129: Finding bargains

Bai Ye was leisurely browsing "Neptune's Halberd," the largest fishing gear specialty store in Blue-Eyed White Dragon City.

It could be called a paradise for Fishing Enthusiasts.

Everything was available, from the most basic fiberglass fishing rods to top-tier divine rods crafted from various rare Demonic Beast Materials.

"Sir, how may I help you?"

As soon as Bai Ye entered, a sweet-looking store clerk greeted him with a smile.

With the Grand Ceremony approaching, their store was seeing more and more customers, and occasionally, even a Fifth-Tier Beast Tamer would visit.

She sized up Bai Ye, noticing he was young and his skin showed no signs of being exposed to the sun.

Subconsciously, she assumed he was a beginner youth who was curious about fishing.

"I'm just looking around."

Bai Ye waved his hand, his gaze sweeping across the dazzling array of shelves.

"Alright, sir. We have the latest Carbon Fiber Fishing Rods here. They are light and sturdy, very suitable for beginners. If you're interested, I can give you a detailed introduction."

The clerk recommended enthusiastically.

Whether they were ordinary people or Beast Tamers, any kind of fishing equipment could be found in their store.

Because their boss was a fanatical Fishing Enthusiast.

He wanted more people to become new Fishing Enthusiasts.

Bai Ye shook his head, glanced at the surrounding fishing rods, and said:

"No need. Take me to see the fishing rods specifically for catching Demonic Beasts."

Song San had previously given him a black-gold credit card, which reportedly had a monthly limit of five billion alliance coins.

This was without him applying for more; otherwise, given the other party's status as a Refiner, the limit would surely be higher.

The smile on the clerk's face became even brighter.

Sure enough, he was a Beast Tamer participating in the Grand Ceremony.

"Very well, sir, please follow me."

She immediately dropped her attitude for dealing with beginners and led Bai Ye to the VIP Area on the third floor of the store.

The decor here was significantly more luxurious than downstairs.

Fishing rods of various designs were displayed in the glass cabinets.

Rather than fishing rods, they looked more like exquisite works of art.

"Sir, this is our store's VIP Area. Everything displayed here is a top-tier fishing rod crafted personally by a Great Master of Equipment, using Demonic Beast Materials of Elite Rank or higher."

The clerk introduced one of the fishing rods.

If a Beast Tamer who never fished saw the Materials used to make the rods, they would definitely cry out that it was a Waste of Heavenly Resources.

Bai Ye's gaze swept over the fishing rods one by one.

Although they had introductions, they didn't feel very detailed.

In short, they were inferior to the illustrated compendium.

[Name]: Heart of Blazing Flame

[Quality]: Elite Rank Excellent

[Description]: Crafted from the spine of the Elite Rank Fire-type Demonic Beast "Molten Lizard." The rod body is tough, naturally possesses the fire attribute, and can effectively burn the skin of Water-type Demonic Beasts.

[Price]: Fifteen million alliance coins.

Imbuing a fishing rod with the fire attribute?

Is this fishing or grilling fish online?

I'm afraid the line would snap before the fish is even pulled ashore. It's purely making fishing harder... [Name]: Thorn of Glacial Ice

[Quality]: Elite Rank Rare

[Description]: Ground from the fangs of the Elite Rank Ice-type Demonic Beast "Ice Crystal Sea Serpent." The rod tip is sharp, naturally possesses Glacial Qi, and can slow down the target's movement speed.

[Price]: Seventy-eight million alliance coins.

This thing is less a fishing rod and more a weapon shaped like a fishing rod.

Bai Ye looked around, forcefully suppressing the urge to complain.

The attributes of these fishing rods were overly flashy.

He only needed extreme toughness, enough to withstand the pull of a big catch.

"Are there others?" Bai Ye asked.

"Sir, these are already the best items we can display in our store."

"Of course, we also have a few Lord-level treasures that serve as the Store's Centerpiece, but items of that level start at hundreds of millions each and are generally not displayed or sold externally."

The clerk showed a look of difficulty.

"I see..." Bai Ye's gaze suddenly stopped at the corner of the display cabinet.

Lying there quietly was a deep brown fishing rod that looked unremarkable, somewhat resembling ordinary wood.

But as everyone knows, "unremarkable" is often a term of praise.

Its design was simple and antique, and the price tag, tossed in the corner of the VIP Area, had started to yellow.

The quality listed on it was merely Elite Rank Excellent, not even Rare.

But Bai Ye's illustrated compendium provided completely different information.

[Name]: Deep Sea Dragon Tendon Wood

[Quality]: Lord Rank Epic

[Description]: Taken from the core of an unknown Divine Wood located ten thousand meters beneath the deep sea. Rather than a fishing rod, it is more like an uncarved raw Material.

It possesses unparalleled toughness, is nearly impossible to break by external force, and is equally difficult to process or refine.

Due to its simple appearance and having only the single characteristic of toughness, it was appraised by the Appraiser as Elite Rank Excellent quality.

[Price]: Eighty-eight million alliance coins.

This is the one!

Bai Ye's heart stirred.

A Lord Rank Epic quality Material was being sold as Elite Rank Excellent simply because it only retained the characteristic of toughness.

Buying a Lord-level fishing rod for eighty-eight million—this was a huge bargain.

A slight joy arose in his heart; he never expected to have a day where he could snatch such a bargain.

"Please wrap this fishing rod up for me."

Bai Ye pointed at the Deep Sea Dragon Tendon Wood and told the clerk.

"Are you sure?"

The clerk looked at him in surprise.

This fishing rod had been here since she was hired. All sorts of other rods had been sold, but only this one remained firm.

"Although the rod's Material is tough, it has no special effects, and its appearance is quite crude. At a price of over eighty million, the cost-performance ratio isn't very high..."

Kind clerks like her were rare, trying to prevent strangers from wasting money.

"It's fine. I just like the simple and unadorned kind."

Bai Ye smiled.

"Alright then."

Seeing Bai Ye insist, the clerk stopped trying to dissuade him.

"Besides this rod, I also want the best fishing line and hook," Bai Ye continued.

"Understood, sir."

Regarding the fishing line, Bai Ye actually trusted his Vine Whip more, but it never hurt to have a backup plan.

Following the clerk's recommendation, he selected a spool of fishing line woven from the silk of the Lord-level Demonic Beast, the "Void Weaver Spider."

And a fishing hook ground from the tooth of the Lord-level Demonic Beast, the Deep Sea Emperor Shark.

Compared to the fishing rods, the store still had quite a few Lord-level hooks and lines.

Although the Void Weaver Spider is a Lord-level Magical Beast, its silk output is relatively stable.

It is also much easier to process than the fishing rods.

Therefore, although the quality is also Lord-level, the value is far less than that of the fishing rod.

[Name]: Silk of the Void

[Quality]: Lord Rank Common

[Description]: Extremely tough, almost impossible to cut, and achieves a nearly invisible effect underwater.

[Price]: Two hundred million alliance coins.

[Name]: Emperor Shark's Tooth

[Quality]: Lord Rank Common

[Description]: Unrivaled sharpness, naturally possesses an armor-piercing effect, and can easily penetrate the scales and armor of most Elite Rank Demonic Beasts.

[Price]: One hundred million alliance coins.