CHAPTER 692: CHAPTER 692: UNDER-THE-TABLE DEALINGS

Ji You was completely stunned by the situation, but she still maintained the demeanor of a Master—calm in the face of change.

Ji You kept a stern face and didn’t engage in the conversation, instead, she quickly changed the subject and said, "Besides the three soul devices for the raffle, I will also have two soul devices for sale on-site. I will send you the details of those later, you can estimate the price and set it." Currently, Ji You had only five soul devices, three for the raffle and only two for sale. She couldn’t guarantee that she would be able to craft more by tomorrow night, so she only mentioned two for sale to Cheng Yu.

As soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Yu’s eyes lit up:

Estimate the price?

Such trust from the Master...

For a moment, Cheng Yu was so moved that he was almost in tears, and the slight resentment he had for being replaced as a salesperson evaporated in an instant.

Cheng Yu said loudly, "Master, rest assured, the soul devices I appraise are never undervalued."

Ji You: "Hmm."

Cheng Yu whispered, "Um... Master... as a salesperson, can I participate in the purchase?"

Ji You was somewhat speechless. He was already her salesperson and yet he was still eyeing low-level soul artifacts. In the future, when she could craft Middle and High-level Soul Devices, wouldn’t he have a share too? Besides, she had already promised to customize a soul device for him. Although her skills were not yet sufficient, it was only a matter of time... Looking at Cheng Yu’s honest, round face, Ji You shook her head and said, "No."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yu was slightly disappointed:

No chance for a sneak purchase.

Cough cough...

No!

It meant no chance to participate in the purchase.

Cheng Yu thought for a bit and, with the principle of maximizing benefits, proposed, "Master, how about we use this opportunity to hold an auction during the raffle event? The two soul devices for sale go to the highest bidder?"

"Hmm?" Ji You raised her hand to her chin.

Hosting an auction, considering the current popularity and traffic of the shop, would certainly fetch a higher price than a flat rate.

But—

What if many of the people camping out in her shop were like her, poor students? They couldn’t afford much money and could only hope to rely on their pure speed to purchase a soul device at a normal price...

For an ordinary household, the price of a soul device was already sky-high, requiring years, or even over a decade, of scrimping and saving just to afford one.

They saved for so long simply because soul devices have a good chance of breaking through spiritual level barriers, advancing to the next level...

That’s one part.

Ji You is not blindly kind-hearted or saintly, because the soul devices she crafts are useless to her and not particularly difficult to make. If these devices could genuinely end up in the hands of those who truly need and cherish them... it would also bring happiness to the maker.

Moreover.

Ji You could currently only craft low-level soul artifacts and hadn’t even begun with Middle or High-level ones. Even if a low-level device was auctioned, how would it be? Ordinary people couldn’t afford them, and in the end, they would just end up in the hands of wealthy people who weren’t lacking low-level soul devices either.

This was not what Ji You wanted.

Therefore, Ji You decided to save the auction opportunities until she could make Middle and High-level Soul Devices.

Thus.

Ji You shook her head and said, "No auction for now, let’s talk about it later."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yu hurriedly said, "I’ll listen to the Master. Then... Master... when do you plan to start the raffle event?"

Ji You thought for a moment. She had an end-of-term exam to attend the day after tomorrow, and she wouldn’t have much time to manage things herself afterwards—so—

Ji You said, "Let’s start at eight o’clock tomorrow night."

Cheng Yu responded, "Master, don’t worry, Ah Da will definitely maintain order in the shop."

Thinking there was nothing else, Ji You said, "Send me a message if there’s an issue."

Cheng Yu smiled beamingly: "Okay."

As a sales clerk who is also a Master, the best part is being close to the water and able to get close to the Master.

...

After ending the communication.

Ji You immediately dialed Xie Lingzhi’s contact number.

Xie Lingzhi, with her messy hair casually draped, looked somewhat spiritless, as if she hadn’t slept for days. Seeing Ji You, she rolled her eyes: "What is it?"

Ji You chuckled: "Sister Lingzhi, if I didn’t know you were in the lab, I would have thought you crawled out of a trash heap."

Xie Lingzhi: "..."

Xie Lingzhi impatiently said, "I was preparing for my final assignment!" Despite her words showing disdain and impatience, Xie Lingzhi still asked, "Did you run into some problem? Speak quickly, I’m still busy!"

Ji You hurriedly told Xie Lingzhi about the upcoming lottery event at Green Glaze Master’s soul device shop.

Upon hearing this, Xie Lingzhi’s eyes lit up, then immediately dimmed as she said irritably, "With odds of one in tens of millions or one in billions, do you think I can win?"

Ji You: "..."

Ji You said helplessly: "An odds of one in tens of millions is still better than nothing! Why not give it a try? It only takes a few minutes of your time."

Xie Lingzhi asked, "When is it?"

Ji You replied, "The event is tomorrow night at eight."

"Got it," Xie Lingzhi waved her hand and then asked, "Anything else? By the way, when are your finals?"

"Nothing else," Ji You smiled and said, "Our finals are the day after tomorrow. It’s not on Lanyue Star; the teacher hasn’t announced the specific location yet."

"Not in school?" Xie Lingzhi, who had been indifferent, suddenly widened her eyes. She frowned and said, "What’s this about? There’s never been an off-campus final exam for the first year."

Ji You didn’t know either.

Xie Lingzhi said, "Wait, I’ll send you 5000 credit points. Pack some nutrient solutions and stuff. I’m afraid you might end up somewhere deserted without even food."

"Not... that’s unlikely, right?" Ji You was somewhat disbelieving. Also, Sister Lingzhi, being such a miser, was willing to give her 5000 credit points. It must have been her savings from living frugally—Ji You felt a bit awkward about it.

Ji You hurriedly said, "No... no need, I still have some money."

Xie Lingzhi glanced at her and said, "It’s a loan, you have to pay it back. You think it’s free!"

Ji You: "Cough cough..."

But Ji You still shook her head, saying, "I earned a lot of points from competitions this year. When the time comes, I’ll just buy some nutrient solutions from the school store with points."

"Oh—"

"I almost forgot." Xie Lingzhi remembered this point, then stopped insisting on giving Ji You money and said, "Alright, handle it yourself. Let me know before you leave."

Ji You smiled beamingly: "Okay."

Xie Lingzhi was about to hang up the phone—

Considering Sister Lingzhi might forget about the lottery, and it wasn’t appropriate for Ji You to blatantly suggest rigging it in her favor, Ji You, feeling uneasy, quickly reminded her: "Sister Lingzhi, let’s participate in the lottery together tomorrow, don’t forget."

Xie Lingzhi: "Alright."

After saying this.

Communication was cut off.