94: Chapter 94: Picked up a top-tier silver item from a junkyard?!

Under the focused gaze of the crowd...

The egg-Hatching Master began to incubate the extraordinary-looking Water Cloud Leopard egg belonging to the young waiter.

Professional tools carefully cracked the eggshell, injecting gentle catalytic energy.

Before long, the shell shattered, and a small leopard with grayish-white fur, faint cloud patterns, and sharp eyes timidly poked its head out, letting out a faint hiss.

“It's out! Looking at its form, it is indeed a Water Cloud Leopard!”

“The appearance is good, and its eyes are bright; it shouldn't be bad!”

A flurry of whispers rose from the onlookers.

Immediately following that...

The staff placed it into the Aptitude testing array.

After the light scan...

The appraisal results were clearly displayed on the crystal screen to the side:

【species】: Water Cloud Leopard

【Aptitude】: Silver Rank Low

【Innate Talent Skill】: Swift Shadow (Excellent), Gale Claw (Rare)

【Estimated Value】: Approximately 4 million federal currency

“Silver Rank Low! Not bad, not bad at all!”

“Bought for three million and earned a million upon resale; that's some good foresight!”

“This waiter has some skill; he truly is a veteran of the Myriad Beast Pavilion.”

A wave of praise echoed through the crowd.

Although it didn't turn out to be a Gold Rank with startling Aptitude...

A guaranteed profit was already a Rare feat.

A satisfied smile appeared on the face of the Elder in Luxurious Clothes.

He nodded slightly, clearly quite pleased with the result.

The young waiter suddenly felt a sense of pride.

His chest puffed out a few inches higher unconsciously.

He triumphantly took the small Water Cloud Leopard from the staff and presented it to the elder like a treasure, while glancing sideways at Jiang Yun and Xiao Yun out of the corner of his eye.

His voice was full of undisguised mockery and provocation:

“Boss, you see, I told you that professional matters should be left to professionals! Some people just won't listen and insist on scavenging in the trash pile, thinking they're some chosen child of destiny. And the result? Hmph, I'm afraid they won't even hear a peep!”

He deliberately emphasized the words 'trash pile' very heavily.

This drew a round of low snickering from the surroundings.

Xiao Yun's cheeks puffed out in anger, and she wanted to argue, but Jiang Yun gently raised his hand to stop her.

Beneath the mask...

Jiang Yun's eyes were calm and rippleless.

It was as if the person being mocked wasn't him at all.

He simply nodded slightly to Xiao Yun, signaling her to continue.

Xiao Yun took a deep breath, suppressed the grievance in her heart, and holding the dusty, unremarkable Beast Egg in both hands, walked to the newly vacated workbench and carefully handed it to another Hatching Master.

Due to the commotion caused by the young waiter and his deliberate mockery, nearly half of the gazes in the hatching area were now focused on the 'trash egg' in Xiao Yun's hands.

However, among these gazes, there were few curious ones and many looking for a joke.

“Coming from the Common area, what good things could it possibly have?”

“Gambling with three hundred thousand; they should be thanking their lucky stars if it even yields a Bronze Rank.”

“I think it's unlikely; with that appearance, I'd find it a waste of space even if it were given to me for free.”

“Some poor people just love to dream; just wait for them to lose everything.”

Amidst the discussions...

The young waiter crossed his arms over his chest.

Disdain was written all over his face.

Waiting to see the joke, he didn't forget to speak sarcastically: “Everyone, keep your eyes peeled; let's see how our mysterious honored guest uses three hundred thousand to hatch an earth-shattering great treasure! Hahaha!”

Even the Elder in Luxurious Clothes...

Was in no hurry to leave.

He cast his gaze over with great interest, seemingly wanting to see if this masked mysterious person truly had confidence or if it was purely a farce.

Under the watch of countless skeptical or mocking gazes...

The Hatching Master began the operation.

When the tool touched the grayish-brown eggshell, the sound produced was slightly dull, completely different from the crisp sound when opening the Water Cloud Leopard egg; this further solidified the impression in everyone's minds that the egg was of poor quality.

However...

The moment a small opening was cracked in the shell and the catalytic energy was injected...

“Buzz!”

An earthy yellow light, far more robust and concentrated than that of the Water Cloud Leopard egg, suddenly pierced through the cracks in the shell.

At the same time...

A faint, ethereal aura carrying a slight pressure spread out.

“Eh? This light...”

“The energy reaction isn't weak!”

“It seems... there's something to it?”

The originally noisy crowd of onlookers instantly quieted down quite a bit.

Everyone's gazes shifted from watching a show to being uncertain and surprised.

The smile on the young waiter's face stiffened for a moment.

But he then forced himself to remain calm, saying, “Just playing tricks! It’s nothing more than a final flash of light before the end!”

The Hatching Master also showed a hint of surprise and operated even more carefully.

When the eggshell was completely peeled away...

A stout little beast covered in fine, rock-like scales, with a somewhat square head and short, powerful limbs, appeared before everyone.

It seemed a bit unaccustomed to the bright light and let out a low, muffled thunder-like roar.

This form, this cry... this was definitely no ordinary familiar!

Everyone's eyes widened.

They stared intently at the Aptitude testing array.

First, they wanted to see exactly what Aptitude this familiar possessed.

The light swept over it.

The information on the crystal screen refreshed rapidly and then froze.

【species】: Wood-Armored Earth Dragon (wood attribute)

【Aptitude】: silver rank peak

【Innate Talent Skill】: Earth Barrier (Excellent), Earth Spike Assault (Excellent), Dragon Might Deterrence (Rare)

【Estimated Value】: 5 million federal currency (Base Valuation)

...The information was revealed.

At the same time...

A chorus of gasps rang out in the hall.

“Wha... What?!”

“Sil... silver rank peak?! A Wood-Armored Earth Dragon?!”

“My god! It even has three skills—two Excellent and one Rare!”

“This... was this damn thing really hatched from the Common area? You've got to be joking!”

“A base price of five million! If this is nurtured well, there's absolutely hope for it to promote to Gold Rank!”

“Crazy! This is truly crazy! They really picked up a treasure from the trash pile?!”

Boom!

The entire hatching area completely erupted!

Exclamations, sharp intakes of breath, and shouts of disbelief rose one after another!

Everyone's faces were written with extreme shock and fervor!

All previous doubts and mockery...

Were crushed to dust in the face of this iron-clad fact!

The young waiter was as if struck by a bolt of lightning; his entire body froze in place.

The color drained from his face.

His face turned as dark as pig's liver, his mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg, and his eyes were filled with absurdity and disbelief.

He felt a burning pain on his face, as if he had been slapped hard by an invisible hand!

All his previous boasting and mockery had now turned into boomerangs, stabbing him deeply!

Xiao Yun was so excited that she covered her mouth.

Tears of surprise and joy shimmered in her eyes.

“It... it's actually a familiar with silver rank peak Aptitude! That's wonderful!”

...“Little brother! Is this Rock-Armored Earth Dragon for sale? I'll offer five million five hundred thousand!”

“I'll offer five million six hundred thousand! Cash on the spot!”

“Five million seven hundred thousand! Let me have it!”

Quick-reacting merchants immediately crowded around.

They began to bid fiercely.

A silver rank peak familiar with the potential to promote to Gold Rank...

Its value was far more than five million!

Just as the price was raised to five million eight hundred thousand...

A steady voice drowned out the noise of the scene.

“Ten million.”

The crowd instantly fell silent.

They parted to make a path.

The Elder in Luxurious Clothes, who had been watching from the sidelines, stepped forward slowly.

He stared intently at the newly hatched Wood-Armored Earth Dragon cub, whose eyes still held a hint of bewilderment, and then looked at the consistently silent and calm Jiang Yun, his tone carrying unquestionable financial power and sincerity.

“My friend, this old man offers ten million federal currency to buy this Wood-Armored Earth Dragon cub. I wonder, are you willing to part with it?”

Ten million!

This price...

Was a full five million higher than the base valuation!

It was enough to demonstrate the elder's determination to obtain it.

It also felt like the loudest slap, fiercely striking the face of the dumbfounded young waiter.

Everyone's gaze once again focused on the mysterious masked man, waiting for his response.