Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Unscrupulous Merchants, All Are Unscrupulous!
Translator: 549690339
This time, Luo Chen did not go to the Rogue Cultivators market to procure his goods.
He had already made a large purchase yesterday, and it would raise suspicions if he went again today.
Moreover, that place is filled with a mixed crowd, mainly from the Outer City. If someone were curious enough, they could easily uncover Luo Chen’s changes.
Hence, Luo Chen set his teeth and went to the Hundred Herbs Pavilion to make his purchases.
The final result was that he had to spend ten more Spirit Stones than before to acquire all the essential ingredients to refine his elixirs.
With that, he only had twenty-nine Spirit Stones left.
If he was to purchase various living necessities and firewood later, he would have to spend four more Spirit Stones.
Leaving him with just twenty-five!
Last night, he still had almost one hundred and fifty at his disposal.
“Spirit Stones are truly easy to spend.”
“This amount of money is not enough to buy the Attraction Technique.”
Standing at the crossroads, Luo Chen looked at the antique Wanbao Pavilion, gritted his teeth, and walked in.
As a business run by one of the six Ascendant Sects, its reputation and strength are the best in The Great River District.
Other Rogue Cultivators would find it challenging to gather information about someone who shops in such a place.
“Customer, are you interested in purchasing a Magic Tool?”
Just as he walked in, a maid approached him.
It was his first time in such a high-class place, and Luo Chen was somewhat nervous.
He replied that he would like to look around first, and the maid left him alone.
There was no pushy sales pitch.
That’s because he was a Fourth Level Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator in half worn-out robes that were a bit too small, giving him a constricted look.
At first glance, he appeared to be a Rogue Cultivator who did not have much purchasing power.
After roaming around the spacious ground floor for a while, Luo Chen’s nervousness abated.
Especially after casting his eyes on the Ascendant Grade Magic Tool shelves, he felt more confident.
Summoning the maid, Luo Chen went straight to the point, “I want to sell a Magic Tool, do you buy them here?”
The maid nodded, “We do, but it must first pass our expert’s evaluation. We will offer a price based on that evaluation. Whether you accept it or not is up to you.”
“You don’t charge for evaluation, right?”
“Haha, you’re joking, sir. Since you are selling to us, we naturally won’t charge for an evaluation.”
Sun Shou’s actions yesterday had genuinely scared Luo Chen.
Various fees were racking up endlessly.
Sun Shou belonged to the Yu Ding Sword Sect, while the Wanbao Pavilion was owned by Tian Fan City. Luo Chen was afraid that these heartless and rich Great Sects acted in unison.
On the second floor, an old man was enjoying his tea and twirling two red walnuts in his hand.
“Elder Chu, this customer wants to sell a Magic Tool.”
“Hmm, you can go down first!” Elder Chu, while still playing with his walnuts, extended his hand, “Show me the goods.”
A short sword was handed to him. The handle was in the shape of a swallow.
Elder Chu nodded, “It’s a standard-issue Flying Swallow Sword forged in our Tian Fan City, Ascendant Grade.”
He weighed it, and then shook his head, “Its weight is lighter by an ounce or so; severe wear and tear on the blade require it to be remade.”
Infusing it with his Qi power, Luo Chen moved it all over the blade, causing it to emit light at the tip, the body, and the handle.
“The Sharp Metal Array is damaged.”
“The Unload Qi Array still has eighty percent efficiency.”
“The Solid Array is unstable, the Array inscriptions need to be engraved again.”
“Oh, the fool of a sword owner even etched words onto it.”
After saying that, Elder Chu casually tossed the Flying Swallow Sword onto the table.
“One thousand. If you want to sell it, we at Wanbao Pavilion will take it for a thousand Spirit Stones.”
Upon hearing this enormous figure, Luo Chen’s eyes widened instantly!
Not because it was too high.
But because it was too low!
As everyone knows, the prices of Magic Tools fluctuate with the market, and cultivators are very sensitive to them.
Prices of Lower Grade Magic Tools range between one hundred to five hundred.
Medium Grade Magic Tools range between five hundred to a thousand.
Ascendant Grade Magic Tools start at a thousand Spirit Stones.
Among them, the prices of offensive Magic Tools are generally on the lower side, with the most common tools like swords and knives at the bottom.
The most expensive are defensive Magic Tools.
As for some strange and peculiar magic tools, they are priced based on their effects, leaving cultivators to judge for themselves. However, the prices are still quite high.
There’s no saying in this world that the stranger the magic tool, the quicker one dies.
The more bizarre the magic tool, the more likely it will have unexpected results. It might just turn the tide in a fight or when exploring secret realms.
Luo Chen was prepared for the low price set for the flying sword.
However, he couldn’t accept a price this low.
“The Flying Swallow Sword in your shop is priced at two thousand and five hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones!”
Elder Chu seemed not to care, “Didn’t you know? Most of the secondhand magic tools at Wanbao Pavilion are bought back at half price.”
“But this isn’t even half price!” Luo Chen argued passionately.
These sect elders might not care about a difference of a hundred or two spirit stones, but for him, that’s his life savings amassed over several years.
“Do you understand how much effort it takes for us to get these magic tools onto the shelves?”
Elder Chu began to count on his fingers, “First we have to send them back to the sect, which is an expense.”
“Choosing suitable materials for restoring them costs more money.”
“Inviting an array master to repair the array is even more expensive.”
“And to ensure our quality standards and to avoid criticisms of our products in Tian Fan City, we even invite high order cultivators to perform careful inspections.”
“Lastly, we have to make a great effort to distribute them to every Wanbao Pavilions far and wide.”
“And I haven’t even mentioned the other miscellaneous expenses.”
Luo Chen felt a grating sensation in his teeth.
This elder, despite being a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, was nitpicking to a level comparable to Elder Chen.
“Speaking of which, I have to say something about you youngsters.”
Elder Chu shook his head, looking disappointed, “All you know is fighting and killing. Are magic tools just to show off and prove your strength? These are weapons for protecting the Dao Path, they should be cherished.”
“After a battle, you should at least clean them up!”
“Even when idle, nourishing them with your qi power is something that should be done!”
“Every secondhand magic tool sent our way have been brutally battered and horribly damaged.”
“It really breaks my heart!”
As he spoke, he became emotional.
Looking at the Flying Swallow Sword, his expression was like seeing his beloved being tainted and damaged before being sent back home.
Luo Chen found it hard to bear.
But for the sake of cultivation resources, he gritted his teeth and persisted, “This is too low, I simply cannot accept this price. I could get between fifteen hundred to sixteen hundred in the Rogue Cultivator’s market for it.”
Having said that, he picked up the sword and turned to leave.
“Eh eh, young man, wait a moment.”
Elder Chu hurriedly called out, “One thousand and one, how about that? It’s the highest price I can offer within my authority.”
“Still too low.”
“It’s not a small amount, really it’s not. I’ve not ever offered this price for flying swords in better condition than this.”
Elder Chu said earnestly, “Moreover, for a flying sword with inscriptions like this one, most rogue cultivators wouldn’t dare to buy it, right!”
“One thousand and one, that’s the price. If you sincerely want to sell, Wanbao Pavilion will buy it. Furthermore, we promise not to reveal any information about you selling the magic tool!”
Luo Chen stood in place, his expression changing repeatedly.
Finally, he let out a long sigh.
“Fine, deal.”
A little while later, Luo Chen walked out of Wanbao Pavilion.
Under the dazzling sunlight, he spat without any regard for decorum.
“Damn, swindler!”
A female cultivator passed by, casting a scornful glance at him.
Such manners!
Inside Wanbao Pavilion.
Elder Chu, with a smile beaming on his face, handed the Flying Swallow Sword to a burly man with a naked torso and bulging muscles.
“Melt away the inscription on it, add in some metal aura, then send it to the first-floor shelf!”
The bulky man accepted the flying sword and scratched his head.
“The condition is quite good. It’s not really damaged. Elder Chu, how much did you pay for it this time?”
“Not bad, one thousand and one, there’s profit to be made.”
Elder Chu said with a smile, then paused for a moment, and sighed.
“The youngsters these days, they know how to live. They haggle with me even over a hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones.. With such stinginess, how can they pursue the Great Dao Path in the future!”