53: Chapter 53 Achieving Magic Crystal Freedom

To Lin Muyang, it made no fundamental difference which party he sold this batch of hot Emperor Level equipment and skill books to. As a newcomer with no established ties to any of the factions in Tianhai City, he naturally had no reason to show favoritism.

His only principle was simple and pure: the items would go to the highest bidder.

His flat yet unquestionable statement was like a stone cast into a calm lake, instantly stirring ripples throughout the mall. The surrounding onlookers grew excited, their eyes filled with anticipation—now, this was going to be a good show!

The Gu Group and the Loushi Group were both prominent families in Tianhai City with deep roots and immense financial power. Their industries spanned all walks of life, and their competition was particularly fierce in fields related to Class Transferees. Their overt and covert struggles had long been an open secret.

But who could have imagined that today, the Second Young Mistress of the Gu family would be so "aggressive," charging directly into a core store of their rival, the Loushi Group, to "crash the party" and snatch a client? This was bold, to say the least!

The news spread rapidly. With such an explosive event happening in the store, how could the Loushi Group's manager for this mall sit idly by? A middle-aged manager with meticulously combed hair, gold-rimmed glasses, and a steady, capable Aura hurried down from the upstairs office immediately.

He first glared fiercely at the Gu family girl who didn't know the rules, then quickly switched to an incredibly respectful expression, bowing deeply toward Lin Muyang, who was shrouded in a holy glow. "It is a great honor to have Senior grace our small shop with your presence. I am the manager here, surnamed Zhou. Please forgive any lack of hospitality. As for this sensible young lady, I'll..."

Before he could finish, Lin Muyang casually raised a hand. That arm, shrouded in light and shadow, seemed to carry an invisible pressure that brought Manager Zhou's words to an abrupt halt.

"It's fine," Lin Muyang's processed, neutral, and majestic voice rang out, clearly reaching everyone's ears. "Let her stay. You both place your bids; the highest bidder wins."

Under the mysterious and profound influence of the Divine Form Aura, the transcendent and awe-inspiring Aura radiating from him and Elabess gave his casual words an irresistible power. The surrounding people, including Manager Zhou, couldn't even muster a thought of disobedience.

The crowd grew increasingly suspicious and uncertain: what was the background of these two mysterious individuals? Everyone had some impression of the top expert circles in Tianhai City, but they had never heard of anyone with such extraordinary, otherworldly presence! Just standing there, they made people feel an urge to prostrate themselves in worship.

A flash of helplessness crossed Manager Zhou's face, but he ultimately nodded respectfully. "Yes, I shall follow Senior's instructions." He knew that today's defensive battle probably wouldn't be easy.

To the side, the corners of Gu Xiaoyu's mouth couldn't help but curl into a cunning and triumphant arc. She had made the right bet! She knew that in such a public setting, given the status of these two mysterious seniors, they would never allow the Loushi Group to crudely drive her away as a "competitor." A fair bidding war was exactly the situation she wanted!

Lin Muyang said no more and began to systematically take equipment out of his storage space. He didn't take everything out at once; instead, he started with the items that had relatively common attributes and the lowest value, displaying their detailed attribute panels one by one for Gu Xiaoyu and Manager Zhou to inspect.

"For these [Pauldrons of Decaying Power], our Gu Group offers seven hundred million magic crystals!" Gu Xiaoyu just took a quick glance and, without any hesitation, called out a price.

Hearing this, Manager Zhou's brow furrowed slightly. He quickly calculated the cost, profit, and market conditions, but ultimately shook his head helplessly. This price was exactly at his break-even point. If he bid any higher, there would be zero profit in the deal, and he might even take a slight loss; for a businessman pursuing profit, it wasn't necessary.

The second piece of equipment was displayed.

"[Warboots of the Gale Shadow], nine hundred and fifty million magic crystals!" Gu Xiaoyu spoke up first again, her price as precise as if it had been meticulously calculated.

Manager Zhou's expression became even more unsightly. This price had once again accurately hit his psychological limit! If he added more, it would be unprofitable; if he didn't, he would have to watch the treasure be taken by his rival.

As Lin Muyang brought out more and more equipment, and of higher quality, the gasps from the surrounding crowd grew louder and louder.

"My god... so much Emperor Level equipment! Did this senior raid some ancient treasure hoard?"

"Too terrifying! How many Emperor Level Dungeons would you have to clear to amass this kind of wealth?"

"And did you notice? That Second Young Mistress of the Gu family is simply divine!"

"Yeah, her grasp of the market price for every piece of equipment is too precise! Every bid is just a hair above the maximum price the Loushi Group can accept!"

"Her reaction time is too fast! She's not giving Manager Zhou any time to think or weigh his options!"

"The Loushi Group is going to take a huge hit this time! That girl is completely controlling the rhythm!"

Even the instigator, Lin Muyang, felt a bit surprised internally. He had originally thought he could sit back and reap the rewards while the two parties bid against each other. He hadn't expected the scene to turn into a one-sided "precision sniping" of the Loushi Group by Gu Xiaoyu!

Despite her youth, this Second Young Mistress of the Gu family displayed an astonishing talent for business negotiation and item appraisal. She knew the attributes, rarity, and market demand of every Emperor Level item like the back of her hand, and the quotes she gave were exactly at the limit where the Gu Group could still make a slim profit after the acquisition. If the Loushi Group bid any higher, they would likely face the risk of a loss.

Lin Muyang was quite satisfied with this result. Although it hadn't triggered a fierce bidding war to net him an excessive premium, the prices Gu Xiaoyu offered were overall very fair—much better than being ripped off by an unknowledgeable merchant. This saved him a great deal of time and energy on haggling.

In the end, the dozens of Emperor Level items Lin Muyang brought out (ranging from 700 million to 12.4 billion magic crystals), four Emperor Level skill books (from 10.5 billion to 14.4 billion magic crystals), and three Emperor Level Dungeon/secret realm scrolls were all bundled together by Gu Xiaoyu for a total price of 155 billion magic crystals!

Watching this, Manager Zhou's face had completely fallen, filled with regret and a sense of powerlessness. It wasn't that he didn't know the value of the goods; he was simply crushed by that quirky Gu family girl in terms of rapid appraisal and decision-making! He could only watch as such a massive deal fell entirely into the pockets of his competitor.

"Heehee, a pleasure doing business with you, Senior~" A winner's bright smile blossomed on Gu Xiaoyu's face, looking like a little fox that had successfully stolen a chicken. She carefully took out a simple, gem-encrusted golden key from her storage ring and waved it at Lin Muyang. "Well then, please follow me to collect the magic crystals, Senior?"

The physical volume of over a hundred billion magic crystals was enormous, far beyond what an ordinary storage tool could hold, and certainly impossible to carry around. It would be a mountain of wealth sufficient to fill several rooms! For a large family like the Gu Group, their liquid capital was usually stored in the top-tier vaults of Magic Crystal Banks that specifically served wealthy Class Transferees.

On the way to the Magic Crystal Bank's dedicated teleportation array, Gu Xiaoyu seemed to remember something. She blinked her lively large eyes and asked with a tilt of her head, "By the way, Senior, the volume of 155 billion magic crystals is quite substantial. Do you plan to have it transferred directly to your anonymous account, or... do you need a physical withdrawal to take with you?" She was curious about how this mysterious senior would handle such a huge sum.

"Take it with me," Lin Muyang's answer was as concise as ever.

A flash of surprise crossed Gu Xiaoyu's eyes, but it was quickly hidden as she nodded obediently. "Alright, understood."

While walking through the special corridor leading to the bank's vault area, Lin Muyang suddenly had a thought. Remembering that Ao Qingyan still lacked a suitable swordsman source skill book, he asked seemingly casually:

"Does your Gu Group currently have any origin skill books for sale? I'm interested in any class."

Hearing this, Gu Xiaoyu's eyes lit up, and she immediately replied, "What a coincidence, Senior! Our group just happened to acquire an Assassin class [Shadow Assault] origin skill book two days ago. We haven't even had time to schedule it for auction yet."

She paused, a sweet yet slightly shrewd smile appearing on her face. "Since Senior needs it, let this skill book be a greeting gift from our Gu Group. I hope we can cooperate much more in the future~"

???

Through the hazy glow, Lin Muyang looked at the girl's delicate face, which was practically screaming "good at business," and couldn't help but feel some emotion. This girl didn't look very old, likely having just completed her Class Transfer, yet her methods of handling people and winning hearts were practically veteran-level!

This "gift" seemed generous, but it was actually an extremely shrewd investment. Using one origin skill book (though valuable) to befriend a mysterious expert who could casually produce over a hundred billion in equipment and establish a long-term cooperative relationship was a deal that was guaranteed to be profitable no matter how you looked at it.

Lin Muyang naturally wouldn't hypocritically refuse such a "bargain" delivered to his door. He nodded, accepting the favor. "Acceptable. If there are future harvests, you will be given priority."

This could be considered a tacit promise.

Soon, the three of them passed through several strict security checks and identity verifications (Lin Muyang and Elabess's identities were naturally "top secret") and arrived at the core area deep underground in the Magic Crystal Bank—the vault district.

This bank had seven levels of incredibly sturdy vaults built underground. The walls were all cast from Obsidian Magic Gold infused with Mithril and Star Sand, said to be able to withstand continuous attacks from SSS-Rank Experts. Combined with the giant composite defensive barrier enveloping the bank's exterior, its security was second to none in all of Tianhai City. The Gu Group was one of the major clients here, having leased several large vaults long-term.

Using the golden key along with complex magical imprints and passwords, Gu Xiaoyu opened the heavy gates of five massive storage rooms in succession. Inside each room, standard magic crystal units were stacked as neatly as bricks, radiating pure energy light that almost lit up the entire vault like broad daylight.

"Senior, each of these standard vaults stores ten billion magic crystals." Gu Xiaoyu pointed at the five "magic crystal hills," her tone carrying a hint of subtle pride but also mixed with some doubt. "Five vaults, a total of fifty billion magic crystals in physical form... can you really take them all?"

She really couldn't imagine what kind of storage tool could have such a massive space. Even the top-tier storage ring on her finger, a family heirloom with nearly a hundred cubic meters of space, seemed like a drop in the bucket when facing such a vast ocean of magic crystals.

Hearing her skeptical inquiry, Lin Muyang didn't speak. He simply, calmly, and slowly raised his wrist.

There, a simple and elegant-looking, seemingly unremarkable princess bracelet was quietly emitting a faint light.