Li Daqian waited for everyone’s reactions after he finished speaking. Surprisingly, the responses varied.
The smaller organizations and laboratories were visibly pleased, knowing they now had a chance. If the entire corpse were sold as a whole, they wouldn’t stand a chance against super factions like Cloud Peak, Five Ring Money, and Cannibal Chain. Coming here would have been a waste of resources, leaving them with nothing but losses.
Perhaps Thousand Beast Villa would have gifted them a couple of battle beasts as compensation?
But now, things were different. If the corpse were sold in parts, the opportunity was much greater. It was obvious that Li Daqian would divide the corpse into as many pieces as possible to maximize profits.
They didn’t expect to get the key parts, but some “scraps” would surely be available—enough to satisfy their appetites.
To be honest, they couldn’t afford the expensive parts anyway, so getting what others didn’t want was perfect for them.
As for the more powerful individuals like Ye Zhongming, Deacon Water, and Ruan Xiao, they remained calm.
They weren’t fools. Li Daqian’s decision to sell the corpse in parts was clearly an attempt to squeeze them for all they were worth. While this was understandable, given Thousand Beast Villa’s heavy losses, it didn’t mean they were willing to be taken advantage of. They were far from pleased.
Everyone wanted the best parts, and each of them had the resources to acquire the entire corpse. But if they started competing, the final price could skyrocket, far exceeding what they were willing to pay.
“First item.”
Li Daqian’s voice was soft, but he tapped the blade lightly against the severed limb, producing a metallic clink. Once removed from the coffin, the limb immediately emitted a surge of energy, revealing that the coffin itself was no ordinary object—it could conceal energy.
Ye Zhongming’s eyes flickered as he saw the blade-like limb.
If anyone present understood the value of a nine-star lifeform’s corpse, it was undoubtedly Ye Zhongming. He had once obtained the remains of a nine-star lifeform and personally crafted a powerful soul weapon—the Soul Shattering Staff.
As a craftsman, rare materials were a must-have. Ye Zhongming was a “dual craftsman,” possessing the ability to create soul weapons.
Imagine if every core member of Cloud Peak had a weapon like the Soul Shattering Staff…
Just the thought of it was enough to excite Ye Zhongming.
“The Mantis Snatcher has four lower limbs and six upper limbs. This is one of the upper limbs—the left rear arm.”
“When we killed it, the six upper limbs had distinct characteristics. The front limbs were sharp, the middle limbs were mysterious, and the rear arms were solid. This rear arm possessed astonishing strength. Even Chisel Tooth would suffer broken bones if struck by it. Solid mountain rock could be shattered in just a few hits. I estimate that, aside from Defenders, none of us at our current evolution levels and with our current equipment could withstand more than two hits.”
Li Daqian knew that this arm, with little meat on it, wouldn’t be suitable for feeding battle beasts. The buyers would likely be craftsmen or laboratories.
“Selling one arm is inconvenient. How about selling it together with the right rear arm?” Deacon Water suddenly suggested.
Li Daqian was momentarily stunned, unsure whether Deacon Water genuinely wanted to purchase the pair or was using this as a ploy to disrupt his plan to sell the corpse in parts.
“I believe Mr. Ye would understand better. Identical materials are easier to craft into sets, especially when they’re part of the same body. The value of one rear arm is far less than that of two. Of course, this is just a suggestion. You don’t have to agree.”
Ye Zhongming nodded. While he didn’t care much about sets, acquiring two pieces of such material at once would undoubtedly be advantageous.
“Alright, I’ll sell them together!” Li Daqian leaned into the coffin again and cut off the other rear arm.
Ye Zhongming glanced at the blue-grade knife but said nothing.
“My apologies, everyone. For these materials, demon crystals are the preferred currency. I’ll only accept eight-star demon crystals for key parts. For other parts, seven-star crystals will suffice. Aside from demon crystals, the second priority is battle beast-related job scrolls, skill scrolls, contract scrolls, and bloodline crystals. The third priority is battle beast cubs, eggs, high-level battle beasts, or high-level beast equipment.”
“Of course, high-level weapons, equipment, or technological achievements are also acceptable, but they’ll be the lowest priority.”
Everyone realized Li Daqian was using the nine-star corpse to cultivate eight-star evolved. After this battle, he was determined to boost Thousand Beast Villa’s strength rapidly.
“This pair of rear arms—ten eight-star demon crystals.”
Almost everyone frowned when they heard the price.
Ten eight-star magic crystals were enough to spin a level-eight wheel once. With good luck, one could obtain an eight-star evolution potion. Even with bad luck, the other rewards on a level-eight wheel were valuable—blue-grade equipment, rare job scrolls, or bloodlines.
“Isn’t that a bit high?” Ruan Xiao looked troubled. Even as a top executive of Cannibal Chain, one of the most renowned merchant organizations in the country, eight-star demon crystals were akin to nuclear weapons at this stage. If he had ten, he would have already used them to spin the wheel, not carry them around.
Moreover, unlike other post-apocalyptic organizations where the leader controlled all resources, Cannibal Chain operated differently. As a top executive, Ruan Xiao had significant authority, but even he had to surrender some of the eight-star demon crystals he obtained. If this level of magic crystal were used as payment, he couldn’t compete with Ye Zhongming or even the more independent Deacon Water of Five Ring Money.
“I’m truly sorry, Manager Ruan. Given the drastic changes at home, these are urgently needed. I hope you understand.” Li Daqian smiled but refused firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.
Ruan Xiao sighed and added, “Can I take the items now and pay later? I’ll deliver the demon crystals within a month. I guarantee it with Cannibal Chain’s reputation.”
Li Daqian smiled but said nothing.
This was a refusal.
Deacon Water clenched her hands, visibly hesitant.
She currently had ten eight-star demon crystals on her, but not twenty. This meant that if she bought this pair of rear arms, she couldn’t afford other parts. Even if she could, she’d have to trade other valuable items, and it was clear that these weren’t the best parts of the nine-star corpse.
The price of the nine-star materials far exceeded her expectations.
She was torn about how to proceed.
At this moment, Ye Zhongming spoke.
“Can I choose the parts I want?”