in white. Upon seeing the young man’s face, Wang Lun’s body stiffened in shock.

The young man was none other than Ling Chen.

The attendant walked up to Ling Chen and respectfully handed over the Heavenly Snow Lotus he was carrying.

"Damn it, why is it him?!"

Wang Lun felt as if he had been struck by lightning, staring blankly at the scene before him. Then he snapped back to reality. Damn it, I’ve been duped!

"Quick, get my stuff back!"

Seeing this, a nearby servant hurriedly advised, "Don’t, Young Master! Have you forgotten? We don’t have that much money. Even if we get it back, it would be useless. Let’s just take this as a lesson learned by paying a hefty price. Even though we lost one hundred and fifty thousand taels of gold, at least the family fortune is intact."

Upon hearing this, Wang Lun suppressed his urge to charge forward, though he couldn’t quell the fury simmering inside him.

From afar, Ling Chen lifted the box he held towards Wang Lun, as if to say, "Thank you for the gift."

PTOO!

Overcome with rage and feeling utterly humiliated, Wang Lun spat out a mouthful of blood and promptly fainted.

"Young Master, Young Master!"

The servant shook Wang Lun’s body desperately.

"Serves him right."

Lin Ya was doubled over in laughter upon seeing Wang Lun faint. She felt immensely satisfied.

"Sometimes, you don’t have to kill someone to feel good, don’t you think?" Ling Chen asked casually with a faint smile.

"You’re really an interesting guy."

Lin Ya stared intently at Ling Chen, her beautiful eyes brimming with deep interest.

At this moment, on the stage, Steward Xie took a metal disk from a Maid. The disk was covered with a red cloth. He grinned at the crowd and said, "This next item will be the last Treasure of the first round of the appraisal contest."

After saying this, he lifted the red cloth to reveal an irregular piece of black metal. This piece of metal, shining with a glossy black light, was of an unidentifiable type.

"What is this?"

Ling Chen squinted. Even he could not identify the nature of this unusual piece of metal.

"This item is known as Black Cloud Gold, a strange metal. According to some records, it can be used as material to forge Puppet Mechanisms, specifically high-level Puppet Mechanisms," Steward Xie continued.

"Steward Xie, you say this item can be used to forge Puppet Mechanisms. Has anyone actually succeeded in doing so, or is this merely recorded in books?" a warrior suddenly asked.

"It’s only recorded in books," Steward Xie answered honestly. "These puppeteer skills have long been lost in Jianghu. I’m afraid very few people know them anymore, so it’s impossible to verify. However, since it’s recorded in books, it surely must have some use."

"High-level material for forging Puppets sounds impressive. But since no one in Jianghu knows the art of Puppets anymore, isn’t this Black Cloud Gold ultimately useless?" The warrior shook his head and sat down again.

As this sentiment spread, many warriors lost interest in the Black Cloud Gold. Although it sounded valuable, the item had little practical use. Perhaps only those with some knowledge of puppet mechanism technique would be willing to expend great effort to obtain it.

Seeing the lukewarm reception from the crowd, Steward Xie couldn’t help but shake his head. Such an item was not commonly sought after, so a muted response was to be expected.

"The bidding for this Black Cloud Gold starts at three hundred thousand taels of gold."

Steward Xie’s voice echoed through the room.

After his words fell, several minutes passed before a hoarse, elderly voice finally spoke up, "Three hundred and fifty thousand taels."

"Four hundred thousand."

Ling Chen raised his hand this time.

"Ling Chen, you’re interested in this Black Cloud Gold as well?" Lin Ya looked at Ling Chen in surprise. Could it be that he’s also familiar with puppet mechanism technique?

"I just have too much money and nowhere to spend it. This thing might be useless now, but it will surely be useful eventually."

Ling Chen gave a nonchalant smile.

However, his inner state was far from calm; in fact, a tempest was raging within him.

This Black Cloud Gold isn’t some useless object as everyone else perceives, he mused. Quite the opposite. Just as Steward Xie said, it’s an essential core material for forging high-level Puppets! I remember reading in "Secrets of Mechanism" that three core materials are needed to forge a top-level Puppet capable of rivaling a Top Sky Apex Strong. And Black Cloud Gold is one of them! If I can gather all three, I can forge a top-level Puppet! If the warriors here knew this, the entire Golden Jade Pavilion would be in an uproar. Even the Black Market would regret auctioning off such a Treasure!

"Four hundred and fifty thousand taels."

The hoarse voice sounded again. It was the same old man who had placed the previous bid. Clearly, this old man also had a keen interest in puppet mechanism technique.

"Five hundred thousand taels."

Ling Chen pressed on, undeterred. He grew increasingly anxious. What if someone else recognizes its true value? he worried. This Black Cloud Gold is definitely not something I can acquire for just four or five hundred thousand taels of gold.