"Two hundred thousand Netherstones? Can't you go any lower? I just think these two beads are a bit special, but I have no idea what they're for—how can you ask for two hundred thousand?" Evan Chu asked in shock.
It wasn't that the price was too high, but rather that the middle-aged man clearly knew what the beads were and what they did—otherwise he wouldn't have set such a steep price. Evan was trying to get him to reveal more about them.
The middle-aged man glanced at Evan and said, "Buy them if you want, but cut the nonsense. If you don't know what you're looking at, just shut up—I've got no time to waste on you."
Evan had never met such an overbearing vendor before. The crowd started whispering too—a street stall seller acting this domineering was truly rare.
Right now, Evan didn't actually have two hundred thousand Netherstones. Even after all he'd gotten in the Land of the Undead, he was still short by three or four thousand. He glanced at Roxanne Lin.
"Roxy, how many Netherstones do you have on you?" Evan asked quietly.
"I don't have much, maybe a little over ten thousand. That's only because Yiyi gave me some now and then. These two broken beads are so expensive—I really think you should forget about them!" Roxy said, unable to understand why Evan was so interested in them.
"There are things you don't understand. These two beads—never mind two hundred thousand, even if they were four hundred thousand, I'd still have to buy them. I'll explain the reason later. Looks like I'll have to think of another way," Evan said helplessly.
"Can I trade for them with something else?" Evan asked the middle-aged man.
"No. I only want Netherstones!" the middle-aged man said firmly, looking impatient.
Evan didn’t give up. He immediately took out a supreme-grade Starstone from his storage ring and said, "Would this Starstone be enough to buy them? If not, then forget it."
The middle-aged man looked at the Starstone in Evan's hand with a hint of surprise on his face. "Where did you get that Starstone?" he asked.
Evan knew the guy was interested in the Starstone, so he smiled and said, "That's none of your business. If you're not selling, then forget it. Roxy, let's go!"
With that, Evan took Roxy’s hand and prepared to leave, but Roxy asked, "Weren't you set on buying those two totally unremarkable beads? Why are you giving up now? What's going on?"
"Who said I'm giving up? This is called playing hard to get. Just watch—he’ll come after me soon, and the price will be way cheaper," Evan said with a grin.
"You’re that sure? What if he doesn’t come, or someone else buys the beads first? What then?" Roxy asked.
"Heh, this guy isn’t simple. If I’m right, he’s one of those ancient experts who came to the Netherworld from the Divine Battlefield years ago. His cultivation must be at least Venerable Martial Realm by now—otherwise, you think these treasures are so easy to get?" Evan said.
"Heh, well said, young man. We should really find a place to chat properly. For someone your age to know about the Divine Battlefield is honestly impressive." Suddenly, the middle-aged man's voice rang out in Evan's ear, making him turn around. The man was smiling at him.
"If you want to talk, come to the Auspicious Cloud Inn!" Evan said, leaving without looking back.
Back at the Auspicious Cloud Inn, Evan went straight to his room to check if Princess Ivy was awake. If she woke up and couldn't find him, she'd definitely blow her top.
To his surprise, she really was awake, sitting on the edge of the bed watching him. Evan smiled, "How long have you been up? I thought you were still sleeping."
"Evan, I was only pretending to be drunk. I wanted to see what you'd do. Did you really think someone at Eighth-Layer Saint Martial Realm would be knocked out by a little wine? I woke up as soon as you two left, but I didn't go with you. I wanted to see if you'd just leave me behind. But seeing you rush back so quickly, I feel reassured," Princess Ivy said.
"Sis, I can't believe you'd scheme like that. Good thing Evan only said he was going out for a walk—if we'd really come back late, wouldn't you have gotten mad at him?" Roxy said.
"No, as long as you’re back before sunrise, I won’t be upset. I’m happy now. For him, I’d give up everything—my life included! Evan, forgive me for being selfish, but this is my lifelong happiness," Princess Ivy said.
"Heh, as long as you’re okay. Roxy, keep Princess Ivy company for a bit. I’ve got something to take care of, but I’ll be right back. Just wait here for me." Evan left the room—he’d spotted the middle-aged vendor inside the Auspicious Cloud Inn.
"Waiter, bring a few good dishes and a pot of wine—make it quick!" Evan called out, ignoring the middle-aged man for now.
Then he turned to the middle-aged man and said, "There are seats inside—let’s talk there." Evan gestured for him to follow.
The middle-aged man didn’t hesitate and sat down at a table inside the inn, but he didn’t say a word, leaving Evan puzzled.
"I know you have a lot of questions for me, and I have plenty for you too. Could you answer mine first?" Evan couldn’t help but speak up.
"Why should I answer you? I only came because of your supreme-grade Starstone. That kind of thing is extremely rare in the Netherworld—I just wanted to warn you not to show it off, unless you want to get yourself killed," the man said.
"Heh, don’t worry about me. In Nine-Shade City, there aren’t many people who could actually kill me. If I’m not mistaken, you entered the Netherworld from the Divine Battlefield ten thousand years ago, right? You’ve already reached at least Third-Layer Venerable Martial Realm, maybe even Fifth-Layer if you’ve absorbed enough Starstones," Evan said.
At last, the middle-aged man looked seriously at Evan and asked, "Who are you, really? How do you know all these secrets?"
Evan had inherited all of Lord Frostbane’s memories. The middle-aged man was clearly in disguise, otherwise Evan would have recognized him. He smiled, "If you really want to know who I am, it’s simple—just drop your disguise and show your real face. That’ll make our conversation easier."
The middle-aged man was shocked. His disguise technique was flawless—almost nobody could see through it. Yet this youth had spotted it. Clearly, Evan was no ordinary person.
Evan actually didn’t know the man was in disguise, but he did know about the ancient experts who entered the Divine Battlefield ten thousand years ago, and this guy was one of them. If he didn’t recognize him, it had to be because of a disguise... (To be continued tonight)