The shopkeeper waved her hand, saying regretfully, "Aside from the price, the pickup time is also non-negotiable. This is a matter of principle. I have so many orders in a day; I simply don't have the time."
Jiang Qiao originally wanted to say that time is like a sponge—if you squeeze it, there’s always more—but in the end, he opted for a softer approach.
He used his "money power."
Few people can resist the temptation of Spirit Stones, and this shopkeeper was no exception.
Ultimately, after some back-and-forth haggling, the shopkeeper agreed to let him pick up the goods in four days. Four days—at an increase of 5 favorability points per day, he should be able to survive until the day he gets the medicinal pills.
Meanwhile, Li Wentian was standing outside the shop, killing time. He was stepping on the bricks one by one, carefully ensuring his feet landed within the tiles without touching the gaps between them.
His original plan had been sound: take Jiang Qiao to buy a spirit power disc, then go to the auction house. But now, time was running short; the Black Market would be closing soon.
The spirit power disc scheme could be executed anytime, but the auction house had fixed hours. If he missed the lot he wanted to bid on, he had no idea when he would ever find another weapon of the same quality.
*Hiss...*
Jiang Qiao stepped out of the shop, his mouth dry from all the arguing. Four days it is. That would have to do.
He asked Li Wentian, "Where to next?"
"The auction house. You help me buy something, and we'll be square."
The auction house was on the northeast side of the Black Market. Jiang Qiao felt like his legs were going to break from the walk; not even his WeChat step count in his past life had felt this exhausting.
"It costs 500 Spirit Stones to get in. Young Master Jiang, be a pal and cover the fee."
"Ah, right. Including your own, that’s 1,000 Spirit Stones in total."
Jiang Qiao forced a stiff smile and silently paid up. After all, he still needed this guy to help him navigate the Black Market next time.
The auction house had six levels of seating. Since Jiang Qiao and Li Wentian had only purchased their tickets at the last minute, the VIP seats on the high platforms, which offered a downward view of the stage, were naturally out of their reach.
They had to sit on the very bottom level.
Fresh fruit was provided at every seat. While they waited for the auction to begin, the two of them sat there, popping grapes into their mouths one by one.
"What are you looking to bid on?"
"I need to buy a high-quality Fire Condensation Bead to embed in my sword."
"Fine."
As the auction opened, the first item presented was a blood-red Fire Condensation Bead.
The auctioneer announced, "This Fire Condensation Bead has been appraised by our experts as Grade B. The starting bid is 100 Spirit Stones."
"Three, two, one. Start bidding."
Li Wentian rested his chin on his hand, appearing to wait. "Let’s not bid yet. A lot of people here don't actually want the bead; they just drive up the price. Let’s wait a wave. Once the crowd thins out, then we strike."
Jiang Qiao wasn't sure how much the bead should cost, but he knew he had already spent quite a bit of money in the Black Market. Having money was one thing, but living within one's means was another.
In an auction, the bid increments weren't fixed, so he needed to clarify things beforehand. "If we can get this bead for under 20,000 Spirit Stones, we leave. If we can't get it, I’m not bidding anymore."
"Hey, didn't we agree that once we got this, we'd leave? And don't forget, I'm the one who brought you to the Black Market."
"I'm already in the Black Market now. I don't think it'd be that hard to find someone else to lead me out."
"Fine, fine, fine."
Li Wentian wasn't exactly thrilled. If it weren't for the fact that time was running out tonight, he would have swindled a much larger sum out of Jiang Qiao. And if he hadn't been inexplicably hunted down earlier that night, he would have already succeeded.
In the end, they secured the Fire Condensation Bead for 12,000 Spirit Stones.
The VIPs sitting on the higher platforms weren't too interested in a bead of this quality, so the price hadn't been inflated to an outrageous level.
Before luring Jiang Qiao here, Li Wentian had performed a simple analysis of Jiang Qiao's spending habits. He knew that a young master like Jiang wouldn't be willing to drop a fortune on something too rare, but he could definitely afford a bead like this.
"Let's go, let's go." Having obtained what he wanted, Li Wentian urged Jiang Qiao to leave.
But Jiang Qiao remained seated, his eyes locked on the second item.
The second item was the Duanhong Sword.
When Jiang Qiao had transmigrated into the galgame, he had seen the legend of the Duanhong Sword mentioned in the cutscenes. Now that he saw it in person, he knew he had to bid on it to make the trip worthwhile.
Li Wentian was stunned. "That sword looks useless. It’s only rated Grade D. If you buy it, it’s just a pile of scrap metal."
"It's not scrap metal," Jiang Qiao countered.
According to the cutscene lore, the power of the Duanhong Sword was beyond doubt, though few people knew its true nature.
During his previous four failed timelines, Jiang Qiao had heard others mention this sword four times. They all said the same thing: *The Black Market undervalued the Duanhong Sword, leading to a miraculous twist when a mysterious swordsman bought it and rose to fame across the world.*
According to the current timeline, that mysterious swordsman hadn't bought it yet.
"I’m going to bid."
As long as there was a way to find a path to strength, Jiang Qiao would never give up.
"Are you crazy? Sure, it's your money, buy it if you want. I doubt anyone else even wants the thing."
Li Wentian waved his hand, seemingly having already dismissed the Duanhong Sword as trash.
When the bidding started, the competition was visibly lackluster. Only four people were bidding, and the starting price was a mere 1 Spirit Stone.
Each bid increased by 5 Spirit Stones.
The price of the Duanhong Sword gradually climbed from 1 to 56 Spirit Stones.
"56 Spirit Stones, going once. 56 Spirit Stones, going twice..."
The auctioneer wasn't very invested in this sale. His introduction of the sword had been perfunctory—just a pile of junk that would only be fit for being smelted down and reforged.
"Bidder number 32 has offered 100 Spirit Stones. 100 Spirit Stones, going once..."
Jiang Qiao was bidder number 32. There was one other person, number 6, still competing with him. He suspected this must be the mysterious swordsman who would go on to fame.
But unfortunately, the Duanhong Sword was something he was determined to have.
The auction quickly entered a heated stage.
"Number 6 has bid 132 Spirit Stones!"
"Number 32 follows with a bid of 600 Spirit Stones!"
Whether in the regular or VIP seats, everyone was shocked. They never imagined an unremarkable, plain sword could sell for such a price.
Many VIPs thought the sword wasn't worth more than 100 Spirit Stones at most. Now that it had jumped to 600, it was hard not to wonder if number 32 had lost his mind.
There was hushed whispering among the guests, but Jiang Qiao didn't care. As long as he could secure this sword for under 100,000 Spirit Stones, it would all be worth it.
Seeing the situation, Li Wentian immediately tried to talk Jiang Qiao off the ledge. "Are you insane? This price is already a total scam! I strongly advise you to stop bidding."