Five thousand Spirit Stones is no small sum. In a small city like Flowing Cloud City, that's enough to cover a family's expenses for several years—and they'd probably still have some left over.
Everyone around turned to look at Evan Chu, waiting to see if he could really produce that many Spirit Stones.
Harold Zhu chuckled, "Kid, you're pretty funny. Five thousand Spirit Stones is trash to me. I drop tens of thousands every time I go shopping. Tell you what—I'll give ten thousand Spirit Stones for it, just to do a good deed and let this vendor live comfortably for life."
Sophia Lin laughed, "See? My man is offering ten thousand Spirit Stones. If you know what's good for you, you'd better get lost before you embarrass yourself. In the end, you're still just that ugly freak's fiancé."
Evan Chu didn't get angry. Since you want to play, I'll play you to death—let's see how cocky you are after this.
He turned to Harold Zhu and said, "If you can immediately produce ten thousand Spirit Stones, I'll let you buy that green stone. But if you can't, and you're just putting on a show, the consequences might get ugly."
Harold Zhu didn't get mad at Evan's words; instead, he laughed, "Kid, do you even know what a Starstone is? A single low-grade Starstone is worth a hundred Spirit Stones. I've got a mid-grade Starstone right here—it's worth ten thousand Spirit Stones."
With that, he pulled out a mid-grade Starstone from his storage belt and showed it off to the crowd. Sophia Lin looked proud, as if she was basking in all the attention.
"Wow, a Starstone! I can't believe I'm actually seeing a legendary Starstone today. They say Starstones are packed with Stellar Power and are super rare," one of the onlookers exclaimed.
"I've seen Starstones before, but only low-grade ones. This guy is loaded—he just whipped out a mid-grade Starstone! That girl with him must be living the good life!" another person said.
The discussion about Starstones instantly heated up, and Sophia Lin and Harold Zhu looked even more smug.
At that moment, the vendor asked, "Are you really willing to trade your mid-grade Starstone for my stone?" He sounded excited—clearly, he knew how valuable a Starstone was.
"Of course. It's just a mid-grade Starstone, I've got plenty—one more or less doesn't matter," Harold Zhu said.
Selena glanced at his show-off act and quietly said to Evan Chu, "These small-city clowns really have no idea. Linfeng, this little trip has truly opened my eyes."
Evan Chu said, "You think you're the only one with Starstones? If you claim you've got so many, let's see if you dare to double whatever I bid."
Harold Zhu sneered, "You have Starstones? With your status and family, you could actually own Starstones?" His tone was pure contempt.
Evan Chu laughed, "You don't even have what I'm holding, yet you still dare show off in front of me?" With that, he waved his storage ring right in Harold Zhu's face.
Sophia Lin scoffed, "Waving a fake in front of us and pretending it's a storage ring? Spare me. Like you'd ever be worthy of one."
Evan Chu then pulled out a low-grade Starstone from his storage ring and said, "Take a look—is this a Starstone? Is this a storage ring?"
The moment Evan Chu produced the Starstone, everyone was stunned. Clearly, things were only going to get more exciting today—and no one was happier than the vendor, who was hoping for a full-on Starstone showdown.
Harold Zhu burst out laughing, "You actually dare to flaunt a low-grade Starstone? Unbelievable! If you don't have the cash, just admit it—no need to act all high and mighty. Maybe, if I'm in a good mood, I'll even reward you with a mid-grade Starstone."
"Hey, friend, I'm buying that green stone. How about this—I'll give you one million Spirit Stones for it?" Evan Chu said with a smile.
"A million? Are you out of your mind?" Harold Zhu blurted out, stunned.
Evan Chu ignored him and pulled out a high-grade Starstone from his storage ring. "You recognize this Starstone, right? Is it worth a million Spirit Stones or not?"
Harold Zhu was stunned when he saw the high-grade Starstone in Evan Chu's hand. "No way... How could you possibly have a high-grade Starstone? It must be a fake!" he blurted out.
Sophia Lin's expression changed too—she hadn't expected Evan Chu to produce a high-grade Starstone. She quickly echoed, "That Starstone has to be fake. Why not test it and see?"
Evan Chu laughed, "Friend, I'll give you this high-grade Starstone, and two more on top. Try this one first—see if it really contains Stellar Power."
With that, Evan Chu tossed the high-grade Starstone to the vendor, and then two more appeared in his hand. The crowd could only look on in envy.
The vendor wasn't sure at first, but when he absorbed the Starstone's energy, a surge of Stellar Power flooded his body. He shouted with excitement, "It's real! It's a real Starstone—such powerful Stellar Power!"
Evan Chu looked at Harold Zhu and said, "Weren't you bragging about your Starstones? Why can't you afford to buy now? Want me to give you a high-grade Starstone as a gift?"
"You! Don't get cocky—those few Starstones are nothing to me," Harold Zhu huffed, then pulled out several high-grade Starstones and dozens of mid-grade ones.
"So you really think you're loaded? That little pile of Starstones—you're showing off in front of me? Let me tell you, even if your whole family's stash was combined, it'd still be less than mine," Evan Chu said.
With a thought, Evan Chu made hundreds of high-grade Starstones appear on the ground. The crowd stared in shock and awe.
Only now did Harold Zhu and Sophia Lin realize the guy in front of them was truly rich. Even their families couldn't produce so many Starstones.
Sophia Lin still refused to give up and said, "Evan Chu, how did you get so many Starstones? Did you steal them?"
Evan Chu grinned, "How'd you guess? I was wanted for stealing Starstones from the imperial palace, but the Emperor was generous and pardoned me—he even cancelled the warrant. If you don't believe me, check the notice at the city gate."
Of course, no one believed Evan Chu's story, but with so many Starstones, people couldn't help but wonder where he got them all.
After the vendor handed the green stone to Evan Chu, he said, "This is yours. I don't need the other two—just this one is worth a fortune."
Just as Evan Chu was about to speak, a commotion rose from behind. Everyone turned to see City Lord Titus Sima approaching with a squad of guards.
Upon seeing Evan Chu, Titus Sima immediately dropped to one knee and said respectfully, "Your servant greets Your Highness. I heard someone was extorting you on the street, so I brought guards to arrest anyone who showed disrespect. Forgive me for arriving late!"
"It's fine, no need to make a big fuss. Since you're here, just take those two back to the City Lord's Mansion and treat them well," Evan Chu said with a smile.
Only now did the crowd truly gasp in shock—Evan Chu was actually a prince! No one could have imagined such a thing happening right before their eyes.
No one was more stunned than Harold Zhu and Sophia Lin. When they heard Titus Sima call Evan Chu 'Your Highness,' they felt like their hearts might explode...